It takes me a hot minute to recognise the scent coming from my rescuer as that of my dumb brother Stefan. I don't know whether to be grateful or not? He swiftly shoves me in to a bedroom, locking the door behind us.
"I know your humanity is off, but have you got a damn death wish or something? Stefan fumes at me, his back against the door with his hands on his hips. He is wearing the same frown I have come to know and loath.
Unsure wether or not it's just my imagination, but he looks different. His whole appearance is off. His hero hair is definitely out of whack. I begin to wonder what is going on before I remember that I don't actually care.
"I can handle Klaus," I tell him, indignantly. Am I lying? Yes. Do I care that I am? No!
"Pa!" Stefan laughs, "don't kid yourself, Sophia. Even Elijah can not "handle" Klaus!" He uses air quotes animatedly.
"Whatever, Stef... move out my way!" I attempt to push passed him, but he refuses to move.
"Sophia, we need to talk. Now!" Stefan's face is serious. Just as I am about to answer, the thunderous sound of someone banging on the opposite side of the door prevents me from doing so.
"SOPHIA, OPEN THIS DAMN DOOR!" Klaus roars. I watch Stefan stiffen at his murderous tone.
Stefan moves just as the door break open, chunks of wood flying all around the room. Klaus' eyes are glowing yellow. I don't even attempt to run as there is no where for me to go.
I tense my body for the impact, my eyes closed, expecting Klaus to run at me, possibly throw me against the wall or something, but nothing happens. I open my eyes back up, wondering what is taking him so long. I am surprised to see him standing in the same spot. His chest is heaving and his hands are clenching and unclenching. It looks like he is trying to restrain himself. Odd!
After one exaggeratedly long inhale and exhale, Klaus slowly makes his way over to me, undoing his belt at the same time. Once in front of me, he bites in to his wrist, "drink" he commands. There is not a chance I am doing that! Whatever he is about to do, I would rather stay drunk for it.
As I shake my head, we both watch as the wound he made in his hand closes. With a shake of his own head, he doubles over the belt so it creates a loop, then quickly reaches out for me, getting a vice like grip on my left wrist. With one swift yank, effectively pulling me closer and to the side, he raises the hand holding the belt and swings it back hard, the belt strikes my butt with a resounding thwack!
Fuck me that hurt! My whole body surges forward in reaction to the hit. Then a second strike lands, in almost the exact same place. I grunt, but take it a bit better than the first, as I now know what to expect. The next hits slightly lower. The only reaction I have is my breath audibly catches in my throat.
The next three whacks comes quick and fast, each one lower than the last. The last one hit the spot where butt meets thigh and was the most painful by far. I let out an involuntary sob. I have handled myself well up until now, but the next blow crosses all the previous ones, creating feeling of fire on my ass.
"AAARRGGHHHH!" I yell out, now attempting to pull my arm out of his grasp. It's pointless, obviously. I watch as he lifts his arm once more, then I begin to run, twisting my body away from the belt. I only manage to run in a circle around Klaus, him turning with me, the belt mainly hit my hip, with the tip hitting the middle of my left cheek. It felt like a pinch.
The next whip hit its mark as Klaus had quickly learnt how to accommodate my movements.
"YYAAOOOOWWW!" I cry out, feeling like a loser. "Okay. Okay... I'm sorry!"
"Not yet you're not, Love!" Klaus replied, twisting my arm so hard, I have no choice but to bend forward or else my arm would surely come out of its socket.
Klaus moves quickly, kneeling on the floor - proposal style - then pulls me over his lap so I am practically laying on the floor, with my ass in the air. His strong arm is wrapped arm my entire waist. He brings the belt down hard and fast, not giving me a second between each smack. I can't take anymore.
"AARRGGHHHHAHOOOW. S-stop. Pl-hease stooop!" I beg, thrashing around trying to get myself out of this awful position. To my utter shock, there is a pause in the hits and I hear Stefan's voice.
"That's enough!" His voice is firm and I crane my neck to look at him through very watery, blurry eyes. My cries suspended momentarily. He has Klaus' arm stopped, mid air. Klaus growls and shoves Stefan, sending him flying through the air, crashing against the wall.
