Alexandria Gilbert

by JChavz95

Vampires, witches, werewolves and doppelgangers, oh my! All Alexa Gilbert wanted was a quiet life, a free drink and to party the night away with her friends without being nagged by her twin sister Elena, but the arrival of the mysterious Salvatore brothers may just ruin those plans... Starts Season 1, Episode 1, Slowburn Damon/OC, Now on Season 4!

59. All My Children

Disclaimer: I only own my OCs

A/N: This is a packed out chapter, we have Dalexa smut, twin angst, badass Alexa and some lovely bonding moments. This episode has always been a favourite of mine and it was fun writing it!

XXX

Damon's POV

It was the incessant buzzing of a phone that woke me up. I sighed and opened my eyes, glancing to the side. Elena's name flashed up on Alexa's phone. It was the tenth time that she had called since last night. And she still wasn't taking the hint.

Alexa groaned in her sleep, her eyes scrunching shut as she pressed her face against my neck. I held her closer, running my hand down her bare back. She had fallen asleep in my arms last night, a satisfied look on her face. I had thoroughly distracted her from her sister's cruel words. And she had done the same for me.

When the phone refused to stop buzzing, I rolled my eyes and reached out to grab it. Elena definitely wasn't taking the hint and I knew that unless someone answered the phone, she would keep ringing. But I refused to let Alexa be the one to talk to her. I knew that she was still angry at her twin, and I wouldn't allow her morning to be ruined already.

So I held my girl close to my chest, her head tucked under my chin, as I answered the call, "Alexa's phone."

"Damon, why are you answering her phone?" the doppelganger immediately asked, sounding frustrated. "Where is Alexa?"

"Asleep in my arms," I replied casually, running my fingers down Alexa's bare arm. Her body was pressed up against mine, her leg thrown over my hip, her arm resting against my chest, leaving her cleavage on full display. "What do you want Elena?"

"I tried calling her several times last night," you could hear the pout in her voice and I rolled my eyes. "I need to talk to her."

"Well, I can say for certain that she doesn't want to talk to you," I didn't bother sweetening my words. After what she said to Alexa last night, and the hurt that I saw in my girl's eyes, I wasn't in the mood to be nice. "So why don't you give her some space?"

"If she's mad at me, then she needs to get over it," Elena's words had me narrowing my eyes. So that was how she was playing this.

"Well, maybe you should take a long look in the mirror before you start dictating how your sister should be feeling," I just about held myself back from snapping. But once I said what I needed to, I hang up the call and put the phone on silent. I knew that Elena would try calling back but I would ignore her now.

I placed the phone back to the side and turned my attention to the girl in my arms. She huffed out little breaths, her eyelashes fluttering against her skin. She was close to waking up. And while I did want her to get more sleep if she could, I knew that it was probably time for her to start the day. So I decided to wake her up in a nicer way than normal.

My hands gently stroked her thigh, my fingers drawing patterns on her soft skin. I could feel the bite mark on her thigh against the skin of my stomach. And I could see the one on her neck. It warmed my heart how she had fully embraced my vampire side. She even enjoyed it. Whenever I sampled her sweet blood, I felt her tremble around me, smelled her increased arousal. And I made sure to make it good for her. The trust in her eyes whenever she encouraged me to do it, it was more than I deserved.

I ran my fingers up Alexa's body, brushing the underside of her breast. As I touched that sensitive area, Alexa stirred, her eyes fluttering open as she stretched her body. I used the opportunity to roll her onto her back, settling between her legs. She stared up at me through sleepy eyes as her mouth curled into a sweet smile.

"Morning," she smiled up at me, reaching up to tangle her fingers in my hair. I let her pull my head down to press a kiss to her lips. She hummed happily as her legs wrapped around my hips.

"Morning," I purred against her lips, gently sucking on her bottom lip before turning my attention to her neck. She moaned slightly, squeezing her legs as I sucked on the sensitive spot under her neck. I was careful to avoid the bite mark from last night. I longed to taste more of her sweet blood, but I would wait until she let me. I wouldn't break that trust.

Alexa's hips rubbed against mine and I felt her nipples hardening against my chest. It was so easy to get her writhing against me, panting for more. All I had to do was find that spot on her neck and gently tease her nipples with my fingers. In such a short amount of time, I knew how to play her body like a fiddle.

I could smell her arousal and I reached down to cup her core, running a finger through the wet folds to press against her sensitive nub. Alexa grabbed my wrists, her eyes closing as she threw her head back. I kept my movements light, with enough pressure to keep her on edge but not enough to do anything more.

I loved hearing her beg and I wanted to hear that now. She arched her back as I moved my mouth to her breasts, lavishing her nipples with attention. It didn't take her long to break after that, using her grip on my hair to bring my mouth back up to her lips.

"Damon, please," she murmured against my lips, and I took pity on my girl. I gripped her hips as I gently eased inside her, aware that we had gone a few rounds last night. I knew that she would still feel sensitive from that. I gently thrusted, giving Alexa time to adjust. The feel of her clenching around had my eyes closing, resting my head against her shoulder.

She wrapped her arms around me, holding me close to her body as her feet dug into my ass. I was lost in the feel of my girl. Her scent surrounding me, the warmth of her body, the way that she shifted her body, meeting my movements.

I felt when she was close, and moved my hand down to brush against that sensitive nub, massaging it with my thumb. Her hips jolted as she let out a low groan. It didn't take long for her to go after the edge after that, and I kept rubbing her through it. Her groans turned into whimpers as I felt my orgasm approach. My face changed, my fangs scrapping against her skin.

Alexa pressed my face against her shoulder, my fangs settling on the soft skin between her neck and shoulder. She jerked her head up in a nod and I sank my fangs in her neck. Her sweet blood filled my mouth and when Alexa moved her hips, taking me in deeper, I felt my body go over the edge.

I drank my way through my orgasm, easing Alexa through her second. And when I was done, I lapped up the blood that had spilled. When I was done, I pressed a kiss to her cheek, getting a content giggle.

"You should wake me up like that every morning," Alexa hummed, running her hands through my hair again. She had a suggestive look on her face and I smirked back.

XXX

Alexa's POV

Damon had managed to persuade me to join him in the shower. I knew that it wouldn't be a good idea, and I was right. We spent more time having shower sex then we did getting clean. Not that I was really complaining. As I loved Damon's shower and I loved shower sex, but I couldn't let him get his own way all the time.

So when we were finished, I banished him downstairs while I washed my hair. It meant that I was losing my lovely curls from yesterday, but since it was kind of damp from the shower sex, it had to be done. I had to be careful when I washed. Vampire sex was amazing, but it left your body sensitive afterwards. Especially when you factored in the bites. I had a couple more to add to my collection. But I didn't mind too much. I knew what I was getting myself into. And I was thoroughly enjoying it.

Once my hair was washed and dried, I went in search of my boyfriend. He was being suspiciously quiet. I had half expected him to come bother me again while I was showering. But he failed to make an appearance. So I grabbed one of his shirts, doing up a few buttons and slipping on some spare panties before going in search of him.

I shivered in the cool air of the Boarding House, instantly missing Damon's underfloor heating. But I resisted the urge to bolt back to the bed and kept on going. I padded down the stairs, glancing over the railing into the parlour. But it was empty. Which meant that he wasn't causing trouble there.

As I wandered further into the corridor, I was engulfed by the smell of coffee. And it was the good coffee. With a smile on my face, I changed direction and made my way towards the kitchen. I got there just as my vampire was finishing up. He was still shirtless, a pair of dark jeans sitting low on his hips. His back was to me, giving me a good view of his ass. I loved digging my fingers into that ass. And I knew that he loved it too.

"It's rude to stare, you know," Damon smirked over his shoulder and I rolled my eyes.

"It's not my fault that the view is so delightful," I raised an eyebrow as I approached my vampire. His smirk deepened as he turned around to face me, holding out my coffee. I accepted it, my eyes tracing his chest. The good thing about those jeans sitting so low, was the little trail of dark hair that led to my favourite thing in the world. I knew that I was staring again as I sipped at my coffee, but I didn't care. Not until Damon cleared his throat, anyway.

My eyes flickered back up to meet his and I shrugged, "Good sex and good coffee. Someone's pulling out all the stops today."

"Maybe I just want to treat my girl," Damon shrugged, leaning forward to kiss my cheek. I felt my skin flush and cleared my throat. I always loved it when he did sweet things like that. Despite being together for a while, I was still unused to Damon's sweetness. He rarely let it out, and it never happened when other people were around. And unfortunately, people always seemed to be bothering us. Just like my sister.

I heard the sound of the front door closing and sighed, "Please tell me that isn't who I think it is."

Damon winced at me apologetically and I rolled my eyes. After her words last night, I was not in the mood to see my sister. It was the final straw for me, and I needed more time to calm down before I said something to her that I would eventually regret.

I had seen the amount of times that she had tried to call me last night. And this morning. I knew that Damon had been rejecting the calls to give me that time to calm down. And I appreciated that. Elena had hurt me with her words. And I didn't want to see her until I was ready. But apparently, my idiot sister was not going to give me that time.

I rolled my eyes and left the kitchen, taking my coffee with me. I sensed Damon following and relaxed slightly. I knew that he would help defuse the situation and get me out of there if I needed to leave. He did that for me last night. It was one of the reasons why I loved him so much, he knew what I needed and he would do everything that he could to give it to me. He prioritised me and my feelings. And after years of being the middle child, of being known as Elena's twin, it was nice to feel that way.

