Been a long time.

Sorry for the wait, but I hope you enjoy this update.

Sorry for any mistakes.

Love, Comet96 xx

MOUNTAIN DANGER

There was something relaxing about painting Klaus. Maybe it was the intense look I could capture in his eyes, or the slight upturn of his lips as he smirked.

I wondered if our daughter would have his eyes or that same smirk?

I set my brush down and rested my hand over my flat stomach.

"I wonder what your daddy will think about you," I muttered, rubbing my stomach gentle before shaking my head and turning to go back into the house. "Jesus! What are you doing here?"

I was beyond surprised to find Klaus standing in the doorway of the sunroom, his face absolutely livid as his eyes dropped to the hand resting on my stomach.

"Were you going to keep her from me?" he asked, slowly stepping into the room, his hands trailing over the back of the couch as he passed it.

"No! I just didn't know how to tell you. You live a dangerous life, Klaus, I didn't want to bring her into this sort of world." I argued, wrapping my arms around me defensively.

"A world that you also live in, Ethel. I'm not the only one that lives a dangerous life!"

"Yes but you're the one that goes around like a murderous lunatic killing for the fun of it!"

"She's my daughter too!"

"You don't deserve her," I fired back, flinching and shuffling back as he sped towards me, his hand wrapping around my throat.

"Don't," he warned, his fingers gripping onto my throat tighter.

"You … won't pro-protect … her," I gasped out, my hands gripping onto his as I tried to pry his fingers from around my throat.

I could see the anger burning in his eyes and I knew I'd gone too far. His fingers seemed to grip tighter and as they did I felt my neck snap and my breath left me as I went limp in his arms.

I gasped as I woke, my hand resting on my neck before dropping to rest on my stomach. Why did that dream feel real? I didn't even know I was dreaming.

Was it my conscience telling me I should tell Klaus about the baby?

If it was, then it could have done it in a less violent way.

Buzz.

I glanced down at my phone, frowning as Elena was calling me.

There would be no reason why she was calling me unless there was something wrong with Jermey or Jenna and seeing as they were both here, I didn't know what it was she wanted.

"Hello?"

"I need you to come and help me get Stefan back."

Yeah, real blunt. No hello, how are you, are you feeling good this morning, just straight to the bloody point.

"Is that really a good idea?" I asked, climbing out of bed and running my hand through my tangled hair. I grabbed a pair of jeans and a baggy green jumper and set them on my bed ready to put on after my shower.

"It's Stefan! You may not care about him the same way you do for Damon, but he is our family!"

"I meant because it's a full moon tonight," I muttered, feeling annoyed that she currently had a one-track mind. I could understand where she was coming from. My mind had only been on Damon when he got bit and trying to find a way to save him - hence why I married and bound myself to Klaus and why I was now pregnant.

"Oh. I forgot about that." I felt sorry for her, I really did. She'd lost her adoptive parents, her real parents and her boyfriend all within two years and her life had been completely turned upside down these last couple of months. "Will you come with us please?"

"Who's us?"

"Me and Alaric." No Damon? Huh, she must have either not told him because he didn't agree with her and was trying to stop her or they had another argument about his feelings for her.

"I don't have a choice do I?" Because I knew she'd drag me out of the cottage and take me with her even if I tried to stop her. She'd end up guilt-tripping me into going.

"No, you don't."

This was a bad idea. I literally didn't know how many times I could repeat myself to Elena only for her to ignore me. I knew Ric felt the same way by the apologetic looks he was sending me through the hang-mirror.

He didn't want to get me involved in this and I knew that had more to do with Jenna - while they were no longer together he didn't want to cross her and get on her bad side, he was already in enough shit with her.

"We should have at least told Damon," I muttered, not so accidentally kicking the back of Elena's chair in annoyance. Okay, so I was being petty, blame it on the hormones.

Why should I be here risking my life and the life of my daughter because Elena got it into her head that it would be a good idea to save Stefan on a full moon?

