Mystic Falls, Around 1000 A.D.
Tears coursed down Luciana's already damp cheeks as she cradled her head in her hands. Next to her, her twin brother was passed out from exhaustion, his red face pressed against his arms as he laid on his stomach to ease the ache of the beating he took from their father, Mikael. Luciana couldn't yet fall asleep—though she envied Henrik's small state of oblivion—as she thought of the events that transpired only moments before.
It was a mistake, an accident, but Mikael did not believe his youngest children. He had taken one look at their mother, saw the shock and pain on her face, and had exploded, using his rage that he normally saved for Niklaus. He had beat them, Henrik taking the blunt of his aggressions to protect Lucy, and neither of them were in good shape.
But it was an accident. Luciana and Henrik had no intention of hurting their mother. They had no idea what was happening as their skin turned red as they hugged their mother and they felt power rush through their veins. They had no idea what was happening when Esther shouted in pain and pushed away her twins, looking at them in shock.
Luciana was confused and injured and sad that none of her siblings were able to visit them while they were in trouble. Only Esther remained in their little hut, bustling around the table with a bowl full of the usual herbs she did her magic with.
She didn't even notice when Esther finished her work and walked over to her, crouching down so she could look Luciana in the eye.
"Luciana, darling," she said quietly, reaching forward to brush the tears off of Luciana's face. "Drink this. It will help with your pain."
Luciana didn't question her mother, knowing that Esther was a powerful witch and knew many things. It was not uncommon that her mother would ply her children with pastes, drinks, and herbs that could cure any of their illnesses or injuries. She took the cup and drank the herb and water mixture, grimacing from the familiar, yet gross, taste.
Esther took her discarded cup and set it on the floor before sitting down. She maneuvered Luciana so her head was in her lap and started taking down her braid for the night. She hummed a tune as she worked, relaxing Luciana with their familiar routine.
"Mother," Luciana spoke up, her voice slurred from exhaustion. "Why did that happen? What did Henrik and I do to you?"
"It was an accident, darling," Esther said soothingly. "Do you know how Ayana and I are witches?"
"Yes."
"And how Kol has tapped into his magic?"
"Yes," Luciana replied patiently, remembering when her older brother started his lessons with Esther and Ayana.
"Sometimes, magic is passed on," Esther explained. "My magic was passed onto you and the rest of your siblings, whether they use it or not. However, there are instances when those with magical blood cannot use magic of their own and they have to take it from others."
Luciana furrowed her eyebrows, though her mother could not see. "They take magic?"
"Yes, my darling," Esther brushed her fingers through Lucy's brown curls. "You and Henrik are that kind of witches. We call them siphoners. When they are unable to control themselves, they siphon magic without meaning to. I believe that is what happened with you and Henrik today."
Luciana frowned and buried her head into Esther's skirt. When she spoke, her words were muffled, "I hurt you."
"I am fine and there was no harm done," Esther assured her. "I will start training you and your brother as soon as I talk with your father."
"And I'll learn to control it?"
"Yes, darling. You'll control it."
Bulgaria, 1485
"Bisera, grab the place settings," Ana Petrova ordered her daughters' nanny as she rounded the large table where their family dined in the mornings and evenings. "Hurry, hurry."
Lucia Petrova watched anxiously as Bisera hurried around the room, grabbing five plates, cups, and bowls, all made from the finest pottery. Her nanny balanced them cautiously and placed them on the table in front of Ana.
Ana simply nodded at Bisera and turned to her daughters. Katerina and Lucia were eleven and nine, respectively, and Ana wished that she didn't have to subject them to the same situation that she was in with their father, but she had little to no choice. Her husband, Andon, was growing impatient with the lack of progress Katerina was taking with her studies and demanded that his wife teach Lucia as well. Ana had no choice but to teach her daughters their place in their future households—a silent woman with nothing to do other than obey her husband.
Oh, how she wished that things were not this way.
"Katerina, Lucia, a few years from now, you will likely be married," she told them, watching as Lucia's face scrunched in disgust and Katerina frowned. "You are to be the perfect wife and mother. Your husbands will not likely be lenient if you make mistakes."
"That is why I will be taking over your studies from Bisera," she gestured toward their nanny. "We'll begin with dining."
Lucia listened dutifully as her mother explained that, while they would likely have servants to set their table, it was good to learn yourself. She learned how to set the table correctly and how to serve food, starting with the head of the house followed by the other males. It was only after every man was served food that women were allowed to have food on their plates.
Lucia didn't find this fair—why were they not considered as important as men?
