Chapter 17: A Brother's Betrayal
The shrill sound of someone's cell phone ringing startled me from my peaceful sleep. I was warm and comfortable veins snuggled up between two equally warm bodies on either side of me. The ringing continued and before I could move to try and find out who's phone was ringing, I was tumbling to the floor after being shoved off the bed.
"Unf. Ow, Serena, heavy." Elena let out a pained groan as the two of us collided with the floor.
"Sorry." I mumbled sleepy as I crawled my way back under the warm covers. I snuggled my face into the pillow and felt Caroline, who I remembered falling asleep beside me, shift and let out an irritated groan.
"Hello." I heard Elena answer.
"Shhh." Bonnie hissed out from the other side of Caroline.
"Elena!" Caroline huffed out before collapsing back onto the bed. I could hear my sister shuffle out of the room and close the door behind her as I tried my best to fall back asleep. Last night had been spent watching cheesy movies and eating unhealthy snacks till the early morning. It was nice. We all seemed to forget about our problems and go back to the way things once were. But, we had to wake up at some point.
Elena and I both arrived home around midmorning after leaving Caroline's house. "Are you sure you're alright with Stefan and I leaving for the weekend? We don't have to go." I rolled my eyes at my sister for what seemed like the fifth time as she followed me up the stairs.
"It's fine Elena. Seriously. Go, have a good time." I smiled at her as the two of us reached the top of the stairs. "I'll be fine, and if anything comes up, I'll call Damon." I promised my sister and she gave me a soft smile.
"Okay." She said as she gave in and went to her room to pack for her weekend away with Stefan. After Elena and Stefan left for the lake house, I showered and changed into some clean clothes for the day. My plan was to head to the Grill and get some food, but a knock at the door threw those plans out the window. I knew it was Damon standing on the other side of the door and I wondered what he could want.
"Hey there, little sister. Long night?" Damon smirked and I sent the vampire a small glare. I wasn't allowed to go to bed until sometime before dawn. I was still tired and even after drinking some much needed coffee and having a shower; I was still contemplating going back to sleep. "Feel like joining me for the day?"
"Joining you for the day? Why?" I asked with a raised brow and just a hint of confusion to my tone.
"Just a little tea party being put on by the historical group thing." He answered with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Tea party? Why do you want to go to a tea party?" I asked as I eyed Damon with suspicion. Damon simply smirked at my question and gave me his signature, up to no good, look. "I'm not going to like this, am I?" Damon didn't answer and I let out a defeated sigh. "Fine. But no funny business. I'm being serious Damon."
Damon held his hands up in surrender. "Don't worry, little sister, no funny business." I gave Damon another look before turning around and grabbing my bag that was near the bottom of the stairs. I then locked the door behind me and followed Damon out to his car.
"So why exactly are we going to the Historical Societies tea party?" I asked as Damon drove.
"Well, since Stefan and Elena are gone, you need a babysitter." Damon smirked at me and I sent the vampire a glare. "So you're stuck with me. And we're going to the tea party, because I think it's about time I met your Original boyfriend."
My eyes went wide and my jaw fell at Damons words. "What? Damon, please tell you're not going to do anything stupid, are you?" I knew my brother and knowing him, he was going to try and threaten Elijah to let me out of our deal.
"Pfft, never." I didn't believe him for one second. Damon was up to something, and I could only hope that whatever he had planned, wasn't something that could get him killed.
Damon and I walked into the Lockwood manor and I spotted my Aunt just as she spotted us. "Damon, what are you doing here?" She asked as she looked between the two of us. We definitely weren't dressed for a formal tea party. "And you brought Serena." I sent my Aunt a small wave.
A tall brunette woman walked out of the crowd and smiled brightly as Damon. "Hi. You came." She was holding a notebook and for some reason she looked familiar to me.
"Hi." Damon greeted her with a smirk and took the woman by the hips and planted a kiss on her lips. I stepped around the two and stood beside Jenna.
"This is new." I muttered and Jenna made a noise of agreement.
"Thanks for introducing us, Jenna." Damon pulled away from the woman and sent Jenna smirk. Damon then turned to leave and I followed after him. I looked back and sent my Aunt a wave as we walked out of the room.
As soon as we walked further into the mansion, I was hit with a familiar presence. My feet felt frozen to the floor and I searched the room for the vampire who the energy I was feeling belonged to. My eyes scanned the room and I found Elijah talking to Mrs. Lockwood. He glanced away from the Mayor and I felt my lungs seize as we locked eyes.
Our gaze broke when Damon threw his arm around my shoulders and Elijah's eyes roamed over to the vampire next to me. I frowned at the look that passed through his gaze. He didn't look happy, but he hid it well.
"Damon." Mrs. Lockwood greeted the vampire with a smile as we approached.
"Carol." Damon greeted her back.
"What a surprise." Carole commented before glancing down at me. "And Serena, lovely to see you dear." I gave the woman a simple wave and a small smile. Damon lifted his arm off my shoulders and kissed the Mayor on her cheeks in greeting. "Oh, Elijah, I want you to meet Damon Salvatore. His family is one of Mystic Falls founding families. And this is Serena Gilbert, another founding family member."
"Mm-hm." Damon eyes the Original vampire and I could practically feel the tension grow in the air around us. I had a bad feeling that this wasn't going to end well. "Such a pleasure to meet you."
"No. Pleasure's mine." Elijah said as the two vampires shook hands. Elijah's gaze traveled away from Damon as they released hands and he looked at me. "Serena, it's a pleasure to see you again."
