✔️| Gilbert (K.M. Love Story)

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Ariana felt her eyes weep. Here stood the Gilberts, set to lose the only guardian they had left, it had been a bumpy road for them thus far; Miranda and Grayson, Isobel, John, Jenna and now Alaric. But the longer they stayed in their goodbye with their newest father figure, the harder it became to bid goodbye to Alaric Saltzman. 

"We can handle this later, you know" Stefan mumbled to Elena as she rushed around the History class. Ariana was forced to be present, sat on a desk not too far away from where her sister rummaged. The two were still connected through the tether, being forced to remain in the same vicinity or else suffer entering one another's minds. Sat here like this allowed them to be separate. 

"No, I'd rather get it over with now before some janitor comes to clean out Alaric's stuff" Elena responded, tears still dribbling down her face and Ariana felt it, the pain from her sister along with the pain she felt in herself. "And realises that the history teach was a vampire slayer" she concluded and Ariana gulped in air. 

"Was" she whispered, her voice cracking and tears beginning to spill down her porcelain cheeks which was so similar in appearance to Elena's. 

"Elena... " Stefan tried, though seeming to have no set direction, just speaking as it came to him. "Hey, Elena, please" he tried, knowing now that whilst this spell resided over them, nobody would be able to spend a moment alone with either doppelganger. 

"I can't Stefan, okay? I--I can't think about the fact that Jeremy, Ariana and I don't have anyone to take care of us anymore." she breathed out and Ariana crushed her eyes closed, attempting to halt the tears that were ever falling. For once, she was grateful that she couldn't see her twin sisters face because she was certain she would not be able to survive the pain that was masked upon it in this moment. "Or--or that we've lost another friend. I just can't--- I can't think about any of it"

"I want you to come with me" Stefan informed louder now, more confidently. "Both of you" he added.

"I am not done" Elena returned as she chucked yet another pile of stakes into the teachers leather bag, the stream was currently seemingly endless. 

"Hey" Stefan whispered, closer to her now. "Please" and Elena accepted the hand he offered her, the two of them staring at one another, seemingly forgetting all about Ariana's presence in the room though she could not see what was occurring either way. Stefan softly took the blind doppelgangers hand and guiding the identical girls back toward the school gym.  They now found it to empty and Stefan guided Ariana towards a grand piano, the blind girl being in on the plan. 

"We were in this gym the night Klaus compelled me to turn my feelings off" Stefan informed and Ariana cringed slightly. "I thought I hit rock bottom in the twenties, but... After I bit you, I never wanted to feel anything again" he informed. "But someone... Kept telling me that it was okay to feel" he added and Ariana positioned her fingers on the keys as she began to play. "No matter how much it hurt... That our emotions would make us human, good or bad, and to never lose hope"

"Who gave you that horrible advice?" Elena wondered mockingly in return with tears now streaming down her face.

"Some girl I used to date." he smirked back.

"We don't have anyone anymore" Elena cried. 

"You have me" Stefan whispered back, "Now dance with me?" he whispered in wonder and Elena nodded though she still cried, they slipped their hands into position and twirled around in the comfort of one another's embrace as words began to flow from Ariana's mouth, words that were so relevant in their current situation. 

"You must think that I'm stupid" she sang, her voice in perfect tune despite the tears that gushed from her warm doe eyes "You must think that I'm a fool" she added on and the song flowed on. In mystic falls, nothing was ever simple. Death was hard for the ones that were claimed by it though Life was harder for those left behind. The feeling of the keys beneath her fingers was appreciated, it was soft and it was perfect. 

Since arriving in the town once more, Ariana had felt pain, she knew that life was never going to be easy as one of the doppelgangers, as the Lover of Klaus Mikaelson but she would not give up. Ariana Gilbert had always been the innocent, gentle one but as she sat there. It was different, she felt a fire within her... The Petrova fire, and it was encouraging her to go on and with each obstacle, grow stronger. 

"I'm way too good at goodbyes" Ariana whispered the last line and her eyes closed, nothing changing though as she opened her eyes once more, something was different. Around her was no longer the darkness she was used to seeing.... it was something more, not much more but within the darkness was something she'd never before witnessed. 

The sweet doppelganger chocked out in shock and awe, her hand moving to her mouth as she stared ahead of her in wonder. Stefan and Elena followed her gaze to see her staring at a spotlight ahead of her. 

"Elena" she whispered "I can see the light"

And Ariana Gilbert could. For the first time in her life, she was obtaining the ability to see and in her black screen of vision, white streams cut across, lighter than the darkness. She could see it... Ariana could see.

"It's working" Elena sobbed, her sister was adopting her vision.... Something brilliant had somehow come from this horrible situation and here it was.