┎┈┈┈┈┈┈┈<[°°°]>┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┒
Chapter Eleven
┖┈┈┈┈┈┈┈<[°°°]>┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┚
"KnEeClOuDs MiKaElSoN"
Elena was driving Elijah to the Lockwood's house, but stopped when the man pointed at a girl outside rolling down the sidewalk in… Heelys.
"Isn't that Lorelei? There, on the sidewalk," Elijah questioned. He could practically feel his mate's prominent warmth.
Elena hummed and tried to continue driving, but Elijah rushed out of the car and towards Lorrie. Elena yelled toward her sister, but Elijah had already grabbed her… into a hug? Now, Elena didn't want to assume anything, she really didn't, but maybe, just maybe, her sister was closer to the Original than she thought. She really wanted to be wrong. Please let her be wrong.
"Lorelei! Elskan! I apologize for my sudden disappearance. It was very, as you say, 'uncool' of me to 'ghost' you like that," Elijah cooed. He looked into her eyes and concern rushed through him. "Have you been crying? What happened, Elskan? Who hurt you?" he lowered his tone. "Who do I have to kill?"
Lorrie stared up at him, hope glimmering in her eyes. "'Lijah? Are you really here?" She lifted her hands up to his face. He leaned into her touch, clinging to her warmth like a moth to a flame. He lifted his hands to push her hands closer to his skin then they already were. He then moved his hands to cup her face and pulled her closer than she already was.
"Yes, Elskan. I'm really here. Now, tell me. Who hurt you?" Elijah interrogated.
"It was nothing, it was just-"
"Lorrie! Get away from him. He's dangerous," Elena exclaimed, rushing towards the two.
Lorrie's sharp gaze followed the approaching girl. She could feel the hurt from the night before returning. Elijah noticed her unease towards the doppelgägnger and understood immediately. He locked an arm around his mate and pulled her away from Elena. He stood up taller and clenched his jaw. He didn't care if this girl was the key to killing Niklaus, he would end her if she upset his mate again.
"Lorrie. I'm so sorry. I really didn't mean it, it's just that I thought Bonnie was going to die and-"
"I know."
"You do?"
"Yes, but I hope you know that you broke the already thin bond that we had. You. I don't think we'll ever be able to fix it. I may be able to accept you as a friend, but never again as a sister," Lorrie clarified.
Elena stiffened. "I know. And I accept that. I completely understand your decision and I won't try to change your mind. After everything I've done, I deserve this, but thank you for at least giving me the opportunity to at least be your friend."
Lorrie sniffed, a burnt smell invading her senses, and cocked a brow in surprise at Elijah's attire. "What's with the, um, interesting fashion choice."
Elijah brushed some of the dirt off of his suit, not making much of a difference. "It seems the Salvatore's own a flamethrower and decided to use it on my desiccated body."
"Want me to burn them? Because I will be more than willing to do it," Lorrie smirked.
Elijah quirked a brow in amusement, but at the same time was touched that his mate would reveal herself in order to defend him.
Elena cleared her throat and awkwardly gestured to the Lockwood residence.
Lorrie squinted at the house. "When did I get here?"
"You mean you didn't know where you were going?" Elena questioned.
"Was I supposed to be paying attention to my surroundings?" Lorrie asked quizzically.
"Yes!" Elena and Elijah affirmed.
"Oh… well I'm okay, aren't I?"
Elijah sighed. "You need to be safer, Elskan. I don't want you getting hurt."
Elena inspected the scene before her. "What's going on between you two?"
Lorrie ducked under Elijah's arm and padded over to Elena. "Don't tell him I told you, but I think he has a crush on me."
Elena blinked owlishly at Lorrie's words before she anchored her attention on Elijah. The man, however, completely avoided her gaze and pretended to be interested in the Lockwood's architecture.
"Um, let's just talk to Mrs. Lockwood," Elena suggested.
Elijah perked up at the change of subject and agreed. He strolled over to the door and knocked on the door.
Carol opened the door and gazed at the three in surprise. "Elijah, Elena, Lorelei! What are you doing here? What happened?"
"I've had a bit of an incident, Carol. I'm hoping you could help," Elijah requested.
Carol slowly shook her head. "Well, I'm on my way to a meeting, so I-"
"It won't take but a minute of your time," he stepped forward and compelled her.
The woman smiled and invited them inside. "Of course. Anything you need."
The three entered the house.
"Thank you," Elijah stated politely. "Well, first things first. I'm going to need a change of clothing."
He turned and Carol closed the door. She stepped away and looked at the man. "Well, we can try one of my husband's suits. I haven't boxed them up yet."
"Wonderful."
The woman walked away and Elena turned to Elijah in question. "How did you know she's not on vervain?"
