For a town that had caused so much trouble, Mystic Falls appeared very boring. Indeed it was so boring that Tessa hadn't realized exactly where she was until Rebekah jabbed her in the side.
"This is the location of our village." She hissed, staring at the space around her. Tessa's stomach did a flip. Grey eyes scanning everything, she slowly realized that this was where their village was located. The true question was who had changed more, the village or her.
"History truly does repeat itself. This was the birthplace of the doppelganger right?" Tessa shook her head.
"It was. Don't think that the irony was lost on me. I broke the curse in the same place it was cast upon me. I do hope Mother is rolling in her grave."
The truck was stopped in front of a high school, the parking lot suspiciously full of cars for the summer.
"Nik what on earth are we doing here?" Tessa asked, staring him down. "Not that I don't love high school but this seems a bit pointless." The Original only stepped down from the cab of the truck and extended his hand out to her. She took it, allowing him to help her down.
"Patience Tessie," He replied, eyes narrowing in on a person exiting the building. "It'll all work out."
She knew that that would be as much as she would get out of him. Rebekah joined her at her side in staring at the nondescript high school.
"Does he truly think that what he requires for the hybrids is in there?" Her arms folded across her chest.
"I think so, I can't think of another reason why he would drag us here. He has never been the type to engage in activities such as this," Tessa waved her hand at the high school, "willingly."
"I think that it's time to wake up our guest." Klaus called from the back as he opened the door to the trunk and slipped inside.
"I'm assuming that means it's time for his theatrics." Rebekah kept her eyes on the high school. There was the sudden noise of a neck cracking and Klaus hopped down from the truck.
"Rebekah, stay and keep Stefan company won't you?" He wiped his hands on his pants though no blood was on them. Rebekah nodded and headed towards the back of the truck. "Tessie darling, you and I are going to make some introductions."
The high school itself was easy enough to break into, the double doors ripping like butter as Klaus pulled them apart. There was a quiet kind of anger in him now, the betrayal of Stefan had hurt him. There was an eerie quiet within the building, even though Tessa's enhanced hearing could catch murmurs of conversation. There was one familiar note within the mix and Tessa froze.
"Katerina." At her whisper, Klaus froze next to her.
"Not Katerina but Elena." He blurred away, towards the source of the voice.
Tessa took a second to collect herself. The addition of another doppelganger in the mix was odd. She could have sworn that Klaus had told her that the last one had been sacrificed to break the curse. How on earth was she here? By the time that she caught up with Klaus, he had a doppelganger by the arm and was dragging her through the halls. The face matched exactly and the thumping of her heart could be heard through the hall. It was a human doppelganger.
She found Klaus dragging the doppelganger down the hallway, his grip on her arm bringing her with him. He smiled when he saw Tessa walking down the hallway towards them.
"Tessie, so good of you to join us." His arm extended towards the set of double doors in front of him. "If you would be so good as to open those for me." She did, still keeping her eyes on the doppelganger. The sound of her heart thumping was even louder now.
"Seniors, you have officially been busted! Return home now." Klaus's american accent echoed throughout the gym. The throng of high schoolers moved out of the gym, groans of disappointment blending together. Klaus pushed Elena towards Tessa and the blonde kept a grip on the doppelganger, ignoring the cold look that the human was shooting her.
"You two. I remember you two." He pulled two random teenagers out of the crowd. She knew exactly what he was going to do, give consequences to Elena and regain some control.
"I'm sorry. Who are you?" The girl said politely, the confusion evident in her face. The boy next to her glanced uneasily at Klaus.
"Don't worry, I wasn't exactly in my right head the last time we met." Klaus shot a look at Tessa, a small smirk on his face. She only raised an eyebrow back at him. "Lift your foot up Dana," The compulsion took control and she did as she was told. "Chad if she drops her foot, beat her to death." The boy nodded, looking at Klaus with glassy eyes. Klaus's method was brutal yet effective. Tessa could feel the wave of fear run through Elena.
"Klaus, you don't have to hurt anyone." She begged, pulling against Tessa's grip.