The smacks continue once again. I am sobbing brokenly after taking another 20 or so hits.
"Enough Niklaus!" I hear Elijah say. This time Klaus listens, pushing me off of his lap and I curl up in to a fetal position, hugging my legs to my chest. I am in so much pain, I can't even think coherently.
I am a vaguely aware of someone lifting me up off the floor, cradling me to their chest. As I can't see, I feel the clothes of the person holding me. It's Elijah. Without a second thought, I wrap my arms around his shoulders, burying my head in the crook of his neck. It feels nice to be held right now.
Elijah keeps a hold of me until my cries had completely subsided. I take one large intake of breath and wipe at my eyes, trying to remove the dried tears, before pulling myself away from him. Looking around, I see we are in the living room. I hadn't even felt the movement of him going down the stairs.
After climbing off Elijah's lap, I tenderly take a seat on the same sofa. With a shaky breath, I ask where Klaus is.
"Niklaus has gone out, he left no word as to how long he would be." Elijah answers me. I then turn my attention to Stefan.
"Why are you still here, Stefan?" I ask, barely remembering that he said we needed to talk.
Stefan looked at me solemnly for a split second, clasping his hands together in front of him.
"Soph, Damon is dying." He tells me.
"And what?" I ask him, shrugging as I don't know what he wants me to do.
"Sophia, don't you care? Our brother is going to die. You will never see him again!" Stefan tried to make me feel something.
"Actually no. I don't care." I tell him straight. "No humanity, remember. Anyway, he has already lived 4-5 times longer than the majority of his victims. He should count himself lucky."
"Soph, turn it back on. Please?" Stefan begs me.
"Nah, I'm good, thanks." I shake my head before settling back on the sofa, trying to get in a comfortable position. I look at Stefan and I can tell by his watery eyes, he is trying not to cry. The poor sod. He should just turn it off too. He would feel a whole lot better!
I watch as Stefan leaves without another word.
"Thank god he's gone, eh?" I say to Elijah. "His moping was bringing the mood down," I joke. Elijah does not look impressed.
"Sophia, did you not hear what Stefan has just told you?" He pauses, waiting for an answer. I don't oblige. "Damon is going to die, damn it! Your brother, who you have lived with and loved for over 160 years, is going to die. Be gone. Forever." I roll my eyes at him.
"I'm not stupid, Elijah. It doesn't matter how many different ways you say it, I know what dead means." I shrug nonchalantly.
"Don't you even want to say goodbye?"
"Erm, can't even if I wanted to. You have me on house arrest, remember?!" I wave my arms around, signifying that I am stuck here.
Elijah looks me dead in the eyes.
"You can now leave this house, only when I say, but you are to stay with 30 feet of where I am. Do you understand?" He compels me.
"Yes, I understand." I reply, unwillingly.
"Come with me." Elijah stands, wanting me to follow him.
"Where are you taking me?" I ask him.
"To see Damon." He waits in front of me to stand up.
"I don't want to. I'll stay here. You go," I say, shooing him away with a hand motion.
"Sophia," Elijah's voice is eerily calm. "You can either walk there yourself, or I will carry you there like a toddler with a sore backside. The choice is yours." He threatens.
"Well, I've already got a sore ass, so..." I was referring to Klaus' belting earlier on.
"Enough!" Elijah roughly grabs me by my bicep, pulling me in to a standing position, swatting me 6 times on the butt as he does so.
"Ooooowwwwww!" I yelp, turning away from his smacks. "Alright. Alright. I'll go. Fuck me!" I twist my arm out of Elijah's grasp and receives another 2, even harder swats than the last ones.
"Stop cussing!" I roll my eyes but continue walking.
We get to the boarding house and it looks and feels different somehow. I can't quite put my finger on it. I linger outside for a moment too long.
"Go and see your brother, Sophia." Elijah instructs.
"I don't want to." I remain in place.
