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!

65. Before Sunset

Disclaimer: I only own my OCs

A/N: Am I mean to Alexa in this chapter? Yes. Do I regret it? Nope. Lol. This one has some good actions scenes. Nice emotional moments. And was very painful to re-read, considering what has gone down in my personal life. Thank god I wrote it before then. This is one of those chapters were I foreshadow something. And hope that previous foreshadowing wasn't too subtle!

XXX

Damon didn't come over last night. I didn't know why; he hadn't texted me. It could have been because he was dealing with his grief in his own way. Or he wanted to bury Ric before he came to us. But either way, he didn't come over.

So I just spent the night with Jenna. My aunt cried herself to sleep after a while. I didn't leave her side, except to get some water and aspirin for her. When I returned, I tucked her under the blanket and sat at her side the rest of the night. I didn't really sleep myself. I couldn't. There was a chance that Jenna would still need me during the night and I needed to be strong for her.

I was still awake when I heard Elena and Jeremy come home during the night. Both of them had immediately retreated to their rooms when they came home. I didn't go and see them. As selfish as it sounded, I just needed to not see anyone. I couldn't keep myself going if I was faced with the tears of my siblings. That would push me over the edge. It would break through that numb feeling that had settled in my chest.

I only moved from Jenna's side when the sun began to peak through the closed curtains. I glanced down at my sleeping aunt, noting the frown lines in her face, even as she slept. With a sigh, I crept out of the room, making sure to be quiet. It was bad enough that Jenna hadn't been sleeping properly as it was. But now, with this new grief in her life, it would be even harder.

It was then that I noticed that I was still wearing the dress from the dance. I wrinkled my nose and sighed, diverting over to my room. Without care, I stripped off the dress, throwing it to the side. I slipped on some jeans and jumper, unpinning my hair. I didn't have the energy to do more than that. It was enough for me to look well enough for my siblings not to worry.

Once I looked okay, I went to go downstairs to put on the coffee pot. But sounds from upstairs had me pausing. No one went upstairs. Our parents' room had been unofficially labelled as somewhere that we didn't go into. So it was weird hearing noises up there. I padded up the stairs and gently pushed open the door.

The smell of paint hit my noise and I blinked in surprise. The furniture in the room had been covered in white sheets and pulled away from the walls. Which were in the middle of being painted. My siblings were on separate sides of the room, paint brushes in hand. The pale-yellow walls were now being painted a deep green.

"Um, hi?" I frowned, drawing their attention. "Did I miss a memo or something?"

"I didn't want to disturb you and Jenna," my sister smiled apologetically as she put down the paintbrush and walked over to me. "We couldn't sleep, not after what happened…" Ellie took a deep breath after trailing off and gave a determined nod. "So we… I… thought that it would be good for us to start moving on. We can't keep this room as a shrine anymore."

"It makes sense, I suppose," I spoke slowly, glancing over at Jeremy, who just shrugged. "Any reason why you picked green?"

"It was all that we had," Elena replied simply, walking to the middle of the room and passing me a paintbrush. "And it was dad's favourite colour. It felt appropriate, for moving on."

"For moving on," I echoed quietly before nodding. "Okay, let's get going then."

"How is Jenna doing?" my brother asked quietly as I walked over to help him with the wall that he was doing. Elena was focusing on the wall next to the en suite, it was a smaller wall compared to the one that Jeremy was doing. So helping him just made sense.

"Not well," I sighed, keeping my eyes on the wall. "She eventually fell asleep but I worry about her. I think this will be hard for her, losing him to something like this. And I don't know how to help her, not really."

"We'll get her through it," Jeremy nodded in determination, painting the wall harshly, pressing the brush against the wall with more force than necessary. "She's not alone, you're not alone."

"I appreciate that, kiddo," I reached out to pat him on the shoulder. "But you need to focus on yourself, okay? The same with Elena."

"And leave you to help Jenna through it by yourself?" my brother raised an eyebrow. "No way."

I couldn't stop myself from smiling at his words. It was sweet of him. I knew that Ric's death was weighing heavily on his mind. Especially since he had spent most of the time in Denver, blissfully unaware of Ric's issues. And the kid felt guilty about that. He feels as though he could have done more to help. Which was foolish. He wasn't the one who should have done more. That was all me. Even as I chugged down the herbs that my sister had prepared for me, I felt numb. I should have done more and I didn't. And now Ric was dead. Gone. Forever.

We painted in silence with Jenna joining us after a while. We had tried to persuade our aunt to get some rest, but she insisted on doing something to keep herself busy. I couldn't bring myself to argue after that. So I just passed her a paintbrush and stuck close by her side. As I glanced at her tear-stained cheeks, I felt the numbness in my heart grow. I didn't know why I wasn't breaking yet. Not that I wanted to, but my mind didn't normally do what I wanted it to do.

I was distracted from the growing numbness by Stefan walking into the room. He glanced around, noticing the in-progress decorating before looking at my sister, "Going darker, huh?"

"Dark like our lives," I muttered, painting a squiggly line, looping it around before filling in the gap. It wasn't the proper way to paint, as my twin had reminded me several times. But it helped to distract from my inability to actually feel something.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the vampire look over at me. But he was distracted from replying by my sister speaking, "It's the only colour that we had."

"That's what happens when you decide to paint your dead parents' room in the middle of the night," Jeremy teased as I dabbed the back of his hand with my wet paintbrush. He glanced down at it before rolling his eyes slightly and flicking his paintbrush at me. I had changed into an old t-shirt not long after we started, since I knew that I would end up with paint on me after a while. And I was proven right.

Stefan sighed, but it was obvious that he was talking to my twin more than the rest of us, "I don't suppose anyone can try to talk you guys out of doing this so soon."

Ellie shook her head sharply, focusing on the wall that she was painting, "We have to keep moving. Otherwise, we'll start thinking and we don't want to think."

"Thinking is bad," I agreed, kneeling down to coat my paintbrush. "This is a no thinking household for the day."

Stefan was silent for a moment, studying my sister with careful eyes. I knew that he was worried about her. Elena didn't handle grief well, she made rash decisions and tried to pretend that everything was normal when it really wasn't. But right now, denial was the best medicine.

Eventually, the vampire sighed and stepped forward, "Want a hand?"

Before Ellie could accept or decline, our brother spoke up, glancing between the two of them with a suspicious look on his face, "So, are you two, like, back together or something?"

Elena's cheeks immediately flushed red as she stuttered, "What? No, Jer, we're just…"

She trailed off and glanced helplessly up at Stefan, who said, "I-I was just checking up on you guys. Seeing how you were doing, after everything."

"We're fine," my brother lied through his teeth, but I didn't call him out on it. "But, if you are trying to be the good guy again, why don't you do the right thing and give us one day. Just one day without the drama that you bring along with you? It's not a lot to ask for."

Jeremy glanced over at me apologetically before grabbing Jenna's wrist and tugging her out of the room. I just watched them leave, a sad sigh on my lips. I knew that my brother resented the drama at times. Sometimes, you could enjoy it. But then someone got hurt and you realised just how vulnerable you really were when dealing with supernatural beings.

Elena winced, putting her paintbrush down and looking over at the vampire, "He didn't mean that."

"Yeah, yeah he did," Stefan contradicted, his voice soft. But I could tell that he didn't blame Jer for his words. He probably understood. Stefan knew loss. And he knew how hard it was to deal with it. And the resulting guilt.

Before Ellie could say anything, the doorbell rang through the house. I glanced at the door and sighed. I had the feeling that I would not want to find out what drama was awaiting me behind that front door. But I knew from experience that ignoring it just wouldn't work.

"I'll get that," Stefan offered, giving Elena a soft look before turning around. I dropped my paintbrush into the trough and stood up.

"I'll come with you," I strode after him, not waiting for him to say anything. "I need some coffee, anyway."

I followed the vampire down the stairs, pausing on the second level to see where the other two members of the house were. Jeremy's door was closed but I could hear Jenna speaking to herself in her bedroom. As much as I wanted to go to her, I knew that she needed some time to herself. So I just sighed and continued to head down the stairs.

Stefan opened the door when my foot hit the bottom step and I froze. Damon was holding up Bonnie, whose neck was bleeding. She was leaning heavily against my vampire, a confused and guilty look on her face. Bonnie was still dressed in her dress from the dance, her hair pinned up. But she was bare-footed and I wondered what had happened.

"We have a problem," Damon said, glancing down at the witch in his arms, who winced at his words.

I just sighed, "Fuck coffee. I need whiskey."

XXX

I wasn't allowed whiskey. But Stefan compromised by putting on the coffee pot while grabbing a towel for Bonnie's neck. I had settled her at the dining table, wrapping a blanket around her bare shoulders before holding her hand.

Bonnie and Damon had explained what happened. It was all fucked. How was I supposed to help Jenna through this if Ric was running around as an evil Original vampire? It really wasn't fair. Ric hadn't wanted to turn and then the witches made him. They took away his choice and I hated them so much for that. And, to top it off, they manipulated Bonnie to make that happen. They had taken away my friend's choice and could have gotten her killed.

"What do you mean he turned?" Stefan frowned, glaring at his brother as he passed Bonnie a towel and placed a mug of coffee down in front of me. I offered my friend a sip but she shook her head. "I thought you were standing guard!"

"Don't blame me," Damon glared back at him, resting a hand on my shoulder. I knew that he was worried about me. While he helped to explain what had happened at the cemetery, my boyfriend had kept shooting me worried looks. I just gave him a weary smile, unable to do anything to reassure him. The numbness in my chest had expanded and I could barely feel anything now. Even with the news that I had just been given, I still couldn't feel anything. "Blame Bonnie the blood bank. She fed him."

"Boys, play nice," I sighed wearily when Bonnie winced. "It isn't Bonnie's fault."

"Alexa's right," my friend tried to glare at my vampire, but the guilt that she felt ruined it. Not that she should be feeling guilty. But I knew the witch well enough to know that she was feeling it. "I had no idea what was happening. The witches led me there. They wanted him to feed, so he turned."

"So, where's the stake now?" the younger vampire asked, glancing between Bonnie and his brother.

"Oh, you mean the white oak one?" Damon feigned innocence as he replied. "The one that can kill an Original and wipe out an entire line of vampires?" He glanced over at the witch and narrowed his eyes. "We don't know."

His gritted words must have been the last straw for Bonnie as she snapped, "If you are so upset with me, why did you feed me your blood to save my life?"

I knew why. Because he actually cared about the witch, even if he would bend over backwards to avoid admitting it. My vampire was practically allergic to admitting that he could do good things. So he covered it up with sarcastic remarks and scathing retorts.

"Because I do stupid things, Bonnie," Damon snapped back, proving me right. "I do things, like letting my friend die with dignity when I should have just killed him."

I sighed and gripped the hand that he had resting on my shoulder. I knew that he didn't regret what he did for Ric. It was the right thing and Damon cared about his friend's choice. He just hated that he wasn't able to stop Ric from becoming what he never wanted to be.

