Disclosure:  Twilight and Vampire Diaries are owned by their respective braianics that thought of it. 

Pre Edit Count –   2,095 Words

Song I listened to for this chapter: Sweet Disposition by The Temper Trap.

Previous:

Elijah nods toward them. “They are what make it all something to strive for.  Knowing that our Mates have been being killed for all these years makes sense of the fact that every time I felt a pull, it was for the doppelgangers.” But he suspects that Elena is, and has always been, his true Mate.  Otherwise he would feel the bond with Katherine and that is one woman he is glad to have washed from his hands.

Jasper chuckles. “I would have to say that, out of the ones we know about, you have a real winner.”  He shakes his head, remembering everything he’s been told about the prior doppelgangers.  Though he had suggested that if it’s a doppelganger’s blood that allows the change, they might want to gather Katherine and have her donate to the cause, too.

Elijah nods. “I know.  And I am willing to do whatever it takes to keep her.” His hands unconsciously fist as he thinks of what all could happen.  He would walk through fire for her; it would be the least he would do to keep her.

The two glance at each other and nod. They then gather the breakfast dishes and head outside, knowing the rest of the house is already stirring.

Now:

The late morning light peeps through the clouds that have been passing by quickly, throwing shadows on the ground as they move overhead.  This makes the morning cooler than usual, allowing for Bella’s love of a fire to be met by her Mate. He shows off his skills as he lights it and keeps a small amount of power over it until the logs catch.  He just smirks to his Mate as he feels her amusement, but knows she appreciates the little things he does for her like this.

The group from last night is sitting around having just finishing the breakfast that Bella and Damon had made earlier.  The vampires in the group had appear a little later than the rest as they needed to raid the stores of blood. The first matter brought up is about how to get more blood for them all.  Housing so many blood drinkers is draining Damon’s stores, and he needs all he can have for his Mate.   With Bella being related to both of the ancient vampires present, it was amazing how a few phone calls had solved something Damon usually spent a night working out which hospital to raid.  Figures.

On the other side of the table from the Mated couple, Bonnie sits watching everyone, and is just amazed with what she is connected to now that she had accepted her fate.  She also is amazed at how much history revolves around Bella, and how her one choice had made for a much better outcome for them all.  She is so grateful that this fiery woman had done what she had, and she knows how much she owes her.  So, for the first step, she is trying to change her opinion of Damon.  Though, now that she is not looking for the bad, she is finding it easy to notice the caring way he has, even for those who are not his Mate.

She turns her attention to Klaus, and then Elijah.  Elijah had been rattled by the knowledge that their own mother, who had made them this way, is now trying to kill them to end the race.  It was plain to see that Elijah’s view on family had him trusting family members, even with the examples of his father and Klaus’s supposed betrayals in mind.  He had been shocked that Klaus had daggered every member to keep them safe from their father.

And since Klaus was never supposed to have been cursed, the Other Side had everyone in the Supe world believing that he should not be uncursed when now it is so obvious that his being cursed is unbalancing the world.  Why else would there be doppelgangers?   If nature had not abided him, it would never have made the solution to his curse available to him so often. And that it had been done so often is the clue.

It had to wait until the world could abide the doppelgangers again.  Elena is a weight on the world of nature.  So many things are balanced on her narrow shoulders, things that Katherine had not been suitable for and had run from.  But that is what makes this doppelganger different from the previous ones; she cares.  And this is why she is Elijah’s Mate.  This is the woman he had to wait so many lifetimes for because she was meant to be perfect for him.  Bella being his daughter was to reward him for the faith he has carried all these long years.  Elijah was another one who had made many crucial decisions that had helped to prevent the destruction of the world.

Bonnie sighs as she thinks of the other bane of their existence, Katherine.  She had been a waste; she had everything and threw it away on multiple occasions, running away from her problems instead of being like Elena and staying to solve them. Luckily, Katherine had the child who Elena is descended from, and it was also fortunate that Elena had been raised by the Gilberts who had loved her.  It changed her enough that she is not like Katherine, and instead is willing to do what is needed.  The bad part is that everyone around her loves her and doesn’t want her to die, so they fight for her even when she tries to what she thinks is right.