"C'mon love, of course I do. If not me, then I'll just have Tessa rip them apart." He winked at Tessa, who didn't react. She wasn't an effective threat to Elena yet. Klaus had told her that Elijah had worked with the doppelganger and the Salvatore brothers but she doubted that he had given them any information on her. Tessa Eriksen was a family secret for the Mikaelsons.
Klaus paced around the gym, obviously waiting for something. Tessa remained still, keeping her grip on the doppelganger. The little human had tried to yank out of her grip a few times but had only been rewarded with a tighter squeeze. The human girl that Klaus had compelled was struggling to keep her foot up, wavering in place.
"Keep it up now." Klaus said, not even looking at the girl. His head whipped to the side when two people burst through the double doors.
"Bonnie, get out of here!" Elena yelled, renewing her efforts to yank out of Tessa's grip. Now the vampire was getting annoyed, she moved Elena to face her and vamped out. The human recoiled in fear and she could hear the witch yell. Klaus had told her all about the Bennett witch that was friends with the doppelganger.
"Oh hush now witch, Tessa wouldn't dare rip into your friend just yet." It was both a warning and an assurance. Tessa released the doppelganger, sending her falling to the floor. "Dana and Chad, you two can sit tight." The two humans relaxed and sat down on the bleachers, clutching each other.
"I'm assuming this is the witch." Tessa eyed the girl, wondering why she wasn't being hit with a round of aneurysms.
"Yes, the witch that I'm guessing is the reason that our dear Elena is still alive." Klaus smiled at the witch, an image of cool humour.
"Yes so if you need to blame someone, blame me." The clenched fists were the only thing that gave away the witch's fear and Tessa had to give her credit for that.
"It's not a matter of blame love, I just have a problem and you're going to fix it." Just as Klaus finished his sentence, Rebekah burst through the doors dragging a teenager behind her. He fought against Rebekah's hold.
"Get off me!" The blonde Original ignored him, continuing to drag him towards Klaus.
"Everyone I'd like you to meet my sister, Rebekah. Just a word of warning, she's got a bit of a temper." Klaus smiled at Rebekah who only glared back. Why on earth had Klaus had her bring in some random teenager?
"Leave him alone Klaus!" Elena yelled, the anger evident in her face. In some way Tessa felt bad for Elena. Her life had just been returning to normal when the Originals had come back through. That seemed to be the way of the world.
"Hush now." Tessa cooed, taunting the girl. The doppelganger was horrible at being a hostage.
"Now I have a little problem. Every time that I try to make a werewolf into a vampire hybrid, it doesn't go very well. They die a horrible death." A ripple of fear ran through the room. Tessa finally put the pieces together, the random teenager was a werewolf and Klaus was going to turn him. Her suspicions were confirmed when he bit into his wrist, the tangy scent of blood causing her mouth to water. The blood was shoved down the boy's throat, who resisted against it but Klaus was too strong. The other teenage boy tried to make a run to help Tyler and Tessa blurred over.
"Don't even." Even though Tessa wasn't the most physically intimidating vampire, he shrank away.
"You are going to find a way to save my hybrids Bonnie. For Tyler's sake, you better hurry." His hand's wrapped around the wolf's head and twisted, sending him flying to the floor. All of the humans gasped, the witch falling onto the boy. Klaus only smiled at them.
The humans had huddled near Tyler's body, trying to provide some comfort even though it was useless.
"He killed him." The human boy whispered, staring at his friend. There was a shake in his voice from the fear.
"Tyler's not dead Matt. The blood will turn him into a vampire." Elena told him, patting reassuringly on his shoulder. Matt didn't seemed to be comforted by the fact at all.
"And if your witchy friend is successful, he will live. Now go, fetch your grimoires and enchantments. I'll hold onto Elena for safekeeping." Klaus gripped onto Elena's arm, pulling her up and away. She motioned for Bonnie and Matt to leave, they did so reluctantly, throwing glances back at the doppelganger and Tyler's prone body.
Rebekah used the opportunity to look at the doppelganger and Tessa knew that the blonde saw the same things that she did. A face that was exactly the same was the original and brought eerie feelings with it. If Tessa tuned out the background, it was almost as if they were back in the village with beating hearts.
