Bit of a long one. Really need to start editing old chapters.
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Klaus was now very close to finding a pack of werewolves to turn into hybrids. Moving off from Southern Comfort they were now trekking through the Smoky Mountains on the Tennessee-North Carolina border. Sabrina followed before Klaus and Stefan, as they walked the planes of the biosphere reserve, the latter one of which was carrying an unconscious Ray on his back.
She'd been listening to their ongoing conversation to while simultaneously trying her best to ignore the back and forth semi-hostile conversation. Fiddling with her ring that was now hung around her neck on a chain was one way of zoning out, it seemed to working too well as she almost bumped into Stefan when the pair came to a halt.
In front of them was a campsite filled with people who were busy getting on with their day. Their attention didn't seem to drift till Stefan moved closer in carrying Ray which then caused their heads to turn. Dropping him to the ground a woman came running up to him.
"Ray! Oh, my God. What's going on?" he asked in surprise, lifting her head, looking up at Stefan who was now joined by Sabrina and Klaus. "Who are you?"
"The important question is who am I." Klaus moved forward taking the attention the women gave Stefan. "Please forgive the intrusion. My name is Klaus."
"You're the hybrid." Her noted causing a large grin to appear on Klaus' face.
"You've heard of me," he began with a smirk. "Fantastic."
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Ray's body lay on the ground, the whole pack watched attentively as Klaus and Stefan sat on a large log in the middle of the of the wooded area. Sabrina watched with them as she leaned up against a tree.
"It's fascinating, actually, a werewolf who isn't beholden to the moon, a vampire who doesn't burn in the sun," he said looking at the woman who ran to Ray. "A true hybrid."
Ray let out a large gasp of air as his back arched off the ground just as Klaus was done explaining. "Excellent timing, Ray. Very dramatic."
"What's happening to me?" Ray asked between gasps.
"Stefan?" Klaus turned to the fellow vampire sat beside him. Stefan go up from the log and walking up to Ray and began addressing the camp.
"Are any of you human? Your friend here needs human blood to complete his transition to vampire. If he doesn't get it, he will die," he announced to the wolves around him.
"Doesn't take much, just a sip. Anyone?" Klaus added on as he got up standing to join Stefan. "A boyfriend, a girlfriend, along for the ride?"
Sabrina's eyes met his before quickly looking down. Right now she was the only human he knew and she wouldn't put it past him to use her. It was eriely silent, no one spoke, no one volunteered.
"You."
The sudden voice caught her attention, looking back up as Klaus sped past her over to a man and bit into his arm, he groaned in pain as Klaus passed him over to Stefan, who pinned him to the ground in front of Ray holding the wounded arm out in front of him.
"No!" cried out the only other person who'd spoken in the pack. She ran forward but wasn't quick enough. Klaus' hand grabbed hold of her neck, preventing her from taking another step forward.
"If you don't drink it, Ray, I will. Problem is I don't know how to stop." Stefan told him as he held down the other man.
Klaus looked at the women, she looked at him with anger and hatred. "It's the new order, sweetheart. You join us, or you die."
"I'd rather die than be a vampire." She seethed.
"Wrong choice." His eyed began to turn yellow, dark veins appeared below them. Biting his wrist, her pressed the flowing blood into her mouth. "She'll thank me for that later." Klaus said before snapping her neck.
Letting her drop to the floor, he turned his attention back to the rest of the camp as his full hybrid feature came out. "Okay, who's next?"
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The scene around her made her want to throw up in disgust. Ray had fed of the human in the pack, Stefan having done his job now leaned on the other side of the tree Sabrina was propped up against.
Bodies of the pack members were laid out on the ground unconscious. Klaus finished giving them his blood and snapping the necks. Getting ready to feed them human blood when they woke, Klaus began heeling the human.
"There. Good as new. Now you relax, okay, mate? We're gonna need you when the rest of them wake up."
Sabrina couldn't help the instinctive face she made as she watched him compel the poor man. "Enough with the look of repulsion love, be grateful we're able to use Derek here and not you."
"And would you use me if he wasn't?" She had dropped the subject yesterday but it resurfaced at this moment and this time it seemed like she was going to get her answer.
But it never came. "They're dead. They're all dead," Ray interrupted. He was sat on the log near Sabrina and Stefan, holding is body as she shivered.
Klaus turned his attention to Ray.
