Jack and I spent the night at Mary's cabin. Before he woke up this morning I snuck out to the lake, where I'm skipping rocks along the water. I still haven't told Jack about my past. To be honest I'm scared too. I'm scared about what he will think, what Mary will think, what the rest of the pack will think. I don't want them to turn their backs on me. I'm not the same person I was when I was younger. I've grown. I'm a mother now. I'm about to be somebody's wife.
"You scared me," Jacks says. I turn around to face him. "I was worried you ran off in the middle of the night."
I shake my head. "No. I was just out here, thinking..." I skip another rock and Jack picks one of his own up. "Jack, I know I'm supposed to divulge my great secrets, but I... I can't."
"Else, do you really think there's a secret you have that's so bad you can't tell me?" Jack questions.
I nod my head. "Yeah I do, Jack. I'm afraid."
"What is there for an Original to be afraid of, El? Now, our people have been cursed, hunted, exiled. And I know you have faced the same for the thousand years you've been alive. But you and me, this wedding? We can change all that. We can create a new pack, one with your ability to turn at will! So, we give each other our secrets. If we don't, then the transfer of power won't work, and we're back to where we were," Jack tells me.
I look at Jack biting my lip nervously. "Jack, I'm sure you've lived quite the life, but I can't imagine that your secrets are anything like mine."
Jack looks at me. "There's one." He takes a deep breath. "It has to do with my parents."
Jack leads me to what looks like a makeshift graveyard. "What is this place?"
"It's where wolves bury those who walk away from the pack. Traitors, murderers... like this one." Jack shows me a crudely made grave marker made from wood. It has the initials RXD carved into it above a crescent moon. "Richard Xavier Dumas. He was Mary's husband... my grandfather. He was an Alpha of his time. He was a militant radical hell-bent on raising war with vampires." He pauses for a moment. "When he found out that my parents planned to join the packs, try for peace with Marcel and his crew, he... he went ballistic." I look at Jack confused. "He wanted to stop them and everything they stood for... and he did."
I look at Jack shocked. "He killed your parents?"
Jack nods his head a few tears in his eyes. "I didn't know until I was older, until Mary told me. She said she'd held onto the secret about what my grandfather did for two decades, and knew it was time for it to come out."
"I'm sorry Jack." I grab his hand.
"That was my secret. Whatever yours is... If you don't want to tell me, then don't. It doesn't change a thing. Least of all, how I feel about you," Jack tells me with a small smile.
Suddenly Nik appears behind Jack. "Quite the romantic sentiment." I glare at my brother. "I wonder, however, if I might impose on this lovely tableau long enough to have a word with my sister."
Jack looks at me hesitantly. I squeeze his hands reassuringly before letting go. "It's okay." I gesture for Jack to leave. "Go ahead. I'll meet you back at Mary's." Jack looks at me for a moment before reluctantly leaving. I turn to my brother and cross my arms. "What is your problem?"
Nik smirks at me. "Oh just that my sister is adamant about marrying some wolf man."
"Nik, I told you that I'm going to marry Jack. Why is this a problem now?" I question.
"Have you lost your mind?" Nik asks.
I look at him stunned. "You have done nothing but kill, or scare off every boy I have ever loved before. I thought maybe this time it would be different. So yeah I guess maybe I have lost my mind."
"No one has ever been good enough for you dear sister," Nik insists.
I shake my head. "It doesn't matter if you think Jackson is good enough for me. It's not that simple, Nik. You saw what Finn did. He's growing more powerful by the day." Nik sighs and turns away, knowing I'm right. "Right now he controls over half of the wolves. This marriage could change that."
"Why should I care?" Nik asks.
I sigh in frustration. "Don't try and act like you don't care about your niece. We could have a whole army of super-wolves who could protect Jolie as one of their own. This is my chance! I can finally bring her home."
Nik shakes his head. "I have considered it, and I have deemed it absurd. And in this matter, since I am your older brother, what I say goes." I glare at Nik as he steps closer to me. "You will tell Jackson the wedding is off."
"It's a good thing I don't take orders from anyone. Especially not from you," I remark. I start to walk away. "I am done listening to you. Let me know when you want to have a real conversation. One where you actually listen to my side of the story." I turn to leave and then everything goes black.
When I come to, Nik is gone. I'm not at all surprised that he snapped my neck. Nik would rather harm his siblings than have an actual discussion with them.
I quickly make my way towards Mary's cabin. I don't doubt that Nik would kill Jackson. He has killed the men I've loved before, what's to stop him this time.
I find Nik and Jackson standing off with one another outfront of Mary's cabin. To my surprise Jack doesn't look to beat up. I must not have been out for too long. Jack has a busted lip and cuts on his cheek.
Without warning I tackle Nik to the ground. I punch him in the face several times, until Nik grabs my wrists and throws me off of him. I quickly get to my feet to stand between Jack and Nik.
"I trust him, Niklaus. Do you hear me? You're not going to kill him. Not unless you want to go through me," I protest.
Nik looks impressed. "You truly believe that he is worthy of your trust?"
I nod my head. "Yes."
