To JennyMikaelson: First and foremost, thanks for reviewing! E.J. could only hear the thoughts that Damon projected at her. In the books, there was this idea of thought-communication. I took it to another level in that paranormal entities (vampires, werewolves, and witches) can project their thoughts to others. As to the box, I can say this: It is based from the books. Think bigger than a witch. Unless you've read the books, I doubt you'll be able to guess, because it's completely original. (The character itself, even though the entity is based from the books.)
To kadienewberg: Thanks for reviewing again! It is definitely sad that Rebekah missed out on everything. That's one reason I made E.J. only fourteen, because I wanted Rebekah to at least be able to mother her somewhat. Jeremy was acting that way because he remembered E.J. from the bar and was spooked because she compelled him on vervain. I didn't know if anybody would remember that. Although an interesting idea, Jeremy is only sixteen and E.J. is sixty-five. No possible way he could be her father. As to the Salvatores . . . it's pretty much a toss-up between them, isn't it? Is it even one of them? Why am I asking you questions I know the answers to?
To chathg14: Thanks for reviewing! I love hearing from each and every one of you. This chapter should shed some light on E.J.'s parentage. I can't say if you're right . . . read on to find out!
To madison: I do think that Rebekah would be a good mother. She loves hard and nearly unconditionally. Heck, she forgave Klaus for killing her mother. That's love right there. It was mentioned in the last chapter by the "box" about how E.J. is tied to Klaus. Gloria cast a spell to connect the two to save E.J.'s life. Remember the spell that Esther cast to connect the Originals together? Think of it as similar to that but on a smaller scale.
To nessafly: Heeheeheehee! I am so glad to hear from you! Here's the next chapter for your enjoyment. And if you could express mail me my chocolate, that would be grand.
To zaja: Thanks for reviewing! I had some new reviewers for this chapter. And yes, a huge one! I had given little to no hints about E.J.'s father before, because I didn't have a lot of chance. I tried to make up for it with the last chapter. You'll have to let me know if your guess was right, I'm curious.
To Marauders12345: Very well deduced, young padawan. I'm excited to write about the Originals too, but there's still so much to reveal! Damon will be a regular for pretty much the rest of the story. Wow, has he been absent for long? He makes an appearance in this chapter!
AN: Wow, I got seven reviews! I'm so giddy, I could kiss you all! But I won't because, one, that's impossible and, two, that would be weird. This chapter is a bit repetitious, and might be a tad chaotic, but it had to be done! Don't forget that E.J.'s father is revealed in this chapter, and you know what that means. The box will open! OMG! While I still can, I will make you all a new deal. Seven plus reviews and I will update Friday. Any less and I will update Sunday. (Today is Thursday for me.) Does anybody want to take a stab at what the box might be? Hint: The idea came heavily from the books, the later ones. And does anybody remember the box's name? If you guess correctly, I'll give you virtual cookies! Enjoy this chapter!
Disclaimer: Reference previous disclaimers.
The tension in the room was thick. Rebekah and E.J. were seated on the couch, E.J. sitting as close to Rebekah as physically possible without being on her lap, and Elena and Stefan were standing on the other side of the coffee table in front of the fireplace. Rebekah kept glancing between Stefan and E.J., her brow furrowed in thought, and Elena was trying to decide if this topped the list as the weirdest moment of her life.
"I never noticed before," Rebekah suddenly spoke up, speaking to no one in particular, "but E.J. has the same color eyes as Stefan." Immediately, E.J. and Stefan stared at each other, to see if it was true, and Elena's head whipped between them, eyes widening.
Rebekah was lost in thought, in memories, to be exact. How could E.J. exist, anyway? Children didn't just appear from thin air: they were born. With both a mother and a father. She was the mother, so who was the father?
For that matter . . . how the hell could she have a kid she didn't know about? Something dawned on Rebekah that she hadn't even thought about until that moment. There was no possible way she could have carried a child and given birth to it without knowing. It just wasn't possible! The certainty that she felt that E.J. was her daughter was almost unnerving. She remembered what she had seen and frowned.
