chapter five,     my dearest

OPHELIA WAS NOW FACING THE WELL-SUITED MAN IN A LIBRARY. She didn't have time to explore the variety of books even if she itched with desire. But she had bigger problems at this time. Problems that involved night stories that were supposed to be just an attempt to scare children.

Elijah was looking briefly at the books, taking his time to figure out if others were trying to listen to this conversation. But as soon as he was content, he turned to the woman who was sitting on an armchair. Her body was like a string – her legs were perfectly bent and slightly pushed to the side, her back straight. It only reminded him that she wasn't from modern times. Even if she was terrified and she was alone with a man which wasn't really allowed – she tried not to show it.

"I'm sure you have many questions, Ophelia. And you have my sincerest apologies that you got involved in all of this business with my brother," he started, leaning his back to the bookshelf, facing her.

Her eyebrows knitted together: "That man, in the woods, is your brother?"

"Yes. Although I'm not very—excited to admit this, as I wish he was bounded by another steel, he is still my brother."

"Is he—a vampire?" Ophelia gulped down as she said the word, remembering that probably everyone in this house was some sort of—creature.

"Yes and no," he pushed his right hand into the pocket of the suit pants. "He is a vampire, but his bloodline comes from werewolves, so he is both."

Ophelia didn't know how it was possible, but she didn't think she would actually hear an answer that would make her understand everything, so she stayed silent on that matter and nodded. "What did I do?"

Elijah slightly shifted, it wasn't easy to tell to an innocent person that they were persecuted by a man that has killed thousands. "That night in the woods, my brother Niklaus was trying to break a curse which hid his werewolf side. He tried to do that for thousands of years and it was always a failure in some ways. Your arrival interrupted the curse and destroyed the moonstone, which was necessary for the ritual. And what more—you showed as a hybrid."

"However I am not—I am not a hybrid. My brothers told me that I am not a—vampire," the woman shook her head, slightly squeezing the material of the pants she was wearing.

Elijah chuckled: "You are not. I can sense you are neither a vampire nor a werewolf, which makes it both a mystery and a curse."

Ophelia placed her hand on her chest as if covering her heart would not make him sense things. "Am I going to die?"

Elijah stood tall, making Ophelia stand up well as he walked closer to her, but not too close to respect her space. "My brother is irrational and thinks killing you would solve it. However, I am certain that you hold many mysteries within your arrival and your death would not benefit anyone."

The woman nodded, meeting his eyes which were brown, but just slightly deeper brown than hers. She tried to understand how the murderous stare of Klaus was related to Elijah as she didn't see anger in this man's eyes. On the contrary – she felt oddly safe around him even if she was alone in the room with him.

"It is alright," she spoke up. "If my death is necessary – it is alright."

Elijah was taken aback by the woman's words. Throughout his life, he has met many people who were desperate to die, desperate by the pain that surrounded them and made them beg for death. But she wasn't desperate. She was talking as if this was her destiny and she didn't try to fight against it.

"You got another chance to live, don't you want to explore the chances you never had?"

Both of the woman's hands were on her chest as she gently smiled. And the man was left slightly baffled – such a fragile smile on a woman who faced death. It almost seemed transparent as if the fragile being of hers was surrounding him. He didn't know someone could make death so beautiful.

Ophelia answered after a second: "I was alone when I woke up. It was so dark. So cold. And when I walked near the fire – the man—Klaus tried to kill me. I do not believe my awakening is for me to start anew."

"Then what is it for?"

"People need someone to blame for when something unexplainable happens. I never believed in destiny, but as of this moment—I might. The history is repeating."

Elijah heard how slow her heartbeat was – it wasn't even, the thuds getting louder and then more silent. It only showed how tired she was, how she was battling the moment and trying to stand still. Trying to soothe herself with the upcoming possibilities, with the destiny she now believed in. "I am here, your brothers are here to make sure that history would not be repeated."

Ophelia slightly outreached her hand as she wanted to touch him in a gentle manner, but she refrained from doing so as it wasn't proper to touch a man. "I am thankful to hear that. However, how do we convince Klaus that I have not done this purposely?"

"As I overheard, your brothers contacted Bonnie, a Bennet witch – perhaps, she will sense something about you that will help us to learn what is going on. But, I'm afraid, you'll have to face Niklaus to test my theory."

The woman uneasily frowned, but she nodded. If vampires and werewolves were real – witches were as well. "I understand." Breathing out, she asked: "Forgive me for my intrusion, but are you also—a vampire?"

Elijah gently smiled, "I am an Original vampire, meaning that if your brothers were roaming this Earth for over one hundred years, I did it for over a thousand."

Ophelia's face could not hide the surprise – her eyebrows slightly raised, her mouth dropping open just a bit. "Oh," she breathed out. "Does it not get lonely?"

The man just looked at her, silent before he answered her: "It does. Even if the world is changing at a pace that is too fast, it all becomes a blur."

"My mother used to say that when you meet the right person, it gets easier to live. She said, that people are social monsters," she chuckled, "always trying to bite more than they can eat. But there are also good people. People who make you feel—alive."

