PART NINE; CHAPTER TWO: THE END OF THE BEGINNING
JAMES POV
MY MIND went into a deep, dark sleep last night. It was almost as if my brain was hardwired to only dream dark thoughts, nothing but nightmares clouding my dreams. No matter how hard I tried to wake however, my mind would not obey. It was if I were trapped within myself, no escape in sight. It's not until the early hours of the morning that I open my eyes, as a loud pounding upon the front door scares me awake.
The clock beside me only reads five in the morning, far too early for anybody to be awake. Both curious and concerned, I spring out of bed and run down the stairs, careful not to wake anyone as I open the front door. Before me stands none other than Elijah, his face estranged and his hands bloodied.
"Elijah? What-" I stare at him in disbelief, my heart starting to race.
"James, it's Blair," he blurts out, his eyes wide and distant, like his thoughts are somewhere else.
"What do you mean? She's upstairs-"
"No," he cuts me off, shaking his head. "She's-"
Before he can finish I sprint up the stairs with vampire speed, opening the door to Blair's bedroom only to realize with horror that her bed is empty, her window wide open. She must have snuck out at night. I was supposed to watch out for her, protect her but she managed to sneak out while I was consumed by night terrors.
With a lump forming in my throat I sprint downstairs back to Elijah, demanding answers. "Where is she?" I say frantically, my fingers shaking.
"She's out in the woods- I-I didn't bring her back I-I didn't want her family to see the body," he stammers, running his bloodied hand through his hair.
Body
"What do you mean body?" I question faintly, suddenly finding it hard to breathe. "Where is she Elijah?" I press, my hands squeezing his shoulders.
"She's out in the woods by the creek-," he says, but I push past him and run before he can say anything more. "James, I-I'm s-sorry!" He cries in a panic while I sprint away, zooming through the forest.
I don't exactly know where I'm going, but I don't stop running. Everything around me seems to be collapsing, like my whole world is falling apart. I thought I had surrounded myself with a wall of bricks, but instead it appears it's been walls of hay this entire time, and now they have come tumbling town. Elijah was right. Loving Blair was dangerous, put her in harms way and offered easy leverage for Klaus. Elijah doesn't even have to tell me what happened and who did what for I already know who did this to Blair. It's rather obvious.
I come to an abrupt stop in the middle of the forest, my feet standing in the middle of a shallow stream. There's a faint whiff of blood floating through the air causing me to freeze in step. I swear my heart stays frozen, not beating as I turn around, my eyes landing on a deathly still Blair leaning against a tree.
"No," I whisper, running towards her.
I fall to the ground beside her, holding her head in my hand as I cradle her body against my chest. Her eyes are closed and her heart is still, her skin feeling cold even to me.
There's a blood stain on her royal blue dress, right near her heart. She was murdered in the dead of night, her life taken away from her so innocently. I should have been there. She needed me and I was not there. I have failed her, and I know that there will be a deep aching hole in my chest for as long as I live. Returning to Mystic Falls was supposed to save me, but now it has only torn me apart. I've gotten over grief in past years, but I know this one is different. This is a death that will haunt me for centuries.
"Blair, I'm so sorry," I whisper shakily, resting my chin on her head while wrapping my arms around her still body, pulling her close. "I'm so, so sorry," I repeat again and again, feeling hot, salty tears spill down my cheeks.
For the first time in centuries, I cry. My heart beats faster as more tears fall, my body not use to this feeling as if crying is a foreign action. I never thought the day would come where I would cry so hard for someone. I don't think I even cried this hard when my mother died.
"James," Elijah speaks from behind me, watching me break down.
"Who did this?" I demand while still holding Blair to my chest. "Tell me," I snap suddenly, turning my head to stare at him through my glassy vision, blurred by tears.
"It was Katherine," he says bluntly, not meeting my eye.
"James, there's something you should know." Elijah clears his throat. "She fed Blair her blood, but I got here too late to stop it. I-I'm so sorry."
It takes a moment for his words to register in my brain. I stop crying, wiping my eyes dry with my sleeve as I organize my thoughts. Although I know it's selfish, I can't help but feel relieved that I'll be seeing Blair's icy blue eyes again, hear her voice. At the same time I feel incredibly guilty, like I've taken away her choice. I know she doesn't want to be a vampire, and I never wanted this for her. I know that when it comes down to it, she'll have to choose and there's nothing I'll be able to do about it.