"Alright," Stefan spoke softly, trying to keep the peace. With what we had learnt, there was no need for things to escalate further. "So how do we kill him now?"

"I've been trying to figure that out," Bonnie shook her head. "A witch can't truly make an immortal creature, there is always a way to undo a spell."

"So, what's the witchy work around?" my vampire asked, easing down into the seat next to me.

"That's the problem," the witch sighed, glancing over at me. "I don't know."

"Well, we'll figure it out," I gave her hand a squeeze. "But for now, I need to work out a way to tell the others." I glanced over to the stairs and winced, "Especially Jenna. god, this is gonna push her even further over the edge."

"How are you coping?" at Bonnie's question, I could feel everyone's eyes on me. Well, shit. I was hoping to avoid that question. Especially since these three people would not let me bullshit an answer. And I didn't know if being honest with my feelings, or my lack of them, would be a good thing. Because it really didn't feel like a good thing.

"Uhh, can I pass on that question?" I knew as soon as I asked it that my request wouldn't be granted. But it would give me more time to think of a more acceptable answer.

"Alexa," my friend sighed and raised an eyebrow. I winced and leant back in my chair, feeling Damon's arm wrap around me. "Answer the question."

"Well, uh, really, I should be asking you that question, since you're the one who got munched on," I mumbled, rolling my eyes when Bon's look turned stern. "I'm not. Coping. I just… I feel so numb. Like there's this big balloon of numbness just sitting in my chest, eating up everything. And I know that that isn't a good thing. But with Jenna falling apart and making sure that my siblings don't either, I can't afford to push past that. Not right now."

"Alexa, being numb isn't good," Stefan said from behind me. "You need to look after yourself too."

"Yeah, I know, I get that," I felt Damon rest his head against mine. "But if I look after myself, then who will look after Jenna and Jeremy and Elena? It's my job to look after them, I can't do that if I'm forcing myself to feel."

I saw Stefan open his mouth out of the corner of my eye. But a small, almost unnoticeable movement from Damon had him closing it. I appreciated that. There was a blessing in being numb, especially right now. And I knew that my boyfriend would force me to deal with my emotions later, when I felt comfortable doing so.

XXX

Elena's POV

I stayed upstairs, content to continue painting. There was something soothing in the repeated movement, in seeing the new cover the old. I knew that my family were worried about me, feeling as though I was trying to move on too quickly. But I needed to do something. And I had been thinking about broaching the subject of doing something with this room. It just turned out that we did it without a big family discussion.

It was only when I heard ringing that I put the paintbrush to the side. I frowned and glanced around, seeing my sister's phone on the bed. I would have left it, letting the call go to voicemail, but the name on the screen had my heart freezing in my chest. I couldn't let it alone after that. I couldn't let my twin come back to her phone to see a missed call from Ric. I knew that she was struggling and I had to do everything that I could to her through this. Even if she didn't realise it.

I answered the phone with a frown, and an angry snap, "Whoever this is, it's not funny."

"Well, who else would it be?" Ric's voice answered and I froze where I stood. It was actually his voice. He wasn't dead. Which meant that he had completed the transition. Which meant that he was no longer our Ric.

"Ric?" I breathed out, my legs shaking as I placed a steadying hand against the wall. I don't know how I kept my voice quiet, but I knew that I had to. I had to deal with this before my family found out. They had been through so much hurt already; I couldn't add to that.

"Yep, now listen closely, you may not be the twin that I was after, but you can still be useful," the cold amusement in his voice made me feel sick. This wasn't the Alaric that we knew, the one that we loved. This was the monster that Esther had created, using his face and his voice. "And who knows, it might help deal with Alexa's annoying stubbornness."

My sister's stubbornness? Because she wasn't giving in to her evil side? Because she was fighting it? I knew that that was what he wanted. He wanted to destroy her, like he was destroyed. He wanted to unleash her alter ego, completely killing off all of what made my sister who she was. It was what Esther wanted to do. And I refused to let her do it, just like I refused to let Alaric do it.

"What do you want?" I asked, curling my fingers into a fist as they rested against the wall. I managed to keep my voice steady, but I knew that he could hear the worry and the fear. I had seen Alaric's coldness, his disdain for our loved ones last night, before Esther changed him. And I just didn't know what he would do next.

"I'm at the school and I have Caroline. If you want to keep her alive, I need you to get in your car and come down here right away. If you tell anyone where you are going, even your twin, I will kill her."

The dial tone echoed in my ear as I let out the breath that I had been holding. He had Caroline. I didn't know how, but he had managed to capture my friend. I knew that he would kill her if I didn't do what I was told. I had heard his cold words last night; he wouldn't even hesitate to take out someone that he had cared about.

I knew that I had to do this myself. I couldn't risk Caroline's life by telling someone. And on a more selfish note, I didn't want my twin to get involved. I knew that Alaric wanted to corrupt Alexa. And I refused to let that happen. I would keep her here, where she would be safe, and I would go and save our friend. I had to be the one to go. The only issue was working out how to get out of the house.

Stefan and Alexa were still downstairs. I knew that my twin was probably draining the coffee pot dry. She hadn't slept at all last night. I recognised the signs, even if she tried to hide them. I knew that she had spent all night by Jenna's side, refusing to deal with her own emotions. It wasn't her healthiest way of coping with this, but I wasn't in the position to do something about it last night. I had hoped to help her today, but this latest revelation had ruined that plan. My only hope was that Damon came soon; he would be able to help her. He always helped her and I trusted him to look after her while I was gone.

I snuck downstairs and into Alexa's room. I was able to use the trellis under her window to get out of the house. It easy to do so. I had done it so many times in my childhood that it was almost second nature. Before I had left, I had grabbed my phone and car keys, making sure to be as quiet as possible. I had a feeling that Stefan would be distracted by my sister, by his need to look after her and earn her forgiveness for everything that he had done. But there was still a chance that he was keeping an ear out for me, which meant that I couldn't make any loud noises at all.

Luckily, there was no one outside when I made it to the bottom of the trellis. So I was able to sneak down the path, keeping low to make sure that no one could see me unless they went to go look out of the window properly. Once I made it to the car, I glanced at the house and sighed. I knew that they would be mad at me once they found out where I had gone. But I had to do this alone. To save Caroline.

And to try to save Alaric too.

XXX

Alexa's POV

I was still sitting at the dining table when the doorbell rang. I groaned and rolled my eyes at the noise. The last thing that we wanted was visitors. The only accepted ones were members of our friendship group. And I didn't think that they would knock, not today. They would let themselves in with a gentle word, probably bringing food.

I pushed myself to my feet to go answer the door, but my brother beat me to it. He glanced over his shoulder to shrug at me before pulling open the door. To find Klaus on our doorstep. Seriously, did we have to deal with his bullshit today? Because I really wasn't in the mood for it. And apparently, neither was Jeremy.

I could practically hear his eye roll as he asked, "What the hell do you want?"

Klaus held a hand to his chest in faux offence, "Now, is that any way to treat a guest?"

"No, this is how you treat an unwanted guest," I snapped, stepping forward, emphasising the unwanted part. "Get the hell off of my porch and fuck off."

I felt a gentle hand rest on my shoulder as Stefan appeared next to me, "What are you doing here, Klaus?"

I grabbed my brother's hand and tugged him back, away from the door while the hybrid answered, his eyes on the kid, "Well, for starters, young Jeremy here could show some manners and invite me inside." Klaus glanced at me then as I pulled Jeremy further back, "Since it is obvious that his sister won't."

"Damn fucking straight I won't," I glared. "As far as I'm concerned, you shouldn't even still be standing here. Let alone talking."

I felt another walk up next to me and glanced over to see Damon standing next to me. He rested a hand on Jer's shoulder, keeping him well out of reach of the door. Stefan glanced over at his brother before looking at mine, "Why don't you go up to your room?"

I saw Jeremy hesitate and gently patted his chest, "It's okay, Jer. We've got this. Go upstairs."

The kid glanced at me, before looking at Damon and Stefan. He sighed but moved away, heading up the stairs. Now that he was safe, I felt the brothers stand on either side of me as I narrowed my eyes at the Original on my porch.

"Hm, poor lad," Klaus sighed dramatically, shaking his head. "Loses one questionable father figure, only to be replaced by the likes of the two of you."

I silently seethed at his words, at his sly little dig at Ric. But Damon's hand on my back had me taking a deep breath. I had to remain calm. Even if the anger did feel nice compared to the numbness still sitting heavily in my chest. But I couldn't lose my composure, not yet.

"Yeah, about that," my vampire spoke up, drawing the hybrid's attention away from me. "Something happened."

"Oh, I know all about my other's invulnerable little creation and that's why I'm here," suddenly, his eyes were on me again, staring deep into my eyes, sending a cold shiver down my spine. The jovial edge to his voice had me clenching my fists. "I'm leaving town, just need to pick up a few road trip necessities. Spare tire, flashlight, doppelganger, baby maker."

I narrowed my eyes, feeling that spike of anger run through me. It was only Damon's comforting hand on my back that stopped me from lashing out. Logically, I knew that speaking my mind wouldn't be a clever idea, but it was one that felt so good.

With a strained smirk, one that barely hid his anger simmering away, my vampire shook his head, "Can't help you there."

While Klaus narrowed his eyes, an angry look on his face, I grabbed the edge of the door and swung it shut. It was only because Jenna was upstairs that I didn't slam it shut. Because I really wanted to slam that door in his face. And he was lucky that my aunt was my priority.

"I hate him so fucking much," I muttered, hoping that the Original could hear me. I hadn't heard his footsteps leaving yet, but hopefully I would soon. Damon muttered his agreement before gently directing me into the living room.

Stefan sighed and turned to the stairs. He went to shout out my sister's name but paused when he saw Jenna standing at the top. My aunt had a tired look on her face as she asked, "What was that?"

"Klaus being Klaus," Stefan replied, keeping his voice soft as he moved out of the way for Jenna. She nodded, not needing any further information. "Have you seen Elena?"

"No, but she might be on the top floor painting again," Jenna replied before going into the kitchen. I saw her pour herself a coffee and sighed. This was the last thing that she needed. I saw Stefan head up the stairs before my aunt approached us, coffee mug in hand.

"Hey, Jenna," I gave her a small smile. "How are you feeling? Still tired?"

"Exhausted," my aunt sighed, sitting down on the sofa. It was then that I noticed that she was wearing one of Ric's shirts. And my heart broke all over again. This was so unfair. She shouldn't have lost Ric in the first place. But now she couldn't even grieve him in peace. Because he was running around as an evil Original vampire.

"Is there any point in telling you to head back to bed?" I sighed, feeling Damon wrap an arm around my waist. I leant back against him, drawing on his strength. Jenna gave me a look and I nodded. "Didn't think so. If you need a little pick me up, Ric's booze bottles are still in the cupboard next to the fridge."

