Ellie: Yes, I have to admit I had fun writing Kol in these scenes. I'm glad you liked that scene between Rebekah and Elena. I was hoping to lay the foundation to a not hostile relationship between them.

Beverlie: Thank you for reading.

JMHUW: I'm glad you liked the scenes. I was planning for the Rebekah/Elena moment for a while now. I've been wanting to form the beginning of a sort of friendship between them. As for Caroline's decision to change the bed sheets, I really wanted to make sure that it was addressed and Elena wouldn't be forced to sleep in the same sheets that…yeah.

Aurora: When I was going through all these lists of torture, I almost didn't add that part in. I thought I would make it too hokey, but I'm glad I did. There will be more of that in this one. Yes, considering how she feels where Caroline and Bonnie are concerned, I thought now would be the perfect time to bring about a friendship of sorts. I liked the partnership between Elena and Rebekah on the show.

Angel of Darkness: Yes, the bonding will continue…somewhat. And there will be more torture for Katherine. Thank you for the compliment about Elena. I'm really trying to do my best on that front.

Guest: I didn't feel sorry for Katherine until I started writing this one. And I'm glad the torture scene was able to pull such a reaction from you. I hadn't considered the streaks, but that isn't to say I might not consider it later on. I've started writing the next chapter and I haven't included Caroline yet, but I've only just started it. I think that once upon a time, Elena and Bonnie were closer; but since Caroline's transition, her friendship with Elena has really strengthened. I will be addressing more of Elijah's thoughts in this chapter and the next one.

Klaroline: I didn't realize there were so many different methods to choose from, and I only brushed the surface. Creative ideas, I hope that after reading this chapter it won't be disappointing.

Neah: Not at all, I'm glad you liked it. I have never written anything like that before, so I'm relieved that it wasn't a bust.

Guest: No, no Elejah. And there won't be any in this one either, sorry! Elijah is still dealing with Katherine and Elena is still a hot mess.

Siberia21: Thank you so much for all of your help! I was hoping to give her more layers in this one too (as you well know). I'm glad you liked the conversation between Finn and Elena. That part was not intended, but once I put them in the car together, I couldn't leave it. I'll go further into that bit (about the insecurities) in the next couple chapters. I haven't put them face to face yet, at least not while Elena was aware.

Sy94: If I write this the way I'm hoping to, their relationship will be stronger than ever and this will all have been hiccup.

AN: Thank you all for such encouraging reviews where the torture scenes are concerned. I've never written such a thing before so I was a little out of my element.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters familiar to the show.

Chapter 25

"It really is a very creative idea," Klaus continued, answering his brother's silent question. "There were reports of it being done back in 1868." Before the mess in New Orleans, they'd traveled around the world. It was during a brief separation from his siblings that he'd traveled to Glasgow, Scotland where he witnessed it done for the first time.

"I'm not impressed yet," the younger brother denied. It didn't sound frightening in the least. Methods done during the medieval times were infamous for inflicting maximum pain while straying away from the road of immediate death. 1868? That was hardly a long stretch!

Klaus glared at him. "Then it is a good thing that I don't seek your approval," he bit back, annoyed with him. He'd been waiting years to have Katherine in such a position, and he planned to take his time.

"Just be careful, Nicklaus," Elijah warned. He ignored the looks of shock from his siblings, focusing only on Katherine.

Surprised by his warning, Katherine attempted to search out his voice. Was she just hearing things, or did he genuinely sound concerned?

He stared at the woman, the anger and desire he felt for revenge weren't nearly sated. "If you create too much pain, she may lose consciousness. She doesn't deserve such a reprieve," he tacked on, his eyes glittering dangerously.

Klaus chuckled. "You had me worried for a moment, brother." Turning back to the task at hand, the scalpel was poised at one side of her mouth. "What you do, Kol, is make a cut at the corner of the mouth," he instructed, making an incision as he spoke. "Like so…" he taught, moving to the other side of her mouth. "About an inch long," he added.

