Hey, guys! It's finally February! Seems like yesterday we were just watching the ball drop on TV, but no...that was a whole month ago. Anyways, thanks for the reviews last chapter...I hope you all liked it even if you didn't review. I did read the reviews that got sent in though and...well, jealous Rachel has finally arrived. Hope I did her a bit of justice. Not a lot of Klaus/Rachel scenes in this episode, but I'm hoping that I might be able to squeeze some in next chapter, though I'm not entirely sure. Anyways, after this chapter they're definitely both on the outs with each other. Even though the words aren't there, infer from the fact that Klaus does find out about the ritual that he also finds out Rachel was behind it too.

So...that's pretty much it. Hope you enjoy. As always, if it's not too much of a burden, I'd love a review at the end if possible.

Disclaimer: Refer to The Return

All My Children

All night, Rachel had tossed and turned in her bed, thinking the events of last night's disastrous party. Everything had taken such a bad turn – she didn't mean to say what she said to Damon. She acknowledged that he loved her; she understood it. It didn't mean that she loved him back, but she shouldn't have said what she did. Before she had gone to sleep, she'd tried to call him over ten times, but he wouldn't answer. Truth be told, the doppelgänger was worried that Damon had done something more self-destructive than the show he'd put on for the Original family before he left the ball.

When morning broke, it felt like she hadn't even gotten any sleep at all. On top of mixed emotions for Damon that kicked and screamed at her, the fact that she was being lied to and manipulated by Klaus gave her so much to think about. She told Elena, Stefan, and Grace about her existence being altered by Klaus so he could have another doppelgänger to sacrifice sooner than later, and she also told them about how Esther promised to give the bond-breaking spell to Bonnie as soon as she could. But in the meantime, she would have to pretend to not be mad at Klaus for the reason that she was. She got by with being mad at him for Caroline, but the truth was, she couldn't give a damn less. She was…angry. Hurt. Betrayed.

Which was how she imagined Damon was feeling. Because, as usual, it all came back to Damon.

She decided that it was time to get out of bed and start doing something productive. She pulled the covers off of her body and sat forward, resting her feet on the side of Elena's old bed. Hesitantly, she grabbed the phone from her nightstand and checked it. There were three missed calls and two voicemails from Klaus, but that was it.

With a sigh, she decided to call Klaus back first and make sure that he wasn't growing suspicious. On the second ring, he answered.

"Rachel," he breathed.

"Hey," she said softly, getting off of her bed and going over to the window seat, where she sat down with her feet planted on the floor. "I saw you called me…I turned in early last night, so I didn't see them," she lied.

Klaus laughed. "Yes, I would, too, if my ex caused such a ridiculous scene as yours did last night." Rachel faked a laugh, but on the inside, she pained. "Listen, my mother said that she'd gotten a chance to speak with you last night. She's quite taken with you."

If this was a normal situation, she would've been ecstatic at the fact that Niklaus' mother liked her. Instead, this was a different situation. She was conspiring to kill him. And though he deserved it, every bone in her body wanted to blurt out what she was hiding and work alongside him.

But she found the will to fight it. "Yeah." Rachel laughed a little. "She's...a little intense, but I like her."

Klaus hummed in agreement. "I was thinking that soon enough, I'd ask her if you can move in with all of us," he started. Rachel said nothing. "She seems pretty set on keeping this in the family for now, but in a few weeks, I'm sure she'd be delighted to have you."

"I can't…just leave Elena," Rachel told him quietly. "Alaric and I are all she has left."

"Elena's an adult, she can take care of herself." Though he put it gently, the words felt like they were impaling her. He didn't understand what it felt like to actually be a part of a functional family. A real family. One that she'd grown to become attached to. "Please don't tell you're still mad at me for inviting Caroline to the ball last night."

Rachel opened her mouth, but nothing came out. "Klaus, you've proved more than once that I'm not enough for you to stay happy."

"And I've learned my lesson."

"If you had, you wouldn't have invited Caroline to the ball, would you?" Klaus was silent. "Right. Listen, I've got to go make breakfast. I'll…talk to you later." Without waiting, she ended the call and let out a large exhale, putting her head in her hands and resting her elbows on her knees. Rachel blew out breaths of unwanted air, and when she felt that she was ready, she straightened, ran a hand through her long dark hair, and looked down at the phone. She found Damon's contact number and her finger hovered over it, wondering if she should try again.

After a moment of thinking it over, she pressed her finger down on the screen and the number was being called. Slowly, she shifted so that her legs could be partially extended on the window seat as she called Damon, the phone ringing once…ringing twice…ringing a third time…

"What?"

Rachel straightened, pulling her knees closer to her chest. "Damon," she breathed out. "Hey. I just…" She swallowed. "Where were you? I was worried."

"Oh, really?" Damon challenged, and she knotted her eyebrows even though he couldn't see them. Squaring her jaw, she answered.

"Yes, really. Listen, we need to talk," she informed him.

