A/n: Finally an update after two years. Next part will be coming soon since I had this chapter split up. Enjoy.

I don't own TVD or TO. Y'all know the rest.

"There's only one dose."

Those four words rattled Damon to his core.

One dose? One damn dose?! You've got to be fucking kidding him. There was no way. After everything he and his friends knew about this boogeyman's tale, you'd think they would have turned up this bit of detail.

"So you're telling me with all this legend and crap about Silas that there's this convenient fun fact there's one one dose?" Damon almost busted a laugh, the stinging burn of the vervained ropes wreaking havoc against his skin. He honestly looked a bit mad in the head. "Oh, please explain this one to me. I don't understand this at all."

Vaughn remained unfazed. It's a wonder how he stayed grounded through this. "It's pretty simple, Damon. Silas is immortal. I have to cram the cure down his throat in order to kill him."

"Yeah, what does that have to do with me and my friends?" Damon asked, now becoming irritated from his painful laughing fit earlier.

"I need to use the cure against Silas," Vaughn explained, his own annoyance with the vampire surfacing. "Your friends, they can't exactly have it, now, can they?"

"Well, that's still not my problem, is it?" Damon retorted back. He had no intention of sharing the cure with anyone. Despite the setbacks, he was going to finish the goal of getting the cure for Elena.

"It should be." This time, it was the hunter's anger that was beginning to show. His voice dropped down deeper in tone, becoming almost guttural in his Scottish brogue. "Because if I don't use the cure to kill Silas and he goes free, not making your girl happy is going to be the least of your problems."

Charlene was reluctant to go down first. It wasn't due to heights. She wasn't the one to be scared of such things. It was because she knew that as soon as she was down there, this would be the final stretch. There was no turning back.

And with how unsteady she was, Bonnie insisted that she'd volunteer first.

"I'm going to head down first. When I reach the bottom, don't worry about anything else, but take it slow as you come down." Bonnie instructed gently. "You need to stop running yourself ragged."

Charlene shook her head. "It's not that…" she argued, but the other witch's firm stare changed her tune. "Okay, maybe I am, but it's not just that. This...heavy magic that the island has, it keeps draining me. It feels so...heavy. We're close to Silas now, and it's taking everything I got, but I don't want to be a burden."

"You're not a burden, Char."

"But-"

"No buts. I'm going to go ahead. I'll tell you when to come down." Bonnie left no room for argument, and began to strap herself in for the long way down.

She was lowered down into the lower chamber of the cave in a harness attached to the rope. The Bennett witch slowly worked her way down the lengthy drop, surprisingly doing well for her first time thanks to Shane and Jeremy. It wasn't long before she finally made it to the ground, taking off the harness, and looking back up to the opening above her.

"Alright, Charlene. It's your turn." Her voice almost echoed.

Silently, the blonde strapped herself into the harness, the hunter watching close behind her as she slowly tried to make her way down. Going through the opening, she focused on what Bonnie told her to do. She tried to keep her breathing even as she got closer to the floor below.

But suddenly, she lost her grip, falling the rest of the way down, landing painfully on her hand. The pain shot through her arm, the bits of rock from the fall stinging the inside her glove and into her palm. With a painful jerk, she tore away her glove, the blood pooling and spilling onto the cave floor.

Bonnie rushed over to her. "Oh my God, are you alright?"

Charlene only gave a painful moan as her head spun, the onslaught of the magical pressure pressing on her again worse than before.

"Are you okay?" Jeremy called from above.

"Yeah!" Bonnie answered. "She just slipped."

"That's it. I'm coming down."

Focusing on the wound, she lifted Charlene's wounded hand, making the other witch emit another painful moan. She grabs a bandana from her backpack, tying around the wound tight to use it as a quick tourniquet.

"Can you use your magic to heal yourself?" Bonnie asked in concern.

Charlene shook her head. "No, not with us being so close to Silas. Not like it will change anything at this point."

"At least your hand is going to be better off now."

"I really do appreciate that, thanks." Charlene pulled herself up with Bonnie's help, taking the harness off as she watched Jeremy coming down. The uneasy weight in her gut increased when she heard Shane from above telling them that he was on his way down too. They were so close now...and the thought of what Shane could do with Silas made her anxiety shot up for good reason.

