Chapter 6: Weapons
Buffy had headed over to Rik's place first thing after he had called her this morning, she thought he had wanted to train, take some frustration out after he had found out he had been the one killing council members. But she soon realised it was not to train when she walked through his apartment door and Stefan and Damon were already there.
"What's going on?" Buffy asked suspiciously, she could sense they were up to something.
"I have some great news" Rik jiggled his eyebrows at her.
She eyed up the two vampires who were clearly guarding something "Well don't keep me in suspense"
Stefan stepped to one side to reveal a wooden sign that was propped up on a chair and read 'Wickery Bridge' Buffy raised her eyebrows at them "You stole the bridges sign and that's good news how?"
"This sign was made from the White Oak tree" Stefan answered.
"So that means….?" Buffy was still lost.
"So the White Oak is the only wood that will kill an Original" Rik answered her, and Buffy's eyes widened finally realising what was in front of her.
"Ready to whittle?" Damon nudged her, and Buffy grinned and held her hand out "Give me a knife".
Sometime later they had finally finished making a bunch of stakes from the sign, 12 to be exact. It had been a long morning with Stefan and Damon bickering every chance they got, and Rik had been unusually quite clearly still worried about his alter ego. They were now gathered in the woods and Elena; Matt and Caroline had joined them.
"What are we doing here?" Matt asked.
"We found some more White Oak, long story, wait for the movie" Damon joked.
"Hang on. White Oak? You have a weapon that can kill Klaus?" Elena asked.
"Nope. We all have a weapon" Stefan threw down the open duffle that showed the White Oak stakes. "Klaus has always been one step ahead of us, but now we have an advantage. We're all armed, and they are all linked, meaning we only need to kill one of them. We need to seize the best opportunity, which means we need to prepare for every opportunity" Stefan had everyone's attention so continued "Rebekah is our target, so we distract her and catch her off guard."
"I'm guessing that's where I come in?" Buffy offered.
"Actually….to distract her we need to keep Klaus separate and occupied" Rik eyed her.
"So I'm Klaus bait?" Buffy scoffed "I'm the slayer I should be the one doing the staking not the distracting" Buffy argued.
"We can handle Rebekah, its Klaus that's the issue, he's unpredictable" Stefan answered.
"Plus he's obsessed with you" Rik chimed in when she didn't reply, she still didn't answer just crossed her arms and looked stern.
"We use the quarterback to distract her, just keep her talking" Damon spoke to Matt.
"How?"
"Act interested, she's lonely, desperate"
"Clearly she slept with you" Caroline spat, and Elena giggled.
"Matt will keep her busy and I'll do the staking" Stefan interrupted. "We all have one stake, we keep it hidden and we look out for any opportunity we have."
"No last-minute attacks of pity for any of them" Damon looked at Elena.
"Don't worry about me, not after what happened to Bonnie's mom"
"Buffy?" Damon asked.
"Let's get this over with" was her response.
"Busboy?" Damon looked at Matt.
"Do I have a choice?"
"Good Point"
"We have 12 stakes, 12 shots at killing one Original, we can do this" Stefan finished.
It was later that evening when Stefan had called her letting her know what one of the Original's 'Finn' was at the Grill with his ex-girlfriend, this was the shot they were taking. Buffy had turned up not long after and had sat at the bar watching the two-vampire's talk, while Stefan sat at the other end also eyeing them up, he had planted vervain in their next shot glasses. Suddenly they both started chocking and looking around, the girl spotted Stefan and followed him out the back, Finn following closely behind her. That was Buffy's cue to now follow the Original.
Buffy had just walked through the back and the girl had Stefan on the floor while Finn was reaching for the stake that Stefan must have dropped. Buffy charged Finn pushing him against the wall with all her force. He spun round glaring at her, she didn't give him chance to react to her though she punched him straight in the face while pulling the stake out from the band of her jeans, she took her shot and rammed the stake as hard as she could directly into the Originals heart.
"No" The girl screamed and ran to Finns side. She began to cry as he was dying, when his body caught fire, the girl finally looked at Buffy. Buffy took a step forward clearly ready to take this girl out too, but before she had chance the girl sped off, leaving her Original boyfriend to burn alone.
Buffy and Stefan had gone back to the boarding house where Elena, Caroline and Rik were held up. Walking into the library buffy looked at Caroline "How's Rik?"
"He'll be ok, I gave him a bottle of Bonnies herbs and he went home, did you guys kill Finn, did it work?"
"Finns dead" Buffy nodded.
"Nothing worked until I see Klaus dead body myself" Stefan jumped in.
Elena's phone began to ring.
"Bonnie, where have you been?"
"Klaus should be dead, they should all be dead, Buffy just killed Finn"
"Okay, Bonnie, where's Damon?"
"Are you okay?"
"No, Bonnie just…." She looked at her phone, clearly Bonnie was no longer on the other end.
"What is it?" Buffy asked.
"Klaus he took Bonnie and made her unlink the Originals" Elena said quietly.
