Chapter Nine: Mutual Advantage
A/N: It seems when I try to update sooner I procrastinate even more… nguh. SO, damn this chapter is long! Well was long. And honestly one of those chapters I was really excited to write, so obviously it became long. I split it into two cuz I don't want another 20+ pages in one upload like graduation parts 1&2… I promise though to put up the second part in a day, or two. After I look over it.
It kinda didn't turn out exactly how I pictured it but enjoy! And I am eternally sorry for typos and things of the sort
"Remember, you have only until tonight," Elena spoke. She stood at a porch watching as a figure walked away, disappearing into the trees.
Eyes narrowed, she glanced around at the unfamiliar setting and then back to where she had last seen the figure. Where was this? And who had that been?
Suddenly curious, Elena followed, going down the steps and towards the line of trees. Her eyes narrowed as she caught glimpse of flowing curls and high heeled boots. Katherine. Before she could lose sight of her doppelganger Elena ran towards her, vampire speed whipping away reaching branches and leaves.
She came to a halt at a clearing and when she scanned it, it seemed she was alone.
"No, please!" a cry came from her left, not too far away and in seconds Elena was off once again.
A hand gripped her shoulders, pulling her back before she cleared another line of trees.
"Wait!" someone hissed into her ear.
Turning to the voice she came face to face with a boy, roughly around her age or maybe younger. He had emerald green eyes and light brown curls that fell short of his chin. Almost innocent in a way that didn't match his expression.
"Don't you go there," he said, his eyes boring into her. She took a step back.
"Let—" Elena pulled from his grasp, only to fall on the ground at the lack of hands that should've been holding her.
"—go!" a voice echoed her unfinished words and Elena looked up. Her brows drew together.
A girl with wispy dark curls and a dress that was remarkably unmodern pulled herself away from the boy. Elena blinked rapidly, trying to process what she was seeing. Her face, she looked just like—
"Please!" the boy begged, reaching out but not touching the girl, "He's not—"
"I know," the girl interrupted, emphasizing, "but there's no chance that I am leaving him."
The boy scanned her face, his own full of concern but he did nothing as she walked away from him.
Elena's head turned as her gaze followed the girl—Katherine? Though there was no way that was her. She seemed… different. Too different, even if in another time. Her head filled with confusion and she turned back to the boy.
Elena's cheek felt the pillow before she hit it and her eyes fluttered open.
She blinked as hardwood walls met her sight.
"Elena!" Caroline gasped, rushing to hug her friend, "you're awake! I was just about to leave too."
"Caroline?"
"Mhm, are you okay? How do you feel?"
"Huh?" she shook her head, trying to push back the image of the girl and the boy in her dream as she tried to think. "What happened again?"
"You were knocked out by vervaine and I thought I'd check up on you before I left. So, you're okay right?"
"Yes," Elena shook her head, clearing out her thought. That's right, Issac attacked the boarding house and tried to threaten them, "I'm good, Care. But Jeremy?"
"He's fine. Just a little cut," she assured, her brows knitted together soon after, "That must've been one serious bite. You were out longer than Stefan."
"Stefan and Damon, are they okay too? The last thing I remembered was attacking Issac…," Elena trailed off thinking.
Caroline nodded, "They're okay, no one's hurt anymore."
"Anymore?"
"That hunter did some damage. But it's all good now. You were really kind of the only one still suffering under any hunter after-attack effects. So now that you're awake everyone's back to normal."
Elena raised her brows, "How long has it been?"
"Just a day. Are you hungry? Do you want some blood? It's in the kitchen."
"Yeah, I do actually," she got up, walking beside her friend. "What happened to Issac?"
"He's in the basement right now," the blonde informed her. "Tyler's been down there trying to get him to talk. You know, about the Immortal and all. He's been looking for Silas this whole time, he should know a thing or two."
Elena stopped in her tracks, the moment before Issac attacked, Stefan had handed them all that bombshell of information. Irina Petrova. The original doppelganger. The Immortal Issac seemed hell bent on finding. Was that the girl in her dream?
"Caroline, I need to tell you something," Elena began and the other vampire raised her brows in attention, "have you talked to Stefan?"
"Not really. He just woke up a couple hours ago too I haven't really gotten to ask him anything."
The brunette nodded with a sigh, "Before Issac came Stefan told me and Damon something. He said that the person that put him in that safe and the one we all thought was Silas actually isn't."
