I was being honest! Alexander cannot sing, sounds like a bloody chicken dying.
I’ve done my best to stay away from my daughter, she doesn’t need my ghosts haunting her. Our ghosts are rather pathetic, it’s why they are dead in the first place. [ignoring Alexander’s glare, instead focusing on Alaric, looking over his shoulder, shaking her head] I haven’t, but I do assume soon..it has to be rather boring to whoever managed this, correct? Can’t keep it going forever.
[Ric outright chuckles.] Damn, Rebekah. What's he doin', tryna sing you lullabies to haunt ya?
Ah. That's smart... [Ric glances from this Alexander guy to Rebekah, finding the little rivalry a little amusing. Heh. Looked like the dumb jock type to him, 'cept, y'know, hundreds of years ago. At her response, he nodded, sobering.] Yeah. Hopefully. Wish they'd stuff a sock in it sometimes, but hey, only so much you can do when you don't know where they're buried. [He shrugged, crossed his arms, tried not to be worried.]
Oh..they would have been a terrible band honestly.
Mhm, most of my romances turn out that way. I’m sure he has ghosts far worse than a woman hunter. [nodding softly] I’m aware, I’ve been around for some time. Perhaps I’m holding out for a good ghost to show up.
Mm, I'll bet. -- Well, so long as he's not getting all poltergeist on you or your kid. You guys' collection of ghosts is probably a bit more impressive than my entourage over there. [Ric glanced behind his shoulder, grimaced, and sobered up, any traces of attempted lightness gone.] Have you, uh... heard from anyone how long this is gonna last..?
"Gotta love it." Elena said quietly, forcing a small smile though it looked more strained than genuine. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, though her bangs fell back into her face almost immediately. She looked back at her mom and swallowed.
"She’s alright… the rest of my family is at home right now though. Arguing about… my life. As if they’re still apart of it." She scoffed a little and shook her head. She sat down and curled her knees up, so that her arms wrapped around her legs, her chin resting on her knees. Some times it was easy to forget how young she actually was. That she was 21 years old and hadn’t spoken to her parents in 4 years. "I’m a disappointment.. I dated vampires, and dealt with demons…"
“And then you died.” Miranda’s voice echoed softly from the other side of room and Elena felt the ache in her heart.
"Not exactly daughter of the year for council members."
Alaric nodded, refraining from asking about Isobel. His talk with her had -- well, damn, seeing the woman again had brought up a lot've old memories, good and the bad. So he bit his tongue on that one, respected the fact that he and Isobel had finally said goodbye, and that was that. Now, when Elena said that she was a disappointment, a fiery protectiveness lept within his chest and his jaw clenched, eyes flicking to Miranda as she added in that her daughter had died.
When Elena was finished speaking, he shook his head defiantly.
"But you're here now. You beat all of that. You're stronger than anyone I know, 'Lena," he insisted, though he still kept his distance, wary of her mother's ghost. "You... you always get back up again. Don't let anyone tell you different, 'specially yourself." She was always her own worst critic. Pinching the bridge of his nose and grimacing, Alaric didn't -- he felt stupid and awkward because he felt like he was always saying the same goddamned thing, but hell, he'd keep sayin' it till she believed it, he just... he knew he was the last person who oughtta be giving advice, and in front of her mom like that?
So he shut up, and quietly wished he'd melt into the floor or somethin' as his own ghosts glared in at them from just outside the window, some grotesque and groaning, others merely staring with the kind of hatred borne only from a thirst for vengeance.
He daggered me, and my family..and then Klaus killed him, and the rest of them. Perhaps, I doubt he even loved me, just needed to keep me around till he figured out a way to kill me. The five are a group of extremely skilled hunters. I don’t believe there were even boy bands back in that day.
Yeah, the uhh band thing -- actually just a bad joke on my part...
Well, that guy sounds like a real charmer. Sucks he had to use you for his master scheme or whatever. Should've been a lady hunter after Klaus. [Shrugs nonchalantly, shaking his head.] Eh -- anyway. You know that salt and iron keeps the ghosts out? If not, now ya do. Same rules as demons far as that's concerned.
Alaric didn't recognize the scolding voice, not at first. But when he heard some kind've shriek, he definitely did turn, just in time to see a couple of his not-so-friendly ghosts go out in some kinda blazin' light. As the sparks died down, he was able to make out the shape behind it.
-- He sent her a look. "Geezus, Iz," he sighed, exasperated.
"Hey, you," she offered in return with a sly little grin.
Years had gone by, and frankly, harder times. It was one thing to lose someone you loved -- another to lose a kid you loved, a kid you failed, who's death you saw coming and had to wait out after your failed attempt left no question that it was inevitable.