I realize this must be what Klaus was thinking when he turned me and Lexi. He let his selfish desires rule him to force us to turn, wanting to keep us as his friends forever. Although in this case, I will give Blair a choice if she wants to be a vampire. I will absolutely not force anything upon her, as this was her life, and she should have a say in how it ends.
"James-,"
"Thank you for alerting me Elijah, but I just need some time alone," I cut him off rather harshly, not meeting his eye.
"Klaus, he's in town," Elijah says, warning me.
"I know," I comment. I figured Klaus would be in town, as chaos and pain usually erupt wherever he appears. I can't help but think he had something to do with this. Maybe he compelled Katherine to do this. Maybe Elijah is lying and Klaus really did do this to Blair. All I know is that I want to be alone with Blair. I want my face to be the first one she sees when she wakes.
"Now please, go." I finally turn to look at Elijah, pleading with him.
He only stares at me for a long few seconds, his own eyes sparking with tears and shock. He quickly sends me a nod and turns around before sprinting away.
∆ ∆ ∆
I closed my eyes, only hoping to rest them for a moment only to wake up an hour or so later, jolting myself awake to the sound of a faint heart beat.
I lean against the tree with Blair in my arms, her head rested on my lap. I stare down at her in anticipation as her heartbeat begins to grow more distinct, becoming louder each passing second until suddenly her eyes burst open.
She springs up, gasping for breath. I know exactly how she's feeling as I experienced it myself more than eight hundred years ago. I know right now she feels as if she's taking a breath for the first time, like she's just been born again.
"Blair?" I call out to her, directing her attention to me. "Blair it's okay, calm down." I rub my hand up and down her back, trying to calm her. Her whole body is shaking, her eyes wide and her skin glistering with sweat.
She turns to me with frantic eyes, breathing heavily like she's on the verge of a panic attack. "You're okay," I assure her, sugar coating it. "It's okay." I keep rubbing her back, holding her hand while she gradually calms down.
"James," she suddenly turns to me, fear laced within her voice. "I-I died. I was killed, my heart-." She glances down at her chest, running a finger along the her blood stained skin which has now healed.
"I know," I gulp. "Do you know what this means?" I ask softly.
Her eyes water as she thinks, slowly nodding. "I'm a vampire," she croaks.
"Not quite yet love." I place my hands on top of hers, preparing to give her the choice. "You are in the middle of life and death right now. Technically you are dead, but you still have a choice. You have twenty-four hours to either agree to become a vampire and drink blood, or do absolute nothing and die permanently," I tell her, staring intently at her all the while I speak.
She only purses her lips, pondering for a minute before quickly nodding. "James," she croaks, her voice barely a whisper.
"Yes love?"
"I don't want to die." She starts breaking down, tears falling down her face like a waterfall. "I don't want to be a vampire."
"I know." I wrap my arms around her, embracing her in a hug. "I know, but that's why I'm giving you a choice. I never had one, as I didn't know what I was doing. You know your options, and what you choose is completely up to you," I assure her. "I'll support and guide you through whatever choice you make."
She glances over at me with a smile, but I know it's fake. I know she's conjured up ever piece of courage within her to put on a smile just for my sake, wanting to convince me that she's okay. I know that at this moment, she is anything but okay right now.
"This was not your fault James," she speaks quietly, staring off into the distance. I look at her, surprised by her words. "I followed Katherine into the night-."
"Shhh. What's done is done," I say, not letting her finish. I don't want to hear what Katherine did. I am already infuriated enough.
I wrap an arm around her shoulders, the two of us sitting in silence while we watch the sun rise in the sky.
∆ ∆ ∆
For the two hours we sat there, everything seemed to be okay. We just laid there, letting the morning sun shine on our faces while making small talk, not really getting into deep conversation. I could tell the sun was starting to irritate Blair, but she refused to find shelter every time I asked. She spent a good while thinking about her choice, and I spent a good while building up anxiety of what she was going to choose. She was taking this seriously, as she should considering this was probably the biggest choice of her life.
"James," she suddenly says after we've sat in silence for so long.
"Yes." I turn my head to face her.
"I think I've made my choice," she declares, still staring up at the trees.
At this I sit up, pulling her along with me. "Okay. What would you like to choose?" I question gently, mentally preparing myself for the answer.
