A/N: OMG! A day early! Woo! A lot of POV changes in this one as well, because there's a lot to get through. I really hope you like it. It's pretty similar to what happens in the show, with some little changes that I'm nervous about, so please let me know what you think! I'm currently working on the next chapter, and then there may be another after that, then the epilogue. We're closin' in, folks!
On an awkward side note, I'll be in LA tomorrow (Monday), and the day after, and have pretty much zero plans. (Aside from, "Coach! Let's go to the beach and tan!") So, and I realize this is odd, if anyone happens to live in the area, and isn't busy, 'twould be kinda cool to meet up, maybe? In a busy place with lots of people around so no one's getting kidnapped ;) If not, s'all good, just figured I'd throw it out there.
Also, annoying observation: I was in LA last week, in Santa Barbara for the weekend, and will be back in LA tomorrow morning. Do you know who is in LA this weekend? The cast of TVD. Yeah... I kind of hate my life right now. -eyeroll-
The story is set after The Sacrifice, but still containing canon elements as much as possible.
Please review and let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries. Made for fun, not for profit!
They've got all the right friends in all the right places. So yeah, we're going down.
They've got all the right moves and all the right faces. So yeah, we're going down.
All The Right Moves by OneRepublic
"In the flesh."
Klaus made his way towards Elena, bare feet padding down the stairs. His grey slacks and black button-down were ruffled, as though he had just thrown them on before appearing.
As he reached the bottom step, his eyes turned predatory.
He's back in his own body now. He can kill you. You can't fight him.
Suddenly, Elena shuffled to her left, closer to the living room.
"I'm here, just like you want," she said, surprised at how strong her voice sounded. "I'm not going anywhere; I'll be your little sacrifice. But until then, just leave me alone."
For a moment, Klaus was speechless. Then he chuckled darkly, his eyes shining.
"Although I do find you quite entertaining, my dear, why would I need to distract you from your thoughts if I have the original?"
That was when Elena noticed Katherine hovering at the top of the stairs. For a second, the younger was confused: How did Klaus get his hands on Katherine? But then, it hit her: Katherine was probably betting on the other horse, trying to placate him in case Elijah failed. How far would the vampiress take it? Would she betray their mission in her quest for her own fragile freedom?
But then, so fast that Elena almost missed it, Katherine winked. The teenager could feel her heart rate slowing with relief.
Unaware of what had gone on in that second, Klaus continued.
"Greta here can keep you company until it is time to leave." He turned around and disappeared up the stairs. "Come, Katerina."
With one last look, the elder doppelganger disappeared as well.
"E is here. C + T in tomb. Don't fuck this up too."
Damon tossed his phone on his seat with a satisfied smile. That was all he needed from Katherine, just one little text. And no matter all the harm she had done to him, and his brother, and Elena, if there was one thing you could count on with that bitch, it was for her to find out exactly what someone, namely Klaus, needed to keep hidden.
The sun was setting as he drove through the town. The fact that Elena was at the house bothered him a lot. He wanted her safe; but, of course, he had screwed that up all on his own, so he couldn't very well complain.
He pulled up to the tomb in the newly settled darkness, and ran down the stairs to roll the stone back.
" - I love you too..."
"Oh gawd," Damon drawled, rolling his eyes. "Please just hold the sappy lovey-dovey crap until I get the two of you out of here."
"Damon!" Caroline squealed. "You're here to rescue us!"
"Yep," he grunted, snapping her chains and moving on to Tyler, who eyed him with some trepidation. "I won't bite you if you don't bite me. Deal?"
Without waiting for an answer, he snapped those chains as well, and the three of them were up and into the night air.
"All right, kiddies, let's all get in the car and -"
Suddenly, Tyler screamed. Both vampires turned around, and Caroline made to approach him, but he waved her away.
"Get back! Get back! It's earlier than usual tonight! I can't – AH!"
He fell to ground in a twitching heap, and yet again, Caroline tried to get to him, but Damon pulled her back.
"You, get out of here," he ordered her, "And I'll get him somewhere safe. Go now! We don't have time!"
For once, the blonde listened and took off in a blur, leaving Damon and Tyler behind.
The vampire leaned down to try and pick Tyler up. It was, after all, still early in the evening; Tyler shouldn't be fully transformed for at least another half hour. That would give them plenty of time to get to the Lockwood estate and lock up the mutt.
But suddenly, as Damon got his hands on Tyler's shoulders, the boy jerked up, colliding with the vampire's body, and wasting no time in disappearing into the forest.
