chapter twenty- four
Alex finally gained the courage to enter the Salvatore home. she was greeted with Bon Jovi playing on the surround sound and Stefan nodding his head to the music while his ghost best friend Lexi danced.
"starting the party without me?" Alex grins fondly.
Stefan looked towards the entrance with his drunken gaze, but immediately sobers up when he sees who's standing at the door.
"I knew it," Stefan sped in front of Alex and kissed her passionately. it was a short kiss, but the love was there all the same. he pulled away and held onto her waist and turned to Lexi, "there's nothing that can kill my girl"
Lexi and Alex locked eyes where an immediate understanding occurred. Lexi knew that she was a ghost too, but neither would tell Stefan. not yet.
"it's good to finally meet the famous Alex Pierce. I've heard lots about you over the years," Lexi said while walking towards them.
Alex let out a small laugh, "I know for a fact that not all of it is good"
Lexi shrugged, "yeah, he did hate you for a long time," she nudged Stefan's side, "but he hasn't shut up about you since I came back"
Stefan put his arm around Lexi's shoulder, "I have an idea...why don't we drink some more and hangout. you two can bond and I can spend some time with my two favorite people in the world"
Lexi sends a look to Alex before talking to Stefan, "why don't you and Alex spend some time together first and I'll meet up with you guys after your graduation"
Alex tilts her head to Lexi, "Lexi you deserve to be here. It's what Stefan wants and when he's happy I'm happy"
both girls held gaze, neither backing down. Lexi wanted Stefan to be with Alex before she left too. she's been able to see him before, but this is Alex's first goodbye.
and Alex wanted to make Stefan happy until she had to leave. she knew how much Lexi means to Stefan and she wanted him to have fun today.
"is there something going on?" Stefan asks when he noticed that the two girls were glaring at each other.
Alex pats her boyfriends chest, "just girl things, you wouldn't understand"
Stefan nods and perks up again, "i'm going to get some more liquor and blood...you two become besties"
as soon as he left down the stairs for the cellar, Lexi stood close enough to Alex to whisper to her.
"are you going to tell him?"
Alex hesitates to answer, because she's not even sure herself how she would tell Stefan that she's dead and not coming back.
Lexi continues, "he needs to know today, and not right before we get sent back, as soon as he comes back up here you need to tell him"
"how am I supposed to do that? Damon's looking for a way to bring me back...what if that works?"
Lexi narrows her eyes. she may not be a witch, but he knows plenty about the supernatural to know what you need to bring someone back from the dead, "that requires black magic"
Alex nods curtly, "I know. I've had my fair share of it in my body before to know that it's dangerous, but I don't really have another choice"
the blonde scoffs, "from what i've heard you're a thousand years old, the other choice is to accept this and find peace"
giving up is the last choice she wants to make. every single time Alex has had to make a tough decision she didn't back down until the last second. she trusts Damon, and she'll help him look for a damn loophole no matter what.
"you can't change my mind," Alex shrugs, "i'll do whatever it takes. If I have to be consumed by black magic again then so be it, but I won't leave Stefan without a fight"
both vampires hear Stefan begin to come back upstairs. Alex grabs one of the liquor bottles and takes a long swing.
Stefan comes to her side immediately and kisses the top of her head, "so how did it go?"
"I might have to steal your girlfriend," Lexi teases.
Alex catches onto the double meaning. if shit doesn't work, Alex will be joining Lexi in the other side.
Lexi continues, "but for now I'll leave you two alone. Alex said she has to leave in a few so I'll come back when that time comes."
once again Lexi is sending a message to Alex, that when she goes to find a way to stay alive, Lexi will stay with Stefan. he doesn't catch onto their hidden conversation, too focused on the fact that he'll get to have what he thinks will be the best day ever.
"actually, you should stay here," Alex smiles at Stefan, "I have a plan for our date."
"and what would that be?" Stefan asks.
Alex shrugs, wrapping her arms around one of his to lead him outside, "it's a surprise."
"does this surprise have to involve you driving my car?" Stefan asks as he sits passenger while Alex drives him to an unknown destination.
"not really," Alex grabs his hand and intertwines their fingers, "but i've been wanting to drive this for a while and you driving would ruin my plan."
Stefan is quiet for a moment, starring at their combined hands, "that dagger was the only weapon that can kill you, right?"
Alex freezes. she tried to pull away her hand but Stefan holds onto her tightly, "it didn't work."
"then why can't I hear your heartbeat?"
"Stefan..."
"this isn't a spontaneous date..." Stefan tightens his grip unconsciously as a tee falls down his face, "this is a goodbye."
Alex fights hard to not breakdown. she didn't want him to find out this quickly, she totally forgot that she's technically dead. her heart doesn't beat, her hands are cold, and worst of all...she's not a vampire anymore.
that pesky gold dagger not only nullified the immortality spell, but also got rid of her second source of immortality. even if she and Damon can find a way to bring her back, she'll only be a siphoner. which also means she'll die a lot sooner than everyone else, unless she tries to turn into a heretic again.
"Damon is looking for a way to bring me back before I help Bonnie raise the veil. That's why Lexi is going to be with you later."
"and if your plan doesn't work?"
Alex looks at him for a longing moment, "then I'll at least know that my last day was a happy one, because I'd be able to see you one last time."
"and what about your family? you don't want to spend your last day with them?"
Alex recalls her talk with Elijah. Klaus is going to have a child, and they're back in New Orleans, their favorite home. they'll have each other.
