(Thank you all so much for following this story. I hate to see it end. I may return with a more Elena/Elijah eccentric story or one shot once I finish some other projects. I love them. They are my heart. Enjoy this last chapter. Song is "Swallowed in the Sea" by Coldplay))
New Orleans, One Week Later….
"Bye…" Jeremy said, tightening his arms around Elena, then let her go and smiled as he watched Bonnie hug Elena tightly, too, before they got into the back of the Mercedes parked just outside the front gate of the Mikaelson home in the French Quarter.
A few feet away Damon closed the trunk of the car and smirked, shoving his hands in his pockets as he rounded the back of the car and now came to face to face with Elena.
There was an awkward silence between them until Damon said with a cheerful smile, "Well…looks like we head back to Mystic Falls with another win under our belts!"
Then he lifted his hands in little fist pumps, "Yaaaaay!"
Elena laughed and Damon watched her for a few moments before the smile on his face faded and his eyes softened as his green irises met her brown and he whispered, "Please come home with me…"
Elena's eyes softened in return and her face turned solemn, then she walked forward and threw her arms around Damon's neck and held him tight, running her hands through his hair soothingly, closing her eyes as she felt his arms wrap around her back and waist.
"Take care of yourself, Damon," she whispered in his ear, then pulled back and brushing her nose against his for a moment, kissed him softly on the lips.
When she let him go and stepped back, Damon brought the fingers of his right hand to his lips, then smirked sadly and nodded, knowing her answer.
"See ya…" he said softly then walked around the front of the car, giving her one last glance, before he opened the driver's side door and got in the car.
When he was behind the wheel and his seat belt fastened, he honked and called out through the open passenger side window.
"Misha! Let's go! It's sweltering out here! At this rate, I'll be shrimp etouffee before we even make it to the airport! You're immortal for Christ sake! You'll see each other again. No need for long-winded goodbyes!"
"Hold your horses, boy! I'm coming!" Misha called back as he stepped out the front door into the courtyard, slinging his bag over his shoulder and turning back to Elijah, Rebekah and Kol who had followed him out, "Someone is in a hurry to get home. And I don't blame him…."
Misha smirked
"What exactly does that mean?" Kol interjected, "And does your little comment have something do to with Chogun's mysterious call from Mystic Falls? You were chattering like excited girls in whispered voices—"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Misha smirked devilishly then continued, "Chogun was just calling to tell me that he and the spirit warriors took care of the wendigo. Of course they couldn't just leave that just roaming around Mystic Falls…them people are already in danger with Damon Salvatore living there!"
They all chuckled and Damon seemed to hear them with his vampire hearing, because he laid on the horn again.
"When's Chogun heading back?" Elijah asked
"Tomorrow."
"Unfinished business?" Kol asked with a quirked eyebrow
"Actually, no," Misha replied, "His business is quite finished."
Then he scoffed good naturedly, "You know, I think he's right. People never seem to see what's right in front of their faces.…."
"What?" Kol asked, looking over to Rebekah
"Never mind," Misha smirked
"Well, his help was invaluable…" Elijah interjected, "Be sure to thank him again, for me."
"I will," Misha nodded then reached into his jean pocket, "Oh! By the way, speaking of Chogun, this came in the mail from him a few days ago…."
Elijah's eyes widened as Misha produced the black and white photograph of himself and Vivienne he had handed over to be used in the ritual.
"But…I saw it burn…" Elijah said softly, taking the photograph into his hand, a small smile crossing his face as he looked at the younger version of Vivienne smiling next to him in front of his house in Virginia in 1960. He then looked up to Misha with stunned awe, "How is this possible?"
"It didn't burn, it just disappeared to the other side to summon Vivienne's spirit. I asked Chogun to get it back for you—"
Suddenly, Misha huffed as Elijah pulled him into an embrace.
After a moment of shock, Misha smiled and wrapped his arms around Elijah.
"Thank you…" Elijah whispered, the emotion clear in his voice, "For everything. You are a good friend, Misha."
"Likewise, Elijah," Misha replied before pulling back and giving the original a gentle pat on the side of his face, "You take care of yourself boy…" then jerked his head back toward Elena, "And that beautiful doppelganger, too, ok?"
