Grace - Elijah Mikaelson -

Chapter 1

"Miss Gilbert?"

Sheriff Forbes stood on the porch of Grace's home. She had been here dozens of times as the families always had been close. But mostly she had been here to walk her daughter Caroline over when she was younger.

That was the odd thing. Since when did Sheriff Forbes call her ‚Miss Gilbert'? She knew Grace since she was a baby and when she'd been a teenager, she even entrusted her Caroline to watch over her and Elena when she was working late.

Confusion was visible on her face, but deep inside her she knew that something terrible had happened. Her parents and Elena weren't back home from that stupid party. It was odd but Grace had thought that they just had stopped somewhere to grab something to eat.

"Can I come in?"

Grace nodded, barely holding herself together. She made space for Sheriff Forbes to come in and for some minutes, her life moved in slow motion. The young woman already had realized that this would change her whole life, but her mind was still fighting it.

Together with Sheriff Forbes, she sat down in the kitchen and she examined the face of the women she had known for her whole life. Grace always had been good at watching people. Usually people had more than one expression on their faces. Mostly one they wanted the people to see and another expressing what they truly felt or thought. But on the Sherifs face was only one emotion visible: pity. It seemed to be a true feeling, but Grace couldn't decide whether she pitied herself for having to tell a girl that she lost everything or if she pitied that Grace actually lost everything. Maybe a thad bit of both, but Sheriff Forbes was a good person, so she most likely really felt sorry.

"I'm so sorry to tell you...to tell you that your parents died in a car accident."

Strangely Grace was so calm at that moment. She just sat there and stared at the scratched wood of the old dining table. So many happy memories clung to it. Even though she always had found this piece of furniture ugly, it helped her focus.

"Miss Gilbert?...Um, Grace? Grace, are you alright?"

Grace only then realized that she had been staring at one point of the table for minutes now. That must've looked really creepy. A lot of people found Grace creepy and maybe she had to admit that she was. She often reacted differently from what was usual.

But loosing her parents wasn't usual. Of course she wasn't alright.

"Yes, yes. I'm alright...You said my parents. Where's Elena?"

Sheriff Forbes gave her a worried look. She was acting too rational. Grace's head was spinning but her brain always was reliable in panic or stress situations. Asking about her sister was a proper thing to do, though she knew that it was Elena that had called her parents off to pick her up from this party she never was supposed to go. Through the always too loud speaker of their phone, she had heard that Elena had trouble with Matt and that she hadn't had a ride back home. The good parents they were they instantly went to their car to get Elena.

That's why Grace couldn't be mad. It wasn't Elena's fault, of course it wasn't. Accidents happen. In that moment Grace was happy that her mind protected itself by not letting any emotions come to surface. She was now the oldest Gilbert and she needed to take care of things.

"She's at the hospital. It's a miracle, she isn't seriously injured."

Again Grace nodded making an inner checklist about the things she had to do now. She stood up and Sheriff Forbes followed her to the door.