"'Cause I'm the one who got her off it. Right before you and your friends killed me. Twice. If you'll excuse me. I'll be down in a moment," he mentioned. He sent a subtle wink to Lorrie. "You'll be alright, won't you, Astin?"
Lorrie nodded slowly and Elijah strode up the stairs.
Elena nudged Lorrie's arm. "And what was that?"
Lorrie stepped away and flashed a tight-lipped smile. "You haven't reached friend level yet, Elena."
Elena spared a curt nod and wrapped her arms around her middle as she stood away from Lorrie.
Lorrie's phone rang and she saw it was Jenna. She quickly answered and stepped into another room.
"Hey, Jen. What's up?"
"Ric called and he wanted to meet up at the Grill and I'm at the Gilbert's house."
Lorrie paused. "Don't. Whatever you do, don't. That's not Ric. It's Klaus who's possessing Ric. I'm really sorry I didn't tell you, it slipped my mind last night and I left early this morning."
"Lorrie, I understand. I saw how you were last night. It's okay. And thanks for telling me."
"I can't be over there right now, but call Damon or Stefan. They'll come over."
"Well, since I only have Stefan's number, he's gonna have to do. See you when you get home."
"See ya."
Lorrie hung up and made her way into the entrance room, but no one was there. She peeked into the living room and spotted Elena and Elijah, so she made her way in and as she went to sit in one of the chairs, Elijah pulled her onto the couch next to him. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and held her hand in his. She leaned her head on him and he discreetly smiled down at her before glancing up at the doppelgägnger.
"So I assume that the Martin witches are no longer with us."
Elena averted her gaze. "No. I'm sorry."
He tightened his hold on Lorrie. "And Katerina? She would have been released from my compulsion when I died."
Lorrie caressed her thumb across Elijah's hand, calming him in an instant.
"Klaus took her. We think that she may be dead," Elena replied.
Elijah smiled coyly. "I doubt that. Not Klaus' style. Death would be too easy for her after what she did."
"I don't understand. You say that you want Klaus dead, but you still made Katherine pay for betraying him."
Elijah's face hardened. "I have my own reasons for wanting Katerina to pay. There was a time… I'd have done anything for Klaus. He's my brother," he paused, noticing Elena's shock. "Yes. Klaus is my brother."
"I heard that. I'm still processing," Elena stuttered.
"Yes, I'm a little behind on the times, but I believe the term you're searching for is 'O.M.G.'"
Lorrie snorted as she played with Elijah's finger's on the hand that she held in her lap. Elijah sent an amused glance at his mate before taking a sip of his tea.
Elijah stood, letting Lorrie stay on the couch, and walked over to the mirror.
"There's a whole family of Originals?" Elena questioned.
Elijah fixed the top button of his shirt as he answered. "My father was a wealthy landowner in a village in Eastern Europe. Our mother bore seven children."
Elena stood up as well. "So your parents were human?"
Elijah leaned on the fireplace. "Our whole family was. Our origin as vampires is a very long story, Elena. Just know… We're the oldest vampires in the world. We are the Original family, and from us all vampires were created."
"Right, but Klaus is your brother. And you want him dead?"
"I need some air. I'm still feeling a tad… dead. Come."
He strode over to Lorrie and held out his hand to help her up. She slid her hand in his and kept it there as the three meandered outside. They padded down the steps and Elijah continued the conversation.
"So as you've seen, nothing can kill an Original. Not Sun, not fire, not even a werewolf bite. Only the wood from one tree. A tree my family made sure burned."
"That's where the white ash for the dagger comes from."
"Yes. The witches won't allow anything truly immortal to walk the earth. Every creature needs to have a weakness in order to maintain the balance."
"So the Sun can't kill an Original. Why is Klaus so obsessed with breaking the Sun and Moon curse?"
Elijah slowed in his stride and gripped the railing of the bridge. "Right. The curse of the sun and the moon. It's all so... biblical-sounding, don't you think?"
He smiled and released Lorrie's hand only to loosely curl his arm around her waist.
"What's so funny?" Elena asked.
"Klaus advertised the curse in ancient Aztec drawings and many other ancient artifacts across the globe."
"I don't understand. So Klaus drew the Aztec sketches about the curse?"
"Roman scrolls, African tribal etchings, and any other culture or continent we felt like planting it in."
Elena shook her head in confusion. "But why?"
Elijah pushed off of the railing. "Easiest way to discover the existence of a doppelgänger or to get your hands on some long, lost moonstone is to have every single member of two warring species on the lookout."
"So it's not Aztec at all?"
"The curse of the Sun and the Moon… is fake. It doesn't exist."
Lorrie raised a brow as Elijah led her away.
An indigent shout sounded behind them. "What?"
Elena finally caught up to the two as they neared the lake and Elijah began to speak.
