A/N: Hi all, this is the longest chapter I've ever posted, clocking in at about 6817 words. Just a reminder that this is an AU, although I am trying to maintain some semblance of a timeline, although the order of things will have to change to accommodate the AU. To answer some questions from the reviews: The originals will make an appearance, along with Mikael, and Esther; and many key events will also take place ( I wont reveal much, as I'm sure you can figure it out). there will be a lot to pay attention to in this chapter and in the one's immediately following it. For those of you who are observant, maybe you'll figure out where I'm going with this story. Cheers.
Rebekah's POV
Rebekah looked at Elena, taking stock of Elena's features. She would be lying if she said she wasn't concerned, she was. This shouldn't be possible, there wasn't any way that Elena had turned, she would be able to smell the difference, she would have tasted the death in her blood.
She watched Elena look at herself, confusion flashing on her face as well, Elena's eyes then meeting her own. She heard the question before Elena had even asked it.
"No, it shouldn't be possible." Rebekah said, pulling Elena by the hand out of the pool. "Leave the clothes, they're irrelevant now." Rebekah said, noticing where Elena's eyes travelled. They marched through the glass doors, into a separate room in the house.
She opened a closet door and pulled out black clothing, she turned to hand Elena a set, and quickly got her own. She tried to hide it on her face, but she was getting more and more concerned with every passing moment.
"Do you know any witches Elena. Any that would want to harm you?" Rebekah's voice echoed in the room, waiting for Elena's response. "There are Bennet witches that live here, but I sincerely doubt Bonnie would elect to put you in harms way by doing something like this." Once she was fully dressed she turned to find Elena thinking, going somewhere in her head. Rebekah had cause to be concerned. None of this made sense, Elena would have had to die with vampire blood in her system, would've had to feed on human flesh; and Elena had done none of that in the last 24 hours.
"I don't know why anyone would want to do this to me." Elena said, pensively. Rebekah could almost see the wheels turning in her head. Thinking more and more. "I'm going to call Bonnie, and find out if there's anything in her Grimoires that could explain this." Elena watched as Elena reached into the pockets of the clothes.
"You won't find it there, it should be upstairs on the kitchen table" Rebekah said, assuming that Elena was looking for her phone. Elena looked up at Rebekah, gratitude flashing in her eyes very briefly, but long enough for Rebekah to notice it.
Rebekah motioned Elena to follow her, sure that Elena didn't know where they were, or how to move on to the other parts of the house, that ended up being the opposite of the case, as Rebekah watched elena run past her, a lot faster than should be humanly possible, already on her way out of the room.
This was getting stranger and stranger as time continued, Elena had vampire speed, vampire sight, vampire bloodlust; she wondered what other vampire abilities Elena had gained, all without turning. She hoped that Bonnie would have some answers for them, because not knowing what was going on put Elena in great danger. Every advantage has a weakness; Rebekah knew this from her own turning. Without knowing what was happening to Elena, there was no way of knowing what her weaknesses were, and Rebekah could only protect her from the weaknesses she knew of.
Rebekah thought to herself for a moment. The sun hadn't hurt Elena so the sun wasn't an issue, at least not yet. She found Elena in the kitchen talking with Bonnie, explaining very briefly with little detail about what was going on, and how to find Rebekah's house. The conversation ended promptly with Bonnie agreeing to bring grimoires over to find out if there was something to be done.
It only took twenty minutes for Rebekah to hear a car pull up the driveway. She noticed Elena's posture change, meaning that she had heard it as well. 'Add vampire hearing to the list.' Rebekah thought rising with Elena to greet Bonnie at the door. They moved almost in synch, with Rebekah only slightly behind Elena. Rebekah watched as Elena opened the door and welcomed Bonnie in.
"Hey Elena, hi Rebekah," Bonnie said, nodding at Rebekah after setting her box of grimoires down, giving Elena a hug. "What's going on?" Rebekah ushered them into the kitchen for a moment getting everyone a beverage and then moving on to the living room.
