The Salvatore Siblings: Ghosts From Our Past

by PowerHero432

With her family shattered once more, Sarah is left feeling broken. But as Klaus begins making more monstrous Hybrids, another mysterious Original may change everything for Sarah, making it impossible to get back the life she lost. But there's another threat creeping its way towards her and her friends, and it's using Jeremy to do so.

26. Remember I

Review Responses:

Bornkiller9: Yes, so the rule change is that if an Original compels away a vampire's memories and then gets daggered, the memories stay forgotten until compelled otherwise. But compelled commands still break if they a daggered. I.E. when Katherine was compelled to stay in the tomb by Amelia, after Amelia got daggered, Katherine was freed. But had Amelia compelled Katherine to forget something, Katherine wouldn't regain those memories unless Amelia gave them back, daggered or not. Hope that answers your question. If not, you can PM me and we can discuss it further.

Okay, here's a long one like the old days. It's part one of a three part flashback, so you'll be getting some longer chapters for the next few weeks. Hopefully this small arc won't feel too drawn out, but if I were to break it up into shorter chapters it definitely would feel drawn out and I don't want to spend that much time in a flashback, even if it is important to the story. Luckily I managed to get most of these next few chapters done ahead of time, so there shouldn't be any hiccups or delays, but after these it'll probably be a while before another long chapter upload. But I know some of you like and want longer chapters, so I thought this would be a good time to give them to you. Enjoy, and don't forget to let me know what you think!

---

Chapter 26: Remember I

---

There was only one person on the planet that Sarah Salvatore blamed for her misfortune. Her brother, Stefan Salvatore. She'd also blamed Damon Salvatore, but she'd taken care of him. He was dead, and Sarah couldn't care less. So long as he was premaritally out of her way, she was satisfied. And soon, she'd do the same to Stefan. She might not feel the hurt they'd inflicted on her now, but she remembered it, and she wanted pay back for it.

She could see it all so much more clearly with her emotions switched off, see the logic. Katherine had been the one to give her this ability, to set herself apart from the word and see everything through clear eyes. Her brothers were the cause of all her suffering, all her misfortune. Not Katherine, as she'd foolishly thought with her emotions on. They caused all her problems. That was why she had to get rid of them, to save herself.

She'd sent Damon up in an explosion a few years back, and had been hunting Stefan ever since. He wasn't hard to follow. He left a trail of dead and dismembered bodies wherever he went. But what he lacked in subtitle, he made up for in speed. For the past few years, Sarah had been struggling to catch up to him until finally they hit Chicago, where he'd come to a stop.

With her goal in sight, Sarah made herself comfy in the Windy City, taking what she wanted and needed for her duration in town. She found herself a nice apartment with a rich couple, and used them for food as well as a sounding board for her planning. Her focus was always on her last brother though, and over time, she narrowed down his hunting grounds.

She discovered that he frequented a speakeasy named Gloria's on the Northside of town, and after a healthy blood donation that left both her hosts dead on the floor, Sarah was ready to end this disappointing chapter of her life. She wouldn't be coming back to the apartment, so she left the two where they were and stepped out, her wood stake concealed within the back of her stylish flapper dress, as she closed the door behind her.

Later that night, she arrived at Gloria's, compelling her way inside since these places weren't exactly letting just anyone in. Prohibition and all. But like Sarah, many people weren't exactly sticking to the rules these days.

The inside of the bar seemed small to Sarah, although she suspected that was only because of how busy it was that night. Every table taken up by someone – some even so crammed that a second circle of chairs had formed around the table creating two rows for large parties of gentlemen. The dance floor was a buzz with just enough room for everyone to move around as the band played, and the bar was surrounded from all sides.

Taking in the sight, Sarah thought of all the fun she might have once she dealt with Stefan. Perhaps she could stay a little longer in Chicago, although she'd prefer to find a new residence. But she was confident any gentleman would be happy to give her a bed for the night, as well as a sampling of his blood.

Her thoughts for the rest of her evening where dashed away though, when she spotted her target walking away from the bar. He was laughing along with the group of gentlemen he was departing from, drink in hand. Sarah allowed herself a smile, seeing her brother after all this time. Though it wasn't a reminiscent smile, or even a fond one. It was fiendish, dark, and deadly, much like Sarah as she stepped out into her brother's path, stopping him.

"Sarah," he said pleasantly, as if unfazed by the fact that it had been around a decade since they last lay eyes on one another.

"Stefan," Sarah greeted in turn, equally as cool as he had.

"What brings you to Chicago?" Stefan asked, taking a sip of his drink, carefully watching his sister. He'd probably already worked out what Sarah had, that they'd both flipped their switches to off. Which made things more interesting. He knew what she was like with her humanity off, but unlike last time, he wouldn't be trying to save her or talk her down. With his humanity off, he'd be looking out for his own preservation, killing Sarah if she gave him a reason too.

"Oh, you know, the usual," Sarah said with a bat of her eyelashes. "The allure of the city lights. The qualities of life one can only find in the city," she said, gesturing to the fine establishment around them, stocked up on liquor of the illegal kind. "My estranged brother, who has a nasty habit of tearing people apart and putting them back together." She gave him a pointing look, but he didn't even flinch as he easily swallowed what was in his mouth, smirking as he lowered his glass.

"Well, I've got that under control now," Stefan replied.

"Because you've turned it off," Sarah said.

"It does make life easier, wouldn't you agree?" Stefan said as he leaned in, knowing smirk on his lips before he took another sip.

"Oh, definitely," agreed Sarah. "And what a shame it might be, if someone where to come along and threaten to play with that delicate little switch inside your head," Sarah teased, as she closed in on her brother, one hand eloquently taking the drink from him while the other ran through his hair, as if to help make her point.

With a grin, Sarah turned, allowing herself to take a sip from her brother's drink while he spoke. "You think your capable of getting inside my head?" Stefan scoffed back. It was true, they were more than likely evenly matched. Both turned at the same time, at the same age, both full up on blood with their humanity off. It would take something ground shaking to change that. Luckily, Sarah had just the thing to shift the tide in her favour. Just the thing that would cause Stefan's switch to flicker, and give her a window to strike.

"No," conceded Sarah after she swallowed, sounding disappointed as she handed the drink back over to Stefan. But he didn't drink from it now. "But then again, I don't really need to. Because I have news that you might find a little unsettling." Stefan looked almost amused by the idea, as Sarah dropped the playfulness and went emotionally cold. "Damon's dead. I killed him."

Stefan laughed at this, but it didn't last long, as Sarah continued to hold his gaze, confirming to him that it was true. And although that waver in his humanity didn't happen right away, as he tried to fight it off, it did happen. Sarah saw it in her brother's eyes, the sadness and anguish at knowing he'd never see or speak to Damon again. Sarah didn't have those emotions, she'd been liberated by her brother's death, just like she would be with Stefan's, as she took her chance.

Reaching back with her hand, Sarah removed the concealed stake from her dress. Stefan saw it, but by then he was too delayed in his reaction, the emotional breeze inside of him slowing him down as Sarah thrusted the stake towards his heart, only to have her hand halted completely as someone else grabbed her wrist with a superior amount of strength.

"I don't know who you are," came a foreign, classy, and yet deadly voice, as Sarah turned to see a blue eyed blonde woman stood next to her, dressed in a similar style of flapper dress. Her hand being the one that stopped Sarah's attempt to kill her brother. "But you're trying to kill my date, and I do not appreciate it. So, stop," she ordered, and just like that Sarah felt the urge to kill her brother subside for the moment. She still very much wanted to kill him, completely just to make her life easier, but she could no longer bring herself to do it. Even as the blonde released her hand, she couldn't thrust the stake towards his heart, even with a clean open shot.

"Stefan, do you know this inconsiderate trash?" asked the posh woman, who appeared to be of a similar age to Stefan and Sarah.

Stefan, who was all smug now, nodded. "Yes. She's my little sister, aren't you?" he teased, ruffling Sarah's hair since she could no longer harm him. Her jaw clamped down as she began to growl, but it only served to amuse Stefan and his date.

"Well, that's interesting, you never told me you had a sister – especially one that wanted to kill you?" the mysterious woman mused as she glanced Sarah up and down. She was still trying to work out how this blonde had managed to command her in such a way. A way in which vampires could only do. But they could only compel humans, not other vampires.

"She hasn't always wanted to kill me. You've just caught her at a bad time," Stefan teased, a look to Sarah as he sipped his emptying glass. All Sarah could do was glare back and hope that it would be enough to kill him.