"Klaus and I faked the sun and moon curse dating back over a thousand years."
"But if there's no curse…"
"There's a curse. Just not that one. The real one's much worse. It's a curse placed on Klaus."
"What's that mean?" Lorrie finally spoke up.
"Klaus has been trying to break it for the last thousand years. And you-" he turned to Elena. "-are his only hope."
"Well what is this curse?"
Elijah looked away in annoyance and reached into his suit pocket for Elena's phone. "Your phone will not stop its incessant buzzing. Answer it, please."
Elena looked at the screen. "Stefan… what's wrong? No. No, no, no, no. Okay, I'll be right there."
Elena's eyes were glued to Lorrie. "Klaus went after Jenna. We have to go to her."
Elijah was weary about letting his mate go and was about to hold her in place, but she tore away from him, grabbed Elena, and ran.
"She'll be back. You have my word, 'Lijah," she shouted behind her.
Elijah sighed and shook his head at his mate. What was he going to do with her? He could already tell his feelings for her were strong. Stronger than they had been for anyone else he'd held affections for in the past. She was his mate after all. His perfect match. The one he could never lose interest in. Not that he'd want to. She was incredible and he was so happy he had her, but he couldn't help the fear he felt for his precious Lorelei now that Niklaus was in town. His brother would show no mercy for her and when he learned of this brunette beauty being his mate, he didn't even want to imagine what would happen. He could only hope that his plan of killing Niklaus would work. For the safety of his mate and revenge for his family.
-<•°•°•°•>-
"Jenna!"
The woman jumped up in surprise. "Lorrie?"
Jenna ran over to Lorrie, completely bypassing Elena, and clung to the girls short stature. The woman buried her head into Lorrie's neck and sighed in relief.
"I'm so sorry I wasn't there!" Lorrie whispered into Jenna's hair.
"It's okay, you did get me to call Stefan. If he wasn't there, I would probably be dead."
"I won't let you die, Jenna. Even if I have to kill one of the oldest vampires in existence to stop it," Lorrie growled.
Jenna stood back and placed a hand over her heart. "You really know how to weasel your way into my heart."
In the distance, Lorrie could hear someone pounding on the door.
"INVITE ME IN, DOPPELGÄGNGER!" Trevor boomed from the doorstep.
"Um…" Elena so eloquently stated.
"It's okay. I called him," Jenna reassured.
Elena hesitantly stepped out of the room and Trevor sped in seconds later, shoving Lorrie into the couch. Trevor looked downright animalistic. His teeth were bared in Lorrie's direction.
Lorrie stood up, making Trevor growl at her sudden movement, but calmed when Jenna placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned his attention towards his mate and immediately checked her over for injuries. Lorrie stealthily made her escape into the hallway where she saw Stefan leaning against the wall with Elena. She just walked over and leaned as well, but kept her distance. She leaned over to the two.
"By the way, I told her like a week ago. Have fun with a pissed off aunt, Elena!"
Meanwhile, Jenna was attempting to calm Trevor down.
"I'm fine. You can stop now. I'm okay!" Jenna exclaimed.
He stopped his search and slowly looked into her eyes. He wrapped himself around her and intently nosed her neck, inhaling her intoxicating scent. He could feel his mind return to a sensible state and he pulled away from his mate, but kept his arms around her.
"I apologise. We vampires can get very, agitated when our mates are in danger and can lose all logical thinking in a moment's notice."
Jenna nodded and held him tighter (which he didn't complain about). "It's okay. And thanks for coming over. I really needed one of your hugs."
"I'll be there. For forever, my love."
They basked in each other's presences, loving every moment they had together. Jenna looked up to Trevor, tenderness shining in her eyes.
"I really like this. I really like you. And the thought of possibly dying-" Trevor growled. "-and leaving you alone hurt me more than anything. So, I made a decision. Just now." She put the man at arms length. "I want to be with you. For now and for forever."
Trevor gazed down at his mate in unadulterated joy. He picked her up by her waist and twirled her around, making her squeal in surprise. He set her down and his eyes scanned her equally joyful expression. He placed his hands on her rosy cheeks and tenderly caressed them with his thumbs. He leaned down and bumped noses with her. The woman giggled and tilted her head. The moment their lips touched, sparks flew through them. There was no rush with it, just him and her. Trevor and Jenna. Everything else disappeared around them. Jenna could feel the passion within the kiss and could feel her own battling with his. Trevor loved the feeling of his mates alluring touch, but this was so much more. The intimacy in this single touch overpowered any other. They were in bliss.
Both were disappointed when they had to pull away for air, but that melted away as Trevor rested his forehead on hers, a beaming smile on his face.
"You are incredible, my love. And I cannot wait to spend the rest of my days with you. My love, my life, my mate."
