A/N: In the spirit of the season finale, I have decided to upload tonight :) I would like to take a moment to thank everyone for reviewing and supporting this story!
Inspired by Leave Out All The Rest by Linkin Park. Enjoy! (*small spoiler*Now I have to go sit in the corner and cry about the season finale and Kol and Bonnie and sob.)
Chapter Twenty One - Leave Out All The Rest
I always thought there would more time.
More time with my parents. More time with Jenna and John. More time with Alaric. More time with my siblings.
I am only eighteen. I have not even finished high school yet. To have lost so much in such a short life isn't fair. To have to contemplate and know death at such a young age holds no justice.
Niklaus Mikaelson is dead. This is what I know.
All of my friends are dying. This is what I know.
My sister is dead. This is what I know.
There is no more time. There is no time to right the wrongs I have committed against them, and there is no time to show them the love I have withheld, when I should have displayed it.
I will never be able to look into Elena's eyes and tell her I love her again. My twin sister. My other half.
My name is Madeleine Gilbert. I haven't lived my life, yet I know Death. I will never escape from Death.
Two hours earlier
"Give us our brother, and we'll leave. Alaric will surely follow us, and it will allow Elena to live out all of her days of her natural life without him troubling her." Elijah folded his hand, his reasonable offer on the table.
"So, you're just going to run?" Stefan asked suspiciously.
"Niklaus and Rebekah spent the better part of a thousand years running from our father," said Elijah with a shrug. "What is another half of a century?"
"Elijah," I began hesitantly. "We finally got rid of Klaus. We can't just let you bring him back, after everything he's done to us and our family."
"I promise you that I will not revive my brother in your lifetime, Elena. Not even in your children's lifetimes. I give you my word." He sighed. "Perhaps then he will learn some manners."
"Why should she trust you?" Matt demanded. "All you've done is screw her over."
"And for that I am deeply ashamed. But know this: she could have been dead the moment I walked through that door this evening so, Elena, I leave it to you to make this decision."
Elijah had a habit of saying Elena's name differently than anyone else. He spoke it as if the word itself would shatter on his tongue if he said it too indelicately. His strong admiration for my sister was never made unknown to those around him. Sometimes, I feared that he felt something for her, like he had for Tatia and Katherine before her. Not as strongly, but buried deep within him. Subdued, hidden.
"How about no? Did that concussion give you brain damage or something?" Damon's voice buzzed from the phone that sat on the table. "He might give you his word, but his crazy ass siblings will kill you the first chance they get!"
"Rebekah and Kol will honor the agreement," Elijah said, his patience thinning. "If you return Klaus' body to us, Elena will come to no harm."
Stroking my chin thoughtfully, I mulled over his words. Certainly, Elijah was trustworthy. He was the most moral of his family. Breaking vows was dishonoring to him. And, once Rebekah had the body, she would want nothing to do with Elena. That left Kol, though he wasn't very driven to help rescue his brother in any way that I could see, for the time being.
"Do we have a deal?"
"No!" Damon shouted. "No, no, no, no! Did I mention no?"
"It's up to Elena," Stefan said quietly.
"Aw, come on!"
"Why do you want his body so badly?" Elena asked curiously.
"He is my brother. We remain together, forever and always," he murmured in return.
Elena sighed, and said, "We have a deal."
There was a loud beep as Damon disconnected, agitated. Elijah took out his own cell phone, holding it so Elena could see. "Very well. I am going to call Rebekah, and she will go to pick up the body." He stood and made to say something else, but he was interrupted by Jeremy, who stormed into the house.
He froze, momentarily caught off-guard by Elijah's presence. "What are you doing here?"
"I've come to collect Klaus' body."
"Yeah, well, you're not the only one," Jeremy said. "Alaric just called me; he wants me to tell him where Klaus' body is, so he can kill him."
"We just have to give him the wrong details," Stefan said, folding his hands. "We can stall him long enough to give Rebekah the body. Once you all leave," he said, gesturing to Elijah, "he'll follow. Jeremy, call him and tell him Damon's on his way to bury him in the woods off of Route 12."
We all held our breaths as he did so, not daring to make a sound as he spoke briefly to Alaric. "He bought it," he said after he hung up, sounding anxious yet pleased that he had managed to bait Alaric.