"Sorry, but who the hell are you?" Sarah cut in aggressively, looking to the blue eyed blonde, since she was the current wall between her and peace of mind.

"And what sort of way is that for one woman to greet another," the blonde said in a mixture of annoyance and shock.

"Oh, please. Something tells me you can be just as blunt when you need to be," Sarah said with a knowing look as she turned on the charm. Now it wasn't just a case of lowering Stefan's guard, but hers as well. And it seemed that her direct approach worked as the woman grinned. Maybe Lexi had been useful in that regard, in teaching Sarah how to read people. Even if she was annoyingly persistent at trying to, 'help,' her, as it were.

"Oh, I can be," the woman agreed, still grinning as she turned to Stefan. "She's definitely your sister, that's for sure."

"At the moment, that's not a good thing," Stefan began to explain in broad terms. "She kinda wants to kill all her brothers, and she's just informed me that she's offed our oldest brother, which just leaves me."

"Well, I must say I've had one or two days like that myself. Brothers can be rather bothersome sometimes, I sympathise," the woman said to Sarah.

"I appreciate it," Sarah said, still playing nice.

"Still, I can't have you to killing my date, so I'm going to ask you to stop trying to kill Stefan for now" the blonde said, while using her eyes to force Sarah into doing as she said. Now Sarah new for certain, it was compulsion.

"Who are you?" Sarah asked, momentarily dazed and confused by the vampire who could compel other vampires.

Evidently amused, the blonde turned to back to Stefan and said, "Get us all some drinks would you. I think I'd like to get to know your sister."

"As long as you keep her from killing me, I don't see an issue with that," Stefan said with a deliberate grin to Sarah before finishing off his drink and returning to the bar.

"Come with me," the blonde said, leading the way over to an empty table near the back of the speakeasy. Sarah hadn't been compelled, but her curiosity was enough to have her follow the woman. Plus, she'd need to learn more about her if she was going to get her out of the way.

Once they were seated in the booth, the woman introduced herself. "My name's Rebekah."

"All right, Rebekah. How come you're able to compel me? It was my understanding that vampires couldn't compel other vampires."

Rebekah smirked, leaning back in her seat opposite Sarah. "I'm something of a special vampire. One of the Originals, you might say."

"And what does that mean?" asked Sarah leaning forward as she took careful note of everything. What Rebekah said, the way she sat, how she held herself, her over confidence and anything else that might give her an edge in getting her out of the way. She didn't have a beef with her after all, it was Stefan she wanted, but if Rebekah got in her way one too many times then Sarah would repay her for the interference.

"It means I can do things other vampires can't, such as compel you. I'm also far stronger and faster than you can ever hope to be – and I'm unkillable."

"Well, it's a good thing I'm not trying to kill you then, just my brother."

"Yes, but you can see how that would be rather bothersome for me. Seeing as he's my date and all," pointed out Rebekah.

"Well, I could always wait until your date is through. I'll even let you help me kill him if you like," offered Sarah.

Rebekah smiled back in amusement. "Tempting. But you see, I rather like your brother."

"It'll pass, trust me," bit Sarah, right before Stefan sauntered past with three glasses in hand. He quickly set one down in front of Sarah, once again smiling. She forced one in return, leaning back to try and make herself seem more comfortable than she was. She'd lost control of the situation and she'd used her best card already when she told him about Damon. Her chance at inner peace was slipping away and she needed to find a way to get it back.

Rebekah moved over, giving Stefan room to sit down next to her. He did so with a grin, his arm going around his shoulder automatically as he slid one glass towards her. "Thank you," Rebekah said, and right then Sarah saw her chances of revenge drop even further. The Original was smitten with her brother. It wasn't a first date or quick fling of excitement in the mix of law breaking. There was a clear love there. True, it was mostly coming off Rebekah, but even with his humanity off, Sarah could see something inside Stefan too. An attraction to say the least.

There was no way she was going to convince Rebekah to turn on her brother.

"So, what brings you to Chicago?" asked Rebekah.

"Well, I was going to kill my brother, but you've sort of put a stop to that haven't you," said Sarah through a tense jaw.

"Yes, I have haven't I," Rebekah said, looking rather pleased with herself.

"Oh, come on, Sarah," said Stefan teasingly as he leaned forward. "Why not burry the hatchet. Think of all the fun we can have in this city."

Sarah stared at him coldly. "I don't have fun. Although, I'd be lying if I said the idea of taking that metaphorical hatchet of yours and chopping your head off didn't bring a smile to my face." On cue, she smiled at her brother, before taking a sip from her drink. She had a feeling it was going to be a long night. And with Rebekah able to compel her, she knew she wouldn't be leaving until they were through with her. Better to play their game, let them get bored, have a few drinks and then slip away to regroup.

"Oh, I do like her. Very direct," said Rebekah with a growing grin.

"I find it saves time," replied Sarah.

"As do I."

"Well, allow me to be direct with you," Sarah said, once again leaning forward. "I want to kill him." A nod towards Stefan. "What's it going to take to make that happen?" Again, Rebekah smiled at her. As if she were a child trying to play grown up by making deals and offers.

"You know, I've just figured out how we can fix this whole situation," said Rebekah as she sat up, locking eyes with Sarah. She knew what was about to happen, but by then she couldn't look away from the compelling blue of Rebekah's eyes. "For as long as Stefan and I are together, I want you to put aside killing him. You will feel no hatred towards him, no desire to kill him. You will tolerate him as you do everyone else."

It was like Sarah had blinked and a huge elephant had just disappeared from the room. In a split second all her hatred and desire to maim Stefan vanished. She could remember wanting to kill her brother. She could remember the drive inside of her to do it, and how it would make up for everything he and Damon had put her through. But now, it was just gone.

When she looked at Stefan now, through her stunned green eyes, she saw simply her brother. Not a man she wanted to kill, just a man she shared blood and history with. And no matter how much she tried to focus or jumpstart those old feelings towards him they just wouldn't appear. She knew they would return, could picture them clearly in her mind. But she just couldn't feel them. Couldn't bring herself to want to attack or hurt Stefan. Her drive was completely gone.

"There, how do you feel now?" asked Rebekah, leaning back into Stefan's arm.

"Annoyed," bit Sarah, narrowing her eyes at the Original. She might not blame Katherine for what had happened to her, but that didn't mean she'd suddenly become okay with being compelled and controlled.

"Couldn't you make it more permanent?" asked Stefan, to which Sarah glared at him. "I mean, what if…?"

"Yes, well. This gives you incentive to make sure that never happens," Rebekah acknowledge. "And, if you're ever rude or discourteous towards me, I can let her loose on you." While Sarah didn't appreciate being used – much less talked about being used right in front of her – she wasn't objecting to putting her brother in his place.

"I'd kick his ass for anyone, to be honest," admitted Sarah, to which Rebekah laughed.

"I thought you told her to stop wanting to kill me?" asked Stefan.

"I don't want to kill you. But that doesn't mean I still won't kick your ass," pointed out Sarah, making Rebekah laugh again.

"So, tell me about yourself, Sarah," Rebekah inquired as she leaned forward. The intrigue shining through her eyes. "Just who is Stefan Salvatore's younger sister?"

"Well, my hair's not as ridiculous as his for starters," mocked Sarah.

Rebekah turned to look at Stefan's hair. "Yes. It is rather funny isn't it," agreed Rebekah, before the two started laughing while Stefan graciously nodded along.

"Oh, and has he told you about his diaries?" asked Sarah.

"No," said Rebekah with a curious grin.

"They're not diaries–" Stefan cut in.

"–They're journals," Stefan and Sarah said at the same time, only Sarah did so mockingly. Again Rebekah hooted with laughter.

"I can tell I'm going to like you, Sarah," Rebekah said when she calmed, before taking a sip of her drink.

"You two finally starting up a threesome?" At the sound of the new voice, Sarah looked over, now finding a short, blonde haired woman stood next to her. She quickly noticed the resemblance she sheared with Rebekah. The shade of blonde in her hair, the light freckles over her face, the feisty blue to her eyes. The most noticeable difference was the height between the two. At a quick glance you might have mistaken them for identical, but look for a second and you'd see the difference.

"About time you took my advice," the new blonde continued, before then turning to look at Sarah. Sarah went to look her in the eye, but the blue eyes were already running down Sarah's figure. When they moved back up however, they stopped at Sarah's green eyes. The blonde's eyes lit up with a spark and a grin quickly followed on the set of lips below.

"And you picked one hell of a girl to bring in. Careful, Rebekah, this on might just steal Stefan from you."

"She's his sister you twit," snapped Rebekah with an eye roll.

