Chapter 4
"I'm a vampire; there are hundreds of us out there". Stefan couldn't believe that he was somehow special enough to make Klaus want him. He had met plenty of vampires before stronger than he was, what made him somehow unique?
"You are a vampire, yes, but you're also much more than that. You, Stefan, are a Ripper", Klaus replied taking a seat in one of the lazy boys and reaching for the bottle of scotch next it. He poured two glasses of it, handing one to Stefan and motioning for him to take a seat.
There was that word again, Ripper. The way Klaus said it made it sound important. "So you've told me, but you've yet to explain what in the hell a Ripper even is."
"It's an abomination", Klaus said in a very serious tone before letting out a chuckle. "Or that's what those damn witches would call it. I'd call it a near-god". Stefan had become even more confused by that, which Klaus picked up. He looked down for a moment, thinking of the best way to explain it all.
"Thousands, possibly millions of people have been turned since I and my family became the very first vampires many years ago. Of all of those new vampires, very rarely something special happens. The vampire comes into being with a certain… mutation you could call it. A mutation that makes that vampire more powerful than anything walking this Earth, present company excluded of course. Of all the years I've been around there have been 3 such instances of this mutation that I've been aware of, the first two are long since dead, and the third Stefan, is you."
"So I have this… this mutation. What does it do? I don't have any special abilities that set me apart from other vampires".
"You do, Stefan, you just haven't realized them yet. Think back to your days as a Ripper, you could sense something couldn't you, like a power rested deep inside you just waiting to come out. And with every kill, every drop of blood, that power creeped closer and closer to the surface. You could feel it, you wanted it, but you were stopped before you could reach it." Stefan could barely believe what Klaus had said. He described it exactly as Stefan remembered it. He had felt it, but when Lexi found him and stopped him, the feeling went away. Klaus sensed the astonishment, "I've been keeping an eye on you for a long time Stefan, I know all there is to know about you".
"The power, what is it?" Stefan asked.
"We'll get to that later. For now I'll have a servant show you to your room so you can rest. Tomorrow is a big day, tomorrow you truly embrace what is inside you. No more ill-advised attempts at trying to hold on to your humanity and resisting it." Again Klaus responded to the shocked look on Stefan's face. "I've told you before Stefan, I've been around a very long time, I'm not fooled easy."
"These notes here, I found them in Isobel's stuff." Vanessa pulled several sheets of paper out with writing scribbled all over them.
"Do they mention Klaus? Or Originals?" Alaric asked.
"Not specifically, but they do hint at some kind of special book, that contains a way to, quote "kill that which cannot be killed". I don't know what book it's referring to though", Vanessa responded.
"A book like that Isobel wouldn't have just kept out in the open, she would have hid it", Katherine chimed in.
"Well, I guess we know what we need to do, start searching", Alaric instructed the group.
"Bonnie, can't you do that "find a certain book and have it launch itself to you" spell thing?" Jeremy asked her.
"Spell? Wait, you mean she's like a witch?" Vanessa replied as uneasy looks came over everyone else.
"Yes. I'm a witch. And no I can't do that spell, not without knowing the exact book we're looking for", Bonnie spoke up. She figured it wasn't worth it to try and convince her that Jeremy was joking or misspoke or whatever. A normal person yeah, but Vanessa knew about the supernatural and wouldn't be easily convinced.
"Last time it was a vampire, this time a witch, plan on bringing a werewolf next time Ric?" Vanessa joked, making it clear it wasn't a huge deal to her.
"Well we could…", Jeremy said matter-of-factly. Alaric gave him a light slap on the shoulder to cut him off.
"Well then… let's go look for this book", Vanessa replied with a look on her face that seemed to say "What have I gotten myself into… again?"
Caroline walked into the Grille, looking to see if Tyler had arrived yet. She didn't see him around, but she did spot someone else… Matt. Ever since he walked away from her, saying he didn't want that kind of life, he just wanted normal, Caroline had kept her distance from him. She wanted to be with him, she wanted him in her life, but she understood how he felt. Still, she hoped that she could have it both ways; have him in her life, if only as a friend, but still keep him out of all the craziness that was now her life. That was the reason she had told Tyler to meet her at the Grille, why she came a bit early, and why she was walking towards him.
"Hey." With all the thoughts that were flooding her head since she walked in, that one word was all she could manage to spill out.
"Hey", Matt responded but quickly went back to work.
"Could we maybe talk or something?" Caroline asked him.
"I'm working."
"I know, just like 5 minutes, please?"
"Fine." The two walked over to an empty corner of the Grille.
"Look Matt, I know you said you just wanted a totally normal life and I'm well, not normal. But I care about you; I want you to be a part of my life, even if that part isn't as big as what I wish it could be."
"I'm leaving Caroline. I got an uncle out in Ohio who is gonna let me stay with him to complete my senior year so I'm going out there in a week. I can't be in this town any longer… I just can't", Matt responded. And with that he turned back to continue working, leaving Caroline with a shocked, sad look on her face. As he started walking away, Tyler crossed his path. The two shared a look before Matt ducked to the side and back to where he was working. Tyler approached Caroline.
