[Chapter II – Benediction]

What was the point of it all? Elena paused to ponder that question while she was sipping her tea in her kitchen. Last night was nerve wracking, especially seeing Damon so frustrated by Stefan's actions. Damon was so furious with his brother that she was afraid he might actually go to Klaus's manor and stake him once and for all. The plan was nearly flawless. It was formed to cover all contingencies. It was even brilliant to bring in Katherine to substitute for Elena. Being a doppelgänger was useful to some extent. Alas, the plan did not work and Elena's worst nightmare was still busy being impervious to death. Should they give up and just except her fate as Klaus's reusable blood source to build his hybrid army?

The very presence of Klaus was taking a toll on her. Ever since he came into town, Elena lost people she loved. She lost her aunt, Jenna, in a sacrifice. She thought she had lost her friend, Bonnie, who attempted to kill Klaus with the power that was granted her by the hundred dead witches, only to end up dead herself. It turned out to be a ruse to fool Klaus into a false sense of security, much to Elena's relief. But then, she had lost Stefan to Klaus's compulsion. It was hard to let him go, but last night, she told Damon that they both had to. It was for their sanity.

Before she could spiral into the depths of hopelessness, there was a knock at her door. She sighed and put her cup of tea on the counter before her and answered the door. A taller man with dark hair and stunning blue eyes was standing on her porch with a kindred smile. She noticed his sculpted muscles beneath his shirt and wondered who had sent this attractive package to her. "Yes? Can I help you?"

The man's expression hesitated for a moment, as if he had recognized something about her. He shook his head and resumed his pleasant expression. "Hi, my name is Farrell Donaldson. This is the Gilbert home, right?"

Elena folded her arms and looked at Farrell with caution. Damon and Bonnie had told her about a Farrell, a vampire hunter, who had attacked Klaus during their failed (second) attempt to kill him. "Yes," she answered. "I am Elena Gilbert."

"Elena," Farrell repeated, nodding his head as if it confirmed something for him. "You must be Grayson's daughter. Your father was a great family friend to my parents." There was a brief pause between them. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have dropped by unannounced. I tried looking for your house number in the phone book, but I couldn't find a Grayson Gilbert anywhere in it. Can I leave my number with you? You can give it to your father when he's around. Just tell him I'm Rylan Donaldson's son. He should know what to do."

Farrell pulled out a blank business card that had a phone number printed on it and handed it to Elena. He flashed her and smile and turned to leave. Elena took a moment to process what he just told her. "Wait!" she called after him before he reached the steps of their porch. Farrell turned back around. "Um…my father, he…passed away three years ago."

"Oh," Farrell uttered. He stood there a moment, soaking in the news. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know." He hesitated. He cleared his throat. "May I ask what happened?"

Elena took a deep breath, uncertain if she wanted to bring up the emotions that came with resurfacing such memories. "I just made a fresh pot of tea. Would you like to come in?"

Farrell nodded and followed her into the kitchen. There, they shared the pot of tea and discussed Grayson Gilbert. Elena shared how he died in the accident over Wickery Bridge. Farrell had never met her father, only knew of him through his own father and John Gilbert, Elena's biological father. She was surprised that he knew of her "uncle", but did not share that John was in fact her real father, not wanting to spoil that family secret outside of those who already knew. Farrell explained that John would frequently visit their household in Richmond while he was growing up. Elena wondered if it was vampire business, but she withheld her suspicion, wanting to see where the conversation was heading.

It was not long when Farrell began to praise the Gilbert legacy. He talked about her ancestor, Johnathan Gilbert, and his part in the founding of Mystic Falls. That signaled her to confidently reveal to him that she knew about vampires. Farrell was momentarily taken aback, but was relieved to know that Elena knew her family's history in the town. Elena told him about how John sacrificed his life through a spell to save her from becoming a vampire after Klaus drained all her blood in his ritual.

"Klaus is a rabid dog who needs to be put down," Farrell chuckled.

