Summary: All Celia Saltzman wanted was her mother back in her life. Moving to Mystic Falls and making new friends had never been part of the plan. Neither was finding new family. After finding out the truth about what happened to her mother, Celia soon discovers that it wasn't the only secret that lies within her family.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognize here. TVD belongs to L.J. Smith and the CW.

Setting: TVD AU

Notes:


Nine


Celia finished eating and paid the bill leaving a tip for Matt. She honestly wasn't sure what to think of her encounter with Klaus. So lost in thought, the brunette was surprised when she found herself standing outside of her apartment door. Celia hesitated before letting herself in. It was surprisingly quiet in the apartment. She went to her room packing a bag. There was no way anyone would let her stay there while Klaus was using her home as a base of operations. Celia rolled her eyes and walked out of her room only to freeze when she saw her Dad.

"No, no, no, Celia. You shouldn't be here." The concern was evident in her father's eyes.

She dropped her bag and ran straight into his arms hugging him tightly. "I was so worried!"

"I'm okay. Really." Ric returned the hug pressing a kiss to her head.

Celia stayed like that for a few moments then pulled away looking him over. "Are you sure that you're alright?"

"Yes I'm sure." He assured her with a smile.

She bit her lip glancing around. "You should go pack a bag. We can't stay here right now."

Ric nodded his head in agreement and went to his room. She picked up her bag and walked into the living room. Celia became lost in thought again to the point that she didn't even hear anyone enter the apartment. She snapped out of it when she heard him chuckle. Celia bit her lip as she glanced over at the Original vampire.

"I told you he was fine, love." Klaus smirked at her.

She couldn't help feeling nervous around him. "And is he still free to leave?"

"Yes of course. I have no use for him at the moment." His shoulders shrugged as he moved to pour himself a drink.

Her grip on the strap of her bag tightened. "Thank you. Um, I should probably go."

"Yes you should. Come on, kiddo." Ric walked over and carefully escorted his daughter out of the apartment.


"Is he..." Elena trailed off giving her sister a concerned look.

Celia smiled at her. "It's really Dad. I filled him in on what he missed while he was, uh, gone."

"Glad to have you back, man." Damon smiled at him.

"Thanks. It's good to be back. Uh, thank you for protecting Celia." Ric rubbed at the back of his neck.

"Always." He nodded his head and slid his arm around her waist.

Stefan looked her over. "Are you sure Klaus didn't hurt you?"

She gave him a reassuring look. "I'm fine. Really. I'm just glad that Dad is okay. How's Rose?"

"I'm hanging in there." The injured vampire spoke up as she walked into the parlor with a drink in hand.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Ric asked her.

"Unfortunately no, but thank you. Werewolf bites are fatal to vampires. There is no known cure." Rose admitted with a shrug as she took a sip of her drink.

Celia bit her lip. "I know I've been mad at you because of the kidnapping, but I'm sorry that you got bit."

"Thank you. I appreciate that." She raised her glass to her then took another sip of her drink.

The sisters did everything they could to make Rose comfortable while Ric went to go see Jenna. As the hours passed, the injured vampire's condition grew worse. Her skin was pale and clammy. She was even starting to have hallucinations which only made her think that Elena was Katherine. Celia was helpless as Rose chased Elena around the boarding house. Her words did nothing to dissuade the vampire who proceeded to bite Elena's neck. Thankfully the Salvatores intervened and Stefan left with his girlfriend. Damon got Rose calmed down and situated comfortably. He left the room to answer a phone call from Stefan.

Celia sat down beside Rose and held her hand. "It's okay, Rose. You're safe."

"I..I know." She squeezed her hand gently.

She took a breath. "May I ask you something?"

"Of course. Anything to take my mind off of this." Rose took a sip of water.

Celia bit her lip. "Have you ever heard of anyone being allergic to vervain or immune to compulsion?"

"Yes. Being allergic to it isn't that unusual. As far as being immune to compulsion. I know Klaus and his siblings are immune though I suppose that makes sense. I can't recall anyone outside of them being immune though." She admitted.

Rose grew more frail as time went on. At one point, Damon grabbed a wooden stake and Celia didn't even fight him on it. He sat behind Rose holding her in his arms. Rose suddenly found herself in a field on a sunny day. A grin crossed her face as she savored the feel of the sun's rays against her skin. A content sigh fell from her lips.

"I haven't been here since I was young. I used to run around here with Trevor." Her tone was wistful as she took in her surroundings.

"I wasn't sure where we'd end up when I went into your mind." Damon admitted with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Well thank you anyway. I appreciate it. So you really do love her, don't you?" She asked gazing over at him.

"Uh, yeah I do." He smiled softly at her.

"Good. Hold onto that." Rose smiled at him.

"I'm sorry we couldn't help you." Damon admitted.

