Chapter Twelve: Up in Flames

3 x 22 – The Departed

As Damon and Stefan drove Klaus' body out of Mystic Falls, after daggering him and rescuing Elena, the older Salvatore couldn't help but notice that the hybrids phone had been ringing consistently.

"Who keeps calling him?" Stefan asked when he saw his brothers face at the caller ID.

"Callie" Damon sighed, he had been somewhat close to the human bartender but ever since the Originals had come to town, a wedge had formed between the pair. "What do you think she sees in him? I mean come on, a girl like her would be better off with someone like the quarterback, or little gilbert, hell even someone like wolf boy would be better for her than him"

"You don't know Cassandra, do you? I mean other than stabbing her"

"Why's that important? Blondie's the wife to one of the Mikaelson's what makes her so important to why Cal has a crush on a murderous original?"

"Cassandra used to be a witch before she was turned, one gifted with clairvoyance. She foresaw the meeting of Calista and Klaus centuries ago and let him know all about the woman who would never leave his side and support him. I thought she was drunk at the time and making stories up for her own amusement but I don't think that's the case." Stefan explained, casting a look to his disbelieving brother. "I think Klaus has waited up until now in order to see Callie, and he's offering her a chance at immortality with all the resources that he has to offer her. A chance to see everything in the world and not be tied down to a single location. He's giving her a place in the Mikaelson family."

"Then she is better off without him"

"Niklaus, this is the eleventh message that I've left since I got home and I'm getting worried." Calista spoke holding her phone up to her ear as she sat out the front of her house. "I don't know what is happening on your end, but I've been seeing images of fire lately and I'm worried about you. Please call me back. Please"

As she hung up the phone, Callie hadn't noticed that another person had come up to her home. "he isn't going to call you back Callie." Rebekah said, her voice barely containing the anger that she felt, as she sat on the seat next her human friend. "The Salvatore's have him daggered in a box and are going to dump his body in the ocean"

"What?"

"They think it will keep their precious Elena safe"

"This is insane. Klaus was leaving Mystic Falls, we were leaving tonight. No more originals here. Why are they dumping him in the ocean?"

"Might have something to do with the fact that he was going to take all her blood and use it to make more hybrids." Rebekah shrugged a flash of hurt going through her eyes as she remembered what happened when she confronted Klaus about his obsession with creating more hybrids. "You said we. So, you made up your mind about Nik's little offer then?"

"Was there even a choice? Klaus is one of the few people that actually treats me like I'm normal. Like I'm something special" Callie smiled as she recalled how gentle the violent hybrid had been with her and how he always tried to make sure that she was safe and happy, something no one else in this town had done before. "Do you when I first saw Klaus?"

"The fundraiser for the Wickery Bridge. He saw the girl that he had only seen in Cassie's visions in person"

"That was the first time I met him, not the first time I saw him. When he was trying to break the curse on himself, they needed a vampire to sacrifice and since Jenna was Elena's aunt and the vampire chosen. Stefan offered himself but he was rejected because Klaus liked the idea of the 'three goddesses', so he offered me. Said I had his blood in my system and all that was needed was for me to die and take Elena's aunts place. If Klaus hadn't rejected both of Stefan's offer then I would have been sacrificed."

"Shit. So, Nik saved you by not sacrificing you, did he ever say why?"

"I don't think that he is aware that it was me that was offered as a sacrifice, but that moment made me want to try and put more distance between the vampire's here until your family came back here."

"Do you regret us? Being with the original vampires?"

"No. Not for a second" Calista reached out and held onto Rebekah's hand, squeezing it to offer a moniker of comfort to the blonde. "You and Klaus made me want to stay in Mystic Falls longer than I originally planned. He made me want to stop running from my demons."

"Elijah and I are going to bring him back from them and stop Alaric." Rebekah said, looking straight ahead, avoiding looking the witch in the eye. "I'm not asking you to be a part of it but if we need a witch …"

"I'll help you, not the Salvatore's. They've proven that they only see me as a pawn and tried to kill my mother, tried to kill Cassie. I have no loyalty them."