Turning to Bonnie, she quietly whispered, "Bon, what do you think is going to happen once you cast a spell on Jeremy's tattoo? We both know there's nothing in between Shane and Silas by that point?"

"Do you trust me, Char?" the green-eyed witch inquired.

"I still do, yes."

"Then trust me when I promise that me and Jeremy won't let Shane raise Silas."

That answer of conviction was enough to keep Charlene's anxiety at bay for now. "Don't forget that you still have me to help you, even though I am a bit worse for wear."

"You'll do fine. I'd be stupid to underestimate you."

Charlene briefly looked above, hearing noises and lowering her voice in paranoia so no one else could hear. "Both of us are going to have to be careful when we use our magic. I got lucky last time using Expression. I don't know if I'll get lucky the second time."

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine. We will be fine. " Bonnie reassured her, squeezing her friend's hand gently. "You did good last time. That proves it right there."

"Yeah, but it cost me, Bonnie. This will be the last time I use expression. I just...I've used it enough. I lost too much already."

"What did you lose?"

Charlene almost didn't answer. She wanted to spill everything about what had been going on since the very beginning for ages now. But it would make things too complicated, and it would compromise the fragile position she was already in. Finally breaking the silence, she gave an answer that should be enough for now. "Witches have the capability to make themselves immortal in a way. I learned a spell from my mentor years ago on how she retains her youth. That's how I've been this way for almost a century. Unfortunately, the last time I used an expression spell to get your magic, it came at a cost. They took away my ability to have immortality. I won't be able to do the spell ever again."

That's when it hit her.

"You gave up your immortality for my magic." Bonnie finally put the pieces together.

Charlene nodded. "It was the only way. If we are going to have any means of beating Klaus, we need everyone at a hundred percent, especially you. We need to shove that cure down his throat. He's a threat to everyone."

"Now, that's something we can agree with," Jeremy replied as he finished coming down the rope. "Let's just not do anything stupid. If your Expression gets out of hand, Shane is the only one that could help you keep it in control."

The blonde witch scoffed, lowering her voice with Shane being nearby. "Shane's useless. If anyone is going to help her, let it be the witch who actually knows what she's doing in the field. Not just an amateur."

Looking between each other, they silently came to an agreement. Looking above making sure Shane wouldn't hear, she beckoned them closer within earshot.

"Don't worry. I've got both your backs. Trust me, if Shane tries to lift a finger on his hand to hurt either one of us...I'll kill him myself." And with that, they kept their conversation hush-hush as Shane was finishing coming down into the cave. With the team preparing to keep moving, they didn't pay attention to the small mistake they left behind. Charlene's blood, which had soaked the floor of the cave, began to trail through the cracks in the floor. Droplets of red blood dripped into the blackness. They dripped into the level below them into the metal opening of the sarcophagus, beginning the small stirrings of the monster in the deep dark.

One dose.

Only those two words could truly haunt Rebekah like they do now. The shock flooded her veins, rendering her speechless and frozen. And once again, she now had to compete with Elena for something that she wanted.

And it was now that her dreams could go up in smoke.

"One dose?" Elena asked in confusion. "Are you sure you're reading that right?"

"I know what I read!" the blonde snapped. "Stop asking stupid questions."

"Bekah…" Stefan called out to her, placing a hand on her shoulder, but Rebekah swatted it away.

"Don't even start, Stefan. I'm not in the bloody mood." The blonde snapped, pacing along the shoreline in a frenzy with her nerves fried. "If any of you as so much as touches me right now, I am going to fucking tear your throats out."

Knowing better than to engage Rebekah in her rage mode, both vampires hung back quietly and almost helplessly as she paced like an animal in a cage. They could only wonder what she was thinking with so many million thoughts running in her head.

The most prominent one of all: is she going to regret betraying her brother like this when he needed her the most? But between seeing him spiral out of control, daggering Elijah, Kol's death still lingering over them like a dark storm - it was too much. She became selfish and went after her goal by saying to hell with the consequences. She couldn't watch her family break anymore. She needed a way out, and the cure provided that for her.

