Dark Moon | Klaus Mikaelson

Chapter 57

October 16, 2012

When Esmeray returned to New Orleans, she was far stronger.

She remained in Mystic Falls for only one month. She grieved alongside her friends, who had lost both Bonnie and Damon on the same day. Elena and Caroline were inconsolable. At least Caroline had someone— she appeared to be getting close with a vampire named Enzo, who Esmeray recognized from Damon's memories.

But Elena felt that she was alone. In trying to help Alaric adjust to being a normal Original vampire, she'd been isolated, which was made worse by the fact that Stefan decided he wanted to start his life all over again without giving anyone information about where he'd be. Elena felt torment thinking it was her fault Damon had died. She felt torment thinking that Stefan left because of her. She had not officially gotten back together with him even after months of not being with Damon, and it was destroying her, because she felt it was her fault that Stefan lost his brother.

Esmeray did her best work soothing her. She performed Mind Spells on her every other day, putting her to sleep and doing her best work to ease her suffering. But she wasn't going to be able to improve until she got to see Stefan again, and though Esmeray tried to locate him, she knew he didn't want to be found, and had instead helped Elena get set up with a proper therapist where Alaric would be monitoring her progress.

"It seems you've been checking up on everyone," said Alaric when she came by his classroom to pick up some books that she wanted to read on the plane ride to West Virginia, to check on the pack there. "But no one's checked up on you."

She shrugged. "I'll be fine."

"Doesn't look like it. After your close friend was murdered, you spent months helping your boyfriend's babymama with her pregnancy only for her to tell you to piss off when the baby died even when you did your best to keep it safe. You literally got kidnapped in trying to help that kid. Then, you lost your best friend and you haven't seen your boyfriend in weeks. That's a lot for one person to go through in a short span of time. I can't relate to what you're going through in other aspects, Esme, but Damon was one of my best friends, too. And if I'm not doing okay... neither are you."

Esmeray huffed and came to sit on his desk. "What do you want me to tell you, Ric? That I'm going to go get help for it? I have things to do. Damon would be making fun of me if I sulked forever. You know what he'd say? He'd say... 'have a drink to celebrate my life then go bone your man to get the anger out. You'll see me again, one day.' That's just how Damon is. He hates seeing me sad. And poor Bonnie had already been through so much and she couldn't be saved, either. We can't go into Mystic Falls because there's a spell that not even I can take down. It's just too much magic for one person to try and remove alone unless their body was made to withstand that. And from the witches I know... we'd all be lit on fire if we tried. Even me. I can't focus on what I can't fix. I can't bring them back."

"We can just talk about it if you need to."

"You hate Klaus. The last thing you need is for me to be talking about him to you. I'll be okay. I should just get going. Do something productive, help the wolves... see if I can find anyone who has Poldark blood. I'm just a phone call away if any of you need me." She cast him a small smile. "I'm coping, Ric. You don't have to worry about me."

But deep down, hybrid felt empty. She recalled that when she met Damon, he was the last person she thought she'd be close to. Now, his loss was bringing back the pain she felt when Anya was killed. She cried herself to sleep every night that first month. She hadn't been able to focus whenever she was alone and trying to do something productive. She wanted Klaus's comfort this time, but she knew that it was best for her to stay away from New Orleans.