I do not own TVD, TO or Legacies
The amount of love I received for the first chapter of this story was just overwhelming, so thank you to everyone who took the time to leave a review.
Kas Black Potter Winchester - This chapter should answer some of your questions about Damon.
Sam 'Dimples' Swarek - I sent you a PM about your suggestion. I don't see it happening for this story, but I did like the idea for another story.
He cast his eyes upwards and blinked, counting the logs on the building's exterior; forty beams stacked horizontally created the house's height.
A few centuries ago the home would have been moderately luxurious, and by twenty-first century standards of vacation homes it held a certain rustic charm.
Were he human he wouldn't have minded living out his days inside, especially if he could do so with the woman who owned it.
He could see it: a charming home, a compassionate woman, and hellion or two running amok to remind him fondly of rambunctious younger siblings. An entire life he might have had in another world.
He didn't anticipate much of a life beyond the full moon; only the promise of the dreaded black horizon remained.
He could live with that. He would live with that… for her.
The half baked idea formed in his mind long before bearing witness to his niece's lapsed judgement; it wasn't her fault, and he had a plan to deal with it, but there remained one single piece of unfinished business.
Conscious suddenly of the passage of time he allowed his eyes one final glance at the red convertible before he knocked.
"It's open." The familiar voice called from upstairs in obvious invitation; he made a mental not to scold her for it as he stepped inside.
Beyond the open patio doors water lapped against the deck, bringing with it the fresh air and damp earth.
He passed the cozy dining room table, caught the sweet smell from the vase of tulips, pausing at the foot of the stairs where he tilted his head minutely and met the guarded blue eyes of his sister.
She came down the steps until they were at an equal height and stopped. With a jolt he realized the guarded expression was a reflection of his own eyes.
"You're going to do something foolish, aren't you?" His stiff neck proved answer enough and she released a defeated sigh. "My idiotic, self-sacrificing, noble brother."
She looked at him, tears shimmering in her eyes that she refused to let fall.
"Please don't do this."
"What makes you think I plan on doing anything?" He straightened his shoulders.
"You're here," she tossed up her hands, but kept her voice low so it didn't carry to mortal ears, "you're stepping into her human life because you think this is your final chance to see her."
"I'm just here to catch up with an old friend," he denied, unsure why he bothered; Rebekah could always see through him when it came to her. He attempted deflection instead. "What are you doing here?"
"You know exactly what I'm doing here," she scoffed, "just like she knows why I waltzed back into her life, but I've waited a thousand years. I can wait a few more weeks."
"What do you mean?" His brows drew together.
Rebekah hesitated, glancing up the stairs when Elena called down.
"My brain's not addled, right?" Her laugh sounded strained, as if she worried that were really the case. "I heard someone at the door?"
"You're not mad yet, love," she called.
"Rebekah?" He reached for her elbow.
"You'll see," she shook off his hand. "Tell her she's missing necessitates and I've gone in town to fetch them."
He stared after her a moment beyond the closing of the door and then walked up the stairs, following the steady sound of her heart to a room overlooking the lake.
He tried not to do it, but when he found her on her knees, up to her elbows in a blue tote, he couldn't keep her name from rolling off his tongue in revered tones.
"Elena."
She inhaled a short breath and looked up. The soft smile he liked to fantasize as being just for him bloomed, warming his soul.
"Elijah."
His name from her lips welcomed him home with whispers of a life they would never have.
"This is Mystic Falls," the corner of his mouth quirked up, "you need to be more careful about who you invite inside."
"I felt pretty safe with Rebekah here," she shrugged, "besides, with the exception of Caroline, I make a point of avoiding vampires these days."
"Do you want me to leave?" He motioned over his shoulder.
"I think I can make another exception," her half smile returned. "And it's only partially because your sister seems to have abandoned me and I definitely need help to stand up."
His eyes flickered down to her stomach as she leaned back on her knees. The rest of the room came into focus, making sense of Rebekah's comment.
