Archive of Our Own ^beta

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Amarantos

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In another world, Amara calls Qetsiyah mistress. In another world, Amara takes Qetsiyah's hand in her own—and when she asks are you mine, Amara smiles and sweetly replies who else would I belong to?

In this world, Amarantos comes into Qetsiyah's life as if he were a storm given human form—brown curls tangled over doe eyes that shook her knees, a smile that is utterly devastating. Silas (beautiful, kind, selfish Silas, who in both worlds will tangle his fingers in Qetsiyah's hair and whisper let me show you what forever looks like against the skin of her throat) stands next to him.

The pair belong to each other, as they would in all versions of the story—but in this world, Amarantos and Silas are a story wrought from years of brotherhood born on the battlefield, from years of soldierhood, years of being the person the other could rely upon.

It not as simple as loving another person.

It is not so simple as a betrayal.

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In another world, Amara loves them both. In another world, she hates them both. In another world, Silas slides the answer to forever between her teeth and tells her to drink. 

In this world, Qetsiyah loves them both. In this world, Amarantos makes the choice instead—swallows the secret to immortality between clenched teeth.

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"I love you," Silas says in both worlds.

"I hate you," Qetsiyah says in one, and "I love you" in another.

Perhaps in a third world that would have been enough.

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"Was any of it real?"

"I don't know," Amarantos admits. He is dying—except he can no longer die. He is being unmade, skin turning to ashy stone. Qetsiyah cries when it is time to say goodbye.

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In another world—

"I am sorry," Amara whispers, her fingers are tangled in Qetsiyah's hair—just like Silas used to—and the witch's hands are pressed against the contours of her cheeks, rubbing away Amara's tears.

"You stole from me," Qetsiyah replies—as if it was ever so simple. She does not cry.

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Thorfinn

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In another world, Tatia leaves behind a daughter and two men who could have loved her.

In this world, Thorfinn loses his wife and gains a daughter. No one expects him to die on her pyre. He does not know how lucky he is, does not know how this has changed his future. Does not know how this has cursed him all the same.

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In another world, Elijah watches a girl dance. In another world, Niklaus watches Elijah watch a girl dance.

In this world, Rebekah is of age to be married and Thorfinn has eyes the color of tree bark, hands made for breaking, for fighting, and lips that taste of stolen kisses.

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"The girl you danced with is pretty," Rebekah spits in this world.

"And you are beautiful," Thorfinn murmurs, leaning close and kissing away the bitterness lingering upon her lips.

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"I want to stay in this moment with you forever," Elijah Mikaelson says in another world.

"Stay away from my sister," he says in this one.

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"I love you," Elijah says in one.

"I love you," Rebekah says in the other.

In the end it doesn't matter.

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In this world, Rebekah marries Thorfinn the spring before Henrik's death.

In this world, Thorfinn's little daughter calls her mama. In this world, Rebekah cries tears of joy, throwing herself into arms that spin her around with ease—

In this world, Rebekah arrives at her mother's cabin, asking where her husband is. In this world, Esther forces Thorfinn's blood down her throat while Rebekah screams, her limbs thrashing as she calls out for siblings that Mikael has already murdered.

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In another world, Tatia sobs when Elijah's teeth rip into her throat. In another world, Esther Mikaelson breathes her last, her heart clutched in Niklaus's shaking grasp.

In this world, Thorfinn rages when Esther takes the knife against his chest, rages against the feeling of magic keeping him still. In this world, Esther peers into his eyes and tells him that she is grateful for the happiness he has given to her daughter—in this world, Thorfinn places his hands over Esther's cruel throat, choking the life out of her her—

In another world, Esther curses her son with the death of a woman who trusted her.

In this world, she fades into death slowly, her body curled against the corpse of the man who killed her and curses her son with her own instead.

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Kristopher Petrova

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In another world, Katerina Petrova gives birth to the love of her life at sixteen and dies at eighteen. In another world, Katerina runs and never stops running.

In this world, Kristopher meets a girl in their village. In this world, Nadia is allowed to stay. In this world, death finds him in Bulgaria five years later.

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"I knew a man just like you," Rebekah murmurs and she knows she should not grow attached, but her body drags her to his side every evening.

"There are no men like me," Kristopher says, lips quirked into a dangerously seductive smile.

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"Tell me about him?"

"Thorfinn was meant to be my forever," Rebekah tells him—she leans up, pressing her nude body neatly against Kristopher's chest, and kisses his chin. She adds, mournfully, "but he died."

"I am not dead," Kristopher murmurs, tugging up her chin and peering into Rebekah's eyes.

"No," Rebekah utters, a sudden realization lodging itself inside her chest. "You are not."

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"He wants to kill you," Trevor tells her in another world.

"He wants to kill you," Rebekah tells him in this one.

It should not matter—and yet it does.

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In another world, Katerina, against her better judgement, falls in love on an autumn day in 1864.

In this world, Stefan Salvatore dies at the age of sixty-seven, having never met a boy wearing Amarantos's face. Damon trails behind him, as he always did, two days later.

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In another world, Elijah Mikaelson plans to press a kiss upon Katerina's lips and a vial meant to conquer death into her hands. In another world, he plans to ask her to meet her death willingly. In another world, he is shocked when she refuses.

In this world, Kristopher presses a kiss against Rebekah Mikaelson's lips, takes blood willingly given, and disappears into the wilderness on the arm of his vampiric love, little Nadia clutched in Rebekah's arms.

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In another world, Rebekah obits Klaus for a thousand years.

In this world, she makes a choice—

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In another world, Katerina kills a man in France in 1720. She is alone. She will always be alone.

In this world, Kristopher dances with Rebekah in the halls of the French court that same year. Nadia calls her mama and embraces her before drifting away to dance with her newest lover. Kristopher presses a kiss tinged with delighted laughter against her lips. Rebekah is never alone. She never will be again.

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Elias Gilbert

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In another world, Elena Gilbert dies and dies and dies and—

In this world, Elias Gilbert has loved Bonnie Bennett since he was ten years old.

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This should not change anything—

And yet.

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In another world, Elena Gilbert meets a pair of brothers, and then another (worse) pair of brothers. In another world, she tries to negotiate and bargain, using the shape of her face to try to save those she loves and could not abide losing. In another world, she gambles and loses.

In this world, there is no Trevor or Rose-Marie to snatch Elias as a teenager. In this world, Elijah meets Elias and Bonnie two days after their third wedding anniversary.

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Perhaps in a third world, Elijah would be kind. In a third world, maybe Elijah would allow Elias his happiness until the sacrifice, but this is not that world.

In this world, Elijah locks Elias away in a room without windows, far from his precious Bonnie. In this world, Elijah releases the boy into Klaus's waiting hands and tries very hard to not think about the face his sister loved enough to betray them for.

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"You're my best friend," Elena says in another world.

"You're the love of my life," Elias says in this world.

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"I never want tonight to end," Bonnie whispers as Elias spins her, the white of her wedding gown flies out around them—

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"Elias?"

Bonnie reaches out to run her fingers across his face, cold and pale from blood loss. She almost doesn't believe it at first. Less than a month ago, they were walking the streets of Richmond, hand in hand, and suddenly there was a man grasping Elias by the throat and speeding away faster than Bonnie's magic could respond.

She thought... Bonnie thought that she would be able to save him.

She was wrong.

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In another world, Bonnie Bennett tears apart the Other Side for Jeremy Gilbert.

In this one, she remakes the world in Elias Gilbert's image.

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("Do you think we'll be this happy forever," Bonnie asks.

Elias leans over and presses kisses across her shoulders, her neck, her face. "I am always this happy when you are with me.")