HELLO EVERYONE! I am so sorry for the hiatus, I have become THAT AUTHOR... Life and stuff, and getting threatened unless I did not post other fics got in the way. I apologize, sincerely. So I have worked super hard on a longer-than-usual (I think?) chapter for Cruel Summer.
Umm, there is no elejah in this chapter, unfortunately. It didn't fit to bring their situation into this chap - they will for sure start off the next chapter. Thanks for hanging in there guys, as I develop the many different aspects of my plot and clear things up...
Umm, anybody out there Team Original like I am? I am bringing them back ;) However, there are a lot of them who need to be addressed, and you'll see my method of, umm, filtering who is in my story.
As always, I own nothing...except Rachel and Jay...BAMFS...and thanks to Buffy Salvatore and ALL of the incredibly lovely TWITTER reviews and praise I receive on a regular basis now! You guys ALL rock, each and every one of you. Words cannot express my thanks for your feedback and support.
Songs for this week include "The Promise" by Within Temptation, and "Rise Above This" by Seether. Enjoy!
Klaus watched from a filthy, upstairs window of the mansion as Rachel began her lone assault. He didn't move a muscle as the house shuddered from the impact of another blast of power. He wasn't worried...He was only slightly concerned, looking out at the blasted sunlight. Poor timing. He couldn't leave if he wanted to, right now; he still couldn't face the sun, and there was no time to organize a safe exit, and the witch had broken down his door...And where the fuck was Stefan?
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Klaus forced himself to think rationally. The witch had no chance against a house full of vampires; especially including himself and his newly acquired ally. He summoned an evil grin, turning to the only other person in the room; his oldest brother, Vladimir. Vlad, as he was called by those close to him, looked none the worse for having spent three centuries sealed in an airless coffin, and on the surface appeared to hold no ill will for the one who put him there. His dark, wavy hair was back to its vibrant sheen; his face had returned to its usual beige-toned pallor; but the evil glint in his eyes was a new development. Clad in a leather jacket and dark jeans, modern clothing he had adapted to rather quickly, Vlad looked no more out of place in this era than Klaus.
It had been no random stroke of luck that Rachel had overheard where the other Originals were hidden; Klaus had spread the word among his minions, knowing the other side would soon hear and attempt to use his family against him. But there was a method to the madness.
The secret that vervain could kill Originals, enough of it, had been revealed to Klaus years ago, when he had tortued the famous witch Jamie, Rachel's great-grandmother, though he knew nothing of the relation. That had been her end, at his hands, when he had heard of Elijah consulting her for help on killing him, Klaus. A long session of torture, aimed at discovering what she had told Elijah, followed by draining her dry and dumping her body on her family's doorstep. The information had never seemed useful, until now.
A few weeks past, Klaus had visited the warehouse where he'd been keeping his family, opening the antique coffins for the first time in centuries, removing the daggers from their hearts one at a time, and offering each weak, disoriented Original a deal. Join his side against Elijah, or face a permanent death. He had allowed none of them to feed, so they remained in a fragile state mere steps away from complete mummification. That did not stop them conveying refusals, as strongly as they could.
"Your brother is and always will be a thousand times more honorable than yourself, Niklaus," his mother, Elisabeta, had croaked.
His brothers, Gabriel and Mikhail, had both shaken their heads, Gabriel attempting to spit at him, and Mikhail turning away to burrow himself further into his coffin.
Magdalena and Sasha, his sisters, had been particularly trying. Magdalena's golden curls, diminished by "death" and lack of air, trembled as she let loose a single tear, managing to whisper, "You are not who you once were, Niklaus. I would never help you in your evil mission."
Sasha, the boldest of his siblings, had attempted to rise from her coffin, dark locks of hair swinging, and lunged for Klaus, fangs bared. He had stepped back, and she had crumpled to the floor, any power anger had given her drained. Klaus had gently picked her up, returning her to the coffin and pressing a kiss to the matted black strands of her hair. He still must do what he came here for.
