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The Celestial Court wascelestial Pearly white with a faint hint of blue Minarets It was a long distance froate - where Elena had seen a third type of Guardian, one with short red hair and slanted, piercing green eyes - to the actual palace, which seemed to encoroup was guided to the throne rooer and far ined No bal or gala in the Dark Dimensions could have prepared her in the least for it The cathedral ceiling seeold, as were the double line of stately columns that marched vertical y across the floor The floor itself was of intricately patterned ly used as grouting - and with a heavy hand at that The three golden fountains in the est and most elaborate) threw into the air not water, but delicately perfu at their apex and then floated down again Stained-glass s in bril iant colors that Elena couldn’t reht like a benediction froraved gold

Sage and Elena and Stefan and Bonnie were seated in sreat dais, draped with a fantastical y woven golden cloth The treasures were spread out in front of theold took the objects one by one up to the current ruling triumvirate in back

The rulers coroups of Guardians - fair, dark, redheaded Their seats on the dais ensured that they were far froh above - their petitioners But with Power sent to her eyes, Elena could see perfectly well that they each sat on an exquisitely jeweled golden throne that they each sat on an exquisitely jeweled golden throne

They were speaking softly together, ad the Royal Radhika flower - blue delphiniums at the moment Then the dark one s for a pot with soil for the plant to survive in

Elena stared sightlessly at the other treasures A gal on of water from the Fountain of Eternal Youth and Life Six bottles of unbroken Black Magic wine, and the shards of at least that lass s in fist-sized gems, some raw, some already faceted and polished, but most of theold or silver inscriptions

Two long, black, velvet-lined boxes with yel owing cylinders of papyrus or paper inside the next to it, and the other with a sireen leaves Elena knehat the yel owed documents with their cracked waxen seals were The deeds to the field of black roses and the kitsune paradise

When you saw al the treasures together like this, it alht Any one object from any one of the Seven - no, now Six - kitsune Treasures was enough to trade worlds for One sprig of the Royal Radhika, which was even now being returned, (pink larkspur changing to a white orchid) properly potted again, was ile velvety black rose, with its power to hold the ics One jewel fro cavern, maybe a double-fist-sized diamond that put the Star of Africa and the Golden Jubilee to shame One day in the kitsune paradise, where a day could seem like a perfect lifetime One sip of that effervescent water that couldas the oldest Old One

Of course there should also have been the largest star bal in existence, ful of eldritch Power, but Elena was hoping that the Guardians would overlook that

Hoping? She wondered and shook her head at nothing, causing Bonnie to squeeze her hand tightly Not hoping She didn’t dare hope Not a breath yet

Another attendant, red-haired, flashing theal on bottle that said Sector 3 Water on the label Sage rumbled as she left, "Qu’est-ce qui lui prend? I mean, what is her problem? I like the water in the vampire sector I don’t like the pump water in the Nether World"

Elena had already figured out the color code for the Guardians The blond ones were al business, impatient only with delays The dark ones were the kindest - maybe there was less work for thereen-eyed redheads were just plain bitchy Unfortunately, the young woman on the central throne up there on the dais was a redhead

"Bonnie?"she whispered

Bonnie had to gulp and sniff before she could get out, "Yes?"

"Have I ever told you howbrown-eyed gaze before beginning to shake with laughter At least it started out like laughter, and then Bonnie burrowed her head into Elena’s shoulder and simply shook

Stefan squeezed Elena’s hand "She’s been trying so hard - for you She - she loved hiuess I’ve just been blind on al sides"

He ran his free hand through his already-tousled hair He looked very young, like a little boy who had been suddenly punished for doing so Elena re with her feet on his feet, and then in his attic roo, the pulsing inside of her wrists She wanted to tel hihter would come back to his eyes, but she couldn’t stand the chance of lying to him

Suddenly Elena felt like a very, very old woman, who could hear and see only dimly, whose every movement caused her terrible pain, and as cold inside Her every joint and every bone was fil ed with ice

At last, when al the treasures, including a sparkling, dia women on the thrones to handle, heft, examine, and discuss, a warroup "You ments now

And,"she added in a voice as soft as the stroke of a dragonfly’s wing, "they are very, very impressed That doesn’t often happen Speak meekly and keep your heads low and I think you shal have your hearts’desires"