"It's okay. I've made peace with it. You know, Trevor and I used to play tag here. Want to play?"

"Uh sure." He raised his brows at her.

They both looked at each other and counted to three. Once they said three, Damon staked her. The vision disappeared and he found himself holding a grey skinned decaying Rose. Celia gave him space as he went through the process of getting rid of her body. It honestly felt like everything was slowly starting to spiral out of control. She busied herself with unpacking her bag unsure of what to really think at the moment. Celia sent texts to Stefan and to her Dad filling them in on what happened. It was quiet when Damon returned and he just pulled her into his arms holding her.


It was the next day when Damon seemed to be in a better mood surprising her with breakfast in bed. She was confused, but enjoyed it anyway. After breakfast, he cleared everything away and then kissed her. Celia kissed him back happily. He broke the kiss a few moments later and she stroked his face gently.

"Everything is going to crap lately. I just want to have one good day just the two of us." Damon admitted to her with a soft smile.

Celia smiled up at him. "I'd love that. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I love you." He kissed her cheek and then her lips.

The kiss deepened and soon their clothes were shed. They took their time savoring each other's bodies. After they were done, they took a nap and then shared a shower. The pair then got dressed and left the boarding house. Damon took her into a different part of town. It appeared to be the ruins of an old house in the woods. She gave him a confused look and he smiled giving her hand a squeeze.

"This is the original Salvatore home or at least what is left of it. Here is where Stefan and I grew up. I was the oldest so father forced me to join army for the Civil War. I rebelled and came home early. He was always harsh toward me after Mother died. I think I just reminded him of her too much. Anyway, Katherine happened and I fell hard. Somehow they found out she was a vampire and she got taken. We tried to free her in front of the old church and we were killed. Stefan and I woke up in the quarry unsure of what was going on." Damon explained to her.

Celia softened toward him. "You can't help who you fall in love with, Damon. I'm glad that you feel comfortable enough to tell me this though."

"I know. Bonnie's ancestor, Emily Bennett, showed up. She told us that we were in transition and explained everything to us. We believed that Katherine was dead and I didn't want to transition. Stefan convinced me and we both completed it. He couldn't control the bloodlust though. Neither of us could at first, but it was extreme for him. Emily gave us these matching rings so we could be in the sunlight. Stefan confronted our father who got injured and he couldn't control it. He fed on our father and killed him. He was utterly ashamed then he met Lexi Branson. They became the best of friends and she helped him control his ripper side. I blamed him because Katherine was with him when she got caught. My heightened emotions just took over. I promised to make him miserable for an eternity." He continued.

She squeezed his hand reassuringly. "Well that explains why you were being a jerk to him. So what changed?"

"We found out that Katherine was alive. I still kind of blamed him though. I mean, I thought if she hadn't gotten caught with him that she wouldn't have faked her death. I was angry and heartbroken. You were the one that brought up the fact that she was alive all this time and didn't come looking for us. It made me realize that maybe there was a chance that Stefan and I could just be brothers again." Damon admitted with a sigh.

Celia leaned up kissing him softly. "Well I'm glad you've come to that realization. He's the only family you have left. Wait how did you guys even know you had a half brother?"

"Well one of the workers at our house fell pregnant. She had been engaged to a man who had recently died in the war. The story she told was that they had married in secret before he was sent off. So the townspeople felt sorry for her. Father took care of her in the man's absence and no one thought anything was off. It turned out that my father and the woman had a torrid affair. She was arranged to marry the soldier, but neither wanted to marry the other. The actual truth didn't come out until father died. Our half brother inherited our father's money. We kept tabs on him and then our descendants over the years." He returned the kiss then explained to her.

She blinked then couldn't help giggling slightly. "Damn you Salvatore boys lived quite the soap opera huh?"

"Pretty much. You know I technically met Elena first. I thought she was Katherine, but then I quickly realized that she wasn't which was odd since they looked identical." His shoulders shrugged.

Celia tucked her hair behind her ear. "Somehow that doesn't surprise me. You know, I kind of had my whole life planned out. I was going to graduate high school and then go to Duke. Get a job, fall in love, get married, maybe have kids of my own. Then one day Mom just vanishes and my whole life changed. Now I have a sister who is a doppelganger destined to die soon, a vampire for a Mom, a Dad with a magical life saving ring, and a vampire for a boyfriend."

"Hey she's not going to die. We'll find a way to save Elena." Damon assured her.

She shook her head. "The closer we get to the next full moon, the more anxious I get. There's something you should know. After you took Rose back to the boarding house, I went into the Mystic Grill and had some food. Klaus sat down to join me. I didn't know who he was at first, but then I realized it was him. He was in his actual body this time."

"What? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

Celia gave him a reassuring look. "No of course not. We just talked. He realized that the first time that he tried to compel me didn't work so he tried to compel me again. Nothing happened. He thought it was interesting, but that was it. He left and I finished eating. After I paid, I left and next thing I knew I was standing in front of my apartment door."