I found Elena in the parlour, her arms crossed and an unhappy look on her face. I knew that she was probably pissed at me for not answering her calls. But in my defence, I was being thoroughly distracted by my amazing boyfriend and his amazing body.

"Alexa, there you are," she rolled her eyes at me once she caught sight of me. I just shrugged and sipped at my coffee. I was debating whether it was worth just walking away from her. I just wasn't in the mood to deal with this. My morning had been going so well so far. And I didn't want it to be ruined by my stubborn sister.

"Here I am," I mocked, before wondering if I was being too bitchy. From the amused in Damon's eyes, I was probably toeing that line. "What do you want?"

"Jenna wants you home," my sister responded and I shrugged.

"If that's what Jenna wants, then Jenna will have to tell me that herself," I pointed out, as Damon rested a hand on my shoulder. "Because I don't trust that you're not using this as an excuse to force me to go home. Where I don't have Damon to act as a buffer."

"You don't need Damon to act as a buffer," Elena scoffed and I narrowed my eyes.

"Oh really? Then why did you tell him earlier that I needed to get over my anger?" I shook my head as her eyes widened in shock. "Yeah, he told me. Now if you will excuse me, I'm going to go get dressed because I do want to go check on Jenna and Ric. But you are not to say anything to me during that time."

I gave her a warning look before leaving the room.

XXX

Damon's POV

"What did you say to her?" Elena demanded, turning to face me once Alexa was out of view. I rolled my eyes, having known that this was coming. The older twin could be insufferable when someone was mad at her, especially through her own actions. I knew that she would annoy Alexa into forgiving her, and I was determined to give my girl enough time to get there on her own. I knew that Alexa would forgive her sister at some point, I just wanted her to have enough time to work through her feelings on what happened beforehand.

"The truth," I shrugged, walking over to the drinks table to pour myself a bourbon. I had finished my coffee while Alexa had expressed her displeasure over Elena's presence. But if I was to deal with the more annoying twin, then I would need a drink. "If you didn't want me to repeat it, then you shouldn't have said it."

Elena narrowed her eyes at me, "I would have thought that you would have understood. We wanted Klaus dead and to do that, I had to go and see Esther."

"Oh, I understand that part, even if I don't agree with it," I kept my voice firm. "But you stepped over a line with what you said to your sister. She has done so much to keep you alive, even when it meant putting herself in danger. And you thanked her by doing what you did." I shook my head, "You should be begging for her forgiveness."

"I did the right thing," the doppelganger took a deep breath, as though she was reminding herself of that. "But… you should know that Esther is planning on killing her entire family. She's linked them all together with a spell. Whatever happens to one, happens to them all."

I shrugged, failing to see the issue there. Getting rid of all of them was not a bad thing. Especially since Klaus was now trying to get into Alexa's head by wanting to be her friend. And I saw the way that Kol had leered at my girl while they were dancing. Rebekah was the only tolerable one, and that was because she liked Alexa.

"Well, that's great!" I held up my glass in a toast before sipping at it. "Klaus will finally be dead. We win." I spied the unhappy look on her face and mocked, "Why do you look like someone just shot a panda bear?"

Elena narrowed her eyes, "Uh, because to kill Klaus, she has to kill all of them, including Elijah. And he doesn't deserve this!"

I rolled my eyes, "I'm supposed to care about Elijah? Perhaps you have forgotten that he has threatened Alexa in the past. He isn't as innocent as you like to make him out to be."

"He still doesn't deserve this," Elena argued stubbornly, crossing her arms. "I don't want him to die just because I agreed to help Esther."

"You just need to get over yourself, Elena," I rolled my eyes. Her conscience was annoying at times. She was determined to pick and choose when people were allowed to die. And most of the time, her choices led to unnecessary deaths.

"Damon!" she snapped, giving me a dirty look before her gaze darted towards the stairs. "I don't want Alexa to know about this. She didn't agree with me seeing Esther, and she won't be happy to learn about this. Rebekah is her friend."

"And yet, you are here defending Elijah," I snorted, shaking my head. "I won't keep this from Alexa. She deserves to know. And I know that you only want to keep her out of it so that you can sneak around and find a way to interfere."

The girl frowned deeply, refusing to answer, before heading for the front door. I watched her for a second before speeding to block her way, "Don't do anything to screw this up, Elena. We need Klaus dead."

"Why are you doing this?" she pouted pitifully, hoping to manipulate me with a pathetic look. But I wouldn't be swayed. Killing Klaus kept Alexa safe. And I would do anything to keep my girl safe.

There was movement in the corner of my eye and I shifted slightly to see Stefan entering the room. He seemed just as unphased by Elena's news. I knew that he had been pushing for the Original hybrid's demise for longer than I had. And he was willing to risk Elena's safety last night to get that done. There was no way that he would help his ex with her foolish little moral crusade.

"He's right, you know," the younger vampire pointed out, much to Elena's frustration. "Klaus has to die. They all do."

Alexa would survive losing Rebekah if it meant keeping her sister safe. Even if she didn't particularly like her sister right now. I knew that Alexa's priority was always keeping Elena alive.

"See?" I smirked, sipping at my drink. "It's democracy in action."

Elena narrowed her eyes at us, an angry look on her face as she stormed past us to stand at the bottom of the stairs. She put her hands on her hips as she shouted, "Alexa, hurry up! I want to leave!"

"What makes you think that I'm coming with you?" Alexa scoffed, appearing at the top of the stairs. She was still wearing my shirt but had paired it with some jeans and an under-top. I loved the sight of my girl in my clothes. It showed everyone that she was mine. And that they shouldn't even entertain the thought of wooing her.

"Because I'm not leaving you here with them," the older twin shot us a dirty look as she said that. Alexa paused halfway down the stairs, glancing over at me and Stefan. I shrugged carefully and my girl sighed.

She fixed her sister with a stern look as she declared, "I'm only going with you so that I can tell Jenna how much of a little bitch you are being."

Alexa blew me a goodbye kiss before disappearing through the front door, her twin quickly following.

XXX

Alexa's POV

I refused to talk to my twin on the drive home. I kept my arms crossed and looked out of the window. Elena kept trying to initiate a conversation at first, but eventually she gave up and just gave me frustrated looks. That was a lot easier to ignore.

I just watched as the trees turned into houses. The moment Elena pulled up outside the house, I was opening the car door. I slammed it shut behind me, ignoring my sister calling my name, and just jogged up the path to the front door. Behind me, I could hear Elena's car door opening and closing. But I refused to wait for her.

I slipped through the front door, and immediately spotted Jenna in the kitchen. She was sat at the kitchen island, sipping at a mug. So before my sister could ambush me, and make me talk to her, I darted forward.

"Hey Jenna," I greeted my aunt, wrapping my arms around her. She rested her head against mine for a moment before patting my hand.

"Hi Alexa," Jenna replied softly before gesturing to the kettle on the stove. "Do you want some tea? I've got some camomile teabags again."

I paused for a moment to think. Some calming camomile tea did sound good. Despite my fun with Damon, I did still feel tense. I didn't like fighting with my sister, but I just couldn't let this go. So I nodded, accepting my aunt's kind offer.

Jenna smiled at me before ushering me over to the sofa. She placed her mug on the coffee table before getting me settled with the blanket. I peered over the back of the sofa to watch my aunt as she sorted out my tea for me. Grabbing a packet of oreos while she did so.

Once Jenna was back, I covered her legs with the blanket before cradling my tea to my chest. The warmth of the mug felt soothing on my cold hands. I hated it when it got cold out. My hands were the ones that suffered the most. And I made a mental note to increase my moisturising routine.

"How are you doing, Alexa?" my aunt asked softly, tucking my hair behind my ear. She had a soft look on her face, and I wondered how much Elena had told her. I knew my sister; she didn't deal well with guilt. And it wouldn't have taken much pushing for her to tell Jenna everything.

"Uh, not good," I sighed, grabbing an oreo. I had debated just pretending that everything was fine. But I did want to talk to someone about it. And Jenna just felt like a good idea. She was a calming presence, and she knew how to get me to express my emotions. "I'm mad at Elena. She lied to me and went behind my back. And then she said that my caring for her was a problem. Like, I get that she wants to get rid of Klaus. But she's doing things that I never thought that she would do. And it… it kinda hurts."

"Have you talked to her about how you feel?" Jenna asked shrewdly and I winced.

"Not really," I mumbled into my tea, avoiding my aunt's knowing gaze. "I've mostly been ignoring her. It's just… it hadn't just been this. She stabbed Rebekah in the back, claiming that it was to protect me, but she didn't tell me about it. Not until Klaus threatened Jeremy. And then she wanted to compel the kid out of town. Without even asking him if he wanted to go. She tried to do that before and I stopped it then. I just wish that she would talk to me about her stupid decisions before she made them."

"She told me what she said when she got home last night," my aunt sighed, her fingers brushing my hair away from my face. "She does regret her words."

"That's funny, cos she told Damon that I need to get over my anger," I scrunched up my nose in annoyance. Yeah, that still annoyed me. It just felt so unlike my sister. And it really got under my skin that she thought that saying that was okay. At the shocked look on Jenna's face, I snorted, "Yeah, she said that. She's lucky that Damon was the one that heard it, cos I would have had some hard words for her."

"She left out that part," Jenna shook her head, looking fed up. I didn't blame her. Dealing with a sibling spat on top of the Original Family drama was not easy. And I did feel bad for putting this on Jenna. But she always pushed us to share our feelings.