Now that they know what is going on, they are making plans to ensure that Klaus will have some of her blood available for the few werewolves left to change.  His blood will settle eventually, and then he will not have to worry about having the blood of a doppelganger. But since they need as many of the wolves as they can get for what will be coming, they have to use Elena’s to transition the wolves until Klaus’s blood settles.

Elijah had volunteered to take Elena to a room earlier, and he can get the blood kits while being able to monitor her closely enough to make sure she will be ok.  He also had volunteered his blood to turn her instead of anyone else’s.  After their talk yesterday, he would not allow even a hint of anyone else’s blood in his Mate’s body.

Klaus had smirked when Elena had agreed, and had watched as his brother’s Mate had finally reacted to the Mating call between the two. He had also watched his brother’s face when he wasn’t looking, and saw that feeling of relief he had.

While Elena then knew that they were Mated, she wasn’t fully aware of the changes that were going on because of that Mating bond, but she did physically relax whenever she got closer to Elijah. And when they left to go draw the blood, with the way Elijah was acting, he was obviously in mate-guarding mode.

Bella and Damon had looked at each other and smirked in that similar way.  Then Damon had held her close and made sure she had finished eating, then they had just snuggled into each other while they talked and listened. That is what they are still doing now, Damon rubbing her back while he listens to Jasper talking about his experiences.  The whole picture of them is nothing short of perfect, the love they have for each other evident in every aspect, and every movement of the two.  There is also no doubt that they can be deadly together.

Klaus sighs as he watches them, and hopes that he will find a Mate of his own in the cards, and vows to do what he can to help them all.  He doesn’t want to be alone, so as he settles down with everyone, he treats them to a view of his true self. They can now see that he is a normal bloke, and they have relaxed.  Although he really does want to discover what the witch and the Mated pair know.  It is something makes them all shudder when they think of it, and the Mated pair holds each other even closer.  Anything that affects them that much must be horrifying to say the least, and something he will join them in making sure it never happens.  But he cannot help if he doesn’t know.

He looks at the fire for a minute, thinking over the things they have told so far. Klaus is not too surprised to find out that mother dearest has been trying to kill them for thousands of years.  It fit with the information he had learned when he killed her.  He had done it in a fit of anger over the fact that she had dared to curse her own offspring by knowingly keeping him in physical pain every single full moon; that she was basically punished him for her cheating on her husband.

His eyes narrow as he remembers discovering that their own father was hunting his children, which is another reason Klaus had kept them all daggered until he can figure out a way to kill him. He knew his siblings might hate him, but having them there to hate him is preferable to them being dead.  Now, however, the easiest way to kill his father was going to be an option since as a hybrid Michael can’t kill him. He can fight him man to man – something he had wished to do after all the times he had seen his father abuse one of them.

Knowing what they do about Mates, Finn and Sage would be helpful fighting him along with Damon and Bella. They may hate him, but even they cannot deny that someone hunting them is not going to be good. He really cannot see them trying to help Michael.

His eyes flick to Bella and Damon.  That the two in front of him are Elemental Masters, and Shields, well, he has seen what that combination can do.  Klaus is quite impressed, and wonders why Damon had never showed signs of it before.  His mind turns over ideas, and he finally asks him, “Damon, why was there no clue that you were an Elemental Master?”

The man in question looks over, smirks, and informs him, “I know what happens to those who show their cards too early.  People like me take them out.  So I made sure to keep it all close to me, and only let a very few know.  For that matter, the fact that so many people didn’t know saved a lot of their asses.  Stefan is the only one besides Sage who I didn’t kill for knowing about it.” He holds his Mate close, trying to keep the amusement in their bond from showing so much.

Not caring, Bella snorts at his explanation. “The real reason is that he likes to have secret cards up his sleeves.  His strength is known, too many people have seen him do things he shouldn’t be able to.  But he was vulnerable, and the Elemental thing was something he could pull out if he needed to wow people.” Then her face fell, “Unfortunately, he could be overwhelmed with it.  Someone on the Other Side was a little too free with the information, and he could have been killed.” She rests her head on his chest. His arms come around her as he murmurs into her ear about how they will both be more careful, and that they are together now.

