Hey you guys, early chapter cause I'm going to the beach again tomorrow! I had a reviewer give Lauren and Alaric a ship name and I screamed! Thank you Cloudyskiesahead for coming up with Lauric! So cute! Anyway, I know that it sucks that Alex sent her mom away, but in her mind that is the best way to keep her safe, especially as Klaus grows tired of waiting for those coffins. Anyway, let me know what you think!
Season 3 Episode 12 The Ties that Bind
It had been a week since my mom and Jeremy went away on their "trips," and I had been extremely tense. Nothing seemed to relief said tension, not training, not work, not alcohol, not even sex. Not that Damon minded, he loved a challenge. But nothing was making this anger and anxiety let up. I knew my mom was safe. She sent me plenty of text messages and called all the time so I knew that she was fine. She was having fun, something that she needed regardless of this whole Klaus thing. But not even that could help my current predicament.
"Want to go for round 2?"
I scoffed, sitting up in Damon's bed. I stood, taking one of the blankets with me as I searched for my clothes. I huffed when I saw my favorite band t-shirt had been ripped to shreds in Damon's haste to get me naked. I was so irritable, not even Damon could make me smile.
"I have to meet Elena and Bonnie at the old witch house." I told him, finding my pants. I slipped them on. "Apparently it's important."
"They can handle things without you." Damon whined. I fought the urge to roll my eyes. "Come back to bed."
"No." I replied flatly. I went to his dresser, finding a shirt I had left here and pulled it on. I wasn't usually one to tell Damon no, but my mood was making it very hard to be my sweet, happy self. I felt the rush of air brush my hair over my shoulder and I turned around. He stood right in front of me with furrowed eyebrows.
"What's your deal?" He asked. I shrugged. "This whole week you have been bitchy."
"I have not been bitchy." I said in a tone that sounded very bitchy. He cocked a brow. "Ok, so I'm irritable. What of it?"
"I want to know why." He said, putting his hands on my hips. I swallowed. "Is it because your mom is gone?"
I didn't reply, I just looked away. I was sad about my mother leaving, yes. I didn't know when I would see her again and she was always the one to keep me grounded when I needed it. Without her here… everything just felt wrong. And Klaus… my anger for him had not subsided and I was still out for his head. I smirked at bit at the thought of his head above the mantle.
"Pretty girl…" Damon cooed. I met his gaze, that blue gaze that entranced me even when I was mad. "She's going to come back."
"But when?" I asked, stepping away. "It could be months before it's safe for her to return."
I turned my back to him, trying to hide my eyes. They were filling with tears. When I originally thought to send her away, I didn't think it would ever be this bad. I was so emotionally unstable, it was a bit frightening. I didn't realize how much she kept me sane until she was gone.
"Hey, come here." Damon said, pulling me to his chest. He tucked his head into my neck, kissing it tenderly. "I'm going to help you through this."
I smiled, a genuine smile that I forgot how to do. Leave it to Damon to bring back my smile.
"But you have got to stop being a bitch." He said, low and muffled by my neck. I elbowed him playfully. He wasn't wrong, I had been a royal pain in the ass. I turned to face him, locking my hands in his hair and kissing him full on the lips. His hands wound around my waist, pulling me closer. It wasn't until we had fallen on the bed that I realized I would be a little late for my meeting with Elena and Bonnie.
"That little shit."
I stood in the basement of the old witch house, four wooden coffins staring me in the face.
"He's your boyfriend." Elena mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. I glared.
"Your boyfriend took them in the first place." I muttered back. She sighed.
"Would you two stop?" Bonnie ordered. "We have bigger issues here."
"Other than the fact that you lied to us?" I asked. Bonnie set her jaw. Not only had Bonnie kept the secret that the coffins were right under our noses, but Damon hadn't told me either. He would get a real earful when I got him.
"I've been having these dreams for days now." Bonnie said. "It's like the witches are trying to send me a message."
"I just can't believe that you guys kept this from me this whole time." Elena said, sadder than I sounded. The good mood that I had was shot to hell now.
"Stefan thought, if you knew where the coffins were, Klaus could threaten people to get the information out of you." Bonnie said.