"Sorry," Damon apologized, but it wasn't very apologetic. "I've been busy." His tone wasn't what she expected it to be. It was…relaxed. Almost…showcasing how relaxed he could be. Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Damon. Don't be mad at me for what I said last night. I didn't mean it. Can we just get over it? Please?" she added.

"Oh, I'm over it." And he left Rachel to ponder the question as he ended the phone call, leaving her confused. Slightly angered, Rachel scoffed and dropped the phone in her lap, wondering what to do next. Not only did she want to know if Damon was okay, he was the only one she didn't tell. He needed to know about what Esther was planning to do. And, maybe he would be happy about it. She was going to break the bond. She wasn't particularly all that fond of Klaus. Of course, he needed to give her the time of day for her to explain that.

So, with a surge of spontaneity, she walked over to the closet and got dressed as fast as she could before heading to the boarding house.

When Rachel arrived at the boarding house, she didn't even realize it, but she heard voices with her hearing. She walked up to the door as she heard someone speak, and she quickly realized it was Damon.

"Let's…not hold our breath."

He swung the door open so that she was revealed, and up until that moment, she was curious as to whom he was talking to. When he showed the second person behind the door, she felt herself stiffen.

Rebekah and Damon shared glances towards each other, Damon with a caught look on his face and Rebekah with a smug one. Rachel watched as Rebekah left without a word, and she turned towards Damon.

"Care to explain?" she snapped, barging into the house. Damon sighed and closed the door behind her.

"Care to let me put a shirt on before you start yelling at me?" Damon retorted, and she let her eyes roam over his bare chest. Damon just watched as she shifted, but when he realized that she wasn't going to say anything, he sped up to his room and back down, putting a shirt on over his bare chest.

"Did she…offer you a bribe or something?" Rachel challenged, crossing her arms over her chest. Damon buttoned up his shirt and narrowed his eyes at her.

"You think that I'd have to be bribed to sleep with Rebekah? Please. I'm flattered, but I'm not for sale." Damon scoffed as he kept buttoning up his shirt. Rachel threw her hands up in the air, frustrated.

"Well, then, have you lost your damn mind? She's Klaus's sister, Damon!"

Damon finished buttoning up his shirt. "Can't we just…move past that, Rachel?" he suggested, brushing past her to grab a glass of much-needed alcohol early in the morning. Rachel spun around at him, beyond pissed.

"Okay, that's how you're going to be now?" Rachel demanded, glaring at him. "I hurt your feelings and you sleep with someone else to make me jealous? Well, congratulations, your diabolical plan is working." Her tone was bitter at him and Damon looked up at her.

"Well, maybe, for once, something I did had nothing to do with you," he challenged. She tilted her head at him and walked forward.

"I tell you that I think your feelings for me are getting in the way and you just…happen to become suddenly attracted to Klaus's sister?" Damon shrugged in response and held up his glass for a toast. "You're despicable."

"And you're jealous of her." Damon gave a weak smile. "Glad to know Klaus didn't take one feeling away when he decided to make you his slave."

She gritted her teeth. "Damon, I'm on your side. I'm on Elena's side. What more do you want from me? I can't bring back feelings that were taken away, I'm sorry." He stared at her, but said nothing. Time passed for a while, as did the silence, before she decided to speak again, sighing first. "Well, the real reason I came over here was to tell you that when I spoke with Esther, she told me that she's planning on killing her entire family," Rachel explained. "She linked them together with a spell using my blood. Now whatever happens to one happens to all of them. And Esther told me that she'll be giving the bond-breaking spell to Bonnie as soon as possible."

"That's great!" Damon exclaimed. "Klaus will finally be dead and you'll get your feelings back and be a real vampire again. We win." He drank from his alcohol and she knotted her eyebrows at him incredulously. "Why do you look like someone just shot a panda bear?" he pouted.

"You're so insensitive," she accused. "You know that this will kill Elijah, too, right?"

"I'm supposed to care about Elijah?"

Rachel shrugged. "Well, I don't know, you slept with Rebekah, so you should at least care about her, right?"

Damon scoffed. "It was sex. It wasn't like I married her or something, give me a break." He walked forward to see her rolling her eyes. "It's a win-win." Annoyed to the maximum, Rachel spun on her heel and readied herself to get out, but Damon flashed in front of her. "Do not mess this up, Rachel. You'll get killed or worse."

"Like you care."

"He's right, you know," someone interrupted, and Rachel watched Stefan emerged from the hallway. "Klaus has to die. They all do."

"See?" Damon said, drinking out of his glass. "It's democracy in action." Rachel stared at him for the longest time before she spoke.

"You know, Esther told me that I was originally not supposed to be a doppelgänger." Damon didn't move his expression. "Klaus altered nature so that there would be another one as soon as he could do the spell. I was supposed to be a regular person."

Damon sighed. "Well, that must suck." Rachel raised her eyebrows. "Because if you probably weren't a doppelgänger I wouldn't have even spoke to you, much less fall in love with you. And then you'd be rid of one problem. Me." Damon gave her a smile.