Did she think Klaus would be distracted enough by the werewolves that he'd just let Stefan go?

Did she even stop to think that the first place he'd look was Mystic Falls which would lead him right back to her, who was alive? That would ruin her little plan, wouldn't it?

"This is so not worth the drama," I said, making sure she could hear me this time. I shared a look with Alaric, hoping he'd do the right thing and get us out of here, but instead I received a wink from him.

What was that supposed to mean? That could literally mean anything. Hang in there. I'll get us out of this. I'm turning the car around in five minutes. Do you need a toilet break? Look, there are four examples of what it could mean.

"Could you like, not be a bitch for five minutes?" Elena snapped turning around to glare at me. "This is your fault. It should be you out here with Klaus, not Stefan."

Yeah, and could you imagine how well finding out about the pregnancy would have been if I was with Klaus?

Would he have been the one to tell me with all his super senses and all? Would he be able to hear her heartbeat or sensed her with some weird wolfy abilities? Huh. I guess I never really thought about it.

"Wake me up when we get there."

You know, I had better things to do with my time than hike through a dangerous mountain forest on a full moon.

I wonder what Jenna would do to Alaric when she found out he'd been in on Elena's plan.

I guess this also put me in her path of wrath. God, she was going to be a nightmare because she'd be bringing up the baby and how I was being stupid because I'd put myself at risk.

In case you've forgotten, Jenna, I'm a witch. I've cast a few protection spells on myself today.

A loud splash brought my attention to Elena, who, for some reason was sitting in the water with an affronted look on her face. She started arguing with Damon, who appeared stating he knew about her plan and had been following us since we left.

That must have been what Alaric was winking about earlier.

Tilting my head to the side, I gazed off into the woods, ignoring the argument brewing between Elena and Damon as the hairs on my arms grew.

We were close to Klaus.

It wasn't like he was around the corner, but he was in the same mountains as us and I could feel him like he was an extension of my body. Another heart beating against my own. Very cliche but also a good way to detect where he was.

I wonder if he could sense that I was carrying his child.

I was a little too focused on whether Klaus knew I was pregnant and I think it had to do with the dream I had this morning.

Did I want to tell him?

Yes.

Was I afraid to tell him?

Yes.

And this was where I was stuck in a predicament.

I feared his reaction because I already had a feeling he wouldn't be happy about it.

I just needed Elena to stop being a bitch and we could get out of here before anything bad happened.

"I think we should go," I said finally bringing my focus back to the other three. Elena was already out of the water, a frown on her face as she glared at me.

"We're going to stick around for a while," Damon said, also frowning. Had they had a discussion about whether we'd stay or go? Had I missed it while I was stuck in my head?

"Really? Don't you think it's a little dangerous to be sulking around the mountains when we know there's a wolf pack ready to transform at any minute?"

"When she puts it like that, she has a point," Alaric said, sharing a look with Damon.

"Look, we'll stay until the moon's at its highest peak and then we'll go."

I wasn't going to argue with Damon, not when he was already so pissed at Elena, but it seemed like his plan was just as stupid as the doppelgangers.

Two hours and forty-five minutes later and me surprisingly out of breath, Elena decided she needed a breather.

She said that but I knew she was actually scared of the lone howl we'd heard seconds before.

That wasn't good.

The sun was still up, the slow setting causing the sky to turn an orange-pink. It was nowhere near time for werewolves to start transforming.

I could tell that Damon was regretting listening to Elena now. He should have forced her back to the car. Hell, I would have knocked her out with a bit of magic if needed.

"Is it safe to say we can leave?"

"I'm not leaving without Stefan!" Elena spat, her hands resting on her hips as she glared at me.

"I'm not sure if you understand, Elena, but there's a pack of wolves out here that would love to rip us to shreds. Not to mention that if Damon gets bit he's more than likely going to die as we've no longer got our hands on Klaus' blood. If anything Stefan is the safest one at the moment because he's best pals with the hybrid."

"Perhaps we should head back," Alaric said when I finished. He was looking worried and I wondered if he was prepared for what Elena had planned.

