Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries.

Chapter 21: Bloodstone

Only one more after this…let me know what you think, please and thank you.

Even though Dorian had actually brought two people with him, Noah was the only one known about. Dorian had taken Alec to the shed where the tunnel came out, and told him to stay there until the time was right. With so much going on, Nicholas had a hard time deciding when that was. However, since Luke was now in a cage and Serena had some time on her hands, Nicholas finally let him out by taking him through the tunnel. They had to make a pit stop though, rather than going to the house first. Nicholas took him to the cells where he could confront Luke.

Nicholas walked up to the cell and knocked on the bars. "Hey, got someone who wants to see you."

Luke got anxious hoping it was Serena, so he stood and came to the bars where he could see, but instead of seeing the woman he wanted, he saw his worst enemy. "It's not possible." He whispered.

Nicholas pulled Alec's shirt collar down to expose his necklace. The necklace was on a golden chain with a golden crescent moon, and from the top to the bottom points of it a circular gemstone was attached. Luke couldn't quite make out what it was, but it looked like a black bloodstone. From what he knew about magic, bloodstones had the ability to give the wearer strength, agility, and it was even used in enchanted jewelry for revival. So apparently he had been wearing it the night Luke killed him.

"I should've known." Luke groaned angrily. "She would never let you die."

"She doesn't know." Alec told him. "When she found me I was still dead lying in my own blood."

"How did that even work?" Luke asked. "You're not exactly human."

Ignoring Klaus, Nicholas turned back to Luke. "Look, the only reason I brought him down here, is so you can see that you lost. Unlike back then, she is no longer your wife, he can have her to himself."

Angrily Luke banged himself up against the bars hoping they'd break, but nothing happened. They didn't even jump.

"You won't stop us this time." Alec said as they disappeared back into the darkness. Alec's eyes glowed yellow in the dark proving what he was.

"Her grandfather will never let you have her!" He yelled knowing they could still hear him even though they were on the other side of the door. "I hope he rips your head off!"

"I thought you didn't love her." Klaus said from the other cell.

Luke turned his attention to his master still growling angrily. "What do you know about love?"

"I've loved many women in my time, in my way." Klaus smirked in his cocky way.

"Like your bastard's mother? How many more bastard's did you beget I wonder."

"None." Klaus answered. "I made sure of that."

"I see."

"DO you love her?" Klaus asked curiously. "Or do you merely want her because she is a Nerva, not to mention she was the only Nerva available to you."

"You brought us together, yet you ask me now?"

"She is still my niece, we share some blood. I may die tomorrow night so I merely wish to see if I made a mistake in putting my faith in you merely because you are of the Flavian line."

"I followed you; I did everything you ever asked of me."

Klaus stood grasping the bars angrily. "No, you failed. It is because of your foolishness that they live!"

"You told me to kill them!" Luke stated, yelling back.

"Yes, kill. Do they look dead to you?" He asked rhetorically. "But you were in such a hurry to have your taste of my niece that you missed the obvious."

"You didn't know either, and if you knew your own son was the one to kill you why let him live?"

"Because I thought through him I could breed a new race."

Luke nodded accepting that the blame was between both of them, and there was no winning the argument. "I will get us out of this. I swear."

"You're too weak." Klaus rasped. "All you can think about is revenge for your lost wife. If anyone is getting out of this, it will be me. I have no use for you anymore."

"I am Lucretius Flavius Vespasian II, grandson of Titus Flavius Vespasian, and heir to the Flavian Dynasty, you are nothing but a bastard, you will show me respect!" He said boldly.

"I own you!" Klaus yelled loudly growling showing his fangs and his red eyes glaring in anger. "I made you, I gave you this life, I made it all possible."

Luke submitted getting down on his knees in fear. "Help me survive this, and I swear to you I will do anything you ask of me."

"If I were to save you, it would be only to kill you myself."

Upstairs Daniel and Serena were arguing. He was trying to get her to understand that Elijah was her father, she had to give him a chance to act like one.