I gave the vampire a small wave. "Hello, Elijah." I felt a warmth spread across my skin as Elijah's eyes looked me over. Damon placed a hand on my lower back and I broke my eyes away from the Original vampire.
"Serena, why don't you go say hi to Alaric. I'm sure he'd love to see his favorite student." Damon pushed me towards where Alaric was standing. I looked up at him and saw his eyes were locked onto Elijah.
"Damon?" I muttered lowly so Carol wouldn't hear. "You promised." I reminded him. But Damon simply smirked down at me.
"Don't worry. I wont do anything too stupid." He gave me a wink before pushing me lightly away. "Carol, mind if I steal the guest of honor for a moment. I just want to have a little chat." As Damon spoke I walked away toward Alaric who stood watching the whole interaction.
I glanced back behind me and watched as Damon led Elijah into another room and closed the door. I frowned and turned back around to face Alaric and noticed he was no longer alone. John stood beside the history teacher as they whispered lightly to each other.
I raised a brow at Alaric as John walked off, but not before he gave me a strangely worried look. "What's his problem?" I asked Alaric once I was close enough.
"What isn't his problem?" Alaric countered my question with his own. "So, what's Damon's plan in all this? He tell you anything?" I let out a sigh and shook my head.
"Who knows." I muttered. "I just hope he doesn't do anything stupid and get himself killed." I glanced back at the door the two vampires had walked through. "I'm going to go find my Aunt." I told the history teacher and walked off towards the last place I had seen the woman. There wasn't much I could do stop Damon from doing anything stupid. Once he got something into his head, he tended to have a one track mind. I could only hope he didn't get himself killed doing whatever it was he was trying to do.
~Break~
"What can I do for you, Damon?" Elijah asked the much younger vampire as the two entered what used to be Mr. Lockwood's study. The room had two brown leather couches and a desk still filled with stationary. It seemed like Mrs. Lockwood had left the room untouched since the death of her husband.
"I was hoping we could have a word." Damon wandered around the small room glancing at the décor and useless junk that filled the space before coming to a stop in front of the small fireplace on the other side of the room.
"I take it this is about my deal with Serena." Elijah raised a brow at the older Salvatore brother and Damon in turn sent him a smirk as an answer. "Tell me, where has Elena and your brother run off to?"
"They're laying low, you know, bit of a werewolf problem." Damon explained with an air of carelessness. "I'm keeping Serena close, just in case."
"Oh, yeah, I heard about that." Elijah ran his hands over the back of the leather couch he stood behind while Damon sat on the edge of the desk where papers and stationary like things sat cluttered on.
"I'm sure you did since it was your witch that saved the day." Damon pointed out and Elijah gave him a fake smile.
"Yes, well, Serena asked for my help and I answered." He explained. "You are welcome."
Damon frowned at the older vampire's words. He hadn't realized it had been Serena to call Elijah for help. But the thought made him cringe. He didn't need his sister in any more debt to this man then she already was. He wanted her out of the deal, and he was willing to do whatever it took to make that happen.
"Well that all adds to my confusion as to exactly why you're here." Damon pointed out. "Serenas safe with me. She doesn't need you hanging about making her all, nervous." Damon smirked and sent Elijah a look that read as threatening.
"Why don't you focus on keeping her sister, Elena, safe." Elijah started, clearly feeling very unthreatened. "And leave Serena to me." Elijah made a move to leave the room and turned his back on the younger vampire.
Damon didn't take kindly to his answer and flashed off the desk so he was standing in front of the Original. "No, not good enough." Damon said to the Original Vampire.
Elijah could feel his eerie spike at Damons tone and audacity. Elijah grabbed Damon by the throat and with a flash of vampire speed, had Damon pressed up against the wall behind the desk. The Original Vampire was unamused when Damon reached out to grab him by the throat. Elijah simply pulled his hand off and sent him a look that told Damon not to try that again.
"You young vampires, so arrogant." Elijah spoke as Damon struggled against his strength. Damon had pissed the Original off in more than one way today. Elijah would be lying if he said that seeing this vampire's arm wrapped around Serena wasn't rage inducing. This insubstantial vampire didn't know who he was provoking. "How dare you come in here and challenge me?"
"You can't kill me, man." Damon wheezed out. "It's not part of the deal. Serena wouldn't like that."
"Silence." Without even glancing back, Elijah reached over and grabbed a simple number two pencil off the desk and stabbed it into Damon's neck. Damon was right, he couldn't kill him. But that didn't mean he couldn't send him a warning. Serena's safety was the Original vampire's only concern at the moment. He would not be letting Damon get in his way. "I'm an Original. Show a little respect." The older vampire pulled the pencil from Damon's neck and took a step back as Damon collapsed onto the desk.
Damon grasped at his bleeding neck as Elijah pulled a clean handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped the blood from his hand before dangling the cloth in Damon's view. "The moment you put Serena in even the slightest of danger, you're dead." Damon clutched the cloth to his neck as Elijah spoke. "So you should do what I say. Keep out of my way."
~Break~
I found my Aunt and stuck close to the woman as she mingled among the crowd of Mystic Falls elite group and founding families. The woman Damon had kissed earlier was finally introduced to me and she turned out to be a newscaster named Andie Star. Answering my question as to why she looked so familiar.
"Hey, Serena." Alaric walked up to us sometime later with a fake smile. My gut sank and I suddenly had a feeling that something bad had happened. "Damons looking for you." Alaric smiled at my Aunt and Andie before taking hold of my arm and leading me off to wherever Damon was.
"What's going on, Alaric?" I asked the history teacher as we walked through the Lockwoods home and out through the front door. I could make out Damon leaning up against his car with a less than pleased look on his face. "Is that blood?" I could see the red stain along his neck and shirt collar.