But a heavy guilt weighed on her heart, thinking of her brother starving in his wolf form back in Mystic Falls with his cohort. God, what was she going to do now? She couldn't go back now.

Trying to get herself under control, she put her emotions to the side, bottling them up for later. She needed to be ready to get the cure.

"Bekah," Stefan's voice called behind her.

She spun around slowly, her blue eyes questioning him. "What do you want?"

"We're just waiting on you. Plus, I was worried."

Seeing his sentiment towards her, it endeared her heart just a bit. It was enough to heal some of the craziness happening in her brain right now. She wanted more than anything to kiss him and to forget her troubles, but that had to be put on hold. Now wasn't the time to play.

"I appreciate it, Stef. I really do, but we need to focus on getting the cure. No matter what it takes."

Even if she has to pry it from Elena's cold dead hands.

One dose. One chance. That's all he had to end the most monumental threat of his time.

Vaughn sighed heavily. Oh, how he missed the simple times of hunting and killing the rampaging bloodsuckers. Chasing them across the loch and finally nailing the nest before they could bring any harm to others, it helped him to focus. Other times, he wished sometimes that maybe there were other things that occupied his time.

There were times where he wondered why he followed the family tradition of becoming a vampire hunter. Then vampires like Damon Salvatore come his direction, and he's given his answer. However, this is a rare time where he wishes he could string him up and roast him alive instead of dealing with him. A vampire barbeque. Ending Silas was the priority, and it took precedence over everything. He reminded himself of that every day.

It was rare for hunters like him to have a moment away from it.

With most of his family gone, he didn't mind putting all his energy into one task. It gave him focus.

He hunted his usual run-of-the-mill bloodsuckers and took them out when his routine was interrupted when the tattoo formed all on his arm. When he went to a local psychic/witch, she told him of the prophecy with Silas and how if he came to life and wasn't killed, he would bring hell on earth. She also mentioned another force of darkness brewing, but not to lose hope. She mentioned to him that the darkness was always tied to the light.

Galen kept his main focus on any knowledge he could find on Silas. One of the useful things that the witch told him was that his journey would begin in the west. Using his own resources, he managed to get to Virginia, but that's where his luck stopped. There wasn't someone on the inside of Mystic Falls that could give him the info he needed to get closer to his goal.

That was until that certain someone came from an unexpected source.

Their meeting was unorthodox, but not unwelcome. Surprisingly, their goals were aligned. It was more of an agreement of you scratch your back and I scratch yours. And his resource definitely delivered in more ways than one.

His thoughts drifted to them more often than what he would like. The hunter couldn't afford any distractions, but he couldn't shake those thoughts away. The only thing Vaughn could do at this point was just put them aside for later.

Damon still walked ahead of him, taking as much as time as he could to delay Vaughn and this mess. Yeah, today is not the day to piss him off. Yep, not today. He gave him a nasty shove.

"You touch me again-" Damon growled out.

"And you'll what? Threaten me? Sorry if you're upset about the cure, Damon, but we've got road to cover." The hunter reminded him, his scottish brogue getting under the vampire's skin.

"I don't care about the cure," Damon declared, almost bragging at this point. "In fact, I don't know why anyone wouldn't want to be a vampire. You know what? If I wasn't a vampire, then I wouldn't be able to do 9 of the things I'm gonna do to you when I'm free."

And once again, the hunter shoved him, making Damon's list increase.

"Make that 10."

"Right," Vaughn muttered under his throat, if Damon could see behind him, he would have seen the eye roll.

"All right, I admit, okay? My friends want the cure, and I want them to have it, and I get very upset when I can't provide for my loved ones. But tell me something, Vaughn, if all you're worried about is Bonnie and Sabrina the teenage witches, why didn't you go after them?"

"It would be too obvious plus they don't know me. All they need to do is open the entrance to Silas' cave, and I'll be able to sneak in. Simple as that."

"So you expect me to believe that you've snuck onto this island and actually survived? Come on, brother, be realistic."

Aggravated, the hunter let out a silent grunt as he pulled on Damon as he refused to work further.