Elena nodded. Well, Stefan wasn't wrong. Klaus was very capable of threatening people, and most of the time he made good on those promises. He knew that Elena or I would tell him anything he wanted to know if we could save lives.
"So, who are these?" I asked, gesturing to the dusty coffins. I was tempted to crack one open, but fought the urge. "Other members of my family I presume."
"Elijah and two others." Bonnie replied. I bristled at the sound of Elijah's name. "This one...is the one we can't open."
She walked over to the biggest coffin.
"We don't know who is in it, or what's in it, only that I think my dream's telling me it'll help us kill Klaus." Bonnie explained.
There was a sound of quiet footsteps that brought us all to attention. Turning toward the doorway, I saw Stefan enter with large green eyes. I stepped in front of Elena, partly because of my guardian instincts, but also just out of pure fear of what he would try.
"What the hell are you doing?" He asked, looking to Bonnie. He then looked to me and Elena. I could feel her tense behind me.
"I needed her to know about the coffin." Bonnie explained.
"And I needed you to keep her out of it, Bonnie." Stefan huffed.
"So what are you gonna do, Stefan?" Elena asked. "Are you gonna kidnap me, so that I won't tell anyone?"
"Over my dead body." I said with a glare. Stefan smirked at me, making my blood boil.
"That can be arranged." He said. I glared even harder at him.
"What? Are you just going to drive me over Wickery Bridge?" I asked. I saw him slightly tense. "Leave me to drown like you did the first time?"
"Don't tempt me." Stefan warned. I wasn't afraid of Stefan. With the irritable mood I was in, I wouldn't mind stabbing him in the gut a couple times.
"I think I know, who can open the coffin, Stefan." Bonnie said, breaking up the fight. "And I need Elena to help me find her."
This was new information for me as well, so like Stefan, I furrowed my brows.
"Find who?" Stefan asked. "What are you talking about?"
Bonnie pulled out her wallet, producing a wallet sized picture.
"I couldn't place her face at first." She said, handing it to Elena. "Then I realized..."
Elena took the photo in her hands gingerly, looking it over. Her eyes widened and she looked up to meet Bonnie's gaze.
"Oh my god, Bonnie" Elena said. I grabbed the picture, seeing a small child with a young woman. I didn't have time to inspect it before Stefan jerked it from me. He looked it over.
"Who is this?" He asked, looking up at Bonnie. Bonnie set her jaw before she took a deep breath.
"It's my mom."
After our little meet up with Stefan, we started our search for Bonnie's mother. She had bailed out on her, much like John had done on me, and Bonnie hadn't heard from her since. Elena took to the sheriff station, where we received information on every Abby Bennett in the United States. I huffed a bit upon seeing how many there were.
"Los Alamitos?" Elena asked, handing a document to Bonnie. The witch looked it over and then shook her head.
"Too old." Bonnie said, putting it in the no pile. I grabbed another copy of a drivers license and turned it around.
"Honolulu?" I asked. Bonnie smirked, but shook her head again.
"I wish." She replied. "How many of these are there?"
"A lot." Elena replied. "I asked the sheriff's office to pull up every single Abby Bennett in the country."
I groaned, picking up another piece of paper. The woman looked nothing like Bonnie and I put it in the no pile.
"I know we haven't been able to really...that things had been weird, because of Jeremy." Bonnie said. I looked up and saw her looking at Elena. "So, thank you for helping me with this. I know you have a lot to deal with."
She then looked at me.
"Thank both of you." She said. I smiled.
"There's nothing more important, Bonnie." Elena said. I nodded.
"We are here to help you." I said, making Bonnie grin. I knew things between Elena and Bonnie had been tense, but there was no doubt that Elena would help Bonnie if she was able. And even with my mood swings, Bonnie was still a friend, and finding her mother would not just benefit us because of the coffin, but also so Bonnie could see her mother.
"It's surreal." Bonnie said. "Having to track down a woman, who bailed on her own kid."
"I understand." I said, thinking about John. "Lucky for me I didn't have to look far."