Damon simply scoffed at my question as I stared at him in concern. "Yeah, you're boyfriends a real piece of work, little sister." His voice sounded scratchy as he spoke and I frowned at his explanation. "Come on." He opened the passenger side door and I gave him one more concerned look before sliding into the car.
"I'll meet you at the boarding house." Alaric told Damon before the vampire flashed over to the driver side and got in.
"So, what stupid thing did you say to piss him off?" I asked Damon as he pulled away from the Lockwoods mansion. I saw Damon roll his eyes as he drove toward the boarding house.
"Hmpf, what makes you think it was something I did? Maybe he's just a dick." Damon argued back and this time it was my turn to roll my eyes.
"Somehow I don't believe that." I muttered and both of us became silent after that. Damon soon enough pulled into the boarding house driveway. Alaric wasn't much further behind us and arrived just as Damon collapsed onto one of the brown leather chairs in the large house's library. "So, am I going to be able to go home anytime soon?" I asked as Alaric walked into the room.
"Nope. Not with our little werewolf problem still being a thing." Damon spoke up. "So you better make yourself comfortable."
"Fine." I muttered something under my breath about older brothers being too stubborn for their own good before walking off. Damon probably wasn't going to let me out of his sight any time soon. "Why does life always have to be so complicated?"
My muttered words were left unanswered as I made my way into the kitchen to look for something to eat. Hopefully there was something other than bourbon and O-negative in there and I wouldn't starve for the night. If I was going to be stuck on house arrest, the least my brother could do was make sure I had food to eat.
After finding something to snack on, I headed up stairs to Damon's room. I turned on the tv and laid my bag out on the floor before laying down on the large bed. I laid on my stomach with the bag of chips I found in the kitchen open in front of me. My brother could have his room back when I was allowed to go home. So for now, the room was my chosen place to relax in.
I didn't realize I had started to fall asleep until the sound of glass breaking woke me from the light doze I had fallen into. My stomach clenched as I laid frozen on the bed, listening for any more signs of something amiss. After a couple of minutes of silence I carefully crept out of Damon's bed, and as quietly as I could, I made my way out of the room and down the hall.
When I made it to where the banister started, I carefully glanced down into the living room. What I saw made my breath catch in my throat. Werewolves. There were five of them, one was carrying Alaric's unmoving body and dropped him beside the couch. I prayed that Alaric still had his ring on would be okay, although it was Damon I was more worried about at the moment.
Damon was tied to a chair with what looked to be a thick collar wrapped around his neck. From what I could see there was a lot of blood; the collar was no doubt some sort of torture device made for vampires. I knew I was no match for wolves, but that didn't mean I couldn't do something to help my brother and Alaric.
As quietly and as carefully as I could, I tiptoed back into Damon's room and reached into my bag to pull out my phone. I decided against calling and sent a text message just to be safe. I didn't need any of the werewolves downstairs hearing me.
With my phone grasped tightly in my hand I made my way back out of Damon's room and back down the hall to the banister. I kneeled down so I could watch the wolves through the wooden bars. I could clearly make out a woman standing in front of Damon with a shotgun in her hand. I really hoped she had no plans on using it.
"You know what the great thing about buckshot is?" The woman asked and my brother stayed silent as he sat chained down to the chair. "It scatters through the body. Maximum damage." She held the gun up so it was level with Damons chest. "Where's the moonstone?"
"Get over it honey. You're never gonna get it." Damon rasped out.
I felt a sudden influx shift through the air and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end while goosebumps ran down my arms. The breath I had been holding left my lungs in a sigh of relief. He had gotten my message.
"You looking for this?" Elijah's voice sent a sudden shiver down my spine and I watched as the vampire slowly came into view and placed the moonstone gently on the table in front of him. The wolves all turned to look at him. "Go ahead. Take it." He invited them to take the chance and I could see the wolves bracing themselves for the attack.
A gasp escaped my lips as one of the werewolves suddenly rushed Elijah as he made a grab for the moonstone. But Elijah was much faster and with a solid sounding thump, the wolf fell to the ground, his heart held in Elijah's hand. I stared at the vampire with wide eyes. This being radiated pure power and to think he could dispatch a werewolf so easily. It made my mind wonder who he really was and just what being an Original vampire meant.
With a blink two more wolves went on the attack and rushed the vampire. The move was useless as they fell to the ground, their hearts ripped from their chest as Elijah held them both in his hands. I should have been disgusted at the act of such bloody violence, but much to my dismay, that wasn't the case. The reaction I was actually having was far more concerning.
With most of the werewolves now dead, all that was left was the woman and the man cowering beside Damon. Elijah didn't even have a chance to glance at the woman before she was gone. It was a smart choice, but she had ended up leaving her fellow wolf behind to face the much stronger vampire.
"What about you, sweetheart, hmm?" Elijah asked the scared man as he approached him. "You want to take a shot? Yes? No? Yes?" He received no answer as he lifted the werewolf onto his feet. Then with a simple fist to the face, the wolf was sent to the ground, no doubt dead from the punch he received. With the last wolf dead, I stood from my hiding spot and rushed downstairs.
By the time I made it into the living room, Elijah had broken the chains holding Damon to the chair. Damon looked worse up close and I knew he was going to need blood and time to recover from whatever torture the wolves had inflicted on him.
I stood out of the way as Elijah turned away from Damon and made his way to where he had left the moon stone. "Thank you." I told him as our eyes met. The Original vampire and I shared a look as we gazed at one another. There was so much I wanted to say, but I held my tongue as the sound of Damon removing the chains reached my ears.