He had given them all a choice, save for their father; the one who was not his own, who had killed his own father so long ago. He had simply killed Andrei outright, stabbing him with a vervain-soaked stake after removing the dagger, then pouring a highly-concentrated mixture of vervain and water inside the coffin. As a final touch he shoved sprigs of vervain into his father's mouth, standing back with satisfaction as Andrei's body burned from the inside out before his very eyes. Why had he not done this before?
He had ripped out the hearts of his mother and brothers Gabriel and Mikhail, then sprayed the same vervain solution over their bodies to disintegrate them, feeling nothing for the family he viewed as traitors, no matter that he had "killed" them and morphed their opinions himself. This is what mercy gained him; betrayal and judgment. Never had he been so thankful for the existence of vervain; he could finally be rid of the tethers to his weak, human life.
He was torn over how to treat his sisters; he had expected sympathy from the females. He'd always tried to protect Magdalena and Sasha when they were human, even though they obviously preferred Elijah; Mag was only 16 when they were turned, and Sasha 20. Klaus was conflicted; he wanted them to both suffer, and live as long as possible, at the same time.
He had settled for lining his sisters' coffins with vervain, binding them with vervain-infused rope, and shutting the coffins. They would suffer, and then they would die.
He was shocked when, after reviving his eldest brother, he had quickly agreed to help Klaus. Vlad had managed to explain in a harsh whisper that Klaus' behavior had been provoked by Elijah, and that if Elijah were eliminated, Klaus could be Vlad's younger brother once again. Klaus did not inform him of his hybrid condition; that could wait.
The whole point of this was to lead Elijah to the truly-dead bodies of his family, or what was left of them. In a corner of his twisted mind, Klaus had not believed from the beginning that any of them would aid him after what he had done to them. Vlad had surprised him, and while he suspected cowardice or an ulterior motive, he chose to spare him for now and accept his aid, such as it was. Klaus had helped him out of the coffin, tossed him a blood bag, trusting he could figure out how it worked, and gestured for him to follow.
Rachel was warming herself up well, feeling twinges of satisfaction every time a burst of magic hit the old house. She finally reached the old, wrap-around porch, and slowly walked up the steps. No vampires had shown their faces yet through the open front doorway, and she was slightly disappointed. Shaking out her wrists, she rolled back her sleeves, retrieving the dagger from her boot. This was for her grandmother, who had been killed by vampires; this was for Jay, captured and most likely being tortured; this was for Elena, her new friend whose life had been so upset by vampires; and this was for her, Rachel, whose own life had never been close to normal, due to the supernatural.
As she stepped inside the house, the first vampire came charging at her; he was young, and awkward with his newfound speed and reflexes. She dodged his attack and quickly staked him with the dagger, whipping around and avoiding another vampire's lunge, swinging a stiletto heel under its leg, tripping it, then pinning it to the ground before staking it as well. This was too easy; her opponents were all newbies, as if she were expected, and trying to be worn down by her enemy.
Straightening from the floor, Rachel removed her jacket, finding it a burden, revealing a tight white t-shirt. She flung the jacket to the ground, tossing another blast of magic at the ancient staircase, where more vampires had appeared. Two caught on fire, and another fled upstairs. This was becoming pointless.
Closing her eyes, Rachel focused on finding Jay, stretching tendrils of power throughout the house in search of her. She hit the cellar, and felt a sort of mental ping. Her eyes shot open, and her gaze darted around the entryway, seeking an entrance to the basement.
A nondescript wooden door, brittle with age, gave way easily under a kick from Rachel, who slowly descended the aged stairs, the clack of her heels echoing eerily. Pausing a moment, she listened for any sign of the vampires she knew had to be a few floors up. She heard nothing, save for the dripping of water in the cellar below.
Stepping into the room itself, Rachel let her eyes adjust to the dimness. There were old wooden crates everywhere, a dusty set of shelves in one corner...and a set of empty chains at her feet. Crouching down, she waved a hand over them; they had held someone, but not Jay. Rising, Rachel strode into the center of the room, where a metal chair sat, vacant, bolted to the floor. Jay was not down here...her damn powers had misled her.