"He's a pretty powerful rabid dog," Elena sighed. "What's your deal with him? Why are you and your Necron friend after Klaus?"

"Zubin? How do you know about him?"

"You've met a couple of my friends last night when you crashed his party," Elena replied, refilling his tea. "From what I hear, he's very powerful. Can he really take on Klaus?"

"Zubin is very potent, yes," Farrell answered ambiguously. "He has very good reasons for wanting to deal with the Original, but those reasons are only his to share. I'm just a friend along for the ride."

Farrell's words only piqued Elena's curiosity even more. Zubin sounded like someone who could help end Klaus's reign over her life. She wanted to meet him. She wanted to let him know how much pain their mutual adversary caused her too. "How did you two meet?" She blurted out slightly too eagerly. She took a deep breath and constrained her emotions. "I'm sorry. It's just…I'm under a lot of stress with Klaus. I guess I just want to know your story."

"No sweat," Farrell responded casually. "That will be a story for another time." He paused and considered what to say next. He looked around the kitchen, as if keen on something unusual. "Your home is very quiet. I know you told me your parents died in the car accident. Has it only been you since then?"

"No," Elena shook her head, gripping her tea cup tightly. "My aunt, Jenna, became my – and my brother, Jeremy's – legal guardian. Klaus killed her in the ritual as the vampire sacrifice. Since then, it's been just Jeremy and me here. Jenna's boyfriend, Alaric, has been great support to us too." She left out her other inner circle, especially Damon, since she did not want to risk alienating the vampire hunter's alliance.

Farrell set his tea cup down and gazed into Elena's somber eyes. "Elena," he said earnestly, "The Gilbert family has been there for my family in the past. Your uncle, John, taught me how to hunt. I promise you that I will make the hybrid pay for everything he caused you and Jeremy." He sat back in his chair and smiled. "I'm happy, though, to hear that your brother is still alive."

"Why is that?" Elena said.

"You come from a line of vampire hunters," Farrell answered. "Each male descendant inherits the power of the family line. Did Grayson leave the Bennu Rings to Jeremy?"

"Bennu Rings?" Elena interjected. "Wait, you mean the Gilbert Rings that our ancestor, Johnathan gilbert, had made to be not killable by supernatural beings?"

"Precisely," Farrell nodded, beaming brightly. "Bennu is the ancient Egyptian conception of what we think of now as the Phoenix. You know, the mythological bird. The spell on your rings symbolized the Phoenix being reborn in fire. Those rings are the endowment to the Gilbert bloodline." He held up his right hand and showed her a gold ring with an artfully crafted azure stone cradled in it. "The Donaldson family also has endowment rings too. Five of them: one for me and each of my four brothers. Not as powerful as the Bennu Rings. We did not have the good fortune to know a Bennett witch. The spell on ours is just being crafty. It enables us to be cloaked in stealth, making us practically undetectable by any supernatural entity. Vidar Rings. The Norse god of silence, the almighty son of Odin, who avenged his father's death by the wolf, Fenrir." He chuckled to himself.

"Well, Jeremy has one of our rings," Elena informed him. "Alaric has the other."

"What? Why?!" Farrell said in surprise. "He's not a Gilbert. Why don't you have it?"

"It wouldn't work," Elena shrugged in acceptance. "I'm a Doppelgänger, a supernatural occurrence. Besides, Alaric's ring was passed down from Uncle John. Alaric is a vampire hunter like you are. His wife was killed by a vampire." Not very true, considering that Isobel wanted to be turned into a vampire. Damon did the deed.

"I see," Farrell stated, his facial expression exhibiting deep thinking. "Well, I'm glad that Jeremy has his ring. I came here to ask your father, Grayson, to do a Gilbert benediction. Your brother, being the present patriarch of the family, can do it instead."

"What's that? A Gilbert benediction?"

