Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story, nor do I own the chapter introduction quotes.
The consequences of our actions are so complicated, so diverse, that predicting the future is a very difficult business indeed.
Five.
Five years since we made the deal with Klaus.
It was never the best deal or plan any of us ever made, but since when did we ever have perfect plans? There was no other option, not when he stood there in front of me, my friends and family gagged and restrained by hybrids, or shot up with vervain. We never had a fighting chance, not when he knew exactly what to say and what to do to get me to cooperate…
"So what is it going to be Elena?" Klaus asked as he venomously circled each member of my family, "Return my family's bodies to me, or watch as I murder yours?"
I closed my eyes and swallowed, faintly hearing my family's attempts to yell their encouragement through their gags.
"I've told you Klaus," I began carefully, "we don't know where they are, or even where Stefan is!" I noted the hint of desperation in my voice, "we haven't heard from Stefan since homecoming."
He smirked back at me, "Well that's lovely dear, but it still doesn't solve my problem now does it? I don't have my family, yet here you are surrounded by yours," he said as he gestured to them all. "Don't they all look quite healthy and alive, Elena?"
I wanted to tell him that it was his fault that his family were stuck in coffins for hundreds of years, but I decided it was better to hold my tongue.
Klaus grinned briefly at me before resuming his prowl between the people I cared for. He passed them all; Tyler, Caroline, Bonnie, Alaric, Jeremy… He stalked passed them many times, my heart stopping each time he returned to any of them.
Finally he stopped and turned back to me, "Perhaps we should even the playing field my dear, now what do you think?" Klaus walked over to the only person left of my family he hadn't yet hunted, "You hurt me. I hurt you. It's only fair."
In a twisted way, he had a point.
He nodded and I watched in horror as he was brought to his feet, jostling him from his vervain-induced haze.
"What are you doing?" I screamed in fear as I stared into his piercing blue pain-filled eyes.
"El...Elena," he whispered, "I'll be fine, don't worry" his signature smirk passing briefly across his face.
"No!" I cried, "What do you want Klaus!"
I tried to remain calm; I couldn't break down, not yet.
Klaus watched me carefully as he passed his hands dangerously across his neck, smirking maliciously.
It was too much for me to handle calmly, "What. Do. You. Want." I almost growled.
He answered me this time, "I already told you Elena, I want my family back."
"What. Else." I grinded through my teeth.
"Look at this!" Klaus laughed, "Little Elena figured it all out." He walked towards me slowly as he continued, "Indeed I did want something else out of this, and since you figured it out, I'll even tell you, love. I am taking you with me Elena, one way or another, you will be my human blood slave to my hybrids," he ran his hand down the side of my face and winked, "Perhaps even a little more for myself."
"No." a low, deadly growl came from across from me, his eyes so filled with hatred it almost scared me.
"Fine," Klaus spat at us both. Within the blink of an eye he stood next to Alaric, another blink and Alaric lay at his feet, neck broken. I brought my hands to my mouth and gasped in horror.
"Lucky Mr. Saltzman owns that eternity ring, isn't it Elena?" Klaus said seriously.
"You're a monster!" I screeched, exasperated. Everything was going wrong, everything in our lives never worked for the better. We always lost something, no matter how hard we tried.
Klaus eyed me carefully, his eyes never leaving me as he walked back to his place beside him. His piercing blue eyes snapped back to my chocolate ones, "Don't do anything he says Elena, no matter what he does to me, or to any of us. Stay strong. There is no need to give into his demands. We know nothing about what he wants, what would it benefit him?" he tried in desperation to shake off the two hybrids with whatever strength he had left.
"I am getting quite tired of all this mushy desperation," Klaus interrupted, "I mean, really, this humanity thing going on is quite repulsive."
"Screw you, hybrid."
Klaus smirked and gave the slightest nod towards two of his hybrids. Before I knew what was going on, two stakes passed through his body across from me.
"Damon!" I screamed as he cried out in pain. This was what I knew I had to avoid, mentioning his name while this all was occurring, I couldn't let myself think about who this was happening to him, it would only hurt me more.
"Vervain-soaked stakes," Klaus stated simply, "Must hurt like a bitch."
The scene playing out in front of me broke me to the core; there was no denying it any more. My friends were fighting their restraints with no luck, Alaric laid on the ground temporarily dead, and Damon. The Damon who protects me from everything, the Damon who is always there for me, the Damon who does anything I need, was now in front of me, ready to collapse.
"Next one goes into his heart."
"No!" the tears welled up, threatening to spill over, "Please, no, he did nothing wrong!"
I was beyond desperate; I needed to save him, to save all of them.
"My family," Klaus said while walking up to me, his eyes studying my own in search of something unknown.
"I don't know where they are, Klaus! What am I supposed to do?" I cried desperately.
His eyes narrowed dangerously before turning away. "Say goodbye then, love." Klaus grabbed a stake from a hybrid and sped towards Damon.
My body reacted quicker than my mind, I found myself running towards the two men, somehow believing I could stop Klaus from killing him. I had to stop Klaus from killing him, he meant too much to all of us… to me.
"I'll get them back!" I yelled, tears spilling down my face, "I don't know how, but I'll get them back to you, Klaus! I promise, just please don't hurt the people I love!" I prayed I wasn't too late.
As I reached them I saw the stake had pierced Damon's body, but it had not gone deep enough to kill him. I let out a sigh of relief, he was okay.
"You just couldn't have decided this before I was turned into a shish-kabob, now could you," Damon groaned through the little breath he had left.
I almost wanted to hit him.
"Explain." Klaus demanded as he continued to hold the stake in Damon's chest in place.
I took a deep breath, I hoped this would work… it needed to work… it was the only plan we had.
"You stay away from Mystic Falls. You stay away from Mystic Falls and I'll do everything in my power to find your family. Once I do, I'll return one body to you each year along with bags of my blood for your hybrids. You run out of blood and I'll send more, no questions asked. You will not hurt any more of my friends, they're off-limits. I'll stay in Mystic Falls so you will always know where to find me."
"I want them all," he growled.
"One per year, that's what I'm offering and I can't budge Klaus," I narrowed my eyes, "It's the only way to be sure you keep true to your word."
He said nothing. I took another deep breath and persisted, "Do we have a deal Klaus?"
I prayed with everything I had while watching the half pierced stake in Damon's chest, one wrong move and he would be dead. It seemed like hours before he finally spoke again, an evil grin on his face, "Agreed."
I knew there was more behind his statement. What was five years wait to a 1000 year old vampire? Any master plans he had could indefinitely wait till each member of his family was returned to him.
I didn't care though; we would deal with it when the time came.
I blinked and he was gone, taking all of his hybrids with him. Each member of my family was no longer restrained, they rejoiced in their freedom briefly before taking care of Alaric who still lay on the ground.
I watched as Damon dropped to his knees, no longer able to stand up, and I rushed forward to catch him. As I sat there on the ground, removing the stakes from his body and holding him desperately, I realised what had just occurred. We were free…as free as we could be since Klaus could not be killed. We could live without worrying about who was behind us or having to come up with a plan to save our lives every other week.
We could live.
I glanced down at Damon.
We could live.
A smile passed across my face, "We're going to be fine, maybe not perfect, but fine."
…If only I knew then what I know now.
Nothing was going to be fine…the severity of my decision was not fine… and most definitely not everyone was going to be fine.
Not even close.
Well here you are, chapter one! I hope it is to everyone's standards around here as I don't beta.
Please let me know what you think, good or bad I will welcome it with open arms. Don't be a read and runner people, reviews are love :)