"Mother," she spoke up, ignoring the worried look Katerina sent her. "why is it that we must cater to men? Are we, as women, not as important?"
"Lucia!" Katerina hissed, wishing her sister would just stay quiet and listen for one lesson.
Feminist ideals were not tolerated in this household—Katerina would know. Her father beat her raw the last time she questioned his orders. Andon Petrova was not a patient or merciful man.
"Katerina, it is fine," Ana assured her oldest daughter and then turned to Lucia. "The world we live in is not kind to us. While we are human and deserve the same rights as the men, we will never have them. As much as I wish it wasn't true, we are to be submissive and quiet."
"I don't want to live like that," Lucia declared with a frown. "Am I not meant for something more? And what of Katerina? We are more than mothers and wives."
"You are," Ana agreed as she walked over to her daughters, wrapping an arm around each of their shoulders. "You, my loves, are beautiful and smart women and I have no doubt that you are meant for something more. The world doesn't think the same as you and I but that does not matter."
Katerina gave her mother an appraising look. "What are we to do?"
Ana squeezed their shoulders. "You are to fight. Fight for other women and, most importantly, fight for yourself."
Lucia smiled and swore to herself that she would make her mother proud.
Mystic Falls, 2005
"STRONG AND WILD, SLOW AND EASY, HEART AND SOUL, SO COMPLETELY—"
Lucy kept singing at the top of her lungs, ignoring the pounding and shouting at her door from her fifteen-year-old brother.
"Lucy, shut up!" Joel shouted. "God, you're so annoying!"
"AND I COULD LIST A MILLION THINGS I LOVE TO LIKE ABOUT YOU BUT THEY ALL COME DOWN TO ONE REASON—"
The music cut off abruptly and Lucy turned to her stereo, an angry frown on her face, to tell off Joel for interrupting her. To her surprise, her mom was standing next to her dresser, a sympathetic look on her face that made Lucy want to scream.
"Why'd you turn it off?" she pouted, crossing her arms over her chest.
"It's eight in the morning, sweetheart," Miranda told her. "Joel and Elena aren't very happy with your singing this early."
"I don't care if they're happy. Everyone should be as miserable as me," Lucy said crossly as she crossed her room and sat on her bed with a huff.
"Oh, Lucy," Miranda sighed and sat next to her, brushing the hair out of her face. "I know being without Peter—"
"Don't say his name!"
"Okay, I won't say his name…I know you're hurt and maybe you're mad," she smiled as Lucy scoffed lightly and leaned into her embrace. "and I know that you don't want to hear this, but life will move on."
"I doubt it," Lucy mumbled bitterly.
"Honey, you're only eleven—"
"I'm almost twelve, thank you."
"You're almost twelve," Miranda correctly herself, rolling her eyes at how stubborn her youngest daughter was. "and you have so much life left. Peter—" she ignored Lucy's unpleased grunt. "will not be the last boy you love. I guarantee it."
"But he was epic."
"You will have more than one epic love in your life," Miranda insisted.
Lucy shook her head, doubting herself. No one liked her like they liked Caroline or Elena. She was the youngest in her grade and boys didn't like girls who were smarter than them.
"You will," Miranda said firmly and Lucy looked at her, shocked by her tone. Her mom wasn't mad but she looked like she wanted Lucy to believe her. "Lucy, one day you'll fall in love with someone who appreciates you as you are. They're going to love your paintings and how blunt you are. They'll learn to make cheesecake in every flavor and they'll make you laugh. They'll be there for you through the hard and good times, they'll be your rock, and they'll love you more than anything."
Lucy leaned her forehead against Miranda's shoulder, allowing her shirt to soak up her tears. She wanted to believe what her mom said, but it all seemed so impossible at the moment. Her little heart was torn with her very first heartbreak and she was miserable. She didn't even want to love anyone else but Peter.
Miranda clicked her tongue and wrapped her arms around Lucy, holding her tightly. "You'll be all right, sweetheart. You will."
Lucy didn't know if she would but, in her mother's arms, she didn't think she could feel any safer.
Mystic Falls, 2007
"I'm gonna beat you," Lucy declared, staring at Jenna with a triumphant smirk over her cards.
Jenna scoffed. "You're not seeing my cards, Luce. I think I have a good chance of beating you."
Lucy shook her head and eyed the cards in her hand. She had two blue cards, one green, two yellow, one wild card, and one draw-four. With it being her turn, she placed down one of her blue cards and raised her eyebrows at Jenna, urging her to take her turn.