She had seen a woman and a man. And the woman had been giving birth to . . . . Holy Odin! Rebekah thought. Another woman gave birth to her! How the hell is that even possible? If she didn't get some answers pretty soon, she was going to lose it.
Even more pressing on her mind still was E.J.'s father. She knew that children could be conceived artificially. Is that what had happened? Gloria had said she would help her. Did Gloria do something? Was in vitro fertilization even possible back then?
She was oblivious to the tension her innocent comment had caused. Stefan's jaw was now set, his oak-green eyes hard as he stared E.J. down. In fact, upon closer inspection, there were other similarities. The way they both cocked their heads, the way they both smiled. Subtle things that Stefan had never noticed before, never had time to notice before. Oddly enough, E.J.'s chestnut-brown hair looked to be a mix of the shades of Rebekah's and Stefan's hair. That's a little odd, Stefan thought.
The more and more that Rebekah thought about it, the more she began to realize how obvious it all was. "E.J., how old are you?" Rebekah asked mildly.
E.J. tore her gaze away from Stefan and blinked up at Rebekah. "Um, sixty-five, why?"
Rebekah's gaze was intent as she looked between her and Stefan. "So you were born in . . . 1945?"
"1944, actually," E.J. answered. "My birthday's in a few months. Again, why?"
Rebekah seemed to be thinking hard. "That's impossible."
"Er, why's it impossible?"
Rebekah reached up to rub at her temple. "I was stuck in a coffin with a dagger sticking out of my chest since 1922. If you're my daughter, then either something weird happened, or . . . this is all wrong."
E.J. scrunched up her nose and immediately shook her head, cuddling up to Rebekah. "No, it isn't!"
"I can explain that." E.J. sprung away from Rebekah and swung around. When her eyes landed on Gloria, solid this time, she leapt to her feet and glared.
"Then, explain away, please!" the girl snarled. She was unaware that two vampires and a doppelganger were staring at her with wide eyes.
Gloria looked nervous as she shifted from feet to feet. "After Rebekah was . . . er, with your father—" Gloria paused for a moment as if uncertain that she should go on, gaze flashing from person to person. Finally, she seemed to come to a decision and continued smoothly as if nothing had happened, "I magically removed you and kept you frozen as a zygote for several years. I couldn't find Rebekah, and I didn't want you to be born without her. Finally, I decided to plant you inside a willing surrogate because I was uncertain of how long you could survive frozen like that."
E.J. stared at her, eyes wide. She slowly sat back down, leaned against the couch, and closed her eyes. "I . . . am now scarred for life."
"What are you talking about?" Rebekah wrapped her hand around E.J.'s arm and pulled her to her bosom.
"That was Gloria," E.J. replied, voice dull. Before anybody could say anything, "Yes, I can see and have conversations with dead people." Elena's mouth snapped shut, and things finally began to make sense for Stefan. So E.J. wasn't crazy! "She said she kept me frozen in a fridge because she couldn't find you, but then she was afraid I'd die so she planted me in a sugar kit."
Stefan stared. "A . . . sugar kit?"
E.J. shrugged. "Something like that. Oh, and you apparently had sex with my dad, so that should help."
Rebekah immediately jerked up and her and Stefan's eyes met. As they stared at each other, she began to slowly nod and Stefan's eyes widened noticeably. He stared at E.J., then at Rebekah, and then back to E.J. "No way in hell," he breathed out in shock.
Rebekah just nodded again, firmer this time. "Stefan . . . there is nobody else."
E.J., who wasn't very observant, asked, clearly clueless, "What are you talking about?"
Elena had picked up on what Rebekah was getting at and swung around to glare at a still wide-eyed Stefan. "You slept with her?!" At that moment, she didn't care that she hadn't even been born when that had happened.
"It was a long time ago!" Stefan threw his hands up as if to ward his angry girlfriend off.
Finally, E.J. realized what exactly was being discussed right under her nose and squealed. "Oh my gosh, are you sayin' that Stefan's—Holy $*&#!"
She stared between her two "parents," torn between excitement and disbelief. Nobody even bothered to scold her about her language. "No freakin' way!" E.J. squealed again.