"I'll tell Rebekah," Elijah said, dialing his sister's number and stepping out of the room.
"Jeremy, Elijah, Caroline and I will go to meet Alaric in the woods," Stefan said. "We'll disarm him and take the stake from him. Then this will all be over. Matt, you'll stay here with Elena and Madeleine. Don't invite anyone into the house."
He also stood, his dark eyes glinting underneath the lights above us. They flickered to me.
"Maybe you can convince Kol to help us with Alaric."
"I don't know why you think anything I'll say will sway his mind," I bit. His name brought goosebumps to my skin, and I swallowed harshly. "What makes you think this time will be any better than when we tried to take down Alaric at the school?"
Stefan sighed. "Last time we weren't prepared. Now we know what we're getting ourselves into. And we know Elijah's intentions. He's not going to try to abduct Elena and bleed her dry."
"Madeleine," Elijah said as he re-entered the room, holding the phone to his chest. "Rebekah requests that you go with her to the storage unit."
"Why?" I asked, just as Elena said, "No."
Looking at her, I gave her a questioning look. "Tell Rebekah I'll go with her. Elena, Rebekah's my best friend. She's not going to hurt me."
My sister still seemed wary.
Elijah glanced at me for a moment. He seemed intrigued by the fact I had called Rebekah my best friend. Then, he brought the phone to his ear again. "Did you get that? Alright." He pocketed the device. "She'll be here shortly."
"Why does she want me to go with her?" I asked.
"She didn't say." Elijah shrugged. He turned to Stefan. "She says Kol will help us disarm Alaric."
Slowly, I exited the room, walking up the stairs to retrieve a pair of shoes. In my closet, I found some black boots and I zipped them up, and then pulled on my jacket.
"Madeleine?" came Jeremy's voice.
"Come in, Jer." I smiled, although it was corrupted with sadness. I lifted my hand, beckoning him in as he opened the door and stepped into the bedroom, his hands knit together anxiously.
"I have to talk to you about something," he said seriously. "Matt and I... we have a plan."
I lifted my eyebrows, willing him to continue.
"We're going to get Elena out of town. And I want you to be in on this plan, too."
Holding up a hand, I repeated, "You're getting Elena out of town?"
"She doesn't know," Jeremy said quickly and quietly. "It's not safe for her here, Mads. You and I know that above anyone else. I just got a call from Tyler; Alaric outed him and Caroline to the Council. They're skipping town, too."
Clenching my jaw, I said, "Are they going to be okay?"
"Sheriff Forbes and Mayor Lockwood are handling it now," he muttered, shaking his head. "But need to know if you're in."
"Are you insinuating that we'll be following her?" I questioned. "We have nowhere to go."
"Matt's going to take her to the lake house. Elena can't stay here."
His eyes flashed, and I realized something. This was no longer my little brother, standing before me. This was a man, hardened by violence and tragedy, taking the place of the boy I had grown up with. Feeling deeply saddened, I touched his shoulder.
"Okay, Jer. How are you going to do it?"
A car horn beeped outside of our house.
Rebekah.
"Just trust me," he said, pushing me towards the door. "Go."
"See you later," I told him, hurrying back down the stairs, feeling oddly empty. It contrasted my mood from earlier in the day heavily. I waved at Elena and Matt before slipping out of the house.
A car sat on the curb, it's engine purring lowly. I swung around and opened the passenger door, clambering in.
"Madeleine," Rebekah greeted.
"Hey, Bekah," I said, pulling my seat belt over my chest.
She remained silent as she turned from the side of the road and set off towards the highway. Then, she said, "Thanks for coming."
"Of course, but... is there any particular reason you wanted me to come with you?"
"You keep me sane," Rebekah put simply in her foreign accent. "And I'm leaving Mystic Falls tonight, after my siblings and I have custody of Klaus. That is the likelihood. I wanted to spend my last night here with you."
"Collecting a dead body is my ultimate girl-time activity, too," I said with a laugh.
She cracked a smile, flipping some of her blonde hair behind her shoulder. Her nose wrinkled. "Ugh, you smell like Kol."
My face flushed a deep red. "I went to the mansion last night, looking for you."
"I see you found a way to entertain yourself." She smirked.
I shoved her shoulder, though my push did little to her. "Do I need to remind you of how you slept with Damon?" Her smile dropped, causing me to feel victorious. "No judging," I scolded.
