Immortal Diaries
Chapter 10
AN: Hello all and welcome back. So after eight years TVD has officially come to an end. I'll be honest I was hoping it would end a bit differently, regardless I enjoyed the ride for the most part. Next as always i'd like to thank everyone who reviewed the previous chapter. Now as we are now this chapter includes a time jump as like always I'm not going to cover each individual episode. This will also mark the last appearance of the Underworld characters for some time, if I ever use them again in this story. This is also the last one that I spend any time in making moves that will enhance Angel's Light. With all that said here is the new chapter.
Start Now:
As the moon hung in its apex in the sky a large mansion could be seen behind a large stone gate that went all the way around the property. The property itself was located in Paris, France and took up nearly an entire block of real estate on its own. Within the mansion however a gathering was currently taking place within a large room its doors having just been sealed to begin a meeting. From his position at the table Marcus Corvinus took stock of all of those who had answered his call for a meeting. To his immediate right sat what many would assume to be an older man by the name of Thomas.
His description in this manner would be apt given his hair whitened by age and the wrinkles that has started forming on his face. As the host of this meeting he had afforded Thomas the seat to his right something that as a Regent he would never have ordinarily been given. However given the fact he was a former council member his status was not as low as a regular Regent and he held considerable power.
At the seat next to Thomas sat a man named Vidar, while not appearing as old as Thomas he would no doubt easily be viewed as a man in his mid to late fifties. Vidar however had a clean shaven bald head that made him wonder how he could stand the cold of the North. Vidar like the man beside him was also a Regent, his station being the Northern Coven located in Scandinavia. The next person was Cassius, the Regent of the Eastern Coven and one of the original Death Dealers. Like Vidar he had a bald head however his ears were a bit larger and ended in a point at the top much like what one would think an elf's would.
Next to him sat Istvan another vampire who took on an older appearance with his white hair and the few wrinkles along his face he would pass for a man in his sixties. Finally there was Amelia who ended the line taking the seat directly to his left completing the circle. This group of individuals were among other things all that remained of the first generation of Corvinus vampires.
"Thank you all for joining us tonight, and to our host who has opened the doors of the Western Coven for this meeting." Stated Marcus bringing the attention of the room to himself.
"I must admit Lord Marcus to be glad this meeting was called. With the rumors that have been floating around lately, I am pleased to see they were just that." Stated Istvan
"The rumors are indeed one of the reasons this meeting was called." Stated Amelia bringing the attention of the room to herself.
"Before I could begin my planned trip to awaken Marcus I was intercepted by agents of his father. They'd learned of a plot against the lives of Marcus and I. In preparation of this a double was put in place, this double was called a Blood Clone and was an exact replica of me. While the double took the trip I was evacuated to a safe house in New York. The trip went as planned at least until the train arrived in Budapest where it was attacked by Lycans while the guards that had been assigned stood by and watched. The entire council along with the double were killed, mauled by the lycans.
"During this time Viktor was awoken by his adopted daughter Selene, who felt that a threat by a large lycan den was being ignored. She discovered that not only was Lucien still very much alive but that the lycans were actively working to create hybrids, which she proved by capturing a lycan scientist and bringing him before Viktor." Spoke Marcus causing several of them to narrow their eyes.
"Viktor of course killed the lycan and ran off to do battle with the den; it was the lycan's blood that awakened me. Through that blood I learned not only all of this but that Kraven, the Regent of the Coven had covered all of this up and had been actively working with the lycans for centuries. I was naturally displeased thus the destruction of Ördögház." Stated Marcus.
"Well at least most of our people made it out." Stated Thomas with a sigh.
"The only deaths were those that I knew were traitors." Stated Marcus getting nods around the room.
"Still by the end of the night a hybrid had been created and both Lucien and Viktor were dead." Said Marcus.
"They killed each other?" questioned Istvan in surprise.
"No Lucien was killed in a cowardly act by Kraven who betrayed him upon learning of Viktor's arrival. Viktor was killed by Selene after learning it was not Lycan's but Viktor himself that had broken into her home and massacred her family." Said Amelia
"What of the hybrid?" questioned Thomas.
"A distant relative of mine by the name of Michael Corvin who Selene had apparently been seeing for some time before he was kidnapped by the Lycans. After learning that her bite could possibly cure her at the time dying lover she purposely bit him to turn him into a hybrid." Stated Amelia.
"I've heard stories about that girl; word was she lived only to kill lycans." Stated Thomas.
"She was motivated by vengeance. Can't say I blame her I joined the death dealers for pretty much the same reasons." Stated Cassius.
"I take it then the rumors of your father's demise were also exaggerated." Stated Vidar.
"Alexander Corvinus is dead. However my father is not. As it turns out the man known as Alexander Corvinus was a clone doubled for my actual father. My father's true name is Naruto Uzumaki and he is still very much alive and much older than 1600 years." Stated Marcus.
"Naruto's power is humbling, in fact he has also gone by both Poseidon and Thor over the thousands of years he's walked the earth." Stated Amelia.
"Uzumaki Naruto is one of the nine lords. One of the survivors from the second race of man and now a God in his own right." Stated Vidar.
"You know him?" questioned Cassius.
"I know of one of his sisters. Yugito Ni is the Goddess of Death, my daughter Lena has spoken with her a few times in the Sacred World." Explained Vidar.
"Speaking of my father, he learned that there were multiple races of vampires. One race were literal demon's, soul-less abominations masquerading in human bodies. The other breed were created by magic, human's whose spirits have risen up to possess their bodies. My father had grown quite close to the original family of this line of vampires and as a result spent much time trying to figure out a way to combine their line with ours, he found one.
Over the last bit of time Amelia and I have been meeting with this family and we have come upon an agreement to combine the lines in a way that would strengthen both." At these words the room went silent and Marcus knew he had the attention of everyone more now than he had previously.
"YOU STUPID BOY!" the angered roar was filled with such anger and power that it forced everyone within the room to the floor.
As the owner of the voice settled down from his explosion of anger those watching him could feel the hairs on their arms stand on end as goosebumps rose on their flesh. Once again the living room of the Salvatore boarding house was playing host to a meeting. Damon, the cause of the angered exclamation slowly picked himself up off the floor having been thrown clear across the room due to the outburst. Also in attendance were Matt, Alaric, Stefan, Caroline and Elena all of whom had been affected by the brief surge of power each in their own way, though Elena and Caroline were struck by arousal.
"What's the big deal? There was a threat, I ended it problem solved." Said Damon wincing as his back throbbed.
"I said you could investigate Lockwood. Investigate. You think I didn't know he was a fucking werewolf, I could smell it on him the moment we met! All I wanted was you to use that mass of grey matter between your ears and discover the truth for yourself, that's all." Said Naruto finishing with a snarl before taking a seat in order to rein himself in.
"That's what we did. Not my fault he proved he to be a threat." Said Damon causing the blond to scoff.
"Who are you trying to fool. I'm telepathic remember and even if I wasn't don't think I don't have other ways to tell when someone is lying." Said Naruto.
Sitting back the blond being to massage the bridge of his nose as the beginning of a headache hit him. He'd spent the past two weeks away with other business leaving the day after the carnival. During that time he had dropped Prue off over at Gaara's were they had used one of his portal chambers to allow Prue to enter the reality that now contained the new nexus world. Of course he had first had to explain to Bonnie about why her teacher would be unavailable as she was literally now in another dimension. He had joined Prue just long enough for her to get settled and to handle a few errands before returning through the portal.
Following that he'd gone to the New York facility where Katherine had been staying and where he had introduced the vampire to their daughter who he had named Nadia, a meeting that both of them had been highly anticipating. Of course once he'd gotten there he had taken the time to catch up with his daughter and Katherine. As such he was only just returning to Mystic Falls and had called the meeting upon his return.