Suddenly, a ripple of sheer power ripped through the house, on another plane of existence, and Gloria screamed. E.J.'s head jerked up and she stared at the ghost with wide eyes, only to see her phase back to the Other Side faster than she had ever seen.
"Gloria?" she breathed, eyes wide in shock, even as the pulse ripped through her body again, making her scream.
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The box lay contently on E.J.'s bed, satisfied that it had done its work well. When not even fifteen minutes later the first latch was undone once more, it knew that it had done its job very well. Now it would not be long before everything would be made right, and it would be free from this prison.
Half an hour passed and a thrum went through the box as the second latch popped open.
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The parlor was filled with tense silence after Rebekah had stormed off and E.J. had run away. After temporarily disbanding the "family meeting" for a few hours, Elijah had called his brothers back into the parlor. He had called for Rebekah as well, but she had not answered. Assuming that she was still throwing a tantrum, he had decided to simply speak with his brothers. Elijah was at the wet bar making himself a drink, muttering something about a migraine coming on. Finn was sitting on the couch, staring at Niklaus, who was seated next to him. The hybrid hadn't said much since Rebekah had first burst into his room three hours ago. His eyes were downcast as he sat slumped on the couch, arms folded and eyebrows furrowed.
Kol was seated cross-legged in the armchair, a Nintendo DS in his hands. He was staring at the screen, making no move to actually play the game his screen was currently displaying. His mouth was set in a tight line, his eyebrows furrowed as well, and a hard, steely look was in his eyes. He couldn't decide if he were most irritated at Rebekah, E.J., or Elijah.
"Something's wrong with me." Niklaus's words startled Elijah, but Finn merely nodded and Kol only briefly glanced at his youngest older brother.
Normally, Elijah did not startle easily, but he was on edge about . . . well, about pretty much everything, actually. He set down his drink and strode over to Niklaus, sitting down on his other side and sharing a look with Finn. The second eldest Original sat back away from Niklaus, an indication that Elijah was to take control.
"My mind just sometimes goes," Niklaus finally continued. "The first time it happened I couldn't remember anything about it afterwards, but I remember now. Both times! I actually forgot how to speak English!" He huffed heavily and pursed his lips. "What is wrong with me?"
Elijah sighed and reached up a hand to run it through his hair. "I honestly have no idea, Niklaus. I can't say what scared me more. When you were coughing up blood or when you were acting like it was 1492 again."
Niklaus suddenly froze and stared up at Elijah. "Lijah," he said, eyes wide, "I was acting that way because I thought it was 1492." Elijah stared at his brother, uncomprehending. Finn was now sitting up, looking between his brothers, clearly unsure of what to do, and even Kol was perked up listening.
"You what?" Elijah spluttered in disbelief.
Niklaus shrugged, at a loss for words for once in his life. The silver-tongued Original for once had nothing to say. He could only rest his head against the couch, eyes trained on his lap. He couldn't quite look any of his brothers in the eye (even though Kol still had his eyes on his game so he couldn't have looked him in the eye even if he'd wanted to), ashamed of his earlier actions.
"And now?" Elijah prompted.
"What is the year?" Finn asked at the same time.
"2010," Niklaus answered irritably. "And you wanna know what else?" Neither of his elder brothers bothered to answer the rhetorical question. "The first time, I thought it 914." He finally met Elijah's shocked and worried gaze. "One thousand and ninety-six years, Lijah," Niklaus moaned. "Just gone one moment and back the next."
Before Elijah could respond, an enormous ripple snapped through the house, as if traveling on another plane of existence. The four brothers jumped. Elijah leapt up from the couch and raced out of the parlor to investigate. Niklaus slumped down further in his seat and groaned, burying his face in his hands. Finn could only sit, jaw set and eyes alarmed. Kol had dropped his game in fright, wild eyes roaming around the room.
"Did you guys feel that?" the second youngest Original asked nervously.
Niklaus just shook his head and moaned again, but Finn turned to Kol and smiled grimly. "I'm sure it was nothing, Kol," he replied quietly. "Go back to your thingy."
Kol glared at him, muttering something about schizophrenic old people, before leaning forward in his seat and peering out the doorway leading out of the parlor. "It sure seemed to spook Elijah," he quipped, purposefully ignoring Finn's suggestion.