"Whatever, at least I didn't sleep with Jeremy," she replied as she pulled onto the highway.
I winced. "Okay, okay, I feel you."
Rebekah grinned again, her foot pushing down on the accelerator. Soon, we were going 90 mph in a 65 zone, weaving violently in and out of traffic. Rebekah liked to drive fast, I had come to learn during the time our friendship grew. The windows were down, and the rush was exhilarating. I had never deliberately broken the speed limit, and I felt like I was flying.
"I have a question for you," Rebekah's voice broke out.
"Shoot."
"Well," she began, brow furrowing. "Why are you friends with me?"
Taken off guard by the sudden change in the conversation, I looked at her. "Why are you asking?"
"I don't know. No one's ever wanted to be... friends with me." She shrugged, as if she were being nonchalant. But I saw a depth in her eyes; she was truly curious. "I've done a lot of shitty things, you know."
"But so have I," I told her, hair blowing around me.
"Not like I have," said Rebekah, clenching the steering wheel. "I've tortured, I've killed. I'm a monster. How could you possibly enjoy my company?"
"I've killed, too, don't forget that," I said softly. "Rebekah, I genuinely like you. You're an amazing person. You've done some horrible things, but everyone is capable of changing. Even you."
"You think so?"
"I know so. You may be an Original vampire, but what you are doesn't define you. You're also a girl."
"Well, thank you," she said to me. "For being my friend. Even with all of the shit I've done."
"And thank you for being my friend," I said, grinning at her. "Now, let's get some music playing."
"Damon, I'm here!" Rebekah called out, walking out of the elevator. I followed closely beside her, listening to the sound of our shoes clicking against the cement floor.
There was no answer.
"Damon, this isn't funny," she shouted, hands on her hips.
The entire floor was eerily creepy; one or two fluorescent lights were lit above us, flickering every now and then. I was mildly distracted by the buzzing sound, clicking on and off, peering up at it with aggravation.
I nearly had a heart attack when a hand curled around my mouth, pulling me into the shadows. "Sh," Damon whispered in my ear. That was all he said, leaving me in the dark and doing the same to Rebekah.
"He's here."
My heart stopped beating. Alaric was here.
He led us to a storage unit labeled 1020, opening it with absolute silence.
"Madeleine," he mouthed. "Distract him while we get the coffin to the car."
Nodding, I looked around the unit; it obviously belonged to the Salvatores. Vintage rugs were rolled against the metal walls, boxes of more old books scattered. I picked up an old vase, holding it my hands, before stepping out of the unit. Taking a deep breath, I threw it like a football. It sailed, dangerously close to the ceiling, over the rest of the units and to the other side of the floor. I could hear it shatter, as if one of us were on the other side of the building.
Taking their opportunity, Rebekah and Damon hurried out of the unit with Klaus' casket. They rolled it with surprising speed to Damon's large, black SUV, where the trunk was already open. They pulled it up to the bumper, only to have Rebekah sent flying back by a seething Alaric, who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
"You again," he said to me, looming dangerously close to me. "Didn't you learn your lesson the first time?"
I saw the stake in his hand. If he drove that stake through Klaus' heart, all of my friends would die. Stefan and Damon would die. Caroline, Tyler, even Bonnie's mom, they would all be dead before the morning. I had to keep him from staking Klaus at all costs.
Damon came at him, but Alaric brought his clenched fist to his chest, shoving him back with brutish force. He seized me, slamming my head into the side of the car. The glass cracked at the contact. My vision blacked out for a moment, a ringing noise erupting in my ears. He dropped me on the floor, discarding me like garbage. Holding my head, I felt blood begin to trickle from my nose.
He opened the casket. Standing in a flash, despite the way my body protested in pain, I tried to shove him away. He caught my arm, swinging me backwards. I crashed against the cement again, and I felt something crack from the force. A rib, perhaps.
Rebekah blindly flew at him, but he evaded her easily. And, forcefully, he drove the stake through Klaus' chest.
I felt like he'd driven it through my own heart as I laid on the concrete. My blood dripped onto the floor, the dark contrast intense. Rebekah cried out, but Damon held her back. "No!" she screamed in the most heartbroken voice I'd ever heard.