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"She introduced herself to Stefan as Irina Petrova. The original doppelganger."
"What?" Caroline's eyes widened, "As in the original original?!"
Elena nodded.
"Wait what?!" Caroline's face was incredulous as she processed this information in her head, "So, Silas is actually a girl named Irina? But wait! Isn't she two thousand years old? Isn't that before even the Originals?"
"Yeah that's what I don't understand. It doesn't make much sense," she shrugged at her friend as they began down the stairs.
Caroline blinked, a million questions suddenly bombarded her thoughts, "What part? The doppelgangers or everything in general?"
Elena huffed out a laugh, "The doppelgangers mostly. I don't even want to think about what she might want right now."
The blonde's brows knitted together as they both got to the kitchen. Caroline took a seat at the island and Elena headed to the fridge, pulling out a bag of blood. She poured some in a mug and put it in the microwave.
"So has Tyler gotten anything from Issac yet?"
"Not really," Caroline shook her head, "Nothing important. But we really need to right? I mean the Immortal is a doppelganger and anything we can find out about her would be useful."
"Mhm," she nodded, "though I get the feeling that Issac won't be sharing anything willingly."
"What makes you say that?"
"He's a hunter," Elena said as an explanation. From Connor to Vaughn hunters didn't really have a good reputation with them, "Maybe if we had something to hold against him… or something to trade for."
"Tyler thought so too. And he said he was working on it."
"Okay, good," Elena sat down across from her friend and sipped on her drink.
Issac had to know something. Hunters couldn't be running around the world trying to rid it of the Immortal if they didn't have some kind of information on her. Though now that Elena thought about it Issac had never given them a name. Always the Immortal. Did he even know about Irina? Or was that somehow exclusive knowledge? Even Vaughn and Connor had referred to Irina as Silas.
Elena shook her head. Right now she could only hope that he talked, because if he didn't they'd be back to being, as Damon put it, chickens with their heads cut off.
'That bitch,' was the first thought that came to Katherine once she deemed herself far enough away from any mind reading psychos. The bitch with her face, immortal and virtually invulnerable, and no doubt quickly placing herself onto Katherine's "to kill" list, right alongside Klaus.
Katherine shifted her daylight bracelet around her wrist.
After about a good quarter of an hour with Rosana the day before, Irina had come back to Katherine and gave the bracelet to her as she'd said. What she had failed to tell her until she was just about to leave that morning was that she had spelled it. A tracking spell. One that told Irina where her doppelganger was whenever she felt like it.
She walked out of the forest and crossed over someone's unfenced backyard, ignoring the looks she received from three twelve year olds at the pool.
"Don't run, Katerina," Irina had warned her, "You run and I will find you and I will kill you. Not one word of me to anyone. And most of all, remember, you have only until tonight."
Only tonight. Why the hell hadn't she let her go the day before? She would've preferred the longer leash, so to speak, and maybe then she would have more time to find a way out of Mystic Falls in one relative piece. Though, to be fair, snatching Elena Gilbert wouldn't be too hard.
What Irina would do to Elena didn't concern her. She would gladly hand her doppelganger over for a chance to be left alone but Katherine had a feeling that Irina wouldn't do so.
She could do as she was told but that would be the same as lying down and giving up. And everyone knew that Katherine Pierce wasn't one to back down. As she'd told herself multiple times, she would find a way out of this. She just had to find the right opportunity and circumstances, though the current moment was definitely not the best time. She had a major disadvantage of not knowing anything, even the simple know hows of what supernatural events have happened. Meaning, what the Scooby gang of Mystic Falls had been up to, since everything supernatural in town revolve around them.
Katherine halted on the road and a lone car swerved to move out of her way. She turned towards it. The car stopped and a man hopped out of it with his face red. What perfect timing.
"What do you think you're doing, Ms. Gilbert?! I almost ran you over!" As he reached her she held his shoulder, forcing him to steadily meet her gaze.
"Forget what just happened, lend me your car," she said in a low voice, his pupils dilating with hers.
His shoulders relaxed and held her gaze. "You can borrow my car," he responded in a trance.
She tilted her head and added as an afterthought, "and your phone."
With a small nod he reached into his pocket and handed her his phone. She smiled. God, it felt so good to finally gain back some control. She gave him a once over before nodding her head to the side, "Come on, I still need you to drive."