The rest of the Gilbert-Sommers family was gone, taking a long drive to the nearest amusement park. Lucy wanted to go so badly but she fell sick the day before. Grayson and Miranda didn't want her to feel left out, so they called Jenna and had her come from Whitmore to spend the day with her.
Lucy still wasn't happy with missing out on the fun with her siblings and parents but at least she had her aunt to give her company. She adored Jenna and looked up to her, admiring her sense of humor, stubbornness, and academic achievements.
They spent the morning watching rom-coms and one scary movie that Jenna insisted they check out. After the horrible move, they ordered pizza and started playing board games. They were both competitive and had each won a game, which led to Uno being their ultimate tiebreaker.
Lucy and Jenna laid down cards one after the other, drawing, reversing, and skipping as need be. When they were down to the last of their cards, the competition started to heat up.
"Skip you," Lucy declared, setting down her card and ignoring Jenna's frustrated expression before putting down the draw-four card she had been saving. "Draw four. Uno."
Jenna smirked and triumphantly put down her own draw-four card. "Draw eight, sucker!"
Lucy gaped at her aunt in frustration and shock. She had thought she had Jenna just where she wanted her but it seemed her aunt knew her strategy was waiting to counter her attack. "Jenna!"
"Draw eight, Lucy-Goosey!" Jenna crowed.
Lucy huffed and grabbed eight cards from the deck, her declaration of Uno long gone.
Jenna smirked and placed down a reverse card. "Uno!"
"No way—"
Jenna slammed her last card on the discard pile. "Uno out!"
A loud screech escaped Lucy's lips as she slammed her cards down on the table while Jenna laughed triumphantly.
"Jenna!"
"I won! I won! In your face, Lucy!"
"Jenna!"
"Bow down to the winner, loser!"
"Jenna!"
"Jenna," Lucy softly knocked on her aunt's door, hoping that Jenna would open up for her. "Jenna, please."
"I don't want to talk to you," Jenna's voice was muffled by the door.
Lucy frowned, guilt making her want to drown. It had been less than a week since they found out about Elijah's intentions to use Elena in the sacrifice so he could kill Klaus. Since then, Elijah was daggered by Alaric and then Elena, Bonnie lost her magic, Katherine was out of the tomb, Luka and his dad were killed by Damon and Stefan, and Bonnie got her magic back, along with a plan to kill Klaus.
And then Isobel showed up and things went from bad to worse.
Jenna was not happy that somehow Isobel was still alive. It wasn't that she was alive, per say, but it was the fact that she was alive and everyone knew about it but her. She was hurt that Alaric, Elena, and Lucy had told her nothing of Isobel, especially the fact that Lucy and Elena had already met her.
She was refusing to speak to anyone and Lucy couldn't blame her. No matter how much she wanted Jenna to let her apologize, if she was in her aunt's position, she wouldn't be happy, either.
She hated that Jenna was hurting and that she was part of the reason.
"I'm so sorry, Jenna," Lucy told her earnestly. "I'll leave you alone, okay? I'm just so sorry. I love you."
She tapped Jenna's door three times and then walked away, going downstairs to let Elena know that Jenna was talking to her. The doorbell rang as she was walking down the stairs and when Elena opened it, Alaric stepped into the house.
"Hey," he greeted them anxiously. "Is she up yet?"
"She won't come out of her room," Lucy told him as Elena shut the door.
"What'd you tell her?"
"Nothing," Elena said for herself and Lucy. "She won't talk to us."
"Girls, we have to fix this," Alaric pointed out, almost urgently.
Lucy and Elena nodded in agreement; they had to do whatever it took to make this right. This whole year they had left Jenna out of this mess and now it had done nothing but hurt her. They should have told her from the start what was happening.
It was then that Jenna appeared, hurriedly walking down the stairs with a packed bag at her side. Lucy and Elena greeted her eagerly but Jenna just ignored them.
"Jenna—"
"I don't want you here, Ric," Jenna cut off Alaric. "You need to go."
"Okay, listen, I can't imagine what you must be feeling right now—"
"Rage and betrayal would pretty much cover it," Jenna said sharply as she pulled on her jacket.
"Where are you going?" Elena asked as Lucy bit her lip anxiously.
"I'm going to stay on campus with Joel," Jenna informed them, her voice hard. "I have a thesis to write and I don't want to be in this house."
Lucy frowned. "Jenna…"
"Jenna, please just stop," Alaric pleaded. "Let us explain to you exactly what is going on."
"Lucy," Jenna addressed Lucy, who stiffened nervously; was Jenna about to tell her off? "I need you and Elena to go to the Lockwood's today and accept the historical society's check for your mom's foundation."