During his time away however that group had been busy. The day following the carnival and under his direction Stefan had taken Caroline in hand and begun teaching her the basics, including how to tap into her newfound strength, speed and senses. Damon, Elena and Alaric meanwhile had gone off to Duke University where Alaric's now ex-wife Isobel had once taught in order to look through her research, where they had learned about the 'Curse of the Sun and the Moon' which according to the legend was what made it so that vampires could not walk in the sun and werewolves were forced to turn in the presence of the full moon. They had apparently also learned that the bite of a werewolf would be fatal to a vampire.
Stefan and Caroline ended up having a confrontation with an actual werewolf that same night. While they had managed to get away it had been a close call. The next weekend Damon now more than a bit suspicious that Mason Lockwood was a werewolf had manipulated events so that Jenna would throw a barbeque, during which time he not only proved his theory but surprise, surprise made an enemy of Lockwood by stabbing him with a silver knife only for it not to work. The next day Mason had made his move outing Damon and Stefan as vampires to the sheriff before setting them up to be killed. Luckily Elena and Caroline had been able to save them but it had blown Caroline's cover and caused them to lock up her mother.
Following this the group had apparently decided to strike back at Mason roping Bonnie into the action. With her help they had not only knocked out Mason but discovered the location of the moonstone, which had been at the bottom of a well. Stefan being one of the first to arrive there had gone into the well to retrieve the stone only to realize too late that it was also filled with vervain flowers. Eventually Elena had been forced to go into the well to secure Stefan and the moonstone allowing Caroline to pull them both out. Damon meanwhile had spent the day torturing Mason and ended it by ripping his heart out.
"Did you know he was telepathic?" questioned Alaric softly to Elena.
"Found out the day before he left. He doesn't use it much though." Said Elena
"Tell me can anyone guess why I would leave a werewolf in a town with my two vampire brothers while I was away?" questioned Naruto.
"He was needed for something." Stated Alaric with a frown
"Exactly, the only thing we didn't have was the moonstone. Now we have the moonstone and no werewolf, which means I now have to bring Katherine back earlier than expected and we'll have to improvise." Said Naruto.
"So we get a new werewolf, big deal." Said Damon rolling his eyes.
Naruto sighed and wondered not for the first time why Damon never bothered to use his brain. Shaking his head and not wanting to deal with Damon any more at the moment he surprised everyone when his form disappeared in golden orbs.
"Now what did I say?" questioned Damon in frustration.
"Don't you remember Damon. Vanessa told us that the werewolves have been hunted nearly to extinction by this point." Stated Elena rolling her eyes before she stood to leave followed quickly by the others leaving Damon alone.
Nearly two weeks later found Katherine standing within the bedroom of a rather nice house. Along with her was a young woman with milk chocolate skin and long brown hair who stood only a few inches taller than the vampire.
"So what do you think?" questioned the young woman as she looked herself over in the mirror in her black dress.
"I think someone is planning to get lucky tonight." Said Katherine giving her a once over before turning back to her own image.
"Well it would be a nice way to cap off the night. Still are you sure this is a good idea?" retorted the young woman.
"Lucy relax everything will be fine. Tonight has been planned out to the most minute detail." Said Katherine.
"Fine you want to tell me what's with the hair?" questioned Lucy as Katherine had her hair straightened instead of in its signature curl.
"I'm impersonating my dull-as-dishwater doppelgänger Elena. She has the worst taste." Said Katherine.
"Except in men. Isn't it a risk pretending to be her in front of the entire town?"
"I've gotten quite good at it actually and everyone's gonna be in masks. It's for some feed this, something charity. It's for a good cause Lucy."
"Hum, okay. Well, have you actually seen the moonstone before? I always thought it was some made up legend." Said Lucy.
"I've held it in my hand. Unfortunately I had to trade it to George Lockwood 150 years ago for me freedom." Said Katherine with a frown.
"And he never used it?" questioned Lucy in surprise.
"He probably tried but as you know you need a witch to break the curse and it wouldn't have done what he wanted anyway." Said Katherine.
"So I take it you want me to break the curse." Stated Lucy.
"No. I just need your help securing the stone. Once that's done I don't want you anywhere near the shit storm that's bound to follow." Said Katherine.
Meanwhile at the Salvatore house Stefan and Bonnie could be seen walking through the halls of the first floor. Bonnie had arrived not long ago to be greeted by Caroline, Damon, Jeremy, Stefan and Alaric all of whom were apparently working on a plan to kill Katherine.
"I know you love Elena and you want to be with her but it's risky. Too many people could get hurt." Said Bonnie trying appeal to his common sense.
"Look, I want Elena back, yes but it's more than that. What Katherine did to Jenna it crossed the line. She has to be stopped before it happens again."
These were words Bonnie couldn't really fight. Jenna had just gotten back from the hospital where she'd had surgery and been kept on watch due to a deep stab wound. Apparently before they had all met up to brief Naruto on his return Damon had called Katherine and left her a voicemail informing her of how he had killed Mason Lockwood.
She must have gotten it late however she had struck back swiftly and Jenna had paid the price as it was revealed she had been compelled to follow Katherine's orders who had promptly ordered her to stab herself. After that Elena had quite simply but her relationship with Stefan on hold until such time that she felt her family was safe from the craziness.
"I don't know, Stefan." Said Bonnie after a few moments.
The truth was she was a bit torn. She loved Jenna as if she were family however she knew she and Katherine would have to learn to live with each other. It had gotten to the point where she did see a life for herself with Naruto, and as Katherine was the mother of one of his children there were issues there. However on the other hand if she played a part in killing the vampire she felt as if it could seriously hurt her relationship.
"Katherine knows me, right? She knows that I'm not gonna try something in a crowd full of innocent people so that gives me an edge. I could catch her by surprise." Said the vampire.
"I could do a spell to trap her, like the tomb spell, but that's it. I'll have no part in killing her and as far as I'm concerned you told me you planned to desiccate her." Said Bonnie after a moment of thought.
"Right. We can isolate her, away from the others. Thank you Bonnie" said Stefan.
"Don't ask me to do anything like this again and if this blows back in anyway…" said Bonnie.
"I've got it I'll make sure the others know and I'll explain things to Naruto." Said Stefan
Elsewhere Naruto could be found covered in a fine layer of sweat as he beheld his latest acquisition. In his hands he held a sword that for those who studied its type would know was a xiphos. The double bladed sword was three feet in length from tip to base and looked to be dull silver in color. Near the base on both sides of the blade was the marking of a trident on a brown background just over the two pronged guard. The hilt of the sword was wrapped in brown leather and the cap and guard were both gold in color. Eyeing it carefully he finally nodded satisfied and pressed his hand to the cap pushing it in for only a second before releasing it.
As he released it he watched as the sword quickly transformed until in its place was a rather stylish looking ball point pen that was sea blue in color. It had taken some time for it to be ready however as it was one of two projects that the fates had advised him to have made while he was visiting the new nexus world Gaara had created he felt that the time had been well worth it.
"You've out done yourself Ten-chan." Said Naruto smiling as he tucked the pen into his left pants pocket.
"Hey it was a fun project glad I could help."
The speaker was a woman who had long black hair that was pulled into a braided ponytail that ended at her waistline. She wore a pair of brown pants and a black tank-top over which was a black apron that he figured was covered in markings. Her name was Tenten and she was a very old friend of his one of his best along with being the Goddess of Fire, Craftsmen and Smiths. This meant that she was unequivocally the greatest forger in existence.