Thinking about John made my heart ache a bit. Not only was my mother gone, but John… he was dead. He didn't get the chance to come back. I didn't get the chance to really know him.
"What is it like?" Bonnie asked, leaning forward. I blinked a few times before I looked down at my hands. I knew Bonnie was simply curious, and she was about to go through the same thing I had been through months earlier. She wanted to be prepared, I could understand that.
"Well… I was angry… at first." I said, recalling my emotions when John blew into town. "Then I was sad… and angry again… and then I was numb…"
I could feel Elena's eyes on me. She had been there for me when John first arrived, and she supported me throughout his return. It was still so bizarre for me to think about how we shared the same father… one we both lost.
"Eventually I was ok." I said, meeting Bonnie's gaze. "And then… he died… and I was depressed all over again."
"Heavy." Bonnie replied. I smirked. "Do you miss him at all?"
I blinked again, involuntarily meeting Elena's gaze. Her eyes had glazed over with tears, but she blinked them away. I swallowed the lump in my throat.
"Yeah." I replied honestly. The three of us then fell silent as we looked through more profiles. My mind was racing with sadness, anger, regret, guilt… everything that I had suppressed when John died. I wished that I had more time… instead of hating him… I could have gotten to know him, more than I had. If only I had known our time together would be so short.
Suddenly, the door flew open, pulling me violently from my thoughts.
"Abby Bennett Wilson, Monroe, North Carolina." Damon said, a manila folder in his hand. "Born in Mystic Falls Hospital, graduated at Mystic Falls High...blah blah blah."
Bonnie stood, taking the folder from him and she looked through it. Her eyes widened, and looking over her shoulder, I could definitely see the resemblance between Bonnie and her mother.
"A little compulsion helps sped up the research process." Damon said, winking at me. I rolled my eyes.
"This is her." Bonnie said, her voice sounding tight. I gripped her shoulders, trying to reassure her without words. I could see her visibly swallow as she looked over the record.
"Road trip." Damon said. "I call shotgun."
"You're not coming, Damon." Elena said, her head snapping up to look at him. I furrowed my brows at her.
"Why?" Damon asked, sounding outraged. "I'm the one who found her."
"Okay, Damon. Look. Bonnie hasn't seen her mom in over fifteen years." Elena said. "We don't need your snarky commentary narrating the experience."
Damon scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. He and Elena had a glaring match before he huffed and went toward the door. I sighed, moving toward the door.
"I'll make sure he doesn't do anything stupid." I promised. "You two have fun. And be careful."
"Thank you Alex." Bonnie said. "For everything."
"Of course." I replied with a smile. I nodded to Elena before I followed Damon outside the door. Once on the front porch, I looked around for him. He was leaning against his car, his narrow eyed glare on his face. I sighed again, making my way toward him.
"I don't need a babysitter." He spat, making me roll my eyes. "I don't."
"Neither do Bonnie or Elena." I said, standing a few inches from him. "They have to do this alone."
Damon scoffed, but seemed to have given up the fight. I took his hands in mine, leaning forward into him.
"So," I began, acting coy. "Why didn't you tell me about the coffins?"
Damon's eyes widened, looking like an animal caught in a trap. I narrowed my eyes at him, showing him that his decision to keep this from me was not in his best interest. By the look on his face, he already knew.
"See about that…" He said, releasing my hands and speeding around to the driver's side. "Don't you have to go to work?"
"Damon." I said sternly. He got in the car, and I followed suit. "This is so not over."
He smirked, winking at me before he drove toward the Grill.
Jace rushed the plates of hot food over to his table of hungry customers. He gave them a smile, setting down the plates gently before he headed back to the bar. The Grill was busy as usual. He was used to it now, how many people he had to deal with. And he kept a smile on his face, knowing Alex would be showing up for her shift any time now.
"Hey Jace."
Jace looked up to see Alaric, a drink in hand. He had noticed he had been frequenting the bar lately, and Jace wrote it off to him being depressed about Lauren.
"Hey Rick." Jace said. "How's it going?"
Rick took a swig from his glass.
