CASTLE OF THE ROSE

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE | I

Logan was quite restless the night before the ritual. She couldn't go to sleep for quite some time; she'd slept entirely too well the night before, which meant she was energized for too long. She also kept thinking about Elijah and having embarrassing fangirling moments. Then she started thinking about the dagger and the ritual and she started worrying. It was a vicious cycle of the same thoughts, really.

There was one other addition to this already catastrophic combination: Elena wouldn't stop blowing up Logan's phone. She called quite a few times and left a couple of apologetic voicemails, and texted her a lot, too. At one point, though, the texts turned from apologizing to justifications—like we had to do it bc we couldn't trust him! And we didn't know if he was rly loyal to us!

Logan ignored all of this, or did her best to. The only person whose call she answered—because Caroline called as well—was Bonnie's. Logan had been laying splayed out across her bed, watching dumb cat videos on her laptop, when her phone started buzzing. Logan growled to herself in annoyance and leaned over to snatch it up from where she'd left it on the wrinkled bedspread.

When she saw it was Bonnie she released a breath of relief, and then answered. "Hey."

"Elena and Caroline are freaking out," Bonnie said, bypassing greetings. "What happened?"

"They didn't explain?"

Bonnie scoffed. "They tried. I want to hear it from you."

Logan considered. "Well," she said, "long story short, I guess, Elena randomly killed Elijah and then had the Salvatores store him in their basement for a month. Caroline knew about it and didn't say anything."

"Wait, Elena did it?" Bonnie demanded. Before Logan could confirm this, Bonnie huffed in annoyance and continued, "She made it sound like it was impossible to avoid, like Elijah attacked her first or something, and Stefan did it. I thought that didn't make any sense. Now it does." Bonnie sighed. "And they told both of us that he left town."

Logan nodded, even though she knew Bonnie couldn't see her. "Yup."

"Damn," said Bonnie matter-of-factly.

Logan let out a gusty breath of a laugh. "Yup!"

"Your rage is understandable," Bonnie said. She hesitated, and then asked, "So, uh, you and Elijah…?"

Logan wasn't quite sure what Bonnie was asking about here—there were too many questions Logan herself couldn't begin to answer—and she waited. When Bonnie didn't continue, though, Logan decided to tackle the non-question with the most concrete answer. "We're soulmates," Logan said.

Bonnie didn't answer for a second, so Logan explained: "Apparently it's this thing witches did in order to keep the Originals from turning evil. Each Original is connected to a person who's supposed to help them keep their humanity."

"Oh," said Bonnie. "I guess that makes sense." She paused. "You know witches tend not to trust vampires. Much less ones that are thousands of years old."

"And virtually indestructible," Logan agreed.

"Speaking of, Elena also mentioned that there's some sort of plan for the ritual tomorrow," said Bonnie. "Could you elaborate?"

Logan proceeded to explain what she knew of the plan to Bonnie, and the two of them talked for nearly an hour. Logan probably wouldn't have gotten off the phone with her for a while longer if her mother—who was still angry with her for not updating her on her pretend sleepover at Elena's—had not stopped by her room and taken her cell phone.

Fortunately her phone had a passcode on it that Logan refused to say; and, again quite fortunately, Elijah had already texted Logan earlier about meeting at the Salvatore Boarding House at eight.

Logan passed out around four-thirty, after a few very long hours spent reading a library book on Eleanor of Aquitaine. She woke with a start, her cheek pressed against the corner of the book, at seven-thirty. Once she managed to find a clean pair of leggings, Logan was out of the house in fifteen minutes. She could only pray that this meeting would be short and everyone would arrive on time—she really couldn't push it any further with her mother as it was.

When Logan pulled up in front of the Salvatore Boarding House, Elijah's car was already parked at the curb. She put her own car into park and rushed to climb out of the driver's seat and hurry to the front door of the sprawling house.