"So when are you heading back over there?" questioned Tenten tossing him a rag which he gratefully accepted so he could wipe the sweat from his face.
"Well I still have some things that I want to take care of here. Maybe in a few years though once Matt is a bit older and doesn't need me to hang around." Said the blond.
"I take it you plan to send a clone over in the meantime then." Said Tenten causing him to laugh.
"Have I become that predictable?" questioned the blond
"In this instance yeah. As powerful as you are and as new as this world is it would need to be prepared for your level of power just so you don't break it by accident."
"Perhaps however Kurama will be there, my parents and Himawari will all be there as well." Said Naruto
"Blood clones?" questioned Tenten.
"Of course, you know they wouldn't actually leave the kits. Well Hima is going herself but she knows she can come and go whenever she likes."
"Okay who else is going?" questioned Tenten getting more intrigued the more they spoke about it.
Meanwhile back in Mystic Falls within the Gilbert House, Elena was walking Matt to the door as he had come to drop some things off for her.
"You're welcome to hang out. Alaric's coming over. It's gonna be pizza and bad TV." Said the girl as they neared the door.
"I'd love to but I'm going to the masquerade party at the Lockwood's, aren't you?" retorted the quarterback.
"Uh, no...not with what's going on with me and Stefan, plus with Jenna in this shape it's just not a good time."
"Honestly I'd rather miss it to but this one's mandatory."
"Why?" questioned Elena.
"Well keep this to yourself for a bit." Started Matt getting a nod from Elena.
"Pops finally remembered which one of his clones sired me and Vic. Turns out my mom got it wrong, it wasn't his Arashi persona but one called Peter Maxwell. Turns out the Maxwell family was one of Virginia's founding colonist and he just happened to remember this. He delivered some things to the council and the Maxwell's are going to be revealed as one of the Founding families." Explained Matt.
"I'm happy for you, I know how much you always wanted to know your family history." Said Elena pulling the teen into a hug.
"I think I may have got more than I bargained for with my family." Said Matt.
"Maybe but we both know you're happier now."
In another part of town Elizabeth Forbes could be found sitting in her home office with an opened bottle of bourbon and a half empty glass in front of her. With what she had learned today she had needed the drink. What had started as a fairly standard day had been completely derailed and shifted on its axis by a visit from Naruto Salvatore, or Naruto Uzumaki as she now knew him to be.
He had come and unlocked her memories of a few weeks previous where she had witnessed Caroline knock two of her deputies unconscious effortlessly. She could now remember a conversation where Caroline had corrected her when she had accused her of becoming a vampire and told her she had become something else but she couldn't explain how.
Naruto had revealed that while she had been in the hospital a vampire had killed her in an attempt to provoke the Salvatore brothers. However Naruto had previously been in to see her and slipped her some of his own blood which had transformed her into a kitsune once she had been killed. He had known that Damon had gotten his hands on some vampire blood and snuck it into Caroline's system knowing the girl would be protected by the deputies on watch outside of her room.
Naruto however had done his deed due to his relationship with her, explaining how over the millennia that he had lived he'd had clones go out and live complete human lives, one of which was Arashi Uzumaki and another being Peter Maxwell. He explained that he usually only got the memories when the clones died but he could if needed receive them by opening up a connection, which he explained expended a lot of energy.
Regardless because of his memories from the Arashi clone and the newfound feelings they caused within him he had slipped Caroline his blood. He had also explained that at Caroline's request he had locked away her full kitsune form until she had lived out her natural human lifetime so that any children she had would be human. However he had also explained that just because they would be human did not mean they wouldn't still be special as it was extremely likely that her children would become witches, and powerful ones at that.
After a few more details he had surprised her by his form collapsing into golden orbs of light which had then lifted upwards and out of the house. It had prompted her to take the rest of the day off allowing her to come home for the needed drink and to do some research on kitsune's. Her research had revealed that Kitsune's are from Japanese folklore and are Japanese foxes and that a kitsune can have up to nine tails, depending on its age, wisdom and power.
However that was all part of what was commonly known as mythology. She had also now knowing that Arashi's book was in fact an autobiography bought each one and had become engrossed in the story of the young Naruto in order to learn more about the man she had thought she knew.
Meanwhile at the Lockwood Mansion the Masquerade Ball was in full swing and though it was still within the second hour it was a packed house. Katherine had arrived with Lucy nearly thirty minutes in and has since been making the rounds. With her mask on she had been able to remain anonymous while taking in her surroundings and memorizing the houses layout. It was while she was doing this that she came across Tyler and Carol Lockwood within the former mayor's study and was pleased with the mood of the hosts. She had long since made her own move as well and now was merely waiting for the other pieces on the board to make their own.
Outside of the Lockwood House two of the Salvatore brothers Damon and Stefan could be seen on the back porch overlooking the grounds and those who had come to partake in the nights festivities.
"You see her?" questioned Damon with a frown.
"No, you sure you can do this?" answered Stefan before asking a question of his own.
"Who are talking to?" responded Damon causing Stefan to shake his head.
"Look I had the chance to kill her before and I hesitated." Stated the younger brother.
"Well little brother that is the fork in the road between you and me. I don't hesitate."
"Perhaps but you did spend 145 years loving her, so it could happen." Said Stefan.
"I don't hesitate." Reiterated the elder getting Stefan to drop the conversation.
Back inside Caroline and Bonnie were also making their rounds along with Matt and Naruto respectively. Matt had wanted to go and spend some time with Tyler however other than greeting his friend he had remained within sight of the guests at his father's direction. Caroline and Bonnie were like Matt wondering why Naruto had them staying so prominently until after a time he motioned them to look to where Carol Lockwood stood calling the rooms attention by clinking her glass of champagne softly with a spoon. Seeing she had the rooms attention she smiled and placed the spoon down upon the banister.
"Thank you all for joining with us this evening." Stated Carol.
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your support of my family in this time when we have needed it. This ball was Richard's idea and I thank all of you for this last act of support to my husband." Said the woman stopping as many raised their glasses in honor of the late mayor something that caused her to smile and raise her own glass before lowering it allowing others to do so.
"Now then I would also like to take this opportunity to announce that a major find was discovered by our historical society. This find is a diary which they have unearthed and after extensive testing have discovered dates back to the year 1790 which is 70 years before what we thought of was the founding. The diary from what I learned belonged to a woman named Beatrice Bennett whose family came here in 1690 to escape the witch trials of Salem and were joined by a family known as the Maxwell's who were metalsmiths, the same smiths who created the Founder's Bell, or as I now know it to be named the Maxwell Bell. Further research by our historical society recovered a journal written by Benjamin Lockwood the first Mayor of our town.
This journal also recognizes the Bennett and Maxwell families as the towns original settlers. However the entry goes on to state that due to the injustices of the times the Bennett's were not allowed to sign the original charter by the Governor of Virginia. This was for two reasons first because the Bennet's were in his words 'colored' and second that the family has was headed by women."
The woman paused here to allow everyone to take this all in, making particular note of the group she had been eyeing the entire time and seeing the young ladies of the group holding hands. Seeing that she had the audience hanging on her words decided it was time to continue.
"The head of the Maxwell family however decided not to sign the charter. His reasoning was that as the two families had grown alongside each other since the late 1600's his family would not sign until the Bennett's could also do so. While it was always intended for them to do so Benjamin Lockwood died before this could happen and his journals were packed away before the next Mayor could learn of the issue. Because of these discoveries I would like to announce that the council is officially and retroactively recognizing both the Bennett and Maxwell families as Founding Families."
"Well it's about time." Said Naruto emerging from a darkened corner as Elena approached the Lockwood Mansion.
"You were expecting me?" questioned Elena in surprise.