"That I can do," he chuckled. Placing a hand on her elbow, he helped her stand and guided her into the grey rocking chair before kneeling and putting the rest of the clothes in the dresser.
"Don't get me wrong," she picked up a stuffed whale, "because it is nice to see you, but if I ask what you're doing here will you give me a straight answer, or dodge my question like your sister?"
A thousand responses filtered through his mind: 'I miss you', 'I wanted to see you', 'I needed to hear your voice one more time'.
"I thought it was time we caught up," he said instead. "The last I heard you were in a magically induced coma after becoming human again."
"Then you're definitely behind on the times," she chewed her bottom lip.
"Yes, well," he shut the drawer filled with onesies he felt certain once belonged to Hope, "when you were awakened I had no idea who I was."
"Sounds like I missed a lot too," she blew out a rush of air. "Tea?"
"Tea?" He frowned, snapping the tote's lid back in place.
"I'd offer coffee, but Caroline and Bonnie purged the kitchen when I proved incapable of not drinking it," she stood up carefully. "The other option is water or a decent whiskey that's been collecting dust for twenty-plus years."
"Tea would be lovely," he smiled, watching her place the whale in the crib.
She walked out of the room faster than he thought she should have been capable of in her current condition. He caught up with ease, finding her at the top of the stairs holding tight to the railing.
In the kitchen she put the kettle on to boil and reached into a cupboard.
He stretched an arm above her head, retrieving the blue mugs beyond her grasp.
"Thanks," she murmured.
Elena busied her hands preparing the tea and Elijah allowed himself a moment, one glistening moment, to bask in domesticity; they worked well together, gliding around each other. And when his hand brushed her elbow or grazed the small of her back her heart skipped just as it had all those years ago in Willoughby when he felt the jump beneath his finger tips.
The taste of her lips had haunted him since.
"Where did Rebekah go?" She asked when they sat on the back deck.
He forced his gaze up, halting his study of her mouth's movement. Sunlight filtered through the sparse trees, casting her warm eyes half in shadow.
"She mentioned something about fetching missing necessities," he sipped his tea and tilted the mug, glancing at the dark liquid.
"Necessities," she tasted the word, feeling the weight of each syllable on her tongue. "I didn't realize I lacked necessities."
"Have you run out of milk?" He smirked.
"I just bought groceries and even if I hadn't I don't know when she would have gotten the chance to look in the fridge and find a lack of milk."
"I'm surprised you didn't attempt to purchase coffee," he chuckled.
"Tried in the second trimester and got caught by Caroline," she sipped, shrugging one shoulder. Her tongue darted out to catch a drop from her lip. "She compelled everyone who might have supplied it and now I have to drive to Richmond, which is just too much work for a cup of mediocre coffee. And Rebekah was only in the nursery."
"Maybe she noticed something missing."
"She wouldn't be the first one," Elena stared out across the sparkling water. "I wish I still had her number so I can tell her it's not necessary; she did enough."
"What do you mean?" He set his mug on the table and reached into his jacket for his phone.
"Well, she carried everything inside, put the crib together and recycled the boxes." She drummed her fingers along her stomach. "She doesn't have to suck up to get the cure. All she had to do was ask."
"So you do still have it," he leaned across the table, setting down his phone and catching her cup before it could tumble into her lap.
"What happened to you Elena? When word reached me I expected you to sleep for decades, yet Bonnie Bennett lives and you're awake."
"You want to know how I woke up," she laid her hands on the table, feeling the warmth from his arm across the inch of space, "when it was made clear to all of us that any interference from anyone would result in a joint, grisly death."
"It is my understanding that you were to sleep until Bonnie passed." He tilted his head, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully.
"There is a very simple explanation for that," she turned over her palm and traced her lifeline with her eyes. "Kai lied about the curse. He told Damon it was tied to Bonnie's life, but actually he tied it to Damon's."