"Crap," Damon murmured, peering at the spot where the boy had disappeared. "Oh well, at least Klaus can't have him either."
And with that, Damon left to do the stupid thing and taunt the Original about his apparent failure.
"He did what!" Bonnie all but screamed into her cell phone, causing Luca Martin to jump in his seat. "What was he thinking? Well of course he wasn't thinking, but -" She stopped, listening to Jeremy on the other end of the line. "But that's insane. He's gonna get himself killed." Another pause, and more listening. "I'll look for something at this end. Maybe I could just burn it out of her, but that would be really painful, going through her system like that."
She rubbed her eyes, and when she opened them, Luca had disappeared, probably to get her some more tea. He was courteous like that.
"No," she sighed, "You stay there with Ric and John. I'll let you know if I find anything."
She hung up the phone and stared at the books in front of her.
I am so screwed, she thought as she opened up one of Emily Bennett's grimoires.
When Damon exploded through the front door of her house, Elena nearly jumped out of her skin. When she realized who it was, she nearly groaned with a mixture of anger and worry. He was one of the last people she wanted to have to talk to right now, but the fact that he was here would probably lead to him dead, and that bothered her more than anything.
"Damon!" she hissed. His head jerked, and he faced her, beaming. "Get away from here, you'll get yourself killed!"
"I fixed it!" he stated proudly. "He won't be able to do the ritual tonight!"
He was still smiling as he walked towards her and she had the sudden urge to slap him.
"Thank you," she began, "But it doesn't change anything about us; I already told you that. It doesn't change what you've done, it just -"
"Well well," came Klaus' silken voice from behind Damon, "Company. But unfortunately, Elena and I must be going now. Although Katerina is locked upstairs, if you feel so inclined." He smirked at Damon, and Elena shuddered.
"Not happening Klaus. You don't have your vampire or your werewolf."
For an instant, it was quiet, and Elena edged closer to Damon's back, in spite of herself.
For my own well-being and sanity, I really need to stop falling for Damon. I really really really really really -
Her thoughts were interrupted when Klaus clapped.
"Congratulations Damon. It must have taken a fair bit of effort on your part, and I appreciate that. However, it won't do you any good." Elena's stomach fell as Damon tensed up, and she found herself gripping his large hand in both her own, peering around him to watch Klaus.
Like, seriously, why do I keep doing this to myself? Elena! Stop touching him!
The Original's face had changed, become less charming, and more like the sadistic monster that he was.
"Do you really think," he growled, "That after this many centuries I would leave anything to chance? I have backup vampires, backup witches..." He pulled an iPhone out of his pocket and poked the screen. A loud screaming emanated from the device. "And a backup werewolf."
He tossed the handset to Damon, and Elena glimpsed the screen. There, chained to a wall, was Jules. And before the young girl could even blink, Klaus was standing before her and her vampire.
Because after all, I suppose we are still each others...
And then there was a cracking sound and Damon's hand slipped from hers. He hit the floor hard, unconscious.
"No!" Elena heard herself scream, but Klaus ignored her.
Instead, he crouched down and inhaled, frowning at something. Then he grabbed Damon's right arm, the one that Elena hadn't been holding, and slid to sleeve up to examine something that she couldn't see.
"Pity," he murmured as he stood again. "What a useless vampire."
And before Elena could even ask what he meant, he grabbed her hand and tugged her toward the door.
"Come, my dear. It's time."
Jeremy was disgruntled. Bonnie had appeared, flushed and out of breath, at the boarding house, a large book tucked under her arm and a smile on her face. But she had pushed past her boyfriend immediately and darted up the stairs to find John. Once she had tracked the older man down, she had shoved Ric out of the room, and slammed the door. Jeremy had arrived just in time to hear the lock click.
They had been alone in there for twenty minutes, Jeremy propped up against the wall and Ric pacing as they waited for an answer to whether Bonnie could save Elena from becoming a vampire.
Another ten minutes passed, and the two emerged, Bonnie biting her lip nervously, and John looking extremely pale, which was saying something, considering that he hadn't look all that healthy to begin with.
"It's done," Bonnie whispered to the two waiting outside. "Elena's safe."
Jeremy and Alaric both opened their mouths to ask how, but they were cut off when Bonnie's cell phone rang. She answered it, frowned, swore (which shocked Jeremy), and then closed the device.
"You guys stay here with John. I have to go."
