Witch vs Witch

Alex used her magic to throw Renee across the clearing.

Renee landed on the ground hard and rolled a small distance. She pushed herself up onto her hands and knees and laughed. "Oh wow, is that all you've got." Renee stood and dusted herself off. "I was going to make this painless, but I'm all down to do it the hard way." Renee brought her hand and pushed Alex.

Alex felt the force of magic hit her gut, and it forced her to the ground. She was winded from the blast but didn't let it keep her down. Back on her feet as quickly as she could, she charged at Renee. While magic could be fort over a long distance, Alex knew that Renee was stronger than her magically. Physically though, Alex had the upper hand. If she could get close to Renee, she may be able to overpower her.

Alex dropped to her knees and kicked out her leg to knock Renee over.

Renee fell but caught herself and sent Alex flying off towards a tree.

Alex hit the tree and cried out as pain shot through her back.

"Come on, Alex. This is too easy," Renee smirked and wiggled her finger at her.

Alex huffed and pushed herself up to stand. She used her magic to pick Renee off the ground and slam her down; the move was enough of a surprise that while it didn't stop Renee from slowing her descent, it allowed Alex to charge her again and bring her fist forward to connect it with Renee's jaw. She brought her other fist around quickly, following the first, and hit Renee in the gut and sent her flying back.

Alex went to bring her foot forward to kick her, but Renee brought up her hand and said, "Rigescunt indutae."

Alex's body froze mid-kick, frozen by Renee.

Renee smirked and picked herself back up and wiped the drop of blood that had slid down her chin from her split lip. "Clever, hand to hand, never was my speciality. I taught you well." Renee reached out and placed her hand on Alex's cheek.

Alex couldn't move anything, she was fighting against the spell, but Renee was focused entirely on her. This was it.

"I really am sad that this didn't work out. You were the daughter I never had." Renee's face darkened, and she placed her second hand on Alex's other cheek. "Goodbye, Alex." Her grip tightened. "Potentia ex duabus, una facti sunt mihi. Potentia ex duabus, una facti sunt mihi."

A heat flared against Alex's cheeks, and she felt her magic being pulled out of her. She tried to resist, even her magic was trying to pull away from the force that was dragging it out of her. Alex's whole body began to ache, and her knees collapsed under her as the freezing spell faded as Renee focused solely on draining her magic.

"No! Alexandra!" Elijah's voice rang out from behind Alex.

She wanted to yell at him to run, but she couldn't find her voice.

Renee looked up and glared at him. "Vampire, come to save precious blood bag." Renee let out a gasp and let her head fall back. "So much power. With your magic added to your grandmother's and mine, I will be the most powerful witch of all time." A cackle fell from her mouth. She reached out with one hand, and Elijah's body flew towards Renee. He connected with her hand, and she wrapped her hand around his throat. "You are nothing but a parasite, one that I will gladly remove from existence."

Elijah gasped in pain.

Alex's eyes flickered to him, and she saw his skin begin to lighten. Dark veins spread from where Renee's handheld him around his throat. Alex realised that Renee was desiccating him.

Alex couldn't let this happen. Elena needed her so that she could live. Elijah couldn't die because he cared for her. No! Renee couldn't win. She pushed her body to respond, her heavy arms reached up and grasped Renee's wrists. With a deep breath, she let out a scream and cried, "Contrarium!" Her magic flared, and a powerful boost shot through her. Magic flowed into her and her body flared with a strength she had never felt before.

Renee cried out and dropped to her knees, so she was eye level with Alex. Pain flooded her eyes, and she tried to pull her hands away, but Alex kept her grip firm.

The magic was drained from Renee and into Alex. First Alex's magic and then her grandmother's, Alex could feel the warmth of an intimate connection as her grandmother's power. Her grandmother's magic was intense and exhilarating. Then she felt Renee's magic, it was raw and untamed, and it felt just as thrilling as it filled her. Alex didn't want to be like Renee though, she didn't want to drain witches. Alex pulled away and broken skin contact with Renee, she stumbled back and fell onto her back.

Alex took a deep breath and felt her power flare inside her. Having two witches magic in her was a rush, she felt incredible. Alex sat up and looked at Renee and Elijah. Both of them were lying on the ground, unconscious. Alex pulled herself over and pushed Elijah onto his back. His skin was white, but the black lines of desiccation were receding. Renee had almost killed him, but Alex had been quick enough.

Elijah groaned and opened his eyes.

Alex smiled and grasped his face. "You idiot, why did you do that?"