What the pair didn't know was that Stefan listened in on their conversation and could feel tears forming in his eyes. He didn't know how incredible the mate bond was, but hearing the two in the other room made him envious. He wanted to meet his mate, but he loved Elena. If he ever did meet his mate, he wouldn't know what to do, but for now, he was content with Elena.
Lorrie moved to enter the room again, but was stopped by Stefan. She went to rip his hand off of her, but his tear filled eyes stopped her and her inner Mama bear was released (that was because in her memories, she had taken in almost all of the orphan children she could find across Skyrim). She took him over to a nearby chair and squatted in front of him, taking the vampire by surprise. Lorrie turned to Elena.
"Head back to Elijah. I've got everything handled here."
"But you have him your word that-"
"That you'd come back. I never said anything about myself. Now go."
Elena decided that trying to argue with Lorrie at the moment was futile, so she walked away from her boyfriend and si- fri- acquaintance.
Lorrie's assessing gaze tore through Stefan's wall of faux emotions. She could see right into his soul. She placed her hands on his knees and held his uneven gaze.
"Stefan… what's wrong?"
"It's nothin-"
"It's clearly not nothing if your normal brooding persona is barely visible and tears were in your eyes."
Stefan rolled his eyes in an attempt to rid them of his tears. "It's nothing, Lorrie."
"Stefan," Lorrie stated firmly. "Don't lie to me. I don't particularly like liar's. That's kind of why I'm not very fond of Elena at the moment."
He sighed and placed his head in his hands. "I was listening in on Jenna and Trevor's conversation and I just- I really want to find my mate. Don't get me wrong, I love Elena, but… she's not the one."
Lorrie moved Stefan's hands from his eyes and held them in his lap. "You'll find your mate one day, Stefan. I'll even help you in your search, if you'll have me."
"Really?"
"Really."
Stefan swooped down and pulled the girl into a loving embrace. Lorrie didn't complain about it like he thought she would. She just looped her arms around him in a hug that put many mothers to shame.
Lorrie pulled away and smiled at the boy. "I hope you know, I've just made the executive decision to adopt you as my son. Congratulations."
Stefan sputtered as Lorrie made a quick get away. She slipped into the living room and jumped onto Jenna and Trevor's laps. She stretched and draped herself over them.
"What are you doing, little savior?"
"I'm a mother now. I have a child. He is no longer Stefan Salvatore. He is Stefan whatever-my-last-name-is."
Jenna cackled.
Trevor just rested his hand on the girl's head. Before Lorrie knew it, she fell asleep.
-<•°•°•°•>-
Lorrie woke to the sound of shouting and people trying to tell them to shut up. The girl groaned, catching the attention of the room's occupants.
"Whoever's making all of that noise needs to shut up before I rip out your vocal cords and hang you with them," her threat was muffled by the pillow that Jenna placed under her head.
"Ahem, as I was saying," Elijah stated carefully. "The two of you will come to no harm at my hands. I only ask for one thing in return."
"What?" Damon questioned rudely.
"An apology."
"A what?"
Stefan stepped toward Elena and Elijah. "I'm sorry for the part that I played in your death. I was protecting Elena. I will always protect Elena."
All eyes turned to Damon. Elena spoke up gaining his attention. "The sacrifice is going to happen, Damon. Bonnie will be able to kill Klaus without hurting herself and Elijah knows how to save my life. I told you I'd find another way. And I did."
"Is that true?" Damon asked Elijah.
"It is."
Damon turned to Elena. "And you're trusting him?"
"I am."
"You can all go to hell."
Lorrie sputtered out a laugh gaining everyone's attention. She accidentally rolled off of the couch as well making Damon snort.
She looked over at him and gave him a thumbs up. "Atta boy! That's my disrespectful son!"
His brows furrowed. "Um, I hate to break it to you, but I'm not your son."
"I adopted Stefan, therefore I'm adopting you. You have no choice in the matter, just accept it."
Damon narrowed his eyes at the girl. "So you're only adopting me because you adopted Stefan?"
"I was already planning on adopting you, but I ended up adopting Stefan as well. I wasn't planning on it, but I did it. You were planned and he wasn't."
"I don't appreciate that," Stefan spoke up.
"It's okay. You just get the title of respectful son. That's gotta mean something, right? We even had a heart to heart," Lorrie began to stand. "And Damon. Come here."
The man hesitantly padded over to her. He was expecting to get a hit to the head, but that wasn't what happened. He got pulled down into a hug. He felt her move one of her arms before settling it on his back. Another pair of arms wrapped around him and Lorrie from behind. Stefan. Then another two from behind Lorrie. Jenna and Trevor. Then two hesitant arrivals. Elena and Elijah.
None of them knew how Damon bitching turned into a group hug, but they all just brushed it off and enjoyed each other's company.