"It's going." Alaric said. Jace gave him a look pf sympathy. Alex had been in the same sort of slump since Lauren left as well. He knew both of them were struggling with it, and he wished that he could help.
"Hey listen." Alaric said. "I'm meeting someone here."
"Damon?" Jace asked. Alaric shook his head.
"No, Meredith Fell." Alaric replied. Jace furrowed his brows. "When she comes in, tell her where my table is will you?"
"Sure." Jace said, eyebrows still furrowed. "Why are you meeting with her?"
Alaric shrugged. It didn't get past Jace that he looked around the room suspiciously before he met Jace's gaze again.
"She's my doctor." Alaric replied. "She's someone I can talk to…"
"Right." Jace said. Alaric visibly swallowed. "Just as long as it's… friendly."
Alaric met Jace's gaze. Neither spoke, so Alaric took the last of his drink. He set the glass down and swallowed.
"Of course." Rick said, turning away from his student and walking toward the back corner. Something wasn't right…
The bell above the door alerted Jace that someone new had arrived. He looked up, seeing Meredith Fell walk in. Her eyes swept the room before they fell on Alaric. She grinned, walking up to him and the two embraced. Jace watching in suspicion as the two sat down and began talking.
"Who is she?"
I was freaking out a bit. When Damon and I entered the Grill, I found a very pretty looking woman talking to Alaric. They looked much more than friendly.
"She's the doctor who took care of him after the accident." Jace replied. "I guess they have been chatting ever since he recovered."
I ground my teeth together upon watching them. There was no proof that they were doing anything more than just friends, but I had learned to be suspicious of everyone. Even my mom's boyfriend who promised me that he wouldn't hurt her.
"She's harmless." Damon said, throwing another dart at the dart board. He turned toward me. "Alaric is dating your mom. He won't mess that up for some chick."
"But mom's not here." I replied. "What if he's… lonely."
"He probably is." Damon agreed. He took my shoulder's in his hands. "But listen, I know Rick. He's really into your mom."
I pressed my lips into a thin line, looking back over toward them. Meredith was pretty, with a large white smile that could leave a man swoon. But mom was prettier, although I was a little biased. And who was I to say that Alaric was cheating? Just because he was meeting up with her, didn't mean that they were seeing one another.
"You're right." I said. Damon smirked.
"I'm always right." He said, making me roll my eyes. "I'll catch you later."
He leaned forward and kissed my temple before he walked over to the now empty seat that Meredith Fell had just vacated. I watched her carefully as she left the restaurant. I still got that suspicious feeling about her.
"He's probably right." Jace said, making me turn around. "I'm sorry for freaking you out."
"No." I said, shaking my head. "No, I'm glad you warned me."
I looked back over to Damon and Alaric, who were deep in serious conversation. Would Rick really do that? I knew he was lonely, and his heartfelt goodbye with my mother told me that he wouldn't. But why was he taking up company with her? Another female, who was very pretty and recently single. It was worrying me.
"Don't worry about it ok?" Jace said, patting my arm. I forced a smile. "So, Bonnie's going to look for her mom?"
"Yeah." I nodded. I looked down at my phone, hoping for a text from said witch. There was nothing. "I just hope they are ok…"
"I'm sure they are fine." Jace replied. I nodded again, looking back up to Alaric who was staring at me. He quickly averted his eyes and I narrowed mine. Something wasn't right.
Damon headed to the hospital after his little chat with Alaric. He didn't trust this Meredith Fell, especially how she was looking at Rick while they were talking. He tried not to let him be bothered by the fact that Alaric was looking at her the same way.
Rick was his best friend, he wouldn't mess up things with Lauren for some maybe psycho doctor he just met… but Damon knew he was lonely. Lauren didn't check in often, and when she did she usually was communicating with Alex… That might make a man do stupid things…
Damon briefly spoke to a woman at the front desk, who told her that Doctor Fell would be back soon. So Damon waited, twiddling his thumbs and thinking about what he was going to say. First, he wanted to figure out who this crazy bitch was. Then he wanted to find out how much she knew, about him, about Stefan. Then he had something more personal he wanted to discuss…
"Excuse me."