"Next," Alaric hissed as he retracted the bloody stake from Klaus' now burning body, closing the casket.
"Run," Damon told Rebekah, throwing her towards the door. "Run!"
She blurred away without another word, a sob breaking out as she vanished. Damon stood between her and Alaric, the latter growling at him. Ric took him and I was afraid that he'd kill him. Alaric staggered for a moment, torn between Damon and Rebekah, before throwing Damon away and going after the blonde Original.
"You alright?" Damon groaned, after we'd shared a moment of silence.
I sat up too quickly, my vision blurring, my head aching. With a hollow voice, I said to him, "Klaus is dead."
Damon looked down.
"You're going to die."
Heaving himself up into a sitting position, he rested his back against the coffin. "Klaus could have been lying about being our sire. Everything's going to be fine, Madeleine." With a sigh, he took out his cell phone and dialed a number.
"Damon," came Stefan's voice.
"Bad news, brother. Alaric staked Klaus. He's dead."
Wiping my hand over my face, I looked at my palm to find it was stained with blood and tears. I lifted myself up, trembling slightly, my body aching from being tossed around by Alaric, similarly to a rag doll. I listened to their phone conversation as I dragged myself over to Damon's side, sitting beside him.
"We don't have enough time to get you back to Mystic Falls."
"What, for our epic goodbye?"
"No. For you to say goodbye to Elena."
"Well, you're just going to have to say goodbye for the both of us. Call me if you cough up a lung." Damon hung up, defeated, hanging his head.
Tenderly, I leaned my head against his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I don't want you to die," I said sadly, my breath hitching as I tried to hold myself together. Tears leaked from my eyes, despite my straining. "I'm sorry."
"We don't even know if I'm dying," he said to me.
Somehow, deep inside of me, I knew Klaus hadn't been lying about being Stefan and Damon's sire. Damon knew it, too. So did Stefan. And it made the moment infinitely sadder. Because, while he was dying, he was trying to reassure me.
"If I do, though, you can have my car."
Laughter bubbled from my mouth, but it was tainted with pain, heavy under the weight of the situation. "Thanks."
"I'm sorry that you're stuck here, that you won't be able to say goodbye to everyone else," he said to me. "And I'm sorry for being, you know, a dick earlier. I know you were just worried about Elena."
"It's okay. And I don't mind being stuck here with you," I said to him honestly, shutting my eyes as we sat there, waiting for the inevitable.
Waiting for him to die.
Suddenly, a loud ring broke the silence. I hadn't realized it, but we had both fallen asleep. Groggily, my head still aching, I reached for my cell phone. I looked up; Damon's icy eyes were looking down at my phone quizzically, annoyed with it for waking him up.
At least he was still alive.
Alaric's name appeared on the screen. Fear shot me in the heart. Warily, tired and frightened, I answered, "Hello?"
"Boo."
The vampire hunter grabbed Damon's collar, heaving him into the air, clenching his teeth together bitterly. He threw him at the ground, delivering four swift kicks to his gut.
"No, stop!" I cried out, climbing to my feet and lunging at Alaric. Latching my arms around his throat, I held him back from Damon. I squeezed as tightly as I could, holding onto him for as long as possible. Hysterically, he shook himself, trying to get rid of me. Finally, his hands curled around my biceps and flung me over his shoulders.
It was as if time froze. I lingered in the air, only for a brief moment in what felt like forever, before he brought my body down on the coffin, my spinal chord snapping on contact.
That was all I remembered.
My body jostled and my eyes, heavy with exhaust, flitted open. If I had been sore before, now it was intensified ten fold. Flashing lights blinded me momentarily, and I realized I was in a car, on the highway.
I groaned, and found Damon behind the steering wheel. The gas pedal must have been flat against the floor; we were driving so fast that I was literally being pressed into the head rest behind me.
"Damon?" I muttered, disoriented. "What, where?"
"Alaric's dead," he said, voice like steel, refusing to allow any emotion seep through.
I blinked, trying in vain to clear my hurting head. "But that's not possible. I thought he couldn't die unless Elena..."
He didn't look at me as I trailed off, unable to complete my sentence.
"No." I sat up, ignoring the pain I felt in my head and my back. "No. Please, no, no, no!"
"We're almost to Mystic Falls," he informed me somberly.