She was barely two quick steps around the back of her car, though, when Elijah emerged from his own car. Logan halted and turned to look at him. "Good," she said with real relief as Elijah quite calmly approached. He was wearing a suit Logan was fairly certain she hadn't seen before and he looked particularly fantastic this morning. He was also carrying a wooden box, which probably held the elixir. "I thought you'd already gone in."

"Not without you," said Elijah mildly. He nodded at Logan, who half smiled back; and the two of them turned toward the mansion.

For a second they both studied it. Logan folded her arms. "Could you just leave the elixir on the front porch?" she suggested. "Then we won't have to face any of them."

"While that may be true," said Elijah, "that would mean I would not be invited in."

With that said he moved forward. Logan couldn't help it: she smirked to herself as she took a few quick steps to catch up with him. She didn't know what he was planning for the Salvatores—probably something violent—but she assumed he would keep to his word and not kill either of them. And Logan, furious with Stefan and Damon, was completely ready to see some violence happen.

In a few short seconds both of them had crossed the front lawn and ascended the brick front steps to the little porch.

Elijah reached up and knocked on the front door. Logan tossed her hair back. "Are you prepared?" Elijah asked her with some faint amusement.

"Probably not," remarked Logan.

She was barely able to say this before the door was swinging open and there stood Elena. Elena focused on Logan first. Her expression was contrite and meek, and she said, waving a little, "Um, hi, Logan."

When Logan just looked at her, Elena glanced at Elijah. "Hi, Elijah."

"Good morning, Miss Gilbert," said Elijah, businesslike. "If you would invite me inside we could go over the terms of our deal."

Elena's eyes flicked over him for a second, and she half moved to look at Logan again. Then she turned back toward Elijah. "I'm not sure—"

"Just invite him in," interrupted Logan. "Come on."

Elena shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Logan raised her eyebrows challengingly at her. "Well?" Logan pushed. "Do you want the elixir or not?"

After a second of evident internal debate Elena sighed and kind of gestured at the door with one hand. "I guess that's it, then," she said, evidently resigned to her fate. "You can come in."

"Thank you," said Elijah politely. He stepped forward, past the doorframe, and Logan entered the house just after him.

Elena shut the door behind them, and then led the way into one of the various fancy living rooms in the mansion. Logan glanced around as they followed. It was weird to realize that she had technically been here only yesterday. It was also weird to think that for the past month Elijah had been here, dead. Well—deader than usual.

Logan snuck a glance at Elijah, his perfect profile and his positively serene expression. He caught the look and smirked very faintly at her. Nope, Logan thought, turning ahead again. She was never going to forgive Elena or the Salvatores.

Stefan was standing in the living room by a coffee table. When the three of them entered the room he instantly turned around, and Elena walked over to stand beside him without pausing. "Hello," he said to Logan and Elijah, somewhat warily. He looked at Elena for a second and cleared his throat. "Thank you for agreeing to another deal."

"I wouldn't thank me just yet," said Elijah. He turned to offer the wooden elixir box to Logan, who accepted it, and then faced Stefan and Elena. Logan did the same, and was displeased to find Elena already looking at her, apparently trying to silently express whatever bullshit apology she was probably planning to say later.

Logan did her best to ignore this and focused on Elijah. "As both of you, I am sure, are aware," said Elijah, "the full moon is tonight."

"What does Klaus need for the curse?" asked Elena.

"I assure you that he will have already obtained it," Elijah answered. "He has been waiting a very long time to break it—for he was a vampire born of a werewolf bloodline. This curse has kept his werewolf aspect from manifesting. When he breaks it, he will be a true hybrid."

This was when the final player, whom Logan had thought would be here earlier, walked heavily into the room. Upon Damon's entrance Elijah turned slightly more toward him. "Then why are we letting him break the curse?" Damon demanded. "We can kill him right now." He looked around at everyone significantly. "With Bonnie."

"Damon," said Stefan warningly.

"No," said Elena at the same time. "Bonnie can't use that much power without dying."

"I'll write her a great eulogy!" protested Damon.