Kol held her head in place, at Klaus performed the actions. She attempted to thrash under her restraints, whimpering and crying during the course of his brother's actions. When Klaus moved away from her, Kol let her go. He looked at her, waiting for something to happen. "Okay, that was rather…anticlimactic."

"Just wait and learn," Elijah addressed him as he moved to grab the vervain again. Tilting the bottle over, he poured it over another one of her wounds.

The youngest brother focused on Katherine's face as Elijah acted against her. It was subtle, but he didn't miss the way that the cut was torn even further up her cheek. "Huh…"

Klaus chuckled at the reaction. "If left untouched, a person could bleed out from the wound. However, I don't think that is much of a concern for us today."

Giddy with anticipation, Kol's eyes sparkled. "Ooh, let me try!" His eyes moved towards the bottle that Elijah seemed fond of and then towards the scalpel that Klaus had used to make the marks on Katherine's face.

So far, Elijah's actions had been relatively tame compared to theirs. He'd taken delight in using vervain against her, reveling in her screams and cries. However, when they moved on to flaying various parts of Katherine's body, Elijah had taken the first turn before letting his brothers take over completely. He hadn't made mention of it, but Kol wasn't the only one who'd noticed. Klaus had also noticed the way that Elijah deferred to them when it came to marking her body in any way.

Taking the scalpel that Klaus had previously used, Kol ran the blade down her face and across her neck. "Hmmm, where to start…" Trailing it back up, he grabbed her ear with his free hand while placing the blade against the tragus portion of her ear. "You don't really need two of these do you?"

Klaus shrugged his shoulder. "It isn't as if she'll be leaving this area alive or anything," he mulled over.

"So, I'm gonna say no then," Kol finished, following his line of thinking. Moving the blade straight down to the bottom lobe, he pierced the flesh, sawing his way up her ear. When she screamed in response to his cutting, he watched in morbid fascination as the cuts on her cheek extended even further.

From his vantage point, Elijah didn't miss the way that Kol's eyes lit up with everyone one of Katherine's screams; entranced by the way the Glasgow smile seemed to stretch further across her face. "Should your fascination in this be a point of concern for me?" He was genuinely worried that because of his contributions in this, that they were awakening something that until then they'd been trying to suppress.

Kol rolled his eyes in response. Elijah had always worried unnecessarily. "I am aware that things are different in the world," he reminded him, thinking back to his reaction when he'd taken the life of Dr. Fell. "But I have to get my kicks somehow…"

Elijah held his gaze for a long moment, as if trying to read the sincerity in his brother's eyes. When he was satisfied by what he saw reflected back at him, he nodded once before turning away from them. Moving towards the fire, he turned to the metal pot, checking to see if the liquid was rapidly boiling yet. Behind him, Klaus and Kol continued poking and prodding Katherine, coaxing a reaction out of her.

"There…much better," Rebekah breathed as she finished combing her fingers through Elena's hair. "It's a little shorter than before, but at least it's even now," she added with a pointed stare at the brunette.

During the course of her grooming session, Elena kept her mouth shut and her eyes away from the mirror. Instead of thinking about the nightmare that was her life, her attention settled on the fact that she stood before an anatomically perfect, feminine form in nothing more than a towel and she made sure to keep it securely tied around her body. Whenever she and Rebekah were forced in one another's company, their time was split between trading insults or complete ignorance of the other's presence. She'd expected Rebekah to make at least one demeaning comment about her, but it never came. Instead, they settled into a peaceful silence where Rebekah concentrated on the task at hand and Elena retreated into her thoughts. She'd opened her mouth several times to inquire after the change in Rebekah's attitude. However, the knowledge that the vampire stood near her with a pair of scissors, kept her in check. Whether it was fear for being stabbed, or less fatally, having her hair completely chopped off; Elena held her tongue.

"My hair," she whispered. Bringing a hand up, she ran it through her hair, frowning when she realized just how short her hair really was.