At his name, the eldest Original returned, composure finally restored. "Something happened—" he began.
"No chizz," Kol interrupted. "I thought I felt something!" Elijah shot him a hideous look and Kol wisely shut up.
Elijah continued, "Something unnatural. It is almost like a storm, it seems. All around us is carnage but we are in the eye of the storm."
Finn frowned. "It missed us?"
Elijah nodded. "It would appear so."
"How do you know?" Kol demanded, clutching his DS in his clammy hands.
Elijah sighed. "You know I am the most perceptive of us all, Kol." The Originals could sometimes perceive the thoughts of others, Elijah the most perceptive of all. With each other, they could speak and hear freely, which could be a blessing and a curse. To himself, Elijah wondered if that might explain how E.J. could hear Rebekah and Kol's conversation at the school. If she really was Rebekah's daughter, then she would be included in the bond that they all shared that allowed them to communicate freely.
"I am aware," Kol said simply.
Elijah resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "When whatever that was snapped and spread out around us, I could feel screams in my head. Every paranormal entity in town felt it but us. We felt the snap but not the power behind it."
"Why?" Finn asked, brow furrowed.
Elijah shrugged. "Hell if I know." Finn started, staring up at his older brother with raised eyebrows. "Oh, come off it, Finn. I curse under stress."
At those words, he suddenly let out a flurry of curses and yanked out his phone. "Rebekah!"
Kol closed his eyes for a moment, sensing for his sister's presence. As the closest to her age, he was the most receptive of her aura. "She's not here," he relayed, eyes snapping open in alarm.
"Did anybody see her leave?" Niklaus sat up suddenly, looking accusingly between his two older brothers.
Elijah did not reply as he turned his iPhone on.
He had known temporarily disbanding the "family meeting" had been a bad idea, but he had wanted to give Rebekah some space and E.J. some time. Sitting around in the parlor with his brothers waiting for them both to calm down had not seemed ideal. Rebekah must have come by later, seen them gone, realized E.J. was gone, and gone after her.
"That little brat is in so much trouble," he growled as he dialed his sister's number, his brothers sending him odd looks. "Once I know she's okay," he continued after seeing his brother's looks, "then I'll ground her for the rest of eternity."
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Damon had been taking a self-imposed catnap when he felt the scream that ripped through his body like an invisible, intangible knife that could yet still cut him. He sat up in shock and rolled off of his bed, groaning and reaching down to rub at his sore bottom.
"Great," he grumbled, crawling back up onto his bed. He knew he should be concerned about that "scream." He knew that he should probably be trying to figure out what it was.
But, right then, he really didn't give a damn.
Several hours later, he was once more woken up, this time by some very rude, very insistent knocking at his door. He groaned and sat up, glaring up at the intruder of his solitude. He would have known her presence anywhere.
"Well, hello, Bonnie," he greeted, still half-asleep. The witch glared as she approached his bed, picked up the pillow he was not snuggling with, and whacked him over the head with it.
"What the hell!" Damon sat up in shock and Bonnie immediately looked away when his sheet fell away. Damon glared at her as he hurriedly yanked his pants back on.
"You can look now," he snarled as he finished cinching his belt. "Or would you prefer to hit me with a pillow again?"
"You wouldn't answer your phone!" Bonnie replied, still turned away with her hand on the side of her face. "And you wouldn't answer the door!"
"What the hell's wrong with you anyway, Bonbon?" Damon grouched as he sloppily made his bed and trotted around the foot to stand beside Bonnie.
"Don't call me that!" Bonnie snapped, clearly irritated. Finally, she looked back at Damon and glared. "I had a vision, Damon."
Damon raised an eyebrow. "You're havin' visions now?"
"I'm serious!" Bonnie exclaimed, sounding desperate. "It was bad, Damon. A power like I've never felt before. We can't let it be unleashed!"
At that moment, something unexplainable pulsed through the room and left Damon a screaming mess on the floor. The sheer power ripped through another plane of existence and right through Damon. Although physically he was fine, on a metaphysical plane he had just been shredded mentally by what could only be explained as a cosmic nuclear wave that had ripped through the very fabric of the universe.