"Okay."
Climbing into the passenger's seat she glanced around, seeing that there were no bystanders that could witness anything. Once the man sat back into the driver's seat he turned to her.
"Where to, Ms. Gilbert?"
She didn't bother correcting him as she narrowed her eyes, "What did you say was your name again?"
"Hugh Kenley."
"Hmm," she purred, her gaze flitting down. She licked her lips and slowly pulled his head down so she breathed into his ear, "We're going to the Grill, but before that…"
Katherine trailed off, her fangs surfacing as his blood pumped in her ears. She was beyond starving, and Mr. Hugh Kenley looked as good as any other person she could run into later. He tensed at her touch but before he could panic her grip on his neck hardened and her fangs sank deep.
Stefan sat on the top of the stairs leading to the basement. He placed the bag of blood he had been drinking from on one of the steps as he listened.
"Is that all you've got? I thought with everything you'd at least want some kind of revenge."
That was Issac. The hunter.
After waking up in a daze the day before Stefan had heard the commotion downstairs. He'd hesitated for a moment because of his confusion before he went down the stairs, but even when he got down he wasn't much help.
He'd woken up a couple hours ago from the vervaine.
He sighed, running a hand over his face. This entire mess. If he heard right and if Jeremy walking around was any indication, Bonnie Bennett was dead. Just as that… that Immortal had said. Besides the fact that they had no one to once again encase Irina in stone they had lost yet another friend. For a moment Stefan's eyes lowered, Elena had yet lost another person. Never would he have guess that Bonnie Bennett would… pass away.
Stefan sighed again.
He wanted to get rid of the Irina. For what she did to him and for whatever plan she had ahead of her. Because hoping that whatever it was wouldn't affect them would only be wishful thinking. He was already involved. And Elena too. Irina had pointed out her doppelgangers. The balance nature gave to her immortality.
She would need her doppelganger some way or another, wouldn't she?
Stefan shook his head and stood as Tyler headed out of the cell. One thing was for sure though, they couldn't do anything if they didn't know anything.
Katherine stepped into an almost empty Grill. Save one or two visible workers, there were about five customers loitering about. She licked her lips. After feeding off Hugh Kenley she had called one of her Mystic Falls contacts and arranged a meeting at the Grill. She had told her to come in five minutes but before then maybe Katherine could get a few things off of the people around the place. Matt Donovan maybe. Though he didn't seem to be in at the moment.
She made her way towards the bar, planning to sit and wait.
Just as she was about to reach the bar she noticed someone about to run into her and she side stepped, letting the man tumble into a stool and then steady himself.
"Elena?" he turned to her, a slight slur in his words, "W-what are you doing here?"
She raised a brow. Damon. What reason would he have to be so blatantly drunk before noon?
When she didn't respond he narrowed his eyes, "You're…," he took a deep sigh, "Katherine. Just… great, like everything isn't shit already. What are you doing here?"
"Hmm, Damon, drunk already?" her lips lifted in a small grin. She glanced at the clock on the wall and sat beside the Salvatore. Jane would come soon but a bit of small talk never hurt anybody. Maybe he could even tell her something useful, "Something tells me the reason why you're here is much more interesting."
He shook his head, dragging some words as he spoke, "I thought youu would know. I mean, you were a real bitch the last time we met. Maybe you could put that two together."
Her? A bitch? Katherine almost laughed at the common insult. She'd ask him to be more specific but she knew already that the last time they'd had a conversation was weeks ago.
"At the boarding house?" she asked in rhetorical confirmation. The time before saint Elena had decided the best way to live was to try and kill Katherine, "You never learn do you?"
She had told Damon that her little doppelganger would go right back to Stefan. Even if he hadn't made that jab about Elijah she would've gladly thrown that little fact at him. And judging by what he was saying and his current drunkenness, Elena had done just that. That was no surprise.
"Learn? I thought I was the first?"
"Damon, I think you know by now that Stefan is always the first choice," she said, pointedly.
"Stefan? What're you... going on about?" he looked at her and then leaned on the counter, placing a hand on his cheek and propping up his elbow.
Katherine frowned. She was talking about their last conversation. "What are you talking about?"
Damon rolled his eyes and didn't respond.
"Anything I can get you guys?" a bartender approached them from behind the bar, wiping his hands on a rag. Katherine ignored him but Damon raised his finger and then pointed down to the table as if there were something there, "Another."