Catching the movement as well as the look on her face, the blonde pursed her lips. "You don't like it?" She had to admit, it was a drastic change for the human. "It's not my fault you massacred your hair in a hormonally charged, spur of the moment decision."

Realizing that her actions could have been construed as rude, she shook her head. Rebekah hadn't needed to do what she did, and Elena was very aware of the fact. She didn't want to come off as ungrateful. "No, it's not that." Trying to smile through the shock that her own actions caused, she cleared her throat. "All I thought about, was making a definite difference from Katherine," not wanting to ever be confused with her again. "I just didn't think I'd miss it so much." For as long as she could remember, she'd worn her hair long. "It feels weird, that's all," she shrugged.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she smirked at her companion. "Well, if you were going for a drastic change, I'd say you succeeded."

Pulling her attention away from her reflection, Elena turned to Rebekah, nibbling on her bottom lip. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

Rebekah sighed, unable to deny the question. She wasn't being overly nice, but given the fact that they usually bickered back and forth; she could see how Elena would come to such a conclusion. The truth was, whatever hatred she felt for Elena melted away with the scene she'd walked in on. "Because you looked so pathetic when I found you," she shrugged, not daring to discuss her actual reasoning. "Don't get used to it."

When she happened upon Elena, for one brief moment, she was transported back in time to the year 1114. Instead of Elena being a blubbering mess of tears and heartbreak, it was her; as Klaus viciously berated her for Alexander's actions because of his close proximity in their lives. She'd been mourning the loss of not only his life but his treachery as well. The last thing she needed to deal with at the time, was his unfeeling interrogation. She never did forget his careless treatment in that moment.

Blinking away the memory, she knew that she could have easily broken Elena in that one moment. However, as soon as the tempting idea flittered across her thoughts, she dismissed it. No one deserved additional pain while mourning a lost love; even if her situation varied from Elena's. She had mourned the loss of a partner; and while Elijah hadn't died, a part of their relationship had.

Realizing that whatever temporary truce they'd settled on was quickly coming to an end, Elena nodded. "I wouldn't dream of it," she returned easily, having taken no offense from Rebekah's words. She'd long since learned to let the female Original's words roll off her back.

Nodding once, Rebekah uncrossed her arms as she moved towards the door that led to Elena's room. "Okay. So…I'm gonna head back downstairs," she nearly stuttered over her words, uncomfortable by the situation she found herself in. Her feelings for Elena had thawed considerably, but not nearly enough to let her guard down.

Elena parroted the head nod.

With her hand poised on the doorknob, she turned back to look at the human. "Look, you had your mini meltdown," which Elena truly needed to experience to move past what happened. "Now, it's time to get dressed and face your family."

She nodded along to the instruction. That had been the plan, but every time she thought about approaching Rick, she lost her nerve. As the blonde turned back around, Elena called out to her. "Hey, thank you for…" She didn't hear a response from the vampire, but she did see her pause momentarily before exiting completely.

When she returned downstairs, all three men turned their curious gazes on her.

"How is she?" Jeremy immediately questioned.

"She's getting dressed now and she'll be down shortly." He nodded at her before turning back to his previous conversation with Alaric.

"You were up there longer than I thought you would have been," Finn observed when she moved towards his side.

"So?" What was the big deal?

"What were you doing?"

She shook her head. "She just needed some help."

Unable to keep his amusement at bay, he arched a single eyebrow at her. "Elena, needed your help?"

Rolling her eyes at him, she huffed. "What? You were the one that sent me up there in the first place." She did what he'd originally asked of her, so why was he questioning her further?

When silence descended upon the room, Finn looked towards the men to see what capture their attention. Following their line of sight, Elena stepped into the room. Though it wasn't so much her that had pulled their attention, rather her hair.

She began to fidget under their intense scrutiny. "What?" She knew that her hair was the reason behind their attention.

Jeremy gaped at her. "Your hair…" He cleared his throat uncomfortably when her face turned pink. He knew immediately that he'd embarrassed her, and was instantly remorseful. He didn't know what to expect of Elena when she returned to them, but he certainly didn't want to be the cause of another bought of tears.