"Really?" The blue eyes got even brighter, as if someone was starting a fire behind them. Without warning, the short woman then dropped down next to Sarah, who automatically slid over to give the girl some room. But where she excepted a gap to be between them she instead found the shorter woman's hip against her own. When Sarah's eyes came back up, the surprise clear in them, she found the girl with her elbow on the table and her hand held up to prop her head against.

"Stefan never told me anything about a sister?"

"Why would he tell you anything," sneered Rebekah, sounding territorial.

"I'm a very easy person to talk to," the girl responded, but her eyes remained with Sarah's. Each watching the other with intrigue. "What's say we get out of here and chat in privet?" suggested the girl, leaning in as mischief rushed through her eyes. Sarah hadn't expected to feel anything, what with her emotions on mute, but suddenly she found herself tempted and grinning at this blue eyed girl.

"Not a chance," exclaimed Rebekah loudly. "Me and Sarah are just getting to know each other." Rebekah pointedly looked at Sarah who turned enough so she could see Rebekah out the corner of her eye. She could sense that she wanted to compel her again, force her to stay. It was as if her eyes were magnetic, trying to pull Sarah in so she could order her to stay. She might even have done so had the girl not spoken up again.

"Sarah, huh? Wasn't what I thought you'd be. You look more like a Sophia, a Bella…or maybe an Angelica. Although, maybe that last one's just because of your angle like features?" Sarah's eyes went wide. She'd heard advances like this from men before. She'd even heard Lex speak in such away to men. But Lexi had never spoken in that way towards someone of the same sex, at least not with the flirtatious edge.

"Oh, God, please, stop," groaned Rebekah with an exaggerated eye roll. "Can't you go and flirt with someone else? I'm trying to get aquatinted with her."

"And what do you think I'm trying to do?" snapped the girl, and for the first time, her eyes left Sarah's. Now they no longer held mischief and excitement, instead glaring across at her familiar who suddenly looked a lot more irritated than she had a moment ago.

"Trust me, Leiah," said Stefan calmly. "You're not her type."

"I've been told that before." The girl, Leiah, moved her gaze back over to Sarah. Looking out the corner of her eye, she gave Sarah a wink. Sarah returned it with an amused grin, as well as a glint of intrigue in her green eyes. This Leiah was certainly interesting.

"Well, allow me to repeat another phrase well known to you. 'Shove off,'" said Rebekah bluntly, aiming a glare Leiah's way.

"I'm good thanks," replied Leiah with a grin.

"You won't be once I–!" Rebekah's grasp on her glass was tightening, to the point that they all heard the glass crack. But as the sound hit, suddenly Stefan's hand landed on top of hers and Rebekah instantly relaxed her grip.

"Easy," Stefan said, with more tenderness than Sarah thought would be possibly without his humanity. "Obviously you both want to get to know my sister? That's fair. I'm sure she's eager to get to know you too."

"Not exactly," said Sarah nonchalantly. Stefan shot her a glare, but Sarah was more interested in the hurt that seemed to appear in Rebekah's eyes. This whole time she'd been obsessing with her own lack of emotion as well as Stefan's. And yet she'd missed a clear weakness in this Original. She did have her emotions, a weakness Sarah remembered all to well. More so, she seemed to be a slave to them, determined to befriend Sarah just because she was her boyfriend's sister. Another useful note had been made.

In contrast, Leiah chuckled. Her grin growing and forcing her freckles to space out. "Careful with that blunt tongue, Sarah. It'll get you into all kinds of trouble."

"And you'd know all about that I assume?" said Sarah pointedly, turning towards Leiah.

"Absolutely. But then I'm drawn to trouble, at least when I'm not the one starting it. So it's no surprise that I'm attracted to you." Her eyebrows shot up and down suggestively, and Sarah found herself grinning also. She could tell what this one was thinking. And if her emotions had been on, she'd have been running for the hills. But her emotions weren't on now, and she could see this for what it really was, a release. Leiah clearly had an itch, and Sarah would be lying if she said she didn't have one herself. The petite blonde clearly found her attractive, and she seemed fine enough for Sarah. Why not help each other out? She might even be able to get Leiah on her side, and use her to free herself from Rebekah's compulsion.

"Stop!" Rebekah snapped in a high-pitched whine. Sarah caught Leiah mockingly rolling her eyes as they both turned back towards the taller blonde. Sarah recognised the look on Rebekah's face. She'd seen it in the mirror once or twice when she was younger. But she'd mostly seen it around Mystic Falls, with other girls or their sisters. The ones who weren't getting enough attention or weren't getting things the way they wanted.

"She's my boyfriend's sister. I get to talk to her first," declared Rebekah with an infuriated glare at Leiah. "Once I'm done, you can sleep with her if that's what you want."

"Rebekah, love, would you kindly shut it," came another foreign voice, with an accent similar to Rebekah and Leiah's. Sarah looked up to find a gentlemen stood by their table now. A tall handsome man, hair slicked back and sporting a pair of deadly blue eyes. "The entire bar can hear you pouting."

"But it's not fair, Nik–"

"But it's not fair, Nik," mocked Leiah in a poor impersonation of Rebekah.

"Stop it! You know I hate it when you do that!"

"My immorality for a day of peace," muttered the new man, Nik, as he looked up to the roof.

"It's all right, Rebekah," Stefan tried to sooth her, but it wasn't working this time.

"No, it's not all right. She's ruining my first meeting with your family like she always ruins everything!"

"Family?" Nik frowned, his blue eyes now finding Sarah. He seems put off by her for a moment, as if she was an unwelcome guest. "I thought you said you and your family were estranged."

"Oh, we are," Sarah assured him, noting that he seemed to relax at her answer, while also looking more curious. "I was here to kill him until that one compelled me to stop." Nik chuckled at this, as his hands moved behind his back.

"Well, my sister can be a little overprotective of her lovers," admitted Nik, before his eyes then moved over to Leiah, as he noticed her gaze on Sarah. "My other sister however, she tends to attack her former lovers more often than Rebekah does."

"No, they attack me," Leiah corrected. Once she had Sarah's eye, she then loudly whispered, "Because I'm just that good. They tend to get upset when I end things."

Rebekah huffed. "Nik, would you kindly take our baby sister–"

"Don't call me a baby!" Leiah snapped, finally losing her cool.

Rebekah continued regardless. "–away and amuse her so me and Stefan can catch up with his sister?"

"Oh, I don't think she's doing any harm," said Nik with a grin. "In fact, why don't I join you? That way…" He paused, holding out his hand towards Sarah. She knew what he was silently asking her for.

"Sarah," she answered.

Nik smiled. "That way, Sarah, here, can meet her brother's new girlfriend, and her family all at once."

"You going to drag the rest of the extended family in here to then?" joked Leiah.

"Maybe another night," Nik replied, as Rebekah and Stefan shifted over, giving him room to sit down. "So, introductions? You've already met my lovely sisters, Rebekah and Leiah." Nik gestured accordingly, to which Rebekah smiled almost shyly while Leiah had an almost predatory grin about her. Sarah wasn't sure which she appreciated more. "And I am Niklaus, but please, call me Klaus."

"Sarah Salvatore. Stefan's estranged sister," replied Sarah.

"What about the brother, is he here too?" asked Klaus, making a show of looking around.

"Not likely since I left him for dead back in New York."

Klaus laughed a little hard at this.

"We're much alike you and I," chuckled Klaus.

"Niklaus is responsible for killing several of our siblings, you see," explained Rebekah, as she leaned over towards Sarah.

"Although some are more challenging than others," added Leiah with a small smirk that could have gone easily unnoticed.

"Yes, but never mind about that, I want to hear about what Sarah did to her brother. That is, of course, assuming you don't have a problem with that Stefan?" Klaus asked, looking towards Stefan who casually shrugged.

"No, I'm eager to hear the tale too."

Klaus grinned broadly. "Splendid." Without looking, Klaus' hand then shot out, grabbing the wrist of woman passing by their table. In the blink of an eye he had her compelled and was ordering her to collect their drinks for them. Once the orders were put in, everyone turned their attention back to Sarah. "Right, Sarah, don't keep us in suspense. How'd you off your brother."

"In an explosion," Sarah answered casually.

"When was this?" asked Stefan.

"Summer, 1916."

"Wait a minute…" said Leiah, her face momentarily scrunched up in thought before it clicked. "The Black Tom Explosion in Manhattan, that was you?" Sarah looked her in the eye, but she gave nothing away. Even so Leiah let out an airy laugh, a surprised and impressed smile on her parted lips.

