-A/N: In this story, Kol and Finn don't exist. Let's just pretend that the only Originals in existence are Klaus, Rebekah, Elijah and Bella.

And like I mentioned before but if you missed it or didn't read it, the white oak stake doesn't work on Klaus in this story because he's a hybrid.

Warning: This chapter is a bit more brutal than normal.

Oh, and my story's been nominated in the Burning Diamond Awards under Best unique/unsuspected pairing. The voting closes in a day or two so please head on over and vote for it. It's towards the bottom of the page so keep scrolling! It would mean a lot to me if i won something!

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And a huge thank you to these members whose constant reviews have really made my day

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Carla Mikaelson

Chapter 21- Plans Are Revealed

Damon POV

'I think we're wasting our time,' I said to Ric as I kicked open the door to yet another empty warehouse. 'We've only been to 15 warehouses already and they're all exactly the same. It's already wasted half my day and I'm sure we could spend the rest of it pursuing a much more useful lead than this.'

'The information was found at Isobel's office pointed to the Circle having known activity in this area before,' replied Ric. 'Besides, isn't an abandoned warehouse district perfect for headquarters for evil murderous groups?'

'This isn't Hollywood buddy. Not everything's like that in the real world.' We'd been searching the area for any signs of the Circle's possible inhabitance here but so far had found nothing of note. The most interesting and unusual thing we'd found was a dead cat in the corner of one of the warehouses, which showed nothing, unless the Circle was a bunch of crazy witches who were using animals to experiment on.

The sun was hot, beating down on our backs as we stepped into the cooler but musty air of the warehouse. Just like every other one we'd searched, there were numerous empty crates stacked up against the walls, broken shelves orderly dividing the space in the middle whilst cobwebs with spiders stretched across corners.

'How many more warehouses do we have left?' I questioned Ric as I peered inside some boxes to confirm that they were empty.

'We're only halfway done, so unfortunately still about 15,' he replied whilst making his way towards the back of the warehouse.

'Only halfway done!' I exclaimed, simultaneously groaning. I brushed some cobwebs off my shoulder and glared at the big black spider staring back at me from the shelf.

'Hey, remember that we're doing this so that we can find out more about a) the circle and b) the cure, which we want for Elena. Imagine how happy she would be if she could become human again. You know that's all she's wanted since the sacrifice. And don't you want to see her happy Damon, and know that you were the cause of it?'

'Ugh. I thought you weren't particularly fond of me and Elena. Thought you were a Stefan and Elena fan. I remember you agreeing with Caroline when she described Stefan and Elena as 'epic.'

'Hm. Well,' was all he had in reply. I wandered around to the other side of the warehouse, my footsteps echoing through the warehouse. After a few more moments of searching the shelves, walls, boxes and crates for any sign of the Circle, I heard Ric muttering 'what,' to himself.

Instantly becoming alert I quickly walked towards the back of the warehouse where he was, keeping my eyes and ears out for any sign of danger. I found him kneeling in the middle of the floor, in a space between the shelves. Coming closer, I could see that the object of his interest was a trapdoor, coloured very similarly to the surrounding grey concrete. The only difference was the blood stains marking it. Coming to stand behind Ric, I remarked, 'Well, perhaps there has been some use to this trip after all.'

'What do you think's down there?' he asked, turning his head to glance back at me. 'Do you think it has something to do with the Circle?'

'Well I hope so or this will have been for nothing. For all we know, it could just be some dodgy drug dealer's place. But there's only one way to find out.' Ric stood up as I bent down and gave the corner of the trapdoor a few hard jerks before it finally heaved open. Peering down, I could see a set of dark steps leading into the unknown. Once again cobwebs decorated the dank corridor but what really caught my attention were the brackets on the walls containing old torches that would once have flickered with flame and light.

'How old is this place?' muttered Ric. 'And if this is part of the Circle's lair, then how long have the Circle been in operation for? We might have seriously underestimated them.'