Bonnie's eyes suddenly snapped open and she gasped in a breath. Her eyes glazed over, turning silver, for a moment as she breathed heavily. Then, she spoke in a voice that was not her own, a voice that sounded like many, "He is back."
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Caroline had not been having a very good day. Nobody would return her calls or texts and her mom had to work late on a parent-teacher conference day. She had no school and she was home alone with nobody to talk to!
She had spent the day shamelessly dancing to Kelly Clarkson and Justin Bieber in her room and then deciding to finally do that load of laundry she'd had sitting in the laundry room for days. Then she had watched TV, mostly boring adult stuff or stupid kid stuff.
"Disney Channel sucks," Caroline grumbled as she finally switched the TV off.
Night had fallen and she left the house, her hunger beginning to gnaw at her. She hadn't been hunting in days, her refrigerator empty of bagged blood. She knew she should have gotten more, but she hated the idea of robbing a hospital or blood bank. Now, she had no choice but to see if Stefan and Damon had some left.
She was just putting her key in the ignition when she felt an unbelievable pain rip through a part of her body she didn't even know existed. She screamed and convulsed, flopping around uncontrollably in the car, kicking at the door and nearly shattering the glass with her pointy heels.
This power pulsed through her for what felt like hours before it finally began to subside, but then Caroline knew that something dreadful had just happened.
"I'm scared!" she cried, breaking down into noisy sobs, her body still throbbing in pain.
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Chicago was a busy city, no matter the time of year. Standing behind the glass wall inside a tall skyscraper staring down at the tiny cars hurtling to and fro was a young-looking woman. She sighed as she cocked her head, inspecting a world that she had once been a part of. Before she had met Him and He had made her what she was.
She was beautiful in ways no mere human could be. Her white-blonde hair glowed as the sun hung low in the sky, her ice-blue eyes sparking with anger and annoyance. Her porcelain skin looked to be made of glass, but she was anything but fragile. Within her small frame pulsed a power given to her by Him, the one who had been around for longer than any human calendar went back.
"It has been sixty-five years, Mabel." A man stood behind Mabel with his back to her. The conference room they were currently met at was luxurious and modern. The light-gray porcelain tile gleamed and the enormous crystal chandelier above their heads twinkled with hundreds of different pinpoints of light.
The conference room was more like an apartment. One side of the room contained white-leather furniture and a black, fuzzy rug spread out on the floor. Another side held a small kitchenette complete with coffee station, and mounted on a wall across from the couches was an enormous plasma-screen TV. The wall that the young woman faced and the wall left-adjacent it were entirely made of windows, allowing the quickly diminishing sunlight to stream into the room.
"We are wasting time." A second woman stood with her back to the wall near the kitchenette, coffee mug in hand. Her white-blonde hair was swept up on top of her head in an elegant bun, her round pixie face accentuating her fragile appearance. Her ice-blue eyes pierced her companions, her gaze unforgiving. She was wearing curve-hugging blue jeans and a lavender top with one ruffled sleeve, the other shoulder bare, and a low scoop neck.
The other woman was more formal, her smart black dress and black heels telling all that she meant business. She turned from her place at the window and glared at the other woman. "Do tell, Evangeline. What would you prefer we do?"
"You are wasting breath." The fourth and final occupant of the room, a short and stocky man with the palest hair and bluest eyes of them all, was sitting slouched on one of the couches.
"I agree with Gerald," the first man spoke. He was the tallest among them, well over six feet, and his pale blonde hair was cropped. His blue-green eyes held no emotion as he spoke and he averted his gaze from that of Mabel's.
"We apologize, gentleman," Evangeline spoke. "My sister and I are very sorry for the inconvenience."
Before Mabel could defend her honor, possibly with a knife at her twin's throat, the door opened and a fifth companion stepped through.
All went silent when she entered, her dark eyes scanning the room. "Nothing to say, children?" she asked in a soothing, alluring voice. Unlike the four elf-like beings before her, this woman was a dark beauty. Her chocolate-brown hair was cut boyishly short, accentuating her rounded face.