"You can't seriously expect us to believe that," mocked Stefan, though Sarah could see the uncertainty in his eyes, while her own remained cool as a cucumber.

Another shrug. "Believe it or not. Although, I'll concede, the explosion was a little bigger than anticipated." The table laughed lightly in turn, as the woman Klaus compelled returned with their drinks. She quickly put them down as Klaus pulled out some dollar notes. He selected a few to pay the woman, then paused. He took two more notes then handed them over.

"And one more thing, before you go, sweetheart. Your wrist please." The woman obeyed, holding out her wrist with a frightened look on her face. Exposing his fangs, Klaus then bit into her wrist. It was only a bite to break the skin however, as he then pulled away and held her wrist above the drinks, letting the blood dribble in as if out of a bottle. Once the glasses each had their fill, Klaus released her.

"You best get that seen to love, and forget about all of this," Klaus commanded. The woman nodded and then departed, as Klaus slid the drinks around the table.

As they then sipped their drinks, each enjoying the flavour of blood mixed in with the alcohol, Klaus leaned back in his seat. "Assuming that was you in New York who set off all the nonsense, there's no way you can be certain your brother is dead," pointed out Klaus with a sly grin.

"Maybe not," agreed Sarah, putting down her glass. "But considering I left him staked to the wall in a room full of TNT, I think my odds are good." As she took a confident sip of her drink, Klaus lowered his head to chuckle, almost smugly.

"Perhaps, but there's still room for error. I myself wouldn't leave it to chance."

"Yes, but yourself hasn't killed half your siblings have you?"

Klaus paused, having been about to take a sip of his drink. "Actually, I have. They just have a nasty habit of not staying dead, as I'm sure you'll find out one day."

"Well, until that day comes, I've successfully killed half of my siblings. How many of yours are currently dead?" asked Sarah as she leaned down on the table with a curious frown that was clearly intended to mock. And mock it did, as Klaus glowered from across the table.

"There's that blunt tongue at work again," chuckled Leiah, before her hand suddenly fell on Sarah's. "I'd leave it at that Sarah," she advised, and Sarah could see the mild warning in her eyes.

"Yes, killing family members can be a bit of a sour spot for Nik, especially when it comes to Tommy." At the mention of this new name, Sarah felt Leiah hand clench on top of hers. When she looked towards the Original however, the blonde realised her mistake and loosened her hand before pulling back and smiling.

"Don't ruin the mood, Rebekah," growled Klaus lowly.

"I thought the mood was already ruined," Sarah said bluntly, earning another glare from Klaus.

"All right, all right, that's enough," stressed Stefan as he leaned forward to get between Klaus and everyone else. "Stop attack my buddy here."

"Buddy!" Sarah laughed. "Since when do you have buddies?"

"Since I met my good friend, Nik," Stefan said, giving Klaus a pat on the shoulder. And with that brotherly touch the whole mood seemed to chance. No longer was Klaus glaring at Sarah, but smiling fondly at Stefan. It was then Sarah saw that while Stefan had just lost Damon, because of their time apart, he'd had the chance to fill that hole with someone else. Klaus, his new best buddy, was currently a perfect substitute for Damon – or at least in this emotionless state. If he had them on it'd be different, but with Klaus around he could use him to plug the hole that threatened to let all his emotions come gushing out. It seemed every eventuality Sarah had hoped for had hit a dead end when it came to killing her brother. It would be frustrating if she cared, annoyingly however, she didn't for the time being.

"Now come on, let's drink," declared Stefan lifting his glass in the air as everyone followed suit. "To two families coming together."

"To love," added Rebekah, as she and Stefan stared into each others eyes. And while they were doing that, Leiah mimed throwing up which had Klaus and Sarah grinning. They all then clinked their glasses together, and drank.

---

From the window, Sarah looked out towards the horizon. Most of the sky was still black, but just before the horizon she could make out the blue of a sky coming to life. A human would struggle to see it, with the little light there was. But in a few minutes, first light would appear and it would be as clear as day – or almost day. But as a vampire, Sarah didn't have to wait for first light to see the slither of blue that seamlessly blended into the night sky. It was a simple sight, she thought. No doubt if she had her humanity on she might even say it was beautiful. She could still say it of course, she just didn't feel it when she did.

An audible click caught Sarah's attention suddenly, bringing her eyes from the horizon and back into the apartment she now found herself in. The source of the clicking came from Leiah, who was stood next to her. In her hands she held a black cube that had Sarah frowning.

"It's a camera," explained Leiah with a fond smile. "It allows you to–"

"I know what it is. I was just wondering why you were taking a photograph of me?"

Leiah lifted her brow as she sat the box shaped camera on the nearby table. "Don't like having your picture taken?"

"No. I just heard that vampires don't show up in film."

Leiah chuckled as she opened up the window. "Don't believe everything you hear." Pushing herself to one side of the window frame, Leiah leaned her head out embracing the gentle breeze. After a moment she looked back in, and Sarah realised she was expecting her to join her. Obliging, Sarah pushed her way through so that she too was leaning her head out the window. It was a bit of a squeeze and she was pressed right up against both Leiah and the frame, but the breeze was refreshing.

She and Leiah had had the least to drink out of their little party. That being said, they'd still had a fair bit. They were in the middle of prohibition after all, if one drank one went all in. But it had been Stefan, Klaus and Rebekah who'd indulged the most. The three had been laughing their heads off so loudly by the end that they didn't even noticed Leiah leading Sarah away. After that Leiah had enquired about Sarah's current living arrangements and had learned about her dead her hosts. Not wanting to return the stench of decaying corpses, Sarah saw no reason to refuse Leiah's offer of spending the night with her. She had however, expected something a little more befitting after all of Klaus' boasting about their Original status.

Sarah had been expecting the finest apartment in all of Chicago, maybe a penthouse with compelled servants on hand. In Leiah's case, she found a worn down dump. There was no carpet, just creek floorboards with nails only half hammered in. Sarah had stubbed her toe on one when they came in, but a stomp from her foot had sorted that out. Apart from that; the lights didn't work, the wallpaper was peeling, the wooden furniture looked like it would break if she touched it, there was no heating, she could hear at least three arguments going on in the neighbouring apartments and two above and below, and the place stank worse than if she had two recent corpses in the room.

At first, Sarah thought it was Leiah playing a joke, but as the minutes ticked by, that idea began to look less and less likely.

"I don't know how you can do it," said Leiah suddenly, smiling into the breeze as her loose blonde hair swayed around her. Sarah had to admit, the effect combined with the lighting did make Leiah look a little more than attractive. Almost as if she were in a moving painting.

"Do what?"

"Turn it off," Leiah said as she turned to her. "Your emotions."

"I'm surprised you don't," Sarah said, craning her neck to glance back inside. "Living in a place like this."

"It has character."

"It has half a dozen rats in the walls."

Leiah laughed, then when she saw Sarah's critical stare, she shrugged. "Klaus and Rebekah might like to live in high and mighty places. Me, I enjoy places like this."

"Oi!" came a shout from below. Both vampires then looked down to see a group of men down on the street looking up. "You ladies fancy giving some hard working gentlemen a bit of company on this oh so cold night?"

"Waste all your money on booze before the cat house again!" Leiah shouted back, as the men on the street laughed drunkenly. "Try two blocks over, lads. I hear they're twice as desperate."

"Aye, but probably only half as beautiful."

"Then their still out of your league. I suggest you try the docks, who knows, you might just catch a salty sailor in a good mood!"

The gentleman down on the street, having lost interest, waved their hands dismissively as they crossed the street. They almost ended up being hit by a passing automobile, but managed to stagger out of the way at the last second before vanishing around the corner.

"Charming," Sarah muttered.

"Character," corrected Leiah with a grin.

"More like dinner," argued Sarah.

"Your brother's appetite run in the family?"

"No. Unlike my brother I can control myself."

"Shame," sighed Leiah. "I like a woman who can let loose." Another one of her suggestive smirks followed. Sarah only stared back at her. "See, if you had your humanity on, you'd have found that charming."

"If I had my humanity on, you wouldn't have a shot in hell," said Sarah with an edge of annoyance to her voice.

"How so?" Leiah asked, now giving Sarah her full attention.

Again Sarah turned to towards her, watching as the hairs around Leiah's face floated along with the gentle breeze. Sarah couldn't keep her eyes off them, but Leiah seemed unbothered by them, letting her locks of hair roam free in the air.

"It doesn't matter," Sarah said, shaking her head until she felt Leiah's hand on hers. She looked down, the cold forgotten as she felt the warmth radiate from Leiah's hand and into her own. Even the look from her blue eyes warmed Sarah up. Those calm, oddly comforting blue eyes that were right there with her. She wondered if she was being compelled, but Leiah's eyes remained the same, pupils staying the same size.