As my aunt winced, rubbing her temples, I frowned in sympathy, "Enough about my annoying sister. How are you doing, Jenna? How is your head?"

"It's getting there," my aunt sighed wearily, before giving me a small smile. "As you know well, concussions don't heal quickly. But I'm taking it easy, and it'll be okay soon."

"As long as you're sure," I nodded, scooting closer to Jenna. I rested my head against her shoulder. "I don't want anything bad to happen to you, Jenna. You deserve better than that."

"Nothing bad is going to happen to me, Lexa," my aunt was quick to reassure me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "I don't take silly risks like you do."

I ignored the suggestive tone to her voice as I huffed, "You were attacked in our own home. I think I'm entitled to worry. Especially since we haven't found who did it yet."

"Is this the part where you convince me to go to Denver with Jeremy?" Jenna poked my shoulder, and I shook my head.

"Nope, I'm not like Elena," I rolled my eyes. "I believe that we are safer if we stick together. The most that I would do is take you away to the Boarding House. At least when we are there, we have vampire backup."

XXX

Elena's POV

I sighed and paced around my room. Bonnie and Caroline had come over not long after I arrived home with Alexa. She was downstairs with Jenna still. I knew that she was hiding with our aunt to avoid speaking to me. If I didn't need to speak with my friends, then I would have forced her into a conversation. Even if she would just spit out petty words again.

We were trying out the privacy spell that I had seen Esther doing last night. I didn't know exactly how it worked, but I figured that Bonnie could work it out. Caroline waited in Alexa's room while we worked on the spell. She was to listen out for us, to see if she could hear what we were saying.

Bonnie was examining her grimoire, seeing if the spell was in there anywhere, while she burnt the sage in her hands. I just paced back and forth, unable to get my mind off of Alexa. She was being unreasonable with her anger. I was doing what was best for us. And she just wasn't understanding that.

"I don't understand why Alexa won't talk to me," I shook my head, aware of Bonnie's gaze on me. "She won't even let me explain. She just keeps avoiding me. She's even using Damon as a buffer." I rolled my eyes, "I knew that she would be upset but this is being unreasonable." I glanced over at the witch and asked, "Is it working?"

A second later, Caroline opened the door and leant against the doorframe, "It's not working. I can hear every word that you're saying. Elena, you need to let Alexa be mad. What you said to her was unreasonable. She just worries about you and, to be honest, she has every right to. You go to extreme lengths sometimes, as was proven by the sacrifice. Alexa made herself sick trying to keep you alive. So just give her some time."

I narrowed my eyes at the blonde, her words getting under my skin before turning to face Bonnie. The witch glanced between us before sighing, "I don't know, it's a tricky spell."

"When Esther did it, she kept the safe burning," I pointed out, gesturing to the smouldering stick of sage in the metal bowl. "There was a lot more smoke."

"Alright," Bonnie shrugged, picking the safe up. She held it against a candle, relighting it. The smell of sage filled the room again. "Try it again."

Caroline scoffed and rolled her eyes before leaving the room. I watched her leave and sighed. I wasn't mad at the vampire for sticking up for my sister. But she just wasn't seeing the bigger picture. Klaus needed to be killed. And Esther was the way for us to do that. Even if I wasn't completely on-board with the plan, I knew that I didn't regret going to see Esther. It had to be done. And I wouldn't let Alexa's overprotective nature stop it from happening.

My friend watched me for a moment before speaking slowly, "Speaking of Esther, you should know that she came to see me and Abby this morning."

I paused in my pacing to stare at the witch, "And all this time, you let me vent about Alexa?"

Bonnie winced, "I didn't want you to worry."

I nodded, "Okay, well, what did she want?"

"She wanted to introduce herself," Bonnie replied, glancing down at the sage still burning in her hands. "Abby and I helped bring her back. She's channelling our entire ancestral bloodline for power. I think she thought that she was being polite."

Was this my chance? Could I use this to safe Elijah? He didn't deserve to die just because we wanted Klaus dead. Elijah deserved more than that. He had found a way to keep me alive, he had fought for me. I owed it to him to do the same.

"Okay, well, is there a way to stop her from channelling from you?" I asked slowly, trying not to sound too hopefully. I knew that I had failed when Bonnie gave me a look. She was far too good at sensing the hidden meaning in words. And it was quite annoying at times.

The witch frowned, "Even if there was, why would I want that?"

"I just keep thinking," I sighed, sitting down on my window seat. "Before the sun and the moon ritual, Elijah found a way to keep me alive. And now I'm in exactly the same position and I'm just gonna let him die? It just doesn't feel right."

Before Bonnie could say anything, the door opened again. Caroline marched in, shutting the door with a click behind her. She rested her hands on her hips and shook her head, "Okay. First of all, this privacy spell is totally not working. Second, Elena, you are not doing this, Esther is doing this."

"There's no time to change your mind, Elena," Bonnie spoke softly and I switched my gaze to her. "He'll be dead by the end of the night."

I couldn't stop myself from gasping, "What?"

"It's a full moon," the witch explained, placing the burnt-out sage to the side. "Esther needs to harness the energy of a celestial event. She asked me and Abby to join her."

"And are you?" I asked, holding my shaking hands in front of me.

Bonnie nodded, a gentle expression on her face, "As a witch, it's my duty to help Esther do this. And as your friend, I have to do it. Klaus is a threat to everyone. If I help Esther do this, then I'm keeping you safe. I'm keeping everyone safe."

I watched her with helpless eyes. I knew that there was no way of persuading her to not do this. I knew what Bonnie was like when she was determined to help someone. There was no stopping her. And that meant that I couldn't help Elijah. He had been so good to me; he had helped me with the sacrifice. And now he was going to die because of me.

XXX

Alexa's POV

After Jenna yawned for the third time, I sent her up to bed for a nap. I knew that she was supposed to be getting more rest while she recovered. And I would make sure that she did that. Keeping my aunt happy and health was a priority for me. One that I would take seriously.

Once Jenna was tucked up in bed with a glass of water and some aspirin ready for when she woke up, I settled back down onto the sofa. I knew that Caroline and Bonnie had been over to see Elena. They briefly spoke to me before they left. They had probably been discussing my idiot sister's little adventure with Esther. And I was still feeling petty enough to not ask about it.

My friends must have understood, as they just gave me sympathetic glances while not mentioning it. I didn't know if Care had told Bon what my sister had said to me. But my witchy friend had given me an extra special hug before they both left.

Elena had stayed upstairs in her room. And I was thankful for that. I really didn't want to see my sister. I was mad at her, but I knew that I would struggle to be mad at her if she gave me one of her doe-eyed looks. But I needed to be angry. She had lied to me and gone behind my back. It wasn't something that was easily forgiven. And it shouldn't be easily forgiven.

I fiddled with the bracelet in my hands. Jenna had given it to me earlier, saying that she had found it on the porch. My name had been inscribed on the label and inside sat an emerald bracelet. It was immediately clear who it had come from. Alternating emerald and diamond stones were set in a white gold. It was obviously expensive. And inside the box, sat a note. I wasn't surprised to see Klaus' name at the bottom of it. He had seemed genuine in his want to be my friend.

'Beautiful ladies deserve beautiful things.

Thank you for listening to me tonight, and for not immediately rejecting me.

Klaus.'

Despite the beauty of the bracelet, I had no intention of wearing it. I wasn't one to be bought, and it annoyed me that Klaus thought that I could be. He had tried it with the horse last night, and since my rejection wasn't obvious enough for him, he clearly thought that he should try again.

A knock on the door drew me from my thoughts. I sighed and shook my head. I swear, if this was vampire drama, then I would be so pissed. I was hoping to have one day off from all of that. I just wanted one day to relax and to be grumpy without worry. And I got the feeling that I wouldn't be allowed to have that.

I pushed myself to my feet, wrapping my blanket around my shoulders, before approaching the door. I didn't bother with the peephole. Even if I didn't like the look of the person outside, I knew that I would have to deal with them. So I opened the door and hoped for the best.

Elijah stood on my porch, his hands tucked into his coat pockets. He was dressed as smart as ever, his suit a lovely black. I crossed my arms and leant against the doorframe.

"You know, you are the only person who actually bothers to knock in this town," I raised an eyebrow as Elijah gazed down at me in amusement. "And that makes you one of my favourite people."

"Manners do seem to be rare, these days," the Original agreed with a small smile. "Tell me, are you home alone?"

"Uh, nope," I shook my head. I knew that there was no point in lying. Elijah had been invited in, so he could just find out if I tried to be evasive. "Jenna is in bed and Elena is moping around upstairs."

"How is the lovely Jenna?" Elijah asked, a look of concern on his face. It was sweet, how he seemed to genuinely care for her. "I heard that she had gotten injured the other night."

"She had a nasty concussion," I scrunched up my nose in annoyance at the thought of it. "She's doing better now, but I'm making sure that she is taking it easy. I know from experience that doing stuff with a concussion sucks big time."

The Original nodded, "Give her my sympathies, please."

"Of course," I agreed before fixing him with a look. "Not to be rude, but what can I do for you, Elijah? I'm hoping to have a relaxing, drama-free day today."

Elijah's eyes darkened for a moment before his expression went disturbingly blank, "I was hoping that you and your sister might accompany me out. I want to show you two something."

"Well," I sighed, rolling my eyes dramatically. "That does put a kink in my plan to avoid my sister. Because I don't really want to be around her right now. But, for you, Elijah, I can tolerate her presence."