" Bonnie, as you know, there are vampires in mystic falls," Rebekah said, watching as Bonnie nodded along, "I come from the original family. As a Bennet you have a special connection, as your ancestor served my family." Rebekah continued, she hated to go back to this point in time again. "Elena has been displaying vampire characteristics, but she hasn't been turned." Rebekah finished, looking at Bonnie for clarification.
"She's displaying, vampire qualities, what does that even mean?" Bonnie asked, looking from Rebekah to Elena and back again. Rebekah took a breath, thinking of how to describe it without terrifying Bonnie; or emotionally scarring her.
"Elena and I were being…intimate. I may or may not have fed on her, and presently afterwards her face.." Rebekah said, going back into the moment where she was looking into Elena's eyes. "She looked like a starving vampire. She has a heightened sense of sight, and smell, and hearing. She's incredibly fast, vampire fast." Rebekah said exhaling. "We have yet to see if she has superhuman strength, but she has resistance to the sun."
Rebekah let Bonnie process the information. Bonnie was looking at Elena, and then Rebekah. Trying to work out information.
"That shouldn't be possible, you're sure she hasn't turned?" Bonnie asked Rebekah directly, forgoing addressing Elena at all. Rebekah sighed.
"We've been together for over 24 hours, she hasn't been out of my sight. I could hear her heartbeat, I could smell her, her blood was definitely human." Rebekah said, the concern finally sleeping into her voice. "I've never heard of this, I don't know what is going on."
Bonnie paused for a moment before addressing the both of them. "This could be a curse, I'm not entirely sure- but if it is, it is likely dark magic. It may not be in my grimoires. But I will look." Bonnie said. "There is a chance that I can reverse it if it is, every dark magic spell has a light magic equivalent to counter it. It's just a matter of determining what was used, and if I have it's light magic counter." Bonnie said, making eye contact with Rebekah, "I will need to call Caroline, she's a fast reader, and has a much better memory than I do."
Rebekah stood, nodding in agreement. "Call who ever you'd like, as long as they can be trusted. Elena's safety in all of this is paramount." Rebekah said, turning back to face the group, "Anyone who comes here looking to harm Elena, will meet a quick and inevitable end, so choose who you invite wisely."
Bonnie nodded, pulling out her phone and making calls. It took only a few moments for people to start arriving. Tyler, Matt and Caroline all arrived within the next thirty minutes to help Bonnie go through the grimoires. Rebekah grabbed Elena by the hand for a moment, pulling her into the kitchen.
"I want you to know, that I will not let anything happen to you." Rebekah said, bringing her forehead to Elena's, looking into her eyes. "I will lay waste to anyone who raises a hand to you, I will not lose you."Rebekah said, tilting Elena's head upwards. "I've only just found you."
"I feel the same" Elena responded, her voice sounding like a small melody, Elena had been so silent for the last hour, Rebekah had almost forgotten what her voice had sounded like. Their lips met for a second, chaste and honest. Rebekah tried to tell Elena what she meant to her without words. Something about the way Elena kissed her back told Rebekah that Elena understood, and mirrored those feelings as well.
"Let's get back out there and help your friends." Rebekah suggested, turning back towards the living room, Elena following close behind.
They searched for hours, but nobody came across anything that could explain what was causing Elena's symptoms. If it was a curse, nobody could find the equivalent, nobody knew enough about the curse, or what the intention of the curse was; they had a running list of possibilities, but nothing concrete or for sure. They dog eared all possibilities, before the group ordered pizza. When it arrived Rebekah invited them all out back to enjoy the pool and the bar, and they all agreed.
Rebekah brought baiting suits for all of the ladies, while the boys were content to wear boxers into the pool, Rebekah didn't mind. It wasn't until they went around the back that Rebekah remembered that the both of them had left all of their clothes from earlier in the day on the patio.