"Another thing," I said, taking a step towards her. "What do you think Klaus would do if he saw you alive? I doubt he'd keep you breathing for long so you have a choice to make. Your life or Stefan's and if you say Stefan's you're a lot more stupid than I gave you credit for."

"You little bitc—"

A growl interrupted her and I turned to see what had caught her attention, pausing in shock at the untransformed wolf crouched behind us. He didn't look good, there was blood trailing down his neck and creeping out of his eyes as if he'd been crying.

"Stay where you are," Alaric said, coming up behind Elena, crossbow raised. I was aware of Elena creeping up next to me, her hand hovering next to mine as she watched the wolf carefully.

"Vampire," the wolf said, his eyes set on Damon as he stood next to Elena.

I could already tell that Elena would be in the way as the wolf charged and pulled her out of the way in time to throw a shield up to protect Damon. The wolf bounced off my shield, becoming disoriented as he hit the ground. I was thankful my magic seemed to be working, it had been touch and go for a really long time after my attack where I feared my powers had left me.

Damon sped over and grabbed the wolf which seemed to be a mistake as the wolf pinned Damon to a tree. Alaric was quick to react, shooting the wolf in the back with a bolt and Elena threw a wolfsbane grenade to Damon who smashed it against the wolf's head.

It amazed me how easy we could work together when we put our differences aside.

The wolf crumpled to the ground, fighting off the effects of the wolfsbane. Damon, one to always take his anger out with violence, kicked him when he moved and seemed to knock all the fight out of him.

"Let me guess," Alaric said, looking down at the wolf as he rested his hand on Elena's shoulder in comfort. "Hybrid."

Why hadn't I noticed that? It explained the blood around his eyes and his skittish behaviour and the reason why he seemed less agitated by the rising full moon.

I watched as Damon shrugged and without words, Alaric and Damon tied him up, twisting a bunch of ropes and chains around him and the tree. I didn't bother asking why Alaric had so many ropes in his bag, perhaps it was a hunter thing, but it didn't seem as if using ropes on any supernatural creature would do the trick in all honesty.

"These ropes aren't gonna hold him much longer," Damon said, tightening the ropes around his chest as he shared a look with Alaric. I often wondered how they understood each other with a look. "What else do we have?"

Why was it no one ever asked me to help?

I was a pretty remarkable witch if I did say so myself. Yeah, sure I may have needed a bit of more practice but I was a stronger witch than Bonnie and they always seemed to go to her for help.

"Ric, here. Take these," Elena said, holding out the vervain covered ropes. Damon, the idiot, reached out for them, ignoring the fact that she'd asked Ric to do it.

"Ahh! Ow!" He glared at her as if it was her fault.

"She said Ric," I muttered the same time she said 'I said Ric.' I wasn't laughing too much at him to miss the slight satisfaction in Ric's eyes as he took the ropes from Elena. I bet he loved it when Damon did stupid things that got him hurt.

"All right, let me see," Ric muttered as he started wrapping the rope around the wolf. "All right, that's the last of the vervain. We don't have enough stuff to hold him off."

I was beyond the point of telling them I was here. It was like I got ignored when I pointed out that I was a witch. If they didn't want my help why did Elena ask me to come?

You know what. If they didn't want my help then I wasn't going to offer it. Call me harsh, but if they were going to ignore the fact that I was the most powerful being here, then they could learn from their mistakes.

"I don't think we're going to make that ridge before the full moon," Ric added, looking up at the sun as it started its descent into setting.

"I did say this wasn't a good idea," I muttered, crossing my arms as I leaned against a tree, watching them from a slight distance. I wasn't comfortable getting too close to the rabid hybrid and I didn't understand why they were standing so close to him either.

"If we can get him to talk, we don't have to." There goes Elena with her great mighty plans.

"And how do you intend to do that?" I asked, rolling my eyes as she glared at me over her shoulder. "We've used the last of our vervain, we have hardly any wolfsbane left and he's a supernatural creature, a hybrid. I doubt two humans and a vampire stand much chance against him."