Logan scoffed, but Damon didn't even look at her, or Elijah; he was staring at Elena, who was staring intensely back. "It's not an option, Damon," said Elena. She and Damon continued to stare at each other for a second, which Logan observed with a combination of interest and annoyance.

Stefan returned his attention to Elijah, dismissing Damon totally. "So how do we break this curse?"

"That is not important, as doubtlessly Niklaus will be prepared to do so," Elijah answered a little shortly. "What is important will be your part in it." He nodded toward Elena, who nodded slightly back. "Your part will be the final one. Klaus must drink the blood of the doppelganger to the point of your death."

For some reason everyone in the room reacted as if this was the first time they had heard this piece of information. Stefan rubbed his forehead and reached out to take Elena's hand, and Elena looked, for a split second, extremely concerned. Damon just looked increasingly pissed. "I guess that's where you come in?" Elena said to Elijah.

Elijah turned toward Logan, who held out the wooden box. Elijah swung it open and withdrew a crystallized-looking glass that had to hold the mysterious elixir. "This is an elixir that I acquired some…five hundred years ago, for Katerina. It possesses mystical properties of resuscitation."

"So…I'll be dead?" surmised Elena.

"And then you won't," said Elijah.

"That's your plan?" demanded Damon, throwing his arms in the air. "A magical witch potion with no expiration date?" He rounded on Elena. "You want to come back to life, what about John's ring?"

Elijah was starting to look faintly annoyed. Logan was sure she was the only one who could tell, but Damon was beginning to push it. "Those rings only work on humans," said Elijah. "The doppelganger is a supernatural occurrence. Odds are the ring won't work."

"I'll take those odds over your elixir," said Damon derisively. He glanced back at Elena. "What if it doesn't work, Elena?"

"Then I guess I'll just be dead," said Elena flatly.

Damon huffed and started to turn, as if heading back out of the room. Elijah cleared his throat. "However a deal involves two parties," Elijah said. He returned the elixir to the wooden box and then closed it, and Logan adjusted her grip on it. "I shall ask for one thing in return."

"Hang on," said Elena, holding up her hand. Damon, near the edge of the room, had paused and turned back, and was eyeing Elijah suspiciously; Stefan was, too. "Will you keep to the terms of our other deal? And keep everyone safe?"

"Let us decide on the terms of the new deal before returning to the old one," said Elijah with a hint of sarcasm. "All I ask in return is an apology."

Logan half glanced at him. She didn't know what she'd been expecting but she was pretty sure it hadn't been that. "A what?" said Damon, also apparently taken by surprise.

Stefan looked at Elena, and back at Damon. He turned and took a couple of steps forward, toward Elijah. "I'm sorry for the part that I played in your death," said Stefan. He paused deliberately. "I was protecting Elena. I will always protect Elena."

Logan snorted, because that was a really terrible apology. Stefan didn't even look at her; instead he nodded at Elijah and moved to step back. However Elijah lifted one hand. "You are not finished," he said. His tone was still light but there was a sharper edge beneath it. Stefan just looked at him, brow furrowed, and Elijah gestured a little toward Logan, who glanced back, bemused.

Stefan looked at her, expression clearing. At least he did actually seem mildly apologetic now. "I'm sorry for helping compel you, Logan."

Immediately after he said this he looked back to Elijah for guidance.

"And?" said Elijah.

Stefan studied him for a second, and then looked back at Logan. "And I'm sorry for forcing you to kill Elijah."

"Sure," said Logan with barely any emotion. She doubted he was truly sorry.

This left Damon. Everyone in the room turned to look at him, and he looked mutinously back. "So that's it?" said Damon. "You're trusting him?" He seemed to be asking Elena.

"I am," Elena confirmed.

Damon faintly sneered. "You can all go to hell."

This was the last straw. Logan saw Elijah shift out of the corner of her eye, unbuttoning his suit jacket, and she stepped to the side, closer to the wall; and just as Damon turned to take a step away, Elijah sped around the living room, passing Logan, and halted directly in front of Damon. "As far as apologies go," said Elijah, "that may be the worst I have ever heard."

