Ahhhhh! We are so close to the end of season 2! I can't believe how far this has come. Thank you all for your support and your comments. You guys are amazing!
Big things in this chapter! Next one will be the sacrifice. Klaus is in this one, so you get a little Klaus/Alex interaction. I hope you enjoy and don't forget to review!
Season 2 Episode 20 The Last Day
"Wake up."
I rolled over with a groan. I hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. I hated to admit that I cried until I fell asleep. I hated to admit that I made my mom stay with me until I finally dozed off. I hated to admit that the first thing I thought of when I woke up was Damon. I hated it because he didn't deserve it. Sure, there was no definite proof that what I accused him of last night was true, but his silence was all I needed to think that there was truth to the statement.
"Come on." Jace muttered. "It's not every day that both of us are off and we get valuable training time."
As much as I needed to train, especially with Klaus on the loose, I wasn't feeling up to it. With this whole Damon thing… I didn't want to do much of anything really. Except eat a ton of ice cream and cry like a pathetic little girl.
"I'm not in the mood." I said. I heard Jace huff and then all of a sudden the warmth of my blankets were stolen from me. "Hey!"
"I know that you are in a fragile state right now." Jace said, causing me to glare at him. "But you can't mope around and let him win."
"I just had my heart shattered." I said, sitting up. Jace looked as handsome as ever, even at 6 in the morning. "I deserve a little moping time."
"Don't you want to be a badass vampire hunter?" Jace asked. I looked up at him, my blanket in his fist. I huffed.
"Yes." I answered dejectedly. He smirked.
"And once you become a badass vampire hunter, do you know the first one we can go after?" Jace asked. I said nothing, but I knew where he was going with this. "Your ex-boyfriend."
"We didn't technically break up…" I said, trailing off. We never actually officially broke things off, but who was I kidding. When I walked out that door we were done. The revelation made my frown return.
"Hey…" Jace said. I looked up at him. "This will help get your mind off of everything."
I bit my lip before I nodded. I did need something to keep my mind off of everything. I didn't have to guts to go over to the Salvatores because I knew that Damon was there and probably Elena. She hadn't done anything, but I still couldn't face her. I couldn't face either of them.
I ushered him out of the room, pulling on some jeans and a dark shirt. I then grabbed my jacket and slipped it on. I gave myself a once over and I honestly looked bad ass. The dark clothes and black leather jacket gave off that vibe, but the red puffiness of my eyes gave me away for the sensitive girl I really was. I ran a hand through my knotted curls and pulled it up into a pony tail.
"Ready?" I asked Jace when I emerged from my room. Jace looked up from the book he had in his hands and I could see his lips part, and his eyes widened a bit. I shifted my weight awkwardly, uncomfortable under his gaze. Although it was awkward, it was also flattering to see him stare at me like that. I felt my face heat up.
"Jace…" I said. He blinked a few times before seemed to come back to the real world. I giggled.
"Wh-what? Erm… sorry." Jace said, his own face heating up. I smiled a bit. Usually he was making me blush, not the other way around. "You look…. Amazing."
"Thank you." I replied, tucking a stray hair behind my ear. "Ready to go?"
"Yeah… Yes!" Jace said standing up. He went to the door and I locked it behind us. I then followed him to his truck that was parked out in front of my house. He slipped into the driver's seat and I opened the passenger door.
"Tonight's a full moon." I said while hopping into the seat. His jaw was tight and he focused on the road. "Do you think Klaus will make his move?"
"No." Jace replied, much too quickly. "He doesn't have a werewolf."
"Right." I replied. Klaus couldn't do the sacrifice without every piece of it. Elena should be safe for another night. "Tyler left…"
I could see Jace tense his fingers on the steering wheel. I furrowed my brows. Something was bothering him, and although I wanted to ask I didn't want him to think I was catching on to his little rouse. There was something he was hiding from me, something he wasn't telling me. The silence was tense, and I could see him trying to calm himself down.
"Are you ok?" I asked him. He started to nod frantically. "Because if something is bothering you… you could tell me."