And then she was gone again, leaving Jeremy to grumble on his own.
When Luca became aware of himself again, it was with a sudden jolt and a burst of pain. His eyes snapped open and he blinked blearily a few times before his eyesight cleared. He sat up, and was immediately struck with such dizziness that he had never felt before in his life.
Then, through the cottony feeling in his ears, he heard a sound. It took a few moments for him to recognize it. Someone was yelling.
"Luca!" he finally understood, and he snapped his head up, searching for the source of the noise. "Luca!"
He blinked, and his eyes landed on Elena, standing a few feet away from him. He looked past her and saw a circle of fire. There was something moving inside of it.
He tried to figure out where he was, what was going on. The last thing he remembered was Bonnie talking on the phone with Jeremy. Luca's cell phone had buzzed, and he had left the room to answer it. Who had called him?
Then, he remembered. It had been his sister. Crying and terrified, she had begged him to come and find her. She knew that he was close by; Klaus had taunted her with the information. He hadn't even told anyone where he was going in his haste to save her. He had grabbed his jacket and ran down the street and -
Nothing. He couldn't remember anything after that but a dull pain and something sweet and salty, repulsive and oh-so-good dripping down his throat.
Oh no!
He knew what had happened.
He was a vampire. Or would be.
"Elena!" he called out to his classmate. "Are you okay?"
She nodded, but there was fear and sadness in her eyes. She knew what had happened too.
Her brown eyes flicked over his shoulder and he stood up, turning around. Walking towards him, with an affectionate smile and obsession clear in her eyes, was his sister, Greta.
"Hello Luca," she simpered.
She took a step closer, and in the flickering light, he saw a glint of metal held to her side. Behind him, Elena yelled again, but then he heard the rush of flames separate them.
"Greta! You're alive; you're all right! We came to find you!"
She laughed softly, and her eyes flashed. "I wasn't lost. And you, little brother, are going to be part of something great."
Luca's heart sank; she was with Klaus by choice. There was no compulsion fogging her eyes, simply the undeniable conviction that she was on the right side.
"This isn't greatness, Greta," he argued. "This is crazy! You're going to kill people! You've already killed me!"
"I've made you immortal," she retorted, still smiling.
"You've made me a sacrifice! I'm going to die tonight, for good!"
Her expression darkened at his continued resistance.
"You will be part of Klaus forever, Luca. What could be greater than contributing to the creation of that which cannot be destroyed, cannot be killed. It's an honour, a privilege. And if I wasn't so useful to him magically, I would gladly fill your role myself."
Without waiting for any further argument, she slid the knife down her forearm, and the scent hit Luca with the force of a Mack truck. He could feel the pounding in his skull worsening, his body trembling with need, his stomach twist with hunger, and his throat clench with thirst. His mouth was watering, and there was a tingling in his gums that was bordering on painful.
And through it all, Greta slowly moved forward until her arm was extended under his nose. His vision was red, and he couldn't remember anything now but the red liquid calling to him. Elena was calling to him again, but he forgot the sound as soon as its vibration died in his ears. Without any effort, he found his lips clamped around the open wound on his sister's arm, his tongue pressed to the blood that was now running into his mouth.
The pounding grew lighter, and his body grew stronger, harder. There was no pain anymore, except for a sharp tearing in his gums. If he hadn't been so overwhelmed with the blood, he would have screamed with the feeling of his jaw and teeth rearranging, the sharp tips of new canines ripping the soft tissue inside his mouth.
"Enough," he heard Greta murmur, but he didn't stop. Not until he felt his brain nearly explode and he found himself curled on the ground. "I'm sorry," his sister whispered to him, reaching out to lightly touch his temples. "That must have hurt. But it was necessary."
Luca came back to himself then, realizing what he had done, what he had given in to. He was a vampire. Every emotion he'd been feeling a moment before, hurt and betrayal, frustration and anger and fear, had amplified a hundredfold. He looked up and met Elena's eyes across the flames, and noticed that she was crying.
"I'm sorry," he mouthed to her.
He wasn't sure what he expected her to say back. They didn't know each other very well, despite both of them being so tightly involved in this disaster. He had anticipated, perhaps, an angry glare, or forgiveness.
What she mouthed instead was: "Run."
He frowned in confusion at how this beautiful, wonderful, sacrificial lamb would risk the wrath of the devil himself, and perhaps the destruction of those vampire's that she loved, just to offer Luca the chance to escape. He came to the conclusion, as his own circle of flames now danced around him, that Elena Gilbert was certifiably insane.
