𝕊aving 𝔾race || 𝕄ikaelsons

δεκαοχτώ||eighteen

•out of the mountain
of despair,
a stone of hope•

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In the darkness, two shadows reach through the hopeless, heavy dusk. Shaky hands meet steady ones, and light spills out of them like a flood. It's like a hundred golden urns pouring out of the sun, it's bright and enchanting. And the warmth of it is so overwhelming, it's hard not to succumb to the beauty of it all.

In that silence, a soothing and familiar voice whispers to her all the secrets she's been wishing to know. And she can't help but to smile, knowing that everything is going to be okay again.

There, with the brightest smile Gianna's ever seen, stands Treyton in all his glory. There's no mistaking the glow that follows him, encompassing every tiny crevice that makes up Treyton Roberts. He's beautiful, and the way he moves is almost angelic. He looks happy, beaming brighter than he ever has before. And Gianna would be lying if she said she didn't tear up a little, seeing her brother so elated and carefree. Finally, she thinks, Treyton's finally found everything he'd been searching for.

Pure and unfiltered happiness.

But then as quickly as his silhouette appeared, it disappears and is replaced with the face of Stefan. And the tears in her eyes turn to those of elation and freedom, because Gianna has never been happier to see her friend than in this moment.

Gianna throws her arms around Stefan, ignoring her body's sharp protests. "I know how to bring him back, Stef." And with his help, she'll do just that.

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The hardest part about killing someone is making up a good story to cover your tracks. Gianna's lucky enough to not have to make up a good story, the Mikaelson's had already taken care of Sarelle's body along with the broken down warehouse they'd been staying in.

The second hardest part is dealing with the regret that follows, and that was something Gianna can't seem to get past. The nightmares, the tricks her eyes play on her, the mysterious phone calls with nobody on the other end; was this all a cause of her own regret? Maybe it's not all in her mind, but maybe it is and Gianna is so full of regret that her mind is caving in on itself. She sees Sarelle's face everywhere, in reflections, around street corners.

Stefan noticed first, but Elijah and Finn were close after. Eventually, all the Mikaelson's noticed, even Esther and Henrik. There's almost an air of penance about Gianna, as if by killing her own mother, which she found so distasteful, she had been trying to repay some kind of debt. And, to judge from the shadowy sadness in which she carries around her like a mantle, it was about as effective as throwing in spadefuls of sand to dam a flowing river. Even the strongest hearts can be fragile, and it takes only seconds to hurt someone Gianna has realized. Although regrettably, sometimes it takes years to repair the damage one has made.

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"What are we running, a marathon?" Gianna flinches slightly at the voice, but once she realizes it's Stefan speaking - with Rebekah and Kol at his side - she turns to face him slightly.

"If you can't keep up." Gianna continues her jog again, her pace only a little slower than before.

"You can't outrun your problems, Gia." Rebekah speaks up this time, but the nickname makes Gianna flinch again. Noticing this, the three break into a walk while Gianna continues running, glaring angrily at the pavement in front of her.

Kol turns to Stefan and chuckles, "Though it sure looks like she's gonna try."

Stefan shakes his head, only laughing slightly before bringing his attention back to Gianna. He catches up to her and bumps their shoulders together. "Hey, I talked to Bonnie and Esther."

This gets her to stop running and she finally turns back to face Stefan again. Rebekah and Kol managed to catch up now, and she purses her lips as she glances between the three of them. Gianna knows what Stefan is talking about, of course she does, but if she says Treyton's name out loud she may totally lose it. She stares at them expectantly, waiting for one of them to continue, but there's just a silence.

With a quick swipe to remove the sweat from her forehead, Gianna rolls her sorrow filled eyes and begins jogging again, pace increasing by the second. She understands the subject of her brother is difficult for Stefan too, but why bring it up without a further explanation into the matter? It seemed like a set up to her, and she wasn't going to entertain it any longer. Gianna refuses to be made as yet another laughing stock.

So she runs. And she runs. And she runs until her body can't take it anymore. Her heartbeat is thumping erratically in her chest, pounding through her like a bowling ball. She stops to catch her breath, air coming out in heavy pants as she looks at her surroundings. The trees and houses around her are unfamiliar, and she furrows her brows slightly in confusion. Had she really ran this far out? It would seem so, but then again nothing seems familiar to Gianna anymore.

She's quick to turn around and make the long trek back home, allowing her thoughts to invade her mind. What had Esther and Bonnie said about what Gianna's planning? She knows bringing her brother back isn't something she can just do 0n her own, but would they really agree to helping her after everything that's happened between the three of them?

As she walks up her driveway, she sees Teegan outside with Stefan and all the Mikaelsons. And she's not going to have to wait for answers much longer, because Bonnie is seen pulling up and everything makes sense.

Gianna Elodie Grace, is getting her brother back.

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1,043 words

Hi guys!

Sorry it's taken me
so long to update,
life was kicking my butt
and then I was going through
a huge writing slump.

Thank you to those of you
who have stuck around,
I really appreciate you.

I promise
I'll try and do better
at updating.

Trust me, I miss it too.