"Come on Shrek! We're on a remote island. There's you, me, and a bunch of unpleasant locals. You expect me to believe that you survived this place without running into anyone?"

Letting out a sigh, he entertained the vampire. At least enough to make him shut up. "I got away enough to where no one alive could remember me."

The hunter shoved Damon forward again, but something made the vampire stop. Both men stumbled upon a body - a tall tribal man with white markings painted on his face with his throat slashed open to the thick air from the island.

"Was that you?" Damon asked, expecting an easy answer.

Vaughn shook his head. "No. You?"

Damon shook his head in turn. "No."

Vaughn further inspected the wound of the open throat, and after a moment of observing, that's when it hit him. It wasn't slashed. The neck was torn open by teeth. Canine teeth.

"Shit." He cursed under his breath. Not them. Not them at this terrible place.

He knew who else was on the island.

They watched from the shadows waiting for the right time to make their move. Both pairs of eyes were used to the darkness being both creatures of the supernatural. Dark calculating brown eyes blended with the shadows well while the other pair of copper ones glowed with the look of a predator.

The she-wolf's paws itched to make a move. She was so eager to pounce, so eager to be free from the chains that kept her bound to her fate. But soon, she would be free. Everyone she loved would be free. She didn't care how many she had to kill. It was worth it after the hell she went through.

The only thing holding her back is the agreement she made with the vampire.

Their goals aligned: freedom from Klaus.

It came with conditions. The blonde witch and the hunter wouldn't be harmed. Everyone else was fair game.

The vampire would get the cure and she gets her freedom. As long as those needs were met, everything would work out.

The game was almost over.

Deep in the caves, Shane joins the girls and Jeremy in the new chamber, all of them holding flashlights. All three hung back as the professor went into his worship-like ramblings about the immortal. Charlene stayed close to Bonnie, her ears sick hearing of Silas' name being mentioned every damn five minutes.

"It's just amazing, isn't it?" Shane said, almost too excited. "Once we raise Silas, all of our sacrifices will have been worthwhile; we'll all have what we want."

"So what?" Charlotte snapped, the tiredness and her annoyance mixing together. "Do you honestly think he's going to be some benevolent god granting all your wishes? How delusional are you?"

"Or he'll just do us all a favor and kill us all." Bonnie added, her own tone cutting through like a knife.

"Listen, you're going to see I'm so you don't get any ideas, remember, anything happens to me, something a lot worse will happen to you." Shane warned as he searched around the cave, eyeing for any signs of what he was looking for.

Jeremy was about done at this point. "All right, where is this stupid magic passage she needs to open?"

"Just look for anything that looks out of place, all right?" The professor replied, a bit of annoyance mixed in with his tone. "Anything not occurring in nature like a - like a drawing or an inscription or a...geometrically perfect circle!"

He crouched to the ground and brushed away the dirt and debris to reveal a circle carved into the ground. Both the witches' eyes widened as they saw what they were looking for. As they got closer to their goal, Charlene couldn't stop the ball of dread churning in her stomach.

"This is it! This is the spot."

Meanwhile with the other trio, the three vampires worked their way down to the caves, hopefully finding their way to get to the cure too. Rebekah did a decent job as leader after she had her moment of snapping and had now led them to the cliff leading down to the ravine and solid ground below. Now, this should be an easy death for a human, but for a vampire? Easy jump.

"So, who wants to go down first?" Stefan asked, looking at both of the girls.

They both looked at him with an annoyed look.

"Do you want us to pull the sharpest sticks and see who wins?" Rebekah voiced her annoyance to him.

"I'll go, if it helps any." Elena surprisingly volunteered.

Rebekah couldn't help but look at the brunette in bewilderment. She didn't have the best opinion of Elena, especially given the circumstances. But in some small way, at least she's trying to be somewhat useful for what they were trying to do. Even though she probably wanted to cure herself as a back out instead of dealing with her problems.

Then again, Rebekah could be calling the kettle for black. For once, she kept her silence.

"Make the jump, Elena. We're right behind you."

Giving both vampires one last look, Elena took the leap off the cliff, landing gracefully below wondering when the other two were going to come behind her.