"Sophia, so help me. Your insolence is testing my patients. If you persist I shall be forced to cut a switch and show my displeasure to your naughty little bottom. The choice is yours."
"You act like you're giving me choices, but you're not really. Do as you say or get beaten."
"Right..." Elijah turns to walk towards the trees.
"Wait. I'm going." I quickly run in passed the front door and silently make my way up the stairs to Damon's room.
As I walk through his bedroom door, I see Elena laying next to him on the bed, kissing him.
"WHAT THE FUCK, ELENA!" I shout, vamping over to her, dragging her out of the bed. "You are nothing but a slutty butty!"
Elena struggles beneath my hold, trying to free herself, but for a change, I am the stronger one.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just kill your now and get it over with?"
I see fear in her eyes and it make me smile. This bitch has screwed my brothers over, playing them against each other one too many times.
"Sophia, nooo," Damon's croaks out. I look at him for the first time. He looks all sweaty and weak. I turn my attention back to Elena.
"You are fucking one of my brothers and in bed kissing the other. They will be better off with you dead!"
I don't even see or hear Elijah until he has his arms wrapped around me, pulling me away from Elena.
"Sophia, do not make me get that switch! Elena, leave" he orders her. She doesn't wait around to be told again. Shit house!
I want to rant and shout at Elijah, but self-preservation has kicked in. I know he will cut a switch and I don't want to feel it.
"Sophia, go to your brother." Elijah pushes me lightly in the direction of Damon's bed. I don't want to look at him as when I did before, I felt a tingle in my heart. It's pulling out my humanity.
"Damon?" I wait for him to open his eyes and look at me. "What the hell happened to you?" He struggled to get his breath to answer me.
"I-I g-got b-bit by a w-werewolf." He tells me, painfully. He then pulls out his arm to show me. It looked bad.
I didn't know what to say or do as there wasn't really anything. I watch as his arm flops back on to the bed and his head droops to the side. It looks like he has died.
Something in me clicked and I panic. Jumping on the bed I begin to cry, pushing on Damon's chest, begging him not to leave me.
"I love you, Damon. Please don't go. Don't leave me." I sobbed. I laid down next to him, wrapping my arms across his chest.
I feel a slow kiss on top of my head and look up to see Damon staring down at me.
"Damon. You're not dead?"
"Not y-yet, little s-sister. But I'm g-glad to have y-you back b-before I go." That makes me cry even harder.
I turn to Elijah.
"Help him. Please?" I beg him, knowing that there is nothing that he can do.
"He can't, but I can." I hear a familiar voice coming from the doorway. Katherine. I jump up to face her.
Katherine is holding a little pot of blood in her hand, wiggling it in my direction.
"W-what's that?" I ask her, totally confused whilst wiping tear stains from my face.
"The cure for a werewolf bite," she says, cat walking her way over to Damon's bed and slowly pouring it in to his mouth.
There is a change in Damon almost immediately. I can see him gaining his strength. We all stare at the werewolf bite and watch it slowly disappear. I am overwhelmed as I jump back to Damon, hugging him with all my strength.
"Thank you," I whisper to Katherine. Even though I hate her guts, she has just saved my brothers life.
Once Damon is strong enough to sit up on his bed, I move away.
"Where is Stefan? I have to tell him Damon is ok." I look towards Katherine for an answer.
"Stefan's gone." She says, a fleeting look of regret passes her face.
"What do you mean gone? Where is he?" I demand to know.
Katherine told us that he has given himself over to Klaus in exchange for the cure.
"He has gone and he wont be coming back anytime soon. I don't know what Klaus' plans are for him."
I feel like I have been sucker punched. I have just got one brother back, but lost another. I look to Elijah this time for an answer, but he doesn't know what she is talking about either.
"Where are they?" I ask her, ready to run after them.
"Last I seen of them, they were getting ready to leave Rik's apartment."
I take off, running from the room and down the stairs. I make it just out the front door when I feel a strange pull in my gut. I physically could not move another step. I thought back to Elijah's compulsion. Shit! I can't go more than 30 feet away from him.
"ELIJAH," I yell, wanting him to end the compulsion so I can save my brother.