"You're predictable and too nosey for your own good." Said the blond causing her to scowl.
"What's going on?" questioned Elena.
"My idiot brothers are by now most likely walking into Katherine's trap."
"Trap?" questioned the gilbert girl.
"Katherine's been on the run for over five centuries. That means she's had to be a step or two ahead of those chasing her the entire time. Do you really think that someone with that kind of mind power wouldn't know exactly what the reaction would be for what happened to Jenna?" retorted the blond causing her eyes to widen before she ran inside.
Chuckling at the sight the blond shook his head. Really everyone here was just too easy, no emotional control at all. With that the blond seeing no one else around burst into a cloud of smoke as the clone dispelled itself.
Inside the mansion in a room on the upper level Katherine could be seen sitting casually on the edge of a desk with a smirk on her face. She had wandered off during the Lockwood widow's speech and had run into the young Gilbert heir Jeremy and while she found him quite yummy in a boyish sort of way felt he had clearly inherited the Gilbert arrogance. Following that it had been a quick trip to Caroline who she had spying on the group to learn that Bonnie had the moonstone. When the girl led her into the room she currently occupied however she had discovered she couldn't leave, meaning it had obviously been spelled shut.
It had been that moment that Stefan and Damon had revealed themselves, each of them armed with stakes. While initially caught off guard by the dual attack the two launched their lack of any actual combat training quickly made itself known. As such not only was she faster and stronger than them on account of her age but she was just better than them as was proven by the two of them lying prone on the ground and groaning in pain.
"You know you two really are disappointments; in fact I can't believe I even spread my legs for you two. One can't control his impulsiveness or his inferiority complex and another who can't control his bloodlust. Honestly being Naruto's so called brothers I expected more from you two, hell I even erred on the side of caution and had myself mystically tied to Elena so that she would feel whatever pain I felt. So here's the deal as far as I'm concerned you two owe me, not just for the gift of immortality but for revealing to the world at large that I was still alive. Now where is my moonstone?"
Meanwhile on a lower floor of the mansion Tyler had begun to enjoy himself. With liquor flowing and the company of a friend and a female dancing around in her underwear he was currently in his element. The mentioned friend was one of his football teammates by the name of Jeff Stevens and the girl was Sarah Barnes. Jeremy Gilbert had been there earlier however he had been pulled away by his phone. There had been another girl as well by the name of Aimee Bradley however she'd been missing for a while.
"Where's Aimee anyway?" questioned Sarah
"I don't know she disappeared." Said Jeff.
"She's probably drunk somewhere." Said Tyler as he was pretty well on his way there himself.
"Like me." Said Jeff before taking the bottle and pouring some on the floor.
"What the fuck man!" exclaimed Tyler getting the other teen to stop.
"What man? It's a party." Said Jeff picking up a picture of the Lockwood parents from off of a shelf.
"Right dad? You know, looks like your dad wants a drink." Continued the inebriated teen before pouring the liquor onto the picture.
"Hey, that's not cool. What's wrong with you?" said Tyler moving to snatch the picture away only for Jeff to move it out of his reach.
"Come on Ty, the guy was a dick." Said Jeff
"Come on, you're being mean. His dad's dead." Said Sarah
"Doesn't make it any less true. Remember how your dad used to slap you around?" said Jeff before slapping Tyler
Bringing his hand up to his face for a moment the Lockwood heir directed a glare at Jeff that was so vicious it gave both teens pause.
"Because your drunk I'm going to do your ass a favor and pretend that didn't happen. Now put the god damn picture down." Spoke Tyler speaking slowly
"Alright man chill. I'm just having fun." Said Jeff moving over to the desk only to drive the picture into the edge breaking it.
"Okay, you need to calm your drunk ass down right now!" said Tyler
"Do something about it." Said Jeff pushing the other teen back.
"That's what you don't want." Said Tyler using every ounce of self-control he possessed to not knock the other teen on his ass.
Before his uncle Mason had disappeared he had discovered the man's secret of being a werewolf. It had taken some time but eventually he'd gotten the man to tell him what had triggered the curse, which was the act of killing another person. He had made a point to inform him it wasn't the act of murder for even something accidental that resulted in the death of another could trigger the curse.
Mason had told him that learning to channel and control his aggression would go a long way to avoiding the curse affecting him. Unfortunately while he was trying to control himself Jeff took the opportunity to rush him tackling the Lockwood heir to the floor before throwing a punch at his face.
Meanwhile Bonnie was moving through the house at a fast paced walk her senses opened wide as she tried to track her target. She and Jeremy had been making small talk each of them about ready to leave when they had been approached by Elena. Both of them had been surprised to see her there though in hindsight she supposed it shouldn't have been much of one. Regardless of this Elena had not been pleased to learn that they were trying to kill Katherine and in a crowded mansion no less. Of course she then had to point out that this wasn't being done for Elena, but because Katherine had crossed the line going after Jenna.
Before they could speak further however Elena had cried out in pain as a wound opened up on her hand. She had rather quickly realized that Elena had been mystically linked with Katherine so that any wound the vampire suffered Elena would feel. Thankfully Prue had taught her quite a bit in the time they had spent in time compression before she left, which had amounted to a year of time. As such she had been able to find the link however she had been unable to cut it. As such she left Elena with Jeremy while she traced the magical signature to an empty dining room.
"Lucy!" called Bonnie upon spotting the witch.
"Hello Bonnie." Said Lucy calmly.
"I need you to release the spell you put on my friend." Stated Bonnie.
"Sure, if you give me the moonstone." Said Lucy causing Bonnie to frown.
"Seriously; why are you helping Katherine? Don't you know what she is?" questioned the teen.
"Don't get high and mighty you're the one sharing cock with her after all." Said Lucy.
"No I'm not." Said the teen quickly.
"Perhaps not yet. But she gave me the story, I know all about her history with Naruto. I also know that Katherine is interested in climbing back into bed with him so it won't be long." Said Lucy
Back within the sealed room the a small pause had come to the hostilities as the two brothers warily eyed the elder more powerful vampire. She had spent the last several minutes berating the two of them while casually throwing them around the room.
"Why haven't you killed us yet?" questioned Stefan after as the lull in their activities dragged on.
"Who ever said I wanted you dead. This is punishment for antagonizing me plain and simple." Said the elder vampire.
"You crossed the line with Jenna, what did you think there would be no response." Said Stefan causing her to roll her eyes.
"Jenna was a warning shot. Next time you piss me off I'll make her kill your precious Elena, then little Jeremy and then herself." Said Katherine causing both of them to freeze just as Lucy appeared in the doorway with the moonstone in hand.
"Katherine the spell on this room was lifted. Your free to leave." Said the witch.
"Thank God." Said the vampire already well passed bored.
"When I hand this over my debt to you is over." Said the witch.
"Done." Said Katherine.
"I owe you nothing." Said Lucy causing Katherine to roll her eyes and agree.
With that acknowledgement Lucy tossed her the stone which the vampire caught easily. She held it in her hand for but a few moments before she collapsed to the ground struggling to draw breath.
"You should have told me another witch was involved. She's a Bennett witch, Katherine, but I'm sure you knew that." Said Lucy.
"Wait Elena..." exclaimed Stefan only to be cut off.
"She's fine. I lifted the spell on her." Said Lucy before apologizing for her involvement and leaving the room. Once she was gone the door closed as if on its own before Naruto emerged from the wall with some type of large cloth held in his hands.
"You know you two were lucky." Said the blond moving over and picking up the unconscious vampire.
"We weren't going for a drawn out fight." Said Stefan.
"Sure fooled me with your theatrical appearance. If you were going for a surprise take down you should have just struck instead of just emerging so that she could see you." Critiqued the blond.