"Thank you, Alexandria," the Original gave me a grateful nod as I turned to walk over to the stairs.

I took a deep breath before trotting up the stairs. It did occur to me that I should invite Elijah in to wait in the hallway. But I didn't want to prolong this any more than I needed to. If it wasn't for the fact that Jenna was napping, I would have just shouted for my sister. But I didn't want to disturb my aunt. And she took precedence right now.

I knocked on my twin's door and she quickly opened it. A cautiously hopeful expression formed on her face as she saw me. But before she could say anything, I held up my hand, "Elijah is downstairs. He wants to take us out somewhere. I suggest that you wrap up warm, it's cold outside."

With that said, I turned on my heel and walked into my room. I gathered up my coat and scarf, before putting on my boots. I didn't know where Elijah was taking us, but I wanted to be prepared for every option.

Elena had beaten me downstairs. She was wrapped up while she spoke to Elijah on the porch. I took a deep breath, preparing myself for spending time with my sister, before I approached the two. I really didn't want to go out, especially since it meant spending time with Elena. But I didn't really have much of a choice. Whatever it was that Elijah was up to, I couldn't let my sister face it on her own. Even if I was mad at her.

When I joined them on the porch, shutting the door behind me, I muttered to my sister, "I left Jenna a note, so that she knows where we went." Elena went to open her mouth but before she could, I turned to face the Original, "We're ready when you are, Elijah."

XXX

In a very creepy move, Elijah drove us deep into the woods.

I had taken up residence on the backseat, allowing Elena to take the front. It meant that I could keep a better eye on her, while also avoiding small talk. Not that there was a lot. Elijah was content to keep the radio on, the quiet music breaking the silence. He did speak a few times, asking my sister questions. But he had a hard look in his eyes whenever he glanced over at her. It was weird and unnerving. And I couldn't help but wonder what trouble Elena had gotten us into this time.

When Elijah parked up, I waited until they had both left the car before getting out myself. My instincts were screaming at me, insisting that something bad was going to happen. And I desperately wanted to text Damon, to let him know what was happening. But we were so far into the woods that I didn't have the signal. All I could do was hope that Elijah didn't do anything to us.

The car locked behind me and Elijah sighed as he tucked the keys into his coat pocket, "I had forgotten how much I had missed this land."

It was still a weird thought, that the Originals had grown up here. We had played where they had played. We had laughed and cried and celebrated where they had. All of us were tied in more ways than we had originally thought.

"I can't even imagine what it must have been like a thousand years ago," Elena nodded, her hand tucked into her pockets as she followed Elijah. I kept a few steps behind them. I knew that something bad was going to happen. I could feel it in my bones. And it scared the fuck out of me. But I just didn't know what it was. All I could do was watch my stubborn sister's back.

"You know, your school was built over an Indian village," Elijah remarked casually, leading us through the trees with intent. He knew exactly where he was going. I didn't recognise the area and I cursed my poor sense of direction. "Where I saw my first werewolf. The town square was where the natives would gather to worship. Matter of act, near that, there was a field where wild horses used to graze."

"That's incredible," my sister breathed, looking utterly captivated. It was interesting to hear. I couldn't deny that. But I couldn't help but wonder why Elijah was telling us this. There was something deeper here. I just didn't know what.

"Come," the Original directed us over to a rock formation. It was old and worn, and I couldn't help but wonder if the Originals had played on this as children.

"Do you know this place too?" Elena asked, resting a hand on the rocks for a moment before turning to look at Elijah.

He was watching her with dark eyes and for the first time, I moved to stand next to her. I carefully eased myself in front of her, and there was a flicker of amusement in Elijah's eyes.

"I do," he answered my sister's question, staring down at us. "Below us is a cavern that I used to paly in as a boy. It connects to a system of tunnels that stretch across the entire area. Perhaps it's natures way of providing us with shelter against the savagery of the full moon. My mother said that there must be a balance."

Something in Elijah's words must have unnerved my sister as she reached out to rest a hand on my shoulder, "Elijah, we should probably go home."

But the Original kept talking, a cold edge to his voice, "I admire you, Elena. You remind me of qualities that I valued long before my mother turned us. It's not in your nature to be deceitful and yet, when I aske about your meeting with my mother the other night, you lied to my face."

Oh shit. That was not good. Elijah hated liars, he valued honesty. Even when I was cussing him out, I made sure not to lie to him. And apparently, Elena had lied to his face.

I glanced over my shoulder at my sister to see her looking pale, looking up at Elijah with wide eyes, "That's not true. I told you that all your mother wanted was a new start."

The Original breathed deeply, letting it out slowly, before giving Elena a stern look, "I can hear your heartbeat. It jumps when you're being dishonest with me. You lied to me at the ball, you are lying to me now. Tell me the truth."

And that was why I tried not to lie to vampires. They could hear it when you did. And it just wasn't worth it. If you didn't want to tell a vampire the truth, then you had to bend it. You should only lie to a vampire when you were desperate.

Elena shook her head, a desperate look on her face as she breathed, "I never wanted this to happen."

I couldn't help myself as I asked, "Ellie, what's happening? What haven't you told me?"

My sister looked over at me with guilty eyes as she said, "We were told that whatever was going to be in that coffin was going to kill Klaus. When we found out that it was your mother… we didn't know what to think."

"Since her return, she says that she only wants this family whole again," Elijah's gaze was intense and I felt my worry grow. I didn't know what my sister had done, but it was not good. And I was suddenly reminded why Elijah scared the shit out of me when I first met him.

"When she asked to see me," Elena kept on speaking, almost as though she couldn't stop herself now. "I… I thought that maybe she could help. That she would find a way to kill Klaus. It's not just Klaus that she wants to kill."

"She wants to kill us all, doesn't she?" the Original nodded as I slowly urged my sister away from him. "She wants to undo the evil that she created."

"I'm so sorry, Elijah," my sister breathed, sounding genuine. "I wish there was something that I could do to help."

I was mad at my sister for keeping this from me. This was why Esther wanted to see her? And instead of telling me, she made cheap potshots, staying that I should get over my anger? While she kept this hidden from me?

"Elena, shut up," I hissed, glaring at her while trying to keep an eye on Elijah. "When we get home, we are going to have a discussion about you keeping stuff from me."

While I berated my twin, the Original in front of us had been watching with dark eyes. His next words sent shivers down my spine, "You know, one thing that I've learned on my time on this Earth… be careful what you wish for."

Before I had time to react to his words, a strong hand was pushing me out of the way. The force of the shove had me landing heavily on the floor. The sound of crumbling rock behind me had me scrambling to my feet. I turned around just in time to see Elijah grabbing my sister and jumping into the hole that he created.

I screamed my sister's name, running to the edge of the hole. I peered down into the darkness, desperately looking for my sister. But I couldn't see her.

XXX

As much as I hated to leave my sister behind, I knew that I had to get help. I still didn't have any phone signal and I had to find someone to help us. No one knew where we were. I didn't know what Elijah was planning on doing with me, but I wasn't going to take any risks. I just had to hope that his honour wouldn't allow him to hurt my sister while I went to go get help.

I raced over to his car and desperately tugged on the door handle. In my panic, I had forgotten that Elijah had locked the car, leaving me without a way to escape. But he had underestimated my need to save my sister. My eyes scanned the ground, looking for anything that I could use to smash the glass. I had never broken a car window before, but there was always a first time for everything.

I found a rock the size of my hand and grabbed it. I spun around and took a deep breath, before throwing the rock at the window. The glass shattered under the force of my throw and I darted forward. I yanked the door open and scrambled inside.

It had just occurred to me that I had absolutely no idea how to hotwire a car when a rough hand grabbed my arm. I was pulled out of the car before being shoved up against it. Elijah stared down at me with his dark eyes. He kept me pinned against the car with one hand pressed against my shoulder. I reached up to grab his wrist as I narrowed my eyes.

"Where's my sister, Elijah?" I growled, letting my anger overrule my fear. I didn't care what he did to me, but I was pissed that he had taken my sister. "What did you do to her?"

"She's safe, for now," the Original replied, resting his other hand next to my head as he loomed over me. "Tell me, did you know my mother's plan?"

"I knew nothing," I spat, unable to help myself. "But now that I do, I am fully onboard with her fucking you all up."

I didn't know the details of what Esther wanted to do. But it was enough to infuriate Elijah. And that meant that she was targeting all of them. I also didn't know how my sister was involved. But to be fair, she didn't need to be involved all that much. My sister was the perfect hostage. Everyone would do whatever they could to protect her, to save her.

"Careful, Alexandria," the Original cautioned me, as I tested his grip to no avail. Elijah had me effectively pinned and I wasn't moving until he wanted me to move. "Elena's life rests on your friends' ability to save her."

I squinted up at him through suspicious eyes before scoffing, "You won't hurt her. You're too honourable and noble. It's not like you to kill an innocent girl."

"I don't have to," Elijah shook his head, ignoring my mocking tone, moving me away from the car to open the backseat door. "Rebekah will be the one guarding your sister. And I'm sure you are aware of their distaste for each other."

"Rebekah won't do that to me," I tried to stop the Original from forcing me into the car. But I was no match for his strength. When I wouldn't get in, Elijah just wrapped an arm around my waist, lifting my feet from the ground. He directed them inside before dropping me on the seat.

"Rebekah doesn't want to die," Elijah shook his head, flicking the childlock switch before shutting the door. I glared at him through the glass before sliding across the seat to the other door. Unfortunately, Elijah had already planned ahead as he had sped around the car to flick that switch as well.