"Sophia, I wont allow you to run off on this mission. Stay here and I shall chase my brother." He tells me.
"No way! Let me go, Elijah. You have what you wanted. My humanity is firmly back in to place. Now let me go!" I demand.
Elijah steps closer to me. I can feel the familiar trance of him compelling me.
"You are free from my earlier compulsion, but you must wait here, in this house, until I return." He compels me again before vamping me inside of my own house.
"What the fuck, Elijah!" I am irate right now. "How dare you compel me again. Let me go to my brother!"
"I apologise, Sophia. This is no fight for a child." He gives a small bow and walks away.
I can't believe he has just played the child card. What a fucking douche! After a few seconds to calm myself down, I run back up to check on Damon. He is out of his bed and heading for the shower.
"Hey!" I whisper, glad to see him up on his feet. "How are you feeling?"
"Gross! Sit there and wait for me," he points towards a chair by his window, then grabs some clean clothes out of his dresser. I sit down carefully, happy to see that the earlier burn in my butt is now just a tingle. The steady supply of blood at the Michaelson's was a blessing in disguise.
Damon is back within 10 minutes, looking like his usual self. He sits on his bed and pats the space next to him, motioning for me to take a seat there. I search his face to see if he is angry as the only time we sit like that is when I'm about to be sp-punished. He seems ok.
"Do you care to explain these passed couple of days to me? What the hells been going on in your head?" He jumps straight in to it the moment my ass sits down.
"I just couldn't take it no more, Damon. The sight of Elena dead and that werewolf girl. And Jenna, poor, poor Jenna. The internal pain was just too much." I can feel tears forming in my eyes. I am surprised that I have any left to be honest.
"I wanted to kill him, or at least hurt him. And I wanted to stop hurting. So I turned it off. I thought it would be better that way. And I was. I didn't feel anything inside. But now my humanity is back and I feel everything again and I hate it." Tears are flowing freely again. Damon pulls me in for a hug and I graciously except.
Our moment is interrupted my Elena, beckoning Damon from his doorway. I thought she had gone home?
"Damon, can I speak with you?" She asks him, trying to get him away from me.
"Screw you, Elena! Or should I say 'Katherine wannabe'?"
"HEY!" Damon shouts at me. "Watch your mouth!"
I watch as Elena turns away from the door, running down the hall and stairs. Good! I officially hate her now. She is playing with both of my brothers affections, the same way Katherine did. The only difference between them, is Katherine didn't hide it and try to act innocent.
I turn my attention back to Damon and quickly wish I hadn't. He looks pissed. In one swift motion, Damon has me over his lap, about to beat my ass again. Surely this has got to be a record? In one day I have been spanked severely, paddled with a spoon, whipped with a belt, swatted and now I'm about to be spanked again. All by three different people. What the hell has happened to my life?
I am pulled out of my musings by a heavy swat to my clothed bum. Followed quickly by another 19 swats. I take them well, considering. Just letting out a few yelps. I think my butt is getting tough.
"Sophia, never speak to Elena the way you have today - I won't tolerate it." He spanks me again, keeping a steady rhythm. The burn is starting to build again, to the point I am struggling to keep my composure.
Damon ups the strength behind each hit, seeing as I am not having the desired effect he is after.
"ARGH! Okay. Okay. I won't even speak to her!" I try to placate him so he will stop.
"Not good enough, soph," he replies, tipping me forward and starting on my sit spots an thighs.
"No D-Damon. No m-more. Pleeaaasseee." I beg now. My ass is burning and throbbing.
"I think I might take a leaf out of Elijah's book and go and cut a switch..."
"NOOOO DAMON. PLEEEEASE. ILL B-BE GOOD. I P-Promise!" I yell back, not wanting anything to do with a switch. Especially now my butt is already so sore.
Damon ups his strength once more, landing 20 hefty swats to the centre of my bum, before pulling me up for a cuddle.
"No s-switch Damon. I-I'm begging y-you." I tell him, continuing to cry.
"Okay soph, I won't. This time. It's over. Hush now." He rubs soothing circles on my back to comfort me.