"How can you say that?" She asked him. "You of all people. You are my father, not him."

"Serena, I know and I'm grateful." He said holding her hands in his. "I will always look at you as mine, but by blood you are his, he has that right to you."

"He gave up that right."

"Serena." He said sternly. "This was practically your mother's dying wish. She knew, somehow she knew, you would be the one to see him again, and she begged me to make sure you had your chance to know him."

"I can't." She said softly and then ran as fast as she could flinging the back door open, as it was the closest.

"Serena...Serena!" Daniel called but she kept running.

"What's wrong?" Elijah asked as he came over. He had heard them arguing as he came downstairs.

"She just took off in classic Serena style." He explained, but he wasn't really that worried. "She'll come back eventually, just let her be."

"No." Elijah disagreed. "I'll go get her."

Daniel grabbed his arm preventing Elijah from walking out. "Elijah, if I can't get her, how will you?"

"As you said, I am her father, not you." Elijah removed his younger brother's grip. "Stand down." Elijah took off running after that and was able to cut her off by not announcing himself and he caught her.

"Hey, let go of me." She fought with him, spinning and throwing him against a tree but he wouldn't let go. "Let go!"

He spun her around to make her look him in the eye. "Serena, look at me…Look at me! I'm sorry."

"It's too late to apologize." She rasped still fighting with him trying to pry his hand off her wrist.

"It's never too late." He said keeping his voice calm. He moved his hand from her wrist to her upper arm and took hold of the other one too.

"Let go of me."

"It wasn't your fault."

She glared at him, and frankly he knew the look, he'd seen it in the mirror. It wasn't one he was proud of, but that temper was a family trait. "I know what you're trying to do and it won't work." She kept struggling trying to get him to loosen his grip even a little so she could slip free but he wouldn't.

Really for the first time he looked into her eyes and saw his own. Mara was right, it was almost like looking into a mirror, and frankly it made him melt. He had hid all his life, only his parents and his siblings really knew him, knew his emotions, and he imagined it was the same for her. And all the time he spent with Klaus he had turned his emotions off. Except she had loved, she loved a man with all she had and then he was taken from her. In that way she was like her mother. She was surprised when his hand moved her hair from her face affectionately. "I'm sorry."

"Stop saying that."

"I'm sorry."

"Stop!" She screamed in one last attempt to keep her emotions in but it didn't work. But it was loud enough that he cringed in pain and his grip loosened enough for her to slip free, but he was quick and was able to grab her again before she got anywhere. She pulled her weight down like a child fighting with him. "Please…I hate you." Seeing his opportunity he pulled her weight back up so she was standing pulling her close. "I hate you, I hate you." She kept repeating pounding her fist against his chest until he had won wrapping his arms around her and she broke down into tears.

"I'm so sorry I left you."

"Why?" She cried banging her fists against his chest, before giving up. "Why weren't we good enough?"

"It wasn't your fault...It was I who was not good enough." He waited for her to relax her body, every muscle was still tensed in resistance mode, while she cried against him with her arms in between them. Knowing what he had to say to get her to stop resisting he sucked it up and said what he'd held in for a thousand years. "I love you." Instead it only made her fight harder not wanting to believe it. She wanted to hate him, and it was easier to do so imagining she meant nothing to him. He only held on tighter. "I love you." He said again. "I've always loved you, all of you, because you're mine. I should have come home, I should've protected you. For that I'm sorry." Finally she relaxed and he felt her arms wrap around him and grasp his shoulders, and kept crying.

"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry. I should've been a better daughter, I should've – "

"Sh…It's going to be alright." When Elijah looked up he saw Daniel smiling at him from behind a tree, Elijah could see his was proud of him again.

Elena was upstairs pretending to still be sleeping while the warlock checked on her. He left her hearing a knock on the door. Her eyes flew open as she heard him going down the stairs. She looked out the window to see a car, and two men leaning up against the hood. One she recognized, it was Alexander III, MIlena's father. The other she didn't know. At the door was Alexander II talking to the vampire named Frederick.