Damon looked up to find the dark woman walking toward him. She had a stethoscope around her neck and a white lab coat over blue scrubs. She looked like a doctor in a movie.
"You know, we never got a chance to official meet, Doctor...Fell." Damon said, looking at her name tag. She narrowed her eyes and then a brief sign of recognition covered her face.
"You're Alaric's friend, right? Damon Salvatore. I saw you at the council meeting." She said. "What are you doing here?"
"Strolling the halls." He said nonchalantly. "You know, I like to wave to newborns through the window."
She smiled quickly before she turned to go. Damon took a step closer to her.
"I'm sorry about your boyfriend." Damon said, getting to the root of why he was here. "Animal attack. Brutal."
Her face barely changed.
"Ex-boyfriend. And thanks." She said. "I'm still kind of processing."
"Yeah, I'm sure." Damon replied. "You know, I just thought I come by and tell you, that it wasn't an animal attack."
Her eyes widened the tiniest bit. Damon pulled out the death certificate for the man the sheriff has showed him last night. Murdered, just like a vampire. But he wasn't a vampire.
"But then I realized." Damon said, showing her the document. "You signed the death certificate."
Meredith narrowed her eyes at him before she looked around the hall. No one was there, and no one was watching. She pushed open a door nearby and rushed in. Damon followed her.
"Would you rather, I say, he was staked like a vampire?" Meredith asked. Damon scoffed.
"Wasn't he the guy, that coined the phrase animal attack?" He asked. Meredith rolled her eyes.
"Why do you even care?" She asked.
"Because, your ex is dead, and you're hanging around my friend." Damon replied, arms crossed over her chest. She furrowed her brows for a second and then she took in a breath.
"You think I killed my ex-boyfriend?" She asked. Damon shrugged. "I didn't."
"I think you have psycho written all over you." Damon replied. "Do what you want. But stay away from Rick."
Damon turned to go, pleased with his little warning. She should have been good and scared.
"And if I don't?" She asked. Damon halted at the door. Slowly, dangerously he turned around. She had a dead-panned face and she was putting on a good mask. But her racing heart told the truth, he frightened her.
"Listen, Rick is not single." Damon replied. "And I don't want to have to deal with the aftermath of what could happen if you and him continue… whatever the hell you are doing."
Meredith laughed, a small laugh, one that infuriated Damon. He stepped closer.
"Trust me, you would rather deal with me." Damon warned. "Because if the daughter finds out anything is happening… let's just say it won't be pretty."
Meredith narrowed her eyes, but said nothing again. Damon gave her another quick once over before he turned to the door. However, he didn't expect the sharp pain to his neck or the vervain to be pushed into his veins. He also didn't expect that he would pass out on the hospital floor, leaving everything black.
I tried to focus on work, on anything but this big mess we were in now. But it was hard, very hard. The only time I was able to smile was when mom sent me a picture, she was in Paris and she had taken a picture at just the right angle that made it look like she was holding up the Eiffel tower. I smiled, writing a quick reply before I pocketed my phone. God, I missed her.
"Hey, Alex…"
I looked up, seeing a girl that went to my school. Her name escaped me, she was younger, I think a freshman. Her blue eyes were wide, and I could tell that she was frightened. I narrowed my green one's at her.
"Yeah?" I asked. She looked around nervously. "Hey, are you alright?"
"I'm supposed to tell you to go outside." She said, her voice sounding very shaking. "He… he said if you don't… he will kill me…"
My eyes widened as I looked around the restaurant. I didn't recognize anyone, just Jace who was currently serving tables. I opened my mouth to call him over.
"Wait!" She almost shouted. I closed my mouth. "He said that you can't tell anyone where you are going…"
"But-"
"Please." She begged, tears falling from her eyes now. "I don't want to die. Please don't let me die!"
I grabbed her shoulders, making her look me in the eye. She was terrified, and there was only one person I knew who would do it. Because he knew that I would come if it meant that I was saving someone else. I took a deep breath.
"Hey, I'm not going to let you die." I told her in a whisper. "Stay here ok? I'm going to go, and you will be fine."