"So now what?" questioned Stefan.
"Now I put this cheeky little minx in time out, and we just so happen to have a place she can't leave available as well." Said the blond before he and his burden vanished in a whirl of golden orbs.
When they returned to a solid form it was in front of the entrance to the tomb in the ruins of Fell's Church. Placing Katherine down and putting his index and middle fingers of his right hand over her heart he sent a small pulse of lightning chakra into her system. Immediately her body jerked and her eyes snapped open to see Naruto crouching before her. Accepting his offered hand she stood to her feet before stretching herself out.
"That was unpleasant, I take it the plan worked." Said the vampire.
"Of course, you kept them well distracted." Stated Naruto.
"Well I aim to please." Said Katherine with a smirk.
"So what did you have to do for Lucy to play along?" questioned the blond.
"I had to lick her cunt and promise her that you'll fuck her sometime soon." Said Katherine causing Naruto to raise an eyebrow.
"What it was either that or find another witch we'd have to actually threaten. Lucy's a friend and the only reason I had to give that much is because she had to lie to Bonnie." Said the brunette.
"Right, now for Phase Two, do you think they'll take the bait?" questioned Naruto.
"Positive. Things should be running exactly on schedule." Said the vampire moving closer to him and unzipping his pants.
"Now with that out of the way, I believe you owe me a payment."
As she said this she fished his member out and after moving over to the wall on the exterior of the cave bent over bracing her hands on the wall. Naruto seeing this smirked and after hiking her dress up and moving her panties to the side drove himself inside her to the hilt in one swift motion causing her to cry out into the night.
The morning found Naruto at the kitchen table within the Salvatore Boarding House eating breakfast while absently listening to Damon rant upon his confrontation with Katherine the previous night. Of course he had known Damon was going to do so as he had returned to the party with more than enough time to be seen by the guest and host and converse with his younger brothers. Stefan hadn't been as bothered by the trouncing they had received however Damon's pride had obviously been injured and as such he'd taken off to the tomb to gloat on them managing to capture her only for Katherine to leave him more than a little irritated.
Honestly he thought by now Damon would know better, he was nowhere near as sharp minded as Katherine who had become a master at arranging pieces to fit whatever strategy she employed. While he had hope that eventually Damon would shape up he knew that at this point he could not hope to compete with the elder vampire and as such engaging her in a war of wits even one as simple as a verbal spar would end in Damon's loss.
"I don't get it!" exclaimed Damon breaking him from his thoughts.
"What now?" questioned Naruto bringing his attention to his current company.
"We have her trapped inside a tomb that has been spelled so that she is incapable of escape. Yet she was so damn smug about the entire situation." Said Damon.
"It's because you didn't beat her. Is she currently trapped in the tomb, certainly. However you did not win the engagement, she outplayed you mentally and overpowered you physically. As such she only went down due to the actions of Lucy Bennett. Those actions however were not a betrayal but a form of chastisement for not informing her of Bonnie's involvement.
She proved that despite my training of you that the slightest provocation would set the lot of you off and make you easily manipulated. As such not only did you fail your test but I lost my bet against her. Don't worry though, now I know it's time to take off the kid gloves." Explained Naruto ending in a tone that promised much pain and suffering before leaving the room.
Nearly an hour later found Stefan retrieving his books from his school locker to prepare for his first class of the day. As he did moved to close the locker he was greeted to the sight of Jeremy Gilbert approaching. He could see that the boy looked like he could use a bit more sleep, even if he'd ducked out of the party a bit early. Still his appearance did well to give an example of why such events should not be held on Sunday evenings, when people needed to be up for school or work the next day.
"Look, Elena's got to let me know if I'm supposed to cover for her. Jenna's cool with the two of you but you guys are pushing it." Said Jeremy skipping the pleasantries altogether.
"What are you talking about?" questioned the vampire in confusion.
"You and Elena. Look, I'm glad you guys are back together but if she's gonna sleep over..." started Jeremy only to be cut off.
"Wait a minute, we're not back together." Said Stefan stopping Jeremy in his tracks.
"Wait, she didn't stay at your place last night?" questioned Jeremey.
"No, I saw her for a bit at the party but I was otherwise occupied remember." Stated Stefan causing Jeremy to blink before his eyes widened.
"Her bed hadn't been slept in and Mrs. Lockwood said that her car was still in the driveway. Where is she then?" questioned the younger Gilbert something Stefan also wanted to know.
Meanwhile in a secluded country area, an SUV is meeting another car with a man leaning casually against the hood. The man appeared to be in his mid-twenties and stood at a respectable height of 6'1" and had somewhat long brown hair that reached the nape of his neck and blue eyes. He appeared rather casual in a pair of light blue denim jeans and a black hooded sweater that zipped up the middle. The man pushes himself off of the car and goes over to the man in the SUV who is wearing a cap and sunglasses.
"Where is she?" questioned the first man.
"In the trunk, I did exactly what you said." Stated the man from the SUV.
"Good put her in the back." Said the first man causing the SUV driver to get out of his truck.
Going around to the back of the truck and opening the trunk he revealed the form of Elena Gilbert arms and legs securely tied up and clearly unconscious. Picking her up easily showing no strain the second man quickly loaded her into the back of the smaller car.
"I take it there were no problems." Stated the first man.
"None, no one was there to see me take her." Said the second.
"Good, then one last thing." Said the first man placing his hand on the second man's shoulder in a friendly gesture and looking him dead in the eyes, with his eyes shifting in color.
"Take this bottle of Brandy, drink a quarter of it and drive yourself off the nearest cliff." Said the first man.
As the words registered the second man accepted the bottle and a few moments later was driving off in his SUV. Seeing him go the first man turned back and smiled at the unconscious Gilbert girl before climbing into the driver's seat of his own car and pulling off.
"So then out of nowhere Sarah stabs Tyler and he pushed her away and she tripped, fell and hit her head." Said Caroline.
At the moment she could be found in her car relating the story of the previous night's events to Damon. Having not been heavily involved with the drama including Katherine she had stumbled upon the fight between Tyler and Jeff Stevens while on her way to the bathroom. While she had managed to get the two boys apart she hadn't managed to stop Sarah and Tyler's reaction which had resulted in her hitting her head on the edge of the desk. Almost immediately Tyler had dropped to his knees groaning in pain as his eyes changed becoming black and yellow.
"Does Stevens remember anything?" questioned Damon.
"Hmm, he thinks he blacked out but I think they were both compelled by Katherine. That's why I covered for Tyler and said it was an accident."
"Yeah, I don't understand that. The guy is a tool." Said Damon frowning.
"Gee, duh. Tyler getting blamed for Sarah death just opens up questions that he can't answer and do you really think that it's a good idea for him to tell his mom he's a werewolf?" said Caroline.
Honestly she was not sure why they were even having this conversation. She'd already run through it with Naruto earlier in the morning, and that had merely been as Naruto wanted to be aware of the timeline of events. Explaining things to Damon showed the deficiencies of his mental capabilities and it soon became obvious that Damon didn't engage his brain for much real thought.
"Well no." said Damon after a moment.
"And that werewolf road leads straight to Vampire Boulevard! I was thinking fast on my feet to do you a favor, not that you deserve it. Now I have class, goodbye Damon" Said the blond getting out and walking off in a huff.
Meanwhile in Las Vegas, within the Bellagio Hotel and Casino inside of a large room that could only be called a study Elijah Mikaelson could be found with a book in hand. Surrounding him also engulfed in their own literature of choice were his siblings Rebecca and Finn. Of the group so far only he, Finn and Kol had taken the serum and the results could be felt quite easily.