I turned my head slightly to glance at my brother and when I looked back Elijah was grabbing the moon stone and leaving. I felt my heart drop as I watched him go.
My stomach dropped as Elijah walked away and I realized I detested the sight of him leaving. Without looking back at Damon I rushed from the living room. I prayed to fate that Elijah hasn't disappeared yet.
"Wait!" I called out as my bare feet stepped out onto the gravel driveway. Elijah stood a few feet in front of me with his back turned towards me. "Please wait." I begged. The vampire shifted and turned to face me. "Tomorrow. Can we talk tomorrow?"
Elijah paused at my words before he nodded his head. "Tomorrow." His voice promised. I could feel my heart thundering in my chest as we looked at one another. I could swear this man was going to give me heart failure with how badly my heart reacted every time he looked at me with those eyes.
"Thank you, again. For helping Damon." I didn't know how else to thank him, but the vampire sent me a small smile. Elijah gave me one more nod of his head before vanishing from my sight. With his energy gone I could feel my shoulders sag.
When I made my way back into the boarding house I found Damon out of the chair and the bloody chains that had been holding him down, tossed on the floor. The vampire pulled his phone away from his ear and hung up as he noticed me walking back into the living room. He frowned at the sight of me but before he could open his mouth to say anything, a groan from the body beside him pulled his attention away from me.
"Finally, you missed all the fun." Damon said to Alaric as he slowly got up from the floor after being brought back from the dead by his magic ring.
"Are you alright, Alaric?" I kneeled down and helped the history teacher sit up. He waved me off and did his best to give me a reassuring smile.
"I guess we should be thanking your boyfriend for the save." Damon commented as I stood up. I rolled my eyes at the vampire as he rolled up the now stained rug. "Well, that's a few less werewolves we have to worry about." Alaric struggled to his feet but refused any help.
Damon also brushed off my help and told me to just head to bed and that he would take care of the clean up. Something seemed a little off, but I left it alone and headed upstairs. After stealing one of Damons shirts and heading to the guest bedroom down the hall, I changed and crawled into bed. As soon as my head hit the pillow I could feel my body start to relax and my mind begin to shut off. I welcomed the darkness and let out a content filled sigh as I fell into a peaceful sleep.
Sunlight filtered in from all around me as I laid on my back under the oak tree. A light breeze ruffled at my loose hair, that was spread out around my head in a white halo, as well as the folds of my dress and my bare feet. I closed my eyes and let out a content filled sigh. Everything was so peaceful in that moment.
The sound of leaves crunching let me know that someone was approaching. A smile tugged at the corners of my lips and I reached out to the energy around me. I knew right away who it was and a warmth settled in the pit of my stomach. The warmth from the sun disappeared and I felt someone settle their body above mine. Their warm breath fanned out across my face and I kept my eyes closed as giggles escaped my lips.
The second his lips touched mine a warm tingle spread throughout my entire body. I raised my arms up and wrapped them around his broad shoulders. I slipped one hand towards the base of his neck so I could clutch at his hair. He added more pressure to the kiss as he lowered his body closer to mine.
"Oh." The gasp escaped my lips as his one hand clutched at my waist and the other held himself up. He nudged my legs apart and rested his body between them. I started to feel my lungs scream for air and broke away from the heavy kiss. Without waiting he moved his lips down my neck, leaving light kisses and nips as he headed down.
My cheeks flushed as I tried to hold back the sounds trying to escape my lips. I could tell he didn't like that and with a firm nip to the junction between my neck and shoulder had me opening my mouth with an audible gasp. "Ah." The sound filled the air and I could feel his smirk against my skin as he licked and nuzzled at the area he bit.
"Ah, there we are, love." His voice added to the warmth spreading throughout my body. He placed another kiss on my lips before I finally opened my eyes and looked up at him. His deep sea blue gaze stared down at me with such love and devotion, it made my stomach flip and my heart practically burst with emotion.
I pulled my hand down from around his shoulder and cupped the side of his face. "Hello, Nik."
My body sprung up from the bed as my heart tried to pound its way out of my chest. My body felt flushed and the leftover warmth was still there as I tried my best to reign in my breathing. The memory replayed over and over in my head as I tried to make sense of what I was feeling.
Nik. I had kissed him back and clearly I had enjoyed his attention. The thought made my cheeks light up in a blush. I really enjoyed it. But it was the look in his eyes that really had me thinking. It was clear in his gaze that his feelings for me ran deep, and from the way my chest felt warm it was clear I shared those feelings. But who was he?
I reached my hand up to my lips and with a feather like touch, I traced my lips. He had the most beautiful sea blue eyes and long wheat colored hair, and oh, those dimples. His smile had me practically swooning when he had smiled down at me in my memory.
Elijah.
His name had my thoughts coming to a screeching halt. I felt my heart shatter at the thought of those deep brown eyes. "Oh no." I felt my stomach drop. I couldn't deny the feelings I felt for Elijah. There was something there, and while I couldn't remember it from my first life, I knew it was real.
But the last thing I wanted to do was make assumptions and jump to an unwanted conclusion. So while it was hard for me to ignore the feelings I felt and the images my memories set for me. The pieces were slowly putting themselves together, and I didn't like the picture they were painting.
"Good morning, little sister." Damon greeted me as I made my way into the living room.
"Morning." I greeted him back. Damon was lounging on the couch in the living room. He looked freshly healed and far better than compared to what he looked like last night. "Do you mind giving me a ride home so I can change? You kind of kidnapped me yesterday without much warning."