Feeling like I'd been punched in the gut, I fumbled out, "How? No, please."
"I don't know." We passed the "Welcome to Mystic Falls" sign. Taking a sharp left, he pulled onto a dark road that eventually led to Mystic Falls Hospital.
Throwing open the passenger door, I ran into the emergency waiting room, everything blindingly white. The hospital was buzzing, nurses and doctors running around with paperwork and frantic expression. Pushing past everyone who got in my way, I yelled out in a panic, "Where's my sister?"
Dr. Fell appeared before me, her hands out, blocking me and Damon's path. "No, wait stop!"
"Where is she?" I said through gritted teeth. "Where's Elena?"
"You don't understand!" said Meredith. "When Jeremy brought her in earlier today, she was in a worse condition than I let on. You two had too much on your plates."
"What?" I spat, frantically trying to get past her.
"Madeleine! She had a cerebral hemorrhage. Bleeding on the brain. She needed my help, Madeleine. I helped her."
My eyes met hers. That is when I broke.
So much was flooding my brain, burdening me: Alaric's death, Klaus' staking, the impending deaths of the Salvatores, Caroline, and Tyler... and Elena. My sister, sweet and compassionate... Falling onto my knees, I held my head. It still hurt from the incident with Alaric. Crying out, I sobbed into my hands, feeling as though my chest was being torn in half. I was gasping for air but I couldn't bring myself to breathe. Everything was painful and everything hurt.
Damon helped me to my feet. "Take us to Elena," he ordered the doctor.
Meredith guided us to a dark operating room. It was empty, save for Stefan and my sister's cold body, on the metal operating table.
"Elena," I moaned, clasping her hand. It was like ice. "Elena."
"Stefan," Damon murmured. "You have to take Madeleine home. I'll get Elena."
His brooding stare remained on Elena's lifeless form. Guilt was etched into every part of him; it was in his eyes and in his tense muscles and in the way he breathed. He blamed himself for her death, and for her imminent return as a vampire.
"Take Madeleine home," he said again.
"No. You two take Elena home," I said, voice strained. "I want to be by myself."
"Mad-."
"I want to be alone. Leave me alone," I snapped, interrupting him, filing out of the room silently. I found my way to the bathroom, shutting the door behind me. It had multiple stalls, but, given the time of night, no one was to be seen. As I walked in, the censor lights flickered on.
My reflection stared at me sorrowfully as I examined myself. Blood had dried beneath my nose and at my hairline. Bags stood out beneath my eyes, contrasting against my light skin tone. My hair was matted and tangled. I was a wreck. Feeling ill, I tried to steady myself, but instead I collapsed to the cold, tile ground. Curling my knees into my chest, I held my legs to me, folded into a protective ball. In the place of tears came dry sobs. Perhaps I wasn't capable of crying anymore. Maybe I had run out of tears.
I sat alone for a very long time. I didn't know how long; an hour, two, the entire night? I felt as numb and cold as if I'd been bathing in ice for days. I felt like I couldn't move, couldn't function. My throat was thick and I couldn't swallow. My chest felt hollow, as if someone had torn my heart out of me and left a gaping hole.
The door opened occasionally, a visitor or nurse stopping to use the restroom periodically. I received quizzical and then sympathetic looks as they walked past my collapsed, broken form, and then they would leave me be.
The next time it opened, I didn't look up until someone took a seat next to me, offering me a cup of coffee, black and hot.
"You look like you could use it," he explained, stretching out his legs.
I stared at the hovering, Styrofoam cup, not accepting it at first. My tired eyes found Kol's brown ones.
"Well, take it. I paid a good three dollars for it. Ludicrously overpriced, if you ask me."
Sniffing, I took the cup. The warmth soaked through the cup, into my hands, and I took a sip shakily.
"Why are you here?" I asked him, my voice hoarse from the lack of use and painful, strained breathing.
"To collect you, of course. Elijah told me the two Salvatore monkeys left you here on your own, so I thought I'd be the chivalrous one and give you a ride home."
"I told them to leave me," I said in their defense.
"They shouldn't have listened." Kol, who held his own cup, took a sip of coffee.
I was about to say something about his brother Klaus, but I refrained, cherishing the silence between us. His shoulder was pressed against mine, his form much larger than mine. I downed some more coffee, the hot liquid and caffeine bound to do me some good.
