Veil of Vengeance: A Mystic Falls Tale [ Elijah Mikaelson

Chapter 24: The unwanted reunion (II)

.... The vampire who had spoken turned around abruptly, demanding to know who was there. Their eyes locked with Isabella's, and a heavy silence fell upon them.The vampire was the first to break it, his voice tinged with recognition. "Isabella."Isabella's entire body tensed up, and she gritted her teeth in frustration, muttering through clenched jaws, "Elijah."***As Isabella stood there, her memories came rushing back in a torrential flood. She couldn't move, couldn't breathe, as everything she had pushed away surged back into her mind. The emotions she had both loved and hated, the overwhelming fear she had buried deep within, it all came rushing back with a vengeance. She was trapped in a whirlwind of feelings and memories that she had tried so hard to forget.Elijah, too, was caught in the grip of the past. He stood there, just as immobile as Isabella, his eyes locked onto hers. The years seemed to melt away as their gazes held, and the weight of their shared history hung heavily in the air.However, before the intense moment could stretch any longer, Damon swooped in, his vampire speed allowing him to snatch Isabella and swiftly carry her up the stairs. He pinned her gently against the wall, hidden from view, and whispered urgently, "What the hell just happened back there? You can't afford to be so careless!"Isabella didn't seem to be fully in control of her faculties. She had believed she was ready to face "them," to confront the memories she had suppressed for so long. Yet, as they came flooding back, she realized she was ill-prepared to deal with the emotional onslaught.Overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of her emotions, she chose the only escape she could think of at that moment. She closed her eyes and turned it all off. Every feeling, every emotion she had, vanished. Damon couldn't help but notice the change in her, the emptiness in her eyes, but before he could say anything, Isabella gently pushed his hand away and signaled for silence.Their mission was clear: rescue Elena. Isabella motioned to Damon, indicating that she would handle the vampire downstairs (Elijah) while the Salvatore brothers made their way to Elena. Damon opened his mouth to protest, but Isabella sped away before he could reply.She materialized downstairs, facing Elijah, and immediately pinned him against the wall. Elijah, surprised by her sudden appearance, demanded to know why she was there. "Isabella," he said, his tone filled with a mixture of confusion and curiosity.Isabella ignored his question and, with a powerful shove, threw him into the room. Though her emotions had been silenced, the deep-seated anger she held towards Elijah remained. He quickly righted himself, his gaze fixed on her. "You've changed," he remarked, his voice tinged with sadness. "Something is different about you."Isabella couldn't help but chuckle bitterly as she picked up a nearby chair, breaking one of its legs before hurling it at him. Elijah effortlessly caught it mid-air, his eyes never leaving hers. "Did you turn it off?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.She smirked, congratulating him with sarcasm for guessing correctly. "You always were perceptive."Elijah's next question held a note of regret. "Is it because of me?"Isabella laughed bitterly. "Oh, it's definitely because of you," she replied, her tone laced with a bitterness that only he could fully understand. "I have you to thank for this."Before their conversation could continue further, Stefan sped past them, grabbed Elena, and rushed back out of the room. Elijah attempted to chase after them, but Isabella was quick to pin him against the wall once more.With gritted teeth, she told him, "History might just repeat itself."Elijah, though physically overpowering her this time, held her firmly against the wall. His eyes were filled with grief and guilt as he began to apologize. "Isabella, I'm so sorry—"Before he could finish his apology, his body went limp, falling to the ground, his heart ripped out by Damon. Causing the blood to splatter on Isabellas shirt.Isabella pushed Elijah's lifeless body aside and turned to Damon, her tone dryly sarcastic. "Seriously? I just got this shirt" She then kicked Elijahs lifeless body, to seee if there was any movement. Three were none. There she sighed "well, I wish he could stay dead, but sadly hell be back up in no time." Isabella vamped towards the exits and then looked back to Damon "it would be a wiser choice if we left now." This caused Damon to be confused, how could that vampire still be alive, after he had just ripped the heart out. But he did not dare to stay back and test if what Isabella said were true. With that the two vampire vamped to the car where Stefan and Elena were waiting. As Damon drove back to Mystic Falls, he couldn't contain his curiosity any longer. He glanced over at Isabella and said, with a hint of sarcasm, "So, care to explain who our vampire friend was back there, and what's this about him coming back from the dead?"Isabella sighed, reclining in the passenger seat and idly playing with a wooden stake she had found in the car. Her foot rested casually on