"So this is the doppelganger?" Rebekah turned her nose up at the human, disdain evident in her voice. "I have to say, the original one was much prettier." Tessa stifled her chuckle at Rebekah's petty comment. All three of them knew that Elena looked exactly like Tatia.
"Enough, Rebekah. Take wolf boy away would you?" Klaus said, fixing Rebekah with a look. She grumbled her consent and grabbed Tyler by an arm and began dragging him away. "Just ignore her. Petty little thing." The doppelganger simply scowled at him and returned to the bleachers to sit next to the other two humans.
"Do you truly think this witch can do it?" Tessa asked, raising an eyebrow at Klaus. "I don't see how this is any different than Gloria, hell at least Gloria had the benefit of experience." She kept her voice hushed so that the humans couldn't hear her.
"You know that Bennett witches are capable of great things." Klaus said looking at the doors that the witch had disappeared through. "Sometimes all you have to do is give a little push."
"Surely it's not that simple, this is a horribly complex piece of magic." Tessa knew magic. Her sister had been gifted in the craft, the bloodline running through her father. Tessa herself hadn't been given an iota of magic but helped her sister with everything. "The original witch pulled this off but witches since then haven't even tried to touch it. Her grimoire will have nothing."
"Oh Tessie, I've missed your encyclopedia of knowledge. Unfortunately in this case I'm going to disagree and say that the Bennett witch will come through." He was so sure in that fact that Tessa was almost inclined to believe him. Still a tiny bit of skepticism remained.
"And Stefan? What is your plan with him? Rebekah left him in the moving truck." The problem with Stefan had been nagging at her since she saw Rebekah. He was her friend and she didn't want him to come to harm but he couldn't be interfering with Klaus's plan.
"Rebekah left him there. He will come here on his own free will." Again Klaus's surety was surprising.
"Now do tell, how are you positive of that fact?" She asked, crossing her arms. Klaus smiled at her.
"Look who we currently have with us. Our chap Stefan will do anything to make sure harm doesn't come to her, including running right back into our arms." Tessa couldn't resist stealing a look at the doppelganger, who was currently patting the human girl on the back. The thumping of all of their hearts had gone down though Elena kept looking over at Klaus and Tessa.
"I guess we shall see."
It only took five minutes for Klaus to be proven right. Stefan burst through the double doors, chips of the wall flying off from the force. There was a blank look in his eyes and he focused solely on Klaus. A patch of red had stained his shirt in his abdominal area, no doubt a gift from Rebekah.
"Stefan." Elena breathed, hand going to her mouth. Tessa would bet money that this isn't how she wished to be reunited.
"Klaus." Stefan kept walking until he was facing Klaus, only about five feet away from him.
"Come to save your damsel, mate?" He asked cockily, arms spread. Tessa blurred to be in front of the doppelganger, trying to prevent any grabs.
"No. I've come to ask for your forgiveness. And to pledge my loyalty." Stefan kept his voice monotone and still hadn't looked at Elena. Klaus tilted his head, examining the vampire.
"You already broke that pledge once already."
"Elena means nothing to me. Anything you ask of me, I will do." At this Tessa had to let out a chuckle. Klaus's head snapped to her.
"What do you have to say about this Tessa?" Klaus asked and she knew that he was only humoring her.
"Well in my opinion, our friend Stefan here is spouting a load of bullshit." Tessa knew exactly what button to push to get him to prove it. In a flash, she turned and backhanded Elena sending her to the ground. Stefan was in Tessa's face in an instant, fangs out. Tessa returned the gesture, fangs coming out, as she pushed the younger vampire back.
"It looks like the lies keep piling up." Klaus said and there was a tightness to his voice. He marched over and grabbed Stefan by the throat. Tessa kept her distance, allowing Klaus to assert his dominance.
"Let her go! I'll do whatever you want, you have my word!" He struggled against Klaus's hand but he only gripped tighter.
"You haven't proved that your word means anything. I hate to do this but it seems I have no other choice." Klaus stared into Stefan's eyes and Tessa knew what was happening. "Stop fighting."