Even from a few paces away she caught the scent of vervain emanating from the chair; there must have been a lot around at some point. Wincing at the thought of what that much would have done to Jay, she examined the chair, surmising any prisoners must have been taken upstairs. This was an obvious trap; but there was nothing for it. She'd come here for a reason, and she knew she could get some help from the other side.
Turning back towards the stairs to leave, Rachel froze, spotting her path blocked. "Hello, my lovely."
Jay and Jeremy sat back to back, their chairs bound together with chains and vervain-soaked rope, the feeling of which was branded into Jay's mind now. They were surrounded by Klaus' vampires, locked in a spacious room on the second floor. Bonnie Bennett stood by the door, a burly vampire on either side of her, tears silently streaming down her face. She held a grimoire, and was quietly reciting latin words. Klaus had demanded she put up a protection spell for him in case Rachel proved more difficult than he anticipated.
Jeremy was frustrated beyond imagination; Klaus had been keeping he and Bonnie for weeks now, and it was driving him insane, the waiting. And why had the witch spirits not come to Bonnie's aid, or at least driven these enemy vampires out of their own territory? They'd shown they could at least slam a door or two.
A loud bang sounded from below, shaking the room. Bonnie's chanting was cut off, and everyone listened intently. Shrieked words from downstairs drifted up to their ears.
"You goddamn bastard! You think you can just take anything from anyone and no one will stop you? Well, you were wrong. And the time has come for you to see that!" It was Rachel's voice, distorted by emotion and distance. She sounded distraught and angrier than Jay had ever heard.
A loud crash resounded through the house, and the shrill cries of a vampire in pain was heard.
"Get down here, you fools!" Klaus' voice yelled, sounding unsettled.
His vampires all looked at each other, then scrambled to the doorway, thundering down the stairs one after the other.
Bonnie dashed to Jay and Jeremy, looking hurriedly over her shoulder as she muttered a spell to release the bindings. Jeremy threw the loosened chains off himself, pulling Bonnie to him and hugging her tightly. Jay rose on shaky legs, staring at the patch of sunset light streaming through through the window, which had nearly reached her by that point. Klaus had given her a few ounces of blood each day, enough to keep her going to maintain the torture; she was incredibly weak and the sunlight would not help. She turned to Bonnie. "I'm sorry to burst in on the reunion, but has anyone seen a pair of earrings?"
Bonnie finally pulled away from Jeremy, reaching into the pocket of her hoodie and producing Jay's emerald earrings. "Klaus wanted me to despell them, I lied and said I was working on it...I am so sorry. We had no idea he would come back, we were taken by surprise..."
Jay cut her off, waving a hand tiredly and taking the earrings back. Once they were back in her ears, she took a deep breath, stepping in front of the large window. Nothing happened, and she nodded, satisfied. "We need to get out of here. I'm sure that's my friend Rachel downstairs, I've got to help her somehow." She swayed suddenly, leaning against the wall for a moment.
"She needs blood," said Jeremy.
"We need to get out of here more than I need blood," argued Jay, her words slightly slurred.
Bonnie nodded, grabbing Jeremy's hand. "There's a back door, I want Jeremy out of here. No arguments," she said urgently, looking up at Jeremy. "I can't protect you right now."
He looked between the women, distressed. "If I'm escaping out the back way, can I at least give Jay some blood to tide her over?"
Bonnie bit her lip, glancing at Jay, whose emerald eyes had shot open, assessing Jeremy. "I don't know about that, Jeremy. I don't know her well enough to offer you up as a snack!"
Jeremy ignored her, crossing to Jay and rolling up the sleeve of his plaid shirt. "I know you'd never ask, so I'm offering."
Jay stared at him. "What is it with the Gilberts and offering their life force at the drop of a hat?"
It was Jeremy and Bonnie's turn to stare. "What did you say?" asked Bonnie, clutching her grimoire to her chest and furrowing her brows.
Jay cast her eyes downward. "Merely an observation, I haven't the time to explain. You are weak as well Jeremy, I doubt they were feeding you even one square meal a day-" She was interrupted by Jeremy shoving his wrist in her face.