With that smile, he gulped down some of the strong alcohol out of his cup and watched as Rachel's eyes flared with anger, and Damon didn't even notice when she yanked the glass straight out of his hand and drained the contents of his cup.

A shocked Damon only watched as she threw the glass to the ground so it splattered in pieces, and without a single word, she bumped his shoulder and fled the house. Damon stared after her, and Stefan looked at Damon with caution.

"Well, someone's not a morning person," Damon muttered under his breath with a shrug. Stefan scoffed.

"Wow, Damon," Stefan said simply before walking off, leaving Damon to clean up his mess himself.

"He was gloating. Like he was so proud to have banged stupid Rebekah Mikaelson because I rejected him. And then he decided to become an even bigger dick and tell me that he would've never loved me if I weren't a doppelgänger. What kind of a person just says that?" Rachel groaned as she paced back and forth in Caroline's bedroom, but she was with Bonnie, Grace, and Elena inside the bedroom and Caroline was outside. Bonnie was trying to preform the spell that Esther had done in the room with her the night before to make vampires not hear them.

"Um…well…Damon?" Elena offered. Rachel shot a glance at her.

"It's not even funny, Elena, he's messing with me. And it's working," she mumbled through her teeth.

"Then don't let him get to you," Grace suggested. "You're with Klaus now. Besides, you don't love Damon anymore, right."

Rachel gritted her teeth. "Doesn't mean I want him banging my boyfriend's sister," she defended herself, and Grace just shrugged. She looked back at the spell Bonnie was preforming. "Anyways, what about the spell? Is it working?" she asked, her voice a little louder. Caroline burst into her room.

"It's not working." She sighed. "I can hear every word you're saying about Damon, the vampire gigolo." Rachel gave Caroline a grimace before turning her head over to Bonnie.

"I don't know. It's a tricky spell," Bonnie confessed. Rachel looked at the sage burning in Bonnie's hand and she realized something.

"When Esther did it, she kept the sage burning. There was a lot more smoke," Rachel explained, pacing once again.

"All right," Bonnie sighed. "I'll try it again."

"I'm going to go out in the hall with Caroline," Grace announced before leaving, and Caroline and Grace shut the door behind them. As Bonnie gave it another go, she also spoke.

"Speaking of Esther, you should know she came to see me and Abby this morning."

Rachel spun around on her heel. "And all this time you've let me go on about how much of an asshat Damon is? What happened with Esther?"

Bonnie shook her head. "I don't want you to worry," Bonnie replied. Elena straightened in her seat.

"No, Bonnie, come on. What did she want?"

"She wanted to introduce herself," Bonnie explained, shrugging. "Abby and I helped bring her back. She's channeling our entire ancestral bloodline for power. I think she thought she was being polite." Bonnie paused to inhale. "And…she brought the spell to break your bond over with her," Bonnie added.

Rachel blinked. "What?" Bonnie nodded. "Bonnie! Seriously?" Rachel took out a deep sigh and calmed herself. "All right, come on. What do we need to get to break this thing?"

"Rachel…are you sure you want to break it?" Bonnie asked slowly, making Rachel raise her eyebrows in response. "Listen, there are side effects and rules and regulations to this whole mess—"

"It's just breaking a bond, Bonnie." Rachel laughed. Bonnie stayed quiet. "Like the sire bond, except it's just a spell. Just one spell."

"Bonnie, what is it?" Elena asked worriedly, getting out of her chair. Bonnie looked back and forth between the doppelgängers.

"The spell is really, really complicated," Bonnie responded. "And…it doesn't just break the bond, Rachel. It turns you back into a vampire again. Or, I mean, it turns you into a transitional vampire again. You'll have to feed and everything like you normally do when you become a vampire," she explained.

Rachel shook her head. "No, Esther said that it would break the bond. She never said anything about me turning back into a full vampire again."

"In order to break the bond, it requires you to turn back into a vampire again," Bonnie pushed. Rachel ran a hand through her hair, thinking it over. "Your bond is what keeps you half-human. Once broken, your human side is gone. That's it. There's no loophole."

"And the side effects?" Elena pressured. Bonnie nodded.

"If I'm even off by a single word, Rachel dies," Bonnie told her. Rachel glanced over at the witch. "I'm sorry, Rachel, but there's no way out of it. Bonding a vampire is a strong, dark, and risky spell. It works both ways."

"Then take the bond off of me and put it on Elijah," she suggested, suddenly getting an idea. "We can…we can stop whatever plan Esther has in motion. Elijah won't abuse the bond. He won't—"

"Even if that was a possibility, he'll be dead by the end of the night, Rachel," Bonnie said sympathetically. Elena looked taken aback.

"What?" she breathed out.

"It's a full moon," Bonnie began. "Esther needs to harness the energy of a celestial event. She asked me and Abby to join her." Elena gave a pained expression to her friend. "I'm sorry."

But it was most certainly unapologetic. Rachel thought about what Damon said earlier in the morning – Do not mess this up.

But that meant that Elijah would die, and so would Klaus, and she would transition into a vampire again.