"the last thing they need is to know that I died and might not return. they have spent the last thousand years keeping that dagger away from my heart..." Alex wipes her own tears away with her free hand, "I don't want them to blame themselves for not being able to stop this."
"I could have stopped it if I came sooner," Stefan says, "once again I couldn't save you."
Alex pulls off the side of the road and parks the car, giving Stefan her full attention, "I don't need you blaming yourself either. with loopholes come the inevitable. immortality is not for eternity, no matter what anyone thinks. the white oak, the cure, the golden dagger... they are all natures loopholes, and nature always ends victorious."
Stefan turns to face her, "you just said that Damon was going to help you find your own loophole, now you're saying that your death is inevitable and im just supposed to deal with that?"
Alex sighs, "we're going to look for one, but that doesn't mean there actually is one. and even if I can be resurrected, it would involve black magic."
Stefan scoffs, "so either way we're doomed," he looks out at their surrounds and sees that they're parked beside the woods, "this was your plan? a nice walk through the woods?"
"well that's part of it..." this time when she pulls her hand away he lets her, "the surprise is this way."
Stefan reluctantly gets out the car to follow her. he's angry at her for not trying hard enough to live and sad that this may be their last day together after going through hell to be together again, but he can't leave her. if this is their last day together, he wants the memory of it to be a happy one. he wants to remember her smile, her laugh, her touch, and her love.
she leads him deep into the woods, but doesn't say a word, she simply holds onto his arm and smiles like she did in their past life.
Stefan doesn't recognize their path until he sees the broken statues and loose brick where the gate to his former home used to be. the home where he met Alex, where he loved her with every fiber of his being, and where he lost her for 150 years.
"what are we doing here?" he asks.
"reminiscing on the past...how simple and happy our lives used to be," she bites her lip, "do you remember when we used to sneak around the plantation? how I would use my vamp speed to find you?"
he nods, "yeah. I could never beat you."
Alex takes off around the wreckage while giggling, "it's your turn now!"
Stefan began to piece it together. why she drove instead of them using their enhanced speed, taking him to the place where they met when he was human, making him be the one to find her... her immortality is gone. not only was the dagger a loophole to ending the immortality spell, but it also erased the vampire spell. both of those were spells for immortality. she's no longer a heretic, just a witch.
Stefan takes off to find her, which he does in only two seconds. he catches her with his arms wrapped around her in a tight hug. she's not able to hug him back, but she melts into his embrace.
"why does the universe want to keep you away from me?" he speaks muffled with his face buried in her neck.
"because i'm an abomination to nature," she laughs, but she's merely using it as a cover up to not cry, "my family has pretty much used every loophole in the world to keep me alive, but not every problem can be solved."
"don't you want to live?" Stefan asks, pulling away to look into her eyes.
"of course I do, there's nothing in this world I want more than to be by your side," she takes his hands in hers, "Damon and Lexi believe that there's a way to save me because I didn't want you to know...but now..."
"you want to die," Stefan rips his hands away from hers, "now you want to give up?"
"I don't want to give up, but i'm dead Stefan! i'm a ghost right now! the power that came with my immortality is gone so even if there is a way to bring me back Bonnie and I don't have the kind of power it requires!"
Stefan turns away to hide his pained face, "there has to be a way to bring you back. something we've been missing."
"Stefan, look at me," she turns his head back to look at her, "I don't want to leave you. I would never abandon you if I had the choice. I came back from the last time I died... maybe this time might take another 150 years."
Stefan let's his tears fall freely as she holds his face, "I-I don't want to have to wait," he mimics her with his hands on her face, "I want you now. I need you now. I've wished for so long for us to be together again. I'm not letting you go."
Alex wipes his tears as her own fall down her face, "you might not have a choice."
"please...tell me there's something I can do to fix this."
"I want you to promise two things."
"anything."
Alex looks into his eyes, one of her favorite things about him, "promise that you'll keep living. no matter how hard it gets or how much you want the pain to stop...you have to survive it."
he nods, resting his forehead against hers, "I will."
"and promise to remember me. remember the good and the bad. remember that I love you Stefan Salvatore, more than what could be considered humanly possible."
Stefan pulls her into a kiss, one that consumes the both of them. if Alex's last memory could be anything, she would want it to be this. their lips molding together as if they were destined to be so, the passion and love she feels in this moment. every bit of emotion the both of them feel is complied into this one kiss.
Stefan breaks the kiss to speak, "I loved you when I was human. I loved you when I thought you were dead. I love you now. I will love you when I die...and I will continue to love you when I find you in the other side. there is nothing in this world that could stop me from loving you Aleksandra Mikaelson. I promise that."
Alex kisses him again, their tears combining like their lips and tongues. after another long moment she pulls away, her eyes still shut.
"when I open my eyes you need to be gone, or else i'm going to make you stay here and you'll miss your graduation."
"I don't care about that," he kisses her nose then her forehead, "I'm staying with you until the end."
"you promised me you would live," she half-heartedly laughs, "that includes graduating for the tenth time."
Stefan let's out a heavy breath, "I don't want this to be the last time I see you."
"you'll see me again. it might be in the other side, or when I find a way to come back here. I promise that."
"i'll remember that too."
Stefan kisses her one last time. even though he wants to desperately to stay like this and never let go, he pulls away when she kisses him back. the act alone shatters his soul.
when Alex feels the cold air on her lips, she opens her eyes. Stefan left like she told him to, and he took her heart with him.