Lucy nodded. "Okay, but Jenna, please just—"
"I don't have it in me to hear any more lies for any of you," Jenna interrupted her before slamming the door shut behind her.
"Jenna, just please—"
John cut off Elena as he walked into the foyer. "Let her go," he advised, getting annoyed looks from Lucy, Elena, and Alaric. "It's better that she's not here, what with everything that's going on. But maybe, had you been a little more honest with her from the beginning, this—"
John didn't get to finish his condescending comment as Alaric lunged toward him, slamming his fist into his face. John reared back from the blow as Elena and Lucy gasped in shock.
Lucy had to admit that John had it coming. He'd been taunting Alaric about his relationship with Jenna for far too long and now he had messed everything up for all of them.
"Sorry, girls," Alaric apologized to Lucy and Elena before walking out of the house.
Lucy couldn't help but chuckle as she turned back to her uncle. She ignored the blood running from his nose, finding that she didn't much care when he deserved it so much. "You know this is your fault, right?"
John pressed his lips together. "Right."
Lucy's Room, one week earlier
Lucy's mind was running a thousand miles per hour as she thought about what had happened with Luka while he was in Bonnie's trance. Her guilt was now worse than ever because, while before she thought it was her fault that Katherine and Elena were supposed to be sacrifices, it really hit home now. Elijah never planned to let Elena live and Lucy had made the deal with him, anyway, not having the forethought to think that something was up with the deal. The deal was too good to be true and now she knew why.
And the frustration that she felt made her want to scream. She was starting to trust Elijah and maybe she knew that it was a bad idea, she hadn't listened to her gut. Between their talk at the tea party and the memories she was having of him, Lucy actually liked the vampire. She found him to be a surprising yet calming presence and she knew that it was because of her life as Luciana. The lines in her mind between her lives was getting blurrier each memory she had, so she—as Lucy—loved Elijah as if he was Joel or Jeremy.
He was her brother but he wanted to kill her sister. How was she supposed to deal with that?
Lucy's phone rang and she picked it up, answering when she saw that it was Stefan. "Hey, Broody."
Stefan didn't greet her back. "How could you do it?" he asked and she could hear the anger in his voice. "Why did you make that deal with Elijah?"
She guessed that Damon had told Stefan about Elijah's plan.
"I didn't know, Stefan," Lucy said honestly. "I was stupid and assumed that Elijah meant he'd protect Elena."
"Well, your stupidity and Elena's martyrdom are going to ruin your lives," Stefan told her firmly and Lucy flinched. "Elena has her whole life left to live and you two just want to throw it away."
"No, I don't, Stefan!" Lucy protested, shocked that he would think that. "She's my sister, I love her."
"If you loved her, you wouldn't have taken the deal."
"I didn't know," she repeated herself, her sight going blurry from her tears. "I didn't know, Stefan, I swear. I wouldn't have taken the deal if I had known."
"Would you?"
Lucy didn't bother to respond to him; she ended the call and threw her phone, watching as it bounced off her bed. A sob escaped from her throat as she buried her head into her pillow.
She couldn't believe that Stefan actually thought that she took the deal knowing Elena would have to die. The last thing she wanted was for her sister to be sacrificed; Stefan, of all people, should have known that.
If he thought that of her, maybe he didn't know her at all.
"I can't find him anywhere," Caroline told Stefan over speaker phone as he paced back and forth in Elena's room. "He's not at home. He's not answering his phone."
Lucy frowned, placing with the throw blanket settled in her lap. The night before, while Jonas was terrorizing the Grill, Matt was injured. Caroline had to heal him with her blood and when he woke up, he learned about vampires. According to Caroline, he flipped out and started asking about Vicki's death before running off.
Stefan sighed in frustration. "How could you let him go?"
"My mom walked in," Caroline defended herself. "He took off. I didn't know what to do."
"Did your mom hear anything?"
"No. She just thinks we're fighting but he knows about me and he's freaking out about Vicki."
"All right, listen. You have to find him and calm him down," Stefan told her. "Compel him if you have to. Is he still on the vervain?"
"I slip it into his soda when he's at work but I didn't get to last night," Caroline explained. "So it's out of his system. He's at a catering shift at the Lockwood's today. I'm gonna try there."
The call ended and Stefan sighed heavily, sitting next to Elena on her window seat. Lucy's eyes shifted from him to Elena as she wondered what they were going to do. Everything was going bad—it was like they were on a train that was doomed to crash.
"This is bad," Elena said anxiously. "First it was Isobel and Jenna and now it's Matt."
"It's disaster bad," Lucy added quietly.