"Join me for a little victory drink?" A cheerful Damon sung as he walked into the study. Stefan turned around at his brother to look at him before turning back to stare at the fireplace.

"We should wait until Klaus is dead."

Damon scoffed. "Why are you so extra broody? Didn't you see the way we stood up to Rachel? I like you on my team. It made her so angry she threw a glass at my feet." He chuckled at the thought and Stefan spun around.

"She didn't get angry with us for 'standing up' to her, Damon, she got angry at you for sleeping with her boyfriend's sister," Stefan retorted. Damon merely shrugged and Stefan just sighed. "You still think that she's going to screw things up, don't you?"

Damon exhaled. "It'll either be her or Elena," he admitted. "Someone needs to talk to them. And, obviously, Rachel's not going to listen to anything I say."

"Yes, and that's entirely your fault." Stefan shot his brother a smile and Damon stared at him for a moment.

"It's not my fault that she decided to get jealous," he defended himself, throwing his hands up in the air. Stefan scowled.

"Once again, you slept with her boyfriend's sister. It's one hundred percent your fault." Stefan smiled.

"Whatever," Damon scoffed as he neared Stefan. "Klaus made it very clear that he doesn't want me having anything to do with Rachel, and I got tired of fighting. Now he'll die and all is well in Mystic Falls once more." Stefan shrugged and Damon took a moment before speaking. "What about Elena? I hear you two have been on the outs. What are you waiting for, brother? Go make up with your girl." Damon shot his younger brother a smile and punched him in the arm playfully. Stefan sighed.

"Nah," he started. "She's better off without me." Stefan fell quiet. "And Rachel's sure as hell better off without you." A bitter smile twitched at Stefan's lips, and Damon just stared for a moment before speaking.

"Fine. Neither one of us gets a doppelgänger. How ironic is that?" With a sour smile, Damon turned on his heel and started his way to walk out of the study. "Just make sure they don't screw up Esther's plan." And as he exited the room, he slammed the glass of rich human blood down on the bar above the couch, intending it to be a test for his brother.

Stefan merely turned away and resumed staring at the crackling fireplace as his brother left.

Meanwhile at the Gilbert house, the two girls had been sitting on the couch watching a re-run of Bones on the television before they heard a knock at the door. With a sigh, Rachel got up to get it, leaving Elena to watch the minutes that she'd miss. When she opened the door, though, she was genuinely surprised to see who was there.

"Rachel," Elijah said briskly. Rachel gave him a weak smile.

"H-Hey, Elijah." Rachel turned her head to see Elena looking back at her, and the human tossed the blanket over her body and got up from the couch to join them.

"What are you doing here, Elijah?" Elena asked as she approached the both of them.

"I don't mean to intrude," he apologized, taking in a breath. "I was hoping the both of you might accompany me. There's something I'd like to show you two."

Elena and Rachel looked at each other before Rachel eventually spoke for the both of them. "…Sure," she said after a moment, giving him a smile. "Why not?" Elijah gave her a smile back and the two doppelgängers grabbed their jackets and followed him to his car. It wasn't long before they pulled up deep in the woods, and Elijah parked the car to get out.

"Forgot how much I missed this land," he commented as he looked around.

"I can't even imagine what it must've been like a thousand years ago," Elena sympathized, getting out of the backseat. The three of them al walked forward as they spoke.

Elijah started, "You know, your school was built over an Indian village, where I saw my first werewolf," he informed them as the two girls and he met up with each other and began to walk slowly. "The town square was where the natives would gather to worship. Matter of fact, near that, there was a field where wild horses used to graze."

"That's incredible," Elena breathed, fascinated. Elijah hummed in response. Rachel didn't say anything, though; she just decided to stay quiet.

"Come," Elijah ushered them as he pulled them deeper into the forest to a bunch of big rocks.

"Do you know this place, too?" Elena inquired. Elijah nodded.

"I do. Below us is a cavern I used to play in as a boy. Connects to a system of tunnels that stretch across the entire area." He squatted down on his toes and picked up a handful of hay-covered dirt. "Perhaps it was nature's way of providing us with shelter against the savagery of the full moon." Now this was only starting to make Rachel a bit more suspicious than she was when Elijah first came to the doorstep. What was he doing with them – driving them out into the middle of nowhere? "My mother said there must be a balance," he whispered.

Rachel took a moment before speaking. "You know, Elijah…I think we should start heading back home. If you don't mind, I'll go back with you. I should probably talk to K—"

"I admire you, Rachel," Elijah cut her off, standing up from the floor without turning to her. "And you, too, Elena. You both remind me of qualities I valued long before my mother turned us." Rachel swallowed as Elijah paused and raised his hand to point at her. "It's not in your nature to be deceitful, and yet, when I asked you about your meeting with my mother the other night, Rachel, you…" He took out a breath and she shifted, "…you lied to my face."