Damon picks me up, starting to walk towards his door.
"I'm okay. I can walk myself," I say as I twist myself out of his hold.
"You sure?" He asks. I nod in reply. "Okay piccolo."
Elena is sitting in the living room. She looks at us both as we enter.
"Damon, I've just seen Katherine. She said Stefan is gone. What are we going to do?" I scowl at her but refrain from making a comment as I don't want to piss off Damon. But it's not like she was thinking about Stefan 10 minutes ago when she was kissing him. She makes me sick!
I walk away, heading to the front door. I grab a cushion and gingerly take a seat right next to the threshold. I'm going to sit here and wait for Elijah to return, if he even does. A thought suddenly crosses my mind. What if he doesn't come back? He has compelled me to stay here until he does. I could be stuck here forever.
In a last second thought, I ran to the kitchen and got some of the liquidised vervain that Damon makes, drinking it quickly to stop any further compulsion. As I haven't had any for days, it seems to burn more than usual. I cough up blood, burning my mouth and chin. I clean myself up and race back to the door, sitting back on the cushion.
My panic is short lived as I see Elijah in the distance, walking to wards the house. Thank the lord! I don't like the look on Elijah's face. He looks desolate. That is not a good sign.
"Elijah?" I stand to my feet, waiting for an answer.
"My apologies, Sophia, for I have not come bearing good news." My shoulders slump as my assumption was correct. "Our brothers have gone. I have searched everywhere I could think for them, but they where nowhere to be found."
He looks dejected and I think I am sporting the same look. I wait for him to enter the house before standing on my tiptoes and wrapping my arms around his neck. I think we both need some comfort right now. As much as I hated the fact that Elijah had imprisoned me at his house, he did it for good and honest reasons. He is a good man. I feel we have a slight bond because of it.
We both walk in to the living room, Damon and Elena are sitting next to each other. Elena is crying and Damon is trying to console her. I roll my eyes at the pair of them.
"Damon, a word of I may?" Elijah asks, breaking the moment between him and Elena. They both turn their attention to him.
"I have searched for our brothers and also our home. Our sister is also gone. And there is also possessions missing that Niklaus never leaves without. I feel like them leaving is not a temporary situation."
Elena bursts in to tears once more, holding her head in her hands. Damon immediately wraps his arms around her, offering her the comfort she seeks. He completely forgets about me. He is after all my brother. Dick!
Elijah turns to leave. I follow after him. He looks so sad and I don't like seeing him like that.
"Elijah?" He turns to face me. "Would you mind if I came back to your house and stayed there for the night?" His face lights up a little.
"Of course you may, Sophia. You are welcome any time you like." He smiles at me.
I know what you're thinking. That I'm mad? I think I am too, but I can't just leave him alone right now. He has just been abandoned by his family and Damon has Elena. They probably won't even notice that I am gone if I'm honest with myself.
"Thank you. Wait here, please, whilst I go and grab a few things and let Damon know." I tell him, vamping to my room and quickly grabbing a bag with pjs and a change of clothes for tomorrow.
As I come back down, I see Elijah hasn't moved an inch and Damon and Elena are still in the same position.
"Damon, I'm going to stay at Elijah's for tonight, okay?" I make it sound like a question at the end, even though I am telling him.
"What? Why?" He asks me. I pointedly stare towards Elena, silently letting him know that I don't want to be where she is.
"I just want to be there tonight. I will be home tomorrow."
He thinks for a moment before replying. I am kind of hoping that he refuses my request, showing me that he would pick me over her, but he doesn't.
"Okay, Soph. Don't stay up too late and I'll see you tomorrow." He smiles at me but doesn't even attempt to move away from Elena. I slightly shake my head and turn back towards Elijah.
"Let's go," I say, flinging the backpack holding my clothes over my shoulder and making my way out of the door.
Elijah and I walk back to his house slowly, side by side. We haven't spoken much, but I don't feel like we need to. I slip my arm through his and link him, continuing to walk in silence.
