Some say that death is the end, that nothing exists for the person that dies after they're laid to rest in a wooden coffin wearing their Sunday best. On the other hand, some claim death is merely a stepping stone onto the path of existence, eternal life in a safe haven following the death on Earth. Talia knew better, though.
After death, some continue to exist on Earth and others are existing on the Other Side, mainly those supernatural beings who lost the time they had left on the mortal plane. As for humans, that remained in the air.
To Talia, everyone that passed deserved a funeral, whether it belonged to someone wonderful, someone horrible, or someone who had vampire blood in their system and gets another shot at living.
Rose didn't get one, though, and that angered the Empath. Everyone was preoccupied with trying to save Elena from the big bad Klaus that Rose's passing nearly flew over everyone's heads.
Talia had worked behind the bar the previous night and didn't want anyone to notice something was off, even going as far as to buy good coverage concealer to hide the fact that her eyes were bagged and puffy. Luckily, she didn't have to work the next day, so she laid in bed and sulked for a while.
Then her phone rang and she answered it, asking, "Who is this?"
"It's Elijah," the man on the other end responded, his accent ringing clear as day.
"Why the hell does everyone have my phone number?" she murmured, laying back down in bed. "Better yet, why are you calling me?"
"I heard that Rose-Marie passed away. I'm sorry for your loss."
"I didn't know her that well," she mumbled in response.
"You cared for her. As an Empath, you feel emotions on an entirely different level, even more than that of a newborn vampire."
"Fun." She bit her lip. "I get I'm important and stuff, but why do you check up on me? I don't understand. I'm no doppelganger."
"You are very overlooked from what I hear. Your powers are stronger than you know. The June incident unlocked the abilities, but you have yet to truly use them."
"I've used them," she defended.
On the other side of the line, the immortal in his everyday suit responded, "But not to their full potential."
"And why does this involve you?"
"I want to help you enhance your abilities."
"How come, suit and tie?"
"Defense. The doppelganger and her friends have vampiric protection and you have me when necessary, but you should create a reliable source of protection."
"Nobody's coming to kill me."
"But people have before, Natalia. I know you better than that. You truly worry about what could happen to those you love after everything that has happened to you."
"You're not my shrink."
"Then please stop being so difficult."
Swallowing her pride, she sat up and asked, "Where are you?"
"I will bring you here instead. I do not exactly trust that you won't disclose my resting location to your friends that are not my biggest fans."
"They're my sister's friends if anything. So when do you plan to pick me up?"
"Is now okay?"
"It's not ideal-"
There was a knock on the door. "I am already here."
She hung up the phone and shouted, "I'm in my pajamas, suit and tie! If you want me to go anywhere with you, I need to be in socially acceptable clothing and not my cat sweatpants and inappropriate graphic shirt!"
"I'll give you time to prepare, but might you at least invite me inside?" he responded, careful not to raise his voice too much.
She opened the door and told him, "You were already invited in."
"That does not mean I won't ask to come inside, Natalia. I am not without manners."
"Do as you please and allow me to change," she responded, moving to the bathroom with some socially acceptable clothes bundled up in her arms.
She brushed her hair, brushed her teeth, put on deodorant, then dressed in her clothes, not bothering to wear makeup. She felt the chilly air from the bathroom, so she grabbed a sweater and through it on before returning to Elijah.
"Okay, I'm done," she murmured, wrapping her arms around herself. As the days went on, her apartment just seemed to get colder. Maybe she should've checked with the people in town how good the heating system is in the complex.
"Wonderful," Elijah responded, standing up and speeding to the door, opening it up politely. "After you."
"Okay," she mumbled, exiting her apartment and then waiting for Elijah to escort her to his car, assuming that's how he got there.
He then opened the door to his fancy, expensive sports car and opened the passenger's door for the Empath, speeding over to his side. He hopped in and started the car with a small grin.
"What are you smiling about?" she wondered grumpily. She was tired and bitter about it.
"It's a surprise, Natalia."
"You're not gonna kill me, are you?"
"No."
"Thanks." She cracked a smile. "So, where are you taking me?"
"Be patient. It's not too far."
She tried her best to ease her confusion but instead only ended up worsening it. She nearly made a meal out of her bottom lip when they strayed farther and farther from Mystic Falls, glancing over at her driver every now and then to maybe get a hint of where they were going. After a long car ride, he parked the car on a dirt path road and hopped out.
"We're here," he informed, speeding around the car to open Talia's door. "Follow me."