"Are you here for the girl?" He asked Alexander, who nodded his reply. "Prove to me you're the ones Luke sent."

"If you wish to call him just to ask, be my guest." Alexander said knowing the man in front of him would be far too scared to call his master just to asked a stupid question. His plan worked and the warlock named Adam invited him in. "Let me remind you that if she has been harmed in any way there will be consequences."

"She's fine." Adam promised. "However, she's still asleep."

"Better not be anything too serious." Alexander warned as he made his way to the stairs following Adam. Elena hurried back to the bed to lay down before they made it. Alexander walked in while Adam waited by the door.

"See, she's fine." Adam said.

"Good." Alexander groaned as he picked her up. Carefully he carried her downstairs and to the car. Alex opened the door for his father and helped him put her inside. Aaron was with them, they hadn't gotten far before they realized they needed a car and neither of them knew how to drive, so Aaron came to their rescue and drove them in Dorian's car.

Frederick saw a tattoo on Aaron as he turned around to get into the car. It was Roman. "Nerva." Frederick whispered realizing what it said. "It's them!" He yelled getting Adam's attention and then charged for the two men.

Alexander quickly shut the door and Aaron ran into the car. "Get her out of here." Alexander ordered before being tackled by the other vampire. Alex ran for the warlock who had just come out of the house and tackled him and broke his neck before he could use his power. He ran to his father to see him pinned with the other vampire on top of him. Alexander overpowered him easily punching him in the face then punching through his chest to pull out his heart. Frederick fell dead and Alex helped his father to his feet. They ran to the end of the driveway and found the car waiting for them.

"Well, that was easy." Aaron said rhetorically.

Alexander and Alex chuckled. Alex looked to Elena who was still pretending and taking up the whole back seat so he smacked her leg. "We know you're not sleeping."

Elena opened her eyes and slowly sat up behind Aaron. "How did you know?"

"Your pulse is beating too fast." He stated and Elena's hand flew to her chest to feel how fast her heart was beating. He sat beside her closing the door."I imagine you were nervous."

"You could say that." She said as the car started to move. "Thank you for saving me." She said looking to Alexander in the front.

"You're welcome." Alex said for his father nodding his head like a gentleman.

"And thank you…"

"Aaron, Aaron Pierce."

"Pierce? Isn't that the name Katherine used?"

"Yep." Aaron confirmed.

"Another relative." Elena sighed. She didn't think she could take any more mysterious relatives popping up. Being related to Elijah was bad enough.

"Sorry, blame Serena and Sebastian. They were the ones who made sure there were always at least two descendents in each generation to keep the family going. You and me just happen to be the ones that are left."

"So, you're my cousin?"

"Honestly, I don't really know how to say it. I just know we have the same great-grandfather, or is it great-great-grandfather?" He pondered thinking to himself.

She leaned back into the seat. Just when she though she couldn't learn anymore about herself, someone shows up to tell her more family history. "How do you know Serena?"

"Through our mutual great-great-grandfather. He was born in 1850…" He had to stop and think about the precise year. "7, I think. Anyway, his parents died in 1861, and that's why Serena left Mystic Falls. She had to go take care of him, she raised him as her own. The only son she ever knew. Our family has stayed close to her ever since."

"Then she knew Isobel?"

"Yeah, Isobel found her. How do you think Isobel knew so much? She wasn't just good at research, she had a good source. Isobel's your mother right?"

"Yeah." Elena admitted. "But I was adopted."

"Oh, sorry to hear that."

"No, I loved my parents, and my brother."

He caught the past tense part, and knew she meant they had died, and he felt bad for her. He knew other people who had been adopted, or lost a parent like Eli who fit both categories. He knew the signs of that kind of loneliness. "I don't know what it's like to lose a parent, so I can't sympathize."

"You're lucky." She said looking out the window sadly.

"That's what they tell me."

After a few moments of silence, she became too curious. "So, Klaus's bloodline still lives too?" Elena asked.