Elijah nodded, "Will do."
Misha then turned to Rebekah.
"Goodbye, darlin'" Misha drawled and Rebekah wiped a tear from her eyes as she embraced the warlock gently
"Bye, Misha."
When she pulled back, Rebekah unclasped her mother's necklace from her neck and wrapping the chain around the pendant, placed it in Misha's hand.
"Will you make sure this get into Stefan's casket?" she asked, "It felt indelicate to give it to Damon."
Misha smiled as he beheld the pendent, then tightened his hand around it and nodded, "I'll make sure Stefan gets it."
Rebekah's eyes narrowed at his words and she opened her mouth to say something, but Misha had already turned to Kol to embrace him as well.
Then Misha pulled back, he eyed the originals and smirked before he said, "Stay out of trouble?"
"No promises!" Kol called after Misha as the warlock starting walking toward the car
"Hey…" Kol quipped raising his hands defensively as his siblings looked over to him, "Scourge of Europe, speaking."
"I mean it, now!" Misha called back, holding the strap of his bag on his shoulder as he turned and back peddled across the courtyard toward the car
"Goodbye, Misha!" Elijah laughed and shooed him toward the car
"And you!" Misha called, pointing a finger at him, "You keep your nose clean, boy! I don't want to hear from you or your crazy ass siblings for at least three months….Do you think you can stay out of trouble for at least three months?!"
"Misha! Just get in the car!" Elijah yelled with a chuckle
"You know what I'm gonna do with all that free time?" Misha mused to himself as strolled the rest of the way to the Mercedes, kissing Elena on the cheek as he went, "I'm gonna take me a vaction…that's what I'm gonna do. That's right," he then opened the passenger side door and threw his bag onto the floor before getting in, " I'm gonna dress up like Liza Minelli and spend the next few months on the French Rivierra with an umbrella drink in my had twenty four-seven and a cute little cabana boy at my side….Yes, Sir."
# # # # # # #
Mystic Falls, Three hours later…
"Welcome home!" Chogun called, walking out the front door of the Mikaelson Mansion, using his walking stick to navigate the gravel circle drive as Misha's Jeep pulled up and Misha, Damon, Bonnie and Jeremy all got out of the car.
"Thanks," Damon smiled as he opened the passenger side door, pausing for a moment as he watched Misha turn off the car out of the corner of his eyes, "But…I'm… just here for my brother's body and then—"
"Oh. I'm sorry," Chogun said, looking past Damon to the warlock, "I thought Misha would have told you. He spoke to Elijah. The Originals want you to have their house."
"What?!" Damon asked, turning toward Misha and the warlock instantly produced a key and dangled it from his hand
Damon scoffed as he eyed the key and said adamantly, "No. Absolutely not! I am not going to rattle around in that house all alone. Elena's gone. Stefan is gone—"
"Damon!" Chogun interjected, "Stefan's waiting for you."
"Yeah. He is," Damon said, stepping out of the car, "And if you'll both excuse me, I'd like to take my brother's casket and leave—"
But, Chogun blocked his path.
Damon narrowed his eyes as he studied Chogun's resolute face…
Then after a few moments, the old man's words cleared the fog in his head.
Stefan is waiting for you…
Damon suddenly stepped back as if someone had slapped him.
"No…" he whispered, "That's impossible."
"Nothing is impossible for me..." Chogun said with a gentle smile, "And didn't you say your brother was innocent in this? I don't let innocent people just die. It's old magic that takes a long time to work, but it was the only way I could be sure he wouldn't come back wrong. All I had to do was channel the energy of the person who loved him most…"
Damon gasped as the old shaman held up the picture of Damon as a little boy with his baby brother—the one that Damon had placed in Stefan's casket.
"Stefan wanted you to have this back—" Chogun started, but was unable to finish as Damon immediately took off running past him.
You cut me down a tree
And brought it back to me…
Damon made quick work of the front of the house and the second floor with vampire speed, searching for any side of Stefan with wide eyed wonder and anticipation.