'Let's see,' I replied before sauntering down the stairs.

There were about 50 stairs before it opened up into a square room, about 20 yards long. Much like the walls of the staircase and the trapdoor, the walls were covered in bloodstains, some from long ago, others looking much more recent. There was a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling by a cord. What was worrying was that its dim glow was illuminating the room, the fact that it was on meant that we weren't alone down here. I looked back at Ric to give him a warning glance, raising a finger to my lips and motioning for him to remain silent. In the middle of the room was a chair, also covered in blood stains but what was more disturbing was the array of weaponry and watch appeared to be torture instruments lined up upon the far wall.

From this room there was another doorway leading into another room. Silently treading over to the wall of horrors, I picked up a heavy metal stick before cautiously proceeding through the doorway. The room in there was the same as the first room, but with a door adorning the left wall, leading through to another room. Only through the door, I could see this one was different. It was occupied by a youngish man bent over a table as he studied some papers. He was well built, the white singlet clearly defining his muscles. He had a tattoo curling over his right shoulder and I could see the glint of a knife poking out from the top of his sweatpants. I nodded to Ric who was behind me before speeding into the room, slamming the man against the wall and holding his own knife at his throat.

Shock was evident in his eyes as his face conveyed surprise. He squirmed against my hold on him but to no avail, whilst I simply sneered at him until his struggles finally subsided. 'That's better. Comfortable?' I taunted.

'Who are you?' he hissed.

'The wrong vampire to mess with.' With that, I quickly pulled him through to one of the torturous looking rooms, securing him to the chair with some rope I found with the weapons. 'But I think the real question here is who are you?'

'Just a nobody,' he replied monotonously. 'No need to worry about me.'

I narrowed my eyes at him. 'We can do this the easy way or the hard way, kid. So choose wisely.' Ric was observing from the side of the room, arms folded over his chest as he carefully watched the man. When he remained silent, I tried prodding him some more. 'Do you work for a group called the Circle?'

'I've never heard of them,' he said boldly, meeting my icy glare as I started to circle him.

'Really? Then you wouldn't mind informing of us of who you do work for and what you're doing down here, would you?' I sped around so I was crouching down to his eye level and hissed at him. 'So be a good boy and tell us and no one has to get hurt.' I cocked my head to the side, observing his reaction. He gulped, eyes wide, whilst his fingers anxiously twitched. But something on his wrist caught my eye.

'What's this?' I asked as I grabbed his left wrist and inspected the tattoo on the inside of it. It was of a rose, bound and encompassed by a circle whilst the words 'We Will Prevail,' curved along the bottom edge.

'It's a tattoo,' he said humorously. I slowly looked up at him and gave him a 'are you kidding me' look.

'I can see that. What does it mean?' I growled, my patience beginning to wear thin.

'Wait, I recognise that,' said Ric as he made his way over towards us. 'Let me just see,' he said as he bent closer to inspect it. 'I saw that in Isobel's notes. It's the symbol of the Circle and that's their motto,' he informed me as he gestured to the curling script.

'You don't work for the Circle, huh?' I said with a slight note of glee in it. Now I had a legitimate excuse to torture information out of him, not that I actually needed it. 'I'm going to ask you one last time. Who is the Circle, what are they doing here, what is the cure for vampirism and why are we stuck in the middle of this bloody mess?'

The man kept his mouth firmly pressed together and stared resolutely behind me at the partially hidden stairs. 'Okay then,' I said. 'Remember, this was your choice.' I walked over to the wall of weapons and torture devices, selecting a much larger and more sinister knife than the one I had just used. I walked back over to him and dragged it down the middle of his chest, ripping open his singlet and drawing a thin line of blood. I saw Ric wince slightly out of the corner of my eye as I suddenly sliced open the man's inner right arm. He howled in pain, immediately trying to stifle his noise but rather unsuccessfully as slight whimpers continued to emanate from him.