She nodded, those tears falling down her cheeks. I looked around the room, no one was paying attention to the encounter. I swallowed hard, walking over to Jace. He looked up at me and smiled.
"Hey." He said, looking down to my apron that I had taken off. "You going somewhere?"
"Cover for me ok?" I asked, trying to make myself sound as normal as possible. "Caroline texted me. Something about Tyler. I got to go."
"I can come with you." He said. I shook my head.
"Girl stuff." I replied. "Don't worry. I'll see you later."
"Ok…" He said, but I hadn't convinced him. I turned and walked out the door quickly, before he could ask me anymore questions. There were barely any people on the street, so I knew that I would be able to find him. I turned to the left, going toward the dark alley way next to my place of work.
"Hello, Alexandra."
I jumped, finding Klaus standing in the dimly lit alley way. He chuckled at my jumpiness, making me even angrier. I crossed my arms over my chest.
"What do you need that was so important that you had to compel a child to get me out here?" I asked. Klaus smirked at me, further igniting my anger.
"I knew that sending in a distressed young woman would get you moving." He said, his accent clear. He took my arm. "Let's go."
I fought against his grasp, but much like any other time I tried to fight him off, he was always much stronger than I was. I struggled to keep up with him, his legs longer than mine. One of his strides were two of mine.
"Where are we going?" I asked. He opened up the passenger door to a very nice looking car. I hesitated before I slipped inside. There was no telling what his plan was, but I knew that if I didn't follow his directions, someone could die.
"We are going to get those coffins." He said once he was inside the car. I gulped. I couldn't tell him where they were. "It would be easier if you would just tell me."
I whipped my head around and gave him a glare. He chuckled to himself, putting his foot on the accelerator.
"That's what I thought." He mused. "Good thing I have a backup plan."
I swallowed. Klaus was always one step ahead of us, and I could tell he was losing his patience. He wanted his family back, and he was going to get them one way or another.
"What's the back-up plan?" I asked, trying to make my voice sound even. Klaus terrified me. I liked to act like he didn't scare the living shit out of me, but sometimes I just couldn't help it. He was ruthless, without mercy. A person like that, they could only take so much before they exploded and did something detrimental to the world.
"I'm glad you asked." He said with a smirk. "Have you spoken with Elena lately?"
It took mere seconds for his words to process in my head. I grapped my phone from my pocket, hitting the speed dial I set for Elena's number. I frantically held it to my ear, willing her to answer me. When it went to voicemail I felt my heart sink.
"Where is she?" I asked through my teeth. "What did you do to her?"
"Do not worry, love." He said, still smiling. "Elena is safe."
I let out an involuntary breath of relief. Klaus still needed her alive. I should have known that she would remain unharmed.
"Bonnie on the other hand…"
My eyes shot up to meet his ocean blue eyes. He smirked at me and I felt myself becoming sick. He had no reason to keep Bonnie alive… that was the backup plan. Bonnie was the back-up plan.
"You look ill." Klaus said, sounding slightly concerned. "As long as I receive the location of my family, Bonnie will not be harmed."
"Everyone around you gets hurt." I snapped. He gripped the steering wheel tighter. "Somehow, everyone around you ends up getting hurt."
"You have remained unharmed no?" He challenged. I took a deep breath. "Trust me, Alexandra."
"Trust you?" I repeated. "How the hell am I supposed to trust you when all you do is kill the people I love?"
I saw him visibly swallow. I could see that her was both angry and upset that I did not trust him. Getting his family back was one thing. He could undagger all of them and if they accepted him, fine. But I certainly would not. I wasn't going down without a fight.
"Please, don't hurt Bonnie." I begged. He stiffened. "I can't lose someone else…"
His eyes shot to me, and I could see his sympathy. Looking at me, it must have been painful. How close he was to having his twin back, and yet so far away. I could never be her, not fully. But Klaus was in such denial, he couldn't see that.
Ring.
Klaus' hand shot down to his phone and he brought it up to his ear quickly. I couldn't hear the other end, but it must have satisfied him, because that signature half smirk appeared on his face before he shut the phone.