"Tell me."

Again, it wasn't compulsion, but Sarah felt like she had to. The tenderness to her voice, lulling her like a siren and as sweet as honey. Sarah suddenly swallowed, feeling a tightness in her chest. Something was irritating her eye so she blinked but the irritation turned to a slight burn.

"Are you okay?" asked Leiah, nothing but concern in her voice.

"I'm fine," Sarah snapped, pulling her hand away as she slipped back inside. Once inside she swiftly had her arms folded and turned, getting herself across the room before Leiah could pull herself back in.

"Emotions acting up?" asked Leiah as she closed the window.

"I don't have emotions," growled Sarah, as she swung around to face Leiah. The Original's back was to her at the moment. But as she turned, having shut the window – her hair catching on her shoulder and curving around the side of her face like the crescent of the moon – Sarah felt her breath catch.

"Tell that to tear on your cheek," said Leiah softly.

Sarah frantically reached up to her face, feeling the droplet burst at the touch. She quickly wiped away the evidence, rubbing in the salt despite the burning sensation.

"Look, if keeping your emotions off is that big a deal then you don't have to–"

"I'll tell you," Sarah cut in determinedly and surprising Leiah. "It means nothing to me. You want to know, so I'll tell you. It doesn't matter one way or the other to me."

For a long moment, Leiah stared at her.

Sarah wondered if she'd sounded too forceful, tried too hard to make it seem like she didn't care. But she didn't care. Her emotions were off. What happened back then meant nothing to her. It was just a stupid memory with no emotional ramifications whatsoever. She just needed Leiah to know that, for everyone to know that. What had happened meant nothing. It happened, and she had moved on. Once she might have cried for hours over what had happened but not anymore.

"Okay," Leiah said slowly. She then carefully made her way over to the large bed that had been cramped into the other room. How it had gotten in there was beyond Sarah, since the mattress took up nearly the whole room and was twice size of the door frame. Nevertheless, Sarah followed into the room, joining Leiah at the foot of the bed. As she sat down, Sarah realised, that despite its grungy appearance, the bed was actually one of the most comfortable she'd ever used.

And then she lunched right into the story. No hesitation or pause for dramatic effect. That would suggest she cared, which she did. She simply told the story.

"Before I became a vampire, I lived in Mystic Falls with my brothers. It was pleasant for the most part as I recall. Like anything in life it had its downsides. My mother died when I was young and my father was strict. But I know I was happy. I remember feeling it."

Sarah hadn't intended to pause there, but she did. She felt the words catch in her throat, her stomach suddenly turn as the memories came back. She didn't want to feel, she didn't feel. She forced the symptoms away, cleared her throat and continued, but she knew Leiah had noticed her slip.

"Then this woman came to live with us. My two brothers fell head over heels for her instantly, and I must admit, I grew to like her as well. The four of us spent a lot of time together, with my brothers subtly competing for her attention. Again, I remember being happy… Then she started to compel us.

"She told each of us she was a vampire, then made us to keep it a secret from one another. I remember being afraid, I was only a human after all. Then she had us fall in love with her. I still remember being afraid at times, but I was also madly in love with her too. It might have been compelled feelings, but it's still what I remember. Whether they were my own feelings or feelings she made me feel, it makes no difference. Not long after that, she made me have sex with her. It was good sex as I recall, considering it was my first time. There's some silly emotions wrapped up with that memory, but I can look past them now. Considering that she turned me into a vampire afterwards, I think a little sex isn't too much to ask for. Besides, she's–"

"Stop," Leiah in a quiet voice.

Turning towards her, Sarah now noticed just how tense the petite woman was. Her hands had curled up around the edge of the mattress, forming tight fists that trembled so violently that the repercussion could be seen all the way up to her shoulders. Her head was tilted forward, her blond hair falling and shielding her face. But even so, Sarah still caught sight of the tear that fell to the floor.

"It doesn't matter to me, Leiah. It happened and–"

"Are you kidding me?!" Leiah snapped turning to face her. Had Sarah not seen the tear, there would have been no reason to suspect there had been one. Leiah's face was consumed by anger, her eyes wide and furious. But the whites of her eyes were still white, no sign of redness. Nor was there any streak marks from trailing tears. "Of course it matters, Sarah! Just because don't feel anything, doesn't make what happened okay! You were forced into having sex, something you know you didn't want and your not angry? How can that not make you angry?!"

Sarah stared back at her, admittedly confused by this emotional response. She still understood emotions of course, she'd even manage to weaponise them in some cases when she knew which buttons to press. But for the life of her, she couldn't understand why her own story was bringing out such a reaction in Leiah. An all powerful Original who could compel anyone and make them do anything she wanted. Sarah had assumed this was the kind of thing she did all the time.

"I turned it off, Leiah," Sarah said cooly. "I don't get angry."

As Leiah stared at her, Sarah watched the anger fade. As if it were water inside a bottle that had just been turned upside down. And then there was just a tiredness that seemed to consume her. An exhaustion that was weighting her down. Leiah turned away, shaking her head. A look of remorse crossing her face.

"Why is this a big deal to you?" Sarah asked.

"It doesn't matter," Leiah bit back. From the tone, Sarah knew it did. But the truth was she didn't care enough to find out.

That was the problem with turning off you emotions. Everyone else still had them. What Sarah saw as a simple question, someone else saw as an outrageous breech of social convention. With humans, she'd just compel the problem away. With Leiah, that wasn't an option. She was a vampire, an Original, and like any vampire, her emotions were heightened. That meant there was a minefield of emotional nerves that Sarah could accidentally step on. And frankly, she wasn't in the mood to deal with that.

"I'll find somewhere else to sleep," Sarah said, getting up to leave. She hadn't wanted to spend the night in this dump anyway. The only thing that had been keeping her was the possibility of good sex. But with Leiah's emotional outburst, it seemed that was no longer an option.

She was just opening the door when a hand suddenly shot out and slammed it shut. It was Leiah, having ran over silently and now stood alongside her. There was still a clear annoyance in her eyes, but Sarah could see the same hungry she felt. That itch that they both needed scratched. It had obviously been a while for both of them.

"Look, I just… I just don't want to feel like I'm taking advantage of you in your, 'I don't care what anyone does to me,' state of mind," Leiah explained.

"I can't change what happened back then, it happened. It's easier for me if I turn it off. That way it doesn't hurt. Sure, I could get mad about it like you, but then I get all the pain that comes with it. These emotions your so fond of, they're not worth the hassle," Sarah explained, as Leiah continued to lean with her hand on the door.

"That being said, just because I don't have emotions doesn't mean I'll let you or anyone do what they want to me. I came here of my own free will. You didn't twist my arm into it, you didn't compel me or take advantage of me. I did it because I wanted to. If I didn't I'd leave."

"So why did you come here?" asked Leiah, standing up as her hand fell away from the door.

"I came because I thought we were going to have a good time. But your little hissy fit kinda put a damper on that, didn't it?"

Leiah held Sarah's eyes for a moment. Her lips halfway between a pout and grin. She was thinking seriously about what she was going to say next, Sarah could see that through her warm embracive blue eyes. She hoped this could still be saved, but if not, she'd find someone else and try again later if the chance arose.

"Well…I'm still up for it if you are. But I'm not going to make the first move."

"Fine," Sarah replied, before grabbing Leiah by the waist and shoving her against the door. Anticipating her next move, Leiah's legs pushed up and quickly coiled around Sarah's waist. Their hands then moved up one another in synch, going for the neck and shoulders as they pulled each other in, and their lips connected in an explosion of sensation better than any alcohol could provide.

But Sarah needed more. She felt the desire inside her roaring like a lion. The passion she'd once had towards killing her brothers had been shoved down inside her. Now it was powering up another of her primal desires. She continued to press her lips against Leiah's, doing so so hard that the wooden door creaked from behind her.

Then in a sudden burst of speed, Sarah found herself falling and landing on the bed with a thud that shook the floorboards. She looked up, seeing Leiah still by the door. A mad smile of delight and pleasure on her lips. She'd shoved her, and now she was lunging for her. Sarah waited until the last second, then rolled aside leaving Leiah to land on the bed. As the blonde rolled over, it was Sarah's turn to pounce, pinning her partner to the bed as her rave hair tickled Leiah's face.

"I'm on top," heaved Sarah, not noticing her own excited and devilish grin.