She takes in a deep breath, turning so her eyes are glued to mine. "Although technically I'm already dead, I'm not ready to leave this world yet. There's so much for me to still see and do, and I want to do it all with you James. I'm not ready to leave you yet, and I don't want to see my life come to an end when there is still a chance that I can make the best out of it. Although I will never age or grow or have children, these are the cards I have been dealt, and this is what I choose. I feel as if to refuse blood would to let Katherine and Klaus win, and I can't have that. This time I will be stronger, so I choose to be a vampire," she says confidently, not a single speckle of doubt in her voice.
"A-are you sure?" I ask just in case, slightly surprised by her choice.
"Yes." She smiles, leaning forwards and kissing me rather firmly, her hand on the back of my head as she pulls me closer. I can't seem to comprehend how she's being so calm in a time like this. After everything she's been through, she seems completely okay- but then again, that's just on the outside.
"Okay." I smile against her lips, my eyes still closed as we stay sitting, our faces only an inch apart. "That means we need to head back into town, get you some blood and a daylight ring. Are you okay to walk?" I lean back, studying her.
"I'm dead, not paralyzed you fool," she teases, pecking a kiss onto my lips as she stands.
She holds out a hand, assisting in pulling me to my feet. "Somebody's a little overly positive today." I smile, taking her hand as we walk through the forest, back into town.
"What can I say? I woke up a brand new person today." She laughs to herself, only causing me to laugh with her. Although today is probably one of the worst days of my life, I can't help but feel thankful that I'll be able to spend it with Blair, and knowing that she'll be here tomorrow and the next for as long as we live helps a lot too.
∆ ∆ ∆
We find our way back into town in the late afternoon, Blair desperately needing some human blood if she's going to live to see another day. Together we stumble up to the apartment Elijah has compelled his place at, and walk right in.
To my surprise, it's empty with no trace of Elijah in sight. This gives reason to believe he's abandoned town. This only causes me to become anxious, assuming the worst. If Elijah fled, that means Klaus is becoming a more imminent threat.
"Here, have a seat." I wave Blair over, motioning to the dining room chair.
With a bead of sweat on her forehead she gladly sits down, struggling for breath. I scramble over to the ice bucket in the corner, fumbling with the handle as I swing it open. I let out a sigh of relief as there is still a small cup of blood statued at the bottom, the smell radiating to my nose.
I grab it and place the cup in front of Blair, sitting down beside her. I take her pale, trembling hand in mine, trying to find the right words. It's a sick thing to think of, wanting to consume blood. Drinking human blood is a vile, sick thing to do, but to vampires it's our only way of survival. I know it's not going to be easy for Blair to transition into this.
"What is that?" Blair stares at the cup, her voice so flat as if she already knows the answer.
"I know you're not going to like it-"
Before I even finish, she snatches the cup off the table and pours its contents down her throat without even thinking. I only sit there is disbelief as she downs the blood so easily, slapping the cup back on the table once its contents are empty.
"What?" she suddenly asks, as if nothing has happened. "I told you this was what I wanted. I'm not backing down now," she says confidently, her blue eyes wide with an intriguing sense of content.
As I stare at her, a smile creeps onto my lips, my whole body seemingly attracted to every piece of her, like my heart is a magnet drawn to her. I feel an overwhelming amount of pride, all for the girl sitting across the table from me. "I love you." I blurt out instinctively, not even thinking. It feels so natural for the words to just come flowing out of my mouth. I realize I've been meaning to tell her this for a while, but it's just never come out.
"I love you too," she replies. I realize now, that in her I found everything I have been missing.
She leans forwards across the table causing me to do the same. She latches her arm around my neck as her lips brush against mine. We stay like that for only a near second before the door to the apartment goes flying open, Elijah busting in.
"Ah-sorry." He looks away awkwardly as Blair and I back away from one another, goofy grins on our faces. Mine slowly disappears however as I study Elijah, realizing that something is wrong. I can tell by the way he holds his head, the way his eyes barely meet mine.
"Elijah?" I stand up. "What's wrong?"
He lifts his head, licking his lips nervously before speaking. "I've been made old friend. My cover is blown."
"What? How is that possible?" Blair questions.
"It's not hard to guess," Elijah says grimly, Blair and I exchanging glances. Klaus.
"So now what?" I cross my arms across my chest, trying to brainstorm our next steps. All the time previous to this where Elijah and I have been faced with a problem that forced us to leave, we simply packed our bags and vanished. This time was different however, and we both knew that. We had planted our roots too deep into this town, made ourselves at home. Although Elijah may see it as a mistake, I don't regret staying here one bit.