But Stefan knew something was wrong. Rebekah was too quiet.

"What's going on in that head of yours?" He finally asked.

She shook her head. "It doesn't matter, Stefan. Forget it."

"Please tell me. I don't want you to keep things from me."

"Stefan, do you understand why I would keep things from you?" Rebekah's paranoia kicked in, not allowing her to fully trust him. "Now since when we are so close to the cure and now only to find out there's only one. How do I know you're not going to give it to Elena?"

"I still gave you that promise, remember?"

"Promises can easily be broken, Stef, especially in my experience." The blonde replied in a broken tone, her doubts creeping in her mind and spinning all sorts of things. "I'm…sorry, Stefan. I'm a mess."

"We're all messes as vampires," He reassured her, coming closer to her and pushing things further to bring her into his embrace. Her body unexpectedly reacted to his move very well, and she leaned into his arms. She needed it more than ever.

"Do you think I'm pathetic taking this?"

"No, you're not like that for wanting the cure. It's okay to want something." Stefan told her, pressing his lips to her forehead tenderly. "And like I said before, if we get to it first, then it's yours for the taking. No matter what happens, Bekah, I'm gonna be there with you every step, okay?"

That was enough to keep her going, and keep the paranoid thoughts at bay for now. "Okay, I believe you."

Down in the cave below, both Bonnie and Charlene placed a hand on top of Jeremy's bare chest where the tattoo was. Both of the witches' hands meshed together for support, searching through their well of magic and focused.

And of course, the professor wouldn't just shut his mouth and not let them do their job. "You're doing it, just breathe, all right? Focus on what you can do. Don't be afraid of what you can't."

Bonnie almost sent him a glare before Charlene stopped her. "He's not worth it, Bonnie. You've done expression before just as I have. I'm here to help. You're in control. Feel my power and tether it to you. Follow the flow."

Bonnie nodded as she followed Charlene's instruction, the words of professor fading into the background as she focused on the flow. Like a river, follow the flow. As their magic did its work, the hunter's tattoo began to fade away to obscurity.

Vaughn hurried to get to the cave, wanting to find the woman who could be also possibly on the island and in danger. God help him. He needed to make sure she was okay. She was too valuable as an asset.

In the murky woods, the island rumbled as if a earthquake commenced. They finally came to a stop as they noticed the hunter's tattoo beginning to disappear.

"Dammit, it looks like your witch is casting her spell. We need to hurry."

"Slow your ass down, brother! What crawled up your ass to get fast?" Damon yelled, scrambling in pain with his vervained soaked ropes as he struggled with the hunter.

That was it. The spell was over. The deed was done, however the island had other ideas.

In the cave, both witches looked to Jeremy before looking at each other in concern. But then a sound echoed through the dark halls of the cave.

DROP.

Rocks begin to rain down around them as the ground shook.

"RUN FOR COVER!" Charlene yelled as they all separated to evade the storm of rocks pelting from above.

While it had maybe only last a minute at the most, it still felt tumultuous and long like a century. The rocks finished pelting on them, and the dust began to settle in the cave along with silence. Jeremy, still on the ground, tried to get his bearings wondering where in the hell were girls.

"Bonnie!" He called out to her. "Bonnie!"

"I'm fine," Bonnie said coming from behind a rock. "I'm fine. Where's Charlene?"

A cough was their answer. "I'm here in one piece…I think."

Heading in that direction, Bonnie went towards the blonde, seeing her looking a little rough, but she was okay. The witch helped the blonde up, giving her a smile. "It worked, Char. Look! You helped us out."

Charlene tried to fake a smile as much as she could. Seeing the new open passage didn't do anything to sway her growing anxiety, but she faked being okay for Bonnie's sake. "At least it's working out. We did it."

A grunt of pain interrupted them. Looking in that direction, they came across a new sight. The professor sat there on the ground, his leg looking a little worse for wear. Charlene's eyes widened at the sick conclusion of held him there in his spot. And surprisingly enough, the cogs in her head began to turn.

"Hey, guys, I need a hand. My leg's broken." Shane said desperately, his breath hitched from the pain.

