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Getting to the city jail was a mission in itself, weaving through the town square, keeping a watchful eye just in case she bumped in to Carol. Once inside it didn't take long to find where Elena and Lexi had taken Stefan.
"Now he's at nine months." She heard a family voice echo along with the sound of Stefan's groans. "Two years."
Sabrina walked into the dim lit room to see Stefan chained to a chair. Elena and Lexi turned around at the sound of her heels tapping on the stone flooring.
"You came?" A weak smile rose of Elena's face as she felt some ease from Sabrina's presence.
"You call and I shall appear," she replied leaning against the door frame.
"Hello Lexi," she smiled at the blonde. She reciprocated, leaving Stefan to give the girl a small hug.
"How far along is he now?" Sabrina enquired as another groan came from Stefan as he pulled on the chains.
"Five."
"Did I ever tell you how glad I am that you're dead?" he seethed as the three girls stood and watched.
"Oh. I missed you, too, friend," she answered in a cheerful tone.
Amongst Stefan's agonising cries Elena walked out as her phone rang, leaving Sabrina with Lexi.
Leaning back against the wall with her arms folded Sabrina watched the blonde do her thing. "You're amazing at this you know?"
"You put up with this for an entire summer, that's pretty impressive," the blonde complemented back.
"Yeah...it didn't help."
"Something you said got to him," she told her. "Got into his head. I can sense it."
Sabrina pondered for a bit she felt a little satisfaction knowing that all her little speeches did have an effect on him.
Lexi walked around the room and stood behind Stefan. Covered in sweat and panting his eyes darted to Elena who walked back into the room. "Elena, Elena, I'm hurting. Please help me."
"Don't listen. Shut him out," Lexi instructed.
"I am helping you, Stefan," Elena replied staying close to Sabrina
"I'll do anything. I'll change. I promise." His breathing was still unstable as he pleaded.
"It's a lie. He'll say anything right now," Lexi said sternly walking back as Elena took a few steps forward.
"Elena, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Just make it stop. Please, just make it stop."
"You have to separate yourself from your emotions. Don't let him play on them." Lexi leaned in closer to Elena.
"Hey, look at me. Look at me." Looking away from Lexi, Elena gave into this plea. "Elena. I love you, okay? I love you. I love you so much. I love you so much, Elena."
"I'm sorry, Stefan, I just don't believe you."
Elena's denial caused his mood and tone to change in an instant. "You know what? I don't want your help, anyway. I wish I'd never met you. Every single moment that I've spent with you has been a complete and total waste."
Sabrina watched the interaction. Her eyes moving to Lexi who came beside her and picked up a stake.
"You see that?" she asked Elena, walking up to Stefan with the hidden weapon. "That's the ripper talking. Once he's weak enough, you have to cause him pain. Make him feel things. Anger, rage, anything. You have to make him see past the blood."
Stefan breathed out another groan as Lexi drove the stake she was holding through his body. He screamed out in pain as she pulled it back out.
"Think of it as a regimen. Day in and day out. Like running the treadmill. Like making coffee," Lexi explained. Unsure if it was the coffee comment, Sabrina began wondering if there was anything she could actually do to help Lexi.
"Until he's ready to be saved," she concluded.
"I will rip you apart, Lexi!" Stefan yelled as Lexi positioned the stake towards his chest.
"You can't. I'm already dead." Like before the action of the stake caused a snarl like scream mixed in a groan of pain to be emitted for Stefan.
"I can't." Elena burst out, shaking her head in panic as she ran out of the cell. Lexi turned around to watch her leave. Lexi tilted her head in slight confusion as she she saw Sabrina close her eyes for a few seconds before opening them again.
A loud cry came from Stefan once more. "Sabrina!"
"You lean fast," Lexi grinned looking back at the brunette.
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"Quit fighting me, Stefan. I know you're in there."
Sabrina knew this was a long process but it didn't mean she wasn't getting bored.