I narrowed my eyes and kicked the back of the driver's seat, leaving a muddy patch on the fabric. I felt so helpless and I hated it. there was nothing that I could except sit in the car and be a good little hostage. I muttered curses under my breath as Elijah gave the glass on the driver's seat a distasteful look and brushed it to the floor.

As he closed the door and started the car, I asked petulantly, "So what are you going to do with me, Elijah? Give me to one of your other siblings to 'look after'? Have you decided where you are going to lock me up?"

Elijah's gaze met mine in the mirror, "I know that you were not aware of what my mother has planned, Alexandria. And imprisoning you will achieve nothing. You will be far more useful if you are free to try to save your sister."

"So you want me to lead the 'save Elena and stop Mommy Original from killing the Baby Original's' movement," I scoffed, slumping back against the seat and kicking the ones in front of me again. "Gee, you know how to make a girl feel special, Elijah."

"You have proved your worth in the past, when it comes to saving your twin," the Original ignored my kicking, even if I did see his eye twitch. "If anyone can do it, it is you."

"And what if I don't want to?" I bluffed, crossing my arms and jutting my jaw out to the side. "What if I would rather Klaus be dead? Did you ever think of that?"

"I didn't need to, Alexandria. I know that you would do anything to keep your sister alive, even if it meant sparing my brother."

I narrowed my eyes, "If I can find a way to do both, then you better believe that I will. Because I am fucking fed up with the lot of you."

I met Elijah's gaze and shivered at the dangerous hint in those dark depths, "My family will not die tonight, Ms Gilbert. And if you are lucky, then your sister won't either."

Well, shit.

XXX

In a move that I didn't expect, Elijah took me back to the Boarding House. I didn't know how long we had been gone for, but it was starting to get dark outside. I knew that it didn't take much to get Damon worried, and me being out of contact for so long was definitely one of those things. Especially if Jenna had woken up and found my note saying that we had gone out with Elijah.

The Boarding House was empty when we arrived and I just knew that the brothers were out looking for us. A glance at the clock confirmed that we had definitely been gone for a few hours. It was long enough that the search parties had been sent out. And my hope of being immediately rescued faded.

Elijah forced me into one of the chairs by the fire, while he stood by the fireplace. I gazed around the parlour and sighed. I couldn't stop my mind from returning to my sister's predicament. Just because I was mad at her didn't mean that I wanted her dead. I was scared for her. While I liked to believe that Rebekah wouldn't jeopardise our friendship by murdering my sister, I just couldn't guarantee it. I couldn't guarantee anything. And if my sister died, then she would die thinking that I was furious at her. I didn't want it to end like that. It couldn't end like that.

I didn't know how long it had been when I heard the front door open. I went to push myself to my feet when a strong hand settled on my shoulder. Elijah kept me in the seat as Damon stepped into the parlour. My vampire immediately froze when he saw me. He glanced between me and the Original behind me, his eyes narrowed, and I breathed out his name.

"Alexa, are you okay?" he asked softly as Elijah's grip tightened slightly. I was surprised that he had let Damon speak to me and hadn't immediately leapt into threatening mode. But I wasn't complaining.

I shook my head, "He has Elena. She's in danger."

Now that I had said the words out loud, I could feel my chest tightening. I was terrified for my sister. I didn't want her to get hurt. But what could I do? I was completely powerless. And I didn't know if Elijah would let me go free or if he would keep me close to him.

Damon's eyes scanned me, checking for injuries, before they returned to the Original. He had an angry look on his face as I heard the door open and close again.

Stefan's voice called out, "I can't find them anywhere," before he appeared next to his brother. The younger vampire paused, glancing between the occupants of the room, a confused frown on his face.

"Hello, Stefan," Elijah greeted him as he continued to hold me still. I didn't try to fight his grip, not yet. It was like, now that I had let myself realise that my sister was in danger, I could feel my body seizing up in worry.

"He has Elena somewhere," my vampire ground out, switching his gaze to me and not moving it. "And he won't let Alexa move."

"Elena is with Rebekah," Elijah confirmed and I winced at the thought that his next words conjured in my mind. "As you can imagine, my sister is just dying to tear her throat out. So, if you want to save Elena's life, I need you to help me stop my mother. You can have Alexandria back, as a token of good faith."

"I'm a little embarrassed to admit, but when it comes to killing thousand year old resurrected witches, I'm a little rusty," my boyfriend frowned, his fingers twitching. I knew that he wanted to rush forward and pull me away from the Original. But he couldn't take that risk.

"Yes, unfortunately, even when killed, my mother doesn't seem to want to stay dead," it was weird hearing Elijah sound so put out. It wasn't something that I heard often. "Not with the spirits of nature at her side."

"So, what are we supposed to do?" Stefan asked, sounding as though he really didn't want the answer to that question. I didn't want the answer either. I knew that we wouldn't like it.

"The witches that released my mother, she's drawing her power from their bloodlines, that line needs to be broken," the Original replied and I closed my eyes. I knew that I wouldn't like the answer. Bonnie had now been dragged into this and I was really worried about what would happen to her and her mom.

"Broken?" Stefan repeated, glancing at his brother. I felt sick as it was confirmed by my boyfriend. He shot me an apologetic look as he replied to his brother.

"Yeah, he means…" he trailed off, unwilling to say the word in front of me. So he mimed it by making a cutting motion across his neck. I glanced away, not wanting to see it. Or hear it. But apparently the younger vampire didn't get that memo.

"You want us to kill them," his frown lines grew even deeper. I tried to focus on keeping my breathing even as I realised the choice in front of me. I had to chose between my sister and my friend. Did I let them kill Bonnie or her mom, in order to save my twin? Or did I just let my sister die, keeping Bonnie safe and taking out the Original family? I knew that it wasn't really a choice, but I just didn't want to think about it.

"You know I'd do it myself," Elijah shrugged as I dug my fingers into my hands, my nails leaving little grooves in my palms. "But I have absolutely no idea where they are. Besides, seeing me, they'd immediately know my intent. They won't expect to be harmed by the likes of you. In any case, you have until six minutes after nine to find them."

"Oh, how super specific of you," Damon rolled his eyes, his body tense as he, too, realised the choice that we had to make.

Elijah gave my vampire a displeased look, clearly unhappy with the interruption, "By 9:07, the moon will be full, and my mother will have the power that she needs to kill me and my family. If you do not stop her before then, Rebekah will kill Elena. So, we all have our timelines. And I suggest you get started."

The pressure on my shoulder disappeared and I watched through blurry eyes as Elijah left the building. My breath felt ragged in my throat and despite my mind screaming at me, my body just wouldn't move. It was frozen where I sat, my eyes staring at the front door.

I heard a blur before gentle hands were cupping my face. I was just about able to force my gaze to the side, meeting worried eyes. Damon carefully examined me, sighing when he saw the barely disguised panic in my eyes. One of his hands moved to cup the back of my neck while the other moved to my back, pulling me closer to him. I wrapped my arms around his neck, burying my face in the crook of his neck. Damon's hand kept my face pressed there as I struggled to regulate my breathing.

It was all crashing down on me at once. My sister was in a lot of danger, and all I had done today was fight with her. The only way that I could save her involved hurting Bonnie and her mom. Which was something that I just didn't want to do. But I couldn't let my sister die.

My breath hitched as I realised just how fucked we were.

XXX

While Damon helped me delay the inevitable panic attack, Stefan had disappeared from the room. I didn't know where he had gone. But the worry that I could see in his eyes confirmed that his humanity was fighting its way back. He couldn't hide it now. It was there. And it wouldn't disappear again so easily.

Damon disappeared for a couple of minutes to get a glass of water and I hunched over when he did so. My mind just kept spinning. I knew what choice I would make. And I hated myself for making it. Because Bonnie deserved better. But I just couldn't let my twin die. Even though I was still furious at her, I just couldn't let her die. I loved the stupid, stubborn idiot.

When Damon returned with my water, he ushered me to my feet, tucking me under his arm. I wrapped an arm around his waist, content to let him lead me. I knew that I would be useless for a little bit longer. I just needed to get better control over my panic. And until that happened, I trusted Damon to take charge. He would make sure that my sister was saved. He would even try to save Bonnie for me. It felt like the sacrifice all over again. Why did I always have to chose between Elena and Bonnie? It just wasn't fair. They both deserved better than that.

Even when he led me down into the basement, I didn't question it. He had muttered something about Stefan before we went down there. I knew that they kept their freezer full of blood bags down here. So I just assumed that he was just having a drink. He would need to keep his strength up if we had any chance to save my twin and my friend. Because until I had no choice but to accept it, I would continue to believe that I could save both of them. I just couldn't let myself think otherwise.

We entered the small room where the freezer was kept to see Stefan leaning over it. There was a blood bag in his hands, and he stared down at it with an unreadable expression on his face. I was too caught up in my panic to ponder it, and it wouldn't be until later that I properly thought about what I had seen.

"Clock's ticking," Damon announced our presence and Stefan glanced over at us. He opened the blood bag in his hands but didn't drink from it. "You gonna help us brainstorm a plan or are you too busy fixing yourself a snack?"

"We need to call Bonnie," the younger vampire sighed, shaking his head. "There's got to be a way for her to stop Esther from channelling all that power."

My vampire considered that point for a moment before dismissing it, "A. what if she's with Esther? B. what if she can't cut her off? C. I don't know how any of this stuff works and D. neither do you!"

