Elena absently started scrolling through old photos on her phone suddenly stopping when she came upon an old picture of herself with Damon. Her mind wandering back to that night when it started to rain. He¡¯d wanted to get inside but she¡¯d insisted it would clear up then there was that kiss. Their words echoing in her mind.?
¡®Promise me this is forever.¡¯
¡®I promise.¡¯
The memory brought a sad smile to her lips. Could she really expect him to keep that promise after their last conversation? ¡°It¡¯s a little complicated. When we said our goodbyes I told him that I wanted him to be happy...to live his life. He....He had wanted to let himself desiccate until the day I woke up. We¡¯d thought it was going to be something like sixty or seventy years until that happened.¡±
It¡¯s possible he¡¯d found someone else in the five years since Kai put her under a sleeping curse or that he¡¯d fallen out of love with her. But she had to know where they stood, one way or another, then if her fears were right there might be considerable amounts of alcohol or cookies ¡®n cream ice cream involved. The latter wouldn¡¯t make her feel quite as bad the next day though.
She looked up from the picture on the small glowing screen then at him when he spoke of his mother¡¯s return. It encouraged a little wishful thinking on her part and distracted her from rising fears about her relationship with Damon.?
Noting that Mihnea seemed a little on the uncomfortable side she felt uncertain whether to respond at all outside of looking back at the image of happier times. It was the safe choice she supposed but if he was making an effort whether calculated or genuine then she wouldn¡¯t let herself get swept away in memories of the past and fears of what might be.?
She gave a small, yet understanding smile. There were times she¡¯d gotten back people she¡¯d lost and it felt like no time at all had passed. The day with Alaric and Jeremy for instance.?
¡°It¡¯s hard not want those rings for the people I care about but after everything with Alaric...¡± She was less certain whether the ¡®Gilbert rings¡¯ were the answer even with the magical work around Bonnie had found. But had it even worked? Or did his alter ego just hide the herbs instead of taking them?
¡°The Petrova doppelg?nger line started about two thousand years ago when a man named Silas and his true love became immortal in the sense that nothing could kill them so nature in its need for balance created a version of them that could die...a shadow self or doppelg?nger. I don¡¯t know how or if it was determined but what later became known as the Petrova doppelg?ngers were born once every five hundred years.¡±?
Her life had gotten so complicated after learning about all of that though the origin story came much later on. Placing the phone back inside her pocket she continued. ¡°First I met Katherine Pierce, who yes is an ancestor of mine, but her name was once Katerina Petrova. She was basically a survivor with a tendency to be manipulative...not at all trustworthy...and only in it for herself.¡±
She mentally kicked herself for having ever been dumb enough to forgive her even when she was on her deathbed she¡¯d still managed to betray her. But there was that one instance that made her think that maybe, just maybe, Katherine cared about someone other than herself. ¡°But she did walk into a trap so that her daughter wouldn¡¯t die alone so I suppose there¡¯s that.¡±
Shaking off that train of thought to tell him a little about the one who came before. ¡°After I woke up...I met the one who lived a thousand years ago...Tatia Petrova. She seems more like me personality wise though does have small things in common with Katherine too.¡±
Kat