"It's a blessing for vampire hunters coming into the Gilbert domain in Mystic Falls," Farrell explained. "It's like getting a work visa to be here. The Gilbert line is the founding family of hunters here. The benediction is a rite of passage for any hunter who has business in town. It's a customary thing, especially in supernatural hubs like Mystic Falls."

Jeremy focused and breathed steadily, his finger tenderly stroking the trigger as he aimed the crossbow at the line of now empty beer cans. His eyes fixated on one toward the center. Lining up the crossbow, which he "borrowed" from Alaric, he braced himself and fired the arrow. It barely grazed the can, rattling it slightly as it zipped past its target into the ground marred by tree roots. "Damn," he hissed, reaching for the bottle of bourbon Tyler took from his home. "So close." He took a swig of the stiff spirit and handed it to Tyler.

The woods at the outskirts of Mystic Falls provided the reprieve both boys needed. Jeremy had showed up at the Lockwood mansion and invited an already buzzed Tyler to shoot Alaric's crossbow with him, citing women problems. Evidently, Tyler was having difficulties being portrayed as the bad guy ever since Damon discovered that he was sired to Klaus through his vampire side. According to the arduous Salvatore brother, who had no room to talk after the exploits done in the name of Elena's Doppelgänger, Katherine Pierce, Tyler had effectively become a "bitch" of Klaus's will. Supposedly, he now paced Klaus's interests above anything else. However, even though he was thankful for being turned into a hybrid, he was not convinced he was completely stripped of his free will. But, even if he had a choice between being who he was or one of Klaus's hybrid, he would choose the latter. No more being a slave to the moon. He was finally the master of his inner werewolf. Caroline, his girlfriend, disagreed with his mentality.

Jeremy was no better. Bonnie dumped him after discovering that he had trouble letting go his deceased ex-girlfriend, Anna, especially after being able to see her from the Other Side. Seeing ghosts was difficult enough, which was a consequence of Bonnie resurrecting Jeremy from the dead when he died from a gunshot wound from a human. Seeing Anna again, and even Vicki, his other former love interest, affected him. It drew his emotions away from Bonnie and to a sense of comfort with something familiar and reminiscing. It did not help the situation when Anna was made corporeal by Bonnie's spell to reveal veiled matter, for Jeremy gave into to his deepest desires and kissed her. It was a brutal betrayal to Bonnie's trust and love.

Jeremy reloaded the crossbow and fired it again, this time successfully making his target. "Whoo!" He cheered enthusiastically.

"Nice shot!" Tyler praised, taking another swig of the bourbon.

"When Alaric finds out I took this," Jeremy held up the weapon, "he is going to use it on me!"

Tyler tilted his head curiously. "So, what's the deal with that? He is like your guardian now?"

"Sort of," Jeremy responded. "Yeah, I think he feels responsible for us."

Tyler nodded and pondered something. "Do you like him?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I like him." Jeremy stated as he reloaded the crossbow. Tyler was now standing in front of their targets as Jeremy trained the arrow. He scoffed. "You want to move out of the way?"

Tyler chuckled and stood his ground. "I'm a hybrid, Gilbert! You can't kill me unless you cut off my head or rip out my heart. And, you're not going to do it with that lame ass crossbow." He looked at Jeremy boldly. "Go ahead! Take a shot!" He smirked boastingly. "Unless, you don't think you can hit me."

Jeremy scoffed again at Tyler's zealousness and returned his daring gaze. He aimed at his friend's chest, his eyes still connected to his. He took a deep breath, steadied his body, and pulled the trigger. Before he could blink, the arrow was caught in the hybrid's quick grasp, mere inches away from his now feverous heart. A rush of awe over came them both. Tyler especially found himself becoming very fervent. A sudden inner-fire sparked within him, a desire and mysterious hunger kindling itself inside his very nerves. His focus intrinsically locked upon his younger buddy, who was looking at him in admiration. This yearning he had…he had not had it since….