"I decided it was time for a change," she shrugged, trying to remain unaffected by their looks. She wasn't about to disclose the reasoning behind her drastic change, at least not any time soon. "It's just a haircut, Jeremy." After everything she'd faced the past couple years… None of it had ever been easy, but she'd survived all of it. And yet, it was the physical traits that she shared with Katherine that managed to make her lose it.

Sensing what was left unsaid, Alaric offered her a smile. "I like it," he nodded, pulling her attention away from Jeremy. For a second, he detected a hard glint in her eyes when she turned her gaze on him, but before he could think on it, it was gone; replaced by a tense smile. "Would you like something to eat? Maybe a drink?"

When Elena followed Jeremy and Alaric into the kitchen, Finn turned to his sister. "A change, huh?" He asked, spitting out the same word that Elena had used. "Your influence, I suppose…" When he sent Rebekah up there to check on Elena, she had long hair. And after spending time in his sister's presence unchaperoned, she rejoined them looking completely different.

"No," she murmured, shaking her head. "That was all her."

He shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I can't believe it. There is no way she could have cut her ends so precise, especially not at the back of her head." That only meant… "You cut her hair?!"

"I fixed her hair," she clarified, not liking his accusation. "I fixed it when she went 'Julia Ormond in Legend of the Falls' all on her own."

He frowned at her. "What?"

Rolling her eyes, she dismissed his question. "Never mind," she waved him away. "Can we leave now?"

Shrugging at her question, he moved to stand. "It would be rude to overstay our welcome," he agreed. He hadn't missed the expression on Elena's face when she looked at Alaric. "And it's apparent that they need to speak, without an audience."

Her body was screaming in agony. Every wound, every burn, every laceration throbbed and her body quivered. And not for the first time since awakening in their presence did she silently beg for death. She'd known how ruthless Klaus could be, she'd seen it herself. But he seemed to be taking extra care in torturing her. Her eyesight was slowly coming back to her, but everything was blurry; and so she'd been depending on her other senses to anticipate what was coming. With every move they made against her, she'd learned their patterns. Elijah tended to start whatever method they introduced, and then his brothers would take over with a ferocity. She mentally prepared herself for their attacks against her, and because of that, the pain they inflicted was slightly more manageable. But it was when they slipped into silence that she began worrying. During their quiet spells her mind would wander, turning to various methods of torture that she'd known of; trying to anticipate what they'd do next.

She didn't know how much time had passed since either Kol or Klaus made a move against her, but she wasn't about to complain. She could feel her body mending together. The muscles of her cheeks were finally rebuilding, and she appreciated the reprieve.

"Ah, there we go, Katherine," Elijah said, bending over to check her progress. "You're looking much better." He grabbed her chin in his hand, tilting her head to get a better look at her cheek. "Yes, you're healing quite well. We can't have you dying on us now, can we?"

Joining his brother, Klaus tilted his head as he peered at her. He'd broken her, he was so sure of it, and yet she refused to give up. "I wonder, do you regret your decision now, love?" She turned her head in his direction, but she was unable to meet his gaze. "Was it worth it, staying here and doing all you did, was it worth all of this pain and torment?" However, instead of replying, she pursed her lips and turned her head away from him. "Because, where I'm sitting, it wasn't. You didn't even get close to killing me." She may have gotten much closer to him than those before her, but by the time she'd entered his room, he was aware of her plan. They'd allowed her to get close to him. "And you want to know why?" Fisting her hair in his hand, he yanked her head back in his direction. "Because I am a Fucking Original and you are nothing more than a miserable, lonely waste of space!" She winced under his hold, but didn't say a word. "You are nothing now, and you were even less then. You have done nothing but disappoint those around you, starting with your father when you bore a child out of wedlock. Even when I killed him, he still couldn't find it in himself to forgive you. It's because of your actions that he's dead, and he knew it. He held that blame for you until his dying breath."