"You got a better plan?" Stefan shot back and I flinched at the raised tone. I couldn't help but blame myself for this. I should have gotten Elena to safety. I shouldn't have let her go into the woods with Elijah. I knew that there was something wrong. But I didn't do anything. I should have stopped this from happening.

Damon gave me a gentle squeeze before shaking his head, "Worst case scenario, simple mechanics. Can't draw power from a dead battery."

"Kill them," Stefan sighed, looking as though he really didn't want to do that. I didn't want to do that either. Bonnie deserved better than that.

"If it comes to that," my vampire winced lightly before reaching out to grab that blood bag in Stefan's hands. He took a few sips, making sure to keep my gaze away from it, before handing it back to the younger vampire. It was sweet, how he tried to protect me from that sort of thing. I had already told him that I didn't care, that it didn't disgust me. But he still wanted to protect me.

"There's got to be another way," the younger vampire shook his head, placing the blood bag to the side. His forehead creased in worry and thought. It was a look that I hadn't seen in a very long time. And I hadn't realised just how much I had missed it.

"Well, what if I told you that I had a less diabolical plan," we both looked at Damon as he pulled a familiar dagger from his back pocket. It was the one that had been used on Elijah. And we had it. We had another option. I didn't have to choose between my friend and my sister.

"You want to dagger Elijah!" Stefan hissed, sounding shocked at the suggestion. I reached out for the blade and Damon let me have it. I rested it against my palm, refamiliarizing myself with it. If it meant saving my loved ones, then I would dagger whoever I needed to.

"They're all linked," Damon pointed out. "One goes down, they all go down. The witches live, Elena's safe, Alexa doesn't have to chose between her loved ones. Problem solved."

"We don't know if that'll effect Klaus," Stefan retorted and I wrinkled my nose at the thought. Trust Klaus to be a problem, even when he wasn't actually involved in this.

"Ironically, Klaus isn't out current problem," Damon rolled his eyes and Stefan gave in. It was our best option and he knew that. And I would do whatever I needed to in order to make it work.

"Dagger is lethal to any vampire who uses it," the younger vampire sighed, glancing down at the blade in my hands.

"That doesn't matter," I spoke up, tightening my grip on the dagger. "Because I'll be the one to do it. Just get me the opportunity and I'll do it."

I could feel the vampires exchanging a look above my head, but I didn't care. I would do whatever it took to save my loved ones. Including dagger an Original vampire. Again.

XXX

Damon had dropped me off at the Grill, the dagger safely tucked into my pocket. Once we had established that I would be stabbing random members of the Original family, it didn't take long for a plan to be put together.

Klaus and Kol were drinking the Grill dry. From the amount that they had drunk, it was easy to assuming that their instincts would be slightly dulled. Since I was the one doing the stabbing, I wouldn't be able to lure Klaus out of the Grill. We needed them to be separated. Klaus wouldn't let anything happen to his younger brother, even if they fought all the time.

So I had proposed that I lure Kol out to the alley behind the Grill instead. From there, it would be easy to hide the body somewhere until Esther had completed her spell. Neither of the Salvatore brothers were impressed with my little addition to the plan. But since there was no one else who was capable of distracting Klaus, it was their only option.

When I got to the Grill, I quickly slipped inside, trying to avoid any Original gazes. I wanted to check in with Ric and Jenna before I made my move. They had been keeping an eye on everything that had been happening, and would be able to let me know if Kol would take the bait. He had already been flirting with Meredith. So there was a question mark over whether he would go with me.

"Hey guys," I said quietly as I joined their table in the corner. They had a good view of the two Original's, but they wouldn't be easy to spot if one of them got paranoid. "What are you thinking?"

"That you shouldn't be the one to do it," Ric immediately shot back, an unhappy look on his face. "I don't know why they agreed to it."

"Because when it comes to my sister's life, it's practically impossible to argue against me," I shrugged, having expected that. Ric had grumbled when he first heard the idea. Now that I was right in front of him, I wouldn't have expected anything else. "Is Kol still interested in Meredith or will he take my bait?"

"He's been flirting with any pretty girl that he sees," Jenna spoke up while Ric just frowned grumpily. If I was being honest, I wasn't happy to see my aunt here. She should be at home, resting. Not taking part in an Original assassination. "So he'll go with you."

"Oh yay," I took a deep breath before making an effort to relax my body. I knew that my acting skills had to be on point. Otherwise the whole plan would fail. It was a lot of pressure, and I was feeling it, but I would do anything to save my sister. "Let's get this shit over with."

Jenna gave my hand a reassuring squeeze before I stood up. I gave her a grateful smile before I made my way towards the bar. Since the Original bros looked quite happy and relaxed, I figured that it would be safe to assume that Elijah hadn't told them about their mom's little plot. That meant that I didn't need to act in a certain way. I just had to be myself.

I chose to approach the bar near where Kol sat. Since I wanted to get his attention, it would be easier for me to do that straightaway, instead of worrying about playing little games. I made a point of not glancing to the side as I rested my forearms against the bar. I didn't put much effort in trying to flag down the bartenders.

"Well, hello, darling," and that was the sound of Kol taking the bait. I brushed my hair over my shoulder and glanced to the side. I gave the brothers my best dirty look and rolled my eyes.

"Oh, yay, you two," I turned to face the bar again, but I could see Kol leering at me out of the corner of my eye. I suddenly regretted leaving my coat over by Jenna. The thought of being slightly more covered was one that I needed. Especially since I could just feel Kol looking at my cleavage. Fucking tank tops.

"Ah, don't be like that," the younger Original cooed mockingly as he brushed away a few strands of hair that had fallen out of place. I couldn't stop myself from slapping his hand away as I spun to face them.

"Don't you dare touch me," I hissed, ignoring Klaus delighted smirk in the background. "After what you did to Matt, I don't want you anywhere near me."

"I told you that she had fire," the hybrid laughed, enjoying the look of shook on his brother's face. "If she wasn't related to the doppelganger, then she would be a fun little plaything."

"Oh piss off you," I rolled my eyes at Klaus, moving my pointy finger to him. "Like you're any better. All I wanted was a quiet drink. But no, I'm not that lucky. I have to deal with you two stinking up my local." I narrowed my eyes as my mind flashed back to the bracelet, "And stop giving me stuff. I don't want your presents; I don't want anything from you. So just stop it!"

"Can I play with her if I promise not to break her?" Kol spoke over his shoulder to his brother, not taking his eyes off of me. The look in those brown depths had my blood running cold. But I couldn't run away, even if I wanted to. I had to do this to save Elena and Bonnie. And I wouldn't let them down.

"Excuse me?" I scoffed as Klaus gave his affirmative. The smirk on Kol's face grew dangerous as he leant forward to grip my chin. His quick fingers tugged my necklace from my throat before he made eye contact. I was suddenly so thankful of the ankle bracelet that Damon had given me earlier. No one would have thought to check for an extra supply of vervain. So there was nothing that would lead Kol to believe that he wasn't compelling me.

"Why don't you put that pretty little mouth of other uses," the Original purred, his thumb stroking my cheek while he held my head still. "Why don't we head outside to somewhere a little more private?"

I forced my expression to go blank as I repeated dully, "Let's go somewhere more private."

It was really hard to stop myself from glaring as Kol shot his brother a triumphant look. Klaus just rolled his eyes at him before turning back to the bar. He was such a fuckhead. And I definitely wasn't going to consider being friends with him now.

Kol grabbed my wrist and tugged me forward, leading me to the door to the alley behind the Grill. I kept on reminding myself to keep my body pliant. I had to act as though I was compelled. It shouldn't have been as hard as I was. I knew what it was like to be compelled. I was just feeling incredibly on edge.

I shivered in the cold air as I was led outside. In the short time that I had been inside the Grill, it had gotten even colder. And I definitely regretted not keeping my coat on. Kol glanced from side to side before tugging me over to the stairs that led down to the entrance to the storeroom. It was where couples frequently went to get naughty. And Kol clearly appreciated the privacy that was provided by the dim lighting.

He spun me around, so that my back was pressed against the bricks. I didn't know if I should continue to pretend to be compelled. He hadn't given me any more instructions, but he also hadn't been very specific in his instructions. So I just stood there as his nose ran along my neck. His hands gripped my hips, holding them still.

I felt Kol's face change against my neck, his fangs scrapping my skin, as he growled, "I don't appreciate my playthings being marked by others. Maybe Nik will be gracious enough to give you to me. I can show you how fun I can be."

I carefully eased the dagger from my sleeve, where I had hidden it once I had been led outside. This was my best chance. Kol was distracted and I just wanted his hands off of me. Just the feel of him being so close to me had my skin crawling. And I was absolutely terrified that he would try to bite me. I didn't know how far this Original would go, and I had to stop this situation before it got any worse.

So I gripped the handle of the dagger tight, before thrusting it upwards. Kol gasped against my neck as the blade pierced his skin, the sound making my skin crawl. His knees shook and I pushed him backwards, allowing him to drop to the floor. In the dim lighting, I couldn't see if his skin had started to turn grey. And even though he hadn't tried to attack me yet, I couldn't take the risk that the dagger hadn't worked. So I collapsed to my knees next to the Original's body, and pushed down on the dagger.

It slid further into Kol's body before staying firm. And I had to close my eyes as the thought of what I had just done caught up to me. I couldn't quite believe that I had managed to do this. That I had actually dagger an Original. Again.