Stefan nodded in agreement. "Yeah."
Lucy, Elena, and Stefan looked over to Elena's door as John walked into the room. His face was neutral but, honestly, Lucy didn't trust him.
"Elena, Lucy, could you come downstairs, please?" he asked politely. "I need to talk to you."
Elena scoffed. "We have nothing to say to you."
Lucy nodded in agreement and sent her uncle a glare.
"Please, it's important," John insisted. "You too, Stefan."
Lucy and Elena shared a look before they both silently agreed to go downstairs. The three of them followed John into the living room and were shocked to see that Isobel was waiting for them.
Lucy instantly took a step back, bumping into Elena as they all watched her cautiously.
"I asked John for a do-over," Isobel declared, looking at Lucy and Elena.
Lucy pressed her lips together and glowered at John. "You invited her in?" she asked him angrily.
She didn't like Isobel when she first met her and she didn't like her now. There was nothing that her biological mother could do that would make Lucy believe she was in Mystic Falls to help.
"She has information about Klaus," John said patiently. "Please, just listen to her, okay?"
Lucy shook her head while Elena and Stefan exchanged nods.
"All right," Stefan spoke up, narrowing his eyes at Isobel. "What do you know?"
"Since I was last here, I've been doing everything possible to find Klaus," Isobel informed them as they all took seats around the living room. "We knew our best chance was to find him before he could find you two."
"Best chance at what?" Stefan asked harshly from Elena's side.
"Keeping Elena alive," John said, glancing at her.
Elena shook her head. "You don't get to talk, okay?" she scolded him. "Not after everything you've done."
Lucy bit her lip and played with her bracelet as she looked back at Isobel. "Were you able to find Klaus?"
"No," Isobel shook her head. "Nobody knows where he is but there are rumors that are flying around. That a doppelganger and reincarnation exist."
"Which means any vampire that wants to get in favor with Klaus will be lining up to capture you two," John added, looking between Lucy and Elena.
Lucy's eyes widened and she looked over at Elena, who just shook her head.
"I'm not buying any of this," she declared, looking at Isobel. "The last time that you were here, you made it clear that you didn't give a damn about us. Now all of a sudden, we're supposed to believe that you want to help?"
"Isobel's been helping all along," John defended Isobel. "Klaus has been obsessed with finding Katherine for centuries. All it would take was any one of those 1864 tomb vampires to spread word around that Katherine was still alive and it would bring him straight to Mystic Falls where you were bound to be discovered…so we killed them."
"And almost killed Stefan and Damon in the process!" Elena argued, gesturing to her boyfriend.
John shrugged, unbothered. He didn't care if Stefan and Damon were killed. It would be better for Elena if they were dead.
"I have a safe house that I can take you to," Isobel spoke up. "The deed is in both of your names. No vampires can get in without your permission, not even me. Let me help you."
Lucy bit her lip thoughtfully, trying to take everything in. In theory, going to this safehouse sounded like a good plan and they'd be safe from Klaus—but they couldn't trust Isobel. She had hurt Alaric, Jenna, Matt, and Jeremy and she killed Joel and turned him into a vampire. Lucy didn't want to put Elena's life in Isobel's hands because her gut was telling her they'd be betrayed.
She shook her head at Elena, who nodded in agreement.
"You wanna help?" Elena asked Isobel. "Then get the fuck out of my house."
"Do you really think that Isobel's telling the truth that word's gotten out about Elena and I?" Lucy asked Stefan and Damon after she and Elena went to the Boarding House to check on Damon's progress with finding the place where Emily Bennett and many other witches were killed.
"Look, I don't trust a word that she says but I think we'd be stupid to ignore the warning," Stefan replied and Lucy nodded, conceding his point.
"You know, both of you should just stay here," Damon suggested, kicking his feet up onto the couch. "It's better for us to keep an eye on you."
"What, in the house that any vampire can enter?" Stefan scoffed, shaking his head. "No, their house is safer."
"Well, then we'll stay there."
"So, is that the plan?" Elena spoke up, her tone slightly sarcastic. "Neither of you will let us out of your sight again?"
Damon gave her an equally sarcastic smirk. "Let me know when you come up with a better one."
Elena rolled her eyes. "Fine," she stood up and put her hands on her hips. "Then one of you two bodyguards is gonna have to come with us to the Lockwood luncheon."
For the first time, Lucy hoped that it would be Damon volunteering. She was still hesitant around Stefan and, while he had apologized for getting angry her, it still hurt her feelings that he thought she'd be so careless about Elena's life. He was her best pal and he should have known that Lucy wouldn't have dealt Elena's life away knowingly.
