I've gotten really bad with updates lately, and to be honest there is no excuse for it /sigh.(I wish there was)
I hope everyone enjoys this chapter, it is not as long as my past chapters here, as it is mostly EE flashback, but I hope you enjoy regardless!
Chapter Five
Something Wicked…
Pennsylvania was such a beautifully relaxing state, or so Elena had been told.
The vampire had made it a point to travel around the country since leaving Damon a year ago. Over time, she had become a nomad, searching for a new place to call home but nothing seemed to suit her needs- it was either that, or she wasn't ready. Each place had become such a blur and she forced herself to move on, move on from Damon, and as far away from Katherine Pierce's shadow as humanly possible. She was done with it all, and desperately needed a breath away from Mystic Falls, peace from the unspoken chaos, from the aftermath of breaking Damon's heart.
She arrived at the Keystone state late at night and in desperate need of a drink after the long drive in the rain. Fall seemed to arrive earlier in the northern states, which was wonderful as it was still hitting the eighties in Virginia. The vampire pulled up to the first bar off of the interstate, making sure to lock and alarm her audi. Appraising the building, Elena already prepared herself to turn around. The pub looked like a dive with all of the wrong kinds of people hanging around the outside. As she approached, ignoring her instincts to turn away, she realized what they were warning her against in the first place. Shrouded by the smell of booze, cigarettes and marijuana was a very distinct stench.
Werewolf.
"Wonderful," she murmured as she sauntered past a group of them.
By nature, vampires hated the werewolves and the same applied vice versa, so by walking into this bar, it was safe to say she was asking for trouble, yet she didn't care tonight. She just wanted a drink…or maybe five.
The inside of the establishment was as sleazy as the outside. Pictures and sports memorabilia hung in disarray on the walls but it didn't matter as the combination of dust and bad lighting made them all hardly visible. It was as if the bar was meant to drive it's patrons away, or it's human ones at least.
Shaking off the eerie chill of the atmosphere, Elena paced straight to the bar, allowing her hair to hang in front of her face to avoid the chance of recognition. She's known some werewolves over the past eighty years or so, and rarely were they ever friendly.
Sitting at the furthest seat from the crowd, she removed her black overcoat and ran her nails over her exposed skin as she surveyed her surroundings. An older man in his late fifties-another wolf- was on his phone, speaking in a hushed tone, not taking his eyes off of her. She had drawn attention.
Apparently a vampire was not a welcomed sight in this bar, not that Elena was surprised.
"Sorry vamp, but we don't serve blood here." A female wolf, with pin straight blonde hair and too much makeup with not enough clothes informed her from behind the bar. She was staring Elena down and by the way she stood, the wolf was trying to make herself seem taller and more threatening.
"That's all right wolf" Elena taunted, her eyes darkening. They were no threat to her and while she wasn't looking for trouble, she also wasn't in the mood to be tested. "All I want is a Jack and Coke then I will gladly be on my way."
The bartender smirked, not taking her eyes away from her patron as she reached under the bar to grab the bottle and made the drink quickly, knowing the sooner she made the beverage, the sooner the vampire would be out of her presence.
"Sorry, I made sure this one was vervain free. " the wolf-girl sneered, her lip curling into a proud smile.
Over the years, one thing she had grown to hate about wolves was their pride, they could just never be modest, and while Elena never would think to say one species was better than the other, she was growing tired of the slashing words.
"Again, that is quite all right. Personally, I prefer wolfsbane." The vampire lifted the glass as if to toast, but was actually checking for the flower that could make her throat burn.
The werewolf rolled her eyes and moved to the next guest when Elena felt a group presence behind her, and the voice at her back brought her to turn around.
"We don't need your kind here stirring up trouble."
The vampire found herself face to face with an older woman, flanked by a younger couple with their arms folded over their chests. She hadn't realized that the entire bar was staring at her, half as if she had the plague, the other like she was a piece of bleeding meat just waiting to be torn apart (which very well could have been a feeling she was used to as her life was spent being torn in two.)
"Good thing I'm not here to stir up trouble then." She hissed through her teeth, and the two younger wolves stepped closer, surrounded Elena.
"Any vampire that enters this bar is stirring up trouble, or did the pack of wolves outside not give you the hint?" the younger male wolf, with fire red hair, stepped even closer, his breath hot against the vampire's cool skin.
"Please step away from me…" Elena moved her hand to push the wolf back, when a low snarl erupted from the other's throat as they closed in, locking her arms against the bar counter before she could react.
"You dare raise your hand to a wolf in our own bar?" The elder grinned. They had intentionally baited her to make a move, any reason to start a fight. "You insufferable girl!"
Elena didn't want to fight them, she truly meant it when she said she hadn't wanted any trouble. She just wanted to have one drink, and go on her way without any damage done, but this was borderline pathetic.
"Girl?" It didn't take much strength to push both wolves off, "I am nearly one hundred years old and the full moon is a far cry away, yet you insult me and attack me?"
The vampire huffed in an attempt to push past the three only to be met by a wall of bodies. A middle aged wolf stood between the vampire and the exit, his arms crossed over his puffed out chest.