"Don't even bother refusing. This needs to happen, and your friend is dying downstairs as we hesitate," murmured Jeremy.
Jay's eyes flicked back to the offered wrist. Opening her mouth to reveal elongated fangs, she drew in a breath, eyes darkening and veins rising to the surface around her eyes. Pausing for just a second, she sank her fangs deeply into his wrist, drinking as quickly as she could. Jeremy winced, looking at the ceiling, and Bonnie reached a hand out, letting it drop as she realized the two were right.
After a moment, Jay dropped his wrist, licking her lips and looking to Bonnie. "I trust you to heal him, I don't want to use my own blood right now..."
Bonnie nodded, going to Jeremy's side and muttering a quick spell, waving a hand over his wrist. The bite marks disappeared before their eyes, and Bonnie wiped away the remaining blood with her sleeve. "Let's go."
Rachel was outnumbered. Very outnumbered. She had managed to fight her way up one floor from the basement, to gain some space, but Klaus still had nearly 20 vampires with him, plus himself. And, she had discovered, his brother Vlad, as Klaus had called him. It was all she could do to keep them at bay at this point, surrounded as she was.
They were in a large room to one side of the mansion, it looked like a library. Klaus, wearing a red button-down shirt and slacks, was watching, hands in pockets, as his minions tried to take Rachel down. She noticed he stayed well away from the blinding light from the sunset, finding its way in through cracks in the roof. Vlad, however, seemed to revel being back in the sunshine; he stood near a window, watching as well, protected by his Original abilities.
She was frustrated that this had turned into a spectator sport. Creating a wall of fire around herself to gain some room, Rachel concentrated, hard, focusing on a spell to kill multiple enemies. The room needed to be cleared.
Pulling power from the existing flames, and calling upon the spirits of the house, Rachel expanded the wall of fire, sending it tearing through the room. The smell of burned clothes; the sight of flailing, burning bodies; the screams of the writhing vampires; it all filled the room. When she was satisfied, Rachel snuffed out the flames with a snap of her fingers.
Attempting to quence the fatigue she now felt, Rachel looked up at the only other vampires remaining in the room; Klaus and Vladimir. She knew now she couldn't hope to destroy them; she had used too much power, but hopefully she had caused a large enough distraction for Jay to get free, wherever she had been kept. And Rachel had ingested the vervain; perhaps that would do something, if she were bitten...
Drawing herself up to her full height, she cocked her head to the side, her chestnut-colored hair swinging at her movements. "Well?" She placed a hand on her hip, trying hard not to sway. The situation really was grave.
Klaus shoved his weight off of a bookshelf, stalking forward. "My, my, we expect a lot of ourselves and the resident spirits, eh? Not feeling tired? You think you can still take out an Original and myself?"
Rachel grinned. "Do you know how my great-grandmother was? A great and powerful witch, I've inherited a lot from her...Oh wait, you only remember people if you've killed them, is that right? Well, you definitely should remember Jamie then."
Klaus' only response was a raised brow.
"I am not your average witch, like the Bennett girl, whether the spirits like her or not. There is much more to come, Klaus, and even when I have left this world, I will still visit to ensure your end. It's a shame I won't see it today." She smiled ruefully, sensing someone approaching the door to the library.
When Jay and Bonnie burst in, Klaus turned to them. "The other witch bitch. You can always trust a Bennett to play turncoat when you look away for just a moment...And dear Jacqueline, my little plaything. Feeling sore still?"
Rachel's gaze flew to her friend, whom she hadn't laid eyes upon in over a week. She appeared alright, she had obviously fed somehow...What did Klaus mean?
Jay scoffed, glaring. "I've had better."
Rachel, comprehending at last, gave a mental shudder at what Klaus must have done to her best friend; but Jay seemed to be fine, so Rachel opted for a loud laugh. "Hear that, Klaus?" And with that, she sent a blast of power at him, knocking him off his feet. Vlad came alert, moving to his brother's side and offering a hand.