Damon scoffed and nodded his head. "So much for keeping you safe. Last night could have turned out better than it did." I rolled my eyes at his words. That was an understatement.
The drive was a quiet one, that is until Damon pulled up to the house. "Hey, do me a favor." He started. "Stay home today." I glanced over at my once brother and frowned.
"Why? The werewolves are all but taken care of." I pointed out. There was no real threat to my life at the moment.
"Just because your Original boyfriend has saved the day a couple of times now, doesn't mean he's on our side." Damon argued.
The frown on my face deepened. I wanted to argue with him, but as I looked at my once brother, really looked at him, I could see that he truly believed that we couldn't trust the Original vampire.
I let out a sigh and shook my head before moving to get out of the car. I could feel Damon's eyes on me as I walked up the front lawn and up the porch steps. I never did promise him I was going to stay home. But he didn't need to know that.
I showered and changed into some clean clothes while I tried my best to put my thoughts together. Today was the day I would hopefully finally have my answers.
I clutched my phone in my hands as I sat still on the edge of my bed. With a deep breath I unlocked the screen. I sent Elijah a simple text, asking him to meet me at the Grill. I figured the restaurant was a good place to meet. Lots of people.
My body felt like it was floating on air as I drove into town. This was it. If anything came from today, I only hoped that I would have a better understanding of who I really am. Of who I once was.
The Grill was packed when I walked through its doors. But even with all the people and their ever shifting energy, I could still feel him. Elijah stood with his back to me at the end of a table. A table where Damon, Alaric, and Damons new girlfriend, Andie all sat. Jenna stood beside Elijah and the Original vampire said something to her before he turned around and our eyes locked onto one another from across the restaurant.
I felt my heart speed up within my ribcage as Elijah walked away from the table and started for me. "Serena." His voice made a small smile grace my face and I greeted him back with a small nod of my head.
Movement caught my eye from behind Elijah and saw Damon start to get up from the table. I knew right away that Damon was far from happy. He had asked me to stay home and here I was, standing with the one person he didn't want me anywhere near.
"Why don't we go for a walk?" I suggested and looked back up at Elijah. The Original vampire agreed and offered me his arm before the two of us walked out of the Grill. I prayed that Damon had enough sense to not follow us.
People walked and mingled around the two of us as we made our way down the street. Where does one start when asking about a life lived so long ago? "Mystic Falls certainly has changed since the last time I was here." Elijah commented. His voice broke me out of my ever shifting thoughts and I spared him a glance.
"I guess it has, huh?" I added to the conversion. "I guess you would remember what it once looked like better than I would." I spoke softly. With my arm still looped with his, I could feel the low heat coming off his body and the tense muscles in his arm. "How long has it been exactly, since you were last here?" I asked.
Elijah paused for a moment. "A thousand years." His answer caught me off guard and I found my feet frozen to the cement sidewalk as I took in his words. My arm fell out of his hold and he stood slightly in front of me.
A thousand years. The concept made my head hurt. "Has it really been that long?" I practically whispered the question, but I knew Elijah had heard me.
"Yes." He answered. My heart fell and I looked up into his eyes. Heartbreak stared back at me.
"I had no idea." It was the truth. I had no idea that my first life had been so long ago. I mean, I could have guessed as much. My second life was easy enough to understand that it had been some time in the 1600s. But a thousand years? That was a long time. "How did I die, Elijah?" I was hoping the answer would help me understand this more, but seeing the look in Elijah's eyes had me wanting to take the question back.
I should have known that it would be a sore subject. "You were killed." He answered. I could tell the conversation was less than ideal for him, but I had to know.
"How?" I pushed.
"My father." His answer made my eyes widened. His father had killed me, but why? I felt like my entire body had been doused with cold water. Questions filled my head and I felt like the world had tilted on its axis. There was so much I didn't know. So much I couldn't remember.
I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but before the words could be said, a voice spoke up. "Hey, Serena." I glanced away from Elijah and watched as Matt walked up to us. "You alright?" I watched as Matt glanced over at Elijah and the Original vampire held his gaze.
"Oh, hey Matt. Yeah, I'm fine. Just talking with an old friend." I did my best to send him a reassuring smile. Matt had always been kind to me considering we've known each other for so long. The last thing I wanted was for him to get caught up in all the middle of this.
"Alright, if you say so." Matt didn't look very convinced and I hoped he wouldn't say anything about this to Caroline, or worse, Elena. The teen walked off towards the Grill and I looked back at Elijah.
"I think we should probably take this conversion somewhere more private." I suggested and Elijah gave me a small smile in agreement. Without really thinking about it, I relooped my arm with his and led the way into the tree line. The woods just seemed like the safest place to continue this talk.
"You know, I can remember these trees." I spoke up as the two of us made our way further into the woods. "I guess in any lifetime I can never really escape this place. It was always here I was brought back to." I wasn't really paying attention to where we were going. But I knew where I was. "It's like I was waiting for someone, or something." I paused. I pulled my arm away from Elijahs and the vampire stopped. The two of us stood facing each other and I looked into his eyes. "Do you know why I was reborn in this town, over and over again?"
Elijah's eyes widened slightly. Then he closed the space between us. "We didn't think it was actually possible. That you would come back." He admitted. "When you died, it was the worst day of my life, Serena. I prayed for death, but I lived on and in my anger I became what people feared." I felt my heart break. He didn't know I had come back. "How many times, Serena? How many times have you come back to this place?"
I felt my throat tighten at his question. "Three." I croaked out as emotion filled my voice. "I've been reborn three times." I started to explain and Elijah closed his eyes. "My second life was cut short. There wasn't much time to live during then. But I got a better chance during my third life, but even that life ended before I had enough time to remember."