"It's nothing important." Jace said, giving me a fake smile. I gave him a look. "Alright fine… Damon and I… we had a… fight… after you left."
"What?" I asked, my eyes scanning him. "Did he hurt you?"
"No! No… I mean… not that he didn't want to…" Jace said, his Adams apple twitching as he swallowed. "I… I told him off… after I saw you crying."
"You didn't have to do that." I told him. Jace shrugged. Damon was in a fragile state last night. One wrong move could have set him off. Jace could have been hurt… or worse dead.
"You're my best friend." He said. "I'm going to stick up for you always."
I found myself grinning at the way he called me his best friend. It was nice to hear, especially after everything we had been through. Jace understood me, and he was always there when I needed him. He had proven to me that he was worthy of my friendship and my trust.
"Even when the guy is a blood thirsty vampire?" I asked him. Jace smirked.
"Even then." Jace replied. I smiled and stared out the window as we made our way to our training spot.
Damon was feeling very low. When his eyes opened he questioned if what he had done last night was the right thing. Everything that Katherine had said had seemed to be true. If Klaus took Elena tonight… Alex would want to sacrifice herself. Damon couldn't let that happen. He was first going to try to find another way. If the sacrifice didn't happen at all, then Elena would be safe and so would Alex.
But if they killed Klaus now… Bonnie would die. If Damon let her die neither Alex nor Elena would ever forgive him. Although the whole plan was a rouse, and only he and now Jace knew about it, he did care for Elena. But it wasn't romantic, it was more brotherly. He didn't want Elena to die, but the only way to get Alex to stay away is if she thought he loved someone else.
Her heartbroken face replayed in his mind over and over. He winced a bit as he thought about it. He wondered if she would ever forgive him, believe him when he said that it was all fake. In all reality, it didn't matter if she forgave him. As long as she was alive, Damon would survive. Besides… Alex deserved better.
She deserved a family, someone who could grow old with her. She would be a great mom. She would be just like Lauren, but she would worry more. Lauren deserved grandkids, she was an amazing mom. Alex could never let her mother go, especially if Alex was to be immortal. She deserved to live, to really live. And Damon couldn't provide her that.
"Hey." A female voice said, causing Damon to turn around. Elena stood at the door, cautiously entering the room. "You've been hiding."
"Can you blame me?" Damon asked. "You're ready to give yourself over to Klaus and hope that this elixir works. What if it doesn't?"
"It will." Elena insisted. Damon rolled his eyes. "I know you're worried for me-"
"Worried?" Damon repeated. "You could die Elena."
"I won't." She replied. She was coming closer and closer. "I'll be fine Damon."
"Do you know what your death would do to everyone?" Damon asked. Elena made a face. "Stefan… Bonnie… Jeremy… If you die they will be devastated."
"Better me then them." Elena replied heroically. "Have you heard from Alex? She won't answer my calls."
Damon tightened his jaw. He had had to force himself not to pick up the phone or go to her house that morning. Not that she would answer. After last night he didn't expect anything from her. He hoped that Jace was keeping her busy, that way she wouldn't even think about him.
"We broke up." Damon said. Elena's eyes widened a bit and her expression filled with sympathy. She took his hand in hers squeezing it tight.
"I'm so sorry." Elena said. "What happened?"
"It's not important." Damon shook his head, looking down at their entwined fingers. "Do you know what will happen to Alex if you die?"
"Alex will be fi-"
"You two are bonded." Damon interrupted her. Elena furrowed her brows. "When the other half of the bond dies, the one who lives experiences excruciating pain… they aren't themselves anymore."
"Alex is tough." Elena said, her eyes brimming with tears. "Besides… I'm going to come back to life."
Damon shook his head. He had been thinking of another way to do this. There was no guarantee that she would come back with this elixir Elijah had. They wouldn't know until the sacrifice was done, and Damon wasn't interested in letting that happen.
"Wait… Alex…" Elena said her eyes going wide. "What if she shows up? If what Katherine said is true-"
"She won't be there." Damon assured her. Elena opened her mouth to protest. "I made sure of it."