My hands shook as I messaged Ric and Damon, letting them know that it had been done. Ric was to meet me outside, where he would help the Salvatore brothers hide the body where the other Originals couldn't find it. Which should keep Bonnie and Elena alive long enough for Esther to what she needed to do.

XXX

While I waited, I sat next to the body, my knees pressed against my chest. I shivered in the cold air, but my mind was too numb. I couldn't stop thinking about what I did. And what it felt like inside. That sick feeling of satisfaction, one that occasionally reared its ugly head, felt triumphant. And it was horrible. I wasn't pleased about what I did. The only good thing was that it stopped me from choosing between my friend and my sister.

Stefan and Damon arrived first. I heard the sound of vampire speed before they were both stood in front of me. Stefan immediately turned to look at the daggered Original while Damon crouched down in front of me. My boyfriend examined me carefully before shrugging off his leather jacket. He wrapped it around my shoulders before easing me to my feet.

I clung onto him for a moment, breathing in his comforting scent before the door opened behind me. Ric glanced around for a moment, his eyes scanning Kol's grey body, before his gaze turned to me. He examined me for a moment before exchanging a glance with Damon. I didn't know what they had communicated but a second later, my vampire was gently passing me over to Ric.

I stood in his arms, content to just be held, while our vampires picked up Kol's body. They held him casually, looking as though they wouldn't be too upset if they knocked him against a wall. I didn't know how much they had heard, or what Ric had seen in the Grill, but I knew that no one particularly liked the new Original brother.

"Get Alexa and Jenna somewhere safe," Damon ordered the hunter holding me. "As soon as we have Elena, we'll bring her to you."

"You know where you're taking him?" Ric asked after acknowledging the politely phrased order. Damon nodded, but before he could answer verbally, someone new arrived on the scene.

There was the sound of vampire speed before I was being shoved away from Ric. I hit the ground hard, my palms scraping against the concrete floor. Behind me, I heard the thud of a body hitting the floor. I glanced over to see Ric laying there, a bloody cut on his head.

I heard a grunt and followed the noise to see Klaus snapping Stefan's neck. I let out a choked gasp as strong hands pulled me to my feet. I clung onto Damon as the pissed off hybrid approached us. There was a glint of silver in his hand and I saw the dagger. The dagger that was no longer in Kol's body.

"I should have killed you months ago," Klaus spat furiously as Damon tucked me further behind him. And I wasn't going to argue it. The fury in the Original hybrid's expression had my blood running cold. It had been a long time since I had seen him this angry. And I had forgotten how terrifying it was. I knew that he wouldn't kill me, not permanently anyway, as he still needed me. But he could hurt me. And he could kill my loved ones.

"Do it," my vampire taunted him, reaching back an arm, resting his hand on my hip. "It's not going to stop Esther from killing you."

The hybrid paused for a moment before the anger in his expression tripled, "What did you say about my mother?"

"You didn't know that I was friends with your mommy?" Damon mocked and I couldn't stop myself from wincing. So this was how it felt when someone mouthed off to a powerful being with anger issues. It sucked. "Yeah, we have a lot in common. She hates you as much as I do."

Klaus snarled, his face changing as he prepared to leap at us. I closed my eyes, scrunching them up tight as my heart froze in my chest. Damon's grip on my hip tightened for a moment, as it felt like he was preparing to push me out of the way. But before Klaus could make his move, a shadow blocked the light from the street above.

I glanced up as Elijah ordered sharply, "Leave him! We still need them, Niklaus."

Klaus narrowed his eyes at his brother as he growled, "What did mother do? What did she do, Elijah?"

But Elijah ignored the hybrid, keeping his gaze on us as he walked down the stairs. I only became aware of the phone in his hand when the screen lit up. I tried not to think about it, as I knew exactly what the Original was planning.

"You tell me where the witches are, or I'll have my sister kill Elena right now," the noble Original's voice was sharp, and I flinched at the sound of it. Even as my heart clenched in my chest. My plan had failed. And now one of my loved ones was going to die because of it.

I could feel Damon glancing up at the clock tower above us, revealing more of me to the Original's, before protesting, "You told us that we had until after nine."

The look on Elijah's face was cruel as he shrugged, "I'm sure that Rebekah will be more than happy to start her work early."

Despite the tightness in my chest, I gasped out, "Fuck you, Elijah."

"What did you say to me?" Elijah frowned sharply as the phone creaked in his hand. I could feel Damon urging me to shut up, even as he tried to tug me further behind him. But I resisted.

"I said, fuck you," I wheezed slightly as I fought off my panic attack. All I could think about was that Elena was in danger. That Bonnie was in danger. That one of them might die. The thought just kept spinning around my head. "You act like you are so much better than everyone else. But the truth is, you're no better than the fucking asshole next to you. You're both scum. And I hope you rot in hell."

XXX

After we managed to wake Ric up, Jenna took us back to Meredith's apartment. My aunt's friend had agreed to house us there until everything was over. We would have gone back home, but Elijah had been invited inside. And we didn't know if he would try targeting another member of the family. Especially after my words to him.

Meredith tended to Ric's injured head while Jenna sat me down on the sofa. I hadn't yet managed to fight off my panic attack. And the regretful look on Damon's face as he said goodbye haunted me. I knew that he wouldn't hurt Bonnie. But that meant that her mom would be the target. And I knew that it would hurt my friend just as much as if she was physically hurt herself.

I wheezed on the sofa, Jenna holding my hands, while the friendly doctor went to go get an icepack for Ric's head. She had cleaned away the blood before going to get him something for the pain. I knew that she would do a concussion check on him soon, as he had hit his head pretty hard.

"Alexa, you need to breath," my aunt urged me gently, giving my hands a squeeze. I nodded and tried to regulate my breathing. But it was like my mind was against me. Every time I tried to settle into a rhythm, my mind just reminded me that I had failed my sister and my friend. When I gasped in some air again, Jenna glanced over her shoulder at Meredith, "Do you have anything that I can give her?"

Meredith paused on her way out of the kitchen, "I have some herbal tea. That should help. And…" the doctor hesitated before sighing, "I have some Xanax. I shouldn't be giving it to her, especially without a prescription. But, in this case, just this once, I'll allow it."

Jenna thanked her friend as she passed over the icepack before disappearing back into the kitchen. My aunt passed it to Ric, who held it to his head while he watched me with worried eyes. It had been so long since I had properly had a panic attack. Recently, I had manged to stop them before they fully emerged. But this time, without Damon, without my sister, with the thoughts buzzing around my brain, I just couldn't stop it.

I wheezed my way through a breathing exercise, feeling even worse when it didn't do anything to help. It just reminded me of how much of a failure I was. Not that I needed much reminding. I thought that I was so strong, but it was a lie. I was weak as I was before. I couldn't safe my loved ones, I couldn't look after them. I was pathetic.

Jenna accepted the tablet and glass of water from Meredith. I watched through tired eyes as she passed me the pill. I swallowed it quickly, downing the rest of the water at Jenna's urging. I didn't really feel like drinking it, but I couldn't disappoint Jenna any further.

My aunt tucked me against her side, holding my herbal tea for me, while Meredith went to check on Ric. The hunter had waved her away each time that she had tried it before, eager for her to look after me first. But now that the doctor had done all that she could for me, he had to accept that it was his turn.

"I need to go find Elena," he groaned, but he didn't try to move. While he did need to go find my sister, I think he also realised that he had to look after me and Jenna. The Salvatore brothers would save my sister. They would do what I could not.

"That's nice," Meredith rolled her eyes, keeping a firm hand on his shoulder. "Stay seat, you might have a concussion."

"I see you're still as much of a slob as you used to be," Jenna remarked lightly, gently urging me to drink my tea. She placed a blanket over my legs when Meredith gestured to the one that was tucked under the coffee table in front of us.

"Housekeeping is not high on my priority list, Jenna," the doctor rolled her eyes as she plucked a penlight from the mess on the table. "It never has been."

"I can see that," Ric glanced around the mess before he was directed to look straight ahead. Meredith crouched down in front of him, keeping his head still as she moved the light back and forth.

"Pupillary response is normal," the doctor murmured, doing a few other checks. It took a few more minutes for her to be content. "You're lucky. You escaped without a concussion, but you're going to have a nasty headache for a while."

Ric twitched his lips up into a smile as he pushed himself forward. Only to freeze with a groan. Meredith winced as she carefully eased him back into his seat, "You might have a broken rib."

"That sucks," the hunter sighed, looking over at his girlfriend. "Sorry for getting my ass kicked on date night."

"You'll just have to find a way to make it up to me," my aunt teased gently, reaching forward to pat Ric's knee. "But for now, just look after yourself."

"She's right," Meredith agreed softly, glancing between the two. "Damon and Stefan are going to take care of Elena. And I'm going to take care of all of you. Now, I can help you move over to the sofa, or you can stay there."

Ric exchanged a glance with Jenna before carefully nodding, "Help me over to the sofa."

The doctor nodded before taking his arm. Ric winced slightly as he moved, but luckily, it was just a couple of steps. He was eased down next to me on the sofa, and I moved the blanket so that it covered his legs too.

Ric smiled slightly in thanks before resting a hand on my knee. I sipped at my tea as all I could do now was wait. And hope. And pray.

XXX

When the waiting got to be too much, I asked my aunt to take me home. Jenna had been urging me to sleep, telling me that I would feel better when I woke up. But I just couldn't do it. My mind was consumed of thoughts of what could be happening to my sister. And it was enough to give me nightmares.