Elijah's eyes reopened. There were so many emotions within those brown depths. "You will never have to go through that again, Elskan." His hands came up and cupped either side of my face in a gentle hold. "Never again."
Tears welled up in my eyes at his promise. I closed my own eyes and felt my tears run down my cheeks as I leaned into his hold. "Thank you." My eyes reopened and I looked up into those deep brown orbs. Heat swelled up within my body and time seemed to stop. It was as if it was just the two of us in the world. Like nothing else mattered. "Who was I to you, Elijah?" I whispered as quietly as I could so as to not shatter the moment.
"Everything." His breath fanned out against my face as he leaned closer towards me. I didn't pull away, nor did I try to stop the advancement. I wanted this, I wanted him. His lips met mine and my eyes slid closed in pure bliss. The kiss was gentle and soft. Elijah pulled away only slightly to test my reaction before he pressed his lips back against mine. This time he added more pressure and I returned the gesture.
I felt like I was on fire as I reached my hands up and placed them on his shoulders. The only way I could possibly describe this would be, perfect. I wanted this moment to last forever. But with my eyes closed and the incredible feeling of his lips on mine, sea blue eyes came to the forefront of my mind.
I pulled away from Elijah with a jerk. The vampire's eyes filled with concern. I hadn't noticed that he had moved his hands so that they were now wrapped around my hips in a firm hold. Wheat colored hair and dimples, those were what I was remembering right now.
"I- I can't." My voice cracked with pain as I stepped away from Elijah. Concern and distress filled his eyes. He looked so lost as to what to do in that moment that I felt my heart breaking even further. "I need to know. Who is Nik?"
The question seemed to catch Elijah off guard. He looked confused for just a split second before understanding crossed his features. "My brother." He answered.
I felt the earth slip from beneath my feet. His brother. Nik was his brother. I felt sick to my stomach. My hand flew up to my mouth and I pressed my palm against my lips and shook my head. Elijah stepped closer as concern filled his gaze, but I stepped away from him and looked to the ground.
"Serena. Elskan, look at me." But I didn't heed his words and kept my gaze looking at the earth below me. His brother. They were brothers. A sudden realization made a shiver of disgust go down my spine, was I no better than Katherine. A woman who played with the hearts of my brothers like they were nothing more than toys.
"Look at me, Serena." Elijah's hands shot out and I found myself looking up into his eyes. His hand held my chin firmly between his fingers. "Calm down, Elskan." I hadn't realized my breathing was so uneven until he had said that. I held my breath for a moment before letting it out in one long sigh. "Relax, you have nothing to worry about. I promise you, Elskan, you have done nothing wrong." His words made my heart slow and the panic that had been rising within me disappeared. I believed him. I don't know why, but I believed him.
"I don't understand." I muttered out as Elijah moved to hold me against him. I felt my body sink against his. Elijah had one hand pressed firmly against the small of my back while his other hand gently brushed some of my hair out of my face.
"Everything will make sense soon, Serena." His voice sent a shiver down my spine as his eyes stayed locked on mine. "I promise you."
I nodded my head. "Thank you." I wanted to say more. I wanted him to understand just how confused I had felt and how having him here made hope bloom inside of me. But I didn't. I kept my words locked away. Because while I knew he was telling me the truth, I still didn't fully understand these feelings.
Feelings that made me want to do things I was unaccustomed to doing. "Can I kiss you?" I could tell he had taken him off guard with my question, but he quickly recovered.
Elijah gently took hold of my face. His thumbs tenderly brushed against my cheeks and I felt myself falling into his deep brown eyes. "You never have to ask to kiss me, Elskan." My eyes slid shut as he leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine.
I felt a thousand years worth of love and longing being poured into our kiss as he pressed back against me. He wrapped one arm around my waist while his other hand cupped the back of my head.
I was so wrapped up in him that I didn't even realize that Elijah had moved us until my back found itself pressed up against a nearby tree. I let out a small gasp at the sudden change and the vampire before me took that as an invitation to deepen our kiss. Elijah was in full control as he titled his head and his tongue swept out against my bottom lip. The action had my mind reeling and warmth pooling in my stomach.
Elijah was the one to pull away first and I was left panting for breath. He left very little space between the two of us as he gave me a moment to pull myself together. But before either of us could say anything, or in my case continue our steamy make out session, a shrill ringing priced the air.
Heat filled my cheeks and I quickly pulled my phone out of my pocket. "Hello?"
"Where are you?" Damon's voice came through the other end and I felt a sigh leave my lungs. Of course he would be the one to call at this moment.
"Out." Was all I replied and I could practically feel my brother rolling his eyes through the phone.
"Wait. Why do you sound all out of breath?" His question had my cheeks lighting up as I tried to steady my breathing.
"I'm not out of breath." I answered far too quickly for my lie to sound believable and I winced slightly at the scoff sound Damon made.
"Yeah right, sure. Listen, Andie had the brilliant idea of having a dinner party at the boarding house tonight." Damon started to explain. "We invited your Original boyfriend to swing on by. So that means, you need to get your butt over here so I can keep an eye on you."
Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. "Really Damon? And why exactly do you need to keep an eye on me?" I asked.
"Because I'm not taking any chances. So, get over here, please." I let out another sigh at Damons order. The please could have been more sincere.
"Fine." I answered.
"Perfect. See you in a bit, little sister." With that said, Damon hung up and I pulled my phone away from my ear.