"The prophecy says that she will risk her life before mine is taken." Elena said. "I couldn't bare it if she died for me…"
"I know." Damon said. He didn't think he could bare it either. If Alex died protecting Elena… he couldn't be sure that he wouldn't resent Elena for it. Even if it wasn't her fault. He would be angry at Alex too. He couldn't even imagine a life where she is not in it.
"Don't worry about Alex." Damon said, turning. "Worry about not dying."
I rounded a kick to Jace's side and he fell down with the impact. With each lesson and each day that I trained, I was becoming better and better. I wanted to say it was natural talent that I picked up so quickly, but I believed that it was the guardian abilities that aided me. I also had to remember I was fighting a human, and a vampire would be much harder to take down. But even so, I believed that I was strong enough to surprise them.
"You're getting good at this." Jace said as I helped him off the ground. I smiled triumphantly. As Jace dusted himself off, I grabbed my water bottle and took a sip. I heard Jace's battle cry and turned just in time to see him coming for me. I jumped out of the way, and he fell to the ground. I started to laugh as he scrambled up, grass staining the front of his shirt.
"It's not funny." Jace said, cheeks a little red. I was still laughing, the image of him face planting in the dirt too priceless to forget.
"Looks like the student has outsmart the teacher." I said, still laughing. Jace kicked at the dirt, a pout on his face. "Where the hell did that battle cry come from?"
"I don't know." Jace shrugged. "I guess I shouldn't have done that."
"That's lesson number 1." I laughed, thinking about my first training day with John. "My dad taught me that."
Jace stared at me for a little bit before he let out a breathy laugh. I furrowed my brows.
"What?" I asked. Jace shrugged, planting himself on a fallen log and sipping from his bottle. I sat down next to him, waiting patiently for him to answer.
"That's the first time I've heard you call him anything other than John." Jace said, then quickly added. "Or jack ass."
I looked away, thinking about it. I had only called John by his name, except for the one time I was trying to tell him to spare Damon's life. Ever since then, he had just been John.
"Yeah." I said. "I don't know why I even said that. Especially after he tried to kill Damon… again."
"But he is your dad." Jace said. "And in his own way… he was trying to protect you."
"Yeah." I replied. I had been through this. John had good intentions, and in his own way he thought he was protecting Elena and I. I couldn't condemn the man for trying to save my life, because he in fact cared. And I had been wrong to think he never cared, because it was revealed that when I was young he tried to come back. Everything John did was an effort to protect me.
"Maybe you could forgive him." Jace said. "I would kill to have my parents back."
I looked to him with sympathetic eyes. I felt a little selfish, having a parent and wanting nothing to do with him when Jace had lost his.
"What happened to them?" I asked cautiously. Jace tensed, his hands turning into fists. I immediately regretted my curiosity. "I'm sorry."
"No." Jace said. "No, don't be. I just… don't talk about it a lot."
"I'm sorry." I repeated. "You don't have to tell me."
We were silent for a long while and I was about to suggest we start training again when Jace stood up and started to pace. I watched him carefully, trying to read his body language. His hands were fisting and unfisting and his steps were becoming longer and slower. I looked down at my nails, wishing I could take the question back.
"It was a fire…" Jace said suddenly. "My brother set it."
"You do have a brother?" I asked surprised. When Jace had first told me he was here with his brother, I thought that was all made up. Jace nodded, cracking his knuckles.
"He was in the basement with a bunch of his meth head friends." Jace replied bitterly, kicking a rock. "The place lit up like a Christmas tree."
"How did you get out?" I asked. I wasn't certain if his brother was alive, but he had said both his parents were dead. They must have perished in the flames.
"I got woken up when I smelled the smoke." Jace said. "I was ten… so I crawled out of my room toward the front door…"
Jace then gripped the hem of his shirt, pulling it off. At first I was surprised by his sudden naked chest, but he then turned and showed me his tanned back. But besides just pure skin, my eyes were met with the marred, darkened, burn marks that he must have received the night of the fire.
"Oh God…" I said standing up. I gently touched my fingers to them. I half expected him to wince, but it had been years since he received these. They were healed now, even with how bad they looked.