He dropped the arrow and zipped to Jeremy at hyper speed, playfully tackling him to the ground. "Too bad, Gilbert!" He pinned his friend's arms to the grass with ease. "If you were a hunter, and you were hunting me, this would be where I drain your blood." He mimicked a vampire bite by nibbling his neck briefly. Suddenly, he felt a tingling sensation in his groin, which was against Jeremy's leg. His eyes opened wide as he realized he was getting an erection. Before it had a chance to harden against the contact, Tyler jumped off his friend, confused and panting.

"Tyler," Jeremy said. "Your eyes, they turned yellow."

Tyler groaned and shut his eyes, mentally trying to will it away. He felt a hand on his shoulder. He opened his eyes and found himself looking into Jeremy's kindred look of concern. "Hey man, are you okay?"

"Yeah," Tyler answered, gulping hard. "I guess the adrenaline from catching that arrow triggered my werewolf half for a bit."

"That's wild," Jeremy commented. "Come on. Let's go get another round of drinks from your stash."

Tyler nodded and followed his younger friend from the woods. Along the way, he had to discretely reach into his pants and readjust himself, his erection prodding itself insistently against his underwear.

Klaus sat on his exquisite leather lounge chair, waiting patiently and impatiently at the same time. He was staring blankly at the empty casket before him, wondering if he had made the right decision. That coffin once held the daggered body of his brother, Elijah. He must have stood there by his brother's desiccated body for hours before he withdrew the dagger tainted with the ashes of the white oak tree. The last time his brother was alive, he was expecting to be reunited with their family. Klaus had kept his word in the most literal sense: he daggered Elijah in the heart and dumped him with the rest of the family coffins.

When the desiccation began to recede, Klaus left the awakening Elijah with two blood bags and told him to join him once he was at full strength. That was forty minutes ago. He knew there was a chance that his brother would be scheming for his demise right now. However, he was taking a gamble on Elijah's tendency to use reasoning rather than force to achieve his own objective. He had hoped he would be inclined to hear what he had to say before attempting retaliation.

Klaus smiled when he heard calm footsteps approaching. "Good to have you join me brother," he said sincerely. He pointed to the drink on the small table beside him. "Come, enjoy."

Elijah sat down on the lounge chair on the other side of the table, eying his brother with caution and suspicion. He took the drink and took a sip. "Tell me, Niklaus. Why am I finding myself awakened in a bedroom inside what appears to be your new estate? Are we still in Mystic Falls?"

"Yes, we are," Klaus answered.

"So, I'm assuming, since I've so far been left to my own devices, I've been given this gift of being resurrected because you need something." Elijah placed the glass down and glanced at Klaus with a demanding leer. "So, get on with it brother. Why am I here? Salvatore brothers giving you trouble again?"

"Actually no," Klaus smirked with glee. "I have them right where I want them. I have Stefan compelled and in my pocket. Damon is scrambling to protect Elena from malicious ole me, especially since I have discovered that she is the key to me creating more hybrids like me." He noticed his brother's fleeting expression of surprise. "There's so much that you have missed, Elijah, but that will have to wait. There are other pressing concerns aside from that lot."

"Really now?" Elijah rolled his eyes, taking another drink. "What could possibly get you to swallow your massive ego and withdraw the dagger you so eagerly put into my trusting heart?"

"Well for one, our father is back," Klaus remarked with spite. He met Elijah's mortified expression. "Yes, our dear friends managed to awaken Mikael. He's here, and has the white oak stake in his possession."

Elijah downed the rest of his drink and reached the cantor on the table to refill his glass. "How are we still alive, then? Especially you?"

"Oh I almost died last night," Klaus muttered. "Mikael was helping them plot my death. Fortunately, my compelled friend, Stefan, intervened. I almost killed our father with the stake."

"Almost?" Elijah inquired. "What happened?"

"I had the stake almost into his heart, brother," Klaus hissed, reflecting upon the night before. "Then, Zubin Pankratios happened. He interrupted my kill and enabled him to get away."

