The landscape blurred outside the window as Klaus's car ate up the miles toward Mystic Falls.
Stefan sat in the passenger seat, his posture rigid despite the luxury leather beneath him. The silence between them had stretched for nearly an hour now, punctuated only by the occasional sound of Klaus tapping his fingers against the steering wheel.
Stefan's mind, however, was anything but quiet.
Elena. His thoughts always circled back to her. Her warm brown eyes, the way her hair fell across her shoulders, the sound of her laugh. But now, with his memories fully restored, these thoughts came with a sharper edge.
She was his. And she was in danger.
Not just from Klaus - though the Original Hybrid still represented a significant threat - but from countless others who would covet her doppelgänger blood.
Silas would awaken eventually. Qetsiyah's ghost lingered somewhere beyond the veil. The Travelers would come seeking her. Even Esther and Mikael would return, each with their own plans.
Stefan's fingers tightened imperceptibly on his knee. In his life before remembering - his life as just Stefan - he had been too weak to protect her properly. Too bound by morality, too hesitant to embrace his full potential.
And what had that gotten him? Loss. Heartbreak. Watching as his brother took the love of his life. Stepping on his heart and crushing it- all for his own happiness.
Uncaring for all the sacrifices Stefan made for him. Drinking human blood again, despite knowing how it turns him into a monster and giving his servitude to Klaus- all for Damon to live.
And his big brother does what? Is he grateful? No, he wants Elena. He tries to seduce her, make her fall in love with him, takes the chance of Stefan being away.
Stefan knows Damon is trying in his own way to bring him back, but he's been wondering, how much of that is even... geniune. Does Damon even want him to come back? Or is happier with him away, since it gives him the chance to take Elena.
"You're unusually quiet," Klaus observed, breaking the silence. His eyes remained fixed on the road ahead, but there was a calculated awareness in his peripheral attention. "Having second thoughts about our arrangement?"
Stefan turned his head slightly, studying Klaus's profile. "No. Just thinking."
"About Elena, I presume?" Klaus's lips curved into a knowing smile. "Wondering if she'll still want you after your summer of... indulgence?"
The question was designed to provoke, to test. Stefan recognized the tactic.
"Elena and I understand each other," Stefan replied evenly. "Our bond goes deeper than a few months apart."
Klaus chuckled. "If you say so. Though in my experience, absence makes the heart grow... fonder of what's present."
The implication hung in the air between them. Damon. Stefan felt a surge of possessive rage with Klaus saying it out loud- the memory of Damon's kiss with Elena while he was dying flashed through his mind - a memory of watching it on a screen.
Stefan turned his gaze back to the window, masking his expression. "I'm more concerned with keeping her alive than with relationship drama."
"A wise priority," Klaus conceded, accelerating as they hit a straight stretch of highway. "Though I suspect the two concerns are not unrelated in your mind."
Stefan didn't respond. His thoughts had already shifted to a deeper question - one that had been forming since his memories had returned.
He was Silas's shadow self. A doppelgänger, yes, but more than that. He was the shadow of immortality itself, cast across time. The echo of the world's first immortal being.
Stefan raised his hand slightly, examining it in the sunlight that streamed through the window. Same hand. Same veins. But was he truly the same? He should be- nature's literal copy of Silas, in every way, besides personality- which is shaped by experiences.
The immortality spell that Qetsiyah had cast on Silas was the template for the spell Esther had used to create the Original vampires.
A variation, yes, but the essence remained the same. And that spell had transformed Silas from a witch into something else - a being with psychic abilities so profound they mimicked magic.
If Silas had psychic abilities... shouldn't he?
Stefan closed his eyes, focusing inward. He had never tried to access any abilities beyond those of a normal vampire. Never thought to look deeper. But now...
He reached out with his mind, trying to sense... something. The energy of the world around him. The thoughts of Klaus beside him. Anything.
Nothing happened.
"Meditating?" Klaus's voice broke through his concentration. "I didn't take you for the spiritual type."
Stefan opened his eyes. "Just clearing my head."
Klaus reached forward and turned on the radio, filling the car with the sounds of a classic rock station. "Well, do try to stay present. We have plans to make before we reach Mystic Falls."
Stefan nodded, but his mind had already returned to its previous track. Perhaps raw power wasn't the answer. Perhaps it was skill. Focus. Practice.
Arcadius had created an entire dimension through the force of his psychic abilities. A world that existed parallel to this one, where he ruled absolutely. Where he controlled life and death.
What if Stefan could do the same?
Not to torture souls like Cade did. No. To create a haven. A paradise where Elena would be safe. Where they could be together without the constant threat of death hanging over them.
He imagined it: a world crafted from his love for her.
Mountains that caught the light just the way she liked. Forests where they could walk without fear. A lake house like her family's, but perfect, eternal. A place where she could have everything she ever wanted.
And most importantly, a place where he could control the flow of life and death. Where Elena could live without fear of aging or injury. Where she could be human if she chose, but immortal through his power.
Not as a prison- that would make her sad, he didn't want her sad. He wanted her happy. They would be able to leave and go between worlds whenever they liked. It would simply be a place, where he could give her everything, and the two of them take it with them to this world, too.