"So, when I killed Finn, I just killed Finn" Buffy sat down deflated knowing she was going to have a bunch of very pissed off Original's coming after her.
"That's not everything, they have Damon" Elena said worried.
"I'm going" Stefan began to walk forward to leave but Elena grabbed hold of him.
"Stefan stop, Klaus is stronger than you we need another plan"
"What we need is for Klaus to be dead" Stefan shouted.
Buffy was about to interject when the front door flung open and Finn's girlfriend walked though "Ding Dong"
Caroline was first to attack but she was thrown to the floor. "I'm not here for you, I'm here for her" she glared at Buffy and Buffy stood facing her.
"I'm right here" Buffy offered.
The girl charged her and Buffy sent a double kick to the girls chest sending her across the room and landing on the floor, the girl soon jumped back up her eyes full of vengeance she looked prepared to charge Buffy, but she was ready in defensive stance. The girl did not charge through she instead dropped to the floor shaking.
"Troy, help me." The girl called and in came a younger looking vampire, he knelt beside her and then she began to vomit blood aggressively, the male vampire looked on in confusion before he too began to shake and vomit, within a few seconds they were both dead. Leaving the rest of them shocked and confused.
"What did you do?" Stefan asked looking at Buffy.
"Me? I didn't do anything, she just…. died." Buffy was just as surprised as the rest of them.
"So Sage and this guy Troy die within an hour of Finn" Caroline spoke.
"But why? Were they bitten by a hybrid or...?" Elena asked.
"Hybrid bites don't look like that. Maybe Sage was so in love with Finn she just died of sadness" Caroline offered and Buffy rolled her eyes.
"That doesn't explain Troy" Buffy answered.
"It's the blood. The bloodline. It must be. Think about it: Finn turned Sage, Sage turned Troy. They're all part of the same vampire bloodline that originated with Finn" Stefan was on to something.
"So, when an Original dies every vampire turned from their bloodline dies along with them? Because that would mean…" Caroline was suddenly realising what they all were.
"If the Originals die, so do all of you" Elena finished.
"The entire vampire species would…it'd just be dead" Buffy added, with a strange feeling. Maybe this was her fate, the reason she had been sent here, was this her chance to end all vampires and put an end to the need of slayers?
Buffy had gone with Stefan to Klaus's place to trade the bag of stakes for Damon's life it wasn't her first choice, but Elena had been so worried about him he and she had felt bad for her, she remembered what it was like to be a girl in love with a vampire. Of course, they had left 4 stakes behind, so they still had some leverage.
Stefan barged straight through the main door calling Klaus's name. They made it in to the dining room where Damon was hung up, bleeding and barley conscious.
"Oh good, the heroes are here, what do you want?" Klaus stared at her and Stefan.
Stefan dropped the bag revealing the stakes at Klaus feet. "I'm here to make a deal, eight stakes made of White Oak, the part of Wickery Bridge that you forgot to burn"
Klaus stared down Rebekah.
"That's impossible" she argued
"Actually it's not. Finn is dead" Stefan said calmly, and Buffy suddenly felt very nervous, why did he have to mention that.
"You killed my bother?" Rebekah stomped toward Stefan and Buffy took a step forward.
"Actually that was me" Buffy shot back, maybe not her smartest idea as Klaus also now took a step forward.
"Damon in exchange for the last eight weapons that can kill you" Stefan broke the deadly silence.
"And how do I know they aren't any more left?" Klaus asked.
"Because there aren't" Stefan back.
"Let's be certain, shall we?" Klaus stomped over to Damon "Leave"
"No" Damon whispered.
"Go on leave"
"Nik, he's my plaything not yours" Rebekah whined.
Klaus grabbed Damon by the throat and began to compel him "I said go home" Damon began to pull his wrist out of the snares, peeling his flesh in the process, he began to scream from the pain. Buffy was no stranger to violence, but torture always made her stomach curl.
"Stop" She shouted, Klaus didn't look her way, but he did speak again to Damon.
"Alright, stop, stop, before you hurt yourself." He grabbed Damon by the throat again and began to compel him again.
"Minus the stake that's in my brother, how many more stakes are out there that can kill me?"
"Eleven" Damon whispered.
"Eleven! Really? So not eight then"
"You really shouldn't have lied" Rebekah turned back to Stefan.
"I'll get you the other three" Stefan spoke quickly.
"Yeah, that'll be nice. Or since you lied, maybe I'll just compel your brother to chew out his own tongue"
"What is wrong with you?" Buffy couldn't stop herself.
"Something tells me you wouldn't come here without being armed" Klaus walked toward her, looking her up and down. He didn't get too close though as Stefan rushed him and pinned him against the wall with a White Oak stake in hand, but Klaus was stronger and over powered Stefan he spat "Step down or you all die"
Stefan took a step backwards and Klaus took his stake in the process.
