Always and Forever: a new life.

My sweet Rose.

A heavy silence hung between Elijah and Hope as they drove through the dark and winding streets of Mystic Falls. The only sound between them was the soft hum of the engine and the occasional flicker of streetlights passing by in a blur. Elijah’s grip on the steering wheel, his jaw set in a firm line as he navigated the darkened streets with a steely resolve that Hope found incredibly characteristic of him. Beside him, Hope herself  sat with her arms crossed tightly over her chest, her cerulean blue eyes fixed resolutely on the road ahead.

Minutes stretched into eternity as they drove in silence, each lost in their own thoughts and the weight of unspoken things hanging between them like a suffocating fog. Elijah couldn’t help but wonder who this girl was? Why was she in Mystic Falls? A paranoid part of him believed she was working with his brother, he needed to figure out her motives since the deal with Elena did not allow him to kill anyone here, not that he wanted to, but he had a purpose for being in Mystic Falls and he couldn’t fail in achieving it.

Hope sat silently he mind couldn’t help but wander back to the last time Elijah and Hope drove around mystic falls as her uncle tried to teach her better driving skills. She was still horrendous by the way, she couldn’t help it, but it made her feel nostalgic in a way that also made her heart break.

“Turn left here,” And then, finally, Hope broke the silence. Her voice cutting through the tension like a knife as she pointed towards a dimly lit road.

Elijah complied without a word, glancing at her, “You seem to know your way around town quite well,” he observed pointedly, his gaze piercing as he locked eyes with Hope. “And yet, you remain elusive about your true purpose here.” Hope’s smiled slightly, a fleeting shadow passing over her features before she quickly masked it with a cool indifference. “I have my reasons,” she replied evasively, her voice tinged with a hint of defensiveness.

“Let’s just say I’m here to solve my own riddle.”  “What might that be?” “That’s for me to know, sorry Elijah but I’m not going to answer that question.” “Very well,” he let it be for now. Elijah couldn't help but think, she seemed familiar, not as if he recognised her, but a sense of familiarity pulsed out of her, he couldn't pin point why...

“Were here.”  Declared Hope. Getting out of the car they continued on their journey on foot, the silence between them grew thicker, each passing moment fraught with the unspoken tension that hung between them like a shroud. And yet, for all the words left unsaid, there was an undeniable sense of purpose driving them forward, a shared goal that bound them together in spite of the chasm of silence that lay between them.

Beneath the watchful gaze of the full moon, the forest stretched out like a labyrinth of large branches and twisted shadows. The air was thick with the heady scent of earth and decay. As Hope and Elijah ventured deeper into the heart of the forest, eventually they reached their destination. The ruins of Fell church that burned in the 1860s.

“Do you know what you have to do?” “she glanced back at Elijah “I’m offended you have to ask.”  Stretching in exercise, she walked near the centre of the ruins extending her arms she spoke , closing her eyes “Dēmittite obstāculum, iterum passageum permīttite.” A sudden rush of air nearly knocked Elijah off his feet, unexpectedly. Hope brushed her hair with her fingers, messily “Its done.” He looked at her “That’s it?” “That’s it.”

Walking past him she decided it was time to take her leave “Wait. I’ll drop you off.” He spoke, a hint of kindness to his words.
Surprised, she nodded slowly “Are you going to be okay here for a minute?” “Yeah, I’m alright.” “Wait for me, I’ll be back.” With that he disappeared down beneath the ruins, to see Stefan and Kathrine.

The drive back home was uneventful and silent, only this time it felt less cold. Hope picked up her jacket from the car seat shutting its door behind her. “Thank you..” she spoke softly in the night. “You’re quite welcome, Hope” she turned to leave but before, something occurred to her