Jenna gave me a grateful nod as Stefan reappeared. He was glancing around with wide eyes and I felt my stomach sink. There was only one reason why he would be looking so worried. And I knew that I just did not want to hear it.

"Where is she?" my vampire frowned when I stayed silent. I didn't want to ask because I didn't want to know the answer.

"She's not here," Stefan replied and I closed my eyes. Of course she wasn't. Because she was an idiot. I didn't know where she could have gone, but I would kill her when I found her. Actually kill her. For worrying me and for being an absolutely fucking idiot.

"Of course she isn't," I muttered, reaching up to pinch the bridge of my nose. "Why be safely at home when you could be outside where any insane hybrid could come snatch you?"

"Where did she go?" Damon frowned deeply, running a comforting hand up and down my arm. I had to take a deep breath, to combat the numb feeling that pinched at my chest. Not even the panic that I could feel curling in my stomach could break free through the numbness.

The younger vampire was interrupted by Bonnie walking into the living room. She glanced between us as she asked, "What's going on?"

I sighed and let Stefan take over answering the questions. I just didn't know if I would be able to properly answer them. Not with the feelings, or lack of, bubbling away in my chest. I glanced out of the window, peaking through the blinds, pretending to be checking that Klaus had actually fucked off. Naturally, he hadn't.

He was pacing back and forth along the path, twirling a newspaper in his hands. And all I could think was that it was supposed to be Ric's newspaper. He normally read through it at the dining table while drinking his coffee. And it was wrong that Klaus now had it.

"Klaus wants in," Damon remarked, joining me at the window as he, too, looked through the blinds. "We have to keep him out."

Everything was a blur after that.

Klaus pulled his arm back.

Damon grabbed my arm, pulling me to the floor as he yelled, "Ah, duck!"

He covered my head as glass rained down upon us.

I glanced up to see Stefan covering both Jenna's and Bonnie's bodies with his own. The newspaper sat on the floor in front of me, covered in glass.

XXX

The vampires in the house quickly moved us into the kitchen, picking up Jeremy along the way. The kid had come downstairs, wondering what that noise was. We huddled around the dining table, away from the windows. I knew that Klaus was still lurking around outside. But nothing else had been thrown through my windows. Which had pissed me off a lot. He had broken my fucking window with Ric's newspaper. The absolute shithead.

"I think you're probably gonna want to let me in!" Klaus shouted from outside, his voice faint but still there. I knew that the bastard hadn't left.

"The hell we are!" I shouted back, knowing that he would hear me. It wouldn't do much. But it made me feel a little bit better. Especially since I had to brush glass from my hair, being careful that I didn't cut my hands.

While we huddled in the kitchen, Stefan revealed, "Elena's car is gone."

"Why wouldn't she tell anyone where she was going?" Bonnie frowned, glancing between us.

I just rolled my eyes, arms wrapped tightly around my body, "Because she's an absolute idiot."

My friend gave me a sympathetic look. But before she could say anything, the front door burst open. A soccer bounced between us, and Damon pulled me out of the way. We huddled down behind the dining table; my vampire's arms wrapped tightly around me. I glanced over at the others, making sure that they were safe.

Through the gaps in the chair legs, I could see Klaus storming up to the house, two fence pickets in hand. And all I could think was 'oh fuck' because this wouldn't be good. This wouldn't be good at all. Klaus was not going to let this go, and someone would end up getting hurt.

Damon briefly stood up, using himself as a target, protecting the others. I tugged on his arm, desperate to keep him safe. I didn't want to lose him. And from the look on Klaus' face, that felt like a distinct possibility.

With a snarl, the hybrid threw one of the pickets. It whistled through the air, narrowly missing Damon's head as he ducked down. It wedged itself into the wall, knocking a picture to the ground. I stared at it with wide eyes while Stefan ordered the others to get down. He carefully pulled Jenna down, keeping his arms around her to keep her safe.

While he was doing that, Damon did what he did best, he was a little shit. With a smirk on his face, he yelled tauntingly, "Missed me!"

He reached back and pulled the picket from the wall. He spun it around in his hand, the pointier end facing Klaus and threw it back. The hybrid leant to the side and the wood grazed his shoulder, landing in the street. With a growl, he broke the other picket in half. He threw one half into the house, aiming at Damon. My vampire ducked down, keeping a hand on my head, making sure that I was safe. Of course, even though I was safe, my heart was thudding in my chest. My boyfriend, my amazing, stupid boyfriend, was using himself as bait to keep Klaus' anger on him. And it scared the shit out of me.

"Miss med again!" Damon yelled back, content to taunt him from his position crouching down beside me. I was distracted from the exchange by my phone buzzing in my pocket. Jeremy had brought it downstairs for me since I had left it on the bed. I hadn't properly checked it, having been too distracted by Klaus' little rampage.

My heart froze in my chest as I saw the name on the screen. It felt impossible, but I knew that it wasn't. Ric was alive, he just wasn't Ric anymore. And I didn't want to speak to him. But I knew that I couldn't ignore this call.

"Ric," I breathed down the line, unable to speak any louder. I didn't want to believe it, but the familiar chuckle had me closing my eyes.

"Hello Alexa," he spoke and it felt like everything had gone silent. I was vaguely aware of Damon taunting Klaus, despite the tight grip that he kept on my shoulder, having heard my whispered word. "Tell me, are you still denying your true self?"

I swallowed hard, shaking my head as I ignored his words, "What do you want? Why are you calling me?"

"I imagine that you have discovered your sister's absence by this point."

"Please tell me that you haven't got anything to do with this," I could barely speak, but I knew that I had to. I had to find out what he wanted. What he had done with my sister. Because I knew that he was responsible for her disappearance. He had to be. He wouldn't be taunting me over it otherwise.

"Well, I had to get your attention somehow," he smirked and I closed my eyes. "Elena isn't the only one keeping me company. Caroline is here too."

"Please don't hurt them," I interrupted him with a whispered, my grip on my phone tightening. I could feel eyes on me and I looked up to see Damon watching me with worried eyes. Klaus had disappeared for the moment. And I took the opportunity to squeeze his hand.

"No one will get hurt, as long as Klaus comes to the school to turn himself over to me. If he doesn't do that… well, then they both die horrible, painful deaths."

The dial tone followed his words and I slowly lowered the phone from my ears. He had my sister. He had my friend. And he would hurt them if he didn't get Klaus. I knew that he wouldn't hurt Elena, she was too important and could be used as leverage. But Caroline? There was nothing protecting her.

It was the sound of my name that drew me from my thoughts. I glanced over at Bonnie with wide eyes as she asked, "Who was that? What did they want?"

"We have a serious problem," I replied quietly, grabbing onto Damon's hand and squeezing tight.

XXX

The any Original Hybrid walked up the porch steps with a propane tank in one hand and a flaming newspaper in the other. Apparently, since we weren't leaving quick enough for his liking, he had decided to burn the place down. He was lucky that we actually needed him otherwise I would be setting him on fire.

With a sigh, I stopped just by the front door and shook my head, "Klaus, stop."

Klaus narrowed his eyes at me before taunting me, "Come outside and make me."

Well, apparently we were doing this the hard way. I rolled my eyes and stepped over the threshold, crossing my arms as I stood right in front of him, close enough to feel the heat from the fire, "Stop trying to destroy my house, you little shithead."

That was not what I wanted to say, but I could feel the tight band of anger and worry and panic wrapped around my chest. And I needed to do something to get rid of it. Even if it was pissing off Klaus even though we needed him. But all I could think about was the fact that my sister was in danger. That an evil Original vampire was holding my twin hostage. And there was nothing that I could do to help her. Not without Klaus.

When the hybrid narrowed his eyes at me, probably to spit out something cruel in retaliation, a voice of reason spoke up. Stefan shook his head at me as he stepped outside the house to stand next to me, "You two need to stop this." While I grumbled, the younger vampire looked at the older, "Elena's not here. Alaric has her and Caroline and he's gonna kill them both unless you turn yourself over to him."

The Original snarled and threw down the newspaper, stomping on it to put out the fire. The propane tank was dropped on the other side of the porch. With a threatening growl, Klaus pointed at us, "Now, I know you're not asking me to walk into a certain death."

"You're right, we're not asking, we're demanding," I shrugged casually, meeting his glare. Getting under Klaus' skin like this helped ease the tension in my body. It was a way for me to work through that anger, even if it wasn't a productive way. But it stopped that rage, that thick rage that lingered, from taking over. And I couldn't let it take over. The thought terrified me. Especially since I knew what lurked in the back of my mind. Giving into that rage might be what my alter ego needed to take over.

Stefan frowned at me before shaking his head, "I really wish that we could. But unfortunately, if Alaric kills you, there's a one in four chance that we die too."

I glanced to the side when Damon walked out the house, a picket over his shoulder and one of his more annoying smirks on his face. He rested a hand against my back as he looked over at the hybrid, "I'll take those odds."

His brother rolled his eyes as he looked at Damon, "And a hundred percent chance that Tyler dies."

"You should be thanking Ty," I shrugged casually, enjoying the glare that I got. "Cos he is the only thing stopping me from delivering your ass to Alaric."

"Oh really?" Klaus growled, stepping closer to me. I felt my boyfriend tug me closer to him, even as he tightened his grip on the picket in his hand.

"Yeah, really," I snapped back, digging my fingers into my arms. "He has my sister, Niklaus, you're lucky that I'm still able to think logically."

As ever, Stefan was the peacemaker amongst us. Which probably frustrated him since he hated the hybrid just as much as we did. But now that he was 'good' again, he was able to separate his hatred for Klaus and think logically.

"Why don't we just figure out a way to put Alaric down?" the younger vampire sighed, shaking his head. The rest of us muttered our assent, even if I still gave Klaus a dirty look. He returned the look before he paced back and forth, thinking on how he could get back the doppelganger while also killing the biggest threat to him. It wasn't the easiest thing to figure out. Especially since I didn't want Evil Alaric to die. There was still a chance that we could save him. And that wouldn't be possible if he died again.

"Okay, how about Damon sneaks in and distracts Alaric, while Stefan grabs Elena and carries her to safety?" the Original thought out loud, a smirk on his face as he glanced over at my vampire. That idea was going to be immediately shot down. It was too dangerous with too many risks. And it gave Klaus an out so he didn't have to do anything.

"Huh, that's a great idea," Damon rolled his eyes, tucking me under his arm while I wrapped myself around him. "What's to stop me from getting killed instantly?"

The hybrid had a cruel look on his face as he shrugged, "Nothing."

"That's not an option, Niklaus," I snapped, enjoying the way that he narrowed his eyes at the sound of his full name. It was why I occasionally used it. He hated it when I called him that and it was a little bit of petty revenge. "Why don't we think of a plan where you take some of the risk? Or are you too much of a pussy?"

Klaus snarled at me but before he could do anything, Stefan rolled his eyes, moving between us, "This isn't really helping too much."

"It's helping me," I muttered as Bonnie appeared in the doorway. She glanced between us before stepping out.