"I need to leave, and I suggest you two leave as well," he says. "Somebody rated me out to the council, and they'll be storming this place by tonight. You two should flee too, as well as Lexi. It won't be long until the council figures out who you are, and once they do they won't hesitate to kill you."
"What about my father? I can't just leave my home," Blair begins to panic, fear laced within her voice.
"Staying in the same house as a vampire hunter right now wouldn't be the brightest move," Elijah warns. "If he hasn't figured out by now who James really is, it won't be long now. There is nothing stopping Katherine from exposing you and Lexi."
"I can't just leave my brothers in that house with that monster. She could kill them!" Blair exclaims.
"Blair, knowing Katherine, if she wanted to kill them she already would have. For now they'll be okay," Elijah says.
"Elijah is right." I turn to Blair, gently grasping her by her shoulders so she's forced to look me in the eye. I know that is the only way to get her to listen to me being as stubborn and strong as she is. "For now your brothers will be okay, but if we stay here any longer we won't be. We need to worry about ourselves, okay?" I try to reason with her.
She bites her lip before slowly nodding, agreeing to the plan. "Okay," I sigh in relief. "We need to go find Lexi."
"I just came back here to collect my things," Elijah says while tossing random objects into his pockets. While we spent centuries on the run, we learned to always pack lightly in case an urgent escape was needed.
"You weren't going to say goodbye?" I raise a brow. If Blair and I hadn't come here, we never would have seen Elijah once more.
"I have no doubt that we'll cross one another's paths in the future." Elijah only smiles, holding out his hand.
I stare at his outstretched hand, feeling as if we're estranged. This was never how we parted ways, and I won't let us part like this now. I step forwards and take his hand while wrapping another one around his back, embracing him in a hug.
I clap his back before releasing him, giving him a brotherly nod. It feels odd to think that there was a time I considered Klaus more of a brother to me than Elijah, but now the tables have turned. Elijah has become such a friend to me, I find that we act more like brothers, even adapted each other's qualities- good and bad.
"Oh, before I forget," Elijah suddenly says, rummaging through his pant pocket. "I was told to give this to you." He pulls out a silver ring with a ruby red crystal lining the middle. He hands it to Blair, dropping it in her palm.
"What is this?" She narrows her eyes, her mouth agape. "This was my mothers..." she trails off, staring at it with awe. "Where did you-"
"Your friend Emily Bennett gave it to me, told me to tell you that your days in the sun are not over," he explains. "I guess it's a daylight ring."
"You didn't tell me you were friends with a witch." I say, nudging Blair in the arm gently. "Hell, I didn't know you had any friends," I tease, amusing myself with her reaction.
"Hey!" She slaps my arm. "I had friends. Emily was just the only one that stuck by my side. She told me not to tell anyone that she was a witch," Blair explains. Maybe the reason why Blair wasn't so phased by me being a vampire was because she already knew about witches.
Blair slides the ring on her finger, smiling at it with a big goofy grin. "I'll have to thank her." She beams, walking towards the door as we prepare to leave.
"I'll meet you downstairs." I nod to Blair, allowing her to go first while Elijah holds me back. Blair nods and walks down the stairs. Once I no longer hear her footsteps, Elijah turns to me.
"James, I'm sorry to have to do this but I have to. I am going to compel Blair after this, but I have to compel you too just for reassurance," he rambles, his palms sweaty.
"Elijah, what are you talking-"
"It was Katherine that turned Blair, not me or Klaus, but Katherine." He stares into my eyes, compelling me. "She led Blair out into the woods and slit her throat. That's all that happened," he says before releasing me.
I blink rapidly as if I've been day dreaming, only to stare out in front of me and realize Elijah is gone. The window is wide open unlike a minute before, the wind now blowing freely into the room. Just like that Elijah has vanished, and time will only tell when we will see one another again.
It seems as if Elijah and I have completely let go of the revenge scheme which was the main reason we even came to Mystic Falls. If Katherine wants the moonstone, than I shall let her have it. At this point that bloody stone doesn't mean a damn thing to me anymore. I have more important things to worry about.
∆ ∆ ∆
I took Elijah's advice and gathered everything that was important to me and fled from the heart of Mystic Falls. It was clear the council was advancing in its search for vampires, having heard rumours some of the Originals were in town. I am convinced it was Katherine who spilled the secret, wanting to protect herself. Maybe she just wanted us out of Mystic Falls, using our identity to force us out. If that was the case, so far she was succeeding.