"Nathaniel couldn't bear the thought of his grandfather's line being destroyed completely over something like a love affair like Alexander wanted, so he had his own son to keep it going. However, he did breed the wolf out of their blood. That line is nothing but witches now."

"And you said there must always be at least two?"

"Yeah, in our family there are me and you, and in theirs there are Eli and Noah. You'll meet them when we get back to Mystic Falls."

As Serena and Elijah were headed back to the house they ran into someone. Serena suddenly stopped dead in her tracks seeing the man in front of her. Elijah looked back at her then to the man wondering who he could be to cause her to look like she'd seen a ghost.

"Hello, love." He said softly grinning his little crooked grin she had fallen head over heels for. "You look good." He honestly didn't know what else to say.

The two men watched her eyes drift closed and then her body went limp as it fell backwards. Elijah quickly caught her before she hit the ground and picked her up hooking his arm under her knees. "Who are you?" He asked the man before taking her to the house.

"The name's Alec. Who are you?"

"Elijah."

"So you're the – "

"Don't say it." Elijah warned.

Alec smirked finding it somewhat amusing that Elijah was so sensitive about his misdeed. "She looks like you." He stated.

Elijah didn't say anymore, he already knew that fact. So he walked past Alec to the house and took Serena up to her room. Alec followed close behind, of course, and stayed in her room with her waiting for her to wake up.

Nathaniel was with the rest of his cousins in the living room as they came up with their plan. "Milena." Nathaniel said getting her attention. "I'll take those now."

She pulled the moonstone from out of her pocket and took the necklace off her neck and handed them to him. He put the necklace on and stared at the moonstone for a minute. It'd been a long time since he'd seen it. He really just couldn't believe it was finally time to rid the world of the man he unfortunately had to call father.

"But aren't there two?" Annemarie asked. "Necklaces, I mean."

"Where's the other one Nicholas?" Nathaniel asked.

"On the neck of Serena's lover." He stated.

"Come again?"

"Did you really think I would let him die?" Nicholas asked them all seeing they were all shocked. "I gave him the necklace."

"Alec's alive?" Milena asked.

Nicholas nodded. "He's upstairs."

"Why did we not know about this?" Milena asked referring to herself and Annemarie who were probably the nosiest of the family.

"Because you would have told her." He stated and Milena wasn't going to deny that, they could never keep a secret between them. That's why he didn't tell Nathaniel either. "And as long as Luke was still an issue, I had to keep him away, or else he would've figured it out and killed him for good."

Nathaniel came upstairs to see Alec cuddling up to his cousin, and he couldn't help but smirk as he shook his head laughing to himself. He was happy that she was happy; she deserved someone like him, someone who truly loved her. He walked over to Alec's side of the bed and nudged him waking him up.

Alec jumped worried at whom it might be then he saw him and relaxed. "Let me guess." He said. "You must be Nathaniel."

"Lucky guess. Sorry, to disturb you, but tomorrow night is the full moon and you have something I need." Nathaniel said holding out his hand. Alec looked down at the necklace he was wearing holding it. He was hesitant to take it off. "Don't worry, you won't magically die again if you take it off."Alec took his word for it and slowly took the necklace off, once he saw that he was still alive he handed it over. Nathaniel put it on then turned to leave.

"If you don't mind me asking." Alec said stopping him. "What do you plan to do to him?"

"My father?" Nathaniel asked curious as to why Alec would care about Klaus.

"No, Luke."

"Oh, right. That's for her to decide." He gestured to the sleeping Serena.

"What I wish for she will not allow."

"I'm listening."

"You know how I died, yes?"

Nathaniel nodded. "I've been told."

"I want a rematch."

Nathaniel was intrigued, and confused at the same time. He understood wanting a rematch, that was pride talking, but what gave him the notion that he could win? "You wish to fight him again? What makes you think you have any better of a chance than before?"

"The moon will be my advantage. He didn't grant me that last time."

Nathaniel sighed thinking about it. It was an intriguing idea and it'd be ironic for sure, but would she ever agree to it? "If you can get her to agree, then you may have your duel." Nathaniel said and left.