Kol didn't move at all as we sat. He was still, as if he'd been carved out of stone. He'd had centuries to perfect stillness. Beside him, I was shivering, despite the hot coffee and the warmth present in the room. The bottom of my cup rested on the top of my knees.
My vision blurred, a mixture of ache and exhaustion. Knowing Kol wasn't the sentimental type, I was torn for a moment, before letting my head rest again his shoulder, which was, conveniently, at the perfect level. Heat radiated off of him, a warmth I had thought I wasn't capable of feeling in such a weakened state, in such a place of pain. But it was there, and it felt good.
"Are you ready to go home?" he finally asked, after many minutes of silence had passed. We had molded together, like two puzzle pieces fit against each other.
Contemplating his question, I thought to myself. I needed to be there when Elena woke up, and I needed to be there for Jeremy. I needed to go home, even though all I felt when I thought of home wasn't happiness, but coldness. Emptiness. Nothing waited there for me except more pain.
Nodding, I clambered clumsily to my feet. My body was failing me, weakened and in pain. Clutching the coffee, I refused to look at my broken reflection again, exiting from the bathroom slowly, Kol behind me. He didn't acknowledge the looks people gave him as he emerged from the ladies room. His large hand rested on my back, between my shoulder blades, as he led me out of the emergency room and into the parking lot.
Cool winds caressed my cheeks. The fresh air filled me. I could see the moon in the sky, getting lower with every passing moment, surrounded by millions of stars that shined like diamonds against black velvet.
After everything that had happened, it was strange to think that everything was still moving. The clocks were still ticking, the wind was still blowing. Even when your entire world stops, reality doesn't. It keeps chugging on, like we're supposed to. And eventually, you follow along with it once more.
I climbed into his car with absolute silence, as did he. Starting the car, he pulled out of the parking lot and onto the open road.
"Here, to ease the nerves." He retrieved a bottle in a brown paper bag from the backseat effortlessly, and twisted the cap off easily, pouring some into my cup. The scent of the alcohol burned my nose.
"This is illegal," I muttered, smelling it. "On so many levels."
"I don't follow stupid laws."
"Nemo est supra legis," I quoted in Latin. Not that I was fluent in the dead language, rather it was a quote from one of my many books that had stuck with me. It translated to, No one is above the law.
Kol shot me an annoyed look, but it was tainted with slight surprise. "No one is above the law, except for the 1,000 year old vampire." Thoughtfully, he added, "Latin?"
"Do you know it?"
"Just a little."
"How many languages do you speak?" I questioned. It felt good not to dwell on my own thoughts for just the time being, even though I knew I would have to face them soon enough.
"Quite a few. I've had a lot of time to master them, you see. French, Italian, Spanish... Russian is one of my favorite." He glanced at me from the corner of his eye as I took a sip of my drink. The coffee changed the flavor of the liquor, and it actually wasn't so bad. Maybe I was getting used to alcohol. "Do you study any languages?"
"French," I sighed. "Though, I'll probably flunk this semester because I haven't exactly been focusing on my schoolwork."
"Well, any time you need some help, I'd be more than willing to... tutor you." He smirked.
"I thought you were leaving," I drawled.
"That's the beauty of being a free spirit," he said. "I can change my mind whenever I want."
I didn't quite like the idea of him being able to just get up and leave whenever it pleased him.
Too soon, he pulled into my driveway. By then, I had downed my spiked coffee. My muscles had loosened, my eyes starting to droop. The clock read 2:56 AM on his dashboard.
"Thanks for the ride," I muttered, starting to climb out of his car.
"Anytime, darling."
Before I shut the car door, I caught of glimpse of his eyes, and that smirk, and I felt my stomach clench. For a moment, I thought I was going to be sick. Instead, I swayed slightly and slammed the door shut, a little too harshly.
"Watch it!"
"Sorry," I stuttered, staggering tiredly across my lawn. The flutter at the pit of my stomach lingered as I continued to think about him. It made me nauseous and dizzy at the same time, not a very good combination for a lightweight drinker.
I arrived at my front door. Kol was watching me from his car. I realized that, as soon as I walked in, I would face my sister's cold body again, and a grieving Jeremy. Probably some very angry, bitter Salvatores.
Aching, I turned the knob.