It had taken them all some time to get used to the increase in their physical abilities and the return of beating hearts as well. The contracts had been all signed and sealed as well and as such they were only waiting on one final piece of business before the merger was considered complete. His thoughts on the matter were put on hold by the vibrating of his cellular. Removing it from his pants pocket he answered and after a few brief minutes of conversation ended the call.
"Something wrong?" questioned Rebekah one of her eyebrows raised in question.
"It appears the message Niklaus received this morning was accurate in its predictions." Stated Elijah standing to his feet, removing his sports coat from the back of the chair and placing it on.
"Going somewhere?" questioned Finn.
"To verify some information and if it's correct to see an old friend." Said Elijah sweeping out of the room
Back within the middle of nowhere, Virginia the man could be found carrying Elena bridal style through what looked to be an abandoned house. She had awoken when they arrived after he had picked her up out of the car. Looking up she was greeted to the face of a man and while normally she might have called him attractive under these circumstances she felt that couldn't be further from the truth. Weakly she had tried to get him to let her go only to be ignored as she was dumped unceremoniously on a couch. With his burden relieved he made quick work of removing the gag from her mouth and the ropes that had bound her arms and legs. She tried again to plead for him to let her go only for the words to die in her throat as he leaned in his face changing and fangs emerging revealing his vampire nature.
"Trevor control yourself!" snapped a voice causing the vampire to frown before leaving the room.
The voice revealed itself to be an attractive and pretty young woman. She stood at about 5'8" and had dark brown hair and green eyes. She was dressed casually in a pair of black jeans, a long sleeved purple shirt and a pair of black boots.
"Oh my god, you look just like her." Said the woman
"But I'm not. Please, whatever you…" Said Elena slowly picking herself up from the couch.
"Be quiet." Said the woman cutting her off.
"But I'm not Katherine. My name is Elena Gilbert; you don't have to do this." Said the Gilbert girl
"I know who you are, now I said be quiet." Said the woman.
"What do you want?" questioned Elena again.
The response she received however was not one she was expecting as the woman backhanded her hitting her with such force she flew back and landed sprawled out on the couch once again unconscious.
"I want you to be quiet."
"This has Katherine written all over it." Stated Stefan addressing his brothers.
The three could be found standing within the parking lot of Mystic Falls High just in front of Damon's parked car.
"Katherine's in the tomb. Trust me; I'm the one who shut her in." said Damon.
"Technically I put there, you just went to visit." Said Naruto absently.
"She's in the tomb, period. End of story but she did say something to me right before I left her. I thought she was lying." Said Damon.
"What did she say?" questioned Stefan his tone one that demanded an answer.
"That Elena was in danger." Said Damon.
"What? And you didn't think you should ask her to elaborate?" questioned Stefan anger and exasperation mixing into his voice.
"Everything she says is a lie. How am I supposed to know if she's gonna start spouting out the truth?" said Damon.
"She was perfectly willing to work with us until you took out her werewolf." Said Naruto reminding them again of Damon's mistake.
"We have to go talk to her." Said Stefan.
"No, no! Let me tell you how that's gonna go: We're gonna go ask her for help, she's gonna negotiate her release which we're gonna be dumb enough to give her and she's gonna get out and kill us! This is exactly what she wants!" said Damon.
"She already has exactly what she wanted." Said Naruto massaging the bridge of his nose catching both of their attention.
"She knows Klaus is going to be coming after her. So she tricked you into putting her in the one place Klaus wouldn't go. All she has to do is stay at the back of the tomb and she'll be perfectly fine." Said Naruto.
"We should still go talk to her."
"It's a bad idea Stefan." Said Damon.
"It's Elena."
Nearly an hour later found Naruto making his way through the halls of the hospital. Stefan and Damon were already on the road and should already be well underway by now. Thankfully for Damon's piece of mind Bonnie had been able to convince Stefan not to bother with Katherine and instead had done a tracking spell using Jeremy's blood as a focus. On the one hand it had worked in locating her on the other it had found that she was 300 miles away.
Bonnie and Jeremy had agreed to map it on the computer so they could get an aerial view or any landmarks so they would know exactly where they were heading. Alaric once he was informed of the situation had wasted no time in arming the two with whatever weapons they could need. They had thought Naruto would join them only for him to tell them in no uncertain terms he wouldn't be.
He felt that with his training they should be more than enough to handle whatever was there and felt that him going himself was simply overkill. Shaking that thought from his mind he turned his attention to his surroundings to find Elizabeth Forbes standing not too far ahead of him outside of a rooms doorway.
"Was this your doing?" questioned Liz almost as soon as he neared her.
"I'm sorry?" questioned the blond.
"That girl in there died last night. I checked her pulse myself only to learn this morning that she was alive and well." Said the sheriff.
"I may have had a hand in it. Things needed to be put in motion however I felt no need for her life to be cut short." Said Naruto.
"Is she…?" stated Liz in a questioning tone not quite able to get the words out however.
"No, hers is a true resurrection. She won't remember anything from the other side so no one needs to know that detail really."
Meanwhile on the road Damon and Stefan were flying down the road. As they had taken his Camaro, Damon had been pushing down the now deserted road with ease.
"What the hell is that thing?" Questioned Damon eyeing the bottle of clear liquid in his brother's hand.
"I don't know, it's a vervain bomb or a grenade launcher or something like that." Said Stefan also curious about it.
"Weird." Said Damon, though Stefan honestly didn't think so.
"How much further?" questioned Stefan.
"About 80 miles I think." Said Damon with was good considering how far they'd gone so far.
"Thank you for helping me." Said Stefan after a few silent minutes.
"Can we not do the whole road trip bonding thing? The cliche of it all makes me itch."
"Oh, come on Damon. We both know that you being in this car has absolutely nothing to do with me anyway." Said Stefan causing his brother to frown.
"The elephant in the room lets out a mighty roar." Said Damon rolling his eyes.
"Well, it doesn't have to be an elephant. Let's talk about it." Said Stefan.
"There's nothing to talk about." Said Damon exasperated.
"That's not true. I'm sure there is. Just get it out. I mean, are you in this car because you want to help your little brother save the girl that he loves? Or is it because you love her too? Hmm? I mean come on, express yourself. I happen to like road trip bonding." Said the younger Salvatore.
"Fine you want bonding. I'm here because if I wasn't you'd get yourself killed. Do I think Elena is good looking? Yes. Do I think she's attractive? No. In fact it's the exact opposite. However I did plan on taking her from you, hell I could sleep with her and not have to close my eyes to see Katherine. Fortunately for you that thought now makes me want to commit murders so gruesome it would make your other side jealous. So brother believe me when I tell you I am not here for the sake of Elena fucking Gilbert."
As Damon finished his speech Stefan found himself silenced as he could hear no falsehood's in his brother's voice. At the same time looking at his brothers face he didn't know who he was trying to convince more him or himself. He honestly didn't know how exactly to feel about that either way and as such they proceeded further in silence.
Meanwhile Elena was sitting on the couch quietly yet deep in thought. She had somehow received a message from Bonnie earlier letting her know that Stefan and Damon were on their way and as such had tried to stall for time, learning much in the process. Her captors were a pair of siblings by the names of Rose and her friend Trevor. They had been on the run from The Originals, the first family of vampires, for five hundred years. Apparently they'd run into Katherine when she was first fleeing from Klaus and the woman had tricked them into feeding her vampire blood before hanging herself.
Unfortunately they had already called for someone named Elijah. Apparently because she was something called a doppelganger they were hoping to trade her in exchange for their freedom as apparently her death combined with the moonstone would break the sun and moon curse. Elijah was apparently another of the Originals and the older brother of Klaus who she knew Katherine had spent the last five centuries running from.