"Please move." Elena pulled her hair back with the tie on her wrist as she tried to move him, but he wouldn't budge. The vampire, still young compared to most of her kind, may have had the strength, but lacked the disarmament training to get him away from her.
She was outnumbered, that much was clear, and the werewolves in a pack could easily take her down.
"No way darlin' " the man grunted , pushing her back closer to the middle where the first werewolf woman was waiting to give her a hard punch to the jaw, breaking it.
"The thing with you vampires is…you always get turned too young, it tends to cause problems." The entire bar broke into laughter as they pushed in nearer, forming a circle around the two women.
Elena began to see why vampires and werewolves could never get along. There was something barbaric about the other species, but then again vampires were dead and needed blood to survive. It didn't get much more animalistic than that, and to think, all she wanted was a drink and now she was stuck in a terrible reenactment of fight club with a woman whom she should have easily been able to overpower, yet she was outmaneuvered. Each lunge as she tried to fight back was parried perfectly. This woman was well trained, while Elena had never been formally taught. She only relied on her strength, speed and endurance which was apparently her greatest weakness.
In all of her eighty years of vampirism, she always depended on what she already had, not what she could learn. Even though the full moon was a time away, older wolves still had a strong bite to their bark , so she wasn't entirely surprised when the woman had her on her back in one sweep of her leg. A crack rang through the vampire's ears and a chair leg, splintered to a point as it was aimed at her chest.
She hadn't gone to the bar for a fight. Elena only wanted to be left alone, and now a wolf was about to end her life, a wolf she should be able to outsmart, overpower and tear limb from limb, but she didn't want to hurt anyone.
"Here is to your second death." The woman smiled, but a series of gasps came from behind the group towards the large wolf behind the door as he toppled to the ground. The female wolf turned sharply on her feet, giving Elena the chance she needed to stand, tossing the two nearest wolves away, knocking the memorabilia off of the walls. Expecting backlash, the brunette instantly prepared for another attack, but she too gasped, taking a step back at the figure standing before her.
"Elijah…"
The Original stood before her, in his usual overbearing presence with a curious and proud grin on his face.
"Elena.." he nodded to her, then grazed the crowd, "would you care to join me?"
The younger vampire quivered under his gaze, which was now focused solely on her. He showed no consideration for the pack of wolves who were gawking at him in fear. She nodded sheepishly while gulping, embarrassed for her actions and the man offered his hand, leading her out of the bar while the rest of the wolves parted like the Red Sea. They cleared a path for the Original and his newest vampire companion as they walked out the door.
"I guess I should thank you." Elena looked to the ground in shame, "I didn't go there looking for a fight, I have no idea how things escalated."
Elijah chuckled to himself, which brought the woman's attention to his features which were not stiff with seriousness but rather softened in relief.
"Wolves have a habit of growing much more aggressive in packs and while walking into a bar full of them was one of your more reckless decisions-which speaks volumes mind you- I would not say this is your fault."
They had crossed the dirt parking lot, and reached Elena's car, both simultaneously turning back to the building, surrounded by the now empty lot.
"How did you find me?" she put her hand on the door handle, but looked to face him. Elijah stood before her, close to her car yet not touching the exterior, in his usual confident demeanor and ensemble. His suit, even after the short scuffle in the wolf bar, was perfectly pressed, his dark red dress shirt without a wrinkle. It was a relief to see such a familiar face, and it being Elijah, someone she genuinely missed, made the encounter that much more inviting even in such awkward circumstances.
"The bar owner is a close friend, he called me the instant you walked in." Elena nodded, recalling the bearded man who was on the phone when she approached the bar. "He told me Katerina was here to stir up trouble, imagine the pleasant and welcome surprise to see you instead. I had heard that you left Mystic Falls a year ago, but I must say this is unexpected."
The Original smiled warmly at her, and Elena returned the gleam. Her largest issue with the Salvatores was the constant feeling of walking in Katherine's shadow, but yet standing before her was the man who knew all three Petrova women, yet never made the mistake of thinking she was the other.
She knew that when he looked at her, he wasn't seeing her ancestors, but Elena Gilbert.
It was strange how things worked out that way.
"I guess I owe you for saving me. I can't believe I nearly got myself killed by a pack of wolves and the full moon is nowhere near." She put her head against the car while placing her hand on her forehead. She felt so foolish for getting herself into that kind of trouble. "And then you have to come and save me? Talk about ridiculous!"
She smirked at Elijah, who only nodded, his eyes glowing without saying anything to embarrass her more.
"It doesn't look as if the Salvatores ever gave you any training, so you did go in a little unprepared."
The Original was right about that, although she couldn't entirely blame it on them, Damon and Stefan had both worked their hardest to keep her away from any fighting so she never needed to be taught anything. Everything she knew was what Alaric had taught her.
"That's an understatement." She joked, but wanted to avoid any conversation about Mystic Falls if at all possible. "Anyway, why are you here? Is this where you moved?"
