Title: Your Honor
Author: strangelittleswirl
Rating: T
Fandom: The Vampire Diaries
Category: (drama, romance, adventure, etc)
Summary: Elena leaves Mystic Falls to protect those she loves, goes into hiding, and seeks a way to pay for the damage she's caused. Two years later, an unexpected visitor walks into Bree's bar and threatens to destroy the fragile peace she's created. Elena/Elijah, mentions of other ships
Spoilers: Up to and including 3x15
Warnings: Language, violence
Show/Bookverse: Show 'verse, up to and including 3x15
Disclaimer:The Vampire Diaries belongs to its rightful owners and sadly, none of those people or companies are me. I'm only borrowing them, but I promise to return them once I am finished.
Author's Notes: Thanks to midnight_burn. Mistakes are all entirely mine.
Chapter title comes from the Azure Ray song.
Elena stares blankly at the two witches sitting across from her. "I thought that was just a phrase...Katherine said it, when she was in the tomb. I just thought it was her saying I was..." she trails off, searching for the proper adjective.
"Bitchy?" offers Bree, deadpanning. "That's just Katherine. No, the Petrova Fire is very much a real thing."
"I doubt Katherine even knows that, since it's mostly a secret passed amongst witches," muses Lucy as she extracts a tablet out of her purse. She taps on the screen and after a few swipes of her finger, brings up images of ancient looking pages. She catches sight Elena's increasing bafflement. "What? Witches are going digital; lugging a Grimoire around is impractical."
The pages are in Latin...at least that's what Elena assumes is Latin.
"By the time Katherine heard of the Petrova Fire, it had become something short of a myth, but it was initially created by Ayanna as a way to keep the forces of nature balanced: Tatia may have died, but her Doppelgangers would be given some protection, if it was called upon. Tatia's child's family took the name Petrova, and Katherine was a direct descendant."
Surveying the page on the screen, Elena sees a drawing of a woman with long dark hair surrounded by flames and it vaguely looks like her. "It's not really fire, is it?" she asks worriedly.
Bree lets out a sharp laugh. "No, honey. It's figurative. The Petrova Fire is a barrier, a defense against Klaus or other supernatural forces that threaten the life of the Doppelganger. Most of them died before they could find a witch with that knowledge, and even then, it was at the witch's discretion to help them."
'Most of them'. There were others. While she and Katherine may be the only Doppelgangers that were found and used (or at least planned to be used) during the sacrifice, there have been others. It's chilling news.
"Which is why we need to finish this conversation at home." Bree stands up and motions for Elena to follow them. "Please tell me you rented a car," she says while she flips off switches as they make their way to the side door.
Elena's step falters, and embarrassment flushes her face. She has tried to think of everything, and switching cars was fairly obvious but..."I didn't think of that."
Bree glances at the vehicle wearily. "It's a fairly common model, and it was all regulars at the bar tonight. We should be fine."
Elena knows the woman is worried, and she bites her lip and looks away. No more mistakes, she thinks to herself.
"Cody?" asks Lucy of Bree, already pulling out her phone and dialing.
Bree answers her affirmatively while locking the service door. "Get what you want from the car, because it's about to get stolen. And don't worry about someone attempting to contact you about your vehicle; Cody runs a very efficient chop shop."
Apparently, running a bar means having all sort of convenient connections. Go figure.
Elena hastily scrambles to pull her suitcase and duffel from the vehicle, and after a moment of deliberation, removes the registration and some other identifying information. Lucy helps her stow her belongings in the back of her sleek sports car and Elena pivots in her seat when they pull out of the parking lot so she can give her car one last glance.
There's no emotional attachment to the thing, but it's another part of her life she's casting off, and it's a foreign feeling.
Bree and Lucy's home is a beautiful, contemporary home in an upper, middle class neighborhood. The houses are set far apart, on at least an acre of land each, and the neighborhood itself is in the woods, meaning that each home feels private, isolated. While it means no neighbor taking out the garbage could accidentally see the Bennett-LaForte's practicing magic, it also means that no one can see when you're being attacked or someone is dying on your porch.
Not that living in a closely-grouped neighborhood has ever done the Gilberts any good. No one even paid attention when Jeremy was hacking up a body on their front porch. And she knows that there is a neighborhood watch group, because Alaric had been dragged to a meeting by their next-door neighbors at some point, and her Dad had been a member.
There's a girl – she assumes it's Maggie – in a window seat, peaking out the curtains and eying Elena inquisitively as they climb the front porch steps, and she hastily scrambles to open the door when the trio reach the top step.
"Is everything okay?" she asks anxiously, stepping back to allow them into the house, and while she is clearly curious as to who this newcomer is, she doesn't seem to be worried about invitations into the home.
There is a very strong floral smell as soon as she's inside the well-decorated home; it's almost a rose scent, but not quite. Vervain.
In short order, Bree and Lucy introduce their daughter to 'Aimee', and explain that they knew her parents who have recently passed (the car accident aspect of the story rings so true it stings), and so she will be staying with them to complete her last year and a half of high school. It's a story they quickly cobbled together in the car on the drive here.
Repeating the second half of her junior year and completely repeating senior year isn't necessarily a sacrifice; Elena hasn't even been in school enough to make the bare minimum number of days to graduate. After Alaric was called down to the front office about it, Damon casually strolled into Administration and suddenly, Elena could take off from school whenever she needed to. As bad as it sounds, she's needed it.