"That's what I've been doing," she responded, raising an eyebrow as she followed him deeper in the woods. "You're so gonna murder me, aren't you?"
"Your optimism is refreshing," he responded sardonically. "You might be surprised that I am going to do the exact opposite."
"And that is..."
"Help you." He brought her a little deeper in the woods before stopping and then turning to look her in the eyes. "There are a great many things you don't know, Natalia, and a great many threats that are sure to come your way. I want you to survive these."
"How come? I know innocent lives and stuff, but why drag me in the middle of the woods to help me?"
"If you please, you could tell your friends to stop trying to break their word. I am a man of my word and find it utterly disheartening to see that others will not even comply with the smallest promise anymore."
"I agree, pal."
He held her shoulders and looked her in the eyes, telling her, "You are stronger than you think. I want to help train you."
"That sounds fun, I guess." A smile tugged at her lips as she knew he wasn't going to betray her. "How?"
"You already have unlocked the power to feel and manipulate emotions, have you not?"
"I have."
"Anything else?"
"Uh, toned down versions of witchy migraines. I know that much."
He circled around her in a surprisingly non-threatening way, tossing aside his jacket and standing in front of her with his button-down rolled up to his elbows, demanding, "Hit me."
"Uh, no," she said, confused. "I'm no match."
"Doubting yourself is not the thing to do right now. If I was a threatening vampire coming in for the kill, would you tell me that you won't fight me because you'll lose?"
"I mean, probably."
"Then that'll get you killed."
"That's true."
"So hit me with your best shot."
She shrugged and then focused all of her energy on him, only feeling his determination and seeing his eye twitch a little. She wasn't sure what to do, but focused as well as she could.
"Are you doing anything?" he asked.
"I'm trying, man. I don't know how to channel powers and stuff. Focusing isn't my strong suit."
"I'm a threatening vampire coming in for the kill," he said. "I'm dangerous. Scary. I'm a threat to you and your family. I'm a killable vampire, at least in this scenario. You can do it."
She tried again, focusing all of her emotions and energy on cutting him down, but he only seemed mildly bothered.
"A tiny headache does nothing to me. Try again."
"Okay!" She did. Again and again and again with no change. "How?"
"Please try harder. I really do not wish to hurt your feelings."
"How would you do that?"
"I'd have to overload your emotions, Natalia. I would have to rile you up and hit where it hurts."
"You don't have to."
"Do you want to get stronger?"
"Of course."
"Tell me if you want me to overload your emotions."
"I think it might be the only choice," she mumbled. "I'm not gonna like this, am I?"
"Not at all. In fact, you might hate me for it."
"Fine," she responded.
"Attack me." He held out his arms, almost allowing for it to happen.
Once again, she focused all of her energy on him but failed to do anything but cause his eye to twitch a little. When she was ready to give up, she released her power a little.
"Don't give up on me!" he shouted.
So she didn't. She continued to focus her energy on him, seeing both his eyes twitch for a moment.
"Keep going!"
She tried again, a grin gracing her lips when his nose began to bleed. She felt bad about it though.
"I'm a threat, Natalia! I'm a danger to Caroline and Liz! I could kill them in a moment's notice. I'm a big, bad vampire!"
She focused a little more, actually feeling the power draining her energy.
"Take your pain and use it against me. Your mother left when you were little. You're angry she left you. Use it!"
She took a deep breath and pushed more, feeling it working just a little more.
"You lost your father, Natalia. Your best friend!"
She took a deeper breath and pushed more, seeing the man begin to rub his temples and keep his eyes closed. She felt bad, but he wanted her to do this. She had to.
"Mason Lockwood is dead, Natalia. Your friend was killed."
She grit her teeth, her emotions higher than she was used to. She was angrier, but that was Elijah's intent. She had to feel her emotions heighten in order to improve her capabilities.
"I'm a vampire! I'm the same kind as the man who killed June! Who killed your friends back in Texas! I'm the same kind as the man who destroyed you! Take it out on me!"
And that was what did it. Deep down, she knew he did it on purpose. He warned her it would get personal and mean and she went along with it anyway. She had to. Her emotions heightened even more, causing an insatiable rage to overcome her body, begging for more room. As if complying to it, she released it from her body.
Talia didn't know she had screamed at that moment, blood gushing from her nose. She didn't know that tears fell from her eyes and that the energy used crumpled her body to the ground until her vision was surrounded by green.
She felt drained, taking a deep breath to try to regain any stability she had when she noticed she had flung Elijah at a tree with enough momentum to break his neck. He was prepared for it, though, and when he was airborne, cushioned the blow with his arm. His arm healed quickly and after a moment, stood up with a small smile.