"I might have an idea," the witch announced, giving me a small smile. "My mom used a desiccation spell on Mikael that immobilized him for over 15 years. If I can get it, I might be able to use it on Alaric."

"If and might?" Klaus scoffed, shaking his head. "Your words inspire such confidence."

Bonnie narrowed her eyes at him, "I'll get it. But even with the spell, we'll need a lot of vampire muscle to take him down. Including yours."

The Original was silent for a moment before turning to look up at the sky, "Just so that we're clear, the sun sets in about eight hours. If we don't succeed before then, Elena will be dead, I'll be gone, and the rest of you will be left to fend for yourselves."

XXX

Once a plan had been decided, I accompanied Bonnie and Damon back to the Boarding House. Bon had reached out to Jamie, asking him to summon Abby back to Mystic Falls. She had given him the address to the Boarding House, somewhere that Abby could enter. And it was a bit more of a neutral ground. Neither of them lived here or had spent any time here together. It was somewhere that offered no distractions.

I wasn't given much of a choice in going with my vampire and friend. They had practically forced me to. For some reason, they thought that if I was left unattended, I would head to the school to take on Alaric and save my sister. I mean, they weren't wrong. I would definitely have done something reckless to go save my twin and friend. But I wasn't going to admit that. Instead, I grumbled about their lack of trust in me. Bonnie had just given me a look and I grumbled in silence.

Once we got to the Boarding House, I immediately went to the kitchen. I hadn't managed to get any coffee back home, so I was making up for it now. Damon, the sweetheart, had even gone to get me his good coffee from his hiding place. While we waited for him, Bonnie sighed and grabbed my hand, giving it a squeeze, "How are you doing?"

"Fan-fucking-tastic," I grumbled, slumping forward to rest my weight against her. After Klaus had finished his attack and before we convinced him to help, I had offered Bonnie any of the clothes in my wardrobe. I knew that she would feel more comfortable wearing actual clothes, and not that dress from the dance. I told her to leave her stuff in my room and I would give it to her another day. "How are you? You don't have to speak to your mom if you don't want to. I can get the spell from her if you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself."

"No, it's fine," my friend immediately shook her head as she wrapped her arms around me. "I need to do this. I need to see her again, just to prove to myself that I can. That she didn't break me."

"I can break her if you need me to," I muttered into her shoulder.

Bonnie huffed out a laugh, "Alexa, she's a vampire."

I scoffed, "Vampire, shmampire. I've daggered three Original vampires. And I've taken on Klaus and won. Baby vampires are child's play now."

"Okay, Alexa," Bon laughed slightly and I felt accomplished. "I'll call upon your amazing services if I need to."

"Good," I nodded, gently poking her tummy. "Because I'll beat up anyone for you, Bon."

"Even Damon?" my witchy friend shook her head.

"Yup, even Damon," I smiled as I caught my boyfriend's eye. I stuck my tongue out at him as he rolled his eyes.

"Why do I love you?" Damon rolled his eyes as he got the coffee pot ready.

"Because I'm amazing," I shrugged, getting a small laugh from Bonnie. I could feel some of the tension easing from her body. I knew that, despite her words, she was nervous about seeing her mom again. Especially so soon after being abandoned for the second time. So I would do everything that I could to relax her.

But unfortunately that couldn't last for long. Once the coffee was ready, we retreated into the parlour. I settled down onto one of the sofas, curling up in the corner closest to the front door. Damon perched on the coffee table, one hand resting on my knee. Bonnie paced in front of us, clenching and unclenching her fists.

A glance at the clock showed that it had been quite some time since Bonnie reached out to her mom. And it was not a good sign. I didn't know Abby well enough to know if she was brave enough to face her daughter after abandoning her again. But I hoped that she was. Because a lot depended on her right now.

"Well, this is promising," my vampire rolled his eyes and I rested my hand on top of his. He moved so that he was holding mine, fingers entangled. It was getting harder and harder to control my panic. Of course, it felt better that the numbness that lingered in the corners of my mind. But it wasn't the best emotion to be feeling. Because it made me reckless. And that was not wise.

"Relax, Abby will be here," my friend waved her hand, shushing my vampire. She continued to pace though, an anxious tension vibrating through her body. I could tell that she didn't completely believe her words. But she hoped that her mom would prove her right. Even if it meant confronting things that she didn't want to deal with right now.

"I'm sorry," Damon shook his head. "I forgot about her stellar track record in the dependability department."

"Jamie said she was coming, okay," Bonnie glanced over at me and I gave her a gentle nod. "Just give her time."

"We trust you, Bonnie," I spoke softly, giving Damon's hand a squeeze, urging him to be patient. "We'll give you the time."

Fortunately, we didn't need to give her too much time. Just a few minutes after we went quiet, the doorbell rang. We all exchanged a glance before the witch went to go answer the door.

"Don't get your hopes up! Might be a Girl Scout," my vampire snarked and I rolled my eyes at him.

"Don't be an ass, Day," I gave him a look and he quirked his lips in an apology.

We stayed where we were, content to give Bonnie the moment that she needed with Abby. Because I knew that it would be Abby. It couldn't have been anyone else. And so, we waited a respectable distance away. Of course, my friend knew that I would be by her side in a second if she needed me.

"Hello Bonnie," Abby spoke softly, just about able to be heard from where I was sitting.

"Thanks for coming," Bonnie spoke, keeping her voice steady.

"Jamie's worried about you," her mom nodded. "He said it was urgent. I just didn't think you'd ever want to see me again."

There was a pause and I could tell that Bonnie was reigning in her emotions. Eventually, she just sighed, "Like Jamie said, it's urgent."

With that said, she turned and walked back into the house with Abby following.

XXX

Abby paused when she saw me and Damon watching her. It was hard to keep a polite look on my face. But I knew that I had to. She had something that we needed, and I couldn't risk my twin and friend by pissing her off. But I also couldn't do that to Bonnie. She deserved to work through this in her own way. and I wouldn't do that to her. Abby glanced around the giant room before looking at her daughter, "Why didn't I have to be invited in?"

"Only vampires live here," Bonnie shrugged, taking a seat on the coffee table. I reached over to grab her hand, moving over as close as I could to my friend. I offered her all the support that I could while just about managing to keep a glare off my face. I had to remind myself several times that I had to be polite for Bonnie. For Elena. For Caroline. This wasn't about me. And I wasn't going to make it about me either.

Abby looked surprised and Damon shrugged, reaching out to offer her his drink. It was blood that he had gotten while putting the coffee back. He watched the younger vampire with sharp eyes as he explained, "We had signed the deed over to Elena and Alexa, but they both died. It was very inconvenient as you would expect at least one twin to stay alive." I rolled my eyes at him when he gave me a look. He knew that it wasn't my fault but he still teased me over it. "The seal broke, very long story. Blood?" Abby just stared at the glass, a conflicted look on her face. Clearly she didn't feel comfortable drinking it in front of her daughter. "Ah, come on. Think of it as a peace offering." When the new vampire remained silent, mine rolled his eyes and retracted the offer. "Fine, more for me."

He glanced down at Bonnie, who was protectively sandwiched between us, and gestured for her to speak. The witch took a deep breath before slowly saying, "We called you here because I need help with a spell. Esther created a vampire that can't be killed. I want to desiccate him like you did to Mikael."

Abby immediately shook her head, "Bonnie, it's too dangerous. Your magic comes from the Earth. It's pure. This spell asks you to tap into dark places. Places of temptation, places that you can't handle."

My friend narrowed her eyes at her mom, increasing her grip on my hand, as she ground out, "You turned your back on me for sixteen years, you have no idea what I can handle."

"That's my girl," I gave her a nod before narrowing my eyes at Abby. She didn't have any right to say what Bonnie could and could not handle. She didn't know Bonnie. She gave up that right when she abandoned her when she was a kid. The only thing that she could do was take Bonnie at her word. And if she couldn't do that, then she had to keep her mouth shut.

"Gotta say, I'm Team Bonnie on this one," Damon spoke up, getting a surprised look from the witch at his side. "How hard can it be to parch a vampire?"

Bonnie glanced over at me and I gave her a smile. I knew that it surprised her, hearing Damon's faith in her. But I knew that he respected how powerful my friend was, even if he wouldn't admit it to her. I knew that he wouldn't have said anything today, but it was clear that Bon needed the confidence, since she was facing her abandoner of a mom. And he would give the witch that confidence if he could.

Abby narrowed her eyes at him before explaining, "The spell allows you to stop a vampire's heart. The blood will stop flowing and his body will desiccate."

"That's exactly what we want to do," Bonnie nodded, gesturing for her mom to continue. It was interesting though, hearing how that desiccation would happen. And maybe we could put that knowledge to good use in the future. There had to be something that we could do in the future using that spell. Like getting rid of Klaus.

Abby shook her head and crossed her arms, a stern look on her face, "To stop a vampire's heart, you need to find a balance among the living. Can you handle that?"

I could see Bonnie freezing as she stared at her mom. I frowned and glanced between the two. Whatever Abby was implying, it was enough to worry my friend. To the point where she didn't want to speak. I caught Damon's eye as he frowned too before demanding, "What? What does that mean? Bonnie, I don't speak witch."

Bonnie's voice was quiet when she answered, "I have to stop a human heart."

"Well, shit," I sighed, squeezing Bonnie's hand. That was not something that I wanted to hear. It wouldn't be easy for Bon to do that. And that was if she still wanted to. I wouldn't blame her if she changed her mind. Stopping a human heart was different to channelling nature and I wouldn't force my friend to do it if she didn't want to. I would find another way to save my sister. Even if it meant offering myself to Alaric in her place. "Put me down as a volunteer."

"Alexa no," Bonnie immediately shook her head, giving me a stern look. "You can't do that."

"Why not?" I frowned, raising an eyebrow. "I'm not going to allow anyone else to do it."

"Because," my friend sighed, softening her voice. "I don't know if it will interfere with the spell holding your alter ego at bay. Dying, even temporarily, might break the spell and I don't know if it would work again."

I swear, that alter ego was a right pain in my ass. If she wasn't me, then I would kill her. Consequences be damned.

XXX

I went to go sit by the fire while Abby taught Bonnie the spell that she needed. I didn't want to leave my friend alone with her mom. And Bonnie must have felt the same as she didn't ask me to leave. She was content for me to lurk in the corner until we were ready to go. It was sweet, that she trusted me that much, to be here while she was with her absent mom. I knew that my friend was a proud person so to allow herself that weakness meant a lot to me.

It also gave me the opportunity to just spend some time with Damon too. My boyfriend stayed by my side; arms wrapped around me. I rested against his chest, drawing as much strength from him as I could. I hated feeling so powerless. Alaric had called my phone. He was supposed to lure me away. But instead, he had gotten my sister. And that killed me. If I had kept my phone with me, then my sister wouldn't be in danger now. But I couldn't even do that one simple thing.

"She's going to be fine," Damon murmured into my hair, his fingers gently stroking the back of my neck. "Alaric won't hurt her. Not until we give him a reason to."