Her tight black pants left nothing to the imagination, and her black tank top's neck fell lower than Evangeline's. Over that she wore a black-leather jacket, a simple crystal necklace hanging around her neck. Her stiletto-heeled, black-leather boots clicked against the porcelain tile as she approached the two men and two women.
"Come now," she said, a note of teasing in her tone. "You all must have something to say."
The first man's eyes fell when the woman raised hers to meet his gaze. "We are sorry, Lady Tatia," the man said dejectedly. "We can still not find Him."
Tatia growled in annoyance, spinning on her heel and stamping her foot. "Not the answer I want, Sven! I expect more of you!"
Sven's eyes dropped to his feet. "Yes, milady."
Tatia's eyes swept over the assembled Guardians and she sighed. "This must be done, yes," she said simply. "He must be found and He must be restored to power. The balance of nature is off. The paranormal are gaining leverage, and there is no one powerful enough to combat it."
Her eyes darkened as she slowly approached Mabel, the eldest of those assembled. "He has been missing for sixty-five years. Anyone care to explain to me how?" she snapped. Nobody spoke. "No takers? Cowards!"
Her words clearly affected the only remaining Guardians, who winced and shied away from her.
Tatia's eyes sparked with rage as she slowly approached Mabel, grabbing the woman by the arm and spinning her around. Evangeline pushed off from the wall and moved to assist her sister, but Tatia need only put up a hand to stop the woman in her tracks.
"Leave her be!" Evangeline commanded in a deep, resonant voice. Tatia merely looked at her before putting a hand delicately on Mabel's slender neck and shoving her forward. Sven rushed forward and caught her before she could fall and easily lifted her back to her feet.
"Is this how you repay Him?!" Tatia spat, wheeling around and facing Gerald now. "By sitting on your worthless asses and contemplating the mysteries of the world? Why is no one doing anything?!"
At that moment, when Tatia was about to go into a blind rage and rip somebody's heart out, a pulse ripped through the room. The windows shook for a moment before they imploded, glass shards flying everywhere. The five inhabitants screamed and fell to the ground, covering their heads with their arms.
Even Tatia was trembling on the ground with fear. She had recognized that pulse of power. It could be none other than Him. No other being was powerful enough to create a power surge that enormous.
Slowly, her heart stopped pounding so hard and Tatia could raise her head. The room still thrummed with power and she whimpered.
"That came from Mystic Falls, Virginia!" Evangeline relayed once she had regained the use of her motor functions. She knelt gasping on the ground, her hands clenching at nothing.
Tatia's eyes darkened and she bowed her head. "He is back." She slowly raised her head once more and leaned back so she could look at the four relatively all at once. "And He is angry."
Mabel's mouth was set in a grim line. "We must go to Him." And to think they were worried about their Master being lost. Clearly, He was back, and just as powerful as ever.
Tatia only nodded. "To Mystic Falls we go, then."
AN: That was dramatic! For anybody who missed it, the mansion was not affected by the "power surge." Was anybody surprised by the identity of E.J.'s father? I like the Rebekah and Stefan relationship, and I could see them having a child together. There were really only two options: Stefan and Damon, since I used Rebekah as the mother. Remember, everybody, Klaus felt a connection to E.J., as did the other Originals. Damon's connection with E.J. is because E.J. is his brother's daughter. P.S. I own the characters of Mabel, Evangeline, Sven, and Gerald. I do not own Tatia! She is from the TV series. P.S.S. The first person to guess E.J.'s father's identity correctly was SimplyFiction! She/He guessed both the mother and father correctly in the same guess. Congratulations!
For anybody who still is confused, let me explain more clearly about how Rebekah has a child she did not know about. Rebekah mentioned to Gloria that she wants but can't have children, and the witch, who is good friends with Rebekah, decides to help her. For a reason you will find out in later chapters, after Rebekah and Stefan are together and E.J. is conceived, Gloria removes E.J. from Rebekah and cryogenically freezes her. Such things are entirely possible, as proved with embryonic adoption. Embryos really can be removed, frozen, and then placed within a surrogate. More likely such a thing is done with in vitro fertilization, but I figured that magic kind of tore down the barriers of physics. Let me know if you're still confused. Thanks for reading!