"He's here! I told you this was a mistake." Said Trevor making his way into the room, obviously freaking out and causing both Rose and Elena to look up.
"No, I told you I would get us out of this. You have to trust me." Said Rose standing and placing a hand on his shoulder in a gesture to calm him.
"He wants me dead, Rose!" exclaimed Trevor not the least bit calm.
"He'll want her more okay, trust me." Said Rose.
"I can't do this. You give her to him, he'll have mercy on you but I need to get out of here." Said Trevor his voice quivering in his fear.
Just then there was a knock on the door that echoed through the empty halls and into the room. Rose took a moment to further calm her brother telling him to guard Elena before making her way to the door and opening it to reveal Elijah standing in the doorway. Like always he was immaculately dressed wearing a black suit with a blue dress shirt and a black tie with white stripes. His hair was parted to the left and combed neatly to the sides with not a single hair out of place.
"Rose-Marie. Is there somewhere we can talk?" said the ancient vampire.
"Yes, in here. Please excuse the house." Said Rose standing aside so that he could step through.
"Oh, no, what's a little dirt? I completely understand. So tell me, what is it that gives you the courage to call me?" questioned Elijah his tone honestly curious.
"I wanted my freedom. I'm tired of running. You in a position to grant me that?" stated Rose her tone turning questioning at the end.
"I have complete authority to grant pardon to you and your little pet. What is his name these days? Trevor. If I so see fit." Said Elijah
"Katerina Petrova?"
"I'm listening."
"She didn't die in 1864." Said Rose.
"Continue."
"You don't seem surprised by this." Stated Rose.
"Oh, when you called and invited me into this armpit of civilization, which is a mere three hours from the town we know as Mystic Falls, I surmised it had everything to do with Katerina. Do you have her in your possession?"
"No, but I have better. I have her doppelganger." Said Rose actually giving Elijah pause.
"That's impossible, her family line ended with her. I know that for fact." Stated Elijah.
Considering he had been there when Niklaus had murdered the girl's family and burned their home to the ground he spoke what he knew to be truth. He knew of course that Klaus was searching for a doppelganger however he thought he was speaking of the unknown line, as it was told that doppelgangers came in pairs.
"The facts are wrong in this instance." Stated Rose.
"Show her to me." Stated Elijah, as this was something he would need to see with his own eyes.
"Elijah, you are a man of honor, you should be trusted but I need to hear you say it again." Said Rose, surprising Elijah by the faith she still held in his strength of character even after so long.
"You have my word that I will pardon you." Stated the elder vampire after a moment.
"Follow me"
Outside Damon's car could be seen not too far from the house with one brother looking pensive and the other looking anxious.
"The house should be just beyond those trees." Stated Damon grabbing Stefan's arm when he moved to exit the car.
"Wait, I got a lot more experience than you do with those sorts of things." Said Damon.
"What's your point?"
"My point brother is that whoever is in that house is working either for or with Klaus." Stated Damon.
"And?" questioned Stefan his impatience clearly showing.
"And we're talking about people anywhere from 500 to 1,000 years old. As much as I hate to admit it we both just got our collective asses handed to us by Katherine last night, so are you sure you want to do this?" questioned Damon.
"Yeah, I'm certain I want to do it." Said Stefan after a few moments.
"Stefan if we go in that house, it may well be the last thing we ever do." Said Damon trying one last time.
"Alright, then I won't come out. I can't think of a better reason to die, but if you want to stay here, I'll totally understand." Stated Stefan before getting out of the car.
Sighing at the sight Damon took a breath steeling himself before popping the trunk and getting out himself.
Meanwhile back in Mystic Falls, Caroline sighed as she closed the door behind her. She had been dodging Tyler all day after their initial discussion in the halls this morning. He had been regarding her with suspicion all day and once she'd had to quite literally throw him off of her.
"What are you doing here?" questioned the girl turning to her right to find Tyler emerging from the darkness.
"I know." Said the Lockwood heir stepping towards her.
"Breaking and entering the sheriff's house? That move will win you an award." Said Caroline her tone sarcastic
"Go ahead. Keep dodging, keep changing the subject but I know. You're just like me, aren't you?" said Tyler.
"I'm nothing like you." Said Caroline growing honestly tired of this.
"Keep it up but I'm not buying it. I saw how strong you were. I'm not leaving here until you tell me the truth."
"Tyler…" tried the girl only to be cut off.
"You're a werewolf. Admit it!" demanded Tyler causing her to actually laugh.
This however must have pushed him a bit too far as he suddenly pushed her into a wall causing her to gasp in pain. Before she could react he had her pinned there as he slaps his hands against the wall on both sides of her with such force one of the pictures comes loose and falls to the floor.
"Admit it!" exclaimed Tyler now directly in her face.
Suddenly her eyes which had been closed since the impact snapped open only now instead of her natural bluish green coloration they were now a scarlet red in color with vertical slit pupils. Before he could react she had slammed a palm into his chest that hit with such force he was literally thrown away from her before hitting the ground and sliding across the wooden floor for nearly three feet. As he settled and looked up he could not stop the bolt of fear that was shooting through his body.
"Enough Tyler! I'm not a fucking werewolf!" exclaimed Caroline.
"We have a long journey ahead of us." Stated Elijah after verifying that Elena was indeed human by the smell of her blood.
"Please don't do this?" pleaded the girl only to be ignored.
"One last piece of business before we go." Said Elijah turning to and approaching Trevor.
"I've waited so long for this day, Elijah. I'm truly, very sorry." Said the younger vampire visibly nervous.
"Oh no, your apology isn't necessary."
"Yes, yes it is. You trusted me with Katerina and I failed you." Said Trevor.
"Oh yes, you are the guilty one and Rose aided you because she was loyal to you and that I can honor. Where was your loyalty?" remarked Elijah
"I beg your forgiveness." Said the younger vampire.
"So granted." Stated Elijah just before a knife hand chop from his right hand took Trevor's head off his shoulders much to Elena's and Rose's horror.
"You…" exclaimed Rose moving to step forward.
"Don't Rose, now that you are free." Stated Elijah turning and pinning her in place with a look that froze her in her tracks.
"Things are changing for us as a community. We are coming back to the forefront. While I granted you your freedom all must know of the consequences for betrayal, Trevor will be an example for all, besides I've granted him mercy with such a quick death." Stated Elijah removing a handkerchief and using it to clean the blood from his hand before dropping it to the floor.
"Come." Stated Elijah turning a look at Elena.
"What about the moonstone?" questioned Elena stalling for time.
"What do you know about the moonstone?" questioned Elijah.
"I know you need it." Said Elena forcing herself to remain calm and resolute.
"And?"
"I can help you get it." Said Elena.
"Tell me where it is." Stated Elijah looking into her eyes.
"It doesn't work like that." Stated Elena sounding much braver than she actually was.
"It's the first I've heard of it." Stated Rose as Elijah looked at her.
Turning to look back towards Elena he frowned wondering why his compulsion hadn't worked. Looking the girl over his eyes quickly spotted the chain of the necklace she wore.
"Clever girl wearing vervain around your neck." Stated Elijah before reaching over to her and snatching the necklace.
As he held it however he was struck by its appearance and taken back through his memories for but a moment before coming back to the present.
"Tell me child, how did you come to possess this talisman." Said Elijah.
"My ex gave it to me, he said it would protect me from vampires like him." Said Elena the words coming from her lips despite her attempts to stop them.
"Who is the ex of yours?" questioned Elijah.
"Stefan Salvatore."