'I asked you, who is the Circle?' I growled at him. Though I had to admit, I was enjoying myself a little. I mean, it was my nature to be bad. I was a bad boy. After Elena came, I'd been trying to be better, for her. But I had been like this for over a century and a half and that sort of personality change didn't come overnight. I relished in his scream of pain as I cut open his other arm. 'One more time,' I whispered as I placed the tip of the knife along the cut I had made earlier along his chest. I twisted the knife slowly as his breathing became laboured, before slowly starting to drag it down, deepening the wound.

'Okay, okay! I'll tell you what you want to know! Please, just stop!' he cried out. I paused for a moment before withdrawing my knife and standing up straight.

'Well that was easier than I thought. And you're a coward. I'd only started warming up! You ruin my fun.' I mock pouted.

'So tell us everything you know then,' interrupted Ric quickly as he made his way over to us. When the man remained silent for a moment, he added with a gesture towards me, 'Or you know what's going to happen.'

'The Circle,' he began. 'We're a group dedicated to hunting down vampires and destroying them.' I raised my eyebrows and opened my mouth to make a witty remark but Ric silenced me with a look. 'All of us have had our lives affected in some way by vampires. Either we've had a bad encounter with one, or we've lost someone to one.'

'How many of you are there?' prompted Ric.

'Currently about 40. There are different levels of power within our organisation. At the top there is the Master. He has absolute control of everything and if you disobey him, it's all over for you. Literally. 'Then there is his inner circle. There are four of them. Then there's the rest of us.'

'How long has the Circle been around?' I questioned.

'About 200 years,' he answered as my eyebrows rose in surprise.

'How come I've never heard of you before, or anything that you've done?'

'We've sort of fluctuated in numbers greatly since then. There would be periods when we were thriving and we were taking down vampires everywhere and there were other times when we were almost knocked out of existence. Currently, we have our biggest break through yet.'

'And what would that be?' prodded Ric after he was silent for a while.

The man cocked his head slightly and regarded us. 'How much do you know about the Originals?'

I shared a quick glance with Ric. Anything that had the Originals involved in it wasn't good. 'They are the first vampires to ever be created. And then they created the rest of us,' I answered.

'Is that all?'

'Well, they're the biggest asses on the planet, good for nothing conceited jerks,' I remarked.

'You know them personally?' inquired the man, eyebrows raised in astonishment.

'Oh don't play dumb. Of course we do and you know that,' I hissed. 'You're after the Original Son cause he's the supposed cure for vampirism. So you sent that letter to everyone threatening to do whatever it took to get your filthy hands on him. And even though we have nothing and want nothing to do with him, you lot sent us one of those letters and got us all caught up in it!'

'So I take it you don't like the Originals?'

'Nope. Not. One. Bit,' I said, clearly enunciating my words.

A cunning expression had taken over our captive's face. 'What?' I barked, not content with the feeling that he knew something important that I didn't.

'Well then you might not object to our plan very much,' he said with a twisted grin. Ric and I glanced at each other.

'Go on, we're listening,' said Ric as he motioned at him to continue.

'You clearly know that their son's blood is the cure for vampirism and that we want it. But you don't know the reason why we want it.'

'Duh. Now hurry up and explain it before I have to beat it out of you,' I impatiently snapped.

'We don't only need the son, but we need the hybrid as well, Klaus. Our plan is to turn Klaus into a human with his own son's blood so that we can kill him, eliminating the biggest vampire threat. Good isn't it,' he finished, looking smug with himself. 'I'm pretty sure you could benefit from this. I'd be prepared to cut you a little deal.'

'Woah, wait up,' said Ric. 'You're in no position to be making deals with us. But what about the rest of the Originals. They're going to be mad and they're just going to come and hunt you down and there'll be no way you can escape them.'

'That's why we're killing them at the same time as Klaus.'