She had so many questions for the Original, and it didn't matter that they were still outside of the werewolf bar. She knew that as long as Elijah was around they wouldn't bother them.
"Yes. I moved here after some time, I've always enjoyed autumn north of Virginia, I find it comforting."
Her eyes locked into his, followed his gaze up to the stars. Even directly off of the highway, the glowing pinholes in the sky were shining brightly. She smiled, thinking the same thing as he was.
"And may I ask how you ended up in Pennsylvania lovely Elena?"
The younger vampire smiled and looked back to him, her eyes bright from the moon. "I may have run away from Mystic Falls, as you already know. I needed to breathe."
"And Damon?"
"Damon and I…" this was the golden question she had really wanted to avoid, "I think he is much better off with Katherine, in my opinion at least." She waved him off, intending to change the subject, "I would rather live in the present than look into the past."
Elijah tilted his head and eyed her curiously before nodding. She knew he would understand, as the entire Mikaelson family made the mistake of allowing their past to drive their motivations. Elijah was the only one who managed to break away from that mindset.
"I should let you go. It's getting late, do you intend on staying nearby?"
Elena shrugged, her intentions were to stay, but the welcome wagon hadn't been too…welcoming.
Elijah nodded in understanding, and took a business card and pen from his suit jacket and quickly wrote on it. "If you happen to decide to stay, my door is always open."
She looked down to read Elijah's card, his name, phone number and address were already on it.
"I-" she began, but when she looked up, he was gone.
"Elena…care to help me with this?"
The brunette shook off the fond memory and nodded to Damon who was staring impatiently in front of the stone door placed over Bonnie's tomb.
Running her hands over the rough texture, Elena dug her fingers into the small space and pulled towards her while Damon pulled away, sliding the block to the side.
"She's really here?" Olivia squeaked causing Elena to turn, nearly forgetting about the werewolf-witch girl (something that she never believed possible, but it made sense as to why some of the witches were willing to accept the wolve's assistance as they were closest to being human.)
"Yes." Damon responded when his vampire friend could not. He knew Elena had shut herself off when it came to Bonnie and the events causing her death, as she hadn't moved on yet. Elena had looked death straight in the eye countless times, sometimes caused by her own hand without flinching but even he knew she wasn't seeing what was happening in front of her.
"Why haven't the witches taken her yet?"
"Because you are the first witch to go anywhere near her." Elena snapped defensively in a low growl. "Now, please get your magic on so we can go on our way."
While on their way to the tomb, as Elena was lost in her thoughts, Olivia had explained the plan for them. Both Originals had been separated, each with a dagger in their chest just in case the spell ended, so once Olivia completed the incantation they would need to find Elijah (the only one they agreed to resurrect, as both spells would be broken) and pull out the dagger.
It wasn't going to be easy, and with the wolf's pending transformation it would be dangerous as well.
Approaching the mahogany casket prudently, the trio quickly cleared the area. There was no telling what they could come across.
One of Elena's biggest obstacles would be Damon, that was clear. He never trusted the Original, especially before he left Mystic Falls, it was as if he saw Elijah as new competition. She didn't want to believe Damon was so petty, but their couple of coffee "dates" never put a smile on the older Salvatore's face. Maybe he was right to be jealous, maybe she and Elijah had gotten too close, but for him to want the Original dead for it was going too far. She was glad she never mentioned running into him during the year she was away from her home town.
"Bonnie…" she uttered the words while scripting her friend's name in the dust layer that had formed over the years. "Sorry I haven't come by…I had to keep you safe…"
Elena choked, a tear was trying to force it's way out, but she couldn't bring herself to cry.
Crying over the dead is a disgrace to their honor- to the life they have lived. She told herself everyday as her own personal mantra, it was the only way she was able to move forward.
"Elena…" Damon approached her with caution and put his hand over hers. He too had been with her when she died.
"No Damon." She pushed his hand away, balling it into a tight fist. "I need to tell her something."
With a raised eyebrow, the Salvatore put his hands up, stepping away.
"She knows the witch can't hear her right?" the werewolf spoke up, only to receive a look of death from Damon.
Elena needed to face the reality of the horrors of war. It was now or never, she had no idea when she would see her again.
"Your granddaughter…she turned into such a beautiful young woman." The brunette spoke as softly as she could, she wouldn't cry. "I am so sorry Bonnie. I hope you can forgive us. " The words didn't sound as meaningful as she felt, she didn't want the stranger and Damon to see her break. "She nearly killed us, we had no choice…" she began to choke again, and almost collapsed from the emotions when Damon placed a supportive hand on her shoulder. She didn't tell him what had happened, but she knew she didn't have to.
"Bon…" she struggled to regain her composure; she had to let the words flow. "I miss you so much, more than anything in this horribly messed up world that we live in now. I wish I could change it all for you."
Her vampire counterpart's hand moved from her shoulder to her hand, but Elena pulled away, stepping back from the casket.
"We need to get this over with." said the brunette, nodding to the wolf. "Do what you have to do Olivia, please."
As always, please review! You know how much I enjoy them :)
Next chapter we finally see Elijah return!