We finally reach our destination and I run up the stairs quickly changing in to my pjs, then go back down and take a seat on one of the sofas.
"Should we watch a movie?" I ask, looking over to Elijah as he pours himself a drink.
"If that is what you wish to do," he answers.
"Don't suppose I could have one of those?" I nod towards the drink in his hand as I walk towards him.
"You suppose correctly." He smiles and shakes his head.
"I thought not. Meanie..." I laugh as I walk passed him, heading for the kitchen.
"Ever the cheeky one," Elijah returns, playfully swatting my bum.
Getting some junk food and drinks from the kitchen, we go back to the living room.
What do you want to watch?" I ask him, grabbing the remote.
"The choice is yours, sweetheart. Whatever you wish to watch." He is letting me choose. Nice!
"How about Twilight?" I ask after a quick think. Stefan and Damon won't watch it again as they hate it. I love it.
"Well, I haven't seen it so, I guess we shall." Oh, yeah!
Elijah takes a seat at the end of the sofa and I dump myself next to him. Closer than I probably should, but I guess it's ok as he makes no attempt to move away from me.
My mind keeps wandering off throughout the movie. I keep thinking about Klaus. About the moment we shared. Every time I pushed the thoughts away, they would slip back. I try to rationalise what I was thinking, but there is no rationalising it. I kissed him and more. I don't even know why I did it.
The more I think about him, the weirder I feel. It's like butterflies are dancing around my stomach. I should hate him, despise him even. He has taken my brother away from me, yet I don't. Why don't I?
An involuntary yawn escapes my mouth. I feel exhausted and we're not even half way through the movie. I slide myself under Elijah's arm and rest my head against his chest, pulling my feet up on to the sofa.
Elijah starts to stroke my hair, in a loving gesture. It's nice. I make it to the end of the movie without falling asleep. Sitting up, I stretch out my body before reaching for the remote, planning on putting Twilight - New Moon on.
"I think that's enough movies for one night, sleepy head," Elijah says, taking the remote from my hands. "It's time for bed, little one."
"Awww please, Elijah. Just one more?"
"I'm afraid not. Your brother expressly said not to stay up late, so up we go." He stands up, expecting me to stand with him. I flop to the side, not wanting to go just yet.
I let out a giggle as the quick movement of Elijah throwing me over his shoulder in a fireman's lift as he starts walking me towards the stairs. He stops beside my bed, gently sliding me down his body before laying me down and covering me with the blanket.
"Elijah?" I ask in a sleepy tone.
"Yes, Sophia?"
"Will you stay with me for a bit?" Another yawn escapes me. He smiles before taking a seat on the edge of the bed. I scoot over, signalling that I want him to lay on the bed next to me. He obliges.
Once we are both comfortable, I begin to ask him questions.
"Elijah, have you ever been in love?"
"Yes my dear, I have. Twice actually." He tells me.
"What was it like?"
There was silence as he seemed to collect his thoughts.
"It was wonderful." I could hear the smile in his voice.
"How did you know you was in love?"
"Well, sweetheart, when you're in love, the person who holds your affection is always on your mind. You find yourself smiling at the mere thought of them. You get a fuzzy feeling in the pit of your stomach at the thought or mention of them."
Elijah continues, explaining all the different feeling he felt with his loves. It's really sweet, but again it has me thinking of Klaus. Do I love Klaus? Surely not. He is evil!
"Did you ever want children?" I ask him.
"Actually, when I was human, I wanted nothing more than to find a wife and settle down with children." I look up and see him staring at the ceiling, probably imagining a time long since passed.
"It's a shame, really"
"Hmmm. How so?" He questions my reply.
"Because I think you would have made an amazing father! Unlike mine." I yawn again, feeling my eyes start to close. Without even thinking about what I was about to say, I blurt out "I wish you was my father!"
It was probably just my tired state of mind that I let that slip out, but it didn't make it any less true.
"Sleep now, sweetheart. I'll be here when you awaken." I feel Elijah kiss me on the head tenderly, then pull up the covers, tucking me in. I fall asleep within seconds, dreaming the most delightful dream.