'Everything seemed to come back to that damned necklace.' You thought as you and Ric were looking at the photos of the image on the wall in that cave. Elena and Damon were sparing as you and Ric explained what you knew about them. "These images tell a story....to learn the story, you have to decipher these images." Ric explains while Damon disarms Elena, who was trying to stake him. "Sloppy." He said as she grabbed the stake back. "Shut up! I'm new at this." She grumbled. "'Ghost of Christmas Past' Mason Lockwood set up the cave and led us to a weapon that can kill Klaus." You weren't sure why your heart lurched when Damon said that but you tried to ignore it for now.
"Yeah, but doesn't Mikael have a weapon?" Elena raise an eyebrow. "Yes. Which probably means the wall will lead us to Mikael, who we have already found...and lost." Damon easily beat Elena again. "Bang! You're dead!" He said as he pretended to bite her neck before she shoved him off to walk to the table where you and Alaric are staring at the pictures. "These images at the very least might tell us what that weapon is." Alaric said obviously hopeful. "Then all we have to do is find out what they mean." Elena said equally as hopeful. "Fine! Fine! If I am being irritatingly optimistic like you two...how do you suppose we do that?" Damon asked slightly throwing his hands up. "Do you really think it's supposed to lead us to a weapon? I mean I feel like if that were the case Klaus would've had it destroyed already." You said unsure, but you got ignored as Elena responded to Damon's question. "Well, if the story is about the Original Family living here, then we go straight to the source!"
While Elena went to school to rile up Rebekah you had a different task in mind when you walked up to Rebekah after Elena left. "No offense, Y/N, dear but not even you could talk me into dealing with Elena." Rebekah said kindly but making her point. "I actually wasn't. I came to ask if your brother has talked to you lately?" You said looking at her. "Ah, right. You need help translating a grimoire that my brother gave you. Well, I'll tell you what, I'll help you tonight but first I think I will tell your little friend about my father." She said her mind obviously still reeling from Elena threatening to wake Mikael. "Of course. Do you want me to be there? You know for support?" You ask sincerely. She stayed quiet for a few minutes before looking at you with pleading eyes, "Yes." You nodded and both went back home.
Rebekah compelled some girls to do a runway for her with homecoming dresses. She promised you she wouldn't harm any of them but may use them as an empty threat to Elena. You didn't love the idea but she promised she wouldn't actually harm them so you agreed. Elena came in and Rebekah greeted her warmly to your surprise. They came into the living room as Elena was carefully watching Rebekah. "All right girls, have at it!" As the compelled girls walked in. "Okay, now twirl please." She asked and of course the did just that. "You compelled your own private runway show?" Elena asked obviously a little disgusted. "I need a Homecoming dress. So, what do you think? Pick one." Rebekah replied with a shrug. "I'm not here to help you shop. I'm here to talk about why you don't want me to wake up Mikael." Elena scoffed rolling her eye before Rebekah rushed to one of the girls, grabbing her and has her fangs out ready to bite. "I said "pick one", Elena." Rebekah said still ready to bite. "The...red one." Elena sputtered. "There. It wasn't so hard, was it?" Rebekah then turned to the girls to send them away. Rebekah grabs her champagne and then walks to Elena. "You do not threaten me. You'll learn what I allow you to learn. Is that clear?" Elena nods before Rebekah walks past her. "How are you even friends with her?" Elena asks you incredulously. "She asks the same about me with you, and in all honesty she's kinder than she seems, just a little broken is all. I mean we all are a little broken." You say shrugging before both of you go to follow Rebekah.
You find that she made her way to Stefan's room. "How fun is this?" She asks as she starts snooping. "We shouldn't be here..." Elena mumbles embarrassed. "'Course we should! Come on, like you've never wanted to snoop." She says before holding up some of your brother's underwear, "Boxer briefs. A lot has changed since the twenties." She says mostly to herself. "Are you gonna root through his stuff all night or are you gonna start to tell me your story?" Elena says rolling her eyes. "I think I may have to agree here Bex. I didn't really need to know my brother's boxer preference." You say wrinkling your nose. "Ah...you both are no fun. What do you want to know?" She says while Elena finally walks into the room. "Well, Elijah said that your father was a landowner in Europe. How did you guys end up here?" Elena asks, Rebekah still was snooping but began to tell the story of her family. She talks about the morning that Klaus carried his little brother's body back after he had been attacked by the wolves they snuck out to see. You could feel your heart break for Klaus, for his siblings, and for his mother.