She lapsed into silence a moment; a symphony of crickets and frogs filled the quiet. When she opened her mouth again a mixture of nostalgia and sorrow laced her tone, nearly drowning out the touch of exasperation.
"Care and Bonnie filled me in since I was 'sleeping' at the time," she exhaled, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.
"About eight years ago Katherine clawed her way out of hell, and no, I'm not joking. She came with a rather solid plan to get rid of me. Mystic Falls came this close to being consumed in literal hellfire," she held her thumb and forefinger together.
"Obviously that didn't happen," he inclined his head.
"They dug up her bones and carved a knife that would kill her once and for all," she cringed and swallowed her urge to apologize. Once upon a time Elijah had loved her, and she spoke of her ancestor's death with no hint of remorse, but for whatever reason he didn't seem bothered, merely curious.
"What happened?"
"Nobody knows for sure," she shrugged. "The running theory is that Stefan did what he always did and played the hero because someone had to drag Katherine down so she wouldn't get away. Stefan killed Katherine and saved the town, and Damon tried to save Stefan, or vice versa. All anyone really knows is that all three of them went down in the caves and all three of them died."
"I'm sorry." His sudden admission made her heart skip. "You two were together," he answered the silent question.
"I don't know that we were at that point," her brows narrowed. "I told him to live his life which was as close to a break up as I could get without actually saying it. Should I have said: 'wait for me' instead?"
"What are a handful of decades to a vampire?"
"Arguably nothing," she shrugged. "I think I still had a human's perspective of time where everything can change in the blink of an eye. I still think that regardless of immortality."
He thought of his niece. The turning point for all of them. Their hope brought forth by what should have been a single act fuelled by bourbon and bad decisions that brought mother and child into their lives.
"You think that because it's true, and any immortal who says otherwise is lying through their teeth."
"How do I know you're not lying now?" She said, a teasing light in her eyes.
"I have never lied to you Elena, and I never will."
Her eyes flickered to his mouth and back up.
"Never?" She tasted scepticism on her tongue.
"Never," he confirmed. "I might have withheld information, but I have never lied. Not to you."
"You withheld information?" She cocked a curious eyebrow. "What didn't you tell me?"
Objectively she knew the amount of things he hadn't told her were innumerable; there had to be countless things he had kept quiet for the simple reason that the information was none of her business.
"I never told you that even on your emotionless bottom I could never mistake you for anyone else." He reached for his mug, taking a sip of lukewarm tea.
Colour kissed her collarbones.
"Could have fooled me," she murmured.
"I never got the chance to tell you, and for that I'm sorry."
"So am I," she licked her bottom lip, "for what I said in Willoughby, for…"
"That's not necessary, Elena."
"Yeah, it is," she sighed. The flicker of hurt in his eyes that day had urged her to turn it back on; she nearly listened to the whisper.
"I lied," she ran her finger around the rim of her mug, "it didn't feel good watching the letter burn, or anything else."
Her stomach twisted with despair.
Her covered her hand, gently squeezing her fingers. Warmth spread up her arm.
"Can I ask you something?"
She swallowed and sucked in a shallow breath, glancing up through her lashes.
"You can ask me anything," she gave him her soft half smile.
"Why did Rebekah put that nursery together?" He nodded to the house.
"Because I put it off until I physically couldn't put things together." She shrugged.
"And when you left the nursery you practically ran."
"Is there a question in there?" She took in a shaking breath.
"A couple questions," he nodded. "Why hadn't anyone helped you before now?"
"Caroline and Bonnie have been helping, but they have their own lives."
"Is there nobody else who could offer aid?" He frowned in concern, mentally calculating the distance from the lake to the hospital.
"Jeremy pops by from time to time, but he wouldn't have a clue how to do half of this stuff," amusement flickered through her eyes. "Ric does know, but after one too many grandpa jokes he's hesitant to step into more teasing. And then there's the fact that everyone thinks I already did all of this stuff except for Bonnie; she was with me when I picked up the crib today and saw the trunk of my car."