"My brother got it worse." Jace explained as I drug my finger over the large marks. They were raised scars, and felt bumpy under my skin. "He's got a big scar on his face."
"Seems to me like he deserved it." I muttered. I then widened my eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't-"
"It's ok." Jace replied with a small smile. "I thought the same thing for a long time."
"Do you still talk to him?" I asked. Jace turned then, his t-shirt fisted in his hands. I looked him over. Jace was in touch with his emotions, something I respected. He expressed himself in a healthy manner, something I had wished Damon would do for a long while now. Jace knew that his sadness and grief was not weakness. He didn't keep it bottled up, but he wasn't stricken over it since it had been such a long time. He had had time to mourn.
"Last time I talked to Vick was… two years ago." Jace said. "He showed up at my foster home… asked for some money. He was trying to buy drugs with it."
"Did you give him the money?" I asked. He nodded, but the grimace on his face told me he didn't like doing it.
"I didn't have a choice." Jace said. "He had a gun, threatened my foster family too."
"He sounds awful." I said. Jace scoffed.
"The worst." Jace replied. "That was a good foster home too… they had me in another home before I could blink."
I felt my heart reach out to Jace. He had had such an awful childhood. I thought mine was bad, but it turns out I didn't even know the half of it. Sure, I had an absent father, but Jace had lost his whole family in one fell swoop. On top of that, he could never even get away from the person who had taken them from him. Jace was a fighter, he had the scars to prove it.
"Jace…" I said, getting his attention. "I'm so sorry."
"It's ok." Jace said. "I've dealt with it."
"It's not fair." I said, tears brimming my eyes. I blinked them away. "You deserve much better."
Jace shrugged, looking down at his shirt. I then wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug. He tensed for a second before he wrapped his arms around my waist. He then tucked his head into my hair, and although he didn't say so, I knew he appreciated the gesture. We stood there for a long time, just holding one another.
He was the one to pull back, slowly and still not releasing his hold on my waist. I stared into his jade colored eyes and saw a flash of something I didn't quite recognize. Jace was staring at me too, and I was beginning to wonder why he wasn't letting me go. His eyes flickered down to my lips and he licked his afterward. I swallowed hard and took a step back.
"We should get back to training." I suggested. Jace blinked a few time before he nodded. The two of us then went back to fighting one another.
Damon entered the Grill, not feeling very optimistic about everything. As he presumed, the sacrifice was going to happen tonight. Elena was ready to take the elixir that was supposed to save her life. Damon hoped it worked, because if Elena didn't come back… Alex would never forgive herself.
He sat at his usual stool at the bar, ordering his usual scotch. He was very happy to not see Alex there, that meant the kid was doing his job. If he was lucky, he would get Alex out of town for the night. She was safer anywhere but here.
"I'll have the same." Alaric said to the bartender when he came up behind Damon.
"I screwed up." Damon said. Alaric slipped into the stool beside him.
"Yeah." Alaric said. "Yeah you did."
Damon dropped his head. He thought he was doing the right thing, chasing off Alex… but in the end he felt like shit about doing it. He regretted sending Alex away for personal reasons, he didn't know if she would ever forgive him, but he knew she was safer somewhere else now that they knew Klaus was preforming the sacrifice tonight. And he couldn't be selfish with her… not anymore.
"Gentlemen." A cool English voice said. Damon tensed. "Why so glum?"
Damon looked up and was met with the same face from the picture Alex showed him. It was Klaus alright, his curly hair and devilish smirk the exact copy of the guy in the painting with Alex's predecessor. Damon hated to admit that he saw a resemblance between the two.
"Klaus I presume." Damon said. Klaus smiled.
"In the flesh." He said, then looked to Alaric. "Thanks for the loaner, mate."
"Any reason you stopped to say hi?" Damon asked, standing up. He was trying to look intimidating. Klaus didn't scare him, even if he was thousands of years older than him which meant he was much stronger than him. Damon wasn't one to back down, even if he knew he would lose.