Unfortunately, Stefan smiled at Elena. "That'd be me."
"Not me," Damon shook his head as he looked over at Lucy, who had unhappily pursed her lips. "I have witch stuff to attend to with Bonnie."
Lucy gave him an appraising look. "Does that mean that you're taking her to the—"
Damon shushed her quickly before she could say anything about the witch house. Lucy nodded and winced, glad that he had stopped her; for the moment, none of them wanted Katherine to know about the witch house. If she happened to resume her previous plan of handing Elena and Lucy over to Klaus, she wouldn't know about Bonnie and the witches' power.
Speaking of Katherine…
"Don't get quiet on my account, sis," Katherine drawled as she walked into the room. "If you have a plan to combat the impending vampire doom, please do tell."
Lucy pressed her lips together and looked at Damon, watching as he shook his head. She kept her eyes on him, knowing that if she looked at Katherine for too long, she'd see right through her. Many of her memories of Lucia included Katherine—or Kit, as Lucia called her—knowing when she was lying.
"Seriously," Katherine said flatly. "what is the plan to get us out of his mess, hmm? I delivered you a moonstone, a werewolf, and the dagger to lure and kill Klaus and right now, all you have is a moonstone…or, so you tell me."
"No, we have it," Damon confirmed.
"Where is it?"
"It's in a very safe place."
Katherine scowled. "I've been honest with you. Time to return the favor."
"Let me be honest with you. Don't mistake the fact that we haven't set you on fire in your sleep for trust," Damon retorted with a sweet smile.
"Fine," Katherine crossed her arms over her chest as Elena smirked at her. "be that way."
An hour later, after Lucy and Elena got ready for the luncheon—both in nice dresses that were pre-approved by Jenna a week before—the sister, plus Stefan, arrived at the Lockwood mansion. There was a large crowd already gathered, making Lucy a little nervous about standing in front of the crowd to accept the money for her mom's scholarship. Usually she was fine with crowds, especially since she's a cheerleader, but you didn't have to speak in front of the people coming to see the football game.
She looked around, trying to spot Caroline to get an update on the Matt situation. She hadn't seen either of her blonde friends around until they turned a corner and saw Caroline talking with her mom and Mrs. Lockwood. Caroline quickly excused herself and walked over to them.
"Hey," Stefan greeted her. "Any luck finding Matt?"
"None," Caroline said anxiously. "What if he tells somebody? What if he tells everybody?"
"Well, we just have to find him and make sure that doesn't happen," Lucy said soothingly, grabbing Caroline's hand and squeezing it in comfort.
Stefan turned to Elena, thinking that she could possibly have an idea where Matt was. "Do you have any idea where he would be?"
"I wish I did," Elena said grimly. "but he wasn't really one to run."
Caroline squeezed Lucy's hand and made a disgruntled noise. "This wasn't supposed to happen, you know? I was supposed to tell him at the right moment in the right way and he was supposed to be okay with it because he loves me."
"We'll help you find him, Care," Lucy promised. "We just have to accept our mom's scholarship."
Caroline nodded. "All right. Well, call me when you're done and I'll be out looking for him," she let go of Lucy's hand and walked away, leaving the luncheon.
Stefan sighed and placed his hand on Elena's upper back. "Maybe he'll come around," he hoped, looking down at his girlfriend. "You did."
Lucy rolled her eyes. "Matt's sister was killed by a vampire, so I'm thinking it's a little different," she commented flatly, giving Stefan a pointed look. "Come on, it's starting."
She walked away, leaving Stefan and Elena to stare after her in astonishment. Elena furrowed her eyebrows and looked at Stefan, wondering what was going on. Usually Lucy and Stefan were all buddy-buddy but she hadn't seen her sister speak to him more than a few times in the last week.
"What's going on with her?" she asked him, feeling weird that she had to ask him about her sister. "Did you do something?"
"I don't think so," Stefan shook his head, a frown marring his lips. It wasn't like Lucy to be so quiet with him and send him a dig about Vicki's death. "Let's just go."
"And, here to accept the donation to the Miranda Sommers-Gilbert scholarship fund, is Elena and Lucy Gilbert," Mrs. Lockwood announced with a perky smile.
The audience clapped as Lucy and Elena walked up to the front where Mrs. Lockwood stood. Lucy smiled politely and let Mrs. Lockwood hug her while Elena took the envelope with the donation. Pulling out of the hug, Lucy went up to the microphone and began speaking about her mom.