The man nodded, apparently already knowing his drink. He quickly whipped it up and slid it over the table. Katherine's eyes followed the tumbler, half full of ice, and watched as an already drunk Damon took a sip. The bartender left and she wondered about Damon's consumption rate. He could die, couldn't he? If he took too much.
"Damon, you were saying?" Katherine asked, tilting her head and waited for him to answer her question.
"I'm human," he muttered, "Do you know what that's like?"
"Horrible, I presume."
"Exactly! And I've looked...," he trailed off, his face scrunching up as he suddenly turned to her with wide eyes.
"You've looked..?" she urged him, all the while glancing back to the clock on the wall. Jane was late.
"You know about the cure," Damon shook his head and he breathed in his words, "Help me."
He stated it instead of asked, and Katherine couldn't think of anything other than how drunk Damon must actually be. She paused, maybe he could tell her what was going on around there. Since her contact was nowhere to be found. Besides, he was definitely a better source than any third party who was just spying on their little group of friends.
"Okay," she agreed.
He gave her a look, having not expected her to offer any sort of help.
"I'll tell you what I know about the cure, but you have to help me too."
He pouted, and rolled his eyes in thought. "Okay, fine. Deal. What do you want?"
Katherine shrugged and positioned herself so that she faced him, "Information. What's been going on with the Scooby gang?"
Damon scoffed, "Wait, don't tell me you don't have your little spies running around anymore."
"Oh, they're still here. But why talk to the people looking through the window when I can speak directly to the one in the house?"
"Information on us… for information on the cure," he pursed his lips. "What's your angle here?"
"I'd ask you the same thing, but I think that's obvious."
Damon glowered, "Then I won't say anything."
"We had a deal."
"No deal, I back out."
"So you don't want to turn back?"
"What? Of course I do!"
"You've been looking around for answers and someone who knows more about it than you finally shows up. A week and a half, Damon. I'm sure not a lot happened in a week and a half."
He scowled at her and called the bartender over, refilling his drink.
Katherine scoffed and stood to get up. He really was stubborn as hell.
She was just about to walk away when Damon spoke.
"The veil was put back up, obviously. And little Bennett traded her life for the useless little Gilbert," Damon said offhandedly, taking another sip. Katherine rose her brows, turning back around. Little Bon Bon dead, and the brat alive and breathing? She sat. That was something she didn't expect. "Plus the whole Silas drama is still unresolved."
Damon leaned forward suddenly as he loudly whispered, "Did you know that Silas isn't a guy?" he seemed to be opening up, though when he spoke he sounded like he was talking more to himself than to her, "It's so unusual that it's not. I don't know why I didn't see it miles away."
"Uh huh," she nodded slowly. They knew about Irina and Katherine needed to determine if that would come to be in her favour or not. Maybe they could help each other where Irina was concerned.
'Ha! With their track record someone will die before anything is resolved.'
She quickly dropped that thought. That someone could be her and she would rather take her chances elsewhere or better yet, on her own.
"I mean, she stuffed Stefan in a safe and drowned him! Can you believe the nerve?" he rambled, "That's my brother. If someone's going to torture him, it'd be me. Now if I ever see that woman's face…," he trailed off.
Hold on: A safe? Stefan was stuck in a safe? Hadn't she seen Elena and her friends pulling someone out of a large black safe? But then again, hadn't that also only been a dream?
"You know what? Stefan said she looked like you," Damon's eyes widened at the last word, "a doppelganger."
He frowned deeply at her when she didn't say anything and then leaned over the counter and waved the bartender back. He pointed to his empty glass.
"What are you planning to do?" she asked as Damon downed a half of his drink. He shrugged dramatically, his attention going right back to the guy serving him drinks.
"Hey hey! Don't leave yet," he scowled and then repeatedly pointed to his glass. The guy glanced at Damon before rolling his eyes and grabbing the bottle of bourbon behind the counter.
"Damon," she said as he gulped his drink down and pointed for another. She rolled her eyes when he ignored her.
"Hey," Katherine held out her hand before the guy could pour again, "I think he's had enough."
"What? No!" Damon's forehead crinkled in disagreement. He picked up his tumbler and thrust it towards the guy, "Give me more! Don't listen to her. She's a lying, manipulative bitch trying to ruin what little fun I have left. Now pour!"