Stefan looked defeated as Lexi's torture went on. Not anymore, Lexi."
The sound of a grunt and the stifle of pain drew her attention back at Lexi who pushed the stake into Stefan once more.
"You wasted your whole life taking care of me. Now you're dead and you still have nothing better to do."
"You are so ungrateful. Lexi's doing this because she cares about you. Do you have any idea how much you owe her?" Stefan's behaviour was starting to get on Sabrina's nerves.
"She found you in 1864, helped you come back from your ripper moment in 1935, she even tried to help with your relationship with Damon in 1942," Sabrina snapped as she walked closer to him.
"Lexi has always been there for you and the fact that she's willing to do this despite all your taunting shows how much of a good friend she is. You might not appreciate this but the Stefan underneath his ripper exterior will. That doesn't mean I'm going to stand here and watch you treat her like this," she finished as she pulled the stake back out before pushing it back in.
"We're running out of time," Elena's voice called as she ran into the room as Stefan withered in pain.
Lexi knew what this meant. "You've got to get me more."
"I can't."
"No! No...not until I break through."
"I can't, Lexi. They have the necklace. They're going to close the door."
"The necklace. Okay." Lexi turned to Stefan and knelt down in front of him in an attempt to try once more to get through go Stefan "That necklace. At least tell me you remember how you felt about that. You found it during your darkest time. And you said, when you made it through, that that necklace represented hope."
They all watched for his reply in apprehension.
"Ironic, then, that it's about to be blown to pieces."
Those weren't the words they were hoping to hear. Lexi raised her head before getting up. "He's still in there, Elena. You just have to break through."
"It's okay, Lexi, I know what to do now. You can be free." Lexi nodded and turned to Sabrina.
"You're doing good." Sabrina scoffed and shook her head. "No, you really are. And I know you miss her but I think there's someone else right now who is in need of a friend like you."
She took one last look a Stefan before she disappearing.
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"How close am I to being fired for ditching the light festival?" Sabrina asked as she and Alaric walked through the tunnels under the Lockwood Mansion to meet with Damon.
"Relax. I don't think she noticed with everything that was going on."
"You're here. It's about time." They found Damon was sat on a step. He stood up as the two walked over behind him.
Alaric switched off his torch once they got closer. "Didn't have anyone else to call?"
"No, actually, I didn't," he began as Alaric walked down past him. "'Cause I need a non-vampire to get in the cave, and other than Elena, you're pretty much the only two I trust."
"Well, you have a crappy way of showing that." Sabrina took a few steps forward, standing between them she watched her two friends try and sort out their friendship.
"Look, if Mason Lockwood can get over the fact that I killed him, can't you cut me a little slack, Ric?"
"I shouldn't have to get over it. I was your friend, Damon. You shouldn't have done it in the first place."
"Well! Sometimes," Sabrina got herself ready to hear this apology. "I do things I don't have to do."
"You're going to recycle that same crap-ass apology Sabrina forced you to give Mason Lockwood?"
"Yeah, well...I didn't mean it with him." The satire in his voice matched his expression.
Sabrina arched her eyebrow with a smile as Alaric looked at her. "This is the best one I've seen, take it before it's too late," she hummed with a grin.
Alaric hid a small smile on his face as he turned and walked to entrance to the cave. Turning the torch back on he looked into the hole.
Sabrina took a step to follow Alaric but quickly halted in her stride.
"You okay?" Damon asked seeing her wobbly slightly.
"Yeah...fine," she replied steadying herself against the wall as she began to feel a little disorientated. Taking a breath in she continued following Alaric.
"So was Mason screwing with me, or is there something in there?" Damon's voice called from the outside of the cave.
"Sabrina? Ric?" Alaric shone the torch around.
"This is amazing," Sabrina mumbled as the light reflected different markings all across the interior of the cave. She stopped walking behind Alaric and stood against the wall as an onslaught of another headache starting making its way.
"We found something," Alaric marvelled.
"What is it?"
"I have no idea."
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