"It just sucks," I whispered back, closing my eyes and breathing in his comforting scent. "She shouldn't even be in this position. None of them should be. And now we have to rely on Klaus to get them out."

"I know, I don't trust him either. But despite his bravado, he does need Elena. He won't let her die, not until he gets her blood. He isn't patient enough to wait for the bloodline to continue and eventually produce another doppelganger."

"It won't continue," I took a deep breath as I said it out loud. "I won't continue the bloodline. I won't subject my descendants to that, to Klaus. So if something happens to Elena, then that's it, no more doppelgangers."

"Are you sure?" Damon's voice was soft as he ran his fingers through my hair.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I've been sure for a while, really. Ever since he used Stefan to start calling me a baby maker. I won't have kids and I won't do anything that ensures that someone else can have my kids instead. Klaus can just suck it."

"Can't wait to hear you tell him that."

"I was just going to suddenly appear in front of him as a vampire. The expression on his face would be a treat. And on the plus side, he wouldn't be able to do something to force me into having kids."

"I'll kill him if he tries."

"You're so sweet," I mumbled into his chest. "I'll help pin him down."

"Your delusions of badass grandeur are adorable," my boyfriend smirked and I gave him a look. But before I could say anything, Bonnie walked over to us. I shifted so that I could look over at her. She looked alright, except for the slight tremble in her hands. I made a mental note to check in on her on the way to the school.

With a deep breath and determined nod, she declared, "I'm ready."

I glanced behind her and frowned, "Abby gone already?"

"She's taking Jamie home," the witch revealed, not looking visibly bothered by her mom's absence. "And she promised to check in on me tomorrow."

"If she doesn't, let me know and I'll go kick her ass for you," I gave her a gentle smile as I patted her shoulder. With a reluctant groan, I stepped away from my boyfriend. I immediately missed his comforting touch, but I couldn't stand around in his arms all day. Even if I wanted to. But I had to go save Ellie and Caroline.

"Thanks, Alexa," Bonnie gave me a soft smile before grabbing my hand. "I, uh, I spoke to Jeremy and he wanted to be the one who was used in the spell. But before I agreed to it, I wanted to check it was okay with you."

"I mean, it's kind of not okay," I sighed, shaking my hand while my friend led me outside and over to the car. "And he knows that I would never agree to it. But… our only other option would be Matt and I couldn't ask him to do it either."

"I'll make sure that nothing happens to him," my witch promised gently. "He'll be safe with me."

"He'll be safe until I kill him," I grumbled before nodding. "Tell him that if he dies, I will bring him back in the most painful way possible before killing him in the most painful way possible."

"I'll tell him that," Bonnie agreed, pulling out her phone, a small smile on her face.

"Those exact words," I nodded and my friend promised to relay those exact words. Not that it mattered, because I would be repeating my threat when I saw him at the school. After I berated him for volunteering for something so foolish. Was I being hypocritical? Yes, did I care? No. His life was more important than mine. And he had to stay alive. I was expendable, he wasn't. Which was why, if this didn't work, I would give myself up to Alaric for Elena. And I wouldn't give him a choice in accepting.

I glanced over at the backseat, only to frown when I saw what Bonnie was up to. She had made a small cut on her finger and was directing her blood into a small vial. I exchanged a glance with Damon before asking, "Uh, Bon, honey, what are you doing?"

"I need to bind everyone so that the spell will work," she grunted as I passed her a tissue for her cut finger. Once enough blood was in the vial, she screwed on the lid and wrapped the tissue around her finger. "This was the easiest way."

"You could have asked me to help you," I sighed, shaking my head at my friend.

"You would have tried to talk me out of it," she raised an eyebrow, giving me a knowing look.

I grumbled and slumped back in my seat, crossing my arms, "You don't know that."

"I do, Lexa, but it was sweet of you to try to protect me from it, but I know what I have to do and I want to do it," Bonnie took a deep breath before adding, "I need to help my friends, even if it means bleeding a little bit."

XXX

When we got to the school, the first person that we saw was my brother. He was leaning against one of the tables, looking down at the ring on his finger. Even though we knew about the side effects of the ring, I still couldn't bring myself to take it from him. It was a bit of security and if we managed to deal with my side effects, then we could do the same with Jeremy's if the worst was to happen.

Damon had grabbed my hand when we got out of the car and tucked me into his side. I clung onto him, drawing on his strength. I saw Bonnie glance over before pulling out her phone. She tapped on it before holding it out, drawing out attention.

"I just got this," my friend said, pointing to an app on her phone. It was one that I had too. "It connects me to Caroline and Elena through our phone. Alexa too." I nodded as she opened the app and it immediately zoomed in on the school. Bonnie zoomed in further and it showed their faces in relation to ours. "They're in Alaric's classroom. You should go in from the south entrance."

"Digital locator spell," my vampire mused, looking down at the phone before smirking at Bonnie. "Why the hell do we need you then?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes while I laughed, tapping the side of his head, "It only works if they have their phones with them, dumb-dumb."

Damon switched his smirk to me, grabbing my hand and pressing a kiss to it. I cleared my throat, fighting the blush that wanted to form, before I was tugged over to my brother. He looked up at us, clenching his fist. Damon glanced down at the ring before holding out his hand, "Hand it over."

The kid immediately frowned, crossing his arms, "I'm not giving you my ring. Let me do this."

My vampire sighed, "By my math, you've already bit it once, this will be twice, wearing that thing and if, for some reason, Bonnie can't restart your heart and you do indeed die, then before you know it, we have another psycho alter ego case on our hands, which is bad, so give me the ring."

Despite the logic in that sentence, my brother shook his head and argued, "This is my ring, Elena's my sister. No one's gonna fight harder for her than me." Jer paused before glancing over at me, "Well, no one other than Alexa."

"Fine, be stubborn," my vampire rolled his eyes before looking at Bonnie. "Try not to kill him, will you?"

Bonnie gave him a look, but before she could say anything, we were joined by Stefan and Klaus. The two walked over to us and Klaus smirked, "Look at his, one big, happy family."

"It was until you got here," I rolled my eyes at him, looking completely unphased by the glare that I got. It was like I just couldn't keep my mouth shut. I had to annoy him, I had to drop in these little comments. Because it helped me feel just a little bit better.

Before Klaus could retaliate, Bonnie pulled out the small vial that she had filled with her blood earlier. She passed it over to Damon before explaining, "Drink this. It's my blood. It bridges us all together so that when I stop Jeremy's heart, you'll have the power to stop Alaric's. You need to make a physical connection to his bloodstream; a vein, artery, something connected to his heart."

My vampire nodded as he took a sip of the blood before passing the vial over to Stefan. The younger brother took a deep breath at the smell of the blood, "If one of us gets a clean shot, take it, the other two: hold him down."

He took a sip before passing it over to Klaus. The hybrid swirled the vial in his hand before looking between us, a hard look on his face, "Before we all walk through these doors, let's get on the same page, shall we? I was the one who created your vampire bloodline, therefore I am responsible for your lives and Tyler's life, Caroline's life, and of course, Abby's life, should anything go wrong."

"Or you're just lying to save your ass," Damon narrowed his eyes at the Original. I could see him weighing his words, wondering if Klaus was telling the truth. We always knew that there was a chance that Klaus was their sire and I had always suspected that he was the one. Because of course it would be Klaus that we couldn't kill.

"I'm not lying," Klaus smirked, enjoying this little power play. "But go ahead, call my bluff, let the teacher kill me. You'll all be dead soon thereafter."

"Don't tempt me," I grumbled as I pulled my buzzing phone out of my pocket. I glanced down at the screen and froze. It was Alaric. I let out a deep breath before answering the call. "Alaric."

I felt everyone's eyes on me, but I kept them fixed to the ground. I knew that the vampires and hybrid could hear my heart thudding in my chest. Hell, Alaric could probably hear it down the phone, it was being so loud.

"Klaus still isn't here, I thought that you would have worked fast that this."

"I'm working on it," I shook my head, feeling Damon tug me closer to him. "But he's stubborn. You need to give me more time."

"More time for you to work out a way to stop me?" Alaric sounded amused and it made my skin crawl. It wasn't the amusement that I was used to from him, it was a cruel type of amusement. "I want you to come to the school. It's time you unleashed your true self."

"It's not my true self," I snapped back, tightening my grip on my phone. "It's nothing but a perverse lie. I won't give in like you want me to."

"Not your true self? Hm, that wasn't what you were saying after you slit Bill Forbes' throat."

I froze. My breath caught in my throat while everything started to turn fuzzy. His words reverberated around my brain. I couldn't have killed Bill Forbes. I wouldn't have done that. I couldn't have done that. There was no way that his words were true.

"You're lying," I wheezed while Damon helped me over to a bench. He sat me down before crouching down in front of me, worried eyes looking up at me.

"We both know that I'm not. But if you come here, then I'll explain everything to you. Everything that you did, that you enjoyed."

He hung up then and I let out the breath that I had been holding, "I'm going in there." Everyone protested that. Even Klaus. Which was weird. "Look, I know it's stupid. But I have to. I have to know what he knows. And… I can buy us some more time. Give you guys a chance to plan your moves when you get inside the school."

"Alexa, no, I don't like it," Damon shook his head and I sighed, reaching out to cup his face.

"I know, I don't like it either," I leant forward to press a gentle kiss to his lips. "But I have to do this. I'll be safe, I promise. He won't kill me, not while he wants my alter ego to come out and help him."

XXX

I had somehow managed to persuade them to let me go inside the school. I wasn't quite sure how. But I wasn't going to complain. It meant that I was able to look after Ellie and Caroline, while also distracting Alaric. And on a more selfish note, I wanted answers. I needed to know what I had done while my alter ego was in control. To know if I had really killed Caroline's dad.

I walked through the halls, towards Alaric's classroom, and I heard my sister's voice. She sounded unharmed and I felt my heart ease slightly in my chest. I was worried that he had hurt her. But she sounded okay. And I would keep it that way.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because you need me," Alaric snapped back and the anger in his voice took my breath away. I had never heard him sound like this, and it was unnerving. Could I really find a way to save him? Or was he lost to us forever? "Because you're an eighteen-year-old girl without parents or guidance or any sense of right and wrong anymore."

"Look at you," my sister frowned as I came to a stop in the doorway. "How is this right?!"

"It isn't right," I spoke up, drawing everyone's attention. Ellie was sat at one of the desks, her hand on Caroline's arm. My poor friend was sat there, staked down to the desk. There was a cloth tied around her mouth and her skin was blistered where it touched her. I saw a beaker on a nearby desk and guessed that it was vervain soaking through the cloth. Alaric was looming over my twin but he stepped back when he heard me, tightening his grip on the stake in his hand. "And he knows it."

"Alexa, you came," Alaric stepped closer, beckoning me into the room. I really didn't want to get any closer to him, but I reluctantly stepped closer, moving over to my sister. "I was beginning to think that you wouldn't."