Elena's legs, who was lying on the back seat. Catching the stake in her hand, she decided to answer Damon's question in her usual sarcastic tone. "Oh, that dude we just 'killed'? He's my former lover."Damon raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued. "Former lover? Now that's a story I'd like to hear."Isabella sat up and chuckled. "Well, don't get too excited, Damon. The vampire we just 'killed' won't stay dead because he's an Original."Damon looked genuinely puzzled. "An Original what? Care to explain that to us mere mortals who have no clue what you're talking about?"Isabella couldn't help but tease them. "Clueless young vampires, I swear."Damon shot back with a playful grin. "Ignorance is bliss, Isabella."She sighed and decided to give them a crash course on the matter. "Alright, listen up. The Originals are the first vampires ever created. They're the oldest and most powerful vampires in existence. They can't be killed. Period."Damon couldn't resist making a wisecrack. "Most powerful, huh? Does that include their... skills in bed?"Isabella shot him a stern look. "I wouldn't recommend finding out, Damon."Stefan chimed in with a more serious question. "Is that why you died, Isabella? Because you loved the guy in the suit?"Isabella leaned against the car window, her voice tinged with sadness. "Yes, Stefan."She received sympathetic looks from Stefan and Elena, and even Damon seemed to show a glimpse of sympathy. Isabella sighed again, shifting her position so that her head now rested on Elena's shoulder, idly playing with her hair. "Appreciate the concern, but let's not do the whole 'lost puppy' look."She continued, her tone becoming more somber. "The reason the Originals will soon come looking for Elena is that they need her to break the curse."Damon, still puzzled, pressed for more information. "What curse?"Isabella sighed yet again, her patience waning. "Do you two know what the Sun and Moon curse is?"Stefan answered hesitantly, "It's the curse that binds vampires and werewolves."Isabella clapped sarcastically. "Bravo, Stefan. You've mastered the basics of vampire curses."She continued with a sardonic tone, "Alright, here's the story. Niklaus, or rather Klaus, as he likes to call him self is an Original vampire. But thanks to a little family drama—his mother cheated on his father and all that—so basically he's also a werewolf." She moved her hand dramatically and then clapped her hands. "And TADA! This unique combination makes him a hybrid, but there's a catch. He can't trigger his werewolf side at will. To do that, he needs the blood of the doppelganger."Damon's brow furrowed as he tried to follow the story. "Doppelganger blood? What's that got to do with anything?"Isabella sighed once more, her patience waning. "The doppelganger is a rare, supernatural occurrence. She's a mirror image of the curse that binds vampires and werewolves, and her blood can break that curse, making Klaus the most powerful creature on the planet. So, if Klaus gets his hands on Elena, he can create an army of hybrids, unstoppable and unbeatable."Damon's eyes widened as he grasped the gravity of the situation. "That doesn't sound good at all."Isabella nodded gravely. "It isn't, which is why we need to keep Elena safe. And why you shouldn't underestimate the Originals, Damon. They're a whole different level of vampire."*** Back at the boarding house, Isabella found solace in a bottle of bourbon. She took a swig and savored the burn in her throat. The events of the day had been intense, and she needed something to take the edge off.As she leaned back in her chair, savoring the warmth spreading through her, Damon appeared beside her, snatching the bottle from her hand and taking a swig himself. Isabella chuckled and shook her head at his audacity.She reached out to grab the bottle back, but Damon extended his arm, preventing her from getting her hands on it. "Hey there, Salvatore, that's mine," she said with a mischievous grin.Damon smirked and held the bottle just out of her reach. "I think you've had enough for now."Isabella's eyes narrowed as she grew irritated. "Give it back, Damon."He sighed in mock defeat and handed her the bottle, but not without a parting comment. "You know, I didn't tell anyone about you turning it off."Isabella rolled her eyes sarcastically. "Well, congratulations on your discretion, Damon."Damon's curiosity got the better of him as he prodded further. "Was it really that bad? Turning it off?"Isabella jumped off her chair and walked a few steps closer to Damon, her fingers lightly touching his chest in a flirtatious manner. "Oh, Damon, you should know. What its like to see the person you trusted, loved so dearly, meant nothing to them, don't you?"Damon's expression grew sympathetic for a moment before he decided to change the atmosphere. He pulled Isabella closer to him, their bodies almost touching, and whispered, "Well, I think it's time you had some fun."With vampire speed, Damon carried Isabella to a nearby table, gently placing her on it. He leaned in closer and flashed a charming smile. "Though, it might not be as good as an Original, I promise you won't be disappointed."Isabella chuckled, her mood lightening. "We'll see about that, Salvatore."