'Hang on, you know a way to kill an Original? Like permanently?' I queried, slightly disbelieving. He nodded in confirmation. 'Well, what is it then?'

He gave a frown. 'Sorry, can't reveal that. It's my insurance policy.' I lifted my eyebrows and lifted the knife I had been holding in my hand this whole time, the dim light from the light bulb catching on the blade and gleaming in his eye. His eyes widened in alarm as he remembered the predicament he was in. 'Stakes made from the wood of the white oak tree,' he blurted out. I gave a sinister smile.

'In that case, I think our work here is done, Ric,' I said with enthusiasm, turning to face him. He furrowed his eyes in slight confusion. 'We can just go home and let the Circle take care of our little problem that are the Originals.' I slit the ropes binding our prisoner to the chair as he looked up at me in bewilderment.

'Really?' he asked incredulously, his face showing disbelief and joy at being let out of this easily.

'No,' I said as I let my voice drop back to normal before picking up the metal bat that I had left lying on the floor and giving him a solid hit to the hid, knocking him unconscious as he crumpled to the floor. 'Right, let's take him home. I have a feeling we're going to need more information,' I told Ric as I lift up the man's body and made my way back out to the warehouse.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-

'This could be the one big shot we've been waiting for,' said Stefan. 'Our chance to finally kill Klaus.'

When Ric and I had returned home, the rest of the gang had already been gathered in the living room of the boarding house, discussing what they'd managed to find out so far. It sounded as though they hadn't gotten very far so they were naturally very intrigued when we returned with our still unconscious prisoner slung over my shoulders.

Having unceremoniously dumped our prisoner in the cellar and locking him in tight, we had then revealed to everyone else what we had learnt today, about the Circle's plan. Klaus was not a favourite figure around here so most of us were itching to leap upon this opportunity to get rid of him and the rest of his family. We could only find one flaw to this idea.

'But there's only one cure that can only be used once,' began Jeremy slowly.

'So?' asked Tyler. I however could see where Jeremy was headed.

'And killing Klaus would require using the cure on him. And then the cure will be gone forever.' He then turned to look at Elena. 'But what about Elena? Don't you still want to become human?'

She sighed as though she had been expecting this question. Well, she probably had. 'I've put a lot of thought into this,' she started. 'Being a vampire was the last thing I ever wanted. To have the chance to go back to my old, human life is everything I've ever wanted. But,' she paused, looking around at all of us, 'Klaus is a much bigger problem. He affects everyone, brings death, unhappiness and sorrow wherever he goes. He is possibly the greatest evil on the planet and is prepared to stop at nothing to get what he wants. Killing Klaus is so much more important than me becoming human. If he lives, he'll continue to torture everyone and make their lives hell, ours included. Klaus is a problem so much bigger than me and my desire to become human. I could never do that to you guys, let Klaus continue to live and hurt you just so I can have my selfish wish to be human. So I say we kill Klaus.'

Everyone was silent for a moment as we considered her words. Of course this was what Elena would choose. She was always putting others before herself, so why would now be any different. And there would be no way to convince her to do otherwise.

'Are you sure?' asked Matt.

She nodded. 'Yes. Klaus needs to be killed. Besides, being a vampire isn't as bad as I thought it would be. I'm sure I could learn to live like this, accept who I am.'

'Okay then. It's settled. We let the cure be used to kill Klaus,' said Caroline.

'So are we just sitting back and letting everything play out or are we helping the Circle?' asked Stefan.

'We could probably just make sure that they get Anthony and that Klaus and all the other Originals are in place,' I replied.

'Remember, Anthony wants the cure to be used. He wants to become human again and he wants it to be used now. The Circle's already gone to the trouble of harnessing the power from the deaths of the werewolves and humans. Why waste those lives?' inputted Bonnie.

'Ah, but that was before we knew who the cure was for and why,' replied Ric. 'Now it's his father's life on the line. He may not be nearly so compliant now.'