Rachel tried to remain calm as she ran a hand through her hair and crossed her arms. "N-No…Elijah, I was telling the truth. Your mother wants a clean slate—"

"I can hear your heartbeat, Rachel." Rachel froze at the words, but Elijah didn't look at her until he spoke his next ones. "It's quite fascinating, actually, a vampire with a heartbeat." He inhaled. "It's very, very faint. Almost inaudible. But when you really search for it, it's there. And it jumps when you're being dishonest with me." He walked forward. "You lied to me at the ball. You are lying to me now." He sauntered towards her and she realized that she would have to take Elena and run. But could she outrun an Original? Nope. She couldn't. "Tell me the truth," Elijah pushed.

"I did it so we could figure out how to break the bond, Elijah, Klaus has been using it against me—"

"Did what, Rachel?"

Rachel gulped. "Elijah, your mother told me that I was never supposed to be a doppelgänger. I was supposed to be normal. I was supposed to grow up and do what I wanted, and I would've never turned into a vampire because Damon would've never caught interest in me." Elijah fell silent. "Klaus was the one who created me, he was the one who altered nature to turn me into a doppelgänger. And when your mother offered me a way to kill Klaus, I had to. As much as I love him, we both know that after everything he's done, he deserves what's coming to him. I can't stand in the way of that."

"Since her return, she said she only wants this family whole again," Elijah prompted. Rachel sighed.

"She offered me that information and how to break the bond if I did something for her. And I was angry – I still am. So I had no problem with killing Klaus, but…" she trailed off. "It's not just Klaus that she wants to kill, Elijah."

"She wants to kill us all, doesn't she?" Elijah guessed, turning his head and squaring his jaw. "She wants to undo the evils he created."

"We're so sorry, Elijah," Elena intervened, seeing Elijah's pained expression. "I wish that I could do something to help."

Elijah turned his head for a moment, but in the next, he spun around and quickly plunged something into Rachel's abdomen through her shirt and pressed down on whatever it was. As it turned out, it happened to be vervain. It weakened her – not enough to knock her out, but enough to make her grunt over and heave. Elena gasped. "You know, Elena, one thing I've learned of my time on this Earth is to be careful what you wish for."

Elijah grabbed the both of them, slammed his foot hard into the ground and tossed them in the caves with no way out.

"Ugh!" Rachel grunted as she pulled the vervain syringe out of her abdomen and tossed it away from her before slamming her head back on the ground out of weakness. Elena was standing and she looked around, trying to get cell phone signal. "No signal in a cave, Elena, you should know better." With another grunt, she pulled herself up from the ground and rubbed her head. The vervain made her stumble as she got up from the floor, and Elena helped her.

"You can't get us out of here?" Elena asked. Rachel shot her a glance.

"I can barely walk, Elena, there's no way I'll be able to get both of us out of here. I don't even think I can get myself out of here," she complained.

"How long will it take for the vervain to pass out of your system?" Elena rushed out. Rachel shook her head.

"Who knows? I'm half-human. I take twice as long as any other vampire. Come on, let's try and find a way out of here the hard way," she suggested, stumbling forward. Elena kept steadying Rachel as they shuffled through the caves, but when they began to find a cave that looked familiar, they were stopped.

By Rebekah. "Going somewhere?" Rebekah chimed, smiling at the two. Rachel groaned.

"Oh, come on."

"What are you doing here?" Elena panted at the blonde Original. Rebekah shrugged.

"Not much, unless Rachel regains her strength or you two try to run." Rebekah smiled. "In which case, I get to kill the both of you."

"All right, love," Rebekah cooed to Rachel as the vampire leaned against the cave wall for support. "Look into the camera."

"Sorry, I'm not up for a photo-op right now," Rachel shot. Rebekah only laughed and Elena just knotted her eyebrows, shielding her eyes from Rebekah.

"What are you doing?" she inquired.

"Shooting a picture to inspire both of your boyfriends," Rebekah explained and looked over at Rachel. "Why don't you tell Damon how delightful it is being stuck in a hole with your biggest fan?"

Rachel only laughed. "Klaus will rip you apart if you kill me," she warned. Rebekah shook her head and made a sound.

"After he realizes that you were plotting against our entire family to kill us all? I don't think so," she countered, earning Rachel to stiffen as much as she could from the injection.

"Klaus turned me into a doppelgänger to use me in the sacrifice before I was even born," she told the blonde vampire holding them both hostage. "All I ever wanted was a normal human life, Rebekah. Klaus took that from me. I made a choice."

"And yet you seemed fine with killing my brother to get rid of your bond and turn you back into a vampire," Rebekah shot. Rachel sighed.

"And risk going back to an emotionless serial killer? I think I'm okay," she breathed. Rebekah only narrowed her eyes. "Look, I know you hate me for daggering you, but you have to trust me. I was going to take it out, I swear."

"That's not the point!" Rebekah snapped. "You daggered me, Rachel, regardless of your intentions afterwards." Rachel just stayed quiet as Rebekah laughed. "You know, I don't know what I want more. To find out that we're saved or to find out that it's all right to kill you both."

"Do you think that we wanted this to happen?" Elena interjected, causing Rachel to say her name in warning. Instead, the human didn't listen to her. "Rebekah, we did this to kill Klaus. There was a time when you would do the same thing."