"Well then, I guess I'll be seeing you later for dinner." I said as I watched Elijah take hold of my hand that wasn't holding my phone and lifted it so he could place a gentle kiss on the back of my knuckles.
"So it seems." He released my hand and I gave him a soft smile. I was expecting to feel a torrent of emotions bombarding me after kissing Elijah. But all I felt was a tenderness for the vampire. He made me feel safe and untouchable.
I drove myself to the boarding house after parting ways with Elijah. As much as I didn't want to leave his side, I knew we would be seeing each other soon.
When I walked through the front door of the boarding house Jenna was the first to greet me. "Hey there. I didn't know you were coming." Jenna gave me a hug and led the way into the dining room where Andie was setting the table.
"Uh, yeah. Damon invited me over." I answered and Jenna turned back to the table to help finish setting it.
"Great, well, you can help us set the table. Were still waiting on Elijah to get here." Jenna started. "Why don't you start bringing out the food. It's all set out in the kitchen."
While I was in the kitchen I heard the doorbell ring. I knew right away it wasn't Elijah, but that left me curious as to just who it could be. When I walked out into the dining room with one of the many plates of food, the last person I had expected to see was John. Jenna and Alaric looked less than pleased to see him and I could guess right away that he had not been invited.
I placed the food on the table and retreated back into the kitchen to grab another plate. Tonight was definitely going to be interesting.
I heard the doorbell ring once again and I knew immediately that this time it was Elijah. I finished placing the food on the table and took a seat near the end. There were three seats on one long side and two on the other, along with one at either end of the table. Damon sat at one end while John took a seat beside me at the other end. I had a feeling this had been planned.
Andie took the seat next to Damon while Alaric sat across from me. When Jenna and Elijah walked into the room I could feel my heart flutter at the sight of him. Even after only just seeing him earlier, my heart still reacted like I hadn't seen him in years. Jenna took the place next to me while Elijah took the only empty seat left beside Alaric.
We all served ourselves food and the meal began with an awkward quietness until Jenna spoke up. "I hate to break it to you, Damon, but according to Elijah, your family is so not a founder of this town." Jenna brought up as she poured Damon some more wine.
"Hmm, do tell." Damon glanced over at Elijah as he took a sip from his glass.
"Well, as I mentioned to Jenna earlier, a fraction of settlers migrated from Salem after the witch trials in the 1690s." Elijah's voice sent a shiver down my spine and I hoped no one noticed how much of a reaction I had to the vampire. "Over the next hundred years they developed this community where they could feel safe from persecution."
"Hmm. Because they were witches." Jenna whispered to the table.
"Yeah, but there's no tangible proof there were witches in Salem." Andie added to the conversion.
"Andies a journalist. Big on facts." Damon pointed out about his new girlfriend. I let out low scoff and brought another bite of food to my mouth.
"Well, the lore says that there was this wave of anti-witch hysteria. It broke out in the neighboring settlement, so these witches were rounded up. They were tied to stakes in a field together, and, uh, burned." Elijah paused for a second before continuing. "Some say you can still hear the screams from miles around us. They were consumed by the fire."
"I wouldn't repeat this to the Historical Society." Jenna laughed. My gut suddenly felt heavy when I swallowed my food. This all sounded familiar to me and I had a bad feeling as to why. My second life wasn't one I enjoyed remembering.
John shifted beside me. "It's starting to sound a little like a ghost story to me." He commented.
"So why did you want to know the location of these alleged massacres?" Damon asked Elijah. The older vampire sent Damon a fake smirk before answering.
"You know, a healthy historian's curiosity, of course." His answer didn't sound very sincere. Something was telling me that this place had something to do with the curse. Another piece to add to the ever growing puzzle.
"Of course." Damon countered with a nervous looking smile. Dinner was finished up soon after that and Damon stood from his seat to glance down at the table. "Would anyone care for some cognac? I have a bottle that I've been saving for ages." Damon announced as everyone started to get up from the table.
"None for me thanks. Nine bottles of wine is my limit." Alaric spoke up as Damon sent Andie a look.
"The gentlemen should take their drinks in the study." She gave everyone a big smile and Elijah stood from the table.
"I have to say the food was almost as wonderful as the company." He sent Andie a smile and I couldn't help but smirk at his words. I highly doubt that he enjoyed Damons company whatsoever.
"I like you." Andie pointed out as I started to gather some of the empty plates off the table. John walked around me and just as he went to pass Jenna the women placed a plate in his hands.
"Here you are, gentlemen, make yourself useful. Hmm?" John took the plate without argument and walked off to the kitchen. I gathered a stack and carefully walked around my Aunt and headed into the kitchen after him.
I was standing in front of the sink washing dishes while Jenna helped dry them when Andie came in. "Hey, guys, we totally forgot about dessert. I'm going to go and grab Damon and Elijah and let them know." Andie announced before leaving the kitchen. I shared a look with my Aunt who let out a dramatic sigh.
"I was really hoping they would have forgotten about the desert." I let out a small laugh at her words as she walked up to the frigid and pulled out what looked like a cherry pie. "I made this earlier, but it still has to bake in the oven for like twenty minutes or something."
"I'll keep an eye on the pie." I volunteered as Jenna placed the desert in the oven.
"Alright then. I'll be right back, just need to tell the others that it's going to be a minute." Jenna walked out of the kitchen and I leaned back against the counter to keep an eye on the pie. When Jenna came back the two of us entered into a light conversion while we waited on the pie.
"How's school going? I know Alaric mentioned that you've been a little distracted in class lately." Jenna was right. I haven't exactly been super focused on my studies.