"I was always going to come," I said coldly, narrowing my eyes. "I wasn't going to let you terrorise my twin and friend any longer."

"You should join in, I know you want to," the Original smirked, and I scoffed. "You feel numb, don't you? The only thing that can pierce it is anger. True anger. You feel full of rage."

My mind froze for a moment at his words. Because that was how I felt. It was exactly how I felt. Ever since I killed Esther. The moment I pulled the trigger, that numbness grew. I just couldn't acknowledge it until I got Jenna home. Even as I cried, I felt numb.

"I don't feel like that," I shook my head as I rested a hand on my sister's shoulder. "Don't know what you're talking about."

"I know you do," the look on Alaric's face had me pulling my sister closer, even as I reached out to rest a hand on Care's arm. "It's how my weaker side felt, before I was able to take over. It won't be long until you're gone, replaced by your true self. And then we can get started."

"Get started on what? Tormenting innocent people?" I spat when Caroline whimpered. The look that Alaric sent her was poisonous.

"You think that she is innocent?" he pointed the stake at her. "She's a murderer. She told me that she killed someone and liked it. now how is that right? Listen, girls, your parents led the council. It was their life's mission to keep this town safe. They weren't dead six months before you undid it all."

"You don't know anything about them," my sister glared at the Original as I carefully eased a little more in front of her. I was certain that Alaric wouldn't hurt her. But I couldn't take that risk.

"Why, am I wrong?" he scoffed, shaking his head. "Do you actually think that they'd be proud of you? If you don't side with the humans, you're just as bad as them. Now kill her." Alaric passed me the white oak stake, forcing it into my hand. "Do it, Alexa, kill her and get closer to releasing your true self. Or I'll do it for you and I'll make it hurt."

I glanced down at my sister, giving her a tiny nod as my eyes flickered over to Caroline. She understood what I meant. I was going to create a distraction, so the other two could escape. Clearing my throat, I stepped in front of my friend. The blonde whimpered as she glanced up at me and I gave her a wink. I felt Alaric step up behind me, frustratingly close.

With a deep breath, I spun around, aiming for Alaric's heart. As expected, he stopped me before I got anywhere near it. He grabbed my wrist, squeezing painfully, as he snarled, "I thought I taught you better than that."

"Actually, I taught myself," I forced a smirk as I reached behind me, silently apologising as I grabbed one of the pencils pinning Caroline's hand to the desk. With a forceful yank, I pulled the pencil from her hand, wincing at her pained cry. It took Alaric a second to realise what I was doing and that gave me the opportunity to drive it into his neck. He let out a cry of pain and I grabbed the vervain filled beaker and smashed it into his face.

While the vampire screamed with pain, collapsing to his knees, I turned to help my sister with Caroline. She had manged to free our friend, throwing the vervain-soaked cloth to the side. I grabbed my sister as I urged the blonde to flee, ordering her to get help. With a forceful shove, I forced my sister to follow her.

Ellie glanced back at me before running through the door. I went to follow her when a strong hand grabbed my hair, yanking me back. A strong hand wrapped around my neck and I let out a pained noise. My twin froze where she stood in the corridor when Alaric snarled, "Not so fast."

XXX

In a show of force, Alaric threw me into the hallway. My back hit the lockers, my head snapping back, digging into locks. My legs collapsed beneath me as everything went black for a second. I fell to the floor as my sister cried out my name.

The back of my head felt wet and I lifted a shaking hand to gently press against it. But even the gentlest of touches had my vision darkening. When I moved my hand away, I saw red staining it. I was bleeding. My head was bleeding. That was not a good sign. Not a good sign at all.

Elena called out my name again but before I could move, she was pushed up against the lockers. Alaric grabbed her throat, pressing her back against the metal as he growled, "I should kill you. I should gut you like I did to Brian Walters, like Alexandria did to Bill Forbes, like all the other cowards that we are planning on ripping apart. You're one of the worst offenders of them all, Elena. You don't deserve to live."

"So then, why am I still alive?" my idiot sister challenged the newly created Original vampire. I groaned out her name, telling her to stop being stupid. She ignored my words as she scoffed, "There's obviously no humanity left in you, so what's stopping you, Alaric? If you want me dead, then kill me."

I somehow managed to look up. And through blurry eyes, I saw Alaric's face turn and he bared his fangs at her. But he didn't move to rip out her neck. He just snarled, the veins beneath his eyes pulsing as he put on a good show.

My idiot twin, seriously, she was so stupid, yelled at him, challenging him, "Do it! Kill me!"

I weakly called out her name, begging her to shut up, for Alaric to not hurt her. I didn't know what he would do. Elena was right, there was no humanity left in him and that could mean anything. But instead of hurting her, he let out a frustrated noise and threw her to the side. Ellie staggered for a moment before crouching down at my side.

"Alexa, hey, look at me, are you okay?" she whispered, resting a hand on my back as I pressed my cheek against the cool floor.

"Peachy," I mumbled, resisting the urge to close my eyes. "A lot better than you will be once I've finished throttling you."

Before Elie could say anything, we were suddenly joined by the Salvatore brothers. Stefan and Damon each grabbed an arm, pinning them back. My vampire yelled as they struggled to contain him, "Do it now!"

But before Klaus could appear, Alaric broke free. With a snarl, he broke Stefan's back, dropping him to the floor. Elena let out a scream as the younger brother was taken out. I urged her to run as I watched my vampire rushing back towards Alaric. I silently prayed to every deity in the sky that he wouldn't be killed. That he would come back to me. And they were answered when Alaric simply snapped his neck. His body fell to the ground and I let out a sob. It was difficult, seeing him like that. He wasn't dead but he was still hurt. And I hated seeing him hurt. The only blessing was that my sister had actually did what I had asked and had left. Now I just had to worry about the brothers in front of me.

I heard vampire speed a split second before I saw Klaus. He shoved Alaric back against the lockers, forcing his hand into the younger vampire's chest. Alaric let out a loud noise, clearly not impressed with the pain. He struggled against Klaus' grip. I never thought that I would see the Original Hybrid get overpowered by someone. But that was exactly what I was seeing.

Alaric managed to pulled Klaus' hand from his chest, throwing him to the ground. The older vampire immediately returned to his feet, only to get pushed into the lockers. Using his new speed, Alaric grabbed Klaus, flipping him over and pinning him to the floor. He raised his arm, white oak stake in hand, aiming to kill the Original Hybrid.

Any other vampire would have been dead. But Klaus had the strength to struggle, to try to fight back. I wanted to help, I even tried to get up. But every moment sent spikes of pain through my head. It was a challenge, trying not to throw up. And the fact that I hadn't passed out was a miracle. But that didn't stop me. I couldn't let Klaus die, even if it was a tempting thought. Because Klaus dying meant that people that I cared about died. And I couldn't let that happen.

I had just managed to force myself up to my knees, leaning heavily against the lockers next to me, when a familiar voice shouted, "Stop!"

Alaric stopped moving, glancing up at my sister even as he continued to pin down the hybrid. I followed his gaze and felt my heart freeze in my chest. My twin had a knife held to her neck. Her hands were steady as she glared at Alaric, "Let him go or I'll kill myself."

I was gonna kill her myself.

"Put it down, Elena," Alaric ground out, narrowing his eyes. I did the same, wishing that I was in the position to grab the knife and shake some sense into her. Because what she was doing was stupid and reckless. And I was not impressed.

"Why? Because you still need me alive?" my sister sounded like she had figured something out and I realised that I didn't want to know what it was. Because it was not going to be good. Like at all. "There's a reason why Esther used me to make you, isn't there? She didn't want you to be immortal, so she tied your life to a human one. Mine. That way, you have only one life span to kill all vampires and then you'll be gone. So when I die, you die too. That's it, it has to be!"

Alaric shook his head while Klaus glanced between the two with a dangerously intrigued expression, "You're wrong?"

"Am I?" my twin narrowed her eyes and did the worst thing possible. She started to press the knife into her skin, wincing as blood began to drip. She moved the knife along the delicate skin of her throat, only stopping when Alaric screamed out in panic.

"Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop!"

I weakly added my voice to the protests, unable to see my sister in pain like that. Even though I knew that she wouldn't actually kill herself, because she knew that I would bring her back and kill her myself, it was still scary watching this.

The moment the knife was moved away from her neck, Klaus made his move. He threw Alaric off of him, sending him flying down the corridor. I watched as he sped towards us. And then everything went black.

XXX

Elena's POV

I woke up tied to a chair. I weakly opened my eyes, blinking away the blurriness. I winced as my head throbbed in pain before I was distracted by a prick in my arm. I let out a gasp as I glanced down to see a nurse inserting a needle into my arm. A tub was attached to the needle, moving around to the back of my chair.

I tried to move my arm but I was gently shushed by the pretty blonde nurse, "Be careful. Moving only makes it hurt more."

Makes it hurt more? What did she mean? I could see the blank look in her eyes, showing that she had been compelled. But she was the only person that I could get answers from. And I needed answers. I frowned as I weakly asked, "What are you doing?"

But it wasn't the nurse that answered me. I watched her leave the room before my gaze was drawn to the hybrid watching me. Klaus was sat on the leather couch opposite me and it was then that I noticed my sister. She was still unconscious, her head resting on his leg. It wasn't right, seeing Alexa so still. She was never still. And it worried me. Especially after she hit her head earlier. Klaus didn't seem too worried as he just stroked Alexa's hair away from her face. But I didn't know if he wanted her to be okay. He could be enjoying having her slowly dying in front of him.

"Draining you of all your blood," Klaus' voice was soft as he answered, his gaze flickering up to meet mine before he looked back at my sister. He had a soft look on his face as he looked down at her and that worried me. I knew that he claimed to want to be friends with my twin. But I didn't believe him. He was just trying to manipulate her somehow. He didn't care about being friends with her, he wanted something from her. And I couldn't let him get it.

"What about my sister?" I kept my gaze on Alexa, needing to know that she was okay. I knew that she had hit her head hard when Alaric had pushed her into the lockers. I just hoped that she wasn't suffering from that still, that she was okay and that she would remain okay. I didn't know what Klaus would have planned for her. But she had to remain okay long enough for me to get out of here.

"She'll be fine," the hybrid ran his hand over her hair, fingers gently stroking her cheek. "I still have use for Alexa. You should be more concerned about yourself."

Still had use for her? The thought had my blood running cold. I knew what he had implied before, about using her to continue the bloodline. And the thought of him doing that made me feel sick. Alexa deserved better than that. And I had to save her from it.

I narrowed my eyes at him as I spat out, "As soon as I'm sure that my twin will be fine, I'll get myself out of here."

"So stubborn," he tutted, shaking his head. "Can't say that I'll miss that."

I opened my mouth to say something that I would maybe end up regretting, but I paused when Tyler walked into the room. He had a box in his hands, clearly helping Klaus clear out his house, but he froze when he saw me. His eyes scanned me, noting the needle in my arms, filling up the bags pinned to the chair behind me. He frowned when he realised what he was seeing, "Elena?"