Shock evident on their faces, the rest of them look at Bella and Damon in horror at the slight hint of how terrible things could be from what they and the witch have seen. Damon informs them, “We were shown how powerful free will is.  Bella changed the world with a choice, and we were shown how it would have ended if she had chosen otherwise.  It was not pretty.”  He himself shudders as he pulls his Mate closer. No, that future is not one that will happen easily, not if he and his Mate have anything to say.

But it worries them that they both have the powers that they have, and that they can use the full strength of each other’s powers, too. This is not as normal as it might seem for Mates, but then, Mother told them that there really haven’t been such powerful Mates before. There had been no need for them.

Eying them, Alaric asks, “What good am I really going to be to this group?” It is something he has worried about since they started talking about the roles.

Jeremy nods. “As much as I wish otherwise, I have the same question.” He gives them a slight smile, bothered by what he as a human can do when the cards are on the table.  But he wants to help; he feels the need to help.

Damon gives a little laugh. “Jeremy, your future is not as a human, no, you will become supernatural yourself, one of a few.  And Alaric, you will be the best trainer for Jeremy before we take over.  There is so much going on that everyone present will have a huge part to play in the future.  There is always a choice, and Witchy here is supposed to guide us so that we know if there is a choice outside those we are considering.”

Neither he nor Bella gives any indication of what the future held, but Jeremy is a Hunter; he hunts those Vampires who are not doing what they should be doing.  All the Gilberts have been part of this group, but now Jeremy will be able to help protect Bonnie, and he will help to defend others in their group.  And all of them will work to prevent Alaric from having to deal with becoming the Vampire Hunter he was turned into in the future, which caused Elena’s death to kill him.

Sighing, Klaus rubs his face and leans forward. “So you know the ritual is supposed to have me kill a wolf and a vampire.  What solutions do we have to this?” He is not looking forward to this part since he really would like to not have to kill someone who doesn’t deserve to die.

Her mind preoccupied with all the things she is learning, Klaus’s words has Bonnie looking up. “Jules, and there is a vampire who causes more issues than he will ever solve.  If Damon and Bella leave now, they can catch him in Roanoke and bring him back in time for the ritual.  Klaus, you will need to get Jules.  I will get with your Witch and conduct the spell myself.”  She shakes her head as information is being presented to her in an ongoing rush, and she can feel changes happening in her body as she adjusts to the new powers flowing into her.  These two are close, and Mother Earth has indicated that they would work for the ritual.

Bella frowns and is quickly in front of Bonnie. She asks, “Are you alright?” She peers into Bonnie’s eyes and can see the pain reflected there.  While Bonnie deserves some punishment for the way she treated Damon and even her in the past, Bella’s heart doesn’t like to see anyone in pain.

She smiles and nods at the woman in front of her who has already done so much and is willing to do so much more to keep the world as it is just for the love of the man sitting there watching, his adoring gaze on her. “It is unreal.  No matter what, I was meant to be the Gateway for something, and I would so much rather be this Gateway than one to the Other Side.  But until everything settles, I will be in pain as my body changes to accept the power.” She shrugs, accepting the pain as her penance for not doing as she was meant to do.  She had learned that if this had been a perfect world, she would have had the chance to gain this power slowly, but there is no time to do this gently.

Bella searches her eyes, and asks, “You willingly chose this, right?”  That is Bella’s thing, if free will is a choice, then she wishes to make sure those affected know it is their choice.

Smiling, Bonnie nods her head in assurance. “Completely.  And not just because of the alternatives, which are a huge thing to take, but because it just feels right.  It feels like what my Gram would want.  She would be so disappointed in me for how I took my pain out on a race who, most of the time, have no choice.  They wake up, they crave blood, so they attack.  They don’t know any different. I somehow had it in my mind there was a choice, and they chose to be sadistic and selfish.” An example of how wrong she was is right before her;  Bella is nothing like that.

A chuckle makes both of them look at Damon, “And I didn’t help by being myself, selfish and sadistic.” He shrugs a shoulder.  He really doesn’t care.  His Mate understands him, and the more he thinks about it, is there anyone else he wants to know him?  The only thing that caring about others has taught him is that he will be hurt.

Bonnie looks at him, and her gaze softens. “Damon, you may think Stefan is the good brother, but I saw so much good in you, too. I just choose not to acknowledge it.  It was easier to hate you and cause you as much pain as I could.  I am sorry.” Asking for forgiveness from the one she has actively tried to kill so many times is at once one of the hardest and easiest things she has ever done.