"Don't do this. Don't do this." Stefan had stopped physically fighting but there was a new fear in his eyes. It was the same fear that had her drinking vervain every morning.
"I didn't want to but seems if I'm going to have to. All I wanted was your allegiance."
"Don't."
"You will do exactly as I say when I say it. You will not run, you will not hide, you will simply just obey." The room was oddly silent as Klaus compelled him. Part of Tessa wanted to stop it but she knew what would happen if she interfered. Stefan's face was truly blank, no emotion on it at all.
"Klaus," Tessa breathed, unable to keep her mouth shut. A pit had grown in her stomach. She had considered Stefan a friend.
"Now kill them." He pointed his arm at the two humans from earlier. Stefan's fangs extended and he pounced.
Tessa had to leave, the guilt was getting to her. As Klaus was distracted by Stefan, she made an exit through the double doors. The halls of the high school were dark and quiet, sounds from the gymnasium bouncing around. Finally Tessa found the exit that they came in. The moving truck was in direct view and she headed towards it
"Disgusting." She wrinkled her nose at the bloody crowbar lying on the ground, no doubt the cause of the bloody patch on Stefan's t-shirt. The back doors were still pulled up, revealing the precious cargo in the back. Three coffins containing Elijah, Kol and Finn.
Gripping onto the ledge of the truck, Tessa hoisted herself into the back. There was a distinct smell of wood and something else she couldn't place. The coffins sat on shelves and she looked at them. Undaggering one of them would mean facing Klaus's wrath and since he couldn't stick a dagger in her, she had no doubt that his punishment would be creative. Tessa reached out and touched the lid of the closest coffin. They were different than the last time she had seen them, obviously Klaus had upgraded the living conditions of his dead siblings. She ignored the shakes in her hands to push the lid up, showing the grey face of Elijah. The whole story of Elijah's attempt to kill Klaus hadn't been told yet and she wondered at the circumstances that would lead the noble Elijah to try and kill his own brother.
"Dè an rathad air an do chuir thu sìos mo charaid?" She asked, knowing full well she wouldn't receive an answer.
Tessa closed the lid, moving to the next coffin. Kol's face was a welcome sight, she hadn't seen her friend in over a hundred years and she missed him. Only the clothing gave away the fact that Kol was out of time. It was one too many careless acts that had led Kol to his time in the coffin. The unnecessary length of time that Kol had spent with a dagger in his chest had been part of the reason that Tessa had taken a break from the Original family. She had always gotten along with Kol and he was responsible for some interesting situations.
"Aon latha." Tessa promised, closing the lid once more.
As callous as it was, Tessa didn't bother opening Finn's coffin. She had never gotten along with the eldest Mikaelson sibling. His constant judgement had gotten on her nerves.
"Tessa?" A voice called from the parking lot and she sighed. Perhaps it wasn't the best decision to rejoin her friends.
"Yes Rebekah." Tessa turned to see her friend climbing into the back of the truck with her.
"Were you talking with the dead?" She knew that the blonde meant it jokingly but in a way she had.
"Aren't we always?" Tessa smiled, gesturing between the two of them. "We don't exactly count as alive."
"Klaus made his first hybrid. I would dare say he was disappointed that you weren't there with him." Rebekah said, her own fingers tracing along the lid of Elijah's coffin. "Tyler. One of the doppelganger's friends."
"I suppose that the Bennett witch pulled through after all then." Tessa was impressed, the conditions that Klaus had imposed on the witch hadn't been forgiving but she still managed to triumph.
"Stefan remains under Klaus's compulsion." Rebekah said, turning to face Tessa now. "He knows you don't like it."
"Did you two have a heart-to-heart that I missed out on?" She managed to keep most of the bite out of her voice.
"Come now Tessa, don't be like this. It doesn't suite you." The blonde was right but that didn't assuage the bitter taste in her mouth.
"What is the plan now?" She asked instead of addressing the elephant in the room.
"The doppelbitch's blood seems to be the magic ingredient to create new hybrids. The Original Witch told the Bennett witch that the doppelganger has to be dead to create new hybrids."
"Esther always choses to screw him over, even from the grave." Tessa spat. Rebekah simply nodded to her statement.
