New Alliances (A Vampire Diaries Seasons 3 and 4 Fanfiction)

Chapter 9: A Dangerous Truth

The next day (after the ball)... 

Elena walked down the stairs as someone was knocking on the door of the Gilbert residence. She opened it to see Elijah and Lilliana standing there. 

'Elena,' Elijah said. 

'Elijah,' she replied, letting a small smile slip. 

'I don't mean to intrude,' he said. 'We were hoping you might accompany us. I want to show you something.' 

The vehicle parked in the middle of the woods. Elijah got out from the driver's side, I got out from the passenger's, and Elena got out from the back seat of the vehicle. Lacing his fingers with mine, the two of us walked as Elena followed behind us. 

'Forgot how much I missed this land,' Elijah remarked. 

'Can't imagine what it must have been like a thousand years ago,' Elena replied, walking with the couple through the pine needle-littered forest.

'You know, your school was built over an Indian village. Where I saw my first werewolf,' the Original said as he walked. 'The town square was where the natives would gather to worship. Matter of fact, near that was a... there was a field where wild horses used to graze.' 

'That's incredible.' 

'Come,' he said, the three of them walking to the ruins of the church in Mystic Falls, burned down in 1864 to kill the vampires inside. 

'Do you know this place, too?' Elena asked. 

'I do,' he said, kneeling, grabbing a fistful of pine needles and running it over his hands absentmindedly, while I leaned against one of the rocks, eyeing the human. 'Below us is a cavern I used to play in as a boy, connected to a system of tunnels that stretch across the entire area. Perhaps it's nature's way of providing us with shelter against the savagery of the full moon. My mother said, "There must be a balance".' 

'Elijah, I should... I should probably go home.' He stood abruptly. 

'I admire you, Elena,' he remarked. 'You remind me of qualities I valued long before my mother turned us. It's not in your nature to be deceitful, and yet, when I asked you about your meeting with my mother the other night...' and at this he looked at her, 'you lied to my face.' 

'That's not true,' Elena said, but I cut her off, just as she was about to finish the rest of her statement. 

'Liar,' I hissed. 

'I told you that all your mother wanted was a new start,' she said, her panic beginning to betray itself through her voice. 

'I can hear your heartbeat. It jumps when you're being dishonest with me. You lied at the ball and you're lying to me now,' he replied, his tone becoming low and menacing as he stepped towards her. 'Tell me the truth.'

'I never wanted this to happen,' she said quietly. 

'What, Elena? Never wanted what?' I exclaimed angrily. 'You never intended for my boyfriend and I to be collateral damage in your scheme to murder Niklaus? Never wanted what?' 

'We were told, that whatever was going to be in that coffin was going to kill Klaus. When we found out it was your mother... we didn't know what to think.' 

'Since her return, she said she only wants this family whole again,' Elijah said. 

'When she asked to see me, I... I thought that maybe she could help, that she would find a way to kill Klaus. It's not just Klaus she wants to kill.' 

'She wants to kill us all, doesn't she?' Elijah asked her. He looked away and to me. 'She wants to undo the evil she created. And what of Lilliana?' 

'She wanted to kill her too, to spare her from feeling loneliness for the rest of her life. To let her die alongside you.' The both of us looked at each other, and my hand snaked down to interlace my fingers with his. 'I'm so sorry, Elijah, Lilliana. I wish there was something I could do to help.' The Original looked at her, with a unreadable look in his eyes that could only be described as a mix of anger and sadness, perhaps. 

'You know, one thing I've learned in my time on this Earth... be careful what you wish for.' He stomped on the ground, creating a large, cavernous hole, then grabbed Elena around the waist and vamp sped her into the hole. I followed suit shortly after. 

Later that evening... 

'Can't find her anywhere,' Stefan said, walking through the door of the Salvatore home to see Damon standing with his back to him, looking at a very familiar figure in one of the chairs. Two familiar figures. I stood with my hand on the back of Elijah's chair, gazing at the brothers. 

'Hello, Stefan,' Elijah said. Stefan glared at me. 

'Lilliana,' he said coldly. 

'Stefan. How nice of you to join the show.' 

'They have Elena,' Damon said. 

'Actually, she's with Rebekah,' Elijah said. 'As you can imagine, my sister's just dying to tear her throat out,' he added with a smirk. 'So, if you want to save Elena's life, I need you to help me stop my mother.' 

'I'm a little embarrassed to admit,' Damon chimed in, 'but when it comes to killing thousand-year-old resurrected witches, I'm a little rusty.' 

'Yes, unfortunately even when killed, my mother doesn't seem to want to stay dead. Not with the spirits of nature at her side.' 

'So what are we supposed to do?' Stefan asked, stepping up. 

'The witches that released Esther,' I spoke, 'she's drawing power from their bloodline. That line needs to be broken.' 

'Broken?' Stefan asked. 

'Yeah,' Damon replied, 'he means...' He made a cutting motion across his throat. 

'You want us to kill them?' Stefan asked. 

'You know I'd do it myself, but I've absolutely no idea where they are. Besides, seeing me, they'd immediately know my intent,' Elijah replied, standing from his seat and grabbing his suit jacket from the mantle of the fireplace. 'They won't expect to be harmed by the likes of you. In any case, you have until 6 minutes after 9:00 to find them.'

'Oh, how super specific of you,' Damon said sarcastically with a smirk. Elijah took my hand and walked up to the Salvatore brothers.' 

'By 9:07, the moon will be full,' I said. 'Esther will have the power she needs to kill myself, Elijah and his family. If you do not stop her before then, Rebekah will kill Elena. So, we all have our timeline. I suggest you boys get started.' I patted Stefan's chest, giving him a smirk, and walked away with the Original, out the door.

That evening... 

Finn Mikaelson walked around the pentagram, lighting six torches, five torches on the outside and one in the very middle. 

'The pentagram represents our connection to magic,' Esther said to Abby and Bonnie Bennett. 'The salt is a symbol of the Earth.' 

'And the torches?' Bonnie asked. 

'5 torches,' Esther replied, 'one for each of my children. The one in the centre is for Lilliana, Elijah's girlfriend.'

'What's the spell you're doing?' 

'As the witch who cast the spell that made them vampires, I can also reverse it. When they become human again, they can be killed. As they are linked as one, as well as Lilliana, as she is a part of Elijah's sired bloodline, my brave Finn will be the sacrifice.' The two witches looked at Finn, who turned, having finished lighting the flames. 

'And you're just willing to die?' Abby asked him. He turned fully to the three witches. 

'My mother's releasing me from an eternity of shame. It's not a sacrifice. It's a gift.'