Apocalypse
Chapter 6: The End of The Affair Part 2
Chicago Circa 1920
In the bar Gloria is singing another song. A waiter is pouring champagne on a champagne tower. Rebekah is dancing with a man but is looking at Stefan who is at the bar, drinking with his friends. She stops dancing and joins Stefan and his friends.
"Sorry to crash the fun, boys, but some of us actually came here to hear the music. Not you," Rebekah said.
"I am so sorry, sweetheart. Are we offending you?" Stefan asked and his friends laugh. She touches his face.
"It would take a lot more than a baby face like this to offend me," Rebekah said and was about to leave.
"Ahem. Hey, hey. You ever going to tell me your name?" He asked.
"Sure. When you earn it. Now do Gloria a favor and stick a sock in it," Rebekah taunted and went back to the dance-floor and continues dancing with the man from before.
Gloria's Bar
Klaus and Stefan enter the bar. It's dim, quiet, and empty.
"Looks familiar, doesn't it?" Klaus states knowingly.
"I can't believe this place is still here," Stefan mutters.
"You got to be kidding me!" Gloria shouts and Klaus smiles.
"So a hybrid walks into a bar, says to the bartender..." Klaus says smirking.
"Stop. You may be invincible, but that doesn't make you funny," Gloria cuts him off and looks at Stefan. "I remember you."
"Yeah. You're Gloria. Shouldn't you be..." Stefan insinuated.
"Old and dead? Now if I die, who's going to run this place, huh?" Gloria asks.
"Gloria's a very powerful witch," Klaus pointed out.
"I can slow the aging down some. Herbs and spells. But don't worry, it'll catch up to me one day," Gloria explained.
"Stefan, why don't you go and fix us up a little something from behind the bar?" Klaus gestured for Stefan to get busy.
"Yeah, sure thing," Stefan agreed and goes to the bar. Klaus looks at Gloria.
"You look ravishing, by the way," Klaus complimented.
"Don't. I know why you're here. A hybrid out to make more hybrids? That kind of news travels."
"So what am I doing wrong? I broke the curse," Klaus tells her, frustration evident. Stefan is using his super hearing to eavesdrop.
"Obviously you did something wrong. Look, every spell has a loophole, but a curse that old...We'd have to contact the witch who created it," Gloria told Klaus.
"Well, that would be the original witch. She's very dead," Klaus said.
"I know. And for me to contact her, I'll need help. Bring me Rebekah," Gloria asked. Stefan notices a photo on the wall and pulls it off to look at it.
"Rebekah," Klaus started. "Rebekah is a bit preoccupied."
"She has what I need. Bring her to me," Gloria demanded. Stefan looks up from the photo.
"What is this?" Stefan asked while holding up the photo.
"Well, I told you, Stefan. Chicago's a magical place," Klaus grinned.
"But this is me. With you." He shows him the picture. It's a picture of Stefan with his arm around Klaus's shoulders in the 1920s.
Forbes Residence
Liz is leaving a voicemail message for Caroline., worry obvious in her tone.
"Caroline! It's mom. Just coming up for air after a few all-nighters at the station. I thought we'd have lunch and you could remind me I promised not to work so hard," Liz said to Caroline's voicemail as Tyler knocks on the door.
Cellar
The window slats open again to let in the sun. Caroline again burns in the sun. She cries.
"No! Please! Stop! Please stop! Please!" Caroline begs. Bill releases the chain, closing the slats and the cellar goes dim. "I don't hurt anyone, I swear. Dad, I swear. I can handle the urges. I can!"
"If you could handle it, this wouldn't happen," Bill told her as he took the knife and sliced down Bella's arm. This made her groan in her sleep and jostle the knife still in her thigh. Bella's blood ran and Bill pushed the bleeding girl closer to Caroline. Veins appear under her eyes.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Caroline cried.
"I'm conditioning you to associate vampirism with pain, in time, the thought of human blood will make you repress your vampire instincts completely," Bill explained.