"Klaus took a chance and it worked." A silence followed her words and Rebekah was stuck staring at the empty coffin that once held her.
"Don't you miss them?" Tessa asked.
"I try not to." Rebekah replied. "We're going to the hospital. Klaus seems determined to drain the doppelganger of blood."
Klaus was standing in front of the hospital when they arrived. Tessa stood, taking in the small town hospital.
"Are you draining her truly?" Tessa asked Klaus, raising an eyebrow.
"Would you have some moral objection?" He sniped, staring Tessa down. She remained silent in response.
"I still can't believe that the doppelganger's blood wasn't the problem, it was the solution. How did you know?" Rebekah said, obviously hoping to ease some of the tension.
"Well we all know how much the original witch hated me. Would I ever do anything except the opposite of what she says?" He responded, a note of pride in his voice.
"A thousand years in the grave and she is still screwing with you."
"It does make sense from her point of view. The doppelganger has to die to complete the ritual and if she's dead.." He trailed off and Rebekah picked up on the thought.
"You can't use their blood to make sire more hybrids."
"Leaving me alone for all time." Tessa stared at Klaus. Was this truly what all of this was about?
"Is this why you have such an obsession with hybrids? You don't want to be alone?" Rebekah pounced on him. Tessa held back her own comments. If he thought he was alone, then he didn't understand that Tessa had always been there for him.
"What I want is to get my doppelganger and my hybrid and get the hell out of this town. Rebekah, get the truck ready. Tessa, let's go grab Elena." He ordered and Rebekah disappeared.
Only a few seconds after, someone else showed up.
"Well, look who decided to show up." Klaus said, moving to confront the person. He looked vaguely familiar and Tess couldn't place his face. The mysterious vampire definitely was attractive though.
"Where is she?" He demanded and suddenly Tessa had an idea who this was. Damon Salvatore.
"Elena? She's making a contribution to a greater cause." Klaus smirked, daring Damon to challenge him. The other vampire made a move to go into the hospital and Klaus blocked him. "I'm afraid I can't let you interfere mate."
"You'll have to kill me." Damon growled and Tessa admired his determination. It seemed both brothers were deeply in love with the doppelganger. She couldn't help but think that history had a way of repeating itself.
"Oh, I would love to kill you, but I made a pledge to your brother, and unlike him, I keep my word. Although, you know what, thinking about it now, he probably doesn't care that much anymore." Klaus pushed Damon up against a car, getting ready to tear him apart.
"Don't you want to know about your friend Mikael?" Damon breathed out and everything froze. Tessa couldn't believe that he just said that, how did he know?
"What do you know about Mikael?" Klaus growled, staring Damon down.
"Just that he knows you're here." Everything in Tessa's body told her to run but she stood her ground for Klaus. If Klaus truly thought that Damon knew where Mikael was, he would have left.
"You're bluffing."
"Katherine and I found him. Consider it our leverage." Klaus threw the younger vampire against a car. He made a satisfying thud.
Klaus grabbed onto Tessa and blurred away, towards where the truck was parked. He almost ripped open the cab of the truck in his haste to get in the vehicle.
"We need to leave right now." He commanded Rebekah who instantly started up the truck.
"What the hell was that?" Tessa was shaking slightly, the fear was rushing through her body. "How did he know about Mikael?"
"I don't know and I'm determined to find out." Klaus pulled out his phone. "Stefan. I'm going to be gone for a bit, make sure you keep on an eye on Elena. Nothing is to happen to her. Oh and keep an eye on Tyler as well. Keep me updated."
"Mikael? Who knew about Mikael?" Rebekah kept her eyes on the road but there was panic in her voice as well.
"Damon Salvatore. And I'm going to find out how he knows about him."
AN: holy shit, this is long as hell (4k words wtf). I have exciting news which ties into why this chapter was so long. I've decided to make this story my NANOWRIMO 2k17! So expect more regular updates as I'm dedicated to making this work. Let me know your thoughts about this chapter in a review! I always love reading what you guys think. I'm also considering rewriting the first 8 chapters, is there anything plotwise that you guys would want changed? Let me know!