With a quick flick of his wrists, we were spinning around in the car. I shrieked as he hastily turned us around. We almost hit another car, but Klaus didn't seem to care. He sped back the way we came.
"What's going on?" I asked. "What's happening?"
"Looks like you will get your request." Klaus replied. "The witch gave up the location of my family."
I felt my heart sink. It was over. The fight… Klaus got what he wanted.
Alaric walked into the front of the Mystic Fall's hospital. Damon threatened Meredith. And then she vervained him and took his blood. He was beginning to think that Damon was right. Maybe she was crazy.
He saw the dark brown hair and white doctor's coat and he knew who it was. He marched up to her.
"Want to tell me what you're up to." He said, catching her attention. She turned, her eyes widened at the sight of him.
"You talked to Damon…" She said. Rick crossed his arms over his chest.
"Yeah, I did." He replied sternly. He sounded an awful lot like his history teacher self instead of a young man.
"He wasn't supposed to wake up so soon." She explained. "I used enough vervain, to sedate him for hours."
"Well, he drinks it every day to build up an immunity, so people like you don't get the jump on him." Alaric said.
Meredith seemed surprised and then she sighed.
"I'm not crazy Rick." She said. He scoffed.
"Really?" He asked. "Then what are you?"
Just then, a gurney with a very bad looking patient on it. Meredith jumped into action, gesturing for the nurses to push the patient toward a room. She looked back up at Rick.
"You really wanna know?" She asked. "Stick around."
Alaric looked down at the patient, furrowing his brows when he recognized him.
"Is that Bill Forbes?"
Klaus took me to the old witch house. There were candles lit all around the room where the witches were hiding the coffins. Klaus smirked, looking around the seemingly empty room. He knew they were here.
"It's almost time." Klaus said. "To reunite my family."
"And then what?" I asked, leaning against a wall. "You just going to live in Mystic Falls, happy ever after?"
He smirked.
"Something like that."
I scoffed, crossing my arms over my chest. I didn't know what we were waiting on, and I didn't know why Klaus wanted me there in the first place. Did he want me watch as he awoke the family that I had no recognition for? Did he want me to be a part of this? Because I wouldn't. I would never.
"You know…" Klaus said, getting my attention. "The worst part of the curse wasn't being constrained to the vampire body."
My eyebrows shot up. The whole point of the curse, was to keep him in the vampire body. What else could there be?
"The worst part was you." He said. I furrowed my brows. "To see the sister I lost… and her to never remember me."
I pushed my lips into a thin line.
"I guess curses aren't supposed to be good." I said. He chuckled. "So, what are they like?"
Klaus looked up at me, confused. I pushed myself off the wall and gestured around the room.
"The rest of your family." I said. "What are they like?"
Klaus continued to seem surprised, but he also seemed slightly amused that I would ask. I was merely making conversation… and yet I was still curious. If I was supposed to be part of this family… I kind of wanted to know what they were like.
"Well, you've met Elijah." Klaus said. I grumbled something about him being a traitor. "And you have been graced in the presence of my sister."
"What are you going to tell her?" I asked. "She knows you killed her mother."
Klaus' jaw tightened and he turned away from me. To be honest, Elijah and Rebekah looked harmless to Klaus. I wondered what the other two coffins held, and the big one that was locked shut.
"I have two other brothers." Klaus said. "You will meet them soon enough."
"Can't wait." I replied sarcastically. The two of us then fell silent. Although he completely terrified me, I continued to feel at ease with Klaus. Maybe it was the fact that he was always trying to protect me, or that he had never hurt me except when provoked. It also could have been the connection I held to him and his family. Either way, I didn't feel unsafe with him around.
"We have a guest."
I looked up to where he stood, smirking. He was staring at the doorway, waiting. In a second, the guest he was talking about appeared.
"Damon." I breathed. I rushed to his side. He took me in his arms, but kept his eyes on Klaus. I held onto him tight, never wanting to let him go.
"What took you so long?" Klaus asked, then he tsk'ed. "Hiding behind your witchy friends. And in squalor, no less."