"Whatever you say," Leiah growled in turn, before jumping up with her lips and kissing Sarah. When she tried to pull back, Sarah held on. They clung to each other, and as Leiah went back down, Sarah followed her. Their lips parting and coming back together like two swords which clashed over and over. Excitement was flowing through them both, the heat of a different sort of battle arousing them.

When Sarah felt Leiah's hand moving down towards the bottom of her dress, Sarah slapped it back. The action caught Leiah by surprise. Then Sarah grabbed a handful of Leiah's dress and tore it away, leaving her thighs exposed. With one hand supporting her, she reached the other down through the hole she'd made in the dress. Leiah went to kiss her but before she could a moan of pleasure erupted from inside her. Her warm breath brushed across Sarah's lips, but she didn't mind. She was more focused on the noises she was getting Leiah to make. A few experimental moves and she had Leiah squirming.

Until suddenly Leiah's hand found its way into Sarah and pulled her down by the waist. Sarah had been so preoccupied that she had noticed Leiah's hand slip beneath her dress. Determined to take back control, Sarah threw herself down on Leiah, their lips crashing together once more. She released her hold on Leiah and grabbed her head with both hands as she kissed her. And feeling Leiah inside of her, she thrusted herself down upon her with all her might, groaning aloud in between deep heated kisses.

Suddenly breathless, Sarah fell to the side, giving Leiah the chance to take the dominant position. Her vision was blurry from the sudden rush, but she could still make out Leiah as she mounted her. She could see her mischievous smile, the burning blue of her eyes, the golden blonde of her hair. Beautiful, was the word that floated around in Sarah's mind, stirring up feelings she hadn't felt in years. Only this time, she didn't shove them down like she had done before. She let them flutter up, like butterflies taking flight for the first time. They were so warm, caressing her from the inside, or maybe that was Leiah.

Sarah sighed, it was such a tranquil moment, almost perfect. Then the sun began to rise, and with Sarah on her current high, her pupils got lazy. Leiah became silhouetted, her smile and eyes vanishing into the blackness as a golden glow akin to her hair surrounded the dark shape she'd become. Something clutched at Sarah's heart then, and her breathing quickened. She couldn't place the emotion now running around inside of her, but she knew she had to stomp it out before it could over come her. What she'd felt before was the best of emotions. But the best was so little in comparison to the worst she was feeling now. So she shut it off before she could be hurt. And that's why, when her eyes finally adjusted to the light, and she saw Leiah again, with her mischievous smile and flaming blue eyes, Sarah didn't feel a thing.

---

It had been well over week since Sarah's attempt to kill Stefan. And even though it had failed, the truth was, Sarah's life had never been better. She was free of all emotional turmoil, thanks to her handy humanity switch. Her time was no longer occupied with trying to kill her last living brother, since her new friend, Rebekah, had compelled her to drop the matter for the time being. She was having the best sex of her life with Leiah, and she'd finally convinced the Original to live in something a bit more stylish. Everything was going great.

Her only thorn. Rebekah and Leiah's older brother, Klaus. He wasn't fond of her. Which suited her fine since Sarah wasn't all that fond of him either. She knew fine well he'd disliked her the moment she showed up. Why? Well, she knew that too. She was Stefan's family. She'd been able to tell after only one night that Klaus saw Stefan as a replacement for whatever brotherly bond he once had. And Sarah now being in the picture threatened to crack, if not completely shatter, that fantasy. That, and she was in a relationship with one of his sisters.

At first that hadn't bothered him so much. He kept making comments about how Leiah would throw her to the curb soon and that they'd have to listen to her cry about it afterwards. Sarah hadn't cared. Mostly because Leiah had shown no signs of getting bored with her. And then, as time had gone on, Klaus began to think the same as Sarah – that Leiah wouldn't be kicking her to the curb any time soon. So now, she wasn't just going to steal his pretend brother, she was threatening to take away his sister's attention. Both of them, since Sarah had also become fast friends with Rebekah.

It had started out as a simple strategic move. Rebekah was the one compelling her after all, and as Sarah understood it, since Rebekah had been the one to compel her first, that gave her a foot hold over the other Originals when it came to Sarah. Naturally she could still be compelled by Klaus or Leiah, but Leiah had promised never to compel her and both sisters had managed to convince Klaus not to either. So since Rebekah was the only one with a free pass to compel her, it made sense to stay in her good books. That and it irritated Klaus even more, which Sarah found very satisfying.

"Here's to us gals!" declared Leiah, raising her glass of illegal alcohol.

"And the fellas that lost us," added Rebekah modestly, also raising her glass.

"And those lucky enough to bed us," concluded Sarah with a side ways glance to Leiah who grinned. They all then tapped their glass against one another and drank. A collective sigh was then released as they leaned back in their usual booth and sat their glasses down.

"Speaking off, where is Stefan and our oh-so-dear brother tonight?" asked Leiah.

"Out prowling the streets for dinner," answered Rebekah.

"And you weren't invited?" asked Sarah with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course I was, but I already ate."

"That's a lie," muttered Leiah behind her glass.

"It isn't," snapped Rebekah, before recomposing herself. "Besides, I wanted to spend some quality time with my new best friend and her girlfriend."

"The same girlfriend who happens to be your sister," pointed out Sarah.

"Well, everyone has their flaws," said Rebekah, as she and Sarah laughed.

"Yeah, mine's my family," Leiah replied quickly, smirking when she saw Rebekah's scowl.

"Really, I would have thought your obnoxious personality would have been more obvious."

"Is this how we're going to spend the night? With you two shouting at each other again?" asked Sarah.

"You're right, Sarah. This is supposed to be about the three of us having a good time," agreed Rebekah as she reached for her glass.

"Which would be easier if Sarah could feel emotions," Leiah muttered, avoiding Sarah's gaze when she looked her way.

Perhaps there was one other compliant about her new life in Chicago. "Are you seriously going to bring this up again?"

"Uh oh, trouble in paradise?" teased Rebekah. But her carefree smile was quickly put in place when both Sarah and Leiah shot her irritated glares. "All right, what's this about?"

"She wants me to turn my humanity back on," answered Sarah.

"Rubbish, why would you want to do a thing like that?"

"Because then she would actually feel something," exclaimed Leiah as she sat up in her seat.

"Yeah, all those great emotions like pain, sadness, hurt, betrayal, fear," listed Sarah sarcastically.

"Love, excitement, joy, laughter," added Leiah as she turned on Sarah.

"The negatives out weight the positives. I'm happier with my emotions off," said Sarah with a glare to Leiah.

"But you're already feelings things now, I know you are! But rather than embrace your feelings, you keep shoving them down."

"You're worse than Lexi," Sarah muttered to herself. However, on the off chance that Leiah or Rebekah heard her, she continued on before they could start asking questions. Because once Leiah heard about Lexi and her quest to save the Salvatores, she'd likely track the vampire down and compel her in to helping her. Of course, after five seconds with Lexi, anyone would realise that compulsion wasn't necessary when it came to that job. Lexi loved being a saviour.

"You do realise that if I turn my humanity back on, I'm not going to want to be with you anymore, right?"

"I know you love me, Sarah. I know you felt it when I–"

"Oh, would you stop bring that up!" snapped Sarah, her frustration getting the better of her. "You said it during sex! It was in the heat of the moment, you didn't mean it."

"Yes, I did!" shouted Leiah, making no effort to hold back her frustration.

"Hold on, did you say, 'You loved her'?" Rebekah asked Leiah with a curious grin on her lips.

"She did, and now she's upset that I didn't say it back," explained Sarah.

"No, I'm mad that you didn't acknowledge what I said!" snapped Leiah.

"No, you're mad that it didn't flick my humanity switch back!" accused Sarah.

Leiah hesitated for a moment, then snapped, "All right, fine, yes, I was hoping it would bring your humanity back! But that's only because I know how you feel–!"

"I don't feel! What is so hard for you to understand about this! What we're doing, I do because it's fun, there's no other reason."

"You know that's not true!" argued Leiah.

"No, it is! I don't love you Leiah, because I can't. I don't feel that stuff any more. But that's probably for the best, because if I did feel, I couldn't feel that kind of thing for you because your a woman!"

"That's stupid!" Leiah shouted, before then taking a breath and bringing her voice down to a softer level. "Sarah, I know that after what you've been through, you probably think you couldn't ever feel that way about another woman. But I know you do and I just want to help–" Sarah pushed herself up and strode away from the table, leaving Rebekah surprised and Leiah shocked.

"Sarah? Sarah!"

Sarah ignored Leiah's shouts as she shoved her way through Gloria's, heading for the door. Her head was ringing, her stomach uneasy. She needed something to eat. No, she needed a distraction from all this nonsense Leiah was trying to force into her head. Or better yet, she needed someone to take her frustrations out on.