But now Maggie is who she needs to focus on, and whatever Lucy and Bree have planned will somehow enable Elena to protect her. This means fitting in with Maggie, in her group of friends...Elena was Miss Popular until her parents' accident, but she's still nervous about going through the motions.
Maggie accepts this new resident in stride, and appear to be a bright, cheerful girl. She's barely younger than Elena, but there is something about her that makes her seem even younger. As Maggie gives her a tour of the house, Elena puts her finger on it: Maggie is Elena, Caroline, and Bonnie sophomore year. She is carefree, and light. There's an easiness to her that's gone from the vampire and witch she calls her best friends, young women who have to look over their shoulders, who don't trust strangers because they could have fangs or powers themselves, who suddenly understand that horrible things can happen even when you do nothing to cause them.
She's sweet though; it won't be hard to befriend her, Elena thinks. That part, at least, will be easy.
But teaching her about defense against vampires, that's something she is terribly worried about. Bree and Lucy admitted they've been, perhaps, a little too protective of their daughter; she knows about vampires and wolves and all forms of creatures supernatural, but not why they would want to harm her, or use her. Elena feels she barely knows a thing about the subject, but 'anything is something' they tell her.
It's Friday night, although it won't be for too much longer; the events of the day are catching up with Elena, who stumbles, lethargic, after Maggie when they return to the kitchen. Bree is busily placing candles around the room as her partner places a tray and a small, silver knife on the table.
Almost instantly, Maggie's glance flits nervously to Elena. "Um, Mama," she says, attempting to sound calm. "Are you sure-"
"Aimee knows, baby," Bree assures her daughter, walking over to give her a quick hug and a kiss to the top of her head. "She's promised to help us with something, but we want to talk to you about it first."
They explain why being a Bennett witch, and being a powerful witch, is such a wonderful gift. They explain why they sent her to stay with family far away from home. They explain, finally and awfully, why there are people who would want to use her for this.
Elena sits quietly by as Maggie processes this, observes (firsthand and for the first time as a witness and not a participant) what it's like to have your understanding of the world be forever altered. Finally, when she can't stand it a second longer, she grabs the girls hand and offers her a sympathetic smile.
"It's going to be okay, Maggie. Your parents have a plan."
Lucy makes a soothing noise, trying to dismiss her daughter's anxiety. "Aimee is going to keep you safe," she explains. "She's not a witch, but she has a very special kind of magic, and we're going to use it to keep anyone from hurting you."
It's obvious how much this bothers Bree, as she picks up the ornate knife off of its tray with reluctance. "We're going to bind you two with a blood spell, Mags. Just a small cut, and your part is over."
The girl nods, but Elena can see that the girls shoulders are shaking, and her lip is starting to bleed where it's been worried raw. She turns to Elena, her expression confused and scared. "Why are you doing this?"
All three women stare at Elena, and she takes a moment to respond.
"I promised your parents I would help protect the Bennett family, and you are the most important part of it. Some of your family members have done the same, and sacrificed a lot for me." She wonders for a moment, what it is that Maggie wants to hear. What would she want to hear? "I've volunteered for this, I promise. This is an act of my own free will."
Maybe this will spawn more questions than answers when she thinks about it later, but for the time being, Maggie accepts this. "Okay," she finally says, sniffing long and loud. She pushes her dark curls out of her face, sets her shoulders, and looks to Bree. "Okay. Alright."
Faster than Elena has ever seen Bonnie do the same, the candles surrounding them are lit, bright and steady flames that brighten the dark room.
It's a small cut, but it causes Maggie to flinch. Elena is a little more prepared, and has received more than her share of injuries from magic over the years, so she's happy the blood loss is minor – it's precious stuff these days. Bree puts their palms together so the small cuts are lined up.
The blood bond is quick, effortless on their parts, until Elena has to promise to keep Maggie safe, and swear it on her own life. Bree explained early that this part 'overrides' the Petrova Fire. When it's finished, Lucy places a small bandage on Maggie's cut, makes her a cup of tea, and sends her upstairs. She bandages Elena as well.
"This next part," she explains once they hear Maggie's door shut upstairs, "I didn't want her seeing. She's curious and she'd find out, somehow, who you are."
Prior to starting, they rehearse Elena's responses. The language feels heavy and thick against her tongue, and at one point, Bree pats her on the back. "You'll get the hang of it."
She feels a little dizzy when she realizes that she'll be able to do magic – only minor magic outside of protective magic, they warn her – when this is finished. Maggie is now part of her, closer than a sister even, by blood and magic, so when they invoke this ancient part of Elena's blood, it will keep her safe as well.
It's well past sunrise when they finish the incantation, but Elena doesn't feel any different. She helps them extinguish the diminished candles with a cup before climbing the stairs to a foreign bed with unfamiliar sheets in the house that will now serve as her home for the foreseeable future.
Just as the trio wish one another a goodnight, the Bennett mother pulls Elena into a sudden, strong hug. "Thank you," she whispers, voice thick with emotion.
It's a full circle, Elena thinks as she turns to her side in the bed, and looks out the window. Bennetts and the Doppelganger intertwined, but differently now.
She's given her word, and taken her first steps down some completely unknown, wild path, but she hopes she can prove herself worthy of their trust. Panic and self-doubt flutters in her gut.
Involuntarily, her thoughts stray to Elijah, Elijah and his letter. He would understand this, she thinks, and it comforts her as she closes her eyes to finally find sleep.