Nobody made any comment, but they definitely all looked at the pile of clothes, and looked at each other, communicating silently. Rebekah could feel her cheeks reddening, knowing that everyone was vastly aware of what she and Elena were doing, and how this issue came to be. Rebekah wasn't embarrassed about people knowing about her and Elena, truthfully it offered them both a level of protection to be transparent, but it was more about people knowing the intimate details of their sex life it was less for her, and more so about Elena. Rebekah had abandoned prudish ways hundreds of years ago, but Elena was young, and still had expectations and relationships with people who had opinions about how she ought to live; Rebekah didn't want to put her through any more than she needed to, dating a vampire was already hard enough without airing the very dirty, and very sexy laundry for everyone to see.
Rebekah sat by the edge of the pool, Elena coming up beside her. "Where were all of these baiting suits earlier?" Elena's eyebrows were raised, a small smirk at the corners of her mouth. "Maybe you just wanted to see me naked."
"I didn't want to, I needed to. Every time I get close to you, I have this very intense urge to pull every article of clothing from your body, and have my way with you."Rebekah said, so quietly only Elena could hear. Rebekah watched as goose bumps started to form on Elena's arms, and a shiver run down her back.
"I'm not complaining, not in the slightest." Elena said to her, turning around to join her friends in the pool, giving Rebekah one last longing look before descending into the water for the second time that day.
Rebekah sat and thought about any witches that she knew from her days past. She had only really met one other witch, Gloria. Gloria had owned the speakeasy that Rebekah had frequented in the 20's. Prohibition days were good to her, the drinks flowed, the women were adventurous. Prohibition never works, prohibit alcohol, the people will find a way, prohibit amoral things; and those humans will do it even more. Gloria's underground pub set the scene for many amusing and degenerate activities that her and Klaus had gotten up to.
Gloria's girls were some of the most delicious, mostly because they were constantly plied with alcohol. Something about the booze in their blood, made it sweet, like nectar. Rebekah got drunk simply from feeding, not that she complained. Gloria made sure that the girls were well taken care of, and compliant. The vampires ensured that they would never speak about what happened.
If she wanted to get in contact with Gloria, she would have to go to Chicago, find that probably long forgotten pub, and likely her gravestone. She needed to arrange the plans, and Elena needed to decide if she would come or if she would stay. Rebekah didn't like the thought of Elena being by herself here with no protection.
Rebekah got up from her seat and addressed everyone in the pool. "I need to run to the store for a few things, no funny business, don't do anything reckless. You understand?" Rebekah spoke with an air of authority, hoping that everyone took her seriously, or at least seriously enough. "I'll have my phone if anyone needs anything, or anything happens."
Once everyone had nodded in agreement, Rebekah turned and entered the house quickly finding her car keys. She got into her car, and started driving. She drove to the nearest law firm, and opened her car door, and entered. There was an older woman sitting at the front desk when she entered.
"Hi there miss, how can I help you today?" The woman asked. Rebekah smiled sweetly and opened her wallet, pulling out a credit card.
"I would like your most experienced property lawyer effective immediately." Rebekah said, waiting for the look of shock to pass the woman's face.
"Ma'am, that would be incredibly expensive, given the fact that she would have to be pulled off of another project.." the woman began nearly tripping over the sympathy in her words, knowing that Rebekah couldn't possibly afford the service that quickly.
"Money is no object," Rebekah began, finally allowing her eyes to focus on this woman's eyes "but I need that meeting, NOW!" Rebekah let the anger and fear for Elena's safety channel into her voice. Her raised voice made compelling the secretary much easier.
The woman nodded and picked up her phone. "Mrs. Baxter, I have cleared your schedule for the afternoon, you have a new client coming to your office now." And with that the secretary hung up the phone, and prompted Rebekah towards the door behind the desk.
Rebekah walked down the hallways until she saw the name 'Baxter' on the door, and pulled it fiercely open. The woman on the other side of the room looked up from her work, glasses halfway down her face. Rebekah didn't pay her much attention as she immediately asked the woman to get to work.
She wanted everything done off of public record. She wanted it to appear as if nothing had changed, and that things were the way things had always been, this would protect Elena in the long run. It only took a few hours for the work there to be done. Rebekah got back into her car and began driving back toward her house.