Elijah lifted his hand to cup her cheek as he sat up. "I heard you scream, I couldn't lose you."

Alex bit down on her lip. "And I can't lose you." She stroked his cheek and leant down to kiss him. It was loving, caressing and full of gratitude. She pulled his bottom lip into her mouth and nibble on it softly before pulling back.

Elijah's eyes were dark, and the veins of his hunger were showing. "I'm sorry," he said.

Alex shook her head. "It's okay, you need blood." She pushed up the sleeve of her shirt and held her wrist out to him. "Take some."

He hesitated but grasped her wrist. "Are you sure?"

Alex wanted to laugh. Never had she ever considered that she would be okay with giving a vampire her blood, especially directly from her wrist, but she was. And it was because she loved him, and she was okay with that too. "Yes, now drink."

Elijah kissed her wrist before biting down. The initial bite stung, but the sensation of Elijah's tongue running along her wrist and how his free hand slid around her waist to pull her closer, making it almost pleasurable. Alex let a hum slip out, and she leant her head down to rest it on his shoulder.

After a few moments, Elijah released her wrists and licked off any blood that had spilt. He bit his own lip to slid it across her wrist to heal the punctures, before once more wiping it clean. Elijah looked up at her with a loving smile and pulled her into another short kiss. "Thank you," he said.

Alex ran her fingers through his hair and nodded. "Any time."

"You two disgust me." Renee hissed at them.

Alex frowned and looked past Elijah to see Renee pushing herself up. Her skin was pale, and her whole body shook. No doubt, she was suffering from the draining of the power that she had stolen; she was weak but still dangerous.

"And how does it feel, stealing magic?" Renee asked. "Such a rush isn't it." A low chuckle slid out. "And now that you have had a taste, you will want more and more."

Alex frowned and stood up so that she was standing over Renee. "I am not like you. I took what was rightfully mine and what you stole from Nadia. And I will never take magic from a witch, no matter how terrible they are. If anything is against nature, it is syphoning another witches magic. You and the Council are the monsters in this world."

Renee shrugged. "And what are you going to do about it?" Renee pushed herself up to stand, she stumbled but managed to keep herself up. "You will have to kill us to stop us because we won't stop. I will find someone else's magic to steal, maybe the Bennett witches power, they are meant to be incredibly strong." Another chuckle. "I will take what I want, and then I will make sure to drain you of every last spec, but not before I make sure that you watch every single person you care about die a slow and painful death."

Alex reacted before she, even though about it. Her anger flared, and her magic responded. Renee was flung through the air, and she impacted the tree hard enough for a loud crack to echo through the clearing. Her body slumped at the bottom of the tree.

Alex flinched at the realisation of what she had just done. "I…I um…" Alex didn't know what to say. She glanced at Elijah, who had stood up and was staring at Renee's still body. "I didn't mean too."

Elijah reached out to touch her shoulder, and she flinched at his touch. "Hey, it's okay." He pulled her towards him and wrapped his arms around her.

"I killed her." Alex buried her face into Elijah's chest. That was another witch, she had killed another witch. And this time it wasn't just a consequence of fighting in an enclosed space. She had lashed out like an untrained teenager, and her magic had sent Renee into the tree hard enough to kill her. She was a murderer.

"I know that you don't think this, but if you hadn't killed her, she would have killed you. Maybe not today, but one day." Elijah placed a kiss on her head.

"It makes me no better than her," said Alex.

Elijah shook his head. "No, you are better than her because you would never have done it out of a desire for power. You are protecting the ones that you love." He pulled her head up to look at him. "Alexandra Gilbert, you are one of the strongest and loving people I have ever met, and in the short amount of time we have known each other, you have managed to show me how family show really treat each other, what loving someone feels like, and what it feels like to be loved. And you have also shown me that no matter what I have done, I can be better. Just like you."

Alex felt tears prick at her eyes, and she gasped at the hands-on her face. "I love you," she said.

Elijah smiled and leant down to kiss her again. "I love you too."

The two of them remain in the clearing for a little longer. Once Alex had managed to pull herself together, she used her magic to burn Renee's body once she had collected the moonstone before they headed back to the Gilbert house.

Once in the car, Alex checked her phone and found two messages from James and ten missed phone calls from Elena. Alex felt bad for running off on them, but she could what they needed. With the moonstone in hand, she was going to have to get Elijah to get Klaus to meet them, and somehow explain everything to Elena. The first battle of the day had been won, but there was a lot more to do.