Elijah paused and processed the information given to him. "Pankratios…hold on, you don't mean –"

"Yes," Klaus answered, completing his brother's thought. "As in a descendant of Kaisar Pankratios, the Necron we dealt with in Byzantine Greece with Kol and Rebekah."

"Well, this is a very serious predicament, then," Elijah observed. "It looks like history is repeating itself. What did you do to get this Necron on your tail?"

"You remember my good witch, Maddox, right?" Klaus told him. "Well, Maddox belonged to a family that practiced very dark magic in Atlanta. Thirteen years ago, I kidnapped him from his home to get him to serve me. I had the fortune to also find Zubin there in his bedroom as well. I took him too, thinking he was another witch for the taking. Unfortunately, I did not discover he was a Necron until a year later, when he blossomed into his second tier power. I was forced to take extreme measures and took him to the Ravena brotherhood in Vancouver to have his power sealed. That was the last I saw him until last night, with a vampire hunter no less."

"The Ravena brotherhood?" Elijah uttered with disdain. "That perverted 'fraternity' of vampires is still in existence?"

"I know what you're thinking, Elijah," Klaus countered. "But, Zubin was a Necron. Like I said, it was a desperate measure. You know as well as I do how dangerous they can get. His vampire hunter friend freed him from the brotherhood. He told me they were all killed, which means the seal on his power is broken."

"Okay," Elijah said, getting up from the chair. "I now understand the depth of your situation. Honestly, I don't understand how I can help you, Niklaus. Zubin will come after you until he gets what he wants." He suddenly realized something. "But, you can't offer him what he wants, can you? Your witch is dead, isn't he?"

"This is why I awakened you," Klaus smiled. "You are very intuitive. Now, our father is out there, but he has not made his next move yet, so he will have to wait. Is there anything you know about Necronai that I do not?"

"I do not believe so," Elijah responded, putting on his thinking cap. "However, I do recall that our mother did witch business with a Necron back home on occasions. We need to revive Rebekah. She would know more about that. She spent more time with Mother than we did."

"Of course," Klaus nodded, seeing his brother's clarity. "Well, here's the kicker: our dear friends have her at the moment. Very long story, I'm afraid."

"Good God, Niklaus. Do you want me to get her back for you?"

"No need, dear brother. It's a work in progress as we speak. You'll see here shortly."

"Just in time!" Elena exclaimed as Jeremy walked into the front door. Alaric was talking with Farrell about vampire hunting, but fell silent as the teenage boy approached them in the kitchen. "We're cooking." Elena continued.

"Sorry," Jeremy said, going to the fridge and quickly retrieving a ziploc bag and a Gatorade, avoiding eye contact with Alaric.

"Jeremy, wait," Alaric called to him before he rushed back to the front door. "This is Farrell Donaldson. He's a friend of your father's. He came here for your help."

"Oh," Jeremy turned to them. He nodded acknowledging to Farrell. "Can we do this later? I made plans with Tyler. He's right outside."

"When did you start hanging out with Tyler Lockwood?" Alaric stopped him again.

"I don't know…does it matter?"

"Yes, Jeremy! It matters. He was sired by Klaus! He's dangerous." Elena said, alarmed by this revelation.

"He can still hear you," Jeremy ridiculed. "He's right outside." He thought for a moment. "But, if you have a problem with me being friends with Tyler, let's clear this up right now. Yo, Tyler! Come on in!"

Elena gasped in astonishment. "Jeremy!"

Tyler opened the front door and entered, glancing at everybody with speculative vigilance. Before another word could be spoken, Farrell jumped from the stool he was sitting on and threw something at him with staggering swiftness. The hybrid huffed and barely caught the projectile before it could reach his heart. It turned out to be a sai made of crimson varnished metal. "What the fuck is this?!" He cried out.

Farrell began to approach Tyler maliciously, but Elena stood in his way. "No, don't. It's okay."

"Who the fuck is this guy?" Tyler demanded, coming into the kitchen to size up Farrell.