'Hmm, perhaps not,' countered Bonnie. 'He said that he doesn't particularly like his family, much less Klaus. He's on the borderline of hating him. They're nothing alike. Though he does care more for Bella, Elijah and possibly even Rebekah. And Klaus's death would devastate them, so perhaps he might not want to do it for their sakes.'

'Well, someone's gotten to know the Original son extremely well,' I drawled, causing Bonnie to blush and mutter.

'Shut up, Damon.'

'Well, it's in our best interests to make sure Anthony is delivered to the Circle. I don't particularly care what the of the Originals think. Besides, doesn't the Circle plan to kill them as well?' noted Stefan.

'Yeah,' acknowledged Ric. 'But these are the Originals we're talking about. They've been alive for over a thousand years and they're the strongest vampires around. The Circle merely seems to consists of humans. Even with 40 of them, I'm really not sure they have the power and muscle needed to take down four of the strongest beings in existence.'

'Then I guess we will be stepping in to help,' I said. 'I also don't trust the Circle. For all we know he could be bluffing, or hid some detail from us or something. Also, they threatened to hurt us if Anthony wasn't given to them.'

'But if we agree to help,' said Elena.

'Even if we did, they don't know that. The only contact we have with them is the guy who's currently looked up in our basement,' I replied.

'But as we said before, they may not have the strength needed to take us down,' interjected Matt.

'They're not stupid,' countered Stefan. 'If they think they can take down the Originals, they must have something up their sleeve we don't know about.'

'Well, that's why we have a live specimen of the Circle in our cellar,' I said. 'We'll just have to pry the information out of him.' Elena sent me a look where she seemed disappointed in me. What, we needed more information from him and that was the fastest way to get it.

'So operation kill Klaus is a go,' stated Caroline.

I nodded my head. 'Operation kill Klaus is a go,' I repeated.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Bella POV

'We have a problem,' stated Elijah as he briskly entered the lounge room of the Mikaelson Manor. I looked up from the book I had been reading and took in his worried expression, instantly realising that something must be extremely bad for him to get this concerned. Rebekah was also in the room and gave a much more disinterested glance at her brother before looking back down at her phone.

'What is it now, brother?' she drawled, uninterested. 'Can't find any suits that you like? They ran out of your size?'

He ignored her and stood near one of Nik's unfinished paintings, the paint still drying. 'Where is Niklaus?'

'I don't know,' I answered. 'Out or something. Said he had stuff to take care of.'

'He always has something or other to "take care of",' commented Rebekah.

'And where is Anthony?' continued Elijah.

'Again, I don't know. It's not like he lives here or anything,' I replied before placing my bookmark in my novel and closing it with a soft thud.

'Well, this primarily involves both of them but I don't expect them to take it very well. Especially Niklaus. I advise that he is not in the same room as Anthony when he finds out.'

Now Rebekah's interest was piqued. 'Go on,' she said to Elijah.

'I have received information from one of my informants,' he started, having turned away from Nik's painting to look at us, hands placed in his pockets casually but standing rather tensely. 'They have unearthed the Circle's plan for the cure. As we know they are a group who despise vampires and believe the world would be a much better place without us. And they have found a way to eliminate the entire vampire populace.

'But the only way to do that is by killing one of us, because then every vampire we've ever sired and every vampire they've ever sired dies along with us,' said Rebekah. 'And the only way to kill us is with a white oak stake, but we burned the only tree down over a thousand years ago. There's no way for them to kill us.'

'But they have somehow got possession of white oak stakes. Four to be exact. Enough for each one of us.'

'That's impossible!' exclaimed Rebekah throwing her phone on the couch. 'We destroyed that tree for good! Every last part of it!'

'Then a new one must have grown back to replace it,' guessed Elijah.

'What about Nik?' I inquired. 'He can't be killed with a white oak stake. He's a hybrid now.'

'That's the most disturbing part of the plan,' said Elijah grimly, furrowing his brow. 'The reason why they want Anthony, the cure, is to turn Klaus into a human and then kill him when he's mortal.'