A strange man, giving off an air of superiority and charm and unrepentant cruelty was making his way towards the three circles.
"Why would you do this to him, Klaus?" Elena yelled across the fire.
Klaus smirked, not even bothering to glance in Luca's direction.
"Because I could. Because it was a wonderful bit of poetry. Whatever you prefer to think, my lovely, you think it."
It seemed, for a moment, that the Original wanted to reach across to touch the young girl. But he shook his head for a second and then turned toward the furthest circle. Greta was chanting now from far away, and suddenly the fire around the far circle disappeared, allowing Luca to glimpse the writhing, and now screaming, form of a young woman.
The sacrificial wolf, his mind supplied him.
Horrified, both Luca and Elena watched as Klaus straddled the twitching body and thrust his hand into her chest. He blurred over to Greta, and squeezed the blood out of the heart, as Luca watched Elena stare, stunned, at the now still and mangled mess on the ground.
Then, Klaus was back, right in front of Luca, smiling a dangerous smile. He didn't say anything, just watched him curiously. The flames descended, and Luca's eyes flicked to Elena, who was staring hard at him. And then he ran.
He made it to Greta. In that very moment, he hated her with a force more powerful then himself. The scent of the blood on her arm caused his new fangs to elongate, and he tore into her neck before she even had time to blink. He felt her heart slow as her hands tried, in vain, to push him away. He felt a vicious satisfaction knowing that this, she did not expect, did not want, and could not stop.
When he dropped her dead body to the ground, he was suddenly slammed onto his back, staring up into blue eyes. He didn't notice the arm pulled back until it came down toward him.
He felt a sharp pain in his chest.
As Elena watched the life drain from Luca, nothing could have torn her attention away. Not Klaus turning toward her, blood on his hands. Not Klaus stalking towards her. Nothing, but a sudden rushing in her chest. She bent a little with the force of it, trying to understand the feeling.
I'll bet, she thought, trying to focus on the danger around her instead of the foreign throbbing in her chest, that it's the ritual. I'm so tied into it, I'm feeling him change.
The flames had abated with Greta's death, and now, Elena stepped forward. She felt no fear now, no apprehension; just a certainty. This was what she had to do. And no matter what would happen after, no matter how severely she didn't want to be a vampire, she was doing it, no question.
Klaus took her hand, and she barely registered the feeling of blood against her skin. He spun her around so he was pressed against her back, his chin resting on her shoulder. Surprisingly, his breath smelled minty when he spoke.
"Are you ready, my dear?" he breathed against her neck.
Her face was impassive as she stared straight ahead. She knew what was coming, but she remembered her promise, to her friends, her family, herself.
Damon.
"Shove it, Klaus. Get it the fuck over with, or I'm walking."
He huffed out a laugh, and wrapped an arm around her waist. She was bombarded with memories of earlier that day of Damon holding her, forcing his wrist to her throat. The other arm crossed her chest and gripped her shoulder. She tipped her head to the side and waited.
"Do you see, there?" Klaus whispered. Her eyes scanned the trees, and she could distinguish Stefan among the leaves. "One of your Salvatore's is here to watch you die. But he won't do anything to stop it." He licked her neck, and she stabbed her heel into his foot. He chuckled. "Such a pity."
Without notice, he bit down, his teeth penetrating her neck violently. It couldn't have been more different than the way Damon made her feel. Her body burned as it was emptied; she felt her entire being throb; her eyesight, hearing and breath all came in sharp bursts before suddenly weakening. It felt like eternity was held in a moment as her heart slowed, slowed, slowed. And then she closed her eyes.
Stefan rushed straight to Elena's corpse as Jonas Martin and Bonnie bore down on Klaus. The Original was screaming in pain, bombarded simultaneously by his transformation and the onslaught of magicks being wrought on him.
"Come on, Elena," he grunted, lifting her slight body into his arms.
Standing now, he saw Elijah appear in front of the other Original. With his heightened hearing, Stefan was able to discern the low conversation that the brothers were having.
"It is over, Niklaus. All of your efforts have been for nothing. Every life lost; every drop of blood spilled."
Elijah was stalking toward his brother as the younger tried to scramble away.
"You can't do it, Elijah. I am your brother. We are together for eternity!"
A bitter smile spread across Elijah's face.
"And you ensured that when you destroyed our family. But your existence has come to an end. I cannot allow you to survive after everything you have done."