"There now you only have to get me the other two"
"This is ridiculous" Rebekah sighed and began to unchain Damon, letting him drop to the floor "Take your brother as a sign of good faith" With that Rebekah stormed off.
"Bring me the stakes, all of them. Or I will wage a war against everyone you love. I hope I'm being clear" Klaus finished.
Stefan grabbed a hold of Damon and helped him ready to leave.
"Buffy" Stefan looked to her and tilted his head, Buffy shrugged. "Your stake" Stefan pleaded.
"I… It's not with me" Buffy widened her eyes, she hadn't thought her next moves through, but she knew she wasn't planning on her handing her stake over to anyone.
"Get out" Klaus shouted, and Stefan left with Damon clung to him, Buffy also made her way to follow but Klaus stepped in front of her blocking the way. "Not you" he growled, and Buffy took a step backwards.
"I told you I don't have it" Buffy spat at him.
"You think I'm foolish enough to believe that"
"Believe what you want, that's not my concern"
"You're not leaving until I can be sure you came unarmed" Klaus looked her up and down with a smirk planted on his face and Buffy gulped. She did not like that look.
"Touch me and I'll kill you" Buffy warned.
"Don't threaten me" Klaus stormed forwards closing the gap between them "I could end you right now"
"Then what's stopping you?" Buffy argued "Come on, the big bad hybrid who's afraid of no one, if that's true then why are you so afraid that I hold a stake, I think you know its because you're not invincible and you know I have the power to use it, just ask your brother" She was playing with fire, but for some reason she didn't care, what's the worst he could do, kill her, she'd already been there and she knew now, in this place she wasn't afraid to die, heck she had spent the last few months not wanting to be back in this place.
"Good riddance, he was an embracement" Klaus scoffed, and his words shocked her, this was not the reaction she had been expecting at him finding out she had killed his brother.
"He was your brother" Buffy whispered.
"Should I say a pray? Finn, who slept in a box longer than he lived as a man, he was a lovesick fool. He's better off in death"
"How can you be so cold?" Buffy stared back at him, sure he was a vampire and he had been around a long time, caused who knows what kind of pain across the years, but here he had a family, a family that stood by one another, and he didn't care, she just didn't understand it and didn't know why she wanted to understand it.
"Vampire" was all he said but she saw something behind his eyes, a moment of hesitation.
"No, that's not it" she held her ground, remained calm and took that last step between them. "The Salvatore's fight like dogs, but in the end, they would die for each other"
"I wanted a family. They just didn't want me" he whispered back, and there it was, she understood the reason behind his façade.
The monster he wanted everyone to see and fear and the man who was afraid his family didn't love him. Suddenly she felt a pang go through her, she felt a wave of emotion all at one, it took her by surprise she hadn't really felt anything since she been brought back and now she felt guilt, sorrow and she wanted to fix this broken man, upon realising this she took a step back, what was she thinking. Vampire, Slayer she had done this before she wasn't going to do it again especially with an Original. She shook her head and tried to get a grip of herself, while Klaus just stared at her, he too looked shocked and his sudden moment of honesty.
"Your mother" Buffy remembered how she had brought them together to link them and try take them all out. She had never thought about her reasons why or the impact it would have on her children, she couldn't imagine, didn't want to. She had loved her mother more than anything and the pain of her lose still haunted her.
"Have you tried talking to her?" Buffy asked.
"There is no talking to her, she's out to destroy me but she will fail" He took s step back and turned his back, she was wasn't sure if she should just try and leave but he spun back round to face her "She will never destroy me, I will end her just like I did all those years ago" He shouted, and Buffy knew the monster part of him was back and she definitely should leave.
"Whatever" Buffy replied turning away from him, she was not making him her problem, he flashed in front of her.
"Bring me my stakes and I'm gone, I'll take Elena and be gone from this place" he reasoned.
"Elena?"
"I'm gonna take Elena ands use her blood to create a new family. Of hybrids" he smirked, and she was done. He was hell bent on creating more like him and she'd always be fighting vampires, werewolves, demons and now hybrids, she was done with this.
"No, I won't let you take her"
"You can't stop me, love"
"Sure I can, I have a stake remember" Buffy taunted. "and Slayer remember, my job to kill vampires well guess what I've just been given the best gift ever, a weapon to kill all vampires which means my job, my fate is done"
"Bring me that stake or I will destroy them all" Klaus growled.
"Do you not get it" Buffy laughed "I don't care, I'm telling you I'm ready to take you all out meaning no more vampires that includes Stefan, Damon and the rest"
"and those that you care for that are human?"
"You won't hurt Elena, you need her"
"Maybe I do, but I certainly don't have any use for your council murdering friend, or don't you care about him either" Klaus laughed at her in return, knowing she did care. "Bring me the stake or he won't be the only one I end, maybe I'll take a little trip to Sunnydale I'm sure I have all kinds of fun there too" He grinned when Buffy didn't reply. "Tick Tock Slayer" he grinned and stalked past her, the threat of everyone she cared about left hanging in the air.