"That's impossible. Daddy, you can't change who I am," Caroline shouted.
"Yes, I can," Bill said with no emotion.
"No you can't. And why is she even here? She is innocent. This is far worse than being a vampire," Caroline argued.
"You remember this feeling?" Bill asked as he ignored her question.
"No! No! No! No, no!" Caroline screamed as he pulls on the chain again to let in the sun. Her skin burns and bleed as she screams. Bella woke up for a moment to witness Caroline's suffering before she passed out again due to her own agony and the smell of blood wafting in the air.
Apartment in Chicago
Elena and Damon are walking along the hall in an apartment building.
"Stefan could live anywhere in Chicago and he chose this?" Elena asks.
"There used to be an all-girls high school around the corner, but it shut down for attendance issues. Weird." Damon pointed out.
"If you're trying to scare me into giving up and going back, it's not going to work," Elena argued. Damon puts his index finger to his lips in a motion to keep quiet.
"Shh," Damon told her and then he breaks the lock and opens the door. "Here we are. Stefan's second personality home." They enter and look around.
"He obviously hasn't been here," Elena said as she looked around the dusty apartment.
"Tour is not over yet," Damon told her. He goes toward a wall shelf panel next to the refrigerator, puts his hand to the edge of the panel and pulls. The panel swivels open to reveal a dark back room. Damon motions to it, walks inside, and pulls a light cord. The light reveals there's a lot of alcohol on shelves against the back wall.
"Stefan hid his alcohol. What a monster," Elena deadpanned.
"Look harder," Damon ordered. She gets closer and sees a list of names, starting with Giuseppe Salvatore, John Beach, Randy Smith, Danah Leach, Terrilyn Henson, Catherine Marid, Matthew Wagner, Michael Reddinton, Christian David, Dianne Wagner, Ashley Holliday.
"It's a list of names," Elena pointed out the obvious.
"Mm-hmm."
"These are all of his victims?" Elena spoke the realization in horror. The names are written in three columns and are about a hundred in number.
"Still handling it?" He asked her. She seems momentarily shocked, then turns around and speaks to Damon.
"What were you doing in the 1920s? Paving the way for women's liberation?" Elena turned on him.
"I was around. Chicago's a big city. Stefan was a cocky ripper douche. But I could avoid him and still indulge in a few Daisy Buchanans of my own," he admitted freely. She seems disgusted.
"Where are you going?" Elena asked.
"His old stomping ground," Damon told her.
"I'm coming with you," Elena said.
"No. You stay here and whip up an actual plan. I'll come back when I find him," Damon negotiated and he left the apartment.
Chicago
Stefan and Klaus are walking in a warehouse. Stefan is still holding the photo.
"This doesn't make any sense. Why don't I remember you?" Stefan questioned.
"You said it yourself: that time had a lot of dark holes," Klaus pointed out.
"No, if you knew me, then why haven't you said anything?" Stefan pushed further.
"I'm a little busy right now. Memory Lane will have to wait," Klaus stated.
"What the hell is going on? Answer me," Stefan ordered.
"Let's just say we didn't get off to a brilliant start. To be honest, I hated you," Klaus admitted.
Chicago Circa 1920
Stefan is drinking blood from a women. Rebekah joins in on the other side of her neck. Rebekah and Stefan kiss. He sees her necklace. It's the one he offered to Elena.
"It's beautiful," Stefan flattered her.
"A witch gave it to me. Supposedly it's magical," Rebekah admitted.
"And is it?" Stefan asked curiously.
"It brought me love, didn't it?" She teased. Klaus arrives and catches her.
"It's late, Rebekah, we're leaving," Klaus demanded and he tugs her arm.
"Get off of me!" Rebekah yells at him. Stefan gets up to defend her.
"Who is this guy?" Stefan demands.
"Stefan, don't. He'll kill you. He's a lot stronger than he looks," Rebekah begged him to stand down. Stefan doesn't listen and is standing behind Rebekah, and has his left hand protectively on her shoulder.