Smiling at her Mate, Bella tells him, “Hush, Mr. I-Can’t-Take-A-Hint.” She can feel the way the apology is affecting him, and before he says anything in his normally sarcastic way, she wishes him to take a moment.

He holds his hands up in surrender, commenting in an aside to Klaus, “One time you ignore someone’s request for their name, and they never forget.” He grins at his Mate and Bonnie, making them laugh.

Unable to help himself, Klaus chuckles.  “Don’t get me mixed up in this, Mate.  I don’t need woman problems on top of everything else.”  He leans away from the picked upon Elemental Master as the rest of the people at the table laugh at Damon.

Which reminds Bella, and she turns to stand up and with her hands on her hips. “That reminds me.  Where are you on undaggering your family?” Her eyebrow goes up as she faces her Uncle and waits for an answer.

He sighs, leaning back in his chair, his head drops back. “They are at the house and I am ready to do it anytime.”  Then he looks up at her. “You do know they are going to try to kill me?” He tries to give her puppy eyes, wanting her to understand his position.

Elijah’s voice is heard as he carries Elena out to the patio, arranging her on a chaise by the fire Damon had started earlier.  “And that is why we both will be there, and I contacted Sage.  She should be here tonight.  That will help with some of the resentment, and I will help diffuse the rest.  Then we can integrate them into this time period.  Kol and Finn will need haircuts and changes of clothing.  Rebekah will just need new clothing.” He and Elena had been talking about this as they had drawn her blood for this session, and he had exchanged blood for their first time.  But Elena had brought up some of the things that will need to be done for the siblings.

Klaus sighs, then nods his head. “A consequence for every choice, eh?” As he slouches in the seat, he is no longer the proud Original, but one showing the weight of the decisions he made to protect his family, and how much he knows they will hate him for those choices.

Feeling bad for the Original after having seen everything he has done, Bonnie shakes her head. “If you explain about your father and mother, with Elijah and Sage backing you up, they will understand.  Hate you, yes, but they will understand.  Your siblings and you are very close.  There is very little they wouldn’t do the same as you in a given situation.” Klaus had gone from a very sensitive young man to a brutal killer that they have heard of, all because of his parents.  They had managed to make the man that he could have been hide himself away.   But she knows that because of the choices that he is making now, he won’t be alone for very long.

With a look at Elijah, Klaus slowly nods.  He brings them back to the first obstacle they need to get over, his change. “Is there anything we need to do in addition to this vampire and wolf?” He needs to make sure everything is ready, so that when he undaggers his family, there will be nothing taking him away from them until the ritual.

Bonnie’s eyes turn white, and then she stares back at them. “To have all of us there.  She doesn’t know if anything will happen, but there is no reason to have any of us not be in attendance.  There is so much riding on this first step that no one should want to take a chance that something will happen.” Her voice is firm, and they recognize that she is stepping up, taking her place in their group.

Damon nods, and catching Elijah’s eyes, adds, “We also have the visitor downstairs, and Stefan to deal with.” He reminds them, not wanting any of it to be forgotten.  Loose ends make things happen come back to bite them in the ass later.

From where he had been sitting quietly, trying to make sense of everyone, Jasper shakes his head. “If I am going to lead the motley crew, well, just leave Demetri to me.  There’s a lot we can talk about, and I’ll make sure he’s with us by the time he leaves.” The last is said with a note of finality in his voice.

Standing behind his Mate, a hand resting on her shoulder, Elijah agrees. “That would work.  And Stefan…well, I say to leave him where he is until after the ritual.  With so much riding on it, we don’t need him making things worse just because he can.  If it comes down to it, I will compel him.  Katherine is still around here somewhere, and if any of us can catch her, we can throw them both in the vault and compel them to stay there until we can deal with them.  They can amuse each other.” He nods as he thinks through it all. Klaus is with them, and there should be no others who could get through their compulsion, so it will be a way to get them out of their way.

Chuckling, Damon tells them as he pulls his Mate back into his lap, “Fitting.  She can be where she was supposed to be along with the man she preferred.” He nuzzles Bella’s neck as the group continues to make plans around them.

Final count:  3,972 words.

Fairfarren~Wendy

[polldaddy rating=”7370163″]