'Wow. Using his own son to kill him. He is not going to take that well,' remarked Rebekah.

'No, exactly why we can't let Klaus near Anthony. You know Klaus; any threat to him and his power needs to be immediately eliminated. No matter who or what it is.'

'Not even his own son,' I murmured. As much as I hated for it to be true, as much as I wished he wouldn't sink that low, we all knew that he would do it in a heartbeat.

'And Anthony wants the ritual to go ahead, doesn't here,' said Rebekah, having been informed of the events that had happened recently.

'Yes,' said a voice from the doorway. Our heads all snapped in that direction to see Anthony standing stiffly in the middle of the doorway.

'Anthony,' said Elijah, surprised that none of us had heard him enter the house. 'How much-'

'I heard the important part,' he interrupted Elijah, knowing what he was going to ask. He looked tired, his whole posture sagging slightly as he meandered towards an empty armchair and sat down heavily. 'Enough to know that my own father would want to kill me because someone wants to use me to effectively kill him.' He sighed.

'But you still want the ritual to go on?' I asked incredulously. I hadn't pinned Anthony as being that sort of person, who would let people get killed so easily.

'Yes, but not in the way you think,' he explained.

'How so?' questioned Rebekah.

'As I said before, I want this cure to be used so I too can become human. And the Circle has already taken the lives needed for the ritual so why waste them. So we let the ritual go ahead, but we don't use the cure on Klaus. I may not like him, but I wouldn't do that to all of you.' He paused, considering his plan. 'And instead we let the cure be used on someone who actually wants it. Perhaps one of those other vampires who live in Mystic Falls. Doesn't one of them want to become human again?'

'Yes, Elena,' said Elijah nodding. 'We could organise that.'

'The Circle also wants to kill the rest of us. Well, we play along. I go willingly to them and they start the ritual as planned. But most of the members of the Circle will be there. They probably presume that we'll be there to find out what happens, keep an eye on me. They'll probably turn Klaus human, kill him and then come for you. Instead, we attack them after they've done all the magic needed and all that is left is for the vampire to feed on me. We kill them all, eliminate the threat to our species and let Elena drink from me, hence completing the spell.'

He looked around at all of us, watching for our reactions. 'That could work,' said Elijah slowly. 'We'll need to find out more and get more help but perfectly manageable. We could get the Salvatores and their little friends to help. I'm sure they wouldn't want us to die when they find out about them being sired to us.'

I nodded in agreement. 'I think we should do it. We'll have to work out the details obviously, but it's a start.

'What's a start?' demanded a voice as our heads once again snapped to the doorway, only this time to see Nik walking through. He walked over to where the alcohol was kept and poured himself a glass of bourbon. 'What's going on here?' He turned to face us and lifted the glass to his lips but paused as he took in our frozen features, before putting the glass back down on the table.

'What are you all hiding from me?' he growled. His hands clenched into fists at his sides when no one answered him. 'I don't like it when things are kept from me.' He waited for a moment longer, giving us the opportunity to step up and inform him of the situation but when we didn't, he sped over to Elijah and threw him against the wall. 'What are you hiding!?' he screamed.

My eyes widened as I saw Anthony open his mouth to speak. Of all people, why would Anthony want to deliver the news himself when he knew he would be at the end of Nik's wrath.

'The Circle wants to use my blood to turn you into a human so that they can kill you, and then kill everyone else here, hence eliminating the entire vampire population,' he said in a monotonous voice.

Nik froze. 'They what?' he growled in a low voice as he slowly turned around.

'I said-'

'I know what you said,' he hissed as he sped over to Anthony, stopping a foot away from him. 'They think they can destroy the almighty Klaus?' seethed, throwing his hands out as to prove a point. 'Who do they think they are?' he shouted.

'Nik,' I started in a warning tone.