Rebekah stepped forward and snarled, "Do you really think that I want to spend what could be the last few hours of my life having idle chitchat with the girl who literally stabbed me in the back and the self-righteous doppelgänger who stole Stefan from beneath me? Of course not. But for some reason, everybody seems to want to bend over backwards for the two of you to save your lives; which is incredibly annoying, but makes you both the perfect hostages." Rebekah literally spat the words through her teeth. "So why don't you sit down and shut up before I ruin everything by ripping your head off and end up only having one hostage," Rebekah warned.

And, afraid for her life, Elena backed up and sat down on a rock that was placed behind her, just like Rebekah asked.

Rachel swallowed. "So," she stared in her weak voice. "Have you told your brother about this plan or did you decide to let him fend for himself when he finds out that you ripped Elena and I to shreds?" she challenged. Rebekah looked over at Rachel.

"You know, I don't understand you," she stared. Rachel stiffened. "You know Klaus has taken an interest in that blonde vampire friend of yours. Caroline, is it?" Rachel hesitantly dropped her eyes. "Right. That's what I don't understand. After everything, you can't seem to realize that he's never going to be happy with just you. Ever. He'll always want something more." Rebekah laughed. "And you retaliate by plotting against him."

Rachel scoffed. "I told you, I didn't help your mother because I was jealous of Klaus and Caroline. I helped your mother because there are more important things that I need to worry about rather than who I end up with at the end of the day," she snapped. Rebekah said nothing. "I may have been – or still am – torn between two men, but, sometimes, I have to make decisions for myself. Decisions that don't include a man. I have people to protect – I have myself to protect. And I'm sorry that you and Elijah were caught in the crossfire," she apologized, but there was no apology that she could give Rebekah that would make up for it – Rachel knew that immediately.

But something changed in Rebekah's eyes. Sure, the blonde still hated the dark-haired doppelgänger, but there was something to be spoken for towards someone who would sacrifice their own happiness for the good of others. And, though Rebekah barked at Rachel to just shut up and keep to herself, Rachel knew that her words affected Rebekah, and it made her feel accomplished. No matter how much she disliked Rebekah because the Original kept trying to kill her – back in London she only wished that she could meet Klaus's family. And, hopefully, one day, become apart of it.

That wasn't happening anytime soon, of course.

It took both doppelgängers by surprise when, suddenly, Rebekah gasped loudly, bringing both Elena and Rachel out of their own worlds and realizing that Rebekah's skin was going purple. She was being daggered, only…she wasn't. Rebekah dropped to the ground, dead, and Elena just stared. Rachel swallowed.

"Come on," she said weakly, trying to pull Elena up, but Elena instead steadied her. "Let's go!" Elena didn't object and they both took off running in the direction they had been running earlier. Slowly, but surely, Rachel was getting her strength back, and though she stumbled in the slightest, she was able to keep Elena's pace. They needed to get out – fast.

"You can't hide, girls!" someone shouted, and Elena and Rachel both recognized Rebekah's voice. Somehow, she was alive again. A weak Rachel collapsed over as she tripped and was unable to pull herself back up. Elena stopped to help the vampire, and Rachel tried her hardest to pull herself up from the floor by her own strength. "Not sure why I'm feeling under the weather. Must be your boys trying to find a loophole. Won't matter." Rebekah's voice was teasing, almost as if she was enjoying every second of this. Rachel and Elena didn't doubt that she was. "I could chase you two down on my worst day."

After Rebekah fell silent, Elena pulled Rachel up from the floor and the two began running again, but they only came into a dead end.

But it was one that they could work with.

An open coffin, candles, and markings on the wall defined the dead end as the vampire-proof cave that they had found. Elena stopped at the door while Rachel just bolted inside, falling to the floor out of weakness. Elena was just about to step in when someone grabbed hold of her stomach. Rebekah tried to restrain the human, but Elena head-butted her and fell into the cave as well.

"You little bitch," Rebekah hissed at the human before trying to enter the caves. Rachel laughed from her position on the floor.

"Oh, Rebekah." She chuckled. "Didn't you know? Vampire-free zone." Rachel forced herself up from the floor and gulped, trying to regain her stability. Rebekah blinked.

"You're a vampire," she stated.

Rachel gave the Original a slight smile. "Actually," she breathed, "I'm a half-breed."

It was a while later when Rachel finally regained a lot of her strength – enough to stand on her own and pace back and forth. But she couldn't outrun Rebekah; that was definitely not an option. Elena sat down and looked around the caves with her flashlight, and Rachel just continued pacing, biting her nails. But when she looked up and realized that no one was at the entrance of the caves, she immediately walked up to it, only to be stopped by Rebekah, of course. "Let's pick up where we left off, shall we?" Rebekah challenged, and suddenly, Rachel's clothes were soaking wet with gasoline. Rachel looked up with Rebekah.

"What…are you doing?" she asked, examining the gasoline on her shirt. Rebekah then splashed some on Elena, who stood right beside the vampire in the caves.