"My mom loved history," she began. "She loved how you could transport yourself back in time with a little reading, or how you could study how different countries deal with different problems. She thought it was brilliant how you could study the past and see the same pattern repeating in present time."
"Most importantly," Lucy continued, smiling fondly at the memories that she had with her mother, listening with rapt attention as she went on one of her rambles about history. "she loved the history of Mystic Falls. I know she would be so happy that her love will be passed down to students in need. Thank you."
The crowd clapped as Lucy smiled sheepishly and stepped back from the microphone, letting Elena say something in honor of their mother.
"The historical society was our mom's baby," Elena grinned at the crowd. "She considered all of you family and would be honored and touched by this gift—"
A loud clatter interrupted Elena and everyone turned to look as someone tumbled down the stairs in the foyer. Lucy furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as the crowd started rushing toward the injured person, Stefan, Liz, and Mrs. Lockwood in the lead.
She and Elena were about to follow the crowd out of the large room when Katherine approached them, a smirk on her face.
"Nice dress," she said to Elena. "Mind if I borrow it?"
"Katherine, what the—" Katherine slapped a hand over Lucy's mouth and grabbed Elena, dragging both of them out of the room. Lucy didn't even see where they were going before she was hit in the head with a painful swing and she lost consciousness.
As Lucy woke up, her head pounded and she was pretty sure she could hear her heartbeat. Her eyesight was blurry when she opened her eyes but after blinking a few times, her vision cleared up.
In the seat next to her, Elena was awake, staring ahead of her with hard eyes.
Lucy followed her gaze and gasped softly when she saw Isobel in the row in front of her. They were all in a large SUV and as she sat up, she saw a sign for a town only a half-hour away from Mystic Falls, Grove Hill.
"I'm sorry, Katherine," Isobel said into the phone. "I had to do what I was told. He wanted the moonstone and he wanted you."
Soon, they pulled into a large cemetery and drove to the back, pulling up to a small cluster of headstones. The driver got out and opened Isobel's door for her.
Isobel slid out of her seat and looked back at Lucy and Elena. "Just because you can't be compelled doesn't mean I can't force you to come with me."
Elena got out of the car and Lucy sighed but followed her lead. The three of them walked only a few feet before stopping in front of a headstone.
In Loving Memory
ISOBEL FLEMMING
January 18, 1978—May 4, 2007
"So is that what happened?" Elena asked Isobel, not noticing what was written on the headstone. "You were compelled to betray Katherine?"
"If I was, I couldn't tell you," Isobel replied blankly.
"So you lied. You did find Klaus, didn't you?" Elena looked closely at Isobel, looking for any sign of dishonesty. "He knows where we are now. Are you taking us to him?"
Isobel didn't answer as she crouched down and cleared the bottom of the headstone of dead flowers. She rearranged the fresh flowers that already laid there before standing back up and looking down at her own grave with what actually looked like sadness.
"What is this?" Elena finally read the headstone.
"My parents, your grandparents, they put it here when it became clear that the police weren't gonna find my body," Isobel told Lucy and Elena. "They visit every week and they bring flowers even though there's no one buried here."
"The Isobel they knew is dead," she looked back at Lucy and Elena. "So maybe there's a part of me that's buried here, the human part. The part that I abandoned when I chose to become a vampire," she smiled sadly. "the part that used to dream about the day that she'd know her daughters."
Lucy frowned. "What?"
Isobel shrugged, twisting her lips. "And, instead, you got to meet the other part. The part that would betray her own flesh and blood."
Isobel's phone started ringing; she pulled it out of her coat and answered it.
"Yes," she said into the phone after a long pause. "Let them go?"
Lucy raised her eyebrows and exchanged a confused look with Elena. If Isobel wasn't taking them to Klaus, what exactly were they doing here?
"I'm done?" Isobel smiled in relief.
She sighed happily as the call finished and she stuffed her phone back into her pocket.
"Who was that?" Elena asked cautiously.
"I'm so sorry, Elena," Isobel said to Elena before turning to Lucy. "I'm sorry, Lucy, that I was such a disappointment to you."
Lucy blinked, her eyes stinging as tears slid down her cheeks. Isobel sounded so heartfelt that she actually believed her. All the bad that she had done, there was a part of her that was apologetic. Isobel was her biological mother and if Lucy couldn't give her a chance, was she really the person she thought she was?
She thought she hated Isobel; she thought that there wasn't anything that could be done to redeem her.
Maybe Lucy was wrong…
Isobel reached up, grabbed her daylight necklace, and—before Lucy or Elena could stop her—ripped it off her body. Lucy gasped in horror as Isobel started to scream, her body turning red and smoking from the sun's rays.