Nik looks surprised. "Well, you have always been stubborn, little sister. Perhaps you two were meant for each other. Go on, then. Have your wedding. Save your wolves." He looks at Jackson. "But, you mark my words, if you ever betray her, I will find you, and I will deposit your head on the end of a spike. Perhaps I'll leave it in your grandmother's garden."
Nik gives Jack and I a look before vamp speeding off.
I look at Jack and laugh.
"What are you laughing at?" Jack asks, confused.
"I'm surprised and happy. Klaus didn't kill you, like I thought he would. Hell you came away better than any of my past boyfriends have," I explain.
Jack looks at me for a moment before chuckling. "I guess you're right. I've seen your brother lose his cool. I thought I was a goner for sure."
Mary comes rushing over to us. She looks Jack up and down. "Not too bad, I thought your injuries would have been worse."
I turn to look at Mary. "Mary, I am so sorry."
"For what? Knowing a monster? Having baggage in your past? We all got that. Some worse than others." Mary puts a comforting hand on my back. I still feel guilty. "When Jack was down, you fought for him." She smiles at me. "A lot of married folk don't get that far." Mary leaves Jack and I alone.
I look at Jack and smile. "Thank you?"
Jack looks surprised. "For what?"
"For keeping your promise. You didn't hesitate to step in and fight for me when my brother tried to stop the wedding, you protected me." I smile. Jack grabs my hand and squeezes it reassuringly. I pause for a moment. "I want to tell you, everything I've been afraid to talk about." Jack looks at me expectantly. "What I'm going to show you isn't who I am anymore. But you deserve to know who I was. You need to know what I've done in the past."
I place my hand on Jack's cheek. The first flashback I show him is from when I was young, maybe eleven, a time before I was a vampire.
I stand over a sleeping Mikael. I have one of his knives in my hand. I slowly move it towards his neck ready to slit his throat. I would have to if Elijah didn't stop me. He grabbed the knife and dragged me back to my bed.
The next one is from Kol and I's time in Spain in the very early 1700's. Kol and I were eating our way through an entire village. At some point we had set a few of the cottages on fire.
"Else! Kol!" a very angry Nik yells. Walking into the house he notices dozens of dead bodies and blood everywhere.
"All of my efforts to keep this family concealed, yet debauchery like this has led Father directly to us," an aggravated Elijah says.
"Else! Kol! Show yourselves! This is no time for games" Klaus shouts.
Kol and I wait a moment before stumbling back into the cottage. I continue to feed on a woman as she whimpers in fear. It's only another moment before I drain her of blood, and drop her body on the floor.
Kol smiles at Elijah and Nik, "Come, come, brothers! It's always time for games!" Kol grabs two mugs of alcohol and hands one to me. I happily drink from it.
"We must leave. Mikael is very nearly upon us," Elijah states.
I sat down in a chair. "If Mikael were upon us, I imagine Niklaus would be quite dead," I say.
Klaus becomes even angrier, "I barely escaped! Father left the head of my horse on a pike in the town square!"
"He killed poor Theo? What a beast! But then, Father's always hated you most. Surely he'll chase you if you flee, leaving me here. Perhaps I'll make myself mayor?" Kol grins.
"Rebekah and Finn have already boarded the ship. It is imperative that we remain together," Elijah insists.
I get up and walk towards Nik, "Rebekah does what she's told because she fears Nik. And Finn is in no position to argue, given the dagger in his heart."
Kol smiles wryly. "I'll take my chances here!"
Kol and I turn to walk away, but Elijah blocks our path. Turning around Nik blocks our other exit. I look at Kol knowing what is about to happen.
"I find it amusing that you think you have a choice," Nik smirks. He then pulls out one of the silver daggers and holds it to Kol's chest. That is the end of the memory as Elijah snaps my neck and everything goes black.
The next memory I share with him is from New Orleans in 1821. Kol and Klaus are playing chess as I sit next to them. Elijah is pacing around angrily.
"Forty-six. An entire tenement. Forty-six bodies drained!" Elijah shouts.
"Nonsense!" Kol shouts.
"It was at least sixty!" I smirk. "Ah, they neglected to check the attic!" I inform Elijah.
"Ah!" Klaus laughs.
"Why do people always run to the attic? I mean, it makes no sense!" Kol laughs.
Elijah is annoyed by the three of us. "It is difficult enough to keep our presence in the city a secret without the three of you doing absolutely everything in your power to draw attention to us."
The last memory I show her is of Kol and I right after he was undaggered. I was in my room at the compound. When I felt a presence and turned around. Seeing it was Kol I quickly vamp speed over to him.
"Nik finally got bored, with you not around?" I joke.
"Life is always more fun when I am around," Kol remarks with a smirk.
I smile up at him, "Now I bet you are famished."
I drag Kol down to the courtyard, where we feed on all of the servants. Kol and I are covered in blood as Klaus and Elijah join us.
"So this is your idea of fun?" Elijah asks.
I pull my hand back from Jack's face. At first I can't read his expression. I feel myself start to panic. I begin to doubt whether I should have shown Jack any of that. It was too much.
Jack still doesn't say anything. "Please say something, Jack. Anything."
Jack looks at me for a moment longer. "You said it yourself, that's your past. That person is no longer you." Jack smiles at me. "I'm glad you felt you could trust me enough to show me that."