Before Damon could even respond Elijah had turned and slammed him against the wall, one hand around his throat. "I'm sure I can make it worse," Damon managed to choke out, struggling futilely.

"Elijah, please don't—" Elena pleaded, voice half hysterical already. Logan side-eyed her with some interest because she seemed really concerned about Damon's wellbeing. Logan wasn't nearly as concerned, as she was sure Elijah wouldn't kill him. Besides, Damon deserved whatever he got.

Stefan, tense, and Elena, visibly panicky, both watched in apprehension as Damon flailed. Elijah was entirely unbothered. He said something to Damon, voice so low that Logan couldn't make it out. "Oh," Damon coughed in response. "I get it now. She f—"

He couldn't even finish: in a shadow of movement Elijah broke Damon's arm, and a split second later he kicked his knee so hard it audibly cracked—Damon yelped—

Stefan flashed over to them and grabbed Elijah's shoulder, but Elijah was much faster, and he was already snapping Damon's neck—he whirled around and instantly broke Stefan's too. The Salvatore brothers thudded to the ground, dead, at the same time.

Elena shrieked and rushed over to where her two vampire suitors lay on the hardwood floor. Elijah lightning-sped back over to stand by Logan. "I have been absolutely dying to do that," he said when he arrived, matter-of-fact about it. He nodded at Logan and rebuttoned his suit jacket. "Are you ready to go?"

Logan stared at him for a second. He was so lighthearted and casual about it. He was by far the strongest person Logan had ever met, and he'd never been hotter. "Uh, yeah," Logan somehow managed to say. "Let's get out of here."

She moved around Elijah to set the wooden elixir box down on the nearest shelf, and as she did, Elena lifted her head from where she kneeled on the floor between Stefan and Damon. Logan and Elena made direct eye contact, and Logan couldn't resist the temptation to salute her.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Elena yelled, as Logan turned and took a step back toward the main hallway.

Logan glanced back over her shoulder. "You left a man dead in a basement for a month and lied to me for a year," she said coldly. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

With that she started back down the hall. Elijah matched her pace, and in a few moments they were in the entryway and then back outside. The second Elijah pulled the front door shut behind them Logan released a breath. "That," she said, turning toward Elijah, "was awesome!"

Elijah half smiled at her. "It could have been far worse."

"Oh, I know," said Logan. "I saw you slap that dude's head off that one time." The corner of Elijah's lips turned up a little more and Logan nodded seriously at him. "You're the most badass person I've ever met."

"I do my best," said Elijah, who really did seem both flattered and amused. He turned to head down the few brick front steps, and Logan followed. Within a few steps they were walking beside each other again.

Logan considered. "Do you think they'll bother with the elixir now?"

Elijah shrugged one shoulder. "If you convince your other friends to advise it."

That seemed fair enough. Logan really did trust the elixir, and she was sure Elena could; but now she was also sure that Elena would not want to. Which would be stupid, thought Logan. But, she thought, Elena had done stupider things. Like, for example, daggering Elijah.

Soon the two of them reached the edge of the lawn and the front of Logan's car. Logan and Elijah turned to face each other at the same time. "What time is it?" asked Logan, who still did not have her phone.

Elijah checked his watch. "Eight-thirty."

"Oh, good," said Logan with real relief. "The sooner I get back the better." If she was lucky maybe her mom would be so preoccupied with Ethan and packing coolers that she hadn't even noticed Logan's car was gone.

"I agree," Elijah replied. Logan raised her eyebrows at him, and he added, "I would prefer to have you out of town as quickly as possible."

"Yeah," Logan decided. "Me too." Her staying in the picture tonight would probably do more harm than good. "Speaking of," Logan continued, "be careful tonight."

Elijah faintly smirked at her. "Don't worry," he said somewhat affectionately. "I can always slap some heads off. Which reminds me—" Elijah took a couple of steps backward, closer to his car, and dug his keys out of his pocket, beginning to turn. "Would you mind doing me a tremendous favor?"