"She didn't offer to help?" He quickly questioned the wisdom in lecturing the Bennett witch.
"Kol was on her doorstep, Caroline wanted her to help him. I didn't hear the message though," her teeth sank into her bottom lip, "since my brain was hurtling full speed towards a freak out. You didn't know Kol was at Bonnie's?"
"No," he leaned forward, reflexively squeezing her hand. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," she smiled sadly, "Rebekah showed up and calmed me down."
"And where is your child's father in all of this?" Unsurprisingly he felt a stab of jealousy.
"Non-existent," she shivered in a blast of cold wind.
He stood, offering her a hand up. "Non-existent?"
She carried the empty mugs inside, nodding as he shut the patio door.
"I mean, obviously he exists somewhere, but I have no idea where." She slammed the mugs down with more force than necessary. One shattered, sending half a dozen shards to the floor.
Before she could blink Elijah knelt at her feet. He picked up the sharp pieces with one hand and grasped her hip with the other to help her keep her balance.
"Shall I hunt the bastard down and murder him for you?" He attempted to joke.
"If only it were that simple," she breathed. A blush crept up her cheeks when she saw the mess she had made. "Caroline already made that offer."
"And you didn't take her up on it?" He stood, disposing of glass.
"I'd have to know where to start looking," she shook her head. The weight settled on her chest again.
"If I ask what happened, will you tell me?" His hands curled around her elbows.
"I don't know," she stepped out of his hold, spinning to pace into the living room.
"Elena?"
She grasped the back of a leather armchair and sucked in quick bursts of air, forcing herself to even her breathing.
"I don't know, Elijah," she shook her head. "I… I literally don't know."
And then her procrastination, desire to be anywhere else but the nursery, and her apparent lack of excitement, made sense; and it seemed unlikely that the possibility of eventually bringing another doppelgänger into the world was the root of the problem.
"Walk me through it," he placed his palm on the small of her back. "Tell me?"
"I haven't told anybody," a hysterical giggle, closer to a sob, broke in her chest. Two breakdowns in one day. Nice Elena.
"Not Bonnie or Caroline?"
She shook her head. "They would have burned that town down for answers, so I told them it was a one night thing and when I told him he basically told me to go to hell."
"Will you tell me the truth?" He wanted to scold himself for daring to physically comfort her, but he was a selfish man; he would take every possible form of contact he could get.
"I suppose I'll have to, won't I?" She sighed, rolling her eyes. "You'll know if I lie."
"You don't have to tell me anything." His fingers worked a knot from her back. The level of tension in her body worried him.
Her legs shook, exhausted from hauling around the extra weight.
He guided her to the sofa and perched beside her, resisting the urge to wrap an arm around her shoulders. He doubted she would like that with the subject he suspected invaded her mind; he wanted to kick himself for bringing it up and forcing her to relive it.
A fire crackled to life in the hearth.
He filed the knowledge away for later.
"You know about the twins?" She took controlled breaths, watching him nod. "They're gonna have to merge and Caroline's been looking for a solution since they were little. I go with her sometimes; the promise of channeling the last doppelgänger tends to loosen tongues."
"I can understand that." He shifted, accidentally brushing her knee.
"She got a lead, turned out to be a bust," she tilted her head, "about a witch near Almeirim, so about nine months ago I went with her to Brazil. She went to meet the witch and I hung back in case she needed me."
She stared at the coffee table without seeing it.
"I got a little bored, so around midnight I went for a walk near the river."
"Alone?" His brows shut up.
"I know the danger of walking along, and I thought I could handle myself." She waved one hand towards the fire. "After everything I thought learning a bit of magic would be a good idea."
"Did your gypsy heritage help?" He listened to her erratic heart.