Above me, I could feel Jenna and Ric exchanging looks. Considering Elijah had been invited in, it probably wasn't the smartest move, taking me back there. But I craved the comfort that being home would bring. I couldn't relax at Meredith's apartment. It wouldn't be much better at home, but I had more of a chance there.

Eventually, Jenna nodded and helped to ease me up from where I had been resting my head on her lap. She told Meredith where we were going. The doctor gave my aunt some advice as to what to look out for, to make sure that I didn't go over the edge again. Afterall, while I was no longer in danger of having a panic attack, thanks to Xanax, but I was still suffering slightly. I wouldn't be completely okay for a while.

We got as far as the door to Meredith's apartment building before it all went to hell. One second, my aunt was supporting me. The next, I was falling to the floor. I was aware of Jenna screaming my name before strong arms hefted me to my feet. I caught breathed in a familiar scent before I was being lifted from the ground.

Everything around me blurred as the Original holding me sped away. But that didn't stop me from struggling. I didn't know what they were planning on doing to me. I was another potential hostage. I could be used to threaten the Salvatore brothers. I knew that their deadline was fast approaching. Like in a matter of minutes. Maybe they needed to increase the threat.

When the movement stopped, I was put down. But a strong grip was kept on my arm. I glared up at the one holding me. Klaus glared back. Clearly, he wasn't very happy with the lack of progress made on the mommy front. And he decided to take that out on me.

"Why am I here?" I growled as Elijah and Kol walked up beside us. Despite the exhaustion weighing down my body, despite the panic that haunted my mind, I refused to show any weakness. Especially to Klaus. A small voice in the back of my mind whispered that one of them could kill me and no one would know. I had daggered Kol, it would make sense that he wanted revenge for that.

"Incentive," Elijah replied, his voice low as he kept his gaze on the fire light in the distance. "Come. We don't have much time."

"We don't have much time," I repeated mockingly as Klaus tugged me behind him. I silently prayed that someone would come rescue me. I didn't like being the damsel in distress. But there was no way that I would be able to escape from three pissed off Originals. Especially since I had nothing to defend myself with.

A pentagram had been carved into the floor, outlined by salt. Five torches, the flames flickering merrily, were spaced around the points of the pentagram. Finn stood in the middle of it, a dark look on his face as he stared at his siblings.

Klaus held me close to him, preventing me from escaping. Of course, from the power I could feel in the air, turning my stomach, I found that I didn't mind his grip so much. He would be a good shield if anything happened. And he needed me alive. I had to remind myself of that fact.

"My sons," Esther spoke, standing next to the pentagram. "Come forward."

Her cold gaze flickered towards me, sending a shiver down my spine. She definitely wasn't pleased to see me. But there was satisfaction buried in that gaze and that scared me more. She looked at me like she knew me.

"Stay beside me, mother," the oldest son held his hand out to his mother. She grasped it lightly, stepping into the salt lined carving. She held her head high, practically oozing confidence and power.

"It's okay," she said softly, reaching out to pat his face before looking at the rest of her sons. "They can't enter."

Apparently, Kol took that as a dare. He approached the pentagram, a furious look on his face. The rage felt so unfamiliar. He had looked so jovial every time that I had seen him. But now, he looked like an Original Vampire. The flames of the torches flared out, hot and bright, driving him back. Esther was right when she said that they couldn't enter. I didn't know if that applied to me, since I was human. But I found that I didn't want to seek safety in there, not if it meant getting so close to Esther. She scared me more than the Originals at my side.

"That's lovely," the youngest brother sneered, pacing back and forth. "We're stuck out here while the favourite son plays sacrificial lamb." Kol switched his gaze to Finn and snapped, "How pathetic you are, Finn."

"Be quiet, Kol," Esther was quick to defend her supposed favourite, berating the younger. "Your brother knows virtue that you cannot even imagine."

While Kol seethed, Elijah spoke up. His voice, normally warm even when terrifying, was cold. He spoke with an anger that I hadn't heard before. Seeing his mom so committed to killing his family, the one that he had betrayed his principles for, must be hard. And despite it all, my heart went out to him. I didn't always see eye to eye with Elijah, and I was uber pissed at him for his stunt with my sister. But being betrayed like this by your own mom, it was painful beyond imagining.

"Whatever you think of, killing your own children will be an atrocity," the noble brother kept his gaze fixed upon his mother, despite the angry mutterings of his siblings. Esther couldn't look in him the eye for long, instead glancing from Kol to Klaus to me. Every time her gaze landed on me, the hybrid holding me shifted slightly, blocking me from her view.

"My only regret is that I did not let you die a thousand years ago," the Original Witch's words had me wincing. Her children were not given a choice in turning. Her and Mikael did this to them. And now she had the audacity to blame them.

"Enough," Klaus growled, speaking up for the first time, clearly losing patience as the moon moved in the sky above us. "All this talk is boring me. End this now, Mother, or I'll send you back to Hell."

Esther narrowed her eyes at her hybrid son, "For a thousand years, I've been forced to watch you. Felt the pain of every victim, suffered while you shed blood. Even you, Elijah, with your claim to nobility, you're no better. All of you. You're a curse on this Earth. Stretched out over generations. If you've come to plead for your life, I'm sorry, you've wasted your time."

Silence followed her words.

She was really going to kill her children. No parent should ever hurt their child. And now I was about to witness one kill all of hers. It was horrible and even though I hated the Originals for what they had done, they didn't deserve this. I had seen their good sides and their bad sides. And they were no worse than people were. Esther was the monster here, just like Mikael was.

Klaus snarled, his face changing, eyes turning a sickly yellow as his fangs elongated. But before he could make a move, the torches flared up. The power in the air crackled, raising goosebumps on my skin.

Klaus tugged me close, wrapping an arm around my waist as Esther shouted, her voice filled with fear, "No! Sisters! Do not abandon me!"

Finn called out for his mother as the light from the torches grew painful. I huddled into the hybrid holding me and he rested a hand on my head, turning me away from the flames. I closed my eyes before everything went cold.

The torches died out, leaving only the light of the full moon to illuminate the clearing. Finn and Esther were gone. And the Originals were still alive.

XXX

Damon found me on the ground. After Esther's disappearance, the Original brothers had fled. Klaus had glanced down at me once before he left. He must have heard my vampire coming to find me. My arms were wrapped around my legs, pressing them against my chest. I was crashing again. It was all getting to me. And it got worse when Damon explained what happened.

Damon had crouched down in front of me, pulling me into his arms as he explained what happened. I just clung to him, barely able to comprehend it all. It was so fucked up. I never imagined that this would be what happened today.

My vampire told me know that Elena was safe, and that she was on her way to see Bonnie. My heart broke then. In order to save my sister, they had to break the Bennett bloodline. But because Esther was channelling all the witches, living and dead, then they couldn't just kill one of them. They had to turn them. Which was what Damon did. He turned Bonnie's mom into a vampire. And that was why the Original witch was so scared. Her power was leaving her and she had her pissed off children right in front of her.

While Esther's plan fell apart and while he was looking for me, my vampire phoned Caroline, who would to take Bonnie back to hers. Abby wouldn't wake up for a while and I didn't know what would happen when she did wake up. Because we didn't know if she would complete the transition. But even if she did, Abby's heart would be broken. Because she wouldn't get her magic back.

It was foolish of Elena to go to see Bonnie. I knew that my friend wouldn't want to see her. This had happened to save my sister. And Elena should give her space. Like I would do. I would reach out to Caroline, to check in on my witchy friend and to ask the blonde to pass on my love, but I wouldn't bother Bonnie until she wanted to speak to me.

Once Damon had finished explaining what happened, he offered to take me home. I knew that I should go back to Jenna, so that she could be reassured that I was okay. But I just wanted to go home. To somewhere that was familiar and comforting. Where someone could look after me. And if anyone could look after me right now, it would be Damon. And maybe if I was in his arms, I would be able to finally fall asleep.

When I nodded, unable to voice my thoughts, my vampire immediately scooped me up into his arms and I buried my face against his neck. I breathed in his comforting scent while Damon soothed me. I had explained my part to him. How I was used as another hostage by Klaus, how I had been given Xanax by Meredith. How I still felt I would spiral into another panic attack.

He carried me to his car, tucking me into the passenger seat. It took a bit of persuading to get me to let go of him, but he managed it. As a compromise, he wrapped his leather jacket around me, keeping a comforting hand on my thigh as he drove me home. I wrapped his jacket closer, breathing in his scent. I ignored the movement around me, content that my vampire would look after me. He always looked after me.

I didn't remember falling asleep during the journey home, and the fact that I fell asleep after everything that had happened just showed how exhausted I was. I briefly woke up when Damon tucked me into my bed. I grumbled sleepily as he helped me out of my clothes and into my PJs. I could feel his eyes on me, worry hidden in those silvery depths, as he settled next to me, holding me in his arms.

So, using my last few moments of lucidity, I mumbled, "I don't blame you for what happened. It sucked and I'm upset that it happened. But you saved my sister and Bonnie wasn't the one turned." I yawned, rubbing my eyes, "I don't hate you for what you did."

I could feel Damon's body relaxing slightly, even as he tucked my hand back under my blanket, "Get some sleep, Ally. We can deal with it all in the morning."

And I did just that.

XXX

A/N: Thank you for the reviews, my darlings :) I loved reading them and I'm really pleased that you enjoyed the last chapter! Please keep them coming :) really hoping to reach 500 by the end of the season. A small reminder to go vote on the poll on my profile, your thoughts are very much appreciated :) Until next time, hope you enjoyed xoxo