'Well they're certainly not going to get away with it,' he barked, ignoring me. 'But nevermind that,' he said as he took a small step closer to Anthony, who continued to meet his gaze evenly, showing no signs that Klaus was affecting him. 'You are clearly a threat to me. You can be used to kill me. So I should do something about that, shouldn't I?'

'Niklaus!' called Elijah as he made his way over to where Nik and Anthony stood. 'He's your son. He's our son! You don't want to hurt him. Don't be that low.'

He turned his head to look at Elijah. 'But you and I brother, we are different. I'm sure if our roles were replaced, you would let him live, let him continue to be used a threat against you and all of the vampires you have ever created. But I am not you. Do you think I've gotten this far, become this powerful without making sacrifices along the way? By being merciful instead of looking out for myself and surviving?'

'We've also survived this long, Nik,' I pointed out. 'Yes, we've all made sacrifices but this is different. He's your own flesh and blood! Family, your son. Something you can never have again. And it would be a sacrifice by all of us, something you do not have the power to decide.'

'He's my son, you say. He grew up calling Elijah his father,' spat Nik. 'I lived a thousand years thinking of him as Elijah's son, not mine. I knew him for 18 years, but that was many centuries ago. He's not a child anymore Isa. He's lived just as long as we have. He's a completely different person to the boy we nurtured a thousand years ago. I don't know him, don't know anything about who he is. So he means nothing to me.'

I was taken aback by his outburst, not expecting him to feel that. Though I suppose in hindsight, his reasoning did make perfect sense. Anthony however looked completely unfazed by it all.

'Well, glad to know that you care for me just as much as I care for you,' he hissed back. 'Trust me, the feeling's mutual. Doesn't mean I'm prepared to let you kill me.'

'Why? You want to become human anyways. So if you went through with this you'd only have another fifty more years or so to live. And after a thousand years, what's the difference of fifty years? Might as well get it over and done with now.'

'The difference is that I want to live a human life,' he replied simply.

'Well I don't care. Now let's just get this over and done with and we can continue on with our lives.' With that remark he quickly grabbed Anthony's neck, holding it in a chokehold. 'Say goodbye to Mummy and Daddy,' he taunted.

Elijah leaped into action as he grabbed Nik around the middle and tried to pull him back. Nik's grip on Anthony was released as he was thrown back, but he immediately got back up and tried to grab Anthony again. Luckily Anthony sidestepped so Klaus grabbed empty air. Rebekah snapped into action at the same time as I did. She jumped up and stood protectively in front of Anthony.

'If you want to kill him, you'll have to get past me first,' she snarled.

A murderous rage was filling Nik's eyes. 'So be it then,' he hissed before breaking out of Elijah's hold and making a leap for Anthony. However, I jumped in his way, shoving him back. I was beyond angry that Nik was actually going through with this, even though I had expected it.

'How could you do this?' I thundered at him. 'Kill your own son?'

'If he's in my way, if he poses a threat to me, then he has to go,' he growled back.

'Well, you clearly don't care about him but what about the rest of us, huh?' I hissed at him as Elijah grabbed a hold of him again. 'Anthony hates you just as much as you hate him and he was prepared to compromise and find a loophole in the Circle's plan so that you could live. Why? Because he knew the rest of us would be devastated and he actually cares for us, despite having only known us for 18 years. You on the other hand, clearly don't care about what we feel.'

I stalked closer to him as he continued to struggle against Elijah's grip. Seeing that Elijah was struggling, Rebekah flashed over and helped contain Nik. Nik's struggles seemed to die down slightly as he took in my words.

'At least do this for us, Nik,' I said softly. 'Your family, the only people in the world who cares about you. If you do this, you'll have lost us forever and we all know that whilst you pretend not to be, you're scared of being alone, of having no-one there to support you and care for you. Show us that you care, that we haven't wasted our time with you these past centuries.'