She ignored me as she turned back to the hybrid, her hand reaching out to touch him when he gasped away, his neck cracking to the side as his transformation began.

He screamed out in pain and I cringed as I remembered how Klaus felt the first time he transformed. That had been painful and I wasn't even the wolf.

"Is he turning?" My god. Why were the people I knew so stupid?

"That's impossible, it's still daylight." Thank you for pointing out the obvious Elena.

"Tell him that," Ric said looking on in disgust. At least it seemed Alaric wasn't stating obvious things.

"It's part of the hybrid transformation," I muttered, taking a step back as the wolf thrashed against his ropes. "His body, the wolf side if fighting against the vampire blood. It sets off an early transformation."

"How did you know that?" Elena asked. I actually had no clue. I just knew. "There aren't supposed to be werewolves out here until the moon is full!"

"Technically the moon is full," I said, giving a shrug at the 'really' look Damon sent me as he struggled to hold the wolf. "It's true. The moon just hasn't risen yet."

"You know, those ropes aren't gonna hold the wolf." And there Alaric goes stating the obvious. We could clearly see that the ropes weren't going to hold our new friend, he didn't need to point it out.

"Damon, we've gotta get out of here." At last! Elena was starting to make sense. "We've gotta get out of these mountains now!"

"We wouldn't be in this situation if you listened to me," I muttered, grabbing my bag off the floor and following a retreating Alaric out of the area.

"Damon, now!" I heard Elena shout before they were both following after us as we ran the direction we'd slowly trekked earlier.

I wasn't liking this whole, run for your life thing.

How long had it taken us to get here? Around three hours? Was it me or was there the feeling that perhaps we weren't going to make it out of this alive?

Why did they think we'd be able to make it back to the car and out of here within a couple of minutes when it took us so long to get here?

And to make things much worse, it's like the night descended upon us without warning. How long had we been running? Half an hour tops?

"Urgh!" I hesitated behind Elena as she fell, coming to a stop next to her.

"Holy shit!" I exclaimed as I reached down to help her up, freezing upon the aggressive wolf towering over her crouched form.

"Don't move," Damon warned her and she slowly lifted her head up. Why did she move?

The wolf turned to Damon, debating whether to go after a vampire or an easier prey that was already vulnerable. As if I was in tune with the wolf, I jumped the same time he did, getting between Elena and the wolf.

I gasped in pain as the wolf's teeth sunk into my neck and unexpectedly flung him away with my magic upon the contact. I frowned as the wolf turned back to me, his teeth bare as he stalked towards me, ready for another bite.

"Here doggie, doggie," Damon cooed, speeding off, the wolf following him, no doubt in the mindset to hunt down a vampire.

"Oh my god," Elena cried, her hands resting on my neck as she pulled me to rest against her chest. "Why did you do that?"

"You might be annoying, but you don't deserve to die," I muttered, winching in pain as Alaric dabbed a wet cloth against my neck.

"We have to keep moving," he said, helping me to my feet sharing a look with me. Had I been initiated into the 'shared look' club? I defo felt like I knew what he was saying.

"We can't leave Damon!" Elena argued and I almost rolled my eyes. This was what Ric was talking about. Damon was capable of making his own decisions and if he wanted to save us, then that was his choice.

"He can handle himself, let's move."

"No. If he gets bit, he'll be dead," she argued again. "I'm the reason he's out here."

"I told you that earlier," I muttered feeling weaker now as I lost more blood.

"I'm the reason he's out here!" Ric argued back, making me feel worse as I followed their argument like they were playing tennis. It was making me feel sick. "I told him where we were, and I'm telling you to keep moving. Let's go." I was all up for following him. "Elean, now! Effie's losing too much blood."

It was suddenly like she realised I was still here, bleeding out. Bitch, I got this injury saving your life. The least you could do is fucking leave so I can heal this shit.

Thank you for reading xx