Chapter 4: Talk
"Love is when he gives you a piece of your soul, that you never knew was missing." ~Torquato Tasso
….
His arm slung over her shoulder, she grimaced at the content. Her pale blue eyes stared into his bright blue orbs with a frown across her face. "Hello Damon." Persephone greeted him with mild distained before shrugging his arm off of her.
"Persephone. What brings you back to the Falls?" He asked discreetly inclining his eyebrow at her.
"I was following a lead on Katherine's descendants. But now that I've met her I couldn't care less." She told him pointedly. It wasn't like Damon would know she'd been keeping an eye on the Gilbert girl for the last five or so years.
He made a face at her like her words offended him somehow. "What interest do you have with Katherine' lineage?" He questioned watching the woman inspect the house she had just bought. Persephone bit her lip before sighing.
"Morbid curiosity Damon, surely even you could understand that." She picked up the box that had the little things she'd actually brought with her.
"Then why move into town Persephone?" Persephone scowled at him.
"I like the area, and I want to keep an eye on the girl. She reminds me of Katherine before she turned. Sue me for missing my friend Damon." Damon raised a brow at that. Persephone had never been one to talk of their Human years.
"What was she like as a human?" Damon took the box from her hands and carried it up the steps to the small home. Persephone shook her head slowly.
"Mortal." Persephone stated in a flat tone her eyes held no emotion. Damon rolled his eyes at her.
"You know that's not what I meant." She gave him a look that basically said 'and?'.
"Katherine is gone Damon, you need to move on." He looked angry with that note and promptly left. Persephone shook her head, Katherine was a selfish bitch who she would protect for as long as possible. Besides if she had any feelings for Damon she would have told him the truth.
Persephone let out another sigh looking over the mostly empty house. She had furniture sent over later this week. Now all that was left to let Nik know she'd settled in without any suspicion over her arrival. Save for the elder Salvatore but she could evade him with half-truths and would be fine.
….
Persephone looked up from the book she had been reading. Her eyes landed on the man who had slid into the booth across from her and she frowned slightly at him. She vaguely recognized him from Chicago as Rebekah's date that night. But the why he was looking at her, she knew he had no recollection of ever meeting her.
"You must be Stefan." Her tongue drawled over his name slowly, too make it seem as if she'd only just pieced that together. He gave her a stern look, to which she could only roll her eyes.
"I am, but I've never seen you here." His tone was accusing, and she flashed him a toothy grin.
"Your brother knows who I am." Persephone offered him a blank look. Stefan didn't relax at that, if anything his posture became stiffer.
"My brother isn't the best judge of character either." His tone was just as blank, she was almost impressed. Persephone then snorted at him.
"Very well. Persephone Nicholls, I'm the new art teacher at the high school." She folded her hands together on the table as she looked him dead in the eyes and then spoke in a very low tone.
"I'm also a vampire over nine hundred years old, I'd watch it if I were you boy." Persephone hissed the last part before standing. Grabbing her book from where it had been abandon and leaving the restaurant. What was it these days with younger vampires, had they no respect?
…
Persephone wanted to bang her head on the desk she sat behind. Why had she agreed to do this again? The old woman hated teenagers. But then again she promised she'd keep an eye on the Petrova Doppelgänger. Class had long ended but she was stuck grading projects before she'd leave. There was no way she'd bring this flimsy excuse of art work home with her.
A knock on the door to the classroom caught her attention and she looked up. Persephone offered the teenagers a small smile for motioning for him to come in. "Mr. Gilbert, what can I do for you?" His work was among the few worthy to be call art among her students.
"I just wanted to return some of the supplies I borrowed for my project." He held up a bag of charcoal pencils. She accepted that answer with a nod of her head and made a motion for him to go ahead.
Jeremy Gilbert regarded the new teacher with curious look, she was rather odd. He shook his head taking the bag back to its place among the supplies. She looked back down at the concept art in front of her before sighing.
"If the other students put more effort into this their work would actually be pretty good." She mumbled. His brow raised at her, he had never heard her say anything remotely nice about the others work.
"I'm pretty sure that is supposed to be effort." Jeremy looked at the piece sitting on her desk as he approached. Persephone shook her head groaning.
"A terrible shame then. To think I left my bar for this." She covered her face in her hands shaking her head all the while.
"A bar?" The question came before he could stop himself and his teacher was back to looking at him a light smirk on her lips.
"I use to own a bar, now I'm a high school art teacher. Funny how that works out." Jeremy could imagine Ms. Nicholls as a bartender, it somehow made sense.
"How does that happen?" His curiosity was getting the better of him today. She shook her head with a small laugh while standing.
"Hell if I know. Alright Mr. Gilbert enough of the 20 questions I think it's time for us to both be headed home." She left the papers on the desk, grabbed her purse and headed for the door.
Jeremy stood there for a moment before following suit. She was right, time to head home.
….
Somehow a few days later Persephone found herself face to face with a very angry Damon Salvatore later that night. "You knew." He hissed at her from his spot on her doorstep. She arched a brow at him curious as to what brought this on.