"So this is the famous Stefan Salvatore. I've been hearing so much about. You're right, he does have funny hair. I'm bored. I want to go," Klaus ordered her.
"Then go without me, I'm not your girlfriend," Rebekah sassed.
"No, you're my sister, which means...You have to do as I say," Klaus commands and he pulls her over to him so they're both facing Stefan.
Chicago
"Your sister. So, I knew another Original vampire," Stefan said clearly shocked.
"If you can't handle it, then don't ask," Klaus said and then he walks over to a number of coffins which contain Original vampires. Klaus opens one. Rebekah is lying dead in it with a dagger stabbed in her chest. He smiles and gently touches her face.
"I don't recognize her," Stefan said.
"Well, don't tell her that. Rebekah's temper is worse than mine," Klaus chuckled. Then he pulls the dagger out of her chest. "Time to wake up, little sister. Any day now, Rebekah." She's still lying there dead. He looks at Stefan. "She's being dramatic."
"Look, why don't you just tell me what the hell is going on? I mean, you obviously want me here for a reason, right?" Stefan asked.
"Well, you have many useful talents," Klaus pointed out nonchalantly.
"Do I?" Stefan asked confused.
"In fact, I learned some of my favorite tricks from you," Klaus admitted.
Forbes Residence
Liz and Tyler began discussion over who took Caroline when a loud and frantic knocking came from the front door.
"You wait here Tyler while I see who this is," Liz ordered the young man. Liz grabbed her police issued gun and loaded it with wooden bullets before she went to her front door. She slid the gun into the back waistband of her pants so that it was out of sight. She looked through the peep hole and was quite surprised.
"Who is it?" Tyler asked.
"Chief Swan, Andie Starr's relative," Liz explained before she opened the door. "Chief Swan, this is unexpected. Why don't you come in?"
"Do you want to know what is really unexpected? The fact that I just found evidence that your ex-husband Bill Forbes was the one to kidnap my daughter. Explain."
Chicago Circa 1920
Klaus is sitting in the bar on one side of a table with Stefan and Rebekah on the other.
"So Stefan, enlighten me. What makes you worthy of an Original like my sister? She's pure vampire and you're no more than a diluted bloodline," Klaus taunted.
"Don't listen to him, Stefan. Nik's an elitist," Rebekah said, clearly agitated with her brother.
"Hmm. And where's the rest of your family?" Stefan asked.
"Well, let's see. Um...I killed most of them," Klaus confessed.
"But not all," Rebekah added.
"And you're okay with that?" Stefan asked sounding dubious.
"Well, we all had the chance to choose a side. I chose the right one, eventually," Rebekah explained. She touches Klaus's hand. A man stops by their table.
"Where the hell's my wife?" The man shouts.
"I don't know. I give up," Stefan chuckles at the man.
"You think you're so tough? Hiding in your bar, drinking your liquor? A telephone call to Chicago P.D. might set you straight," the man threatens.
"Ooh!" Klaus let out curious to see how this would play out. Klaus and Rebekah laugh. Stefan calls over a woman.
"Lila? Lila, please. Come here for a second," Stefan calls.
"Oh, thank God. Come on, we're leaving," the man tells his wife. The man starts to leave with her but Stefan reaches his arm out to stop him.
"Oh, no, no, no, no. No. You're sitting," Stefan compels him. The man sits down next to Klaus and Lila next to Stefan. He takes off her glove and takes a pen knife from his jacket pocket.
"Stefan, don't be mean," Rebekah chastised.
"What the hell are you doing?" The man asks nervous for his wife and himself. Klaus seems intrigued. Stefan cuts Lila's wrist and the blood pours into a champagne glass. Klaus and Rebekah smile.
"Thank you so much, Lila. Why don't you go and bandage that up?" Stefan orders. She gets up and leaves.
"I'd like you to join me for a drink," Stefan compels the man. He gives him the glass containing the blood of his wife.