"You did it," he praised, sounding a lot more sluggish than he had moments earlier. His button-up was covered with dirt and was a bit tattered, too, so he grabbed his jacket to cover up the imperfections in his outfit.
"Did I hurt you?" she asked, more worried than anything.
"I'm a vampire. I heal."
"Good."
"Did I hurt you?" he asked in return.
"Hey, I agreed to go with it. I'm good. I'm sorry I freaked out on you."
"That's what I meant to do. There is a method to my madness, you know."
"I figured."
"What we need to do is work on getting a reaction like that to become normal. We've got the ball rolling, but you need to practice."
"How?"
"Chat with the Bennett witch about any methods to help her channel the ancestors. While your powers are not linked to theirs, you draw from living people and nature. Some tricks might do good. Practice regularly, too."
"I will," she promised. "Would you help me train again if I asked?"
"If I find more room in my schedule," he replied. He then laid on the ground, his hands behind his head.
"What are you doing?"
"Admiring nature. Care to join me?"
"Sure," she replied, lying down next to him on the ground.
"Take time to enjoy nature. It will help you connect with your powers."
"Nice to know."
They laid there in silence, watching some clouds grace the darkening blue sky with a small hello before parting and the birds singing their love songs. The wind was a little chilly, but it was fresh and real. It was almost hard to believe that this was the foundation of the world before society marred it with its cruel touch.
Then Elijah's phone began to ring.
"I don't remember ever hearing that bird call before," he responded, sitting up grumpily as he answered, "Hello?"
Talia continued to lay there on the ground, deciding not to meddle with Elijah's business until he hung up and pulled her to her feet.
"We've got to get back," he responded.
"Why?"
"I made a promise to Elena to protect her friends and I have made a personal vow to protect yours. If we do not get back in time, your sister will be very...unsafe."
"What's happening with Caroline?" she asked, following him worriedly.
"Werewolves. I suppose this could be practice for you."
***
Elijah argued with Talia in the car about helping Caroline, the former telling her she wasn't strong enough yet while the latter's anger began to spiral out of control, causing her to scream about how Caroline needed help. After releasing her emotions that day, they hadn't returned to normal.
The argument was broken up by Jonas Martin, Elijah's witch. The witch called the vampire and informed him that Caroline was safe, Talia breathing out a sigh of relief after overhearing it. After a decently long car ride, Elijah dropped Talia off at the Forbes' residence at her request.
The Empath ran into the house, opening the door and finding that Caroline was the only one in the house, sitting on the couch with her robe wrapped around her body as she waited for her wounds to heal.
"Care?" Talia murmured, the vampire's head snapping in her direction. "Hey."
"Hey, Tal," Caroline replied with a sniffle. "Um, come on in, I guess."
She knelt down in front of her sister and decided to take her emotional pain away. "How are you doing?"
"I can't believe Tyler," she responded. "I was hurt. That sick bastard enjoyed hurting me. I didn't think I did anything."
"You didn't do anything," she assured. "Tyler's a dick and the sick bastard, if he isn't already dead, will have his head detached from his body very shortly."
"I hate this. I didn't think anything bad would happen. I thought I was stronger than that, but I'm not and Tyler just stood there and...ugh!"
"I know it sucks—no pun intended—but it'll get better, I promise. You don't deserve anything like this ever, but the world is harsh. Despite that, you, Caroline Forbes, are going to beat this into the ground and triumph, no matter how long it takes."
"Thanks." She smiled and then heard a knock at the door, Stefan, Elena, and Bonnie piling in.
"Am I missing something?" Talia asked, meeting them at the door.
"We're having a slumber party," said Caroline, a little happier.
"Do you want me here or am I the weird adult interrupting?"
"If you want to stay, you can."
"And that's my cue to leave. Care, if you need me, you call. You do not hesitate, okay?"
"Okay," she mumbled, hugging her sister goodbye and then getting ready for the most epic slumber party she could plan on the spot.
Talia began to walk home, tears forming in her eyes as she realized she couldn't keep Caroline safe and also cursing herself for leaving Mystic Falls for the day. She wanted to blame Elijah, but knew that he couldn't have possibly known when he took her out of town to practice her powers.
She walked into her cold apartment and collapsed on the ground, leaning her head against the door, as she cried. As she cried for Caroline's predicament, the apartment complex shook a bit, Talia wide-eyed as she realized she tapped more into her power potential, unsure how to cap it.