I paused and looked straight into his eyes. 'Do it for me, Nik,' I whispered. 'You know I've already lost so much. I can't have him taken away as well. If you ever cared about me, if,' I hesitated, but kept my gaze locked with his, 'if you love me, then you won't do this.'

Elijah stiffened at the word 'love' but it caused Nik to freeze. His expression softened and the rage that had been present a moment ago was gone. Elijah and Rebekah glanced at each other, incredulous that my words had actually worked. Nik shook off Elijah and Rebekah's grip and stood up to his full height. He took a step towards me and lifted his hand to gently cup my face.

'For you,' he whispered, staring into my eyes. He lingered there for a moment before dropping his hand and stalking out of the room, not looking at Anthony as he exited. I let out a breath of relief as we all began to gradually relax. I glanced at Anthony to see how he was handling it.

'Excuse me,' he muttered before quickly leaving the room, the front door closing a second later. I then looked at Rebekah who was still looking worried. Then, I risked a glance at Elijah, to find him staring at me. There was something in his gaze, something I couldn't quite place my finger on that made it extremely uncomfortable. Hurt or jealousy, a pang of wonder perhaps. I quickly dropped his gaze and looked away, scratching the back of my neck awkwardly before I too excused myself from the room.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-

3rd Person POV

'Time's up for the witches,' sang a man gruffly. He was standing outside a small cottage in the countryside, a few towns over from Mystic Falls. He was dressed in a black hoodie and sweatpants, camouflaging with the darkness surrounding him that was the night. The only light about him was the moonlight gleaming on the blade of the long and wicked sharp knife he was holding in his hand. 'Meddling creatures who don't know when to stop,' he muttered, referring to the witches.

He then silently treaded forward, soundlessly opening the small gate and stealthily moving up the path. He nudged the door open and slipped through. He entered a dimly lit hallway with various doors branching off it. The room at the end had its door ajar and a pale green light was emitting from within. He could also hear the quiet chanting of latin. Even better, he thought as he headed towards the room. Witches were always distracted and weaker when in the middle of performing a spell.

When he slithered through the open door however, the chanting paused as the witch seemed to sense something was off. She had the appearance of a middle aged woman, her brown but graying hair swept back into a tight bun at the back of her head. She was standing with her back facing the door, over a table which held an open book, a grimoire. Candles surrounded the perimeter of the room, glowing and flickering with a green light rather than the normal yellow light.

She whirled around, hands still raised and sighted the well built man standing in the door. She gasped in fright and took a step back as he gave a sinister smile, half hidden by his hoodie. He took a slow step forward and raised the knife in his hand, the woman's gaze travelling down to catch sight of it, giving a small jump in fright.

'Pl-please w-what do y-you want?' she whimpered, still backing up towards one of the candle clad walls.

'Oh, simply to send a little message to your friends,' he said lightly. And with that he lunged forward and stabbed the side of her neck with the tip of his knife. She screamed a bloodcurling scream as he withdrew the knife, but only to stab it in once again an inch across from the first hole, making it resemble a vampire bite. He then stepped forward and quickly snapped her neck, the muscles in his arms bulging. As he let the limp body in his arms crumple to the ground he bent down to run his finger in the blood that was dripping from her neck, already pooling in a puddle on the ground.

He then stood up and wrote in her blood on the wall behind her. Standing back to admire his handiwork, he read the words 'Love, Klaus,' that he had painted on the wall before swiftly turning on his heel and walking out the door.

-A/N: That chapter was a bit harsh, wasn't it.

Anyway, what did you think of it? What did you think about Klaus letting Anthony go for Bella's sake? Did you expect that she would be able to control him?

Still wanting to know who you want her to end up with so please leave a comment below and mention that.

Wow, that was a long chapter. Hope you enjoyed that and Happy New Year! How is 2014 going for you so far?

And if anyone ever wants to chat about the story or just anything, feel free to PM me! I love talking to you guys and hearing what you think.

Well, bye for now! Till next time!