"He's through his transition," Klaus said titling his head, observing the werewolf. "He should be feeling better soon."
Sabrina pushed off the tree and kneeled down in front of Ray. Throughout the summer she'd be spared the sigh of dead and bloodied victims, but within a 24hr period she had witnessed Ray being tortured, killed and sit helplessly as the rest of his pack endured the same fate as him.
"Hey Ray." His head shot up at the sound of her soft voice, showing no signs on aggression as he looked at her as the two men on either side of her continued their discussion.
"So is this your master plan? Build an army of hybrid slaves?" Stefan questioned.
"No, not slaves. Soldiers, comrades."
"For what war, might I ask?"
"Oh, you don't arm yourself after war has been declared, Stefan. You build your army so big that no one ever dares pick a fight." Sabrina couldn't help but lightly smile as she picked up on Klaus' insecurity.
"What makes you so sure that they'll be loyal?"
"Well, it's not difficult to be loyal when you're on the winning team. That's something you'll learn once you shake that horribly depressive chip off your shoulder." The back and forth bickering made them unaware to the change in Ray.
"Sabrina," he whimpered.
It went unnoticed by the two of them. Stefan laughed at Klaus' comment but Sabrina's attention was back on the werewolf.
Sabrina sat up on her knees and rubbed Ray's shoulders in an attempt to sooth him.
"That's why you're, uh you're keeping me around? To witness my attitude adjustment?" Stefan asked still not paying attention to the sick werewolf not too far from him.
The shift in Sabrina's movements were enough to catch Klaus' eye. He grabbed Ray's face and began to examine him. "You'll know why I'm keeping you around when I've decided that I want you to know." He answered, more concerned about the werewolf with blood trickling down his eyes.
"Something's wrong. That shouldn't be happening should it?" Sabrina asks noticing the.
Ray's head turned back to her. "Sabrina."
"You remember me?" she asked him in the same quite voice as before, not wanting to startle him.
"Hard to forget a pretty girl like you." She smiled in response to the complement.
Ray seemed a little at ease from taking to her. Sabrina felt herself relax a little knowing she could maybe do something to help. She looked up at Klaus seeking permission to continue with the distraction. He nodded picking up on her idea.
Sabrina rummaged in her mind to think of something else she could say to comfort him. "You said you'd show me around. Still up for it?"
"Is that a yes?"
"After all this is over, okay Ray?"
Ray nodded as a small smile began forming on his face. It stayed there for less than a second before he turned back to his distraught state.
"He said it was gonna feel better. Why doesn't it feel better?" Ray began shaking. Sabrina looked at Klaus in worry.
"Some master race."
"Lose the attitude." Klaus' tone suggested he was in no mood for Stefan's comments.
"Both of you stop it!" Sabrina snapped looking between the two.
Silence graced the campsite for a brief moment until an audible gasp came from the unconscious werewolf on the ground.
"Derek, come feed your girlfriend." Klaus' voice triggered Derek's compulsion. Getting up from the ground he began walking to the women as the three watched.
The distraction caused Sabrina to be caught of guard and fall back as Ray let out a snarl and used whatever supernatural abilities he had to jump over various obstacles and run off.
Both Sabrina's and Stefan's turned to look at Klaus. "Go get him."
Stefan didn't need to be told twice as he ran off to retrieve the werewolf.
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"Did you know these mountains are home to the densest Black Bear population within the Eastern United States?" The silence between the two was reaching its awkward phase. "Knowing my luck, I'll probably get mulled to death."
"Go on say it." Stefan said as him and Sabrina hiked through woods.
"Say what, Stefan?" she questioned while looking around, trying to be alert for any sighs of Ray or the bear that she had suddenly become paranoid about.
"Aren't you going to give me another lecture on my immoral behaviour?" he jested.
Sabrina took a deep sigh hearing the amusement in his voice. "It won't change anything. If Klaus asks you to kill another 20 people, you'll still do it."
"You want to share that with Elena, let her know I'm a lost cause."
"Oh Stefan," she began with a light laugh. "I haven't given up. If anyone can break whatever this is, it's her."
"You sound very sure of that."
"I'm not your keeper, but I owe it to Elena and Damon to remind you of who you once were. If you can hold onto any shred of humanity maybe there is more than hope for you."
She heard Stefan scoff beside her.