That... and Ric remembered everything. "You're such a bitch," he reminded her as they walked the street. "How did I marry you?" Isobel looped her arm within his for that. He'd given her another scathing look in return, but she shrugged it off and reminded him she was dead so he ought to allow her some comfort. "Take off, and then take my memories with you. D'you know how much easier things would've been if you'd just --"
"Let you know how much I regretted it?" Isobel laughed dryly. "Alaric, you're not fooling anyone. If you'd known that would have defeated the whole purpose. Besides..." She pursed her lips thoughtfully. "I think I like that Jenna. She's... sweet. Good. Nice pick, Al."
Alaric rolled his eyes disbelievingly and looked ahead of them. It was quiet, for a haunted town. Isobel's head canted to the side. Soon enough, her gaze grew distant, and her silence alerted Alaric to the fact that she was thinking... which had always proven to be a revelatory sort of thing, though not necessarily good.
Her lips parted, and Alaric nudged her. "Don't. I don't wanna hear it."
"You just said --"
"There's a difference between theft of memories and not having said memories."
"So fucking literal..." she sighed, and fell silent again.
"Impatient as always," he retorted dryly, unbothered. She flashed him a tiny grin but stayed quiet for the next couple of blocks.
"Where were you headed, anyways?" Isobel wondered some time later, a furrow between her brows. "I hope not the house. I'm not into the home-wrecking thing any more."
Alaric sent her a look that very clearly stated 'Really?' which was, naturally, returned with a wide eyed 'It is what it is.'
"No," he finally relented. "Actually just finished dinner."
Isobel paused mid-step, and Ric had the unpleasant experience of walking straight through her arm. He noticed a second too late, and turned.
"Don't make light of that," she said, and her voice was softer than before, and her typically cold expression seemed to have melted. "This has got to be killing you, Ric. I know you. You're not fit for..." She trailed off, gesturing lamely towards him.
Alaric frowned and shoved his hands in his pockets. "But it happened. So, I'm dealing. There's a hell of a lot more to worry about than this -- and I've been withfang for a couple years now." He shrugged, but Isobel made that little huffing noise that he knew to mean 'don't you fucking move, we are so not done here.'
"You haven't had a proper conversation with your mother or father since I left. Your little sister is a grown woman who's already had two long term boyfriends -- look at your life, Ric!" Her tone was dangerously close to begging, and she stepped towards him, placing her hands on his shoulders. "I understand you needed to look after Elena. I -- I'm weirdly jealous sometimes, but you do what you can, and you are so good at being -- good! But you need to be... a little selfish here. Or you're never gonna make it."
He was quiet, wondering where this sudden sincerity was coming from... and, admittedly, just how much she'd seen on the Other Side. He wasn't proud of most of what he'd done for a long while now.
Pale, ghostly fingers came up to cup his jaw line. "You're so stuck..." More stuck than me, I think, she didn't say. "And I've seen you hurt. Jenna loves you. More than I ever could. Elena loves you more than she'll ever love me. It's different for you."
"C'mon, Iz," Ric interrupted, uncomfortable with the whole -- Isobel being Izzy, that girl from college again, thing. Secretly a hopeless romantic when she wasn't cussing out the nearest douche bag for making a pass.
"Shut it." Isobel closed her eyes a moment, refocusing. "Just promise me you'll quit treating yourself like your only purpose is to help everyone else. You're your own person, too. You need to help yourself, let others help you." Her smile was very brittle, eyes bright. "Not that I have any advice in that department."
Alaric was speechless as Isobel took her hand back and stepped away, looking at the side walk. She wasn't -- she stopped talking, and his gut told him she was gonna go.
"Wait!" he exclaimed. "Just wait a sec. Iz?"
Shining blue eyes found his reluctantly.
"Just... don't go again without sayin' bye. You owe me that, huh?"
Isobel smiled, and nodded. "I'll be around," she allowed, a little of her sass returning. He chuckled once, without much humour. But then she sighed, sobering up.
Mhm, that’s right, your alter ego was a joy to be around. Nine hundred years ago, one of the five, ex fiancee. He’s not too thrilled with what my brother did.
And he's haunting you? For what Klaus did? Man, what a dick. Maybe you avoided a catastrophic marriage on that one. Was the Five some sort've viking boy band?
[Alaric's frown deepened -- concern warring with curiosity -- and he turned... yep.]
[There she was. He recognized her from the family photos. He flinched and took a step away from Elena, expecting Mrs Gilbert to not want him within a ten mile radius of her daughter... especially with the crowd of people standing just outside the windows, gored and broken, each of them glaring at Alaric, their killer, Bill Forbes among them.] Uhm -- [He looked from Elena to her mother, hands raised slightly before he cleared his throat and crossed his arms uncomfortably.] Huh. Freakin' apocalypse, eh? [He grimaced at himself, before looking at Elena.] Are you -- I mean, is this... okay, for you? Did you need me too -- [He trailed off. Her mother's ghost didn't seem... malevolent. Not like a couple others he'd gotten rid of since all of this started.]