"I've been told your brother fancies my doppelgänger." Klaus said. "Just wanted to make sure you weren't going to do anything stupid."
"Ha. Thanks for the advice." Damon said. "I don't suppose I could talk you into a postponement, by any chance, huh?"
"You're kidding right?" Klaus asked then looked to Alaric. "He is kidding?"
"Not really." Alaric said.
"I mean, come on, what's one month in the whole grand scheme of things?" Damon asked. He was trying to buy time, but Klaus wasn't feeding into it.
"Let me be clear... I have my vampire. I have my werewolf. I have everything I need." Klaus said. "The ritual will happen tonight. So if you want to live to see tomorrow, don't screw it up."
Klaus turned to go and Damon was glaring at the back of his head when he suddenly turned around.
"By the way…" Klaus began, meeting Damon's gaze. "Where is Alexandra?"
Damon tensed. But Klaus didn't have the wicked grin that he had before. No, this was true blue concern. Damon could see it in his eyes.
"She's safe." Damon replied. Klaus seemed to have a bit of relief at that.
"Let's keep it that way shall we?" Klaus said, turning on his heel and walking out of the bar. Damon turned to Alaric who seemed nervous.
"That was fun." Damon said. Alaric narrowed his eyes.
"You're going to screw up aren't you?" Alaric concluded. Damon faked a hurt face.
"You think if I took his werewolf out of the equation…." Damon began. "That it might slow things down a bit?"
"I think it won't matter, because you'll be dead." Alaric said. Damon huffed. Damon didn't believe that Klaus and his brother were as invincible as they claimed themselves to be.
"But without the werewolf, he can't perform the ritual tonight, which means I would have bought her one month before the next full moon." Damon said.
"And you'll still be dead." Alaric said. "And what about Alex?"
"What about her?" Damon asked. He didn't want to talk about Alex. She was safe, and if he bought them some time he could figure out an even better plan to keep her alive.
"You're just going to let her keep being mad at you until the next full moon?" Alaric asked. "Are you going to keep up this 'I'm in love with Elena,' rouse for that long?"
"Are you going to help me or not?" Damon barked. Alaric sighed before he nodded. The two went out of the bar then to find Klaus' werewolf.
I was out of breath, the training that Jace and I were doing was intensive. I was training now with my weapon, landing hit after hit. Jace was smiling, proud of my skill. I was pretty proud myself, considering where I had come. I was also feeling pretty confident, like a true bad ass.
It was just beginning to get dark and soon we wouldn't be able to see at all. I was happy to have been able to do this, because now I felt like I could truly protect myself if the need arose. I might even be able to protect Elena and not have to sacrifice myself. Screw what Katherine said. If I was strong and didn't let it happen, Elena and I would both survive and Klaus would be gone.
"Ok, ok I give." Jace said, holding his hands up. "If I were a vampire, I wouldn't want to be anywhere near you."
I twirled my stake around my fingers, blowing at the tip for emphasis. Jace rolled his eyes, but he laughed nonetheless. I had to admit that this was a good idea of his. I hadn't thought of Damon or Elena or Klaus since we started training. But now that we had stopped I began thinking about everything.
"You ok?" Jace asked upon seeing my mood change. I shrugged my shoulders to which he scoffed.
"I was just… thinking about everything." I replied. Jace's lips went into a straight line. "I just… maybe I should go talk to him-"
"No!" Jace suddenly shouted. "I mean… don't… he made it pretty clear that he wanted you to stay away."
"Yeah…" I said. "Maybe I should go see how Elena is doing. She doesn't have anything to do with this."
"Uh… but we have a lot more training to do." Jace said, picking up a stake gun and some targets. "We haven't even worked with guns."
"I'm exhausted Jace." I whined. "Besides, I feel out of the loop. I want to know what's going on."
I pulled out my phone, ready to call Elena, but suddenly the phone was ripped from my hand. I looked up in surprise as Jace stuffed my phone in his pocket. I stood up, reaching for it.
"What are you doing?" I asked, reaching as he moved out of my grip. "Jace, give me my phone."