Tyler put down the box, pushing to the side before he started to walk over to me. I shifted my arm, feeling the needle dig into my skin painfully, before I called out, "Tyler, help us, please!"

Tyler stopped before he reached me when Klaus spoke up, his voice stern, "He can't. He needs to go fetch me more empty blood bags. About three litres worth, please, Tyler."

The younger hybrid glanced over at him and clenched his jaw when he saw my unconscious sister. His hands curled up into fists as she took a deep breath. I was surprised that he didn't rush to attack the older hybrid right there and then. But I appreciated his restraint. I couldn't risk Alexa getting hurt. Not again.

"Tyler, please," I groaned weakly, drawing his attention away from my twin. "Get Stefan and Damon, please."

"No, Tyler, get the bags," Klaus growled lowly, carefully moving my sister's head off of his leg. I didn't know if that was a good sign, but at least he didn't want her to get hurt. I couldn't cope with her getting hurt again. Not when I was so helpless, unable to look after her.

Tyler stood there for a moment before using his supernatural speed to rush over to me. But before he could get too close, Klaus blocked him from getting to me. He placed a strong hand on Tyler's shoulder, squeezing hard as he ground out, "Forget the girls and get the bags. Now."

Ty met my eyes over Klaus' shoulder. As much as I wanted him to help me, I didn't want him to get hurt either. So I gave a tiny nod, letting him know that it was okay, that he could go. He was reluctant to do so, but eventually, Tyler turned around and left the room. And we were once again left alone with Klaus.

The Original Hybrid moved so that he was standing behind me, hands resting on the back of the chair. I stared at my sister, silently begging for her to wake up as I frowned, "So, that's it? You're just gonna bleed me dry?"

"Yes, but don't worry," Klaus leaned in close, whispering in my ear. "It'll be completely painless. As the last drop is drawn, you'll simply fall asleep."

XXX

The nurse reappeared periodically, switching out the filled blood bags for new ones. Each time she came back, I could feel my body getting weaker. I knew that I was losing too much blood. But there wasn't anything that I could do to stop it. And I didn't know if help was coming. My only hope was to appeal to Klaus' humanity, if there was even any left. And if that failed, his ego and sense of self preservation.

"What about your hybrids?" I asked weakly, my voice rasping as I looked up at him through narrowed eyes. "You'll need more than this to create your army."

The hybrid nodded, taking the filled blood bag from the nurse. He held it to his nose and took a deep breath, allowing his face to change. He kept eye contact with me as he did so and I failed to keep the disgust off of my face. Klaus finally took his gaze from me as he looked down at the blood bag in his hands, gently caressing it in his hands, "These last few litres will have to suffice. You see, by attempting to kill us, my mother strengthened the bond between my siblings and I. I don't need hybrids anymore. I have my family."

I frowned in thought, glancing over at my sister. She still hadn't woken up and my heart clenched in worry. I knew that she had hit her head hard back at the school and she was still unconscious. I knew that that wasn't a good sign. But she was still breathing and I had to hope that she was okay. I couldn't help her yet, but I had a feeling that Klaus wouldn't let her die. If he killed me, then he could still use her to continue the blood line, and eventually produce another doppelganger.

"If you believe that," I croaked, reluctantly looking away from my sister to glance up at the hybrid standing in front of me. "Then why take my blood at all? You want a backup family. You know that your siblings will never trust you again."

Klaus narrowed his eyes at me, clearly displeased by my words. I knew that I had spoken the truth. He had stabbed them in the back too many times, they wouldn't believe him when he claimed that he wanted them to be a family again. Klaus was too impulsive, too quick to anger. He would inevitably dagger one of them again, when they didn't do what he wanted.

"You know Stefan blames me for trying to tear him from his brother, but he doesn't understand that I was trying to help him. To show him just how strong their bond is. He didn't appreciate my efforts," the Original sighed and tutted, shaking his head.

"That's because he knows that you don't really care for him," I spat, keeping my head up through sheer stubbornness. My body felt so heavy and I knew that it was only a matter of time before I passed out. But I couldn't do that yet. "You aren't as sly as you think you are, Klaus. It's the same with my sister. I know that you don't really care about her, you're just using her. You need her to continue the bloodline, in any way possible."

"Ah, you think you have it all figured out," he smirked, moving closer to me. He rested his hands on the arm of the chair, his fingers brushing against my skin. He loomed over me, a hard look in his eyes, a look that I met.

"I know I do," I countered, very carefully shaking my head. "And I'm not going to let you use my sister like that. You will leave her alone; you have my blood. You have your family. You don't need her. If you are genuine in your claim to wanting to be her friend, then you will let her live her life in whatever way that she chooses."

"I will leave Alexa alone when she has given me what I need," he growled, tightening his grip on the chair. "But you don't need to worry about that. You will be gone, unable to interfere. And your twin will be so devastated by grief that she will be easily manipulated. But don't you worry, I'll look after her."

His words had my heart clenching in my chest. I knew that my sister wouldn't deal with my death well. It would break her in a way that I knew that she wouldn't recover from easily. And if she was with Klaus, then she wouldn't recover at all. He would use my death against her, to get what he wanted from her. And there was nothing that I could do to stop it. I narrowed my eyes, "Rot in hell."

Klaus smirked, a cruel edge to his voice, "You're welcome. Sweet dreams, Elena. It's been fun."

He moved away from the chair, a satisfied look on his face. As he walked past me, his fingers brushed against my neck in one last power play. I heard his footsteps fade away and struggled against the ropes holding me down, tying me to the chair. But I had lost too much blood, I was too weak. There was nothing that I could do.

With a frustrated sob, I gave up, collapsing back against the wood. There was nothing that I could do to stop this, to save my sister, to save myself. Klaus had won. I knew that I would die here, rescue wouldn't come in time. I had lost too much blood. But they could arrive in time to save Alexa. I knew that Klaus would take her with him when I was drained dry. All I could do was pray that someone got here before that happened. If I couldn't survive, then she had to. I refused to let something happen to my sister. She deserved more than that. More than Klaus and his manipulations.

XXX

Tyler's POV

I made sure that the room was clear before quietly entering. I couldn't risk Klaus finding out what I was doing. I knew that I wasn't strong enough to take him on, but backup was on its way. I just had to get the twins somewhere safe before they arrived and it turned messy.

I glanced over at Elena before pausing next to Alexa. She was still unconscious and I had to push away my worry. I gently wiped a drop of blood away from her lips before resting my hand on her cheek. She was breathing well and I knew that she would wake up soon.

And I was right, my touch against her cheek had her eyes fluttering open. I rested my finger against her lips, gently hushing her. She frowned at me; confusion clear in her expression. But she remained quiet, trust shining in her eyes as she relaxed back against the leather sofa. Aware that I had to control how she found out, I gestured over my shoulder at Elena. Alexa's eyes opened and she tried to push herself up. I gently held her down, shaking my head.

"I'll go help her, stay here," I mouthed slowly, making sure that she would pay attention to my words. Alexa didn't look happy, but her body relaxed against the leather. Once I was sure that she wouldn't do anything stupid, I carefully walked over to Elena.

The older twin's eyes were closed, her heartbeat weak. But I had gotten here in time to save her. I would be cutting it close, but I knew that she would be safe now. Both of the twins would be. All I had to do now was get them out of here.

I gently removed the needle from her arm, letting it drop to the side, before I made a start on untying the ropes. The movement must have disturbed her, as Elena's eyes flickered open. It was immediately clear how weak she was as she slurred, "What are you doing?"

I carefully shushed her, directing her gaze towards her twin as I continued to remove the ropes. Klaus had made sure that she was secure, wanting to make sure that he took as much blood as possible. I was so focused on my task that I didn't notice that we were joined by someone else.

It was only when Elena whispered my name that I glanced up. I followed her gaze to see Klaus standing in the doorway, a cold look on his face. I stood up, moving to block the older twin from his view.

Klaus' gaze flickered between the twins before he sneered at me, "So much for that sire bond."

I narrowed my eyes and clenched my jaw, "I'm not your little bitch anymore."

The older hybrid smirked and walked closer to me, tilting his head to the side, "How did you break the sire bond?"

"By breaking every bone in my body a hundred times for the girl that I love," I replied, doing my best to keep his attention on me. I could see Alexa glancing between us, but she stayed where she was. I appreciate that. I couldn't let Klaus switch his attention to her, she wasn't safe without her ring.

"That's impossible," Klaus frowned quietly, looking perturbed. I knew that he had never considered anyone trying to break the sire bond. Especially by willingly turning.

"Is it?" I challenged, walking towards the Original, not backing down. "Or maybe real love is stronger than fake loyalty. But what would you know about that?"

"You know, you should be thanking me," the older hybrid growled, his voice low. "I gave you a gift. I took away your misery."

That got under my skin, he still tried to play that angle. That he was helping me, that he cared about me. I knew that it was all a lie. But it frustrated me that he was still trying to manipulate me like that.

"You didn't give a crap about me!" I snapped, my frustration taking over. "You just didn't want to be alone!" With a shake of my head, I walked back over to Elena. I wrapped an arm around her waist as I helped her to her feet, muttering a gentle, "Come on."

I was just about to beckon Alexa over, hoping that her legs were strong enough, when Klaus made his move. With a snarl, he sped forward. He ripped the doppelganger from my arms, knocking her to the floor. Before I could go to her, Klaus grabbed me by the throat and shoved me against the wall.

"Goodbye, Tyler," he spat, his hand going towards my chest. I think he didn't expect me to fight back, as he was surprised when I grabbed his arm. I twisted it behind him, just in time for the Salvatore brothers to arrive. With a heated glare, Damon grabbed Klaus' other arm, pulling it behind his back. Stefan shoved his hand into the Original's chest.

He let out a strangled gasp, staring at Stefan with wide eyes. Slowly, as Bonnie's magic stared to work, Klaus' skin started to turn grey as the desiccation began. I continued to hold onto him, supporting his weight when Damon let go. He quickly moved over to the leather couch, where Alexa was watching. He carefully helped her up, supporting her legs when they shook. With a small noise, she reached out for her sister.

Damon quickly helped her over to Elena, who was groaning quietly, holding her head. Alexa dropped to her knees, gently helping her twin up, holding her close. She breathed out her name, holding her close as she checked in on her. I was aware of Elena reassuring her twin that she was okay.

The older vampire helped them up, with Alexa wrapped tightly around her sister. I continued to hold Klaus' body until Stefan pulled his hand from his chest. Klaus was completely gone now, his skin grey and his eyes closed. I carefully laid his body to the ground, slightly in shock. I never truly expected him to be gone, and to see it happen. If Klaus was gone, I fully expected to die afterwards. But a miracle had happened. And Klaus was out of our lives for good.

"We should get them home before the sun sets," Stefan spoke, looking at the twins, a sad look in his eyes. It was obvious that he wanted to help them, to support them like Damon was. But so much had changed and it was obvious to see that he didn't know if he was welcome to.