We found ourselves a small wooden shack in the middle of the woods, one of the out posts Giuseppe uses to camp out in while on his 'hunting' trips. It's old and torn apart, with the wood rotting and holes poking through the ceiling. It's most likely abandoned, but for now it offers the perfect shelter for the three of us while we sort things out.
We've been hiding out in the woods for a good week now, listening about and gathering information as to where and when the council plans to make an attack. The only thing keeping us from running away along the coast was Blair, as she refused to leave her brothers behind. She feared that Katherine was about to make a move on them, put their lives in danger and because of that I respected her choice and vowed to stay until we were assured they were okay.
So far Blair seems to be adapting well to the life of a vampire. Not very many things phase her, as she doesn't seem disgusted or afraid of herself. Lexi and I have been trying to teach her everything we know, and everything we wish we had known when we first turned. I've informed her about compulsion and the healing our blood can cause upon humans, but with us being stuck out in the middle of a forest she hasn't really had much experience nor practice. For now she seems to have complete control over her blood lust, but that's only because she hasn't been around a large population of humans. I fear that when the time comes, she'll explode like a cannon.
"It's getting bad in town," Lexi says, running a hand through her hair after having come back from a trip into town. We've been taking turns spying on the civilians, eavesdropping their every conversation; that happened to be Blair's favourite vampire perk that I taught her. "They're rounding up all the known and captured vampires tonight."
"Tonight?" I turn to her, my attention sparked.
If the council plans to kill all the vampires tonight, than that means all hell is about to break loose. It's going to be chaos and panic flooding the streets, and I'm willing to bet Katherine has arranged some sort of plan to secure her safety. I can only hope that she's chosen to leave the Salvatore brothers out of it for Blair's sake.
Looking over at Blair now, I can tell that's all she's thinking about. I can see the little wheels spinning inside her stubborn head.
"We need to go and warn my brothers, get them away from Katherine." Blair looks frantically between Lexi and I, hoping for some confirmation. "I don't trust her around them, and with this vampire round up going on, it offers a perfect distraction for her to easily pull off something," she explains, crossing her arms across her chest.
Lexi shakes her head, clearly growing frustrated. "Blair, I know this is hard for you but we don't have a choice. The council has started a war, and this is not our fight to fight," she tries to reason.
"It is my fight when it's my brothers lives at stake," Blair fires back, causing me to intervene. Knowing both Blair and Lexi, I know this is an argument that could go on for days. Both of them have a different kind of fire to them, and when mixed they will only explode.
"Hey," I whisper gently, standing in front of Blair, separating her from Lexi's field of view. "Do you trust me?" I ask.
She only shifts on her feet, her head down as she stares at the ground.
"My eyes are up here love." I tease lightly, tipping her chin ever so gently so her icy blue eyes meet mine.
I stare at her like I'm looking at a painting. I imagine all the drawings and paintings she's ever done, and I realize nothing compares to the masterpiece standing in front of me. I analyze every piece of her, but like all paintings there is more than just meets the surface. This painting has a story, a personality and a life. I've gotten to know this painting so well, I feel as if I've incorporated myself into this piece of art along with her.
"Do you trust me?" I ask again, my brows raised in question.
She takes in a deep breath before slowly exhaling, licking her lips. "Yes," she says.
"Okay." I nod. "Then trust that I will do everything in my power to keep both you and your brothers alive. Do you think you can do that?"
"How are you going to do that-"
"Do you think you can do that?" I ask once more, refusing to give in to her stubbornness.
"Yes," she finally sighs, giving in.
"Good." I smile, leading her back into the tiny shack to prepare for bed. God knows what we really need right now is sleep.
I know Blair expects that we go save her brothers, bring them out here with us but what she doesn't realize is that bringing them out here would cause more harm than good. If we were to bring them out here, that would only cause more suspicion, and pose a risk of us being followed. If we get captured by the council then we're all screwed.
I know Katherine well enough to know that if she truly wanted those Salvatore brothers dead, she would have them killed already. She's holding onto them, maybe even feeling some real human feelings and that right now is the only thing protecting them. Although I won't tell Blair, the safest place Stefan and Damon can be is by Katherine's side.
With this vampire genocide about to go down, Katherine is no doubt hiding, and that means she's probably brought the brothers along. If they stay low and remain hidden for the night, all should be well for the morning.
At least that's what I hope.
_________________________________
[complete & edited: 08/22/17]