And that's what made me see
Where I was going wrong…
When there was no sign of his brother, Damon ran down the steps at human speed and when he reached the landing, turned in a circle, looking into each parlor again before walking down the side hall toward the kitchen.
You put me on a shelf
And kept me for yourself…
And it was as he entered through the swinging doors that he saw it—the back door to the veranda standing wide open.
Damon walked quickly toward the open door and, without hesitation, stepped out onto the veranda, his breath catching when he saw his brother's figure in the distance, his back turned to the older Salvatore.
I can only blame myself,
You can only blame me…
Damon's eyes softened as he watched Stefan examining himself, seemingly in awe, as he looked at each hand and then brought them to his head, then his chest.
And I could write a song
A hundred miles long…
Suddenly, it was as if Stefan had sensed his presence, because it was almost as if on cue that he turned and faced Damon like an angel in the spotlight of the late afternoon sun.
Well, that's where I belong
And you belong with me….
"Damon…" Stefan whispered, stepping forward, a small smile of disbelief crossing his face as a tear fell down his cheek
Within seconds, Damon had closed the distance between them with vampire speed and soon they were embracing each other tightly
And I could write it down
Or spread it all around….
After a moment Damon pulled back and brought his hands to his brother's face, examining it before he smiled.
Get lost and then get found…
"My little brother…" he said softly in jubilation, his lip trembling as he pulled Stefan back into a tight embrace and closed his eyes, relishing being so close to his favorite person in the world, "Oh...God..."
Or swallowed in the sea…
Damon soon felt a familiar presence and opened his eyes to see Misha, Bonnie, Jeremy and Chogun White Feather standing on the lawn watching them.
"Thank You…" Damon whispered over Stefan's shoulder and the shaman smiled and nodded
## # # # #
Caroline flipped her hair over her shoulder as she opened the door to her dorm room at Tulane University and entered.
You put me on a line
And hung me out to dry…
Tossing her orientation folder and student identification on her desk, she sighed before crossing the room to the corner of the room and hefted up the last box left to unpack, setting it on her hip and moving slowly over to her bed where she set the box down and flipped open the folded corners.
And darling that's when I
Decided to go to see you….
She smiled as she pulled out various nick-knacks, pictures and set them out gently on the comforter next to the box.
You cut me down to size
And opened up my eyes….
Then her face softened as she pulled out the sketch of her with the horse that Klaus had drawn of her and left for her the night of the Mikaelson ball.
She smirked at the words he had written down at the bottom—"Thank you for your honesty, Klaus."
Made me realize
What I could not see…
Then taking in a steadying breath to keep herself from breaking, she bit her bottom lip, then turned and moved over to her desk, using a magnet to put the picture on the board above it.
Somewhere she would see it every day.
# # # # # #
Misha closed his eyes as he stood in the middle of Stephens Woods, Chogun White Feather and his spirit warriors at his side, whispering an incantation as he removed the lid to the urn resting against his chest
And I could write a book
The one they'll say that shook….
Suddenly, a supernatural wind approached and took Kaspar's ashes up and out of the urn.
The world, and then it took
It took it back from me…
Misha smiled as he turned in a circle, watching the ashes whirl in the wind above him and through the tree tops, before coming down and landing upon foundation of his family's former home.
And I could write it down
Or spread it all around…
Then, he felt Chogun's hand touch his shoulder and, thanks to the old man's gift, Misha now stood face to face with the spirits of his family—Ayanna, Gloria, Octavian, Luka, Dominic—just as he remembered them a thousand years before.
Get lost and then get found
And you'll come back to me…
Soon Kasper joined them, his ghost appearing at their side, giving Misha a parting smile before he disappeared with his family into the ether as Chogun released his hold on Misha's shoulder, breaking the connection.
Not swallowed in the sea…
# # # # # #
Bonnie turned off the light and quickly plopped down on the leather couch next to Jeremy in the Gilbert living room, taking the popcorn bowl from him as she cuddled into his shoulder and he leaned over and kissed her temple before they turned to face television screen.
# # # # # # #
Elijah smiled as he held up the world atlas and watched Elena cover her eyes with one hand, before dropping the index finger of the other on a random country featured on the map.