"What kind of sick freaks are you?" The man exclaimed.
"I said, drink!" Stefan shouts at the man. He shakily raises the glass to his lips and takes a sip of his wife's blood. He coughs and gags.
"I didn't catch your name," Stefan says.
"Go to hell," the man coughs again. Klaus laughs.
"Do you want another sip?" Stefan asked.
"Liam. Liam Grant," the man admitted.
"Liam Grant! Have another sip, Liam," Stefan compelled again. Klaus clinks his champagne glass on Liam's glass. Liam shakily raises the glass. "Finish it." Liam swallows all the blood in one gulp. Klaus laughs.
Chicago
Back in the warehouse Klaus is walking towards the exit with Stefan following behind.
"I was your number one fan," Klaus told Stefan.
"Why should I believe any of this?" Stefan asks in disbelief. Klaus stops in front of a guardman and compels him.
"When she wakes up, tell her to meet us at Gloria's Bar. Then volunteer your carotid artery and let her feed until you die," Klaus compels and the guardman nods.
"Where are you going?" Stefan asks in frustration.
"You think I'm lying, Stefan. You and I knew each other. You trusted me with one of your secrets and now I'm going to prove it to you."
"How?"
"We're going to your old apartment."
Cellar
Bella's head rolled and the pain from her injurious set in. The blonde girl across from her with the vampiric tendencies that were different that the cold one was passed out cold from her pain. That is interesting that her kind can feel pain and enter unconsciousness.
"Good you are awake, momentarily," her captor whispered.
"Why am I even here?" Bella asked, her voice croaked due to underuse.
"Would you believe me if I said wrong time and place?" Bill questioned the girl.
"No, it is always something more," Bella answered. "Can you just tell me why?"
"I don't have anything against you personally. I don't even know you. But I do know that humans are not supposed to have marks like this," Bill said and grabbed her arm and traced the scar from James.
"So, you don't think I am human?" Bella questioned incredulous. "I am sitting here bleeding, breathing, and begging you."
"So was she and I know that she is far from human," Bill stated. "But the difference between you and her is that I think I can cure her of her vampirism. However, you are a lost cause and your best use to me is a blood bag."
"Please!" Bella begged. "I am as human as they come!"
"It's sad that you think this can convince me," Bill said shaking his head. He brough out his knife. "Now, I have a daughter to fix." Then he stepped over and grabbed Bella's chin. "Did you know that head wounds bleed the most?" As he said this he ran his knife over her forehead and as the last word left his lips, he let the knife penetrate and drag from her hairline down to her chin. Blood immediately began to pour, and Caroline woke from her temporary reprieve.
Gloria's Bar
Damon enters the bar which is now open and full of customers. Gloria is behind the counter and sees him.
"Well, look what the wind blew in. Last I heard, you hated this place, Gloria greeted.
"Gloria. Damn! If I knew you were going to age like this, I would have stuck around," Damon flirted.
"I always did like you better. But I see your brother is still running in the wrong crowd," Gloria told him.
"You've seen him?" Damon questions in all seriousness. The flirtatious behavior from before is gone.
"With Klaus. Bad combo."
"You know where they went?" He asks for further information.
"They'll be back here later tonight. They're out running a little errand for me," Gloria answered.
"Gloria..." Damon groaned. Gloria pushes a glass of alcohol towards him across the counter. He touches her hand. "Don't be a tease. What kind of errand?" She removes her hand.
"I don't think so. You may be cute, but you're still a vampire."
Stefan's Old Apartment
Elena is reading Stefan's diary on his bed. We hear Stefan reading the words.
Stefan: April, 1922. Lexi found me last night. Dragged me off the train tracks. Thinks she can make me care again.
She turns the pages.
Stefan: June, 1924. Lexi's driving me crazy. More animal blood, more misery.
She turns the pages again.
Stefan: 1935. Cravings are there, but it's easier. Lexi's on to her next project: getting me to laugh.