Her eyes closed and she surrendered to the memory of her father. During her human life, girls were never much consequence to their fathers, and her family had not been excluded from that. By the time her mother bore her second daughter, she'd been weak. Both mother and child nearly died during the delivery, and such complications arose that she would not bear any future children. A light in her father's eyes died that day when he learned there would be no chance of bearing an heir.

She'd known that her parent's union came about through an arranged marriage. Neither one loved nor cared for the other, but they'd been excellent pretenders. It was only years later that she learned her father had kept a mistress on the side. From the moment that she was old enough, she was groomed to live the same disappointing life as her mother. Unlike her sister though, she was not resolved in her fate. And unlike her sister, she refused to let her father break her spirit. For as weak minded as her mother was, she loved her; but she refused to end up in a loveless marriage like her.

When she'd given into the temptation that he offered, she knew that nothing would be the same. His words tricked her heart and she stupidly believed all of his empty promises. Months later, when she discovered she was with child, he was married to another and refused any responsibility for her plight. Her father turned her away from the household.

The months that followed hadn't been easy by any means. She'd known that no one of any consequence would consider a fallen woman. It was a bitter truth to swallow, but she had. As the months passed and the child within her womb grew, so did her resolve. She didn't mind the promise of a lonely life, so long as she had her child with her; but that life was ripped from her arms when her father tore her child from her arms. Five hundred years later and she still had no idea what her daughter had looked like; if she favored her mother or father in looks.

When she was banished to England, she hadn't let the events break her. She lived with the pain day in and day out, but she never forgot about her daughter. Instead, she adjusted to English life, and while she vowed to discover her daughter's fate; she attempted to move on with her life.

"I wish I had never met Trevor," she muttered. If it hadn't been for him, she never would have been introduced to Elijah and Klaus.

"Hmmm, I believe that is a popular assessment," Klaus agreed, offering her a stiff smile. He too had been guilty of wishing that Trevor had never met her; because until Katherine came along, he'd been a faithful and dutiful follower.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Kol interrupted. "I hated him too," he added, looking between the two of them. "Can we get on with this?"

Klaus ignored him, keeping his focus on Katherine. "You are the one that manipulated Trevor, used him…" The human women of her day were bound by the social standings of their families, they were slaves to the world around them; a world that belonged to men. The only thing they could do was use their feminine wiles to ensure that their lives were more comfortable. The manipulators were sometimes subtle, other times they were blatantly obvious, but it was all second nature to them. "You used him to get more out of him. You tried to act innocent, but you weren't. You were aware of his interest in you, but his title, it wasn't enough for you, was it? And when he tried to show off by introducing my family to you, you were lost to him…only, he didn't know it at the time."

"What's your point?" She shot back, annoyed with his play by play.

"How many did you manipulate after him? Because he was only the first of many." Unfortunately, he couldn't place all the blame on Trevor, because he hadn't been the only one to fall for Katherine's act. "How many situations did you contrive and finesse?"

Whatever the answer was, it was less than him. "And you care why?"

"Someone's awfully testy…" Smiling at her, he shrugged. "As for why, because this next bit depends on the answer."

Kol snorted at the bullshit that spewed out of Klaus' mouth. "No it doesn't."

"But wouldn't it be fun if it was?" He asked, referring to Kol's words. Looking past him, his eyes found Elijah. "Is it ready?"

Elijah nodded once in reply as made his way back towards Katherine's side, instruments in tow.

"Since this next idea is so tame, I thought it would be fun to incorporate your past into it; one skewer for every transgression you ever committed. However, I don't think that even you know the answer to that." He let out an overly dramatic sigh, as if his plans has just been completely ruined. "Oh well…"

Skewers? What kind of skewer, and what did he plan to do with them? It didn't sound as threatening as their previous tactics…

The hybrid narrowed his eyes when Katherine's form relaxed slightly. "With this evolving world, it's not exactly feasible to create a torture chamber, complete with a Judas cradle and a Rack." There would be neither of those, but they'd made use of the items that they did have on hand. "Don't mistake me, love, it'll still hurt like a bitch. The little things tend to be overlooked, but sometimes they can cause a fair amount of pain as well."