Suddenly, the candles flared, the fire rising higher. Klaus clutched at his head, yelling out in pain. The witches must be trying to hurt him.
"Insulting a bunch of dead witches...not smart." Damon replied. "I made the exact same mistake first time I came in here."
The pain seemed to subside, but Klaus was still clutching his head.
"Well, you know, the funny thing about witches is, that living or death, they care about their own." Klaus said. "A hundred dead witches have a thousand living descendants..."
He yelled out in pain again.
"And I have no problem, killing every last one of them, if I don't get my coffins back." Klaus said. "As we speak, my hybrid friend is prepared to end the Bennett line."
The candles went back to normal, and Klaus stood back up as if nothing had happened. I took in a short breath. He looked up at the ceiling.
"Now...please...show me the coffins." Klaus requested.
There was a small pause of silence, where nothing happened, but then, the coffins appeared. I looked at them, dusty and untouched. Klaus smirked at them, finally getting what he wanted. However, that smile fell when he found that there were only three coffins instead of four.
"Where's the fourth?" Klaus asked Damon. Damon didn't answer. "Show me!"
Damon chuckled, taking my hand and never letting me leave his side.
"Well, here's the thing. They can't." Damon explained. "It's not here."
I couldn't stop my own amused smirk. Klaus hadn't won. Not completely. We still had something he wanted. We still had leverage.
"What did you do?" Klaus asked through his teeth.
"Well, Bonnie gave me the heads-up." Damon said. "I didn't have enough time, to get all four, but I did have time to get one."
Klaus stepped forward, so he was in Damon's face. I fought the urge to push him back, away from my Damon.
"I will tear you, limb from limb." Klaus threatened. "And only then, when you're a riving mass of blood and flesh, will I rip your heart from your chest."
I gripped Damon even tighter.
"Sorry. The same rules apply. You know, leverage and all." Damon said. "I know you want your family back. But something tells me, you want what's in that coffin a lot more."
Klaus narrowed his eyes, glaring at Damon for a moment more before he turned and left the room. Neither Damon nor I moved until we heard his angry footsteps go up the stairs. I threw my arms around him, and he did the same, hiding his face in my hair.
We weren't done yet. We still had a chance to win.
"What happened to him?" Alaric asked Meredith as he walked into Bill Forbes room. He looked much better, all the blood cleaned off of him, but he was still in bad shape.
"He was found in the woods. An actual animal attack." Meredith explained. "Bite marks and gashes over half his body. Lost about three liters of blood."
Rick winced.
"Is he gonna make it?" He asked, thinking about what Caroline would do if she lost her father.
"Nope." She replied. "At least not on his own."
It was then that she pulled a vial from her pocket. Said vial was filled with red liquid, which made Alaric furrow his brows.
"What is that?" He asked. Squinting at it.
"Exactly what you think it is." She explained. "Vampire blood."
She took the syringe and poked it into Bill's arm. She administered the blood to him, and then it all made sense to him.
"You wanna to know my secret? I cheat." Meredith said. "I'm a doctor and I hate when people die. So when I have the ability to do something about it. I do."
Alaric opened his mouth and then closed it. Maybe she wasn't so crazy after all…
"That's really…" Rick began. "Wow."
"It's saved a lot of lives." Meredith said. "I told you I'm not crazy."
Rick nodded, feeling stupid forever accusing her. She stepped closer to him, making him shift awkwardly.
"Damon told me about your girlfriend." Meredith said. His jaw tightened. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"She's… out of town." He said. "I guess I thought… if you knew… you wouldn't talk to me."
Meredith chuckled lightly, putting down her clip board. Alaric felt so embarrassed, for a lot of things. He should have told her about Lauren, and he shouldn't have called her crazy. He was doing a lot of things wrong.
"We can still be friends." Meredith said. "No strings attached."
Alaric smiled and then nodded. She grinned, grabbing her clipboard and made her way to the door. She stopped short, turning back to him.
"Does she have a daughter?" She asked. Rick furrowed his brows but nodded. "Damon told me to back off. Said her daughter might kill me."
Rick chuckled.
"Yeah, she might." He replied. Meredith smiled.
"Good to know."