Elena jumps when she hears Klaus and Stefan coming. She's surprised. Klaus sees that the lock has been broken. He kicks the door and they enter.
"What a charming little homestead. Do you feel that? Is anybody here?" Klaus asks Stefan. Elena stays quiet in the hidden room.
"It's been vacant for decades. People must break in all the time. Why'd you bring me here?"
"Your friend, Liam Grant, the one who drank his wife's blood...I never could figure out why you wanted his name. And then you told me your little secret. It was all part of your special little ritual," Klaus explained. Elena looks at the list and sees Liam Grant's name.
"To write it down," Stefan added.
"And relive the kill...over and over again," Klaus finished explaining and he opens the hidden door without looking in. "You believe me now? Stefan enters the closet to see the list. He turns his head and is surprised to see Elena. She looks at him, with hope. Stefan stands motionless looking at her. Klaus walks back into the apartment leaving Stefan in the hidden room.
"Look what I found," Stefan calls to Klaus. Elena is scared but Stefan takes a bottle and gives it to Klaus. She's relieved. "1918. Single malt." Stefan stands in the doorway of the secret room.
"My favorite. Let's go and find someone to pair it with." Stefan closes the closet and leaves with Klaus. Elena tries to call Damon, who doesn't answer. Then she decides to stay in the hidden room, just waiting on Damon to hopefully return.
Elena is hiding ready behind a wall with a vervain dart in her hand. She hears someone coming but it's only Damon.
"Finally! I called you an hour ago!" She exclaims. He tosses her a bag.
"Make yourself presentable. I know where Stefan's going to be tonight," he tells her and sits down.
"I told you that I was practically discovered by Klaus and you're worried about what I'm wearing?"
"I had an hour to realize what a bad idea it was to leave you here alone, process it, and move on. Are you okay?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, good. Get dressed. You're all road-trippy and gross."
"So you know where he's going to be?"
"Yes, with Klaus. So I'll distract Klaus and you deal with Stefan."
"Okay. Thank you."
"But you're going to have about five minutes tops before that hybrid freak rips my heart out. So please, tell me you can do this."
"I can do this."
Gloria's Bar
Klaus and Stefan are at the bar. Gloria gives them two beers.
"Where's Rebekah?" Gloria asks.
"She'll be here. I can't just conjure her on demand," Klaus says and he takes a drink and looks at Stefan.
"What's with you? I thought Chicago was your playground," Klaus growls out.
"So this is why you asked me to be your wingman? Because you liked the way that I tortured innocent people?" Stefan realized.
"Well, that's certainly half of it."
"What's the other half?" Stefan questions as Klaus starts pouring alcohol into two shot glasses.
"The other half, Stefan, is that you used to want to be my wingman." He slides one of the shot glasses to Stefan along the counter.
Chicago Circa 1920
Klaus and Stefan are at the counter drinking.
"They're jealous. Your family wants you dead because they can never be what you are," Stefan tells Klaus.
"What? An abomination?"
"No. A king," Stefan corrects. Klaus smiles. Stefan laughs.
"Look at us. Two sad orphans." They look over and see Rebekah staring at them from a distance.
"My sister fancies you, you know," Klaus whispers conspiratorially.
"Mmm!"
"But...I should warn you, Rebekah doesn't do anything half-speed, and that includes falling in love. So just be careful. She's totally mad." They laugh at Klaus' description of Rebekah.
"I appreciate the advice."
"And when the point comes where she inevitably leaves you...She can't help it, it's just who she is. Don't let your heart do anything stupid."
"You know what, you're a good friend, Nik. I'm glad I met you." He holds up his shot glass in cheers.
Gloria's Bar
Klaus raises his shot of tequila.
"To friendship," Klaus announces expectantly at Stefan. Stefan clinks his shot glass.
Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Twilight Or The Vampire Diaries.
I own the plot twists and shifts.
I hope you have enjoyed this chapter.
Forever And For Always,
LHNT