"I can't do that." Jace said. "Listen, we have to keep training."
"Why?" I asked, stopping as I looked at him. He was anxious, that was obvious. And I was starting to piece things together. "What are you hiding from me?"
"Me? Hiding something?" He blurted out. "I'm not hiding anything."
"Jace…" I warned. "What are you hiding?"
Jace stared at me for a few minutes before he sighed. I watched him as he ran a hand through his golden locks, not looking me in the eye.
"The sacrifice is happening tonight." Jace said. "Damon wanted me to keep you occupied so you wouldn't try to save Elena."
"Wh-what?" I stammered. Did that mean that the whole thing yesterday was a show? He still cared… he had to or he wouldn't have been trying to keep me away. But Elena… Elena was about to be sacrificed… and I wasn't there…
"Listen to me." Jace said, grabbing my shoulders. "If you go out there you could die."
"So, you expect me to hide when Elena is about to sacrifice herself?" I blurted out, moving from his grip. "Nuh uh, not gonna' happen."
I moved to head back to the truck, but Jace caught my arm. He wrenched me back and held me there while I fought him. I could feel angry tears erupt onto my cheeks as I shifted and punched at him to get him to let me go.
"We are not going to let you die Alex." Jace said. "You're too important."
"And what about Elena huh?" I cried. "Jace… she's my sister."
"She's only been your sister for a few months." Jace rebutted. "You need to stay here."
"She's always been my sister!" I shouted, getting an arm free. I then smacked him, hard, causing him to let go of me. "And I'm not going to let her die."
I pushed Jace down, running when I had the chance. I went for his truck, the keys still in the ignition. I jumped into the driver's seat, not even bothering with the seat belt. I would come back for him. I was going to save Elena without getting myself killed. It would be ok.
"Alex!" Jace called. "Alex stop!"
But I didn't stop. No, I revved the engine and pulled away before Jace could reach me. It was getting dark and the only light was the moon and the headlights. I felt bad leaving Jace there, but he would be fine. I had to save Elena, and he wasn't going to stop me.
I drove to Elena's first, ripping myself from the car and barreling up to the door. I rapped on it a few times, trying the handle for good measure. It was locked of course, and I debated on breaking the window and climbing in. But all the lights were off which meant that no one was home.
"Dammit!" I cried, running back to the truck. I then went to the boarding house. I ran into the house, the door never locked. It seemed to be vacant, but that didn't stop me from yelling at the top of my lungs.
"Elena! Stefan!" I called, running into each room. "Elijah! Damon!"
I received no response, and I found that no one was home. I couldn't breathe, I was starting to feel dizzy. My heartbeat was beating so hard and so fast, I thought my heart would fall onto the floor. I grabbed at my hair, my nails digging into my scalp.
"Calm down Alex." I told myself. "Calm down."
I continued to chant, hoping that my anxiety would subside enough for me to think clearly. Where would they go? Where would Klaus take her? I had no idea where a sacrifice would be held.
Wait… Klaus had been in Alaric's body. He had been to Alaric's apartment. That's where I needed to go. Maybe Klaus would be there, I might be able to bargain with him. I didn't know how, but I had to try.
I ran from the house, not even bothering to shut the front door and bolted for the truck. It was pretty dark now, and I was ripping through the town as fast as the truck could go. I was beginning to think that it wouldn't make it and I would have to run myself. I was praying that it would keep going to I didn't lose time.
I reached the apartment complex, rushing past people without even apologizing as I made my way up the stairs. Scared and out of breath, I rapped on the door. I waited for a minute or two before I became restless. I kicked in the door, it flying right open and I stepped inside. It looked empty, and I was beginning to feel my chest clench again.
"The door was unlocked you know."
I turned to my left and in stepped Katherine. She was looking at me quizzically. I rushed in, my stake held right to her heart. She hadn't been expecting my quick attack.
"Where is she?" I asked. "Where's Elena?"
"How the hell should I know?" Katherine asked, pushing me off effortlessly. "I've been trapped in here, remember."
"Klaus hasn't been here?" I asked. Katherine shook her head. "Dammit."