"I forgot to mention," Alaric held up his hand. "Farrell is a hunter. Quite more professional than I am, actually."

"Sorry," Farrell grinned snidely, taking his weapon back from Tyler in a quick move. "I thought you were endangering these good people here."

Jeremy's cell phone rang. He answered it and went into the living room to take the call. Tyler growled and stormed out of the house, knowing he could not challenge Farrell. The skilled vampire hunter gleamed at his handiwork and sat back down. Alaric sat beside him. "What kind of weapon is that? A sai?"

"A very special sai," Farrell remarked, placing it back in its resting place underneath his jacket. "Very effective against supernatural beings. I call it the Halcyon. It's quite the peacemaker." He looked up at Elena. "I apologize for that. I should not have been that impulsive."

"It's fine," Elena sighed. "I'm just glad he's gone now."

"Where's your brother?" Farrell asked.

Alaric and Elena followed his attention to the living room. The front door was still open and Jeremy was nowhere to be found. "His ring!" Elena gasped as she dashed to the coffee table, where Jeremy's Gilbert ring was placed in all its lonesome. Alaric and Farrell ran outside and found Jeremy standing in the middle of the street, idling there, staring blankly off in the distance.

"Jeremy?!" Alaric called to him. "What are you doing?"

"He's compelled!" Farrell stated direly.

Before they knew it, a speeding SUV came around the corner and drove straight at Jeremy, who did not move from his position. He just stood there, mindlessly watching the vehicle come in his direction. Alaric, Farrell, and Elena all ran frantically to Jeremy's rescue. Farrell was the fastest of the three and managed to shove Jeremy out of harm's way. Before the SUV could collide into him, he touched his ring. Elena saw him turn invisible. The SUV stopped in its tracks, and Elena and Alaric went to Jeremy's assistance on the side of the street.

The SUV pulled up beside them. The driver rolled the window down and gleamed at them sinisterly. It was Klaus's hybrid that was following Elena earlier in the day, Tony. "There I go again," he said. "Almost bumping into people."

Before he could speed off, the vehicle door was yanked open by an unseen force. Then, Tony cried out in agony as blood began to soak a huge puncture in his shirt where his heart was. His skin was quickly turning pale as he writhed in pain. Suddenly, Farrell reappeared at Tony's side, having the Halcyon impaled deep into the hybrid's chest. "Too bad you bumped into this instead," Farrell quipped as he watched Tony desiccate completely.

"How did he not see you?" Alaric asked him.

"What do you mean?" Elena said. "He turned invisible."

"No, he didn't," Alaric shook his head. "I saw him plain as day."

"But…," Elena's thought trailed off.

"Courtesy of a family ring, Alaric," Farrell answered his question, withdrawing the sai from its victim. "Remember what I said, Elena? My ring allows me to be in stealth from any supernatural entity. That includes the Doppelgänger. Alaric is not supernatural. Ergo, the ring's spell does not work on him."

Jeremy groaned and came to, scrunching up and holding his head. Elena put a hand on her brother's shoulder. "Are you alright?"

He looked around, baffled by why he was in the street. "I don't understand."

"You were compelled," Alaric told him. "Who was that on the phone?"

Jeremy took a moment to remember. "You know that thing I told you to do? Well, why don't you get on with it." His eyes widened in horror. "It was Klaus!"

Elena shook her head frantically. She dug out her phone from her pocket. "I can't do this anymore. That bastard targeted you." She put the phone to her ear. When her call was answered, she took a deep breath, fighting to keep back her tears. "Damon, Klaus almost got Jeremy killed through compulsion. Give him Rebekah, please!" She held her face in her hands. "I don't care about that! Just do it, Damon! Or I will tell him where it is myself, so he can claim her from your cold undead hands!"

She hung up, frustrated. Her eyes connected with Jeremy. She nodded in assurance that everything will be okay and helped him on his feet, leading him inside the house with Alaric. Farrell drove off with the SUV with the rotting corpse of the hybrid.