"Sure," said Logan, already perplexed. "What is it?"

Elijah swung open the passenger's side door of his car and leaned in to briefly rummage around in the glove compartment. A second later he straightened back up and turned, silver dagger of doom in hand. "Could you hold onto this for me?"

Logan walked over to take it. "Sure," she said as she did. Once she held the dagger she wandered back over to her own car. "I should probably just take this to Charlottesville with me."

"That might not be a bad idea," Elijah agreed.

Logan unlocked her car. She hesitated briefly before opening the back door and moving to jam the dagger into the volleyball bag she'd had in here for months. Yikes, she thought, because there was a pair of shorts in here that really needed a wash. She zipped the bag up and stood back again to slam the door shut.

With this taken care of Logan took a few strides back over to stand closer to Elijah. "Thank you for taking it," said Elijah, stepping a little closer to Logan as well.

"After this weekend I'll destroy it, or attempt," Logan replied. "Or put it in a safety deposit box in Portland, or something."

Elijah snickered. "Why Portland?"

Logan shrugged. "It was the furthest place I could think of." She tilted her head a little, considering. "Although now that I think about it, Alaska would definitely be the better option. Or would Hawaii be further?"

Elijah actually laughed this time, and he reached out almost automatically to brush some of Logan's hair away from her face. "You're cute."

Logan blinked at him, surprised by the compliment. Then she felt herself grin like an idiot. "Shut up," she said, lightly swatting his arm. She could feel a blush creeping up the back of her neck and she did her best to ignore it. Elijah smirked at her.

She studied him for a split second: and then, impulsively, Logan stepped forward to kiss his cheek. Before he could respond she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. "Don't die, okay?"

After a moment Elijah moved to hug her tightly back. "I won't," he said, voice low.

Logan released him first, because she did want to make it home sooner rather than later. She also knew she needed to think about the soulmate thing before whatever this was progressed any further, and she was 99% sure she was about to kiss the man. Elijah moved back, too, somewhat reluctantly. "You need to be careful too," he told her.

"I'll be fine," Logan assured him. She half glanced back over her shoulder at her car. "But I should get going." She faced Elijah again and pointed at him, already starting to move backward. "I'm serious, Eli."

Elijah nodded. He looked grave, and his eyes were dark. "I'm not going anywhere."

"You better not," said Logan. She half smiled at him, and he smirked very faintly back; then Logan turned around and headed off the lawn and across the curb, to the asphalt. When she reached the front of her car she turned back. "Don't trust anyone," Logan called, backing around her car in the direction of the driver's side door. "Make good choices."

"I'll do my best," replied Elijah, raising his hand to salute her.

Logan flashed a smile at him, and he took a small step back. Logan swung open her door and climbed into her car. In a few seconds she had turned it on and was pulling back and away from the curb. As she left she saw that Elijah had already gotten into his car, too. Then he was out of sight.

On her way back home she thought about it. She really needed him to make it out of the ritual alive tonight, whether or not he ended up killing Klaus. Logan wasn't sure if she felt so attached because it was just her or if it was the soulmate thing. But really, was the soulmate thing so bad? Elijah was literally perfect. Logan couldn't even begin to imagine dating anyone else. Not unless she managed to find someone who was Elijah, except minus the apparent bloodlust. But even that was kinda hot.

Okay, Logan told herself. She couldn't make this decision right now. She really did need to sit down and reason through the whole soulmate idea, taking her belief in free will into consideration. Besides that, she thought, glancing back at the dashboard, she needed to get home, stat, and pray that her mother hadn't noticed her car was missing. It was going to be a long-ass day already even without that added drama.

AUTHOR'S NOTE | Aaaaand finally, an update :) I hope y'all have been having wonderful holidays, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you so, so, so much for your continued support! I love y'all!

DISCLAIMER | I don't own The Vampire Diaries.