"He has Caroline and Tyler you know." She said, making my heart sink. Not only could I lose Elena, but I could also lose Caroline. I had become attached to the plucky blonde vampire, and the thought of losing her was too much. Even Tyler, who I wasn't close with, made me feel anxious at the thought of him dying.
"Where did they go?" I asked. "Where would he take them?"
"I wish I knew honey." Katherine said looking at her nails. "But I can't help you."
"Maybe I can."
I felt my stomach lurch and Katherine's eyes widened. She stood up straight and I saw the fear in her eyes. When Katherine was afraid, I knew that I should be too. I turned slowly, my eyes closed and my heart beating so loud in my ears. When I was fully turned around, I opened my eyes.
"Hello love." Klaus cooed in a smooth English accent. He looked just like the guy in the picture Isobel gave me, the one of Klaus and Alissa. I thought that I would be afraid or that I would not be able to handle seeing Klaus in the flesh, but to my surprise I felt a bit at ease. I was still anxious and I was keeping my distance, but I didn't feel in any danger.
"Klaus…" I said slowly. He held out his arms, doing a little turn so that I could see his whole body. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from doing anything rash.
"Isn't this body much better than that dreadfully unstylish teacher of yours?" He asked me, when he was full around to face me. I said nothing. "I do say, you look just like my Lissa."
"Does that surprise you?" I asked. Klaus shrugged, beginning to circle around me. Katherine was in the corner watching closely as Klaus made his rounds. I didn't believe she would come to my aid if needed, but she was keeping a close watch which was a bit of a relief.
"You even have the birth mark." Klaus said. My hand shot up to my upper arm where I had a brown birthmark the size of a quarter. "But this… this is different."
He reached for my wrist, flipping it over to look at my scar. I let him study it for a moment before I brought my hand back. He didn't seem surprised by the gesture, more amused then anything.
"I got it from my accident." I said. Klaus nodded, as if this was not news to him.
"Ah yes." Klaus said. "The same car accident that claimed the lives of the Gilbert parents. Such a pity."
I furrowed my brows, which made him laugh.
"I brushed up on my history of the town. Specifically about you." Klaus said. "Born to Lauren James and absentee father John Gilbert, you were deemed an outcast by everyone. You excel in English and Art, and you find large get togethers quite unsatisfying. You have been training with a human… Jace I believe, and you are very confident in your skills, too confident considering you showed up here. It wasn't until you were in the accident that everything changed for you. Mysteriously, you escaped from that wreck but had no recollection until you forced Stefan to return those memories."
I stared at him, surprised by how much he knew. I shook my head at his question which made him chuckle.
"And now, you love your rescuer." Klaus chuckled. "Damon Salvatore."
"Where is Elena?" I asked, turning to face him. He seemed a bit surprised at my resolve and narrowed his eyes at me.
"She is none of your concern." Klaus said. "You shouldn't even be here."
"I'm her guardian." I reminded him, making him tense. "And I will always protect the doppleganger."
"Indeed." Klaus replied. Suddenly, the door open and a breeze blew past me. I looked all around the room to find the source. In front of me, Klaus let out an irritated breath before he sighed.
"I wasn't aware you were invited in." Klaus said, looking over my shoulder. I turned my head, seeing Damon standing there, hands curled into fists and eyes narrowed onto Klaus. He didn't reach for me, like I wished he would, but I still stepped closer to him as a way to get some distance between Klaus and I.
"I've come here to tell you that you have to postpone the ritual." Damon said. His eyes flickered to me and I saw a flash of something I didn't recognize. I took another step toward him.
"Didn't we already have this conversation?" Klaus barked. I took another step.
"Yeah, but that was before I rescued your werewolf and vampire and killed your witch." Damon said. I felt my stomach drop. I didn't step toward him anymore, I was pretty close already. But the idea that Damon had defied Klaus made me scared for his life.
"Excuse me?" Klaus asked, anger evident in his voice. I looked at Damon with wide eyes, but he ignored me.
"And you can kill me for it. I don't care." Damon said, holding up his hands in surrender. "It was all me."