When she returned to her house, she walked around the back to find that everyone had retreated indoors. Rebekah walked back to the front of the house, knocking expectantly. She heard the movement inside the house stop for a moment, before she heard Elena's reassuring voice telling the others that it was only Rebekah. Rebekah heard Elena and Caroline move throughout the house, while the others probably more skeptical, remained in the living room.
Elena opened the door, Caroline was quickly behind her. Caroline moved to step in front of Elena, but Rebekah stopped her by stepping closer. "Don't step out of the house Caroline, or you'll be in the same position as me." Rebekah said, holding her hand out to stop Caroline from taking another step. "Elena would you please invite me in." Rebekah said, looking at Elena. Rebekah noticed the confusion, but she accepted.
"Please come in Rebekah." Elena said, finally stepping back to allow her entrance into the house. Rebekah went to the living room where all the others waited. Everyone seemed incredibly confused, clearly judging by the looks on their faces.
"Everyone, I need to go to Chicago to find some information. I might be able to figure out what's going on here." Rebekah began, looking at everyone. "It shouldn't take me more than a few days, at most. I will have to leave you all here. In the meantime, I've transferred the deed on this house, it now belongs to you Elena." Rebekah said, looking at Elena. Rebekah knew that the reaction would be one of confusion and surprise. None of them expected this development, and it showed on all of their faces as they all looked from one another. Rebekah didn't let them speak until she was finished. "This also means that once Caroline leaves this house, she will need permission to enter again. This wouldn't be a problem, except for the fact that it is."
"Why?" Caroline spoke next, clearly concerned. So far she was the only one impacted by this issue. Rebekah would have to explain her life again.
"As an original vampire, all vampires are descendants of my family. Because of my position as a part of the original family, I can compel any other vampires descendant of my family line; in the same way that a sire bond allows a parent vampire to compel his offspring." Rebekah said, moving towards Caroline. "Let me demonstrate."
Rebekah moved towards Caroline, gripping her by the arms and staring her in the eyes. "Okay Caroline, I need you to go to the kitchen and grab a knife, when you get one, bring it back and grab a hold of Tyler." Caroline's pupils contracted while she nodded and walked away towards the kitchen. Rebekah turned to them all. "We all know Caroline loves Tyler, but she isn't controlling herself anymore, I am. But don't worry, I wont let her hurt Tyler."
Caroline returned, a large knife in hand. She quickly approached Tyler, grabbing him quickly turning him around to place the blade against his throat. Caroline had no look of concern or remorse as she pressed the blade further into Tyler's neck. She could see the panic in his eyes as he looked from Caroline to her. Rebekah took several steps forward until she was level with Caroline again.
"Caroline, you will let him go- but you wont forget what I am capable of making you do." Rebekah said, stepping back. Caroline's face changed drastically, realizing what she was doing. She dropped the knife confusion and concern.
"Tyler! Are you okay?" Rebekah watched as Caroline looked Tyler over, concern and fear clearly registering on her face. "Why the hell would you do that?" Caroline turned to Rebekah, a fury building behind her eyes.
"I did it to show you what can happen." Rebekah said, addressing the whole group again. "I am not the only original who knows about Mystic Falls, I am not the only person with this set of powers, but I am the only one who absolutely has no desire to hurt Elena." Rebekah answered carefully, ensuring that her point was getting across. "Its purpose is to allow you to realize that while I mean you no harm, there are people in this world- maybe even in this town- who might, and you all need to be prepared for it."
Rebekah looked at everyone individually. She needed a list of every vampire they knew in Mystic Falls, but she also needed something else. She needed to be sure that all of these people would defend Elena.
"I want to ask all of you for a favour very important to me. I would like all of you to consent to me compelling you in order to be sure that Elena remains safe. If I've compelled you, you can't be compelled again until I've released you from your duties. This keeps all of you safe." Rebekah asked the group. Truthfully she was concerned; yes she could compel all of them to do her will- but she wanted to make sure that they all knew what they were signing up for. "If you do not want me to compel you, I unfortunately will still have to make you forget about today, and where Elena is. You will not be able to tell anyone about this place." Rebekah left it up to them to decide. "You'll have until I return to decide." Rebekah turned on her heel and made her way back down stairs, back into the closet. She opened a panel behind that door, pulling out tactical gear that could be concealed underneath civilian clothes, it would stop a bullet or a knife- even a wooden stake if needed.