Suddenly Elena's phone starts ringing. "You better get that. That'll be Damon checking up on you." Rebekah says and you can tell she's trying to wrangle her emotions, so you walk over and start gently rubbing her shoulder. She pats your hand in thanks before returning to snooping. "Hello?" Elena answers the phone. You can faintly hear your brother on the other end and some music. "Damon, where are you?" Elena asks but you start to tune out the conversation until you hear Elena say, "Is that Stefan?..... Damon, how could you let him out?" You roll your eyes because of course Damon didn't follow the plan that was set up. "I got this, Elena." You hear Damon say before the line goes dead. Elena shakes her head and puts her phone back in her pocket. She walks over to Rebekah who's on the bed reading one of Stefan's diaries. They begin talking but you suddenly notice something that was in your room 150 years ago. It's just a small dried out collection of flowers, but they were yours. Your memory of when you got them is fuzzy, all you can remember is secretly meeting up with.... Someone, you can't remember their face but you met up and he gave you the small bouquet of wild flowers. You had met up with this man quiet a few times from your fuzzy memories, but you had fallen for him at the time. A small smile found its way to your lips before you turned around to the other girls. Rebekah is explaining that her mother begged the witch Ayana to help her and Mikael protect their children before the next full moon and Ayana refused. Rebekah stops abruptly under the guise that's she's thirsty and heads to the library. "So, vampirism was a form of protection?" Elena asks. "What else would it be?" Rebekah asks but you know she already knows. "A curse?" Elena says like it's obvious. "My parents only saw a way of keeping their children alive." Rebekah explains. "Yeah, but why stay, if they were so afraid of the werewolves? Why not...leave?" You nod as Elena says this, also wondering. "Pride...My father didn't want to run anymore. He wanted to fight and be superior to the wolves. Where they could bite, we had to bite harder. Where they had speed, we had to be faster. Agility, strength, senses..." Rebekah says explaining when her father told her mother if Ayana wouldn't do the spell then it was all on her. "In her hands?How could she do anything?" Elena asked as it hit you. "Because Ester is a witch. The original witch." You say more in a gasp of surprise.
"Where do they keep their best vintage?" Rebekah asks searching the shelves, you point directing her. "But if your mother was a witch, then..." Elena trails off. "Am I? No, a witch is nature's servant; a vampire is an abomination of nature. You can either be one or the other, never both. It's not like Y/N, she was born a wolf naturally so she can be nature's servant still. My mother did this for us. She did not turn." Rebekah explains. "How did you turn?" Elena asks while you stay quiet. "She called upon the sun for life, and the ancient white oak tree, one of nature's eternal objects, for immortality. That night, my father offered us wine laced with blood. And then he drove his sword through our hearts." There's little emotion when Rebekah says this but from the little there is you can tell this was a struggle for her to tell. "Bekah." You say softly touching her arm. "He killed you?" Elena whispers in shock. "And he wasn't delicate about it either." Rebekah says as she takes a bottle of wine and breaks the neck off before throwing the broken bottle neck into the fireplace. Rebekah tells the story of when her and Nik woke up and her father forced her to drink a girls blood while Nik tried to protect her but Mikael shoved him away. "It was euphoric! The feeling of power was indescribable...but the witch Ayana was right about the consequences. The spirits turned on us, and nature fought back... For every strength there would be a weakness... The sun became our enemy. It kept us indoors for weeks... And though my mother found a solution, there were other problems... Neighbors who had opened their homes to us could now keep us out. Flowers at the base of the white oak burned, and prevented compulsion. And the spell decreed that the tree that gave us life could also take it away...so we burned it to the ground. But the darkest consequence was something my parents never anticipated... The hunger. Blood...had made us reborn and it was blood that we craved above all else. We could not control it... And with that, the predatory species was born..."