"No." I managed to get out. The one syllable was heartbreaking and Damon couldn't help but look at me. I saw the apology in his expression and I felt my chest contract again.
"Katerina, Alexandra." Klaus said. "Will you give us a moment?"
Katherine stepped out of the room with no qualms, but I turned back to Klaus with a defiant look in my gaze.
"No." I said stepping toward Damon. I took his hand. "I'm not going anywhere."
"Alexandra." Klaus said firmly, like a father would. "I want you to leave."
Klaus was glaring daggers at me. I was taking a chance on how well his bond with me would work, but I wasn't going to leave Damon to Klaus, who looked ready to kill him.
"You try my patience." Klaus said. I stood firm, but Damon pulled his hand from mine. He didn't speak, he didn't have to. He was telling me to back off and I felt my heart shatter. Damon was going to die… and he didn't want me to see it. I swallowed back my tears moving away so that I wouldn't be in the way. I followed where Katherine went and stood by the door, waiting for anything.
"I knew one of you would try to stop me. It was a just a 50/50 guess on who." Klaus said. "You know the nice thing about werewolves… they tend to travel in packs."
There was a long pause, and I could vaguely hear the sound of a woman screaming.
"Jules." Damon said. I felt my heart sink.
"When you spend a thousand years trying to break a curse... You learn a thing or two." Klaus explained. "First rule... always have a back-up. Back-up werewolf. Back-up witch."
"Back up vampire." Damon repeated. I felt my heart sink. Katherine and I shared a look. She honestly looked worried. I didn't know if it was for her own safety or for Damon's, but my concern was for Damon only.
"I've got that covered, too." Klaus said. There was a thud then. I turned and ran from the room to find Damon on the floor unconscious. I dipped to the floor, grabbing at Damon, trying to wake him up. "It's no use dear."
"Please!" I yelled, tears in my eyes. "Please… not him."
"How sweet." Klaus said. "Sorry love, but it needs to be done."
"Not him." I repeated. "Anyone but him."
Klaus then got a wicked smile on his face. He bent down to my level, staring me in the eyes. His were a bright blue frozen over by evilness. I remembered the same look in Damon's eyes when I first met him. I didn't think that Klaus' could be melted like Damon's.
"Anyone huh?" He asked. He wiped away a stray tear from my cheek. "As you wish. He's as good as dead anyway."
He then stood up straight. I was still holding on to Damon, but Klaus had other ideas. He held out his own hand for me. I stared at it for a second, and figured that my best bet was to take it. He pulled me into a standing position.
"Katerina." Klaus said, his eyes staying on me. "Watch him. I won't be gone long."
"You're taking her?" Katherine asked. I felt my stomach lurch as Klaus smiled.
"We'll make it a family affair." Klaus said, kissing my hand. "I'm keeping you in my sight."
Klaus then tugged on me and I looked over my shoulder back to Damon. I then looked up to Katherine who nodded at me. She would take care of Damon, I knew she would. I then followed Klaus down the stairs.
Damon woke with a start, shooting up from his place on the floor. He looked around, the only person in the apartment was Katherine.
"Ahh. What the hell happened?" Damon asked, rubbing his temples. Klaus… Klaus happened. "Where's Alex?"
"He took her." Katherine explained. "I'm sorry I couldn't stop him."
"He took her to the ritual?" Damon repeated, shooting up. Katherine grabbed his arms stilling him. "Let me go."
"Wait a second ok?" Katherine said. "Just give me a second."
"For what?" He snapped. Katherine looked away a bit ashamed. "Why… why didn't he take me?"
"He couldn't." Katherine explained. "Damon, he said you were as good as dead."
"What does that even mean?" Damon asked. Katherine gave him a look.
"What does that mean?" She asked. Damon considered it, and then he looked at his left forearm. He pulled up the sleeve to reveal the bite he had received earlier. "What is that?"
"It's a werewolf bite." Damon said, looking down at the bite Tyler Lockwood gave him. Katherine stared at him with wide eyes, and the two stared at the bite that would be the end of Damon Salvatore.