She proceeded to go back to the kitchen, grabbing another thermal bag and shoving blood bags into it. She moved upstairs to grab a change of clothes, and put them in her bag. She was about to turn around and go back downstairs when she heard someone approaching her quickly. She turned to find Elena observing her from the doorway.
"You would really do all of this for me?" Elena asked, holding up the deed to the house. She could tell Elena was touched by the way that her voice sounded, softer than usual. There was another question behind them, maybe one that Elena was too afraid to ask.
"Of course I would. I told you that I wouldn't let anyone hurt you- and I meant it." Rebekah said, dropping the bag and stepping to Elena. Rebekah could see the happiness and fear in them, but also the love. "I don't want to leave you here alone and unprotected, I figured this was a middle ground."
"Okay, but you left me your house, that's a lot to accept Rebekah- what happens if-" Elena began speaking, but Rebekah cut her off.
"I won't die. There is a very specific set of factors that would need to be at play in order for me to be killed. For all intents and purposes, I am immortal." Rebekah said, letting her hand caress Elena's face. "I want you to know before I leave, just in case the worst was to happen…" Rebekah faltered for a minute. She had the words, they were on the tip of her tongue, but there was still a fear underneath it. Rebekah had never much been concerned about rejection, she could compel anyone to submit to her whims; but this was different; there was an actual emotion there, and actual feeling for the person across from her.
She was snapped out of her confusion as Elena's hand reached up to touch her lips. "You don't need to say it, I already know. I think I've known since the day I met you." Rebekah laughed at that, it was like Elena could read her thoughts. She felt warmth spread through her body, sending all of her nerve endings on fire. She leaned down to kiss Elena.
There was a hunger there, a need to be connected, a need to feel one another. Rebekah couldn't describe it. It was entirely different than anything she had ever experienced. She also didn't care; she wished this moment could last forever. Elena's smell enveloped her nose, and soon it was only her and Elena in the whole world, nobody else mattered. It wasn't until they separated that Rebekah had to finally admit that she did have things to do.
"I never want to stop, I just want to kiss you for eternity, but I know that I can't because if I don't, I'm putting your life in danger." Rebekah said, looking into Elena's eyes. She hoped she would see them again; she needed to. "I have to go downstairs to deal with the others." She heard Elena sigh while following her out of the room.
She descended the stairs, the bag in her hand. She could hear the low whispers of the humans in the living room. It wasn't unsurprising to her that Caroline remained silent; she probably knew better than all of the others what this feeling was like. Caroline's love for Tyler put him and her at risk; if Tyler were to be compelled to kill Caroline her love would blind her, and if Caroline were compelled to kill Tyler, the result would be the same. Rebekah made note to talk to Caroline upon her return.
"I need your responses." Rebekah said to the group. They all looked at each other before Matt spoke. The rest of the group looked onwards while Matt was the first to accept being compelled. "I'm going to tell you before I compel you all what I will be asking of you." Rebekah said, the group was nervous, but clearly ready for it. "You will be barred from discussing where Elena is, you will be prevented from allowing anyone else into the house. You may all leave, but when you do, Caroline will be accompanying you, so try to limit how much you leave here. If anyone tries to enter the premises, I will expect all of you to defend each other, but also remember that Elena is your responsibility." Rebekah remarked, knowing that everyone who stood before her was willing to do what was needed.
Everyone lined up, and quickly everyone but Caroline and Elena had been compelled. She brought them both to the kitchen. "Caroline, I am going to leave in your possession bags of my blood for Elena. If our bond is as strong as it appears to be, I doubt she will be able to stomach blood from anyone else, even you. She doesn't seem to have the hunger yet, but keep an eye on her. If anyone else is injured, I expect you to let them drink from you; as the only other vampire here, I am trusting you with the most responsibility, please don't disappoint me." Rebekah said handing over the blood to Caroline. She turned to Elena next.