"Pry tell what you mean Damon. I'm old not a mind reader." He lunged for her then, Persephone easily sidestepped him then. Her hand puncher through his chest cavity and gripped tightly around his broken heart.
When she let go and withdrew her hand Damon coughed out her name. "Katherine, you knew she wasn't there." Persephone shook her head slowly at him. How unfortunate.
"I had an idea that she might have escaped. She was always did have the best back up plans." Persephone mused half to herself watching Damon out of one eye as she turned to head back into her home.
Damon followed her in cautiously, shutting the door behind him and following the older vampire into what appeared to be the kitchen. Persephone pulled two glasses down from the cabinet before walking over to her liquor case and grabbing a rather expensive scotch. She poured them both a small glass. With a raised brow Damon took the offered glass then witnessed Persephone down the whole thing in one go like taking a shot.
"Why wouldn't she tell me?" Persephone leaned closer and patted his shoulder.
"Katherine is and had always been a selfish bitch Damon. You do the math." Whatever he was going to say was cut off by the woman's phone ringing. She smiled at the caller ID before excusing herself.
"Marcellus." Her tone was affectionate as she answered, leaving Damon in her kitchen.
"I need some advice." She clicked her nails against the back of the phone before responding.
"Of course, what's going on baby?" Because no matter how old he was she was still his mother and still got to call him baby.
"I have a warewolf problem." She could hear him sigh on the other end. Persephone could no longer hear Damon in her kitchen so she leaned against the wall of the hallway. Because she didn't want him to hear what she said next.
"If you want to get rid of the wolves you'll need something to hold over them Marcellus. You have rules, make them follow. If you need me I can always come to the Qaurter." She worried about him, and all his good intentions. He snorted on the other end looking out over the court yard.
"Yes because they're so afraid of you." She chuckled a little a smile soft on her features.
"I am terrifying Marcellus." Persephone stated in a serious tone, but he could hear the playful edge in her voice. He actually chuckled at that knowing what he needed to do now.
"Merci, mama." Persephone's smile only widened at that.
"De rein, mon fils." The line clicked on his end and she closed the screen on hers. For once truly happy since coming back to Mystic Falls.
….
Time passed by the immortal quickly soon she found herself the chaperone of a masquerade dance, not long after that she was face to face with a man she hadn't seen in fifteen years. Elijah look virtually the same as the last time she'd laid her eyes on him.
"Ms. Nicholls, this is a surprise." He stated looking her over as she looked between him, the doppelgängers aunt, and step-father. Damon was standing behind her so couldn't exactly see his face. She did however hear his question.
"You two know each other?" She nodded her head slowly, never taking her eyes off the man.
"Yes, I met Mr. Smith some years ago. It's been at least ten years since we last saw one another." Persephone finally looked away from the original and then at Damon.
"Well in that case, we should have a party. I'll host." For some reason Persephone did not trust his tone.
"Sorry Damon, but I'll pass. I've got no desire to catch up with Elijah. But feel free to carry on without me." She then turned her heel and walked away. Pulling her phone out and texting Klaus as she did so. This was so not what she signed up for.
Persephone could almost growl at his response. She closed the screen when she felt him approaching her. Her head turned and she gave him a sharp look. "Talk. I'll give you thirty seconds." His brow shot up at her.
"I'm not sure what you want me to say Persephone?" Her eyes narrowed angrily at him.
"How about an apology Elijah? I think after all you have done to me I deserve one." His posture stiffened at her words, he could feel the eyes of the Salvatore on them.
"Perhaps here is not the best place for this conversation sister." The last part was spoken so softly, his words only for her. Persephone looked around before she met eyes with Damon.
"Fine, I know just the place."
….
Persephone sank down against her brother's monument. Elijah stood before her, he was giving her a sad look. "I'm truly sorry for hurting you Persephone, but you deserved to know the truth." She shook her head that was not an apology.
"No, you don't get to do that. You don't get to say what I deserved. Because what I deserved was to die with my family nine hundred years ago and you and your family took that from me. I would have rather spent the next nine hundred years in ignorance than know that I had a child and a husband who I abandoned to become this creature." Persephone stood to walk away because she didn't want to deal with this crap. Elijah reached out grabbing her arm making her stay.
"Persephone the truth hurts, that's why I am sorry because I didn't tell you the whole truth. Now I will tell you the whole truth and I'll have to watch you hurt again because of my family. Because of him." She shook her head.
"I don't care anymore Elijah, Nine hundred years I've lived in the darkness caused by your lies. I'm done. I need not your truth, I will live in my darkness." She pulled her arm free and started to walk away.
"You figured it out then, that he was you husband." She clinched her fist at her side. But she would not acknowledge his words. It didn't matter now.
"Goodbye Elijah Mikealson." Elijah was left standing next to a grave constructed for the lost brother of the woman his own brother loved.
XOXOX
WOW! It has been such a long time! So sorry guys lost interest in this story for a while there. But I have some of it back! So let me know what you think.
Yes I know things move very fast in the chapter, but I seriously need to watch this season again before the next chapter because I want to take it slower for the next few bits.
And oh my gawd! Persephone knows the truth, or at least some of it. Alright for reals this time let me know what you're thinking!
Sincerely, La'Rae