When Rebekah had finished you and Elena were stunned into silence for a bit. "Why did Mikael start hunting Klaus?" Elena finally asks but you could already tell the answer. "Because Mikael was too prideful. And now he was a vampire who found out his wife had an affair with one of the men apart of the group who had killed his other son." You say as Rebekah nods. "When Nik made his first human kill, it triggered his werewolf gene. With that, he became my father's greatest shame. My mother tried to make it right. She put the hybrid curse on Nik to suppress his werewolf side, and then she turned her back on him. But Mikael's greatest weakness as a human was his pride. As a vampire, that was magnified. He went on a rampage and killed half the village. Then he came home and killed her." Rebekah voice shook at the end. "Mikael killed your mother?" Elena said horrified. "He said she broke his heart so he would break hers. He tore it from her chest as Nik watched." Rebekah said and your heart broke for all of them; Rebekah, Nik, Elijah. Rebekah finishes the story by telling you both how Klaus had helped bury their mom. "Always and forever...even though he locked you in a coffin for ninety years?" Elena says and now you're starting to get upset, Rebekah had just poured her heart out and Elena is still pushing. "We're vampires. Our emotions are heightened. I'm stubborn, Elijah moral, and Nik...Nik has no tolerance for those who disappoint him. Over a thousand years as a family we've all made that mistake at least once. I've made it several times." Rebekah says almost sad. "But you still love him?" Elena asks like it's not obvious as to why. "He's my brother. And I'm immortal. Should I spend an eternity alone instead? You've heard the story, it's time to go. I said leave, Elena! I don't know what you're up to, but I'm no longer playing along." Rebekah says now also upset. "I'm just looking for one good reason why we shouldn't wake Mikael." Elena just doesn't know when to let it rest. "And I've given you a thousand! But you will anyway. I know you want him to help you kill my brother, I'm not stupid." Rebekah says yelling at her. "It's no secret that I want Klaus dead. He has a hold over Stefan's life, and over mine." Elena says and now you're ready for her to leave because now she's just taunting Rebekah. "Do what you need. Wake Mikael at your own peril. But make no mistake, if you come after my brother, I will rip you apart. And I get my temper from my father. Now leave!" Rebekah threatens as you nod to Elena telling her that it is time for her to go.
After Elena leaves you pull Rebekah to the couch and hug her. You both sit there like that for a while as Rebekah silently cries. "I'm sorry. I promised you I'd take a look at that grimoire." Rebekah says starting to stand, you pull her back to the couch. "Another time. Don't worry about it tonight." You say shaking your head. "Are you sure?" She asks sincerely, you nod. You both sit for a while before you start to yawn. "You can head up to bed sleepyhead. I'll probably be down here having a few more drinks." Rebekah says playfully. "Are you sure?" You ask concerned. "Absolutely! Now off to bed with you." Rebekah says shooing you away as you both smile. You trudge up the stairs to your bed, as you lay down your phone starts ringing. You answer it expecting Elena or your brother to wonder why you were protecting Rebekah. "Hello." You say sleepily. "Hello, love." You hear Klaus say. "Long day?" He asks, "Very. I got to hear the story of how you were turned. I'm sorry." You say and the line is quiet for so long you think the call dropped. "What are you sorry for, love?" You can almost hear his sad smile. "For Henrik, for the father figure in your life being such a dick." You say. "Then I'm sorry for your's also being such a dick." He says lightly laughing. "Did Rebekah translate the grimoire for you?" He asks softly. "No, she's had a rough day having told the story. Elena was pushing her to 'find a reason to not wake Mikael.' So I didn't want her to worry." You explain. "They're still on about this waking Mikael thing are they?" He asks and god save you, you told him. "Nik.... they already did. Please be careful. I know you're always two steps ahead but- please, I don't think they even know where he is right now." You're so worried but you also realize you blew the plan, but something told you working with Mikael would doom all of you. "Of course they did. Don't worry, love, I'll make some back up plans." He says growling slightly. "Nik?" You said his name before you could stop yourself. "Yes?" His voice was soft and careful. "Mikael didn't kill your mother did he?" You ask but you knew the answer. No response. "You did, for her turning her back on you and with you being freshly turned, you snapped didn't you?" Still no response. "I think... I think you should tell Rebekah when you get the chance. Explain to her." More silence. You were about to hang up when. "What if she won't forgive me?" He asks softly. "She will, it will take time. And open your heart to her when you do. Explain why you lied." You tell him. "Why did I lie?" He asked softly. "No one wants to be alone Nik. It's hard enough when your mother abandons you. Goodnight, Nik." You say softly. "Goodnight, Little Salvatore."
~~~~~2775 words~~~~~