"This little bit has been used for centuries," Kol delivered when Klaus stopped talking. "And from what I understand, it's still used in some countries. Obviously the tools and instruments are more updated, but it's the same concept…" Picking up a metal skewer, he twirled it between his forefinger and thumb. "Of course, we're doing this old school today," he added, as if musing through his thoughts. "Have you ever witnessed a denailing before, Katherine? I have, and it looks…rather painful. It dates back to the medieval times. See, back then, they would set a sharp wedge between the nail and the flesh of the finger before hammering it in and tearing the nail free."

"Today, red hot or heated metal pliers or forceps are used to grab each nail and slowly pry it from the nail bed," the hybrid added. "And as painful as both of those sound, I had a stroke of genius."

"By the time the two of you have finished speaking, the oil will have cooled," the eldest sibling mumbled, wishing for them to just get on with it.

Klaus waved away his words. "After you stole the moonstone and ran away from us, ruining what plans I had to break the curse, I was a little acerbic." Both brothers snorted with amusement at the choice of words. "Your betrayal was never far from my mind and as such, I was much more…selective of those I surrounded myself with. However, there was one woman, a witch by the name of Clarissa that made the cut. She'd proven her loyalty by helping me with a few situations."

Pursing his lips, the recollection of whom his brother spoke about entered his thoughts. "I remember her. Curly black hair, pouty lips, a very nice body and an excellent lay." Staring into the empty space before him, Kol smirked at the memory of her. She really had been a fantastic lover…

Of course Kol would remember that aspect of her…

He could literally see his brother loosing himself in the memories of Clarissa. She wasn't as great a lover as Kol made her sound. Like most of the women that they'd allowed in their acquaintance, she'd been lover to more than one Mikaelson brother. "Anyway…" He trailed off with a pointed look at Kol. "She must have taken a page out of your book, because the stupid witch betrayed me. However, I had taken precautions for that, and I knew exactly how to hit her where it hurt."

"Can we just get on with this?" Katherine interrupted, growing bored of his story. "If you're going to kill me, just kill me."

"Oh, we will," Elijah vowed.

"I didn't just hunt her down, I hunted down witches," Klaus growled. "I trained a group of hunters, taught them lessons in torture and the like." Of course none of them had realized that their mentor was a vampire. "There was one bloke, he was possibly just as feral as myself, I almost considered turning him for that fact alone. He developed this wonderful system for denailing, and I thought we might use it today." Grabbing a skewer from Kol, he dipped it in the still bubbling oil before grabbing Katherine's wrist. "They used a mallet to drive it into the skin, but I don't need one." With barely any effort, he pushed the skewer right between her nail and the flesh under it.

"The oil serves dual purposes," Elijah spoke, completely devoid of emotion. "The first, to enhance the pain by burning such sensitive flesh. And the second, lubricating the skewers to achieve deeper exploration…"

As soon as his words were spoken, Kol had taken a hold of her other wrist, following Klaus' actions. His eyes didn't waver from her face, waiting for her reaction; and he was not disappointed. "Oh, would you look at that? Her face wasn't completely healed…"

"So…" Alaric broke the silence that had settled over the kitchen. When Finn and Rebekah made mention of their departure, he'd nominated Jeremy to see them out. It wasn't the first time in Elena's presence that he'd felt uncomfortable, but they'd always been able to laugh off the awkwardness. Unfortunately, there would be none of that. "I really do like your hair."

Exhaling a weary sigh, Elena ran a hand through it; frowning when she once again realized just how short it was compared to before. "Don't do that," she shook her head. "Don't just act like everything is peachy keen."