The answer presented itself outside the speakeasy, when Sarah was greeted by Klaus and Stefan. "Calling it a night already?" teased Klaus as he and Stefan chuckled, making their way over. They were clearly ignoring the visual cues of Sarah's tight jaw, deepened brow and clenched fists. "Come on, you can't have had that much already–"

As Klaus went to lay his hand on Sarah, she shoved him out of her way. She didn't say anything, didn't spare him a glance. She just kept walking, heading for the nearby alleyway where she'd hopefully find someone she could make suffer. But it seemed fate was insistent on who her target should be, as Sarah was grabbed by the arm and swung around.

"You ought to watch that temper of yours," growled Klaus in warning, now right up in Sarah's face. "It'll get you into trouble."

"Oh, why don't you go and push around some humans to make yourself feel big, you pathetic man." Sarah tired to pull away, but Klaus' grip tightened at the insult and he yanked her back around.

"Watch it sweetheart. Just because you're–"

"Because I'm what?! Stefan's sister? Rebekah's friend? Leiah's lover? Is someone feeling left out, Niklaus? Worried you're so insignificant that I'll replace you that easily?"

"Watch it!" hissed Klaus, yanking Sarah closer towards him, as his eyes filled with blood. "I'll only take so much before I start to get offended."

"Yeah, how does this strike you?" Sarah then swung her fist into Klaus' face, finally freeing herself of his grasp. Although it was a short won victory, as Klaus back handed her and sent her flying to the ground.

"Seems, someone needs to be taught their place," snarled Klaus, before he looked to Stefan. "Any objections?"

"No, none from me," said Stefan as he made himself comfortable against the wall. "About time someone put her in her place."

"Fantastic," said Klaus with a grin, as he turned back to Sarah. "So what's say we–" He was cut off as he went to grab Sarah, instead receiving a kick to the chest before he could stop it. It had him stagger back a few paces, growling as Sarah pushed herself back up. "You're pushing your luck."

"Shut up and fight," replied Sarah, as she ran at Klaus. It was a clumsy and predictable move, and had Sarah been thinking clearly, she never would have done it. But she wasn't thinking clearly right now. She was angry. Angry for the first time in possibly a decade. Whenever the emotion had arose before, she'd been able to put it out before it got to big. But now it was like a forest fire inside of her. The rage coursing through her veins and consuming her. Anger was one of the dangerous emotions. It could sneak up on you easily, but once it was gone, it was usually easy to get back to an emotionless state. The problem would be if the other emotions started to stick their heads in.

Having seeing the attack coming, Klaus grabbed ahold of Sarah easily and threw her over his back and to the ground. Sarah grunted and pushed herself back up at supernatural speed. She turned around, ready to continue her attack, but instead received a punch to the face at the hands of Klaus. She staggered and he pressed his attack. Her defence was sloppy and he easily tore through it landing blow after blow before a final one sent her sailing into a nearby automobile.

She might have been hurting like hell, but Sarah was far from being done. She was still angry after all, which meant she still had to fight.

Climbing her way out of the car, Sarah then grabbed a chunk of metal that had begun to peel of the side, and with a bit of brute force, she snapped it off. Now she had a weapon, a long sharp piece of metal. Again, had she being thinking carefully, there was a lot she could have done with this. But her thoughts and actions were entirely driven by her anger, and so, she threw the strip of metal like a dagger towards Klaus' head.

He dodged it, moving to the side as Sarah lunged for him. She got lucky and managed to tackle him, the pair rolling across the parking lot and towards the strip of metal.

For a brief moment, Sarah thought she had the upper hand as she landed two strong blows to Klaus' jaw. But then he blocked the third and twisted Sarah's arm awkwardly. She grunted in furious pain, before she felt Klaus' palm slam up against her jaw. She was grateful she hadn't been screaming, otherwise she could have cut off her tongue.

The palm was followed by an elbow blow, then a kick that had her skidding uncontrollable across the ground. Next thing she knew Klaus was above her, stomping on her as she curled up in to the fetal position to protect herself. After a few seconds, Klaus then grabbed her by the arm and pulled her up.

Forced to abandon her defence, Sarah tried to counter attack but Klaus saw it coming and blocked Sarah's jab to his ribs. Another punch across the face had Sarah collapse, her vision now spinning. She tired to push herself up but lost her balance. When she tried again, she felt Klaus' shoe pressing down on her back.

"Have we learn't our lesson now?" asked Klaus smugly.

His moment of glory didn't lost long either though, as someone tackled him at supernatural speed, and shoved him up against the wall.

"Leave her alone!" shouted Leiah, her vampire features on full display as she held Klaus up against the wall. It made him look as if he were twice the size of his sister, and it unfortunately positioned his knee in just the right place. He swung his leg out, bending it as he did and his knee caught Leiah beneath the jaw. She fell back, and Klaus quickly pinned her, glaring down with anger in his eyes.

"How dare you…" Sarah didn't hear the rest, as she ran. She caught sight of Rebekah running over with Stefan, heard the start of the shouting match. But she was too far gone to make out what was being said. She didn't care anyway. She didn't. She didn't care that Leiah loved her, or that Klaus had just knocked her up and down the parking lot like it was nothing. She didn't care about anything.

But no matter how many time she told herself that, she couldn't stop the pit in her stomach. The ache that wouldn't heal. She tired to think of it as physical pain caused by Klaus. But when all her cuts and bruises healed, and the stomach pain remained, she knew it wasn't physical.

She tried ripping through several humans, drinking as madly as her brother, but still there was no change. She didn't know what to do. She tried to turn it off, to push it down, but it was like it was wedged inside of her. She was losing her mind, she didn't know what to do, and then suddenly she found herself up on the rooftop of the apartment building she and Leiah were staying at. She couldn't risk going into their home, not when Leiah could come in at any moment. She couldn't face her right now. Because Sarah knew that if she did, there was every chance Leiah would finally get her wish. That if she pushed it, Sarah's damn would break, and all her emotions would come flooding through. She honestly didn't think her psyche could take it.

"Chilly up here."

Sarah turned around, thankful that it was only Rebekah. The blonde Original approached the edge of the building, standing alongside Sarah as the hem of their dresses shook erratically with the wind. "Mind telling me what all that was about?" Sarah turned back towards the edge, looking towards the Chicago skyscrapers.

Rebekah let the wind fill the silence for a moment before then adding, "For a girl who claims to have no emotion, you sure act emotional."

"I'm not…" Sarah sighed, tired of having to constantly repeat herself. She was sick of having to say she didn't care.

Rebekah stared at her for a moment, before shaking her head. "That's the problem with younger vampires. They think they can control their emotions."

"I am in control," said Sarah through a clenched jaw.

"Really?" questioned Rebekah, lifting one eyebrow to boot. "So what was that back there?"

"He was annoying me."

"He's being annoying you ever since you got here, but you've never started a fight with him before."

Sarah rolled her eyes and turned away from the edge. She wasn't in the mood for company, or a lecture. She began to stride towards the door leading inside when Rebekah said, "I know anger when I see it, Sarah."

"That's because you've got a temper shorter than your sister," Sarah snapped back, before Rebekah suddenly appeared before her, blocking her path. Unfortunately for Sarah, despite her usual short fuse, this time Rebekah was actually calm. She had her arms folded, and from her stance Sarah could tell she wasn't going to let her go without a fight.

"Careful," Rebekah said cooly. "I'm trying to help you. Which admittedly is new for me."

"Why help me, what's it to you?"

"Well, for one thing, you're my sister's girlfriend. And when my sister fights with her lovers it puts her in a bad mood – which I then have to then put up with."

"Ah, I see. Sorry if all this inconveniences you," said Sarah snidely, as she tried to step past her, but the Original stepped into her path once more. Sarah bit back a shout, turning her head away and breathing, hoping to calm down before she started another fight with an Original. One she knew she'd lose.

"I also quite like you, believe it or not. Frankly, it doesn't make one lick of difference to me whether your emotions are on or off. Unfortunately, my sister thinks you'd be better of with your emotions on. That it might allow you to process some personal…whatever." Rebekah waved her hand careless as she rolled her eyes. "And she's usually right about this sort of thing, so I figured I'd give her hand."

"So, what? You gonna start nagging me about my emotions too now?" asked Sarah dryly.

"No. I'm a direct sort of girl, remember. And while it might upset, Leiah, this'll save time." Suddenly, Sarah found Rebekah's hand clapped around her throat. She gasped, trying to suck in air that wouldn't come, as her body was hoisted up off the ground. She squirmed, but her brain was panicking, her survival instincts caught of guard.