'That would explain it.' Thought Elijah slipping the necklace into his pocket. Stefan had most likely recovered the necklace when it was first lost and with no clue of who its true owner was had kept it for all those decades. He would probably have to thank the boy when everything was over.
"Tell me where the moonstone is." Stated Elijah.
"Damon had it. He said he was going to put it in the tomb, underneath the church ruins."
"And why would it be there?" questioned Elijah.
"It's where they put Katherine."
Before anymore could be said the sound of glass shattering could be heard.
"Who else is in this house?" questioned Elijah.
"It was just me and Trevor." Stated Rose
Grabbing hold of his captive Elijah led Rose and Elena into the entryway of the house only for them to be almost immediately surrounded by blurs. Throwing Elena over to Rose, Elijah cracked his neck however before he could do more he felt something hit his foot. Glancing down he was just in time to see a small disc open slightly and release a cloud of smoke. The room was quickly filled with smoke at least as much as he could see. The smoke however quickly cleared only to show both Rose and Elena gone.
"To whom it may concern, you're making a great mistake if you think that you can beat me. You can't. Do you hear that?"
Elijah spoke calmly though loudly his voice carrying through the house. As he did he moved over to a wooden coat rack and picked it up removing the metal bits before breaking it and shaping it into a makeshift stake. Stefan who was currently holding Elena hidden in the shadows of a hall placed a finger to her lips signaling silence getting a quick nod. Looking over to Damon she could see him remove his hand from its position covering Rose's mouth also motioning for silence.
"I repeat, you cannot beat me. So I want the girl, I'm gonna count to three or heads will roll. Do we understand each other?"
Looking around he found Elena standing atop the stairs.
"Look I don't want anyone to get hurt so how about we all just go home." Said the Gilbert girl only for Elijah to appear in front of her by way of his superior speed.
"Do you think you can play games with me?" questioned Elijah his tone showing a slight bit of irritation.
Elena having jumped back in fear at his initial approach responded by uncrossing her arms removing a pin and tossing a glass vial at his head. Just before it could hit him it exploded outwards showing him with glass shards and vervain electing a pained yell from him causing him to drop the coatrack in the process. Abruptly the yell cut off and he lifted his head showing his face already healing the burns at a phenomenal rate and in less than three seconds his skin looked as if nothing had happened.
Stefan chose just that moment to emerge firing shots from what looked like a shotgun at him. As the first hit Elijah staggered back and looked down to find a dart pumping vervain into his chest. Ripping it out he looked up just time to get hit by another. Seeing how he was affected by the first shot Stefan immediately off the final two one slamming into his chest and another hitting him in the stomach. Each shot had forced the elder vampire further back until he was nearly back on ground level. Damon chose just that moment to make his move using his speed he picked up the makeshift stake and slammed it home directly into the center of his chest pushing him back until the wood was embedded into a wall pinning him there. He stood there holding it until the tell-tale veins of desiccation appeared across Elijah's face signaling his death.
Turning around he was just in time to see Rose whose eyes had widened in shock disappear in a blur. At the same time Elena had arrived and thrown her arms around Stefan with both of them relaxing and Elena sending him a silent thank you.
"Alright guys let's get out of here. We've still got a long road ahead of us." Said Damon walking out opening the door about three feet away from Elijah and walking out.
Once they were loaded in and the car was pulling away another figure emerged from the shadows revealing itself to be Naruto. Looking over at Elijah he had to admit to being slightly pleased before moving into the next room and coming back with a chair. Once that was done he settled down and placing his earbuds in started up a musical playlist on his phone and proceeded to wait. Sometime later his attention was grabbed by some shifts in motion and he looked up in time to see Elijah's eyes snap open and witness him pull the coatrack out of his chest.
"Three hours exactly, not bad considering you were also pumped full of vervain." Said the blond.
"I must admit to some surprise. I did not expect to still be aware of the world around me incapacitated as I was." Stated Elijah removing the now empty vervain darts.
"What did you think of them?" questioned the blond.
"They did pretty well. There was no grandstanding or words of any kind. Considering I performed at my pre-serum levels I think that's saying something." Stated Elijah.
"Perhaps that ass kicking Katerina handed to them last night did more good than I thought." Said Naruto.
"Oh, tell me more." Said Elijah sitting down on the stairs as the two got lost in conversation.
The drive back home had taken them a little over four hours, time Elena had spent in the back of the Camaro with Stefan. She had sent messages to Bonnie, Caroline, Alaric and Jeremy explaining to all that she was fine and that they were on their way back. After that she had taken a nap until they came to a stop for fuel during which time her bladder had made itself known as had her stomach. After using the restroom she'd grabbed a hot dog from the store of the gas station which she ate quickly before they were back on their way. Now after a much needed shower she was dressed for bed and making her way into her room to find Damon seated within.
"Cute PJ's." stated the vampire.
"I'm tired Damon." Said Elena with a sigh.
"Understandable. However I brought you a gift." As he said this he held up a necklace.
"Jewelry. Seriously Damon let's not do this." Said the girl warily.
"It was our mother's. Stefan thought you should have it, I told him I'd drop it off since I was already about to head out for a meeting with Liz and the rest of the council." explained Damon holding his hand out only to snatch it back when she reached for the necklace.
"Just like the last one this one is filled with vervain, get it." Said Damon getting an understanding nod from the girl.
"One last thing then before I give it to you." Said Damon.
"Damon don't go there." Said Elena already knowing where this road of conversation could lead.
"I do have feelings for you Elena, and it's due to those feeling that I have to be straight with you and myself. I could see myself loving you, but I love being a vampire, it's what I wanted, what I asked for. Stefan never wanted it, I don't think you ever will either. I think I may have even projected whatever positive feelings I still have for Katherine onto you as well, you remind me of who I thought she was.
So for that reason I need to let you go. I spent one hundred and forty five years waiting for Katherine and I never discovered who exactly Damon is. What I do know is that I don't deserve you, my brother does." As he said this he approached her and placed a kiss on her forehead before looking into her eyes.
Nearly a minute later Elena blinked and found herself alone in her room with the necklace that Stefan had gifted to her in her hand. Looking down on it she found that it possessed a silver link chain on which dangled a locket that was silver and had a triquetra intercepted with a circle designed into it on the front. Placing it on she climbed into bed and into a restful sleep.
Meanwhile at the Salvatore Boarding House, Stefan could be seen within the library with a glass of bourbon in hand. The sound of the wind moving at speed caught his attention and the way it moved told him he had a vampire guest.
"You may as well come out." Stated Stefan pouring another glass.
"I'm not here to hurt you." Stated Rose appearing from the doorway.
"Then why are you here?" questioned Stefan before taking a sip of his drink.
"Lexi tells me you're one of the good ones." Said Rose accepting the offered drink.
"You know her?" questioned Stefan in surprise.
"Quite well. We've been friends for centuries and we keep in touch." Stated Rose taking a seat and taking a sip of the drink.
"Trevor was my best friend. For 500 years I have lived with one person and he's gone and I don't want to run anymore because I don't have anywhere else to run to." Said the woman.
"Sorry but I don't see how I can help with that." Said Stefan
"I don't need your help but I think you need mine. Elijah may be dead but this isn't over." Said Rose.
"You're talking about Klaus." Said Stefan after a moment.
"I'm talking about all of them. Elijah was the only one in perfect control of his bloodlust, he kept the others even Klaus from going too far. Now they'll come for her and when they do they'll come with force. Now they'll be doing it for him." said Rose causing Stefan to take the remainder of his glass in one go as a sense of foreboding came over him.
Far above him and above Mystic Falls in general Naruto stood suspended in mid-air with his arms crossed.
"Now little brothers prove to me your worth." Said the blond his eyes shining with anticipation.
AN: That's it chapters done.