Before Klaus could accept it, Jay lunged for Vlad, tackling him to the floor as Bonnie moved forward, throwing a burst of magic at Klaus as well. Rachel threw another spell at Klaus, sinking to one knee with the effort. Her vision went dark for a moment, and all she could hear was Bonnie muttering spells, and the grunts of Vlad and Jay fighting. She tried to calm herself, blocking out the sounds and focusing on her magic.
When she became aware of her surroundings again, Jay had appeared at her side, with a split lip and cradling her left arm awkwardly. "Rachel?" Her voice trembled, and she was wide-eyed with uncertainty.
Bonnie looked back at the two of them. "We need to go. We can't take them like this."
"Can't we?" Rachel said, locking eyes with Bonnie, panting slightly. "Nice to meet you, Bennett. I'm Rachel. And I intend to make my death worth something. Please take Jay and get out of here!"
Jay grabbed her wounded arm, snapping it back into place with a grimace and a loud popping sound, staring in shock at her best friend. "No. I'm stronger than you, I could toss you over my shoulder right now and -" she was cut off as a blast of power from Rachel knocked her across the room, and crashing out the bay window.
Getting to her feet slowly, Jay blinked in surprise at finding herself on the lawn. It was getting darker now, the sky a patchwork quilt of blue, purple and red. Klaus wouldn't be trapped inside for much longer. Rushing back toward the house, she found herself unable to cross the threshold. Trying again and again, ripping at her hair in frustration, she shrieked into the darkened house, "I'll see you again Rachel, that's a promise!"
Rachel gritted her teeth with the maintenance of the barrier spell, looking at Bonnie once again. "Take Jay and anyone else left and get out of here. NOW."
Bonnie nodded, looking back at Klaus and Vlad, who had regained their footing, glaring menacingly. She backed towards Rachel, giving her a nod when she reached her, tears beginning to fall. She whispered, "No sacrifice against Klaus is in vain," and dashed outside to get Jay and Jeremy.
Staggering to her feet, Rachel released the barrier spell after Bonnie had been given enough time. As she faced the center of the room again, she was puzzled when she no longer saw Vlad and Klaus. Oh, shit.
A slight rustling near her ear was the only warning, before she was grabbed roughly, her head tilted to the side, and fangs were sunk deep into her neck. She managed a choking noise, struggling in the grip of her captor, realizing it was Vlad when Klaus sauntered back into view. "You let your guard down, my lovely. Tsk tsk."
His words enraged her more, and adrenaline found Rachel a burst of unnatural strength. Tearing herself from Vlad's hold, who fled the room, she faced Klaus and yelled, "Spiritus arma contra hostes hostium!"
It was a spell passed down from her great-grandmother; she'd been told it was the last spell anyone ever used. And now she understood why; with her neck still bleeding, she could feel her life force draining, every last bit of strength in her body combining with her inherited power and the atmosphere of the mansion for one last chance at harming Klaus.
With a muttered, "Hope you feel this in the morning," Rachel let loose the magic, causing a furious wind to whip around the room, eliciting screams of pain from Klaus, who sank to his knees. Blood began pouring from Klaus' nose; he gripped his head in his hands, toppling to his side on the floor.
Rachel began to get very light-headed; images from throughout her life flashed in her vision; being told she was a witch, mastering her first difficult spell, meeting Jay, her first shot of Jack Daniels, that hilarious Armani discussion with Elijah, Elena's polite smile as she was introduced...Tears formed in her eyes, but they were joyous tears, satisfied tears. Her work would be finished.
After a moment, the gale ceased, all magic draining from the room, papers and dust sinking to the ground. Finding some relief, Klaus had begun crawling on all fours towards the door, and finding it dusk, flung himself outside, making for the woods. The ruined library became very silent, as if in memory of what had just happened.
In the silence, Rachel gave a last huff of breath, smiling, and collapsed onto the old wooden floorboards.
What did you guys think? We still have aftermath of this "battle" to cover, but this was the main show. And like I promised, Elejah will reappear next chapter. What did you guys think of the Originals, their names, who's your fave? Vlad is not the only one who will reappear. [*cue spooky music*] So let me know your thoughts please, either on here or twitter ... xoxo Bon