"What was that about?" he asked her.
"Uhm nothing… let's grab a table", she replied, still trying to process everything.
"Any luck?" Alaric asked as the group converged back to Isobel's desk after splitting up to search around.
"Nope, plenty of weird stuff, but no special Klaus-killing book", Jeremy responded.
"I told you Isobel wouldn't just leave it out in the open", Katherine smirked.
"Well maybe you could lend us some of your expertise then", Alaric shot back.
"Where's the journal that she mentioned the book in?" Katherine asked. Alaric handed it to her and she began to study the page, looking beyond just the words written on it.
"What are you looking for?" Jeremy asked curiously as the group crowded around Katherine and stared at the page.
"Isobel had sort of a thing for little puzzles and such. I'd bet she left some kind of clue to where she hid this book somewhere on this page", Katherine answered looking to Alaric, who nodded in agreement. He remembered that about his wife, she was always big on hidden messages and clues. After a minute of studying the page and as if spotting something Alaric reached for a pencil on the desk.
"Look here, three times she uses numbers" he explained circling a 6, a 1, and a 5, on the page. "But then she writes out the year here and two more numbers here", he said pointing to a spot on the page with the words "sixteen forty-nine", "two", and "ten". "Those numbers have to mean something".
"A combination maybe? Or a password of some kind?" Bonnie chimed in.
"Or maybe coordinates of some kind?" Vanessa spoke up as well having came back in just after Alaric noticed the numbers. They all began throwing out ideas, but none of them seemed to make much sense.
"What about a time? Like 6:15…", Jeremy said walking towards a square-shaped clock that sat on a shelf across from the desk but seemed to not be working.
"Score one for Gil… baby bro", Katherine replied, trying to keep the whole her being Elena ruse going. Jeremy then moved the hands on the clock to 6:15 and a clicking noise was heard. The face of the clock came slightly ajar. He pulled it open and reached inside, revealing a large book that quickly caused Bonnie to raise an eyebrow.
"It's a grimoire…".
Elena sat with headphones on, watching some crappy romantic comedy being shown on the plane, but paying almost no attention to it. Damon had decided after driving across the country, they'd fly back to Mystic Falls to be there when Alaric and the gang got back. After he made arrangements to get his car back there, he compelled their way to a couple first-class seats. Elena still wasn't happy about abandoning their search for Stefan, even if she knew it was probably the right call. She was holding onto a hope, that if Stefan had taken the time to compel that girl to try and keep them from looking for him, trying to keep them safe, there had to at least be a part of him still there. She had seen him lose control before, but as long as a piece of him remained intact, he could bring himself fully back. Adding to her renewed sense of hope was the brief phone call she had with Jeremy just before they got on board. He said there might be something in Isobel's stuff that could help them but they hadn't found exactly what yet. By the time she was back in Mystic Falls they might have a way to kill Klaus and get Stefan from his grasp. It could finally be over; they could all start living mostly normal lives. She stopped herself from thinking too far ahead, but for the first time in awhile she had that hope. And as she turned her attention back to the movie, she couldn't help but smile.
"He's leaving town?" Tyler asked Caroline as the two were sitting across from each other. Caroline was hesitant to tell Tyler about it but eventually gave in.
"Yep, in a week or so. He said he can't be here, and I really can't blame him. Besides, if anyone can understand that it's you. If what happened to your mom had never happened you would still be in Florida right now." Tyler wanted to make an argument about that, but he knew she was right. If he hadn't gotten that phone call about him mom being in the hospital he would have never came back, not yet at least. Still, the thought of his once best friend leaving wasn't all that easy to take.
"Did you try to convince him to stay? Should I try?"
"No, he's made up his mind and we should respect his decision and leave it alone", Caroline answered. She sure wanted to try and convince him to stay, but she wasn't going to. Part of her was mad at him for leaving, first her and soon this town, but part of her perfectly understood why he was. Having enough thoughts on the subject for one day, she looked to change the subject.
"So what did your mom say, about the new Sheriff and everything?" she asked.
"I told her I knew about the vampires and all", Tyler responded.
"What? I told you to be delicate, subtle, not charge right in with "Hey mom I totally know all about the vampires", Caroline nearly shouted at him.
"I know, but I had to tell her. Don't worry, I left out the part about you being a vampire or me being a werewolf or anything like that. As for this Sheriff, she seemed pretty convinced that he was the right play, he'll be in town soon whether we like it or not".
"Great, one more problem to worry about, I swear I better not get shot anymore because of this bozo", Caroline replied, leaving Tyler unable to hold in a laugh. "What?" she asked.
"Nothing… let's just get some food already", he said with a smile. Caroline couldn't help but smile too.