He widened his eyes, looking like he was trying to compel him.
Katherine looked over the guy, "What's your name?"
The bartender sighed, "Will."
"Will," she repeated, meeting his eyes, "be a good boy and serve your other guests. This little Salvatore has had enough."
"Little? Who are you calling little?" Damon exclaimed as Will left, "And that's unfair! You can't do that."
"But I did," Katherine stood, pulling the tumbler from his hand and prompting him to get off the stool also, "You're going home. We can't have a conversation if you're too wasted to talk."
"No."
She took a deep breath. Oh she did not have the patience for this right now.
'Why don't I just leave you here?' she thought through gritted teeth. She glanced around, Jane was still not there.
"Damon," she began, "We had a deal. You want to know what I know about the cure, don't you?"
He stopped pouting for a moment, pointing to her face—her eyes, "Don't think that will work on me," he said but begrudgingly, he complied, getting to his feet.
Hugh's car was parked out front and pulling Damon along, they got in and she drove, heading towards the boarding house.
Tyler placed his hands on his knees as he leaned forward. Issac grinned with his teeth, blood staining his mouth.
"Is that all you've got?" the hunter spoke and Tyler shook his head, "I thought with everything you'd at least want some kind of revenge."
He laughed and the hybrid rolled his eyes.
"You know, you started this."
"What? You torturing me?"
"Yeah. This," Tyler pointed out, spreading one arm, "Washington, British Columbia, Ohio and even at the town over from here. What did I ever do to you, huh?"
Issac shrugged, "Your pack killed one of my friends."
"My pack? How many time do I have to tell you? I don't have a pack!" Tyler shook his head.
The hunter threw his head back in a laugh, "You're one of them. Trying to convince me otherwise isn't going to help you."
The hybrid frowned, "What are you talking about? One of who?"
Issac paused, his eyes narrowing as he analyzed Tyler's expression.
"Wait, hold up. Don't tell me you really don't know."
"No, I don't," a part of him felt as if he should've just been punching the guy again for not cooperating. He'd been there for a while now and his frustrations were starting to surface. Even though he'd gotten better at it, Tyler Lockwood never was known for his patience. "Just spit it out."
"That Alpha pack? Don't tell me you didn't know they were following you." At the young man's expression Issac began to laugh. Cut short when Tyler suddenly had him by the collar.
"What are you talking about? Following me? Who were they?"
Issac shook his head, "And here I thought I was following one of them. When really we were all just following you."
Tyler shook him but he didn't say anything else.
Irritated, he slammed him into the wall and headed out the door. An Alpha pack? What in the world was Issac going on about now? He turned back to the door and then sighed. They were following him, he said. What did that mean? Why would a pack of wolves be following him?
"Hey you okay?" Stefan came down the stairs to the basement.
Running a hand over his hair, Tyler nodded, "Yeah, yeah I'm good. He's just frustrating. Hasn't said a useful word."
Stefan nodded, understandingly, "Okay, why don't I try."
"Sure," Tyler shrugged, "Do you need a hand?"
He looked at the hybrid for a second before shrugging, "Why not. Come on."
"Reinforcements?" Issac voiced from the floor as they entered.
Tyler rolled his eyes.
"I'm Stefan," the vampire introduced himself, pulling out the seat Tyler had previously sat on. "I understand you have a job to do. As a hunter you, naturally, want to kill us," he pointed between him and the hybrid, "but I also understand you're looking for someone. Someone specific."
"The Immortal."
"I've heard. Now, I've met this Immortal."
"You've met him."
"Yes, I have met him. And in my humble opinion, I'd also love to get rid of that son of a bitch," Stefan said, blasé. Issac frowned at him and he continued, "You see, he stuffed me in a safe before pushing it into a ravine. You hunters have a mission don't you? To kill him? And seeing as you're here, stuck in this cellar, you're not doing a very good job."
"So what? I'm supposed to trust a group of vampires and wolves now?"
"No, but you're not the only one who wants this Immortal dead," Stefan spoke, his eyes boring into Issac who looked away with furrowed brows. The vampire continued, pushing for Issac to understand, to cooperate, "If you help us, we can definitely help you."
A/N: Okay, so guys check this tomorrow, I'll probably have the next chapter up by then. lol I'm excited, but I need to read it over.
And btw don't forget to review you beautiful ice cubes you