"No." Her eyes took on a far away look again. "I walked along the river. I heard something break the surface. I turned to look, and then… then I was fifteen feet downstream, soaked through and my phone was on the ground with two missed calls from Caroline and a bunch of text messages."
"How much time had passed?" His mind scrambled for possibilities.
"At least three hours," she worried her bottom lip. "A couple weeks later I got a positive pregnancy test."
"You didn't consider the possibility before that?"
"I felt physically fine." She placed her palms on her thighs. "Everything was in place, nothing hurt, so no, my mind didn't go to that possibility. I didn't even think I could be pregnant until Caroline gently steered me in that direction."
"Where did your mind go?"
"Witches," she shrugged. "I figured witches saw me, recognized me, and used me for a spell before making me forget it."
"Not vampires?" He smirked.
"I was on vervain."
"And you've told nobody," his eyes noted the shift in light, signifying the sinking sun.
"Nobody," she exhaled.
"I see," he glanced towards the ceiling. Then studied her profile.
"Elena…" he hesitated, but ultimately reached for her hand. "Do you want this?"
"I…" her mouth opened and closed a few times. "I have mixed feelings."
She loved Bonnie, but she could be judgemental at times, and she loved Caroline; they were family, sisters, but neither could ever understand. She suspected Katherine to be the only one who could have, and even then she couldn't get all of it. Katherine would have understood half. Caroline would have understood half, but nobody would understand it all, not completely.
Elijah would listen though - listen and not judge.
"I'm a doppelgänger," she closed her eyes, "I never wanted there to be another; that was going to be my giant 'fuck you' to Klaus."
He chuckled, she smiled, and neither mentioned the way their fingers slipped together.
"But now there is a baby, so that's out the window," she tilted her head, laughing softly. "And I don't know how it got in there. I don't know if I consented and then was forced to forget, or maybe I didn't consent; maybe someone forced me because they wanted my bloodline to continue. And I don't know if I'm supposed to find the mermaid theme a cute reminder of getting knocked up somewhere near the water, or if I'm supposed to be horrified, but…" she trailed off, feeling the sting of tears behind her eyes.
Elijah pressed a smooth navy handkerchief into her hand, nodding encouragingly as she opened and dried her eyes.
"But," her fingers crumpled the fabric against her belly. "There's going to be a baby. And she's real, and she's mine," her voice trembled, "and I put everything off. Then today I had to confront it.
"I told Rebekah I was terrified of being a single mother, which is true," she sniffed, clearing her throat, "and that's why I had the anxiety attack."
"You're conflicted," he smoothed his thumb along her finger, "and after what you told me I'm not surprised. I am surprised that you're not sobbing right now."
She groaned, dropping her head into her hands. "I just totally unloaded on you. I'm sorry."
"It's alright Elena," he smoothed a hand across her shoulders.
"No, it's not," she pressed her lips together. "You came here to catch up and I…"
"I did catch up," he swept her hair over her shoulder and pulled her hands away from her face. His thumbs rubbed over her knuckles. "I arguably know more than your friends."
"No arguing about it because you do know more," her nose wrinkled as her lips parted slightly. "Why are you really here? I might have bought catching up if you hadn't looked like you wanted to say a million other things."
"Am I that easily read?"
"I'm getting better at it," she twisted in place, releasing his hands as she readjusted. "What's going on? Why today? And what did you mean you didn't know who you were? You said you'd never lie to me," she reminded with a watery smile.
"I did say that," he lowered his eyes, nodding. "I had my memory removed so I wouldn't be a danger to my family and I came here today because it's the last chance I'll get to speak with you."
The teasing sparkle left her eyes.
"What do you mean?" She swallowed.
"A darkness has taken hold of my niece," he sighed, watching the shift of her stomach. A lump rose beneath her shirt as the baby stretched in the cramped space. "It's killing her; she won't survive the full moon tonight."
"Th-that's horrible," she gently touched his arm, "but I don't understand the connection."