Elijah's arm extended suddenly, and he pushed his brother to ground, looming over him threateningly.
"Wait!" Klaus shouted, desperation showing in his eyes. Stefan found himself moving closer to the action, desperate to see the deed done. "I didn't destroy them!" Elijah's eyes narrowed, and the other Original continued. "I'll take you to them, you can save them, have them."
A jolt of panic shot through Stefan's system as he realized that Elijah was hesitating. He held Elena closer, sensing danger.
"ELIJAH!" he heard himself scream. "DON'T YOU DARE! SHE SAVED YOU! SHE TRUSTED YOU! SHE CARED ABOUT YOU! YOU ARE HER FAMILY NOW! DON'T YOU DARE BETRAY HER LIKE THIS!"
Still standing over his brother, Elijah looked over to Stefan, then at the prone body in his arms. Then, he refocused on his younger brother, and his face was so aggrieved, it caused Stefan pain to see it. He imagined trying to kill Damon, really legitimately doing it. He didn't think he ever could.
"Goodbye Niklaus."
His arm blurred forward and embedded itself in Klaus' chest. The weakened Original blinked once, twice. Then Elijah pulled his arm back, a heart held tight in his palm, and Klaus was dead.
Damon and Katherine rushed to the ritual site, the latter eyeing the former as though he would drop dead at any moment.
"Stop that," he snapped. "I'm clearly not just going to implode. I can't even feel it."
She had merely shrugged in response and they arrived in the clearing to destruction. Jonas Martin was cradling the bodies of his son and daughter; there was a large fire burning a few feet away from where Stefan and Bonnie stood together, Elena limp between them. Damon made an odd sound in the back of his throat and blurred forward, Katherine hot on his heels.
He grabbed the teenaged body from his brother's arms but didn't seem to know what to do with her.
"Where were you?" Katherine heard Stefan murmur from behind her.
She turned to face him, but didn't move closer.
"I was doing reconnaissance."
He frowned. "On Klaus?" She nodded. "How? Why?"
She stared at him, then, trying to communicate with her eyes what she'd had to do.
"Oh," he breathed suddenly. Katherine noted that he'd stiffened, and moved away almost imperceptibly, and it affected her more than she would have liked.
They were both distracted by Bonnie, who was walking over from where Jonas grieved.
"We should go," she suggested to Stefan, who nodded.
The three of them turned around to see that Damon had long since disappeared.
The sun was rising when the elder Salvatore arrived at the boarding house. John, Ric and Jeremy lined up at the door as he walked by, straight into the now clean parlour where he lay Elena down on the couch and waited. Her brother and their teacher shared a couch across the room, and John paced.
Please don't hate me! Please don't hate me!
All Damon wanted was for Elena to wake up and hold him, but he knew that was impossible. He had ruined that chance when he had ensured her survival. But he could have this, holding her cold hands as he waited for her to wake into an existence she had never wanted, but would have nonetheless.
"Ow," John hissed from the doorway, and the other men all turned to face him. He had his hand pressed to his chest, and Damon frowned.
Then, Elena grunted.
Damon turned back, and she bolted up, right into his open arms, gripping him like she would fall away without his body to hold on to. But something was off.
"You aren't a vampire," Damon whispered. "You aren't a vampire!" he said even louder.
She pulled back, tears in her eyes and a smile on her face. "I'm not a vampire!"
Then she seemed to remember herself, and she pulled away from him, her eyes finding Jeremy's. She was enveloped in her brother's arms, and Damon rose to leave the room. He noticed the front door was open, and followed John through it.
"You were supposed to protect her," the blonde man sighed when they were face to face. "You were supposed to keep her safe."
Damon frowned. Rather than accusing him, John simply sounded exhausted.
"I tried," the vampire admitted, "The only way I knew how."
"You love her though?" John asked. "I didn't think you were capable of it, but you really do, don't you?" Damon nodded. "Then keep trying; keep protecting her."
"Uh... Thanks. But -"
Suddenly, John dropped to the ground and lay completely still.
"John?" Damon crouched down to find the other man's pulse. "John!" He yelled.
Surprisingly, it was Bonnie who made it to him first. She had arrived with Stefan and Katherine, and she placed a gentle hand on Damon's shoulder.
"It's okay," she whispered, though he could hear the sadness in her voice. "This was his choice. His life, for Elena's."
A wail sounded from the front door, and then everyone was there to mourn the final death of the day.