"Thought I'd shake things up a bit," Rebekah admitted, splashing another area beside Elena and then another area beside Rachel.

"Are you insane?" Elena hissed.

"I prefer spontaneous," Rebekah countered and looked over at Rachel. "Which is probably why Damon likes me so much." On an impulse, the Original threw the whole can of gasoline at Rachel's head, but she ducked it and watched as the gasoline sprayed on the back wall of the cave. She looked back at Rebekah.

"Oh, you've just been itching to get that one out, haven't you?"

Rebekah smiled. "You know me so well, Rachel." She pulled out a matchbox before continuing. "Here's what we're gonna happen." Rebekah lit a match and threw it beside Elena, who gasped and stepped to the side to avoid being barbecued. "You two are going to come outside…" Rebekah lit another match and threw it beside Rachel. "Or you're going to stay in there and burn."

It was when the fire burnt out when Rebekah spoke again, her voice soft and sweet, but with malicious intentions. "The next match is landing on you," Rebekah threatened them. "So, girls, how does it feel to know that these may be your last moments?" Rebekah challenged, holding up a phone to reveal their faces. Elena scoffed.

"I don't know, why don't you tell us? You're the one whose mother is trying to kill you," Elena sighed.

"You should be very careful what you say to me," Rebekah warned.

"I don't think she's far off," Rachel admitted, rolling head along the wall to face Rebekah. Rebekah just raised her eyebrows and Rachel gestured towards the Original's necklace. "You're still wearing her necklace. That has to say something, right?"

"Do you want it?" Rebekah snapped with a bitter smile. "Is that your last request? Here." She ripped off the necklace clean from her neck and tossed it on the floor. "It's all yours. Niklaus was an idiot to have given it away to you."

"Why do you hate my relationship with Klaus so much?" Rachel asked her, straightening. Rebekah squared her jaw. "Because he gave me the necklace? No. No, that can't be the only reason." Rebekah still stayed silent as Rachel spoke. "Is it because you feel like you were cheated? He got to be happy while you spent your life in a box?"

"Klaus will never achieve true happiness. He can't. It's impossible for him," Rebekah spat before lighting up a match. "Now you just say the word and I'll spare him whatever time he wastes on you."

Elena just stared at Rebekah. "You're not gonna do it," she accused the blonde-haired vampire before them.

"And why's that?"

"Because there's a chance that you might be alive tomorrow," said Elena, bracing herself. "And if that's the case, and you kill us now, you'll have used up all of your revenge; wasted it." Rebekah just stood at the doorway, the lighted match in her hand. Rachel stiffened. Where is she going with this…? She thought as Elena continued. "And isn't that what you want? Revenge?" Elena inched forward. "Because Stefan loves me more than you? Because Rachel pretended to like you and then stuck a dagger in your back? I-I mean, that's why you slept with Damon, right? Because you're tormenting her, because she stole your brother from you and because she hurt your feelings."

Rebekah merely stood still, and Rachel was shocked at the outcome of Elena's speech. Rebekah lowered the match to her side, the flame completely gone. Elena sighed a breath of relief. "The tough act doesn't suit you," Rebekah insulted the human. Elena just scoffed.

"I never said I was tough. But we all know that I'm right."

It seemed like days before Rebekah finally came back to the entrance to the small cave, bearing a smile and a very valuable piece of information.

"You two can come out now." The words startled Elena, but she quickly got up from her resting place at the foot of the open coffin. Rachel turned to Rebekah immediately, and the two looked at the Original with curiosity. "Seems your boys took care of the problem."

"How did they do that?" Elena inquired. Rebekah tilted her head to look over at Rachel.

"It seems like Damon turned your witch friend's mother into a vampire."

Rachel blinked. "W-What?" Elena was slightly in shock as Rebekah spoke.

"Quite clever, actually," she praised him. "They needed to sever the witch line, and, well, you can't be a witch and a vampire." Rebekah smiled before sighing. Elena and Rachel both looked at each other worriedly. "In any case," the vampire started sadly, "you two are free to go." Rebekah turned away, but before she did, she remembered to say something. "Oh, and uh…" The two doppelgängers looked up at her. "Elena was right. I do prefer taking my time watching you suffer." She smiled. "Much more satisfying."

And, finally, with that, Rebekah walked away and left without objection.

"She doesn't want to see you," Caroline said softly as Rachel and Elena both stood at the doorway, trying to get into Caroline's house to see Bonnie.

"Please just let me talk to her," Elena pleaded, but Caroline, with a sympathetic expression, began to explain.

"Abby's in transition," she began, "it's going to be really hard over the next few days, and if Bonnie needs some time to deal…then I think you should give it to her."

Elena held back a cry. "She's always been there for me, Caroline," Elena said, her voice slightly choked. "Please let me just be there for her two," she whispered.