When she had made her selection, she slowly removed her hand from her eyes and looked down to her finger on the page, then smiled at Elijah as he, too, looked down to their selected destination. When he looked up, he smirked before leaning forward and giving a quick, excited kiss.
And I could write a song
A hundred miles long….
Then he pulled back and closed the atlas, stuffing it into his back jean pocket before sliding out of the back of the taxi, handing a hundred dollar bill to the cabbie as he passed the man unloading their baggage out of the trunk.
Well, that's where I belong
And you belong with me…
When he arrived on the other side of the cab, he offered Elena a gentlemanly hand as she got out and they wrapped their arms around each other as they headed through the doors under a sign that read LOUIS ARMSTRONG NEW ORLEANS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
# # # # # #
A bouquet of white roses fell hard on to the path that wound through the center of St. Pierre Cemetery as Rebekah Mikaelson quickly ran forward toward their family mausoleum when she saw its door broken and standing wide open, Kol hot on her heels.
The streets you're walking on
A thousand houses long…
As they stepped inside, Rebekah's face turned from shock to wonder as she took in the sight of the broken vault in the center of the room.
Then she came to Kol's side as she watched him pull a note stuck with tape to the back side of the vault door and they both examined it.
I just needed to touch the one who loved him most for an innocent man to live.
Forgive the late arrival.
With Regards,
Chogun White Feather
Well, that's where I belong….
Kol's eyes suddenly looked up to meet Rebekah's and the siblings shared a knowing smile, suddenly remembering how Chogun had prayed over Klaus's dying body in the woods with his hand on Caroline's shoulder…
And you belong with me….
# # # # # #
Caroline smiled as she placed the pictures of her, Bonnie and Elena next to the photo of her and her mom on her bedside table, running her finger over the designer metal frame in reverence before turning back to the box on the bed.
Oh what good is it to live
With nothing left to give…
She stared down into the box for a long moment before reaching in and pulling out one of Klaus' shirts. She had raided the drawers of his bedroom not long after he died, needing the comfort of his smell to sleep at night—yes, it's true that she had spent the last two weeks, sleeping with Klaus' t-shirt.
Caroline held the gray v neck t-shirt in her hands, examining it with sad eyes before closing them and leaning forward, burying her face into the cotton fabric, taking in the hybrid's scent with a deep breath.
Forget but not forgive
Not loving all you see…
Suddenly, Caroline picked up a nearby commotion with her vampire hearing and she pulled her faceaway from the shirt and opened her eyes, looking around.
After a moment, she realized it was coming from outside the dorm building and she immediately tossed the t-shirt on the bed and walked over to her window and raised the blinds.
Oh the streets you're walking on
A thousand houses long….
Caroline's eyes widened and her breath caught as she brought her hands to her mouth and looked out and saw what looked like hundreds of yellow daffodils—her favorite flower— on the front lawn of the freshman dorm facing the building and spelling out her name in big bold letters
Caroline suddenly took a step back from the window, a smile crossing her lips as she lowered her hands from her face and turned quickly on her heel, heading toward her bedroom door with vampire speed.
Well that's where I belong
And you belong with me….
However, when Caroline opened it, she realized that she couldn't be witnessed by her classmates using her vampire abilities, so she slowed her pace to a normal run as she started down the hallway to the main staircase that would lead her down to the first floor lobby.
Not swallowed in the sea…
When she reached the main lobby, Caroline raced out the front door and immediately slowed to a jog.
She immediately stopped dead in her tracks when she saw a familiar face step out onto the lawn to meet her in front of the flower display, his eyes softening and his breath catching in his throat as he took in the sight of her.
You belong with me
Not swallowed in the sea…
"Klaus…" she whispered as her eyes widened, taking in his face then looking him up and down as she walked toward him slowly.
"I'm back." Klaus smirked, opening his arms wide
Caroline gave a sudden cry of relief and joy as she ran forward and leaped into his arms, embracing him tightly, as he spun her around.
Yeah, you belong with me
Not swallowed in the sea…
When she pulled back to face him, he reached behind her neck and brought her face to his, kissing her passionately as spectators started to gather and some even clapped.