"Lexi would have probably said the same," she remarked. "Well she probably would have knocked some actual sense into you first before tying you to a chair. But I get the feeling if I were to even attempt that you'd break my arm." The wavering expression on his returned.
"Am I right Stefan?" she raised her brow. He didn't answer.
Sabrina smiled. She was making some kind of progress and being without Klaus' presence was he perfect time. But it all came to a standstill. No words came out when her mouth opened, instead a throbbing pain wormed it was through her head, causing her to stop in her tracks.
She squinted her eyes close and pressed her hand to her forehead to try and ease the pain.
"Sabrina?" Stefan turned around when he noticed the girl was now a few steps behind him. "Sabrina come on, don't fight it."
"Here, doggie, doggie."
"We can't leave Damon."
"If he gets bit, he's dead"
Sabrina let out a yelp as the pounding in her head slowly began to stop. Opening her eyes, she held on to Stefan for support. "You need to find Damon."
Sabrina began to steady herself and get her breath back. "Now Stefan!"
Registering the urgency, he nodded before vampire speeding off to find his brother.
The remnants of the headache were still there but she was still able to walk steady. Straightening herself up she continued to weave through the trees. While she knew Ray wasn't on her trail she still was a little warry and silently cursed herself for the added fear of a bear.
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A dark figure made its way to the car parked by the entrance of the alps. The headlights shone on her as the two inside the car jumped in their seats from the silhouette.
Sabrina took a few more steps coming in fruition. Elena wasted no time in opening the door and running to the girl, embracing her in a hug.
"Sabrina!"
"Hey Elena." She held her tight. She looked up and saw Alaric stood by the hood of the car.
"Alaric." She greeted her friend with a smile as Elena and her let go of each other.
The two walked forward meeting halfway. Sabrina wrapped her arms him, his larger arms engulfing her small frame.
"I've missed you." She mumbled into his shirt.
"You've got a lot to explain to Mrs. Lockwood," he told her with a laugh as they stood opposite each other.
She laughed with him. It felt almost as if things were back to normal for a few seconds. The moment ended sooner than it began. The sound of footsteps where heard walking behind the car. "Damon?" Elena turned to walk to him. "Are you okay? Did you-"
"Fine, bite-free. Get back in the car, please." He cut her off.
"Can you just give me a minute to appreciate that you're not dead?" she asked.
"I'll give you 10 seconds. 9, 8..." He took hold of her by the shoulders turning her around walking her to the car. "Hey, Ric, did you happen to see where I parked my car?"
"Damon, stop being such a caveman."
Alaric looked at Sabrina who was stood beside him, she had a small on her face as she watched the two in their little quarrel. "Go." She told him quietly, reassuring him she'd be fine.
Elena and Alaric got into the car as Sabrina walked around to the side. "I'm guessing I have you to thank for Stefan coming to my rescue?"
She stood in front of Damon and gave him a nod. "I'm glad you're safe Damon."
Sabrina knew the look Damon had meant he had questions. But this wasn't the time to have a catch up, he needed to get Elena home.
"Let me know when you get home." She told him giving a quick peck on the cheek. Leaving him in the field, Sabrina walked back into the woods.
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Taking orienteering classes back in school had its uses, the dark and thick woods didn't do much to help but nonetheless she found her way back the campsite.
What was once a place that had signs of life now looked like a massacre. Dead bodies lied scattered around the site, it was an unnervingly feeling illuminated by the moon that shone down. Looking up from the ground Sabrina saw Klaus walking off in the distance while Stefan was holding a beer bottle.
Taking another look at the dead werewolves, she couldn't help but feel a little disheartened for the hybrid who held so much hope on this working.
"I'm sorry." She found Klaus stood in the middle of the clearing away from the campsite. He turned around to look at her.
"You don't have to pretend you wanted this to work," he growled at her.
Her assumption was right, there was sadness masked in his anger at the loss of his hybrids. "But I did."
Klaus looked surprise by her response and by the soft tone that went along with it. He walked up to her standing in front of her "We'll find a way, Klaus."
She always did have a good grasp on premediating things and this was one of these moments. A brief pause followed before she continued. "Call it an intuition."
His fingers took hold of the ring hanging on her neck she made no indication to move nor anything to suggest she was frightened by his current state. He fiddled with it for a bit before dropping it.
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A/N: Off to Chicago we go!
-Amara.