"That's how you found your Dad and why you had a bag with you. Cece, you shouldn't have gone in there. What if Klaus had hurt you or worse?"

She rolled her eyes lightly. "I appreciate the concern, but I'm fine. He didn't even try. Besides if god forbid Elena got turned into a vampire or something, I'm Klaus' only chance of getting another doppelganger. We share the same mother so it is safe to say that eventually one of my descendants could be a doppelganger too if Klaus doesn't complete the ritual with Elena."

"Okay fine you have a point, but please don't take any more unnecessary risks." Damon pressed a kiss to her head.


Elena had gone to the Lockwood mansion the following day for the charity gala that Mayor Carol Lockwood was hosting. She was there on behalf of the Gilbert family while Celia was there to support her. Surprisingly it was a pretty normal event. The sisters stepped outside for some fresh air and were caught off guard when they saw Isobel approach them. Celia greeted their mother with a hug while Elena remained apprehensive.

"I'm glad I was able to find you girls. I was thinking that maybe we could go for a little drive and spend some quality time together." Isobel suggested with a soft smile after returning her younger daughter's hug.

Celia smiled brightly at her. "I would love to, Mom."

"Alright fine, but just this once." Elena didn't have the heart to disappoint her sister at the moment.

She linked arms with Elena and followed Isobel to her car. "Great. This will be good for us, I think."

"I sure hope so." Elena smiled softly at her as they got into the car.

"You know, after I had Celia, I used to hope that I would one day get to see you girls be sisters. It took everything in me not to bring her up to Mystic Falls and tell you the truth. John would tell me how great you were doing, Elena, and I just couldn't bring myself to disrupt that. I'm so sorry about Miranda and Grayson. I will always be grateful to them for raising you so well." Isobel admitted as she drove them away from the Lockwood mansion.

"Thank you. I'm glad that I at least know the truth now." She sighed softly.

"Celia, baby, I'm so sorry for putting you through all of that heartbreak by vanishing like that. It devastated me to leave you and your father. I didn't know what else to do though. All I wanted was to keep you girls safe. In doing so, all I managed to do was make a big mess of things. Such is the Petrova way, I suppose." Their mother mused as she continued to drive.

The car drove out of Mystic Falls and Celia was the first to notice. "Uh Mom, where are we going?"

"Not far, I promise." She smiled softly at her.

The car stopped at an all too familiar cemetery. At least it was familiar to Celia. She remembered her maternal grandparents having a funeral for her mother despite Isobel's body never being found. Celia had been more angry than sad at the ceremony. She had refused to believe that her mother was dead. Isobel led them into the cemetery and slowed to a stop when she reached a certain grave. Celia swallowed hard as she read her mother's name on the headstone.

"This is where my parents had me buried after I was declared legally dead. Of course they didn't have a body to lay to rest, but they thought a funeral would help bring the family closure." Isobel explained.

Celia frowned taking a step back. "I don't like this. I don't want to be here."

"It'll all be over soon, sweetheart. I'm so sorry. All I've ever wanted was to protect you girls like a mother should. There's no stopping the ritual. You're destined to die, Elena. I've done all I could to prevent that, but now it's time to accept it." She spoke softly.

"What? No. I'm not giving up just like that." Elena looked at her biological mother in disbelief.

"You have to. He'll kill your family and everyone you've ever loved." Isobel continued.

She grew concerned and grasped Elena's hand. "Mom, this doesn't sound like you. Are you okay?"

"I love you and I'm so proud of you, girls. Never forget that." Her phone rang and she answered it bringing it to her ear. "It's done."

"What's done?" Elena stared over at her in confusion.

"Goodbye, my girls. I love you so much. I always will." Isobel hung up the phone letting it fall to the ground.

Celia's eyes widened as she watched her mother rip off her necklace bursting into flames beneath the sun. "Mom! No!"

A heartwrenching scream fell from Celia's lips as Elena held her back. She sank to the ground sobbing in her sister's arms. Elena pulled out her phone sending a quick text to Stefan. Once the flames had died down, Celia crawled over to their mother's charred corpse. She pocketed her mother's necklace just as Elena glanced away. The Salvatores along with Ric showed up just then. Hearing her father's voice, Celia shakily stood up and ran into his arms as a fresh wave of tears fell from her eyes. The brothers laid Isobel to rest in her grave while Ric walked the girls back to Damon's car. Elena wasn't sure how to feel about the whole ordeal while Celia was just plain inconsolable. The drive back to Mystic Falls and to the boarding house was quiet as Celia had cried herself to sleep.