Isobel's body caught on fire and she screamed again; Lucy grabbed Elena's arm and buried her head into her shoulder as Isobel sobbed in pain until, finally, she stopped and her body fell to the ground.
Lucy didn't look; she just held onto Elena and cried.
Lucy sat in the library at the Boarding House, staring into the fire as she turned Isobel's necklace over in her hands. She couldn't stop thinking about Isobel and how her body burst into flames much like the ones in the fireplace only a few feet in front of her.
She didn't even like Isobel yet she was sad that she was gone. Maybe it was because Alaric's connection with her or because she had shown that she was sorry for what she had done. Either way, Lucy mourned what could have been.
She had many mother figures in her life; Esther-her first mother, Ana—her second mother, Miranda—her third mother, and Jenna—her aunt. She felt like she didn't have the room for anymore and that even if she did have room, she wouldn't give it to Isobel. Now that she was gone, Lucy wouldn't even have to make that choice.
Maybe she should be relieved but, somehow, she wasn't.
"Hey."
Lucy looked up with a weak smile as Stefan entered the library and sat down on the couch next to her. "Hey, where's Elena?"
"Talking to John," he informed her. "He woke up. I guess he knew nothing about Isobel being compelled."
"I'm sure he didn't," Lucy agreed honestly, looking down at Isobel's pendant.
John was an asshole but at the end of the day, he loved his family. She truly didn't believe he would have it in him to betray her and Elena—especially since Elena was his daughter.
"Is that Isobel's?" Stefan asked, gesturing to the pendant.
"Yeah," she confirmed before scoffing sadly. "You know, this morning, I started out hating her. I was sure there was nothing she could do that would change my mind about her…I know she betrayed us, I know that," she nodded. "but somehow, I'm sad she's gone."
Stefan smiled sadly and wrapped a comforting arm around her. "She was your mother."
"No, she wasn't," Lucy shook her head; Miranda was her mother—Esther and Ana were her mothers. "Not really."
"She wasn't," Stefan agreed. "but you can still be sad about what could have been. You just can't dwell forever."
Lucy sniffed in agreement and buried her head in his shoulder, breathing in his calming scent. She had missed Stefan so much over the past week but he had really hurt her feelings. Though, now that she needed him, he was there.
He was always there.
"I'm sorry."
Lucy pulled her head back from him. "What? For what?"
"For last week. I know I apologized but, I know you, Luce," he smiled and brushed some of her curls from her face. "I know you're mad and I get it. I shouldn't have accused you of being so careless with Elena. You would never knowingly put your sister in danger—I should have trusted that."
Lucy pursed her lips and lowered her eyes. "You really hurt my feelings."
"I know. And I'm so sorry," he said earnestly. "I'm the worst pal ever, huh?"
Lucy snorted. "Yeah, you are."
"Okay, now that's too far," Stefan scoffed jokingly and poked her side, making her squirm. "I'm your bestest pal."
"You're my only pal."
"Which makes me the bestest," Stefan declared with a large smile.
Lucy laughed loudly and shook her head before her smile slowly faded. Though she felt better laughing with Stefan, she wasn't sure it was the best idea. They had a horrible day—Isobel was now a pile of ashes and Klaus knew where they were.
Klaus had let them go.
"Stefan…"
"Hmm?" Stefan's joyful smile faded at the seriousness in her voice.
"Why did they let us go?"
Stefan shook his head. "Anything John told Isobel, we have to assume that Klaus know, right?" he said. "So, he knows that Elena's not gonna turn herself into a vampire and he knows that you guys have us keeping you safe."
"He knows that we're not gonna run," Lucy added, Stefan's theory making sense to her.
Elena walked into the library, her face red and damp, followed closely by Damon, who held a stack of papers in his hand.
"Which is why we need to take some precautions," Damon proclaimed as he handed the papers to Lucy. "'cause we got played. All of us."
Lucy furrowed her eyebrows and flipped through the papers quickly, not taking anything in. She looked up at Elena—who seemed to know exactly what was going on—Stefan, and Damon. "What's this?"
"It's the deed to our house. It's in Zach's name," Stefan explained, crossing his arms over his chest. "As soon as you and Elena sign it, it'll be in your names."
Lucy's eyes widened. "You're giving us your house?"
"Isobel had the right idea with the safe house," Elena spoke up.
"You'll just stay here until it's all over," Stefan added. "That way, you both can control who gets invited and who doesn't."
"Although, I'll be super pissed if you lock me out," Damon winked at Lucy.
Lucy scoffed; that was exactly what she was going to do.