Soave a bound that would have sent her leaping to clutch at the retreating attendant’s robe, but fortunately Stefan had her in an embrace of iron Bonnie’s head came off Elena’s shoulder, and Elena had to restrain her, in turn

They walked, the very portrait of olden weave of the floor cloth Once, Elena would have refused to abase herself

Now, she was thankful for a soft resting place for her knees

This close, she could see that the rulers each wore a circlet of so on to her forehead

"We have considered your petition,"the dark one said, her white-gold circlet with its dia Elena with pinpricks of lilac and red and royal blue "Oh, yes,"she added, laughing "We knohat you want Even a Guardian on the street would have to be very bad at her job not to know You want your townrenewed The burned buildings rebuilt The victiain in flesh, and their memories - "

"But, first,"interrupted the fair one, waving a hand, "don’t we have business at hand? This girl - Elena Gilbert - roup If she beco with the petitioners"

The redhead tossed her head like an iold of her circlet to flash, and its ruby to shio on then, Ryannen If your recruitment levels are so low - "

The businesslike fair one ignored this, but bent forward, some of her hair held back froold with its sapphire pendant "What about it, Elena?

I know our first encounter was - unfortunate You must believe that I a a ful Guardian e had orders from Above to weave you into a new body so that you could take up your life as a huain"

"You did that? Of course you did"Elena’s voice was soft and low and flattering "You can do anything But - our first encounter? I don’t re, and you saw just a flash of our air car as it passed your parents’vehicle It was meant to be a minor accident with one apparent casualty - you But instead"

Bonnie’s hands flew to herElena wasn’t Her parents’"vehicle"? The last time she’d driven with her father and aret - had been the day of the crash The day she’d distracted her father, who’d been driving

"Look, Daddy! Look at the pretty - "

And then had coher head low In fact, she raised her head, and aze, she kneas piercing and hard

"You killed my parents?"she whispered

"No, no!"the dark one cried "It was an operation gone sour

We only had to intersect with the Earth dimension for a few minutes But, quite unexpectedly, your talent flared You saw our air car Instead of a crash with only one apparent casualty: you, your father turned to look and"Slowly her voice trailed off as Elena’s turned unbelieving eyes on her

Bonnie was staring sightlessly into the distance, almost as if she were in trance "Shinichi,"she breathed "That weird riddle of his - or whatever it was That one of us hada va"

"I’d always assumed it was me,"Stefan said quietly "My mother never real y recovered after my birth She died"

"But that doesn’t make you a murderer!"Elena cried "Not like me Not likeyou now,"the businesslike blond woman said "It was a flawedto recruit you, yes? It’s the traditionalpowerful, irrational deth but require on-the-spot recalculation - "

Elena choked back a screauilt - she didn’t knohat Her Plans Her schemes The way she had handled boisterous boys in the bad old days - it was al genetic Andher parentswhat had they died for?

Stefan stood up His jaas hard, his green eyes were burning bril iantly There was no gentleness in his face He clasped Elena’s hand and she heard, If you want to fight, I’e His telepathic voice was unht them on their own territory and win

Even I cannot What you can do is make them pay! Elena, my brave one, your parents’spirits have undoubtedly found new ho the you desire For a year and a day in the past, demand whatever you wish! I think that we all will back you

Elena paused She looked at the Guardians and she looked at the treasures She looked at Bonnie and Stefan, aiting There was permission in their eyes

Then she said slowly to the Guardians, "This is really going to cost you And I don’t want to hear that any of it is impossible For al your treasures back and the Master Key tooI want my old life No, I want a new life, with my real old life behind raduated with e I want to wake up inand find that no one realizes I’ve been gone for ale for encies

And I want Stefan to have lived in the boardinghouse peaceful y al that time, and to have everyone accept hi that Shinichi and Misao and whoever they orking for did undone and forgotten I want the person they orking for dead And I want everything that Klaus did in Fel ’s Church undone as well I want Sue Carson back! I want Vickie Bennett back! I want everyone back! "

Bonnie said faintly, "Even Mr Tanner?"

Elena understood If Mr Tanner had not died - mysteriously drained of blood - then Alaric Saltzman would never have been cal ed to Fel ’s Church Elena remembered Alaric fro hazel eyes

She thought of Meredith and his alement to her

But as she to play God? To say, yes, this person can die because he was unlovely and unloved, but this one has to live because she was my friend