I opened my mouth to reply and squash her worries, when a sudden sharp pain erupted from my chest. My hand flew up to clutch at my shirt, just above where my heart felt like it was being crushed. My breath came out in gasps as I collapsed to my knees.
"Serena! Oh my God, Serena! What's wrong?" Jenna fell to her knees beside me as I tried my best to get air back into my lungs. "Alaric! Damon!" She shouted for help.
I squeezed my eyes shut as I did my best to control my breathing. The pain in my chest wasn't like anything I had ever felt before. It was like someone had taken my heart out of my chest and was squeezing it in their hands.
"Serena." John's voice replaced Jennas as he kneeled beside me. "Breath Serena. You need to breathe." I listened to his words and sucked in as much air into my lungs as I could before releasing it. The pain started to subside as my breathing evened out.
John said nothing but looked up at Jenna as Andie and Alaric walked into the room. "Alaric, get Jenna and Andie out of here. I'll take care of Serena."
"What? No, I'm not leaving her here." Jenna argued back.
"I got her. You go home, I'll take care of my daughter." Whatever Jenna had seen in John's eyes or heard in his voice, was enough for her to step away and go with Alaric. Just as Damon rushed into the kitchen, I could feel the pain was nothing but an irritating soreness taking its place.
"We have a problem." Damon announced. John and I looked up at the vampire. "He's gone."
"What do you mean he's gone? The dagger was meant to kill him." John gritted his teeth at Damon.
My brows narrowed as I registered their words and felt betrayal rise up inside of me. I pushed myself away from John and shakily got to my feet. "What did you do?" I hissed out and Damon frowned at my words. "What did you do to Elijah?"
"Just relax little sister." Damon raised a hand. I did the opposite of his words and narrowed my eyes at him. "The dagger can't be pulled back out." Damon explained to John. I felt my breath leave my lungs and grabbed hold of the counter so I did not collapse to the floor again.
"No, no, no, you can't do this." My voice cracked and Damon frowned at my words. I could see the uncertainty flash through his gaze, but John spoke up before he could.
"We have no choice, Serena." John's words made me look at him. "We have to keep you and Elena safe. No matter the price." He sent my brother a strong look. "No matter the price." I looked away from John to stare at Damon. The vampire nodded his head in agreement. "Get her out of here. Take her to the lake house. He can't get his hands on her there if he hasn't been invited in."
Before I could even begin to argue with the two, Damon flashed forward and I found myself in his arms for only a moment before placing me in the passenger side of his car.
"Damon, don't do this. Please, just listen to me." I pleaded as Damon sped off down the road. He ignored my pleas and I knew he thought he was doing the right thing, but the further we drove away from town, the heavier my heart began to feel. "Damon! Listen to me! Elijah isn't going to hurt me."
"Yeah, and what about Elena, huh?" He suddenly asked. His question had me going quiet as the sound of his engine filled the air between us. "Bonnie found out from his little witch helpers that his plan the whole time has been for Klaus to break the curse so he'll be weak and Elijah can kill him." My jaw fell open at Damons words. "He's going to let Elena die, Serena."
I shook my head. "No, no. He wouldn't do that. That isn't a part of the deal we made." I tried my best to explain. "Damon, please, just trust me. Elijah wouldn't do that."
"I'm sorry little sister. But I just can't take that chance." As Damon spoke, the car came to a stop and I looked away from the vampire sitting next to me. I recognized where we were as Damon turned off the car. It was the lake house. "Come on." Damon opened my door and rushed me from the car and into the house.
"Serena, are you alright?" My sister rushed to my side and looked me over as I shook my head at her question.
"Elena, you have to stop him. Please, don't let Damon hurt Elijah." I was practically sobbing at this point. Elena glanced away from me and at the vampire standing in the doorway.
"We have a bit of a problem." Damon explained. "Serena went down the same time Alaric stabbed Elijah with the dagger."
"What? How?" Stefan asked from behind Elena. My sister frowned and I shook my head at them.
"Please, just don't do this. Let me talk to him." I pleaded. But when I looked into my sister's eyes, I could see the resolve behind her gaze. She had already made her decision.
"How do we do this without Serena being hurt?" Elena looked over my shoulder to where Damon stood. I could feel my heart fall through my entire body.
"There might be one way." Damon spoke up. "Invite me in."
I shook my head at Elena, but she ignored me. "Come in, Damon." I could feel my body sag as Damon took Elena's place. He held me up and looked into his eyes.
"No matter the price." He muttered. "I'm sorry little sister." He reached up and grasped the chain around my neck and with a single yank, the vervain filled necklace was snapped off. "I'm not going to let him take you, or hurt your sister."
Dred filled my entire body as my eyes went wide. "No, don't do this Damon. Please." But I knew he was done listening to my pleas. He thought he was doing this to protect me, but in reality, my reality, this was worse than death. "Elena, Stefan, please. Just listen to me." I looked at the two of them, but they only looked away in shame, both understanding what was about to happen.
Damon gently took hold of my face between his hands as sobs climbed their way through my throat and he pulled my gaze to his. "You're going to forget about Elijah." His voice echoed within my skull and I could feel my mind trying to fight back against the compulsion. I reached up and weakly clawed at his hands. "You're going to forget about Klaus and the curse." My body started to relax as Damon spoke and the fighting within my mind ceased. "You're going to forget it all."
"I'm going to forget it all." I repeated after him. I was going to forget it all.
A/N: Thank you so much for reading. This chapter has a a lot going on in it and honestly there was just so much heart break for Serena. Betrayal is never easy and the next few chapters are only going to get harder for her.
Please feel free to leave a review and thank you to everyone who has followed!
Stay safe everyone.