I stepped inside the kitchen, balancing the grocery bags against my hip and closed the door behind me. I flicked on the light switch. All of my senses were attacked with new, confusing information. The stench of blood hung in the air; my boot crunched down on smashed ceramic; I think it was a coffee mug, and bits of plate; blood was splattered down the cabinet and dripping across the floor.

"Hey, kid." Alaric declared coolly, as he appeared suddenly in the kitchen doorway, wrapping his hand up in a towel, "Long time no see."

I stared back at the man, blankly, and rasped, "Hi."

My gaze loitered on his bloodied hand.

"Oh, I…broke a coffee cup and sliced open my hand trying to pick up the pieces." Alaric declared, and then smirked, "But I'll live. Did Stefan catch up with you, by any chance?"

"No." I rasped.

I couldn't take my eyes off of him, and his nonchalance. It was the strangest feeling. It was for all intents and purposes, Alaric...but it really wasn't. It was chilling.

"Meredith got called in to the hospital for a last-minute surgery, but she'll be back later." Alaric said.

I had no idea what he was talking about. I had ran some last minute errands. I had filled up the car to save time tomorrow morning, ready for my road trip to see Jeremy. I was out of the loop. I could only assume I'd missed out on the Scooby Gang's latest briefing, but I figured I could fill in the gaps pretty easily: something, something, something, stop Alaric's murderous alter-ego. Hello, murderous alter-ego, that's definitely not the aftermath of a broken mug, unless you're doing a scene in Final Destination.

Alaric continued, "You won't know if Elena got my ring? My place is a bit of a disaster. I guess I'll uh, I'll just have to go get it myself. That will be easier."

Then I saw it; sticking out from underneath the chair was a kitchen knife drenched in blood. Yep, and I'm back in the loop.

Alaric sighed heavily, and said, darkly, "You weren't supposed to see that."

"Where is she?" I uttered.

Alaric's eyes darkened further and he lunged for the knife. I panicked and then speared my body into Alaric's, hard, tackling him to the ground. He kicked me off, square in the gut and scrambled for the knife. I grabbed his leg and clawed him back.

"I don't want to hurt you!" I screamed out as he swung onto his back and kicked me in the face.

I groaned out in agony, and cursed as I regained focus. Alaric had the knife. Well, shit.

"Alaric...'s alter-ego. You know who I am?" I asked as he crept his way forward in an appropriately nightmare-ish fashion, "We should really just use our words. You don't want to do this."

On cue, Alaric took a swing at me.

"WHOA." I scorned and backed away, "Don't you have a trigger word or something? Pony. Rainbow. SUNSHINE!"

I dodged the second attempt and ducked out of the way. His wild swing caught my arm. I cried out at the slice. One more tussle and I snatched up the wooden chopping board and smacked him in the back of the head with it. Nothing. I cursed again. I skidded and ran through to the living room, panicking. I can't leave. I can't leave whoever the hell is bleeding to death upstairs; probably Meredith. Alaric stared at me, emptily, now a blade in each hand. I gave him one last out.

"Oh. Great." I scorned, "Very resourceful, sir. AH!"

He threw one knife like a dart; I just evaded it. He ran for me.

"RIC!" I barked and slammed my fist out, emblazoned, into his face.

He was thrown backwards, with some ferocity. He slammed down into the coffee table, shattering it into splintered shards.

Silence enveloped the house.

"Alaric?" I whispered, clutching my bleeding arm, "You down for the count, bud?"

I slipped my phone out of my pocket and speed dialled Elena. I awaited her response patiently and then said, "Hey. I need you to come home right now. Yeah. Alaric went all stabby. And I knocked him out. I'm about to check upstairs, and I suspect Meredith is dead or close to...oh, Stefan's with you. Great. Bring him. Yeah. Do hurry."

I hung up and kicked Alaric in the foot. It flopped. Nothing. He was definitely KO-ed. I stepped cautiously to the side to get a better look at him and saw a scarlet scorch mark on his face. I struggled to suppress the guilt but he relieved me of that mere seconds later. I screamed out as he suddenly swept my leg, and twisted his body around, plunging the knife down into my gut, hard. He held the knife in there, putting all his body weight onto it as he struggled to prop himself back up. I'd never been stabbed before. I never comprehended how agonising it was. His darkened eyes buried themselves into mine, and I saw nothing else.

I was no longer in pain. It was sheer anger. It were as though this anger had been bottled up, and shaken viciously, and Alaric had pierced the bottle. He wasn't a person anymore; he wasn't Alaric; he was something I had to destroy. My clenched fist shot open and flames erupted. Alaric barked out in agony and skidded back out of the stream. I laid into him. I pummelled him. I did not relent.

"RO!" Stefan hollered out, and coughed, "STOP!"

Stefan and Elena sprinted over to us. She grabbed my raised fist and recoiled instantly, as though she'd been burned. Stefan yanked me off, with difficulty, and slammed me into the wall. He grabbed my jaw, forcing my eyes onto his, growling, "STOP! ROSIE!"

He must have seen a waver in my eyes as they were finally taken in by his. He let go.

"Please! RO. We need to go. NOW!" Elena begged, and pulled at Alaric's lifeless body.

"I've got him." Stefan rasped and relinquished Elena's grasp on the man.

I lost all power in my extremities and stared at Ric's arm flopping along as Stefan flashed out of the house. I slipped down the wall to the floor, clutching my stomach. I glanced down. I still had a kitchen knife rammed inside me. I felt around the back. It had gone right through. I scoffed and shuddered. I was squeamish again. I was coming back.

"Get up!" Elena begged me.

She was terrified to touch me; afraid she'd burn her hands again. I glanced around the room as Elena's coughs and splutters grew more strenuous. Our childhood home was darkening.

"Meredith." I uttered.

Elena's eyes widened.

"STEFAN!" Elena screamed as Stefan emerged, "MEREDITH!"

Stefan flashed up the stairs to rescue the woman. Elena implored me again to get up. I yanked out the kitchen knife fiercely, with difficulty, it was slippery inside my blood-soaked hands. I groaned out in agony.

"Let's go!" Stefan called out as he descended the stairs with Meredith's bloody body in his arms.

"Rosanna. Listen to me." Elena said as she coughed and spluttered, "COME ON."

"Go." Stefan said, as he reappeared, "I've got her, go!"

Elena hesitated but then covered her mouth, and staggered out of the burning house. She went to call the fire brigade, although half the street had already done the same. Stefan grabbed my face again, and pulled my dead eyes back to his.

"This is not on you. GET UP." He implored.

I shoved him out of my face, and rose to my feet on my own. He stared back at me, uncertain of what I might do next. His eyes were shrouded by a veil of smoke, illuminated by flickers of light but I saw that it wasn't contained in just his eyes. It was all over his stance and his actions, right down to his core; he didn't trust me. He followed me out.

Stefan had stashed the two bodies at the bottom of the garden. He fed them blood and Damon had appeared to help carry Meredith and Alaric out of there. Stefan gave me his shirt to change into, to hide the fact that I had been 'mortally wounded'. The two of them coached Elena and I on our stories and left just as the fire trucks pulled up to the house.

Damon, with Alaric tossed over his shoulder, paused and patted my arm.

"It's gonna be okay, Barbie. Stick to the script." Damon whispered to me.