While the younger vampire stared, looking between Klaus and Elena, I followed the others from the room. Finally free from the monster that had tormented us for so long.

XXX

Alexa's POV

Back at the car, the brothers left us in the backseat while they went back for Klaus' body. They stored it in one of the empty coffins, ready for disposal. They stored it in one of the empty rooms in Klaus' manor before taking us home.

I wrapped myself around my sister, worried by how weak she looked. Her skin was pale. I had spied the needle that hung from the chair. Klaus had been draining her of her blood. I didn't know how much he had taken, but my sister looked like shit. And I told her that as I forced her to rest against me.

The brothers drove us home, the car quiet. Damon had checked in on us while Stefan drove. I ignored the blood drying in my hair as I told him that I was fine. It wasn't exactly a lie; my head didn't really hurt anymore, other than a small ache. And I tried not to think as to why that was. It was probably something innocent, like I had been unconscious long enough that it had faded by itself and that it wasn't as bad as I originally thought. I managed to convince myself of that while I checked in on my sister, making sure that she was okay.

When we got home, the two vampires got out of the car with us. I didn't mind so much, immediately grabbing Damon's hand. He gave it a gentle squeeze as he tugged me closer to him. I let him tuck me under his arm while I kept an eye on my twin. Ellie was walking okay, looking stronger than she had before.

"Huh, you two are really gonna walk us all the way to the door, aren't you?" my sister gently teased as we reached the porch. I settled in against my boyfriend while she rested against the front door. I could see her staring at Stefan before sighing. I knew that she was still feeling conflicted over her feelings towards him and her near-death experience today probably didn't help.

"You lost a lot of blood today," the younger brother's voice was soft as he looked at my sister. "And Alexa was unconscious for a while."

"I'm fine," I muttered as Damon held me tighter. I knew that he was worried about me. I had faced two dangerous individuals today and when you factor in Alaric's little revelation concerning Caroline's dad, I was surprised that I was still feeling okay. Oh, I knew that it would all hit me later. But for now, my only concern was my twin.

"Yeah, I know," Elena sighed again, pulling her keys from her pocket. "But I told you, I'm fine, I just… I have a little headache. And Alexa will fuss over me when we get inside."

"Damn straight," I reached out to pat her shoulder, concerned by the way she swayed slightly. I made a mental note to get her some food before I sent her to bed. Because she would spend the night relaxing. And I would recruit Jenna and Jeremy to make sure that happened.

"Yeah, but the sun's about to go down and Ric's gonna be able to terrorise the streets any minutes," Damon shook his head and I patted his chest. I didn't have the energy to deal with Evil Alaric. He would be a problem for tomorrow night.

"Yeah, but he can't hurt me," Ellie argued, glancing between us. "And he wants to recruit Alexa for his new mission. It's you two that we should be worrying about."

"Nah, he won't be able to find us," Stefan gently dismissed my twin's worries, a small smile on his face. Ellie stared at him for a moment before carefully nodding. She turned around and opened the front door. I was distracted from watching her by a gentle hand grasping my chin, tilting my face up. Warm lips settled against mine and I happily melted into the kiss, relaxing against Damon's body.

"Don't leave home until I get back," my boyfriend whispered against my lips, his eyes staring into mine. "I'll come back to you as quickly as I can."

"I know you will," I smiled softly, reaching up for one more kiss before I stepped back, wrapping an arm around my sister's shoulders. I encouraged her to rest her weight against my body as we looked at the vampire brothers.

"It's um, it's been a long day," Stefan cleared his throat uncomfortably as he looked at my twin.

"We'll call from the road," Damon was staring at me, giving me a nod. "After we dump Klaus' body in the Atlantic."

"If you want to give him one final kick, then I won't complain," I gave him a smirk, still enjoying the fact that the Original Hybrid was finally gone from our lives. I knew that it would take some time to truly sink in, that we were finally free, but I would celebrate once I was sure that my twin was okay.

"Just… be careful," Ellie sighed, looking between both of the brothers. "Both of you."

"No taking stupid risks," I added, using my best pointy finger. "Otherwise I'll kick both your asses."

Both of the brothers agreed before we watched them leave. I felt my heart clench in my chest. If I had my way, Damon would be hiding in my house with me until dawn. Logically, I knew that he would be safe. But I was still worried for him. For both of them.

With a sigh, I shook my head, ignoring the spike of pain, and opened the front door. I ushered Ellie in, closing the door behind me. There was a noise from the kitchen and I exchanged a glance with my sister. We entered to see the rest of our gang hanging around the kitchen island, laughing amongst themselves.

"What are you guys doing here?" Ellie asked with a small smile as she glanced between Jeremy, Caroline, Matt, Tyler, Bonnie and Jenna.

I carefully avoided Caroline's eyes as she laughed, "Welcome to our victory party!"

I knew that we needed to talk about what Alaric revealed. But I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I saw what my friend had gone through after her dad had died. To think that I was the one that caused that, it ripped me apart. And I just couldn't deal with that. So I took the selfish route and avoided the blonde.

"What victory?" my sister sighed, leaning against Jenna. "We failed. Alaric's still out there."

I saw my aunt wince at the mention of her boyfriend. She didn't look surprised, so I assumed that someone had filled her in on what was happening. But I hated that she was going through this. She couldn't even grieve in peace. And now she had to be strong, when she should be allowed to cry until it stopped hurting.

"We know," Bonnie spoke up, her voice soft and sympathetic. "But we've been trying to get rid of Klaus forever and Caroline convinced us to enjoy it for a night."

I mean, she was right there. We had been trying to get rid of the Original Hybrid for so long. The fact that we had actually managed it was amazing. And we did deserve to celebrate that. Even if we had failed in our main goal.

"You know, to be honest," Matt rolled his eyes as I wrapped my arm around my brother's waist. "I'm a little pissed that none of you let me help you take down Original brother number two."

Matt wrapped his arm around Tyler's shoulder, as he rolled his eyes, "Yeah, he would have taken you right down to the hospital, bro."

The blue-eyed darling rolled his eyes, "Please, I'm more stealth than that. I'm like a ninja."

"Yeah, you wish," Jer snorted and I giggled, keeping my focus on the boys while Caroline approached my twin.

"He's just jealous that I'm more badass than him," I teased, enjoying the dramatically hurt look that Matt gave me.

"Of course you are, Alex," Tyler laughed as he passed me a shot, taking my free hand. He carefully poured salt on it, and I rolled my eyes.

"It's really insulting that none of you recognise how badass I am," I sighed, prodding Jeremy in the side when he snorted. "After all, I've daggered three Original's. More than any of you."

"Yeah, but I've killed one," Matt countered with a smirk.

"Potato patato," I waved it away as Caroline raised her shot glass.

"Alright, let's drink!" she laughed, an arm wrapped around my sister.

"I do not condone this, by the way," Elena pointed at our brother, who held the shot glass close to him, as though he was expecting our holder sister to confiscate it.

"You survived Klaus," Jeremy rolled his eyes gently. "Alright, make an exception, even Jenna is allowing this. Look, you can go back to being responsible tomorrow."

"It's cool, bro," I smirked at Ellie. "I'm condoning it."

My twin sighed but there was a smile on her face as she said, "Okay."

We held up our shot glasses but before we could drink, Tyler quickly said, "Hang on. Do you guys here that?"

We all froze, listening intently. I didn't know what for. But there must have been something if the hybrid's sharp hearing picked it up. I exchanged a glance with my twin before the hybrid grinned broadly, "That is the sound of a Klaus-free life."

"Not cool, Ty," I laughed, shaking my head as the other enjoyed the thought of Klaus being gone. It was a good one. And I would definitely celebrate it. Even if it didn't quite feel real yet. And it wouldn't until his body was dropped in the Atlantic.

"To a Klaus free life," my twin smiled, holding up her glass in a toast, the others quickly joining in. "And to all of you. My family."

We clinked our glasses together before downing the tequila.

We were finally free of Klaus.

XXX

Once our friends were talking about leaving, I made my way upstairs. At first, I went to my bedroom. But I couldn't relax. The events of the day kept buzzing around my brain. I knew that I wouldn't get any decent sleep, so I decided to be productive. And apparently, I wasn't the only one that felt that way.

When I got upstairs to mom and dad's room, Jeremy was already in there, painting the white wood frames. We exchanged an understanding look before I picked up a paintbrush, joining him by the window. We painted in silence, just content to have the company. It was only broken when our sister joined us.

I looked out of the window, into the darkness, while Jeremy asked, "Hey, everyone gone?"

"It's just us and Jenna," she confirmed, crossing her arms as she glanced around. "She's gone to bed; she was feeling tired."

Jeremy nodded before sighing, "I hate this room."

I glanced around, feeling the same. This room represented everything that we had lost. It used to be a safe space for us. But it wasn't like that anymore. And I would be relieved when it was different, when it was no longer a shrine to our dead parents. We needed to move on, and the new paint represented that.

"Me too," Ellie agreed, a pained look in her eyes. "Mom and Dad were right. Alaric should just kill all the vampires and put an end to all of this. But then that means that Caroline dies and Bonnie loses her mom, the Mayor loses her son, Alexa loses Damon and I… I lose Stefan. So, if it makes me the bad guy for wanting to keep those people alive, then fine, I'll be the bad guy."

"We'll be the bad guy together, Ellie," I spoke up, my voice soft and I gave her a gentle smile when she glanced at me.

"You forget," Jer spoke slowly, an understanding look on his face. "That Alaric never wanted any of this. Once he carries out his plans, what if he decides that he doesn't want to live anymore and he kills his human connection to end his life? That we would mean that we lose you. And I'm not gonna let that happen." Our sister smiled, a gentle look in her eyes. "I'm gonna shower and get some sleep. Goodnight, Elena, Alexa."

"Goodnight kiddo," I pressed a kiss to his cheek before he moved over to our sister. Ellie wrapped him in a hug, bidding him goodnight too. Jer rested a hand on her cheek, eyes full of worry before he left the room.

"I'm guessing that neither of us are going to get much sleep tonight," I said humourlessly, handing Elena a paintbrush. She nodded as she accepted it. We painted in silence, taking a window frame each. I just focused on the movement of the paintbrush, moving it back and forth. The simple movement was enough to distract my brain from horrible thoughts, thoughts that I just didn't want to think about.

It wasn't until there was a thud behind me that I started to pay attention. I glanced around to see my twin laying on the floor. The white paint that had fallen to the floor was stained with red. I knew that it was blood. And my heart froze in my chest. The next thing that I knew, I was dropping to the floor, screaming for help. I clutched my sister's body close, praying for her to wake up.

But she didn't.

XXX

A/N: OMG my lovelies, you got me to 500 reviews! I love you all, thank you so much! Please, please, please keep them coming! I want to hear your thoughts on what has happened and what you want for season 4, which is still going slow lol. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Until next time xoxo