Caroline sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Elena," Caroline apologized. "I know that you want to help…both of you." Caroline looked over at Rachel, who hadn't been saying anything for their visit. Despite everything, someone always managed to get killed…or worse, of course. "But put yourself in her shoes. Everything that happened tonight was to save you. To save both of you. And that's okay because she loves the two of you so much." Caroline was quiet for a while longer. "But, somehow, she's always the one that gets hurt."

Elena, who didn't want to accept the fact that her best friend didn't want to see her, eventually nodded, holding back tears. "Yeah. You're right…I…I just..." Caroline and Rachel could see the tears coming from the human's eyes. "Just tell her that I love her, okay?"

Caroline nodded. "Of course I will," she promised softly, giving her friend a small smile. Rachel jerked her head slowly.

"Come on, Elena," Rachel ushered the human beside her, who nodded in agreement and hesitantly ducked her head and began to leave. Rachel looked up at Caroline. "Call me if you need anything," she told the vampire firmly. Caroline nodded.

"I will." But Rachel knew she was lying. Caroline wouldn't call her. Bonnie wouldn't call her. They didn't want to talk to the two of them, and…somehow, she got that.

So she took Elena home, and helped her try and get her mind off of things for a while. After an hour, Elena fell asleep, and Rachel was left to clean up their food that they had been eating while finishing a Bones marathon and took the tired Elena up to her bedroom. Finally deciding to turn in for the night herself, she walked into Elena's old room and tied her hair up so she could go to sleep, but that's when she noticed a piece of paper on her bed.

Rachel,

Today I did things that I abhor to protect the one thing I value most; my family. If anyone can understand it, it's you. In all your life, there had been one thing missing, and you have finally found it. People to care about. And that's what I admire most.

Your determination is a gift, Rachel; just as Elena's is her compassion. I advise you both to carry these qualities with you, as I will carry my regret.

Always and forever, Elijah.

"Are they safe?" Damon asked his brother as he slipped his daylight ring onto his freshly washed hands and turned to face Stefan walk into the room. Stefan nodded.

"Elijah kept his word. Rebekah let them go."

"Good." Damon smiled. "All is right in the world again." He grabbed the glass of bourbon on his bedroom counter and started to walk out of his bedroom when Stefan spoke to him.

"I lost that coin toss, Damon," Stefan started. Damon just stared at his brother. "It should've been me who turned Abby. Why'd you do it?"

"'Cause I'm not blind," Damon said, dragging out his words. "I see what's been going on around here. You're hanging by a thread, Stefan. Barely over your last Ripper binge., and all you want is to be the old Stefan again," he mocked. Stefan just shook his head.

"That part of me is gone for good," he retorted.

"Oh, yeah?" Damon challenged. "How long has it been since you had a drop of blood?" Though Damon asked the question, he knew the answer. Stefan just stared at his elder sibling before speaking.

"How'd you know?"

"Spend one hundred and forty-six years with someone, you kind of start to pick up on their tells." Things were silent for a while. "Answer the question," Damon pushed. "How long as it been since your last drink?" As he said the last words, he took a sip of his own alcohol in his hand.

Stefan took a long while to answer. "Since the night I threatened to drive Elena and Rachel off the Wickery Bridge," he admitted, avoiding Damon's gaze.

"See?" said Damon proudly. "You have enough to feel guilty about. Why add to the list?" Stefan turned back to meet his brother's stare. "By the way, you're welcome," Damon said before turning to walk out of the room, but Stefan stopped him again.

"You know, you're not fooling anyone, either." Damon didn't bother turning back around until his brother said the words that Damon knew he would hear at some point. "You still love Rachel, Damon."

Hesitantly, Damon turned around. "I do," he said after a moment's pause. "I thought I could win her from Klaus fair and square, but he was the one who decided to play dirty. And, even if he didn't, we both know that she didn't want me." He let his eyes wander to the floor. "She…never wanted me."

Stefan sighed. "You know that's not true," Stefan countered, but Damon didn't want to listen. "She came back to Mystic Falls. She stayed here with you."

Damon shook his head. "She stayed here because she finally found a family. She finally found people to care for." He paused. "Despite what she says, she'll never forgive me for what I did." Damon looked back up at his brother. "And it doesn't matter. It's for the best. I'm better at being the bad guy, anyway." He raised his glass in a bitter toast before finally being able to leave his room without objection from his brother.

Sigh. Poor Damon. Especially in the last episode of TVD, too, when Katherine broke his heart...but, I'm kind of happy because I have old Damon back :) Don't get me wrong, I felt really sorry for him but...now he's finally back to being his old self - Season 1 Damon. And I thought Season 1 Damon was the best because he didn't bend to Elena's beck and call like he did in the beginning of Season 5. Plus, she never really accepted him for who he was...which is not a good relationship if you ask me. But I'm really excited about Denzo, too...Enzo's...hot. Not as hot as Damon but still.

Anyways, enough of my rant, I hope you enjoyed reading. I will be back with another chapter as soon as I can! School for the next week :/ and I'm sure I'm going to have a lot of work since we had a whole week off due to snow.

If you can, review! It'd mean a lot :)

Love,

BellaSalvatore1918

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