He hesitated, but only for a moment. "Then what would you like me to do, Elena? Should I confess that I have been playing the last couple weeks through my mind, second guessing everything? And that I'm ashamed for not asking more questions when I did see something that seemed out of character for you because I was afraid of pushing who I thought was you? Or maybe I should tell you that I have never felt more like a failure then I did in the moment when I learned that Katherine was masquerading as you?" Because from the moment he'd heard the truth from Caroline, his mind had been going non-stop.

His confessions caused her to stop and her irritation faded slightly.

"I'm well aware that things aren't peachy-fucking-keen," he said, unaware that he'd surprised her with his words. "I know that I messed up by not seeing the truth and by not protecting you from it. I just…I don't know the best way to go about this," he confessed, the tone of his voice falling.

She shook her head. "I don't know either." He'd been wrong in his choice of words, but she probably wouldn't have been receptive to him if he tried to apologize.

She just couldn't fathom how people hadn't recognized the difference between them! She and Katherine were complete opposites from their choices in clothing to their personalities. And while Katherine had pretended to be her in the past, people had noticed the difference. How did that not happen this time?

"How could you not know?" She asked in a small voice. "We live together, Rick, you must have seen things."

He nodded. "I did, but I tried not to focus on them too much. When Katherine came back that day, she refused to talk about what happened. Maybe we should have forced you to talk, I should have forced you to talk," he amended. "You, the girl who I thought was you, had just been rescued from a potentially dangerous situation. I thought you pulling away from everyone was just a new way of dealing with everything. I figured that you would say something when you were ready."

He had a point, she grudgingly admitted to herself. However, it didn't explain everything. "But surely the way she interacted with Jeremy was different."

"Whether you realize it or not, Elena, you're different from how you used to be. Being with Elijah changed you." When she opened her mouth to argue against his words, he held up his hand. "I'm not saying that you changed in a bad way, but you're different. You are not the same girl that Jeremy left behind when he went to Colorado."

"I haven't changed that much."

"I remember when Stefan was your entire world, there wasn't anything you wouldn't do for him. I remember you putting your friends above yourself, making deals with devils because you were concerned for your friends. You can't say that about Stefan now, can you? And I know that if you were forced to, you'd choose Elijah above your friends each and every time." She frowned at him. "And that doesn't make you a bad person, you're still discovering yourself. But you're not the same girl you were a year ago, and sometimes it's difficult to see past that. And I know that it's a piss poor excuse for failing you and breaking your trust in me, and no words can really make up for it; but I want to make this right."

"I don't think there's anything you can say that will fix things," she whispered. "I…I don't really know what to say right now, Rick." She was at a loss for words. "You're sincere in your words, and I want to believe you, but my trust in you wasn't the only thing that was broken." She'd been broken as well. "I'm going to need time to get my thoughts together about all of this."

"I know, and I'll be here, whenever you need me." Or whenever she wanted to talk, or whenever she needed anything.

Standing over Katherine's form, he paused to commit the moment to his memory. Kol had been right in his discovery, the Chesire grin that had been carved at the corners of her mouth had broken open. The pain from her facial wound, coupled with the various metal skewers and pins that pierced the flesh behind the nail beds of both her fingernails and toenails had finally reduced her to a sobbing mess. When they'd run out of both pin and skewers, Elijah dripped the remainder of the hot oil slowly across every bit of her exposed skin. Her screams persisted, further ripping the tissue in her cheeks.

When the oil was gone and the pain underneath her nail beds dulled into a constant throb, her sobs finally lessened. The entire time, all three Originals stood around unfazed by her pain filled reactions.

"I really don't know how I'm supposed to remove the nails now that you've got her all slick," Kol frowned, looking from Katherine towards Elijah.

The eldest sibling shrugged his shoulders as if to say 'so,' never taking his eyes off the female. "You still can, it just may take a little longer."

His frown deepened. "Yes, but I was hoping not to get it on me." When both of his brothers stopped to look at him, he shrugged. "What? I have always hated the slickness of oil. There's only one sort of slick I prefer, and this certainly isn't it."

Klaus wrinkled his nose at the mental picture and shook his head. "Fine," he sighed, as if it was an inconvenience. "I'll do it."

