#beingstories

she’s surprisingly calm.   frighteningly so. something about this feels terribly practised despite it being her first time. maybe it’s the fact that she’s already in too deep. damon is already dead. his head has already been delivered to stefan’s doorstep, wrapped in a tidy, neat little bow. this, now, elena quietly sitting in the chair under her orders, seems a bit tame in comparison.

caroline grips the back of the chair hard enough for the wood to splinter just slightly under her hand. she can hear klaus’ footsteps nearing the open door, slow and measured. she counts down the seconds she still has left to back out— 5... the window is open, she could just hop right out, run, disappear before she ever has to face klaus the hybrid. klaus the horrible. (but oh, no amount of running will change the fact that she had already become caroline the murderer). 4 ... 3 ... 2 ...

                   “ Is it really any surprise he left you on the side of the road? “ eyes widen as she realises what she’s said but she can’t stop herself. Is she projecting? Is this really how she feels? “ I mean, look at you, you’re pathetic. “ brunette scoffs, hand running dark tresses as she works her jaw.  “ You can’t even keep it together for five minutes, even when your sisters life depends on it! “ she exclaims. “ and you have visions, for gods sake you could help me find her but you don’t even know how to use them- or you won’t. “ hand fly up into the air. “ I’m not a babysitter, if you’re not here to help, go home. “

“    she  isn’t  mine.    ”    he  says  it  as  a  reminder  to  himself.  he  does  it  every  so  often.  she’s  his  niece.  she  is  elijah’s  daughter.  grayson’s  daughter.  not  his  responsibility,  not  his  problem.  he  believed  and  lived  by  that,  for  as  long  as  he  could.

❝  i’m  sorry.  he’s  doing  WHAT  now?  ❞  simon,  run.

           ‘ as much as i would love to stay and talk, i’m afraid these linens won’t dry themselves. ‘ well, they would, but it would be much easier if she had the chance to hang them up first to be dried.

                          “ It’s Meggie, isn’t it? “ Bryn queries gently. “ if I'm not mistaken. “ a pause, gaze assessing and the original shoves hands into pockets in a moment of sombre concentration while she studies the girl before speaking again. “ I understand it must be- difficult; having everything you thought you knew change on it’s axis overnight. “ she tries for reassuring but likely falls flat. “ I assure you it was quite the shock for us too. “ there’s a small smile there though as she looks at the young girl. “ I know my brother- Elijah, can be quite...” another pause, considering the best way to put this. “ Stoic, or perhaps aloof but family means everything to him, he’s very loyal in that way and Meggie, you are family now. “

               She always had been, they’d just never realised it, or perhaps Elijah had known this whole time and decided it was best a secret buried. Never the less it was out now and she can only imagine what the girl is going through. 

That stubbornness, unrelenting and so very self-assured was entirely...Solo. She could hear it lacing her daughter’s tone, and if they were standing face-to-face, Leia was sure that she might’ve seen a familiarly adamant expression to pair. Perhaps if she had apt time to ponder the source of such mannerisms she might come to the conclusion that she was as equally to blame as her husband was for them, but no. Not now, now her mind offered up suggestions as to what the proper response would be and Leia had to consider if any of them were truly the right one. 

A hand came up to pinch the bridge of her nose between thumb and forefinger, a sigh escaping from between barely parted lips as she trailed behind Jaina- grown now, no longer a little girl and all the more her own person. How long had it been? “You don’t have to go, Jai.”