A way for them to have an Eternal Paradise.
Together.
A small smile touched Stefan's lips at the thought.
"Now that's interesting," Klaus commented, glancing at him. "Care to share what's put that look on your face?"
Stefan straightened, shifting in his seat to face Klaus more directly.
"Actually," Stefan said, "I've been wanting to ask you something."
Klaus raised an eyebrow, his expression a mixture of suspicion and curiosity. "By all means. Though I make no promises about answering."
Stefan nodded, gathering his thoughts. This conversation needed to be handled carefully. "I've been thinking about your nature as a hybrid."
"Have you now?" Klaus's tone was light, but his fingers tightened almost imperceptibly on the steering wheel.
"Yes. It's... fascinating, really. Werewolf and vampire - two natures that should be incompatible. Oil and water. Yet in you, they coexist. Not just coexist - they enhance each other."
Klaus's expression remained neutral, but Stefan could sense his interest. Klaus had always appreciated intellectual discourse, particularly when it centered on himself.
"Your point?" Klaus prompted.
"My point is that there must be something in your blood that allows this balance. Something inherent to you specifically."
Klaus was silent for a moment, considering. "Perhaps. Though I fail to see the relevance."
"The relevance," Stefan continued, "is in understanding why you needed Elena's blood to break the curse in the first place. And why your hybrids aren't surviving the transition."
Klaus's jaw tightened. "We both know why. My mother's curse sealed my werewolf side. Elena's blood was the key to breaking it."
"Yes, but that's where my theory comes in." Stefan shifted again, leaning forward slightly. "The curse sealed your hybrid nature, but you were born a hybrid. You were a hybrid before the curse, without needing doppelgänger blood."
Klaus's eyes narrowed, but he remained silent, allowing Stefan to continue.
"So whatever balances the two natures in you is natural - inherent to your being. It's in your blood." Stefan paused, watching Klaus's reaction carefully. "But when you try to create other hybrids, something goes wrong. Your blood should transfer that balance, but it doesn't. Which makes me wonder..."
"Wonder what?" Klaus asked, his voice deceptively calm.
"What if you didn't break the entire curse?" Stefan proposed. "What if it's broken within you - in a limited range, so to speak - but when your blood leaves your body, the curse takes effect again?"
Klaus's knuckles whitened on the steering wheel. "And the doppelgänger blood?"
"Acts as a nullifier to that aspect of the curse," Stefan finished. "It's the missing ingredient your hybrids need."
The car fell silent save for the low hum of the engine and the faint sound of music from the radio. Klaus stared straight ahead, his expression unreadable. Stefan waited, knowing better than to push further.
Finally, Klaus spoke. "An interesting theory. But it begs the question: why are you telling me this?"
Stefan had anticipated this. "What do you mean?"
"Don't play coy, Stefan. What's your angle?" Klaus's voice carried an edge now. "What do you gain by helping me create my hybrid army?"
Stefan was silent for a long moment, considering his response carefully. "I'm your knight now, remember? A knight protects his king."
Klaus scoffed. "Try again."
"Fine." Stefan leaned back in his seat. "If my theory is correct, it means you won't need Elena's blood indefinitely."
"Go on," Klaus prompted, his interest clearly piqued.
"If we can find a way to break your mother's curse completely - truly and fully - then Elena's blood would no longer be necessary. You could create hybrids without her."
Klaus was quiet again, his mind working through the implications. Then, slowly, a smile spread across his face. "You want to turn Elena into a vampire, don't you?"
The question caught Stefan off guard. "What?"
"Don't play dumb," Klaus said, his tone almost friendly now. "As long as I need Elena's human doppelgänger blood, she needs to remain human. She'll age, die within a century. But if the curse were fully broken..."
Stefan looked away, out the window at the passing landscape. Klaus had misinterpreted his motivation, but not entirely incorrectly.
Of course he wanted Elena with him forever. The thought of losing her to old age or illness was unbearable.
But would he force vampirism on her if she didn't want it? The old Stefan would never have considered it. But now... now he wasn't sure what he was capable of.
No. He wouldn't need to force that choice on her.
There were other ways. He would master his psychic abilities, create a dimension like Arcadius had. He would control life and death itself. Elena could remain human if she wished, eternally youthful, safe and happy - with him.
His silence seemed to confirm Klaus's suspicion. The Original Hybrid laughed, reaching over to slap Stefan on the back.
"I understand completely, old friend," Klaus said, pressing down on the accelerator. The car surged forward, eating up the miles toward Mystic Falls. "Love makes monsters of us all. We'll see if breaking the curse completely is possible."
Stefan allowed himself a small smile. Let Klaus believe what he wanted.
In the distance, the first signs for Mystic Falls appeared along the highway. Stefan felt a surge of anticipation.
Elena was waiting there. And this time, things would be different. This time, he wouldn't lose her.
This time, he would be strong enough.
This time, he would keep what was his.
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(Author note: Hello everyone! I hope you all liked the chapter.
Do tell me how you found it.
I have honestly been thinking a lot about the doppelganger thing, and the potential of psychics, with Cade and Bonnie and all that.
What do you guys though think of it? Are the theories right or nah?
Well, I hope to see you all later,
Bye!)