Where Secrets Lie

Elijah stood under the moonlight, waving as the last car pulled away from the mansion. A smile danced on the corners of his lips. He was happy that the party went well; however, the sound of hurried footsteps changed his mood.

"He's gone," Hannah skidded to a stop. "Michael is gone!"

Elijah let out a sigh. He untied his mask revealing indentation marks around his eyes. "It's fine," he said, running his hands through his slicked-back hair. "The merger is done. We don't need him to push forward, Hannah. Come."

Hannah stood there on the cobblestone path as she watched Elijah enter the house, "I don't want to push forward without him though," She whispered to herself.

*

*

*

Back at the manor, Logan plopped Michael down on the bed and covered him with a quilt. A wave of relief washed over Logan. He couldn't believe he finally got Michael from underneath Elijah's reign. He joined everyone in the living room after sneaking out of the bedroom, making sure not to wake his maker.

"You got him back. Thank you," Alex said, bowing low.

"He kissed me, you know? I think he remembers. But..." Kara looked puzzled.

"What are you thinking?" asked Amy.

Kara looked to Alex, "I can't explain it but when you drank my blood, you said you can see my memories because you're an original vampire. I don't think that's the only reason. Usually, vampires terrify me, but I felt safe with you for some reason. Perhaps because I knew who you were, so I didn't feel like I had to hold back. I knew you wouldn't hurt me," she said.

"And this time, you opened yourself up completely to Michael because you wanted him to remember. You let your fear go. This allowed him to break through your barrier and see your memories," Logan finished her theory. He walked over and threw his arm around Kara's shoulder. "How does it feel to not have a wall up all the time?"

"Vulnerable," Kara responded honestly.

"What the hell is going on?" Michael said softly, leaning against the wall to steady himself. He looked up at the group standing before him, but his gaze immediately locked onto Alex. "What−Dad?" Water began to fill his eyes. He cautiously walked towards him, as if he was seeing a ghost. His face twisted in disbelief.

Kara nodded her head to the side, signaling Logan and Amy that the three of them should leave the room.

As they exited, Michael walked closer and closer to his father, "No." the tears that brimmed his eyes, finally rolled down his cheeks. "You're supposed to be dead. Mom killed you." He stepped directly in front of his dad, "Where have you been?"

Alex closed the small amount of space between them and threw his arms around his son. "I'm home. I will never leave you again."

Outside, Kara sat on a tree branch. Her legs swinging as she looked out to the water. The tree was near a cliff that overlooked the sea, and the full moon reflected beautifully off of the water. The sound of snapping branches broke her trance.

Kara looked back at him, his grey eyes pulling her in. She leaned forward, her lips a hair's breadth away from his. Michael closed the space by putting his lips to hers. Kara's heart beat faster as they kissed, a feeling that was sorely missed. She pulled back then slid to the ground to catch her breath.

Michael followed behind her, "Something wrong?" He said, his breaths jagged.

"Michael we can't just pick up where we left off. You've been married to someone else for months!"

"2 months," Michael blurted as he grabbed her hands, his fingers brushing over her knuckles. "You don't want to be with me anymore?"

Kara looked at his disheartened face, "It's not that, it's just-" he quickly dropped her hands then looked back towards the manor.

"What's wrong?" Kara asked, worried.

"Something's going on at the house," he replied and took off running.

Kara chased after him. Upon, entering the living room, she couldn't believe her eyes. Logan and Amy had Hannah cornered. The raven-haired beauty held her hand up in front of her as if a wild animal was about to attack. Her eyes were as big as a deer in headlights. Kara took the stake from Amy's hands and ran toward Hannah.

Michael stepped in between them, "Stop!" he shouted, "She called me after I woke up in the bedroom asking where I was. I told her, and she came at my request."

"What?!" Kara yelled with confusion and tears in her eyes. "Not less than twenty-four hours ago she almost killed me. Again!"

"That wasn't me. It was Elijah," pleaded Hannah.

"You were going to cut my throat!" Kara shouted back.

"Okay, not my proudest moment. I can explain." She cowered.

"I trust Hannah," Michael said firmly.

Kara looked up at him, hurt. "You still care for her, don't you?"

Michael nodded, knowing his answer would hurt the woman he loves, "Yes."