"I took her to lunch today and overheard a conversation I wasn't meant to."
"Eavesdropper," she accused, attempting to lift the dread from her shoulders.
"Niklaus plans to have Caroline's girls move the Hollow - that's the darkness my siblings and I took into ourselves years ago, and the reason I forgot everything - into him. Then he wants her to subdue him and drop him at the bottom of the ocean. I can't let him do that."
She couldn't see Caroline being onboard with the plan, and she wouldn't have wished that fate on Klaus anymore, but if it came to a choice between brothers she knew who she would pick.
"Don't do this Elijah," fresh tears welled in her eyes. She lost too many people to martyrdom; he was meant to be there, always somewhere.
"You don't even know what I'm planning," his rueful smile failed to reach his eyes.
"Like hell I don't," she cried, digging her nails into his soft jacket. "You do things you abhor to protect your family all the time, and now you're thinking you'll take Klaus' place. I get that you want to protect them; I understand it, but not like this. Find another way."
"There is no other way," he shook his head, catching the crunch of tires over gravel.
The speed she utilized to stand shocked them almost as much as the vehemence in her voice.
"There's always another way!" Heat flashed in her eyes; it dissipated a bit when her front door swung open. Her brows rose, shooting towards her hairline. "Care?"
"Hey," she grinned, striding into the living room. She took in Elijah's presence, but made no comment on her best friend's company. "Did you pick up popcorn?"
"Yeah," she crossed her arms over her stomach, "why?"
"Because this is going to be seriously amusing," her eyes glittered, jumping from green to blue and back.
Elena opened her mouth to ask, but a clipped accent cut off her voice.
"You're taking far too much pleasure in this, love."
"Not yet," Caroline smirked, "but I guarantee that I will."
"You need to relax," Kol scolded, lightly clapping a hand on her knee. "Lighten up."
"How am I supposed to do that?" She scoffed through a bemused smile.
He never wanted to see such a forlorn expression on her face; she was meant to be protected and kept far from the horrific company their family made a habit of keeping. His dead heart broke to see so much cynicism in one so young.
"My life hangs on my dad's ability to convince a woman who hates him, whose aunt he murdered in a ritual that should have killed her too, to help him."
"Don't count him out yet, bunny."
"I'm going to die in a few hours," she rolled her eyes, staring out over the town square. "She's not going to want to help him."
He tapped his fingers against the bench and watched the revelry of the teenagers along with the rest of the town. It still surprised him, though it probably shouldn't have, how little the town had changed. He half expected the quarterback to materialize on his periphery in a letterman jacket, but of course he now held the office of Sheriff.
"She might hate Nik." He ran his tongue over his teeth. "She might deny Nik. She could hear it out from Rebekah. Her guilt may sway her to say yes to me, though I doubt it. There is, however, one person she will say yes to."
Hope's eyes narrowed as she tilted her head and gripped the underside of the bench, driving a splinter into her index finger. "Caroline?"
Caroline Forbes possessed a single minded determination that led them to the breakthrough, and as Elena's best friend she held the doppelgängers ear, but he doubted even Caroline could turn her set mind.
The hatred for Klaus ran deep.
"Sure," the corner of his mouth quirked up.
From the edge of the square, on the fringe of the concert crowd, a teenage boy stole a glance in their direction; his fifth since they sat down, not that Kol deliberately kept count. The boy simply proved impossible to miss for anyone whose attention was not consumed by her impending death.
"Don't look now, darling," he teased, "but there is a kicked puppy that keeps looking at you." The statement succeeded in distracting her. He watched her face pop up and flood with heat and a tiny smile. "Is this possibly a puppy you didn't mean to kick?"
"He's not a puppy," she murmured.
"Oh, you like him," he leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. "Shall I inquire as to his intentions? Perhaps discuss a dowry?"
"You're not half as funny as you think you are," she told her shoes.