Celia spent the next few days mourning the loss of her mother. She clung to Damon and her father for support. Stefan and Elena as well. It was Stefan who finally got her to leave the boarding house again. They didn't go too far though. It was just a leisurely stroll through the nearby woods. Stefan noticed that they weren't alone first. He grew protective and began to steer her back toward the boarding house. She didn't really think anything of it until she heard the familiar voice say her name.

The brunette spun around glaring at the Original vampire. "You killed my mother. I really thought there might have been some teeny tiny shred of decency still in you after you left my father unharmed, but no you just had to kill my Mom anyway."

"I'm sorry, love. You weren't supposed to be there. You weren't supposed to see it happen." Klaus apologized to her.

Celia scoffed at him. "Oh that just makes it so much better. You were going to rob me of the chance to say goodbye to my mother. I just got her back. She had transitioned into a vampire and ran away to learn how to control her bloodlust so that we weren't in danger from her. I had just found out the truth and gotten her back. I had just gotten her back and now she's gone forever because you just had to prove a point to Elena who wanted nothing to do with her in the first place."

"I know and now I have to take your sister. I'm sorry, Celia. It's just the way it had to be. Now calm down and go home." He compelled her.

She wiped the stray tears from her eyes. "Stop it! You know that doesn't work on me."

"Yeah I know, but he didn't." Klaus smirked then vampire sped away.

Stefan blinked then moved to check on her. "Hey I know it's hard, but just ignore him. He was just trying to get under your skin."

Celia nodded her head and sighed. "Yeah I'll try. No promises though."

He softened toward her. "Why didn't you tell me that you couldn't be compelled?"

She bit her lip. "I only just discovered it recently. I still don't know what to think about it."

Stefan rubbed at the back of his neck. "Katherine hinted that there was something Isobel wasn't telling you. I'm guessing that was probably it."

Her eyes widened slightly. "Well I sure hope so. I'm not sure I can handle any more revelations right now."

He sighed. "Klaus was right though. Maybe we should head back."

Celia glanced around then started walking back toward the boarding house with him. "Hey Stef, I know it's asking a lot, but um, could you maybe not tell anyone that I can't be compelled?"

His green eyes looked at her in surprise. "Uh sure, but why not?"

She sighed as she walked alongside him. "Everyone is already super protective of me after everything that happened with Mom. I honestly don't know how they'd react if they knew that I couldn't be compelled."

He chuckled slightly at that. "They might surprise you. Look, I won't tell them. They're going to find out one way or another though."

Celia nodded her head. "Yeah I know. I'm just trying to give myself some time to deal with losing Mom and potentially losing Elena before I have to deal with that."

Stefan smiled softly at her as they reached the boarding house. "Well that's understandable."

"Hey beautiful." Damon greeted her with a kiss after they walked inside.

She returned the kiss and smiled. "Hey handsome."

"Alright so update, Katherine is currently staying in your apartment. Klaus is holding her there for now. He's been compelling her. What he doesn't know is that she made herself very resistant to vervain so she consumed some of it." He explained to them.

Celia was surprised to hear that. "Huh. She's more clever than I thought."

A familiar voice caught her attention though. "Luckily she was telling the truth about the location of the moonstone. We have the moonstone at least."

Her face lit up at the sight of the witch alive and well. "Bonnie! Oh my god. I've missed you!"

Bonnie smiled and pulled her into a hug. "I've missed you too. I'm so sorry to hear about your Mom."

Celia returned the hug then sighed softly. "Thanks. You're sure that you are alright though? It looked so real."

She pulled away giving her a reassuring smile. "I know and yes I'm alright. I promise."

A sigh of relief fell from her lips. "Alright good. Hey, um, my Mom had a necklace that let her go out in the sun. She ripped it off, but if I got it fixed, would I be able to wear it? Or would it have like a bad effect on me since I'm not a vampire?"

Bonnie considered her question for a few moments. "Hm, you know, I honestly am not sure. Let me check my grimoires and get back to you. I really don't think it would have an effect on a non vampire, but it's better to be safe than sorry."

She nodded her head and smiled. "Yeah sure that's fine. Thanks. I really appreciate you doing that for me."

The young witch smiled at her. "Of course. It's the least that I can do."

"Okay so we have the moonstone. Now we just have to get the vampire and the wolf. Though even if we got the ones he planned on using, he could probably get replacements easily." Damon thought aloud.

Celia leaned against him. "Well I don't know if you can use two doppelgangers in the same ritual so I doubt he'll kill Katherine there. Think about it though. Katherine wouldn't have risked getting caught by Klaus if she didn't have a plan. She just wanted to be free from running away from Klaus."

Stefan looked at her in realization. "One way to get on his good side would be to give him everything he needs for the ritual on a silver platter."

"So that explains why she romanced Mason and tricked him into triggering his werewolf side." He scoffed as his arms wrapped around his girlfriend's waist.

Her blueish green eyes widened in fear. "Oh god. That's the real reason she turned Caroline."