Stefan looked at his surroundings, a lavish bedroom that most people would love to stay the night in, but he dreaded it. The thought of escape came across his mind. With how quickly he could move and how massive the estate was, he could be long gone in minutes. He could find a phone, call home and get Elena and Damon and everyone else he cared about to leave town. He'd join up with them and they'd go into hiding, live somewhere Klaus couldn't find them. But that really wasn't an option, living while constantly looking over your shoulder, having to pick up and move somewhere else at the slightest hint of trouble, that's what running from Klaus did to Katherine, he couldn't let it happen to him and everyone he cared about. As he was sitting on the bed, lost in these thoughts, he looked down and noticed a piece of paper by his foot. He was sure it hadn't been there when he sat down. Curious, he reached down and picked it up, starting to read what it said.
"You are not alone Mr. Salvatore, you have allies within these walls, allies who want as much as you to put an end to Klaus. When the time comes we will help you do so, but until then you must go along with what he asks. Embrace what you truly are but fight your hardest to hold onto a shred of the good within you. Destroy this message after you read it, it is imperative that Klaus remain unaware of our involvement."
Stefan didn't know what to make of what he had just read. Was it true, were there people in this very castle trying to take down Klaus? Could he really bring out the Ripper within him while still keeping a part of himself? With no plan to think of otherwise, he figured it was his only shot to trust these anonymous allies. So with a new sense of resolve he tossed the note in the fireplace and went to sleep.
"So can you read what it says?" Alaric asked Bonnie as she studied the grimoire. It was different from any one she had ever seen, she could read the words but they made no sense to her.
"No, I swear it's almost as if it's spelled somehow to keep anyone from understanding it", she answered.
"Do you know a spell like that?" Jeremy replied.
"No, but I'm sure one exists, and it's bound to be in one of the grimoires the Martins had".
"Well back to Mystic Falls then I guess", Alaric responded. With that they all started to wrap things up and head back to the car and back home. Alaric lingered around a bit to say goodbye to Vanessa while the others headed out.
"Thanks for everything, again." Alaric said looking to Vanessa.
"No problem, glad I could help. I don't suppose you've gotten any update on Isobel?" she asked. Alaric was hesitant, but he figured she at least deserved a bit of an explanation.
"She's dead, for real this time. This Klaus guy compelled her to help him and then kill herself."
"Oh, I'm so sorry", Vanessa responded.
"He's caused a lot of suffering, it's why we have to stop him".
"Well I hope you do, and if you need any more help just call."
"Thanks… I should get going." And with a handshake he left. Meanwhile the others were nearing the exit of the building.
"I gotta go to the bathroom before we leave, I'll be right back", Bonnie said letting go of Jeremy's hand with a smile.
"Make it quick", Katherine snided, bringing a glare from Bonnie as she walked away. "And where the hell are you going?" she asked, noticing Jeremy had started to walk down the opposite hallway.
"Just uh looking around is all", he answered. What really drove him that way though was the sound of what he thought was someone calling his name. It was faint but was coming from that direction. He heard it again, this time a bit louder and continued to where it was coming from. He came to an office, it looked empty but the door was unlocked when he reached for it. He walked in and looked around.
"Hello, is somebody there?"
"Jer?" he heard a voice from behind him. He spun around and could only see a brief flash of someone but he was sure he recognized who it was.
"Jenna? Was that you?" he questioned. A couple days ago he probably wouldn't have believed his eyes, but now he fully believed what he had just saw. Getting no response he had an idea. "Anna, Vicky? Are you there? I know that was just Jenna I saw but I'm a little freaked. You said there'd be more to this whole thing, that seeing you two was just the start, am I going to start seeing everyone who's died? I could use some explanation here". Again he got no response, at least not from either of them.
"Jeremy Gilbert, seeing ghosts. Well that's a new one." Jeremy turned to see Katherine standing in the doorway with a smirk on her face.
"Mayor Lockwood, there's a man here to see you".
"Oh yes, send him right in please" Mayor Lockwood responded to the assistant standing at her door. A few moments later a gruff-looking man in his early thirties walked in, accompanied by a half-dozen equally tough-looking men. They looked like a modernized scene right out of the wild west, it would have been sort of comical if they didn't look so rugged and serious.
"Mayor Lockwood I presume? It's nice to finally meet you", the man said removing his hat and extending his hand.
"It's nice to finally meet you too Mr., or should I say Sheriff S…".
"You can just call me Michael, no need for such formalities," he cut her off.
"Well Michael, this is you team I assume?" she asked looking over the rest of the men standing behind him.
"They are, I came to believe we'll have more joining us?" he answered with a question of his own.
"Yes, the former Sheriff has decided not to stay on, but her deputies will be under your command, they're all in the know with the whole vampire thing. I'll have all of them meet you at the station when you're ready to go there", she responded.
"That would be much appreciated, we can head there…", he was interrupted before finishing.
"Mike? Oh there you are. Are you done here yet? I was going to go check out the school and apartment", the woman said entering the room. She bore a close resemblance in age and appearance to the man she was talking to.
"Mayor Lockwood, allow me introduce my sister and apologize for her interruption. I mentioned she'd be coming along".
"Oh yes of course, don't worry about it, it's great to meet you. You can call me Carol, Michael told me you were a teacher is that right Ms…".
"Meredith, you can call me Meredith", the woman said with a smile.