Protecting The Petrovas

【ｔｈｒｅｅ】

ᛏᚺᛖ ᛗᛟᚱᛖ ᚠᛟᛚᚴ ᛋᛏᚨᚾᛞ ᛁᚾ ᛏᚺᛖ ᚹᚨᚤ

ᛟᚠ ᛏᚹᛟ ᚺᛖᚨᚱᛏᛋ ᛏᚺᚨᛏ ᚤᛖᚨᚱᚾ ᚠᛟᚱ ᛖᚨᚲᚺ ᛟᛏᚺᛖᚱ,

ᛏᚺᛖ ᚺᛟᛏᛏᛖᚱ ᛏᚺᛖ ᚠᛚᚨᛗᛖ ᛟᚠ ᛚᛟᚡᛖ ᚹᚨᛪᛖᛋ.

Meiririnn folk standinnr leiðinn

ór tveir hearts at yearn fyrir hvergi fleiri,

hotterinn flamerinn ór love waxes.

'𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚕𝚔 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚢

𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚠𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚢𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛,

𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚕𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚡𝚎𝚜.'

BEFORE SHE KNEW IT, Alex's feet were taking her out of the school and to her beat up pickup truck; a last-minute venture in the direction of Mystic Falls Cemetery. She sighed as she threw the truck in park, looking around at the headstones of the many friends she had made throughout her life. She knew that there were so many more who weren't granted the right to a proper burial. Among them was one she had personally purchased a plot for. Emily Bennett. As the heavy door of her truck slammed shut, she slowly wandered through the plots of the yard. She was careful not to disturb those sleeping within the ground below her. Alex's pace slowed as she came to the headstone with Emily's name carved into it. She placed her hand on the cold granite before kneeling down and moving her hand onto the grass below her feet. A soft smile found its home within her lips.

"You'd be proud of what your lineage has become, Em." Alex patted the ground below her. "Bonnie's a bright girl. She'll be the one to finally figure us all out. I'm sure of it." She laughed to herself, shaking her head. "She may be just as powerful as you one day, love." Alex stood. A shaky breath left her lips as her eyes scanned the surrounding headstones, each one housing the grave of a face she once knew. She wondered how much longer she could bare to watch the people she cared for leave this phase of life. She knew, however, that as long as her brothers were still alive, she would be, too. Alex made her way through the sea of headstones once more, approaching Grayson and Miranda Gilbert's with caution. She kneeled in front of their shared headstone, placing her hand on it the same way she had with Emily's.

"Where do I even start?" She laughed to herself. "Jenna's trying her hardest to take care of Elena and Jeremy. Unfortunately, I don't think she even knows how to take care of a plant — let alone two teenagers." Alex shook her head, a playful smile on her face. It was a strange habit she had formed, going to see Elena's parents weekly to update them on how their children were doing. "And don't even get me started on Jeremy." She scoffed as she rolled her eyes.

"I swear, if that boy's head wasn't attached to his shoulders, he would forget where he put it." She sighed, her eyes moving to lock onto her feet. "I've truly tried keeping him out of trouble, but there are only so many hours in the day that I keep an eye on him." She took her hand from the headstone in front of her and played with her fingers anxiously.

"And Elena." She started, nodding quickly. "She's trying really hard to be whole again. I've kept my promise, Grayson; I will protect her until my last breath, no matter the cost. I just wish there was more I could have done. If I had reached your car faster, you would all be here. And I wouldn't be walking through the cemetery on a weekly basis to tell you about their lives." Alex held in a shaky breath, trying to hold in her tears.

"You should be having dinner with your kids right now, and I feel like it's all my fault that you're not here." She shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment. The sound of a twig breaking nearby immediately earned her attention. Alex jumped to her feet. She spun around to face the direction of the sound. Looking up, she noticed one of her Mourning Doves perched on the tree branch above her and sent it out to scope the area. She needed to find out who, or what, she should be prepared for.

Elena muttered to herself incoherently as she moved through the woods, a shortcut from the school to the graveyard. She spun a pen between her fingers, almost dropping it as she walked. She looked up at the single dove that flew above her. A small smile grew as she watched it circle her and fly back in the direction of the cemetery.

"мамка му." mamka mu. "Shit." The Bulgarian slipped through her lips. She collected herself, dusting off her knees and preparing to get away. "Of course it's Elena. It's Monday." Before the Gilbert girl could see her, Alex took off. Her quick footing led her back to her truck with ease. She opened her door to climb in, however, a voice called out from her passenger seat.

"You wanted to talk?" Alex jumped slightly. She should've known better than leaving her car doors unlocked.

"Hasn't anyone told you not to sneak up on an Original?" Alex raised an eyebrow as she looked up to meet eyes with Stefan. She climbed into her truck and closed the door, not wanting to make a scene.

"One of the three people who told me is right in front of me, one has been missing for 145 years, and the last burned in Fell's Church during the war." Stefan crossed his arms over his chest. Alex rolled her eyes. She leaned against the door frame, her body turned so she could look at Stefan directly.

"Why are you here, Stefan? Why are you back in Mystic Falls? You swore you'd never return, so why are you back?" Alex furrowed her brows. "She's not Katherine." Stefan let out a chuckle, shaking his head as he leaned closer to the blonde in front of him.

"I could ask you the same thing, Alexandria." Stefan replied. There was a devious grin on his face. He knew that the comment about Katherine was directed more towards herself than him. "I just had to see her. To make sure."

"I came back because I met someone." Alex tilted her head, a slight smile on her face. "That someone is very special to me, and she's going through a lot right now." Pain and sorrow took over, once again blaming herself for the loss of Greyson and Miranda. "She needs the support, and I'm not going to abandon her. Besides that, I promised Greyson and Miranda I would keep their children safe, and that's exactly what I'm here to do." Alex watched Stefan's face as he tried to piece the information together.

"Wait, you mean—"

"How did you even know she was here?" Alex cut him off, not wanting to get into any details. She ran a hand through her hair briefly, searching his eyes for the answer.

"I heard whispers. I thought they were all just fairytales, but I needed to see for myself." He wasn't telling the whole truth, but Alex was too hungry and drained of energy to press for the right information.

"Fine." She groaned. "Just don't get in my way." She looked up at the roof of the cab above her. She watched through the top of the windshield as a single mourning dove found a perch as close to her as it could. "Now get your ass out of my truck before I remove you myself." Stefan removed himself without a fight as Alex's keys found themselves in the ignition. She put her truck in reverse and turned away, heading in the direction of the old Mikaelson estate. Behind her, out of her line of sight, a large black crow pushed her mourning dove away to make itself at home on the cemetery gates.