She looked down at Rebekah, seeing the blonde hold her without any sign of strain. She had to formulate a plan, and quickly, get away before…

"Stop struggling," Rebekah ordered.

Sarah stopped struggling, her green dull eyes locked with Rebekah's compelling blues.

"Listen to me. I want you to turn it on. Let it all come through, everything you've kept bottled up over the past decade."

Sarah's voice came out timidly, as she held onto Rebekah's arm. "Please, don't do this to me."

"It'll be all right. Leiah will be here for you. And so will I," Rebekah promised, her voice lowering to the same volume as Sarah's.

"You don't understand. If I get my emotions back, I won't be able–"

"Be silent," Rebekah ordered. "Now, do as I say, and turn your emotions back on."

Sarah was trying to fight it. It was a mental battle, but the struggle was clear on her screwed up face. She could feel the gates she'd shut inside her mind being pulled open. She was doing all she could to keep them closed, but at the same time, she was the one who was opening them. The compulsion different to anything Sarah had felt before. It wasn't forceful. It was like a hand was guiding her. Pulling her away from the emotional gates she'd had herself pressed against for so long. She could feel herself being lead away, no matter how much she wanted to stay, to keep the emotions out. But they were coming back, she could feel them seeping in through the gate behind her. It was like a trickle at first, not as strong as the occasional bursts she'd had over the past few years. Warm and cold feelings mixing like colours to create an aura of emotions. But then suddenly the tidal wave hit. She convulsed in Rebekah's grasp. She tried to scream but nothing came out. She was hit all at once with everything she'd refused to feel over the past ten years. The happiness, joy, love, excitement, the thrills, the laughter, the anger, the hurt, the pain, the fear, the heartbreak and the death…

The death of Damon.

Tears burst from her eyes as she howled out in despair, sound finally coming from within. She felt herself falling. She hit something hard but it was nothing compared to the emotional blow she'd just been dealt.

She'd killed her own brother…

All she'd ever wanted since Damon left was to have her family back together. And now she never could. Because she'd killed him. And she would have killed Stefan too. She'd been so close. The stake had been in motion, it had been about to penetrate his heart when–

Suddenly she was yanked up off whatever she'd landed on. A set of hands grabbed her by the arms and held her as she flailed and tried to fall back over. All she wanted was to curl up and cry. Cry because of what she'd done, the monster she'd become. She couldn't stand her own skin, she wanted to be free. She tried to turn it off again, to erase everything she was feeling. But it was too late now. The gates had been opened, the emotions were through, and there was no bottling them up now. She could push down one at a time, but then another would take over. When she tried to stop feeling sad, she got angry. When she shoved back the anger, she got scared. Push that away and she was back to the overwhelming pain of sadness that made her feel like she was drowning. She couldn't breath, it was all so intense. She was submerged by her emotions, her own tears burning at her face. It was as she predicted, an overload she couldn't bear. Her mind was collapsing in on her, thousands of memories from the past decade flying at her, accompanied by what she should have felt at the time but didn't. Most of them where just background noise. The loudest were the ones accompanied by the negative emotions. And always in the forefront was the memory of Damon and the scorching regret that burned her from the inside.

Someone was shouting at her, but she couldn't tell if it was a memory or for real. Everything was coming at her so fast, she could discern one thing from another. Memory after memory hit her combined with an emotion slap. Some were from before she even flicked off her humanity. The original anguish at losing her family, the hurt and abandonment she'd felt when she first turned it off. How she wished she could do that now, but the switch was jammed in her head, as it always was after turning it one way or the other. She was stuck in this never ending loop of memories and emotions, with no light at the end of the tunnel. It was hell, there was no other word for it, especially when all she could feel was the negative. The positive happy memories were whisked away before she could grab hold. It wasn't fair. Why did she have to feel all this?!

"Sarah!" snapped Rebekah, finally breaking through as Sarah tried to wriggle out of her hold. "Sarah, would you stop and look at me, damn it! Oh, bloody hell!"

Rebekah winced as Sarah started screaming bloody murder. She was shouting something, but it was such a mishmash of words and sentences that Rebekah couldn't make heads or tails of it. One minute she was blaming herself, the next she was screaming and raving about some bloody female dog. Then she was crying over someone she killed, then her family, then God knows what. Rebekah just couldn't keep up. On top of that, she was fighting to keep Sarah under control .

After the emotional switch had been flicked, the connection she'd had with Sarah broke. She just needed to get Sarah to look her in the eye so that she could reestablish it and calm her down. Only problem was, Sarah was throwing her head all over the place, her eyes so watery Rebekah couldn't even make out the green in them. Would Sarah even be able to focus on her eyes through all those tears? It didn't matter, Rebekah had to try. Although she could – and was very tempted to – leave her, she just couldn't. Sarah wasn't just her boyfriend's sister, or her sister's girlfriend. Since meeting her, Rebekah had wanted her own relationship with Sarah and she'd want it to be a good one. More than that, she wanted what Klaus had with Stefan. Someone who was like a sister to her but not actually her sister. Truth be told, Rebekah couldn't stand either of her sisters most of the time. But Sarah…she liked Sarah. And that was why she'd listened to her brat of a sister.

She was regretting it now, but she was determined to finish what she'd started. She would make Sarah her best friend. And somewhere down the road, Sarah would thank her for what she did here and they'd laugh over it. Especially the part when Rebekah explains how she came so close to killing Sarah, because she was getting sick and tried of her incessant screaming!

Throwing her weight onto Sarah, the young raven haired vampire collapsed beneath Rebekah. It was hardly the most dignified of moves, but Rebekah needed her pinned and now she had her. She just hoped Leiah didn't hear and come running.

If she caught the two of them in this position along with Rebekah compelling Sarah, she'd understandably assume the wrong idea. She'd probably see it as some sort of revenge for when she'd stolen Rebekah's lovers throughout the decades. And while it would be a fitting punishment, Rebekah couldn't do that to her sister. She loved the idea of love, and she could see her sister did love Sarah. It'd be harder to take if she herself didn't have Stefan, but even if she didn't have him, she'd never stoop so low as to ruin her sister's chances of love. She'd leave that to their brother.

"Sarah!" Rebekah started shouting again over the vampire's hysterical nonsense. She still wasn't listening, caught up in the emotional storm that had swept her away. Grabbing on to the side of her head, Rebekah forced her to stay still as she felt Sarah's tears run down her hands. "Sarah, open your eyes! I can't help you if you don't open your eyes you idiot!"

She was still sniffling and crying uncontrollably, but Rebekah was certain Sarah was looking her in the eye. She had to go for it. She stared down in to the teary mess and let her instincts push her will into Sarah's mind. "You will be calm. You will accept that you killed your brother. Yes, it's a terribly sad thing, but you will over come it, as you will every other emotion. Just sink down to the bottom, and let the waves wash over you, and pass by…"

The crying stopped. The poor green eyed girl still looked like she'd had her heart torn out, but she wasn't crying or mumbling hysterically anymore. The compulsion was working. All Rebekah had to do was keep talking.

"You will go to sleep now. You will sleep deeply and for a long time. And when you wake up, all of this will feel like a distant memory. All the emotions you are feeling right now, will go to the past were they belong. And when you wake up…we'll talk."

It had been ever so tempting to compel her to be her friend, to make sure she'd be forever loyal to her. But Rebekah knew it wouldn't be real then. Niklaus didn't compel Stefan for that same reason. What they had was a real, true friendship. And she wanted that with Sarah. That couldn't be compelled. But she knew she was doing the right thing, that she was helping Sarah and that that would go a way towards building the friendship she desired. Family and love might come before all else, but that didn't mean she still didn't want to have friends.

She watched Sarah's eyes flutter for a moment, before they closed all together. Almost instantaneously, she curled over, her cheek resting comfortably against Rebekah's hand as the Original smiled down at her.

"Sweet dreams, Sarah Salvatore," Rebekah whispered, before sensing a presence behind her.

She turned, seeing Leiah on the other side of the roof.

"Is she okay?" her little sister asked. Her voice completely capturing the word, 'Little,' so much so that when Rebekah looked at her, she saw the little girl from long ago. The one who'd grow into her little sister. Her original baby sister.

Rebekah smiled reassuringly over to her. "She's going to be fine, Leiah."

"Did… Did she say anything about…"

Rebekah was over to her in a flash. Stopping right in front of her and already holding her in a gentle sisterly hug. "One thing at a time, Leiah. One thing at time…"