"I'm not going to compel you. You know what is at stake here. Who else do you know in this town who is a vampire?" Rebekah asked Elena who responded offering Stefan and Damon up to her. After she had their address she put on a brown leather jacket, and grabbed her other set of keys. "I'm going to leave the key to my car here, I'll take my bike, it will be faster. Please be safe Elena."
They kissed quickly, Rebekah not allowing it to proceed further. She missed their proximity, even though she was only outside. She walked very quickly towards the shed in the back, rolling the black motorbike down to the road. She opened the compartment, putting her bag into it, and closing it tightly. She pulled the helmet over her head and mounted the bike, turning the key in the ignition and driving away.
It took her less than fifteen minutes to get to the Salvatore's. She dismounted the bike, leaving the helmet on the handlebars, and taking the key and putting it in her pocket. She approached the front door very carefully, and opened it.
"I'm looking for Damon and Stefan Salvatore." Rebekah spoke out into the house, moving through it until she came to rest standing in the living room. To the average person this place would appear to be empty, but she knew better. She could hear someone's weight shifting upstairs. Suddenly someone else had come into the room behind her, she turned quickly to meet them head on.
She recognized him immediately, he was the one she had seen Elena arguing with; Stefan. "Hello little Salvatore, I've got a job for you." Rebekah watched as a small smile played across his face.
"What makes you think I would do anything for you." He said rushing towards her, revealing a stake hidden behind his back. Rebekah could only laugh as she mirrored him rushing forward. Before he even had the chance to pull his arm back to strike her, Rebekah's arm was in his chest, squeezing his heart.
"I don't think that you will do as I say, I know you will." Rebekah said, using her other hand to angle him downward. " You are going to call your brother here, the both of you will patrol the area around my house. You will not let anybody past the property line without my expressed permission; you will reach me via cellphone. You will not tell anyone about anybody you see coming or going from the house unless it is one of those same members." Rebekah watched as his face changed from being full of pain, to being one of contentment and determination. "Do you understand me Stefan?" Rebekah asked, not wanting to waste any more time.
"I do." Stefan responded confidently. Rebekah slowly retracted her arm from his chest. His wounds seemed to heal quickly enough. Rebekah sighed, and took his phone out of his pocket, putting her number in. She handed it back to Stefan.
"Call your brother, I need to do the same to him." Rebekah said, taking a seat on one of the leather couches. Waiting for the other Salvatore to arrive. It only took a few minutes for the ordeal to be over, and Rebekah to be back on the road again.
She had set Elena up as best as she could, three vampires, a witch and civilians to protect her. And she resigned herself to the fact that despite her speed, strength and wealth of knowledge, she couldn't control everything, and this was one of those things. She just hoped it would be enough.
She drove all night and made it to Chicago in record time. She sped most of the way down deserted highways until the sun started to come up, she just felt so lucky that she didn't need to sleep. The bike afforded her the ability to weave in and out of traffic.
She pulled up in front of a dilapidated building from her past; Gloria's. The signage was faded, some of the windows caked in dust and grime. She dismounted the bike, and took her helmet off. She left the jacket on. As she opened the front door, which hadn't existed during prohibition, she couldn't see anyone, but it became clear that the bar was a lot livelier than the outside made it seem.
Gloria's had clearly been brought into the 21st century, which gave her pause for concern for a moment; maybe it had new owners? That thought disappeared in a few moments when she saw a familiar face pop around the corner. It was Gloria. She looked nearly the same, a few new lines had spread across her face, her eyes had started to sink in, and the bags underneath them had slowly started to appear.
"It's been a while." Rebekah said, taking a stool down and sitting at the bar while Gloria fully came around the corner.
"Over a hundred years." Gloria said, pulling gin out from the shelf, and grabbing a glass and filling it halfway. "I assume this is not a visit to reminisce, so what can I get you besides a gin?" Gloria said, setting the glad down on the bar in front of Rebekah.