Both girls looked at each other, wondering what the next move would be. Charlene shifted her head to the passage and mouthed, "I'll be right behind you."

"We're gonna go ahead, Char is going to take care of you." Bonnie replied back to him. Jeremy followed behind her, sending her a confused look, but followed nonetheless. Hopefully, things could move forward from here.

Shane watched with uncertain eyes as the tired blonde walked in her slow stride with a bag. He waited with bated breath as she dug through it, wondering what she would do.

"You're taking a awful while, huh?" He remarked while he was in pain.

She didn't say anything back for a moment. She kept rummaging through her things.

"What are you planning on doing to me?" He finally asked.

"I'm going to take care of you," Charlene replied simply, now walking to him and bending down to his level. "Just like Bonnie said. After all, we can't have any loose ends moving forward in getting the cure. So…consider this as a job fulfilled."

"Wait, what? No-"

Like an angel making the final sin that sends them to hell, she came up from behind before he could get to her and dragged the knife across his neck. The arterial spray shot out across the cave floor like a bloodbath. She hated to do this, and she knew she should be ashamed. But she wasn't. He had threatened her and would have exposed her real sins to the group. She had enough already on her plate already and didn't need any more issues. Finally finished and she knew the last breath of life was finished for the professor, she put the bloody knife in her pocket and laid the deadly body out on the cave floor. She followed up after Bonnie and Jeremy, not taking long as she descended into the depths of this dark cavelike hell.

Both Damon and Vaughn reached the cave now, finally making some headway. Both individuals occupied with different things, goals, and so much other crap that it would make anyone's head spin. Staggering inside now, both the vampire and hunter found the ropes lying nearby and leading them to the lower chamber. Jackpot. One step closer. [Damon, still tied up, staggers into the cave with Vaughn behind him. They see the ropes that Shane, Bonnie and Jeremy had used to go down into the lower chamber.] Damon and Rebekah power up while a dangerous growling comes in the background, revealing the wolf who has escaped Klaus' prison. Fight scene.

"Well, here we are. Looks like someone beat us to the punch," Damon announced like he already knew what was going to happen next. He wasn't naive or a fool. It was time's up.

"That's a shame, Damon." Vaughn replied, almost as if he liked the guy to some degree. "I have no use for you anymore. Hate to kill ya."

"Ditto. You know, that pesky hunter's curse and all."

Boy, was that a pain in the ass to deal with?

"All right. How do you want to do this?" Damon asked, ready to get this over with, itching to really finish him off.

"I'll make it quick and painless."

The hunter pulled on the rope tied to Damon's neck, but the vampire resisted. He fought back and grabbed the rope back even with the vervain still searing his skin.

"Wish I could make the same promise."

Vaughn cut the rope at his end and flung it towards Damon. Finally free, he pulled the rope off his neck, groaning in pain, and pulled off the ones tied to his wrists. Jesus, this hurt like a motherfucker. However, both weren't playing any games. Damon was itching to get rid of him anyway he can without the hunter's curse biting him in the ass while the hunter already had his gun aimed at him.

"Well, this has been fun, but still you have been the biggest pain in my ass all day tonight." Damon rambled, his vampire eyes glowing red and blue as he slowly stalked his prey. "I'm going to kill you and then I'm gonna get to that damn cure, and I'm gonna give it to the girl that I love."

"Your attachment to your friends will be the end of you, Damon." Vaughn warned with his gun aimed ready. "You already lost one of your friends. Are you sure you want to take the risk of losing another one?"

How Vaughn knew about what Damon thought he was talking about, he didn't know, but he kept quiet. He kept the confident mask up as he heard footsteps from the cave entrance.

Damon smiled as a familiar blonde Mikaelson approached. "You don't know my friends...or my enemies."

Little did Damon and Rebekah know that he had an unexpected card up his sleeve. A loud familiar howl echoed through the cave, along with snarling coming close behind the hunter. A large mass approached from behind, blazing copper eyes staring back at the two vampires. It could easily see the shock in their eyes as they saw the familiar wolf who was previously by Klaus' side. Looking down beside him, Vaughn's own eyes widened at the sight.

"I guess then you don't know my own allies either, Damon."