"I'm hilarious and you know it." An idea took shape in his mind; he hoped it would be a fitting distraction. "Why don't you go and talk to him? He doesn't look like he bites. Go on and have some fun."
"What's the point?" She shook her head, but her muscles bunched, ready to stand and approach.
"The point, little witch, is that you're fifteen years old and you're alive and you deserve to have some fun with a boy you like while your beloved uncle makes him uncomfortable with threatening stares." He chuckled and smoothed out his features. "I do a wonderful imitation of a deranged psychopath."
"Is that because you are one?" She cocked an eyebrow, increasing her resemblance to her father.
"Less so these days," he smirked and brought one hand around to the small of her back, "go on. Have some fun."
Hope got to her feet rather than let him shove her to the ground. Her nails picked at her finger, pulling the splinter out; it stung, burning in the evening air. She glanced over her shoulder and received a shooing motion for the effort.
With her heart in her throat she sucked in a shallow breath and left, skirting around the people listening to the music.
Landon glanced around as she approached him, tearing his poor concentration from the dancing couples. His shock morphed into a shy smile.
Butterflies swarmed in her belly, making her steps falter. She sensed if she looked back she would find one uncle resembling a cat with a canary.
"Hey." She cringed at the breathlessness of her voice. Fuel for the teasing fire, but then again, she'd be dead in a few hours so it didn't matter.
"Hey." His voice matched hers and that brought a modicum of comfort.
"I thought you had to be somewhere tonight."
"Yeah, well," she shrugged, slipping her hands into her pockets, "it turns out that somewhere was the town square with my uncle."
"You're uncle?" His eyes widened when she nodded. "He's young."
"He's older than he looks," she snickered, considering turning to give him a quick smirk. "I'm here for a little while, but I do have a curfew soon."
"Private school doesn't want you hanging out with the town riffraff too late?" He teased. "Shocking."
"Trust me," she laughed, "there's plenty of riffraff behind the gates."
He laughed, ducking his head.
"So, uh," he spoke to his shoes, "you know that jerk from the Grille?"
He looked up and she nodded.
"Apparently he wrecked his car today."
She had to bite her lip to hide her grin she knew matched Kol's.
"And now you're here, and the music's good, so before my luck runs out, which it will…"
He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Do you… uh… want to dance or something?"
"You want to dance with me?" Her brows shot up. Nobody had ever asked her to dance outside of family, and she hadn't felt inclined to do much dancing at the wedding.
"Fair warning," he started babbling, "I might suck at it, and I haven't really thought this whole thing through. Kind of living in the moment here," he shrugged his shoulders.
"I…" she hesitated, biting her lip. "You know I should probably do more of that myself."
She held out her hand, nodding as they moved into a simple form and swayed. When they turned she half expected to find Kol glaring at Landon like he promised. Instead she found his nodding head bent over a sheet of paper and Bonnie Bennett beside him, turning over the bone knife between her hands.
"I wish we had more time," Bonnie murmured, running her finger over the dark object. A vial burned a hole in her pocket.
"You can seal it in the knife with Elena's blood," he made minute adjustments with a pencil.
"I know, and I know it'll work," she sighed. "I just wish we could have found something less… pointy."
"Pointy?" He laughed, turning to face her.
"Don't mock me," she elbowed him lightly, "this is still going to be a dangerous thing. Made all the worse by the evil spirit we're going to stick inside it."
"I know, love," he sobered. "I wish we had a little more time too, but Elena's blood will seal it and we can lock the knife up. Given more time we could have broken down the components and forged a box of sorts, but," his eyes found his niece, "we're short on time."
"I know," she reached into her pocket for her buzzing phone. "It's Caroline."
I'm gonna be honest, I've got three additional subplots worked into this fixit fic. Two of them are going to be fairly obvious, but if I do this right (the way I want to) then the last one involving Bonnie won't be made clear until the last few chapters of the story.
There will be hints for it throughout though. Maybe some of you can guess.