"Your mother was right. But nature has different rules for humans and for someone like me."

Ophelia shook her head, "Yes, of course—I apologize, I did not mean to pry or to bore you with my story."

"You don't have to apologize, Ophelia. I would be very interested in hearing your story," he said and looked at the door. "Only at another time. I believe the Bennet witch has arrived."

Her heart did a small flip – someone wanted to hear her story. She gently smiled and nodded, walking out of the little library and going back to the main, living room. There, she encountered her brothers and Elena, but there was a dark-skinned woman with a gentle smile and a woman with blond hair beside her.

"Oh wow," the blond one exclaimed as she saw the youngest Salvatore. "I didn't actually think you were serious about the new Salvatore addition."

"Caroline," Bonnie looked at the blond weirdly and came closer to Ophelia, "I'm Bonnie."

Ophelia bowed her head, "Ophelia."

"So?" Elijah appeared next to her and she slightly flinched, not hearing him come this close.

Bonnie looked at him and then at the Salvatore brothers: "I think I need to hear the proper story before I can say anything."

And so it all went, the memory fresh and painful. Her brothers explained everything that had happened, reminding her of the painful grip of the hybrid that made her place her hand on the neck and wince – there was a bruise, purple, and she knew that it would take time to heal properly.

When they stopped talking, Bonnie, who was sitting near Ophelia on the couch, spoke: "I haven't heard of someone, even a witch, mimicking someone's powers." She turned to Ophelia, "When you woke up, did you hear anything?"

Ophelia uneasily moved in her seat: "A voice."

"What was it telling you?"

"That I need to leave that place. I need to go—and when I saw the fire... It lied to me."

Stefan shifted closer to the edge of the couch, sitting in front of his sister: "Lied to you?"

The woman nodded: "The fire felt as if—a safety haven. It was cold. And the fire felt like home. But it wasn't. Behind the fire was him."

Elijah, who was standing behind the couch, on the side, said: "There are no doubts that a witch has revived Ophelia."

"Witches don't play with resurrection. It is wrong – the nature doesn't allow that."

"Not if you have a witch that already broke the laws of nature," Elijah pointed out.

Bonnie furrowed her eyebrows, shaking her head: "I don't feel any type of magic coming from her. She is as human, even more than Elena is."

"Then I believe my theory is the only one we have," Elijah admitted.

"What is your theory?" Damon stood up, his whole stance screaming that he didn't trust the Original vampire.

"My theory can only be tested if Niklaus is around. I believe we are dealing with something more than a witch's attempt to fix the laws of nature. Perhaps, it is channelling."

The witch disapprovingly frowned: "I could sense if there is even a glimpse of magic that she could channel."

"Not exactly," the Original vampire corrected her. "My brother does not possess magic because of his own nature. Ophelia's ability to mimic him being a hybrid, only suggests it's not magic."

Stefan put the pieces together: "And we need Klaus to see if Ophelia can channel his—powers?"

"No, but that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard!"Damon dramatically crossed his hands. "So what if Ophelia can channel him? Are we actually going to let our sister into the lion's den and expect it will all be fine? Can you assure us that your brother won't actually find a way to kill her and take whatever is inside of her that he needs?"

"It's a theory. I cannot make any promises," Elijah reminded. "But I'll make sure that she will stay alive and healthy."

"Then I vote – hell to the fuck no," Damon shrugged. "If you can't assure me that my sister won't be used by that—idiotic werewolf, I cannot allow her to just jump into her own death."

Ophelia slowly stood up – her legs were still a bit weak and not really listening to her demands: "As I said to Elijah, I am content if my death awaits me."

"Well, I'm not," Damon looked at her. "I am not, Ophelia. Because we," he pointed at Stefan, "were the ones to pull you out of the river. Those—murderers did not even give you a funeral. They just left you there to rot." He noticed her tear up, her hands ending up on her chest. "I'm not giving you another funeral, Ophelia."

"What other choice do I have, my dearest?" Ophelia whispered. "I know I am supposed to be dead and I know my existence is only a problem, nothing else. But if that man will try to hurt you because of me – I will not be able to survive it. Because I died with the thought that I could not even bury you two. I could not even let you rest in peace."

Damon's heart shattered hearing her call him 'my dearest'. It was a nickname she called them all the time when they weren't so busy annoying her. Even if it was hard to believe, it was his sister standing in front of him and knowing the situation they were given – she would have to go to meet danger.

"Then I'll go with her," Damon concluded.

"It wouldn't be wise," Elijah disagreed.

"I'm not asking for your permission, oldie. I'm going with her," Damon stood to his ground.

Stefan nodded, "I am going as well."

Elijah only chuckled, "Well, if that's the case. I think my brother will be slightly—out of place when he will see such unity of a family."

my lovelies,

I apologize for the late update as I have just not been in the mood to write. But I really like the way this version is coming out. What do you think about it?

bcs the interaction between Damon and Ophelia actually made be tear up stfu

-sunny