"Don't act as if you won't enjoy this," the younger brother replied.

Taking a place next to Katherine's bound form with pliers in hand, he moved to grab one of her pinkies. "Say, for the sake of conversation, that you had managed to kill me; what would you have done?" The question had been on his mind since she'd revealed herself.

Katherine pursed her lips. "It didn't matter." She'd known there was a very real chance she would have been caught. "I knew there was a big chance that I'd fail in my attempt."

A frown pulled at his lips. "That doesn't sound like the Katerina I've been looking for…" He really had expected more fight out of her than what she'd given them. Her sarcastic quips had long since stopped she seemed almost…resolved in her fate.

"That girl died the day you massacred her family," she replied, without a hint of emotion in her voice.

"Hmmm, I suppose she did," he nodded. "You should have come to me sooner, Katerina. We would have killed you long ago."

Turning away from him, she searched out Elijah's form. He once again stood behind his siblings, looking altogether bored with the situation. "I should have trusted Elijah." She should have trusted his promise to protect her. If she had, her entire life would have been different. She may have remained human.

"It's funny that you say that. I remember you running as far away as possible from both of my brothers."

"And I remember both of them wanting to sacrifice me, call me crazy for wanting to live," she replied simply.

"And what a life you lived…" Using the pliers, Klaus grabbed her nail from the base of the nail bed and tugged it off. "You think that trusting Elijah would have made a difference? It's not as though he could have stopped me from doing whatever I wanted to you." He moved on to the next finger, repeating the action.

"I've been watching, I know how he treats Elena where you're concerned," she ground out between her teeth, trying not to cry out in response to the throbbing.

Klaus arched an eyebrow at her. "And what makes you think it would be the same for you?"

"Same face, same body. I know he wanted me once." And at the time, she'd been taken with the Klaus; ignoring the thoughts that had warned her against him.

"Once upon a time, I did," Elijah admitted quietly. "But that desire came and went a long time ago." At the time, he couldn't deny that her preference for Klaus had stung, but he had moved on from it. "You may share the same face and body, but that is where the similarities end." He may not have intended to mark Elena in such a way, but he didn't regret it. "My feelings for her far supersede anything I once harbored for you or your physical traits." Stepping forward, he walked with an air of superiority. "And if in some alternate universe, Elena and I didn't end up mated, I would like to think that I have better sense than to get involved with you." He honestly couldn't envision a situation that would lead to a union between himself and Katherine. After experiencing the things that he had with Elena, he couldn't imagine sharing anything lesser with anyone else.

"I would certainly hope so," Klaus muttered, more to himself than anything. Elijah had already caused enough damage the first time around where Katherine was concerned. At least with Elena there was a chance to sway her over to his side, or that of his family. Her relationship with Elijah ensured that she wouldn't betray them.

He moved on to the next finger, ready to extract the nail when Elijah placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping his actions.

Ignoring Klaus' quiet mutterings, he focused completely on Katherine. During the length of the torture, he'd let his brothers take control for the most part. He'd acted every so often, but he'd been more interested in witnessing her agony. "The plan was for us to rip your nails off at the base of your nail beds, but I can't bear to be in your presence any longer," he sighed. "My brothers did a majority of the torture, but I'm going to be the one to end your life."

He looked down on the girl, bloodied and wounded. His brothers had not only cut and stabbed her, but she'd been burned and taunted during their actions. However, Elijah couldn't shake the thought that it wasn't enough. They could have continued on, kept her bound and tortured for days, but he wanted nothing more than to end her miserable existence. He briefly considered compelling her to end her own life, similar in the way that he'd done to Slater, but he wanted to feel her last heart beat as he tore it from her chest.

"I only hope that we were able to inflict a fraction of the same misery that you bestowed upon others." Without giving her a chance to respond he carelessly pushed into her chest. Grasping the organ, he squeezed it roughly before ripping it out her chest.

AN: So I know it's a little early to update, but with the holiday, I couldn't resist. Merry Christmas guys!