"Something is going on, and I need your help." Rebekah said, taking a long swig. "I've been moving around for the last few years, but I've settled down for the time being. Something is going on with the human I am with. She and I were in the middle of being intimate, and she suddenly looked like a vampire." Rebekah said, setting the glass back down empty.
"She looked like a vampire? You're sure she isn't?" Gloria asked, completely skipping over the part of the story where they were having sex, tilting the bottle over the bar again to fill the glass. Rebekah looked at Gloria and nodded again.
"I fed on her, only moments before it occurred. She is human." Rebekah took the glass again, swirling the liquid around the cup. "I should probably also mention that she's a doppelganger." Rebekah said quickly bringing the glass to her lips.
"Therein lies the problem I'm afraid." Gloria said, running her fingers through her hair. "She isn't safe." Gloria finished looking at Rebekah seriously. "Have you left her alone?" Gloria asked her again.
"She's protected by every vampire in town, as well as a witch. I came to get information, and when I have it, I will be going there immediately." Rebekah said, putting the half finished drink down at the bar. "So let's be honest Gloria; you know a lot more than you are letting on. And it's time you tell me what I need to know."
"Klaus." Gloria began, leaning back on the counter. "He was here only weeks ago, asking about a doppelganger. He is trying to make hybrids. I used a spell to find her." Gloria said, her hand coming to rub sweat off of her forehead. "When I did find her, I could tell there was a vampire with her, and that vampires had been around her for a while; I didn't know you were one of them Rebekah." Gloria said. Rebekah could hear the regret and remorse in her voice.
"Why, what is happening?" Rebekah said, unable to contain her worry. Something was happening, and if it had anything to do with Klaus, there was even more to be concerned about.
"He needs her to die in order to create his hybrids. There is a whole ritual that he needs to perform." Gloria said. "I tried to protect the doppelganger through a spell that would have made her impossible to kill." Gloria explained. Taking another deep breath she opened her mouth again. "I don't know why the two of you are bound together, it could be because of your familial connection to Klaus, I'm not entirely sure."
Rebekah took another breath. "Okay. Okay, I don't know what to do." Rebekah got up from the stool and started pacing back and forth. "How can I protect her, if I don't even know what I'm protecting her from?"
"I can cast a spell, it will bond the two of you together. In order for her to die, you will have to die; an since we both know how impossible it is for you to die…" Gloria said, taking the half full glass back, dumping the contents down the sink.
"I can't do that. If I remain immortal, that means that Elena is immortal too, but without the benefit of never aging." Rebekah remarked. There needed to be another way, she would find it. "Is there a way to reverse the spell you initially cast?" Rebekah pressed Gloria for anything that she knew, but the older witch sighed.
"I could try, but there is a certain amount of risk. I can't promise that it will work, or that the both of you will remain unharmed." Gloria said, now leaning forward on the bar. "What is the deal with this girl Rebekah? She's human, there will be others; you can have any one of them?" Gloria moved from behind the bar, taking Rebekah by the arm, prompting her to sit back down on the stool, while Gloria lowered another one for herself.
"I care for her. We have a connection that I cant describe. We've both known it since we laid eyes on each other, I can't describe it Gloria." Rebekah said, a hand running through her hair nervously. She was never nervous, but even thinking about Elena set her on fire.
"That might mean something. Hold on for a minute." Gloria got up quickly, moving through the bar. Rebekah could hear her in her apartment upstairs. She heard Gloria descending down the stairs, and then saw her turn the corner with a very old book in her hand. "This has been passed down in my bloodline for generations, it not only lists spells, but also legends and myths." Gloria continued. "Maybe not so much myth as fact now…" Gloria's voice trailed, Rebekah needed the information now.
"Tell me what is written that can explain this away." Rebekah pushed further. She needed something definitive, she needed an answer to solve the problem. "How do I fix this?" Gloria looked at her for a moment, opening the book about halfway through. Rebekah couldn't read what had been read. Truthfully, she should have learned how to read the language, so she could understand. But she could understand the illustrations.
There was an image of the White Oak Tree, a symbol of her immorality, further down a human looking character with roots protruding from its feet, and then the symbol for a vampire, these symbols surrounded the words, drawn in the margins. At the bottom there was the same human symbol with roots, but fangs above it, while the symbol for vampire remained at the bottom.
" I recognize a few of the symbols, but it doesn't tell me what it all means." Rebekah said shaking her head, hoping that Gloria would just get on with it, and explain it to her.
"It's a myth, or a prophecy now." Gloria said. "I'll read it for you, but you need to prepare yourself for the reality it reveals." Gloria looked at her as she nodded her head. Rebekah was ready to hear it, she needed to be- she had no choice, Elena's life depended on it.
"Okay, hit me." Rebekah said, and Gloria began reading from her book.
"When the offspring from the White Oak Tree, meets the offspring of the Ground, it is only then the balance of nature is found. When the gift of blood is given, their eternity is earned…" Gloria began reading. Rebekah could feel her heart beating out of her chest.
"The child of the Ground will feel like they have turned, the child of the Oak can no longer be burned. After it's been sealed, after it is done, The Oak and the Ground will be together as one." Gloria took a breath before continuing to read. "The Ground will need sacrifice, the Oak will need fire. It must be each other that these two desire. An eternity apart, and an eternity together; for the love of an Original will bind them forever."
"This can't be real, if it were, Elijah would have fulfilled this prophecy with Katerina." Rebekah said, trying to wrack her brain about what was going on. She didn't understand how this was possible.
"We all know Katerina hasn't had real love for anyone; there was always a motive behind it." Gloria said. Rebekah could feel shallow breaths escaping her. Was this a panic attack? She couldn't tell.
"Okay, Okay. What does it mean?" Rebekah said, turning to Gloria again. Gloria rolled her eyes; Rebekah could feel an anger building inside of her. "This is serious Gloria, this is Elena's life that hangs in the balance."
"It means exactly what it says. When you and Elena began falling for each other, the prophecy must have started coming true. Elena would have had to sacrifice something in her life; because you burned your Oak tree…" Gloria said.
"It was her family, Elena's family was her sacrifice." Rebekah thought out loud. "The gift of blood is given, oh my god, she offered it to me. A gift. Holy fuck…" This was real; she and Elena had fulfilled some age-old prophecy. "I need to take this page with me, or at least take a photo to bring along with me." She heard Gloria chuckle slightly.
"You can take the whole book. The fulfillment of this prophecy will mean that witches will no longer need to uphold the balance; the two of you will do so by virtue of existing. You will be truly immortal, un-killable; you will finally be free of your siblings." Gloria said, dog-earing the page and offering the book to Rebekah, "Witches may not even exist, or if we do, we may have limited powers. All I ask, is that when all is said and done, you return the book to me, or to my descendants and you tell them of this moment, they deserve to know what their legacy is."
Rebekah nodded in agreement. "Thank you Gloria. You have helped me a great deal, I will never forget this." Rebekah took the book, and hugged Gloria tightly. "You have joined the ranks of the greatest witches of the world, and it will go down in history."
"Thank you." Gloria said, "Now go and fulfill the prophecy." Gloria ushered her out of the bar. "I need to get ready for open."
Rebekah opened the compartment on her bike again, putting the book inside carefully. This was all information Elena would need to know, as well as her friends. Rebekah thought about how she would explain this to Elena without absolutely terrifying her while pulling her helmet over her head.
She swung her leg over, and then turned the key into the ignition. She had only one regret from the trip, she wished that she could have explored the city again, relieve all the old places she had been, but she know she didn't have the time; plus it wouldn't feel right without Elena by her side. She couldn't wait to get back to the house, and tell Elena about all the things she had discovered.
With that she twisted the accelerator, speeding out of the parking lot, and out of the city. She should be home to Elena in about ten hours if she made good time.
'Mystic Falls, here I come.'