Disclaimer: I do not own the vampire diaries.

18

The ritual.

The moment she stepped out of the restaurant, Alex's stiff body went limp, all the tension leaving her at once, making her feel like she was made of putty. Her mind was in a similar estate, gone off recapitulating whatever the fuck just happened there. Still dumbfounded, he had agreed with her conditions without much of a fuss, so she did the next logical step: A group call with her siblings, 'Sorry, Caroline. I'll call you later.'

Alex was quick to deliver the news, assuring them that she would answer their questions once she was home, hanging up just as the valet turned the corner with her vehicle. She gave him a tip as he stepped out to let her in, wishing him a good rest of his day as he closed the door after her, turning off the radio before she hit the pedal.

Her brain was divided in two, one part making sure she wasn't breaking the law as she tried to break her previous record of 22 minutes and 12 seconds of making it home. The other part was busy thinking about Klaus, hundred percent sure he must've had a hidden agenda to have given in that fast. She had been anticipating more resistance from his part, maybe more threats and a little blood spill here and there. It was too good to be true, particularly because she knew her negotiation skill left a lot to be desired.

He was partly to blame though, how dare he go out of script? Not following the lines she had prepared beforehand and taking the liberty to be smug about it. 'Bastard,' she thought, taking a turn to the right in the next interception, still bitter about having to use all of her resources to convince him. Not only had she 'sold off' Elena, but herself as well, promising to work for him. She couldn't help but scoff at herself, that had been the last card up her sleeve, a truly desperate offer to gain his cooperation. She didn't not regret it, nothing was too much when it came to her family. If she had to help Klaus become the king of the world then she'd do it, as long as that guaranteed their safety. 'And I'll do it again,' she assured herself as her car came to halt in front of her home, annoyed that she hadn't broken her record.

(...)

Two anguish filled days later, the agreed day had come at last. Elijah had stopped by in the morning to bring the elixir, instructing how and when Elena was supposed to drink it, not a drop could be wasted, he had warned them, his state lingering on Alex for a moment to make sure she got the message. His visit was short, eluding he had somewhere else to be, joking that today was a big day for his family, therefore it needed to be perfect. He had left before she could ask if Klaus had spoken to him about their agreement but not before she could warn him:

"Be careful, try not to turn your back on your brother."

A stiff nod was her answer, no emotion on his face besides grim acceptance, "I will." He said and left.

The rest of the day was a blur, Elena spent most of it in her room, writing in her journal what Alex would later come to learn were goodbye letters to her family and friends.

Alex on the other hand, had informed their mother that all three of them would be going out tonight, an early Halloween party had been used as an excuse. With Miranda's permission, a weight had been lifted off her, having to sneak out without getting caught would've added more tension to this whole thing.

Jeremy was talking with Anna, making sure she was up to date and prepared to cover for them if necessary. The tips of his ear were red, his voice softer than it usually was a clear sign that his little crush was developing into something more. Caroline had pointed out once in the baby shower, how in love they seemed to be but Alex hadn't given much of a thought until now. Maybe it was because she needed a distraction that she found herself overthinking.

If they were truly in love and decided to date, would Jeremy end up turning? It had happened in the show, but that Jeremy was not the same as her's so it was hard to tell if that would be the case, if it was, Alex wasn't too perturbed by the notion, his life was his own. She couldn't say the same about their mother though.

'That's a problem for another day,' she already had enough on her plate as it was.

About an hour later, Elena was hunched in their shared bathroom with Alex's hand covering her mouth, forcing her to swallow the bitter liquid, Elijah's words ringing in her head, 'Not a drop must be wasted,'

Elena's disgust was poorly concealed as she heaved under Alex's touch, "C'mon 'Lena. You can do it," she encouraged, using her free hand to pet her sister's hair, "Do it slowly,"

Watered brown eyes shot towards her, silently letting her know that she was trying her best but the thick liquid was almost like a paste, most likely due to its ancient age rather than because that's how it was supposed to be. The bathroom reeked of a putrid smell that Jeremy was trying to get rid off, spraying a lavender air freshener every now and then when it got too much. Music was being blasted outside, coming from Elena's room as a way of hiding what they were doing from their aunt.

After what seemed an eternity, Elena finally swallowed, collapsing on her sister and they both went down. Breathing heavily, she turned to Alex, mouth stained dark green, almost black, she smiled weakly, tired.

Alex squeezed her in a hug, whispering, "You did it,"

Jeremy sighed with relief, setting the can under the sink before he spoke, "I need some fresh air," he opened the small window by the shower before he slid next to them, hitting Elena's shoulder with his own as a way to show his support.

"It's almost time," Elena muttered, swallowing heavily, wiping the side of her mouth.

An awkward silence fell upon them, both Alex and Jeremy exchanged a look, they both had so many things to say but none of them seemed appropriate. Saying what they truly felt would make this feel like a goodbye, something they wanted to avoid at all cost. Rather than pouring their feelings out, Alex put on a brave face, carefully helping Elena up.

"We should be getting ready," she said seriously, "Wouldn't to be late and make him think we backed up,"

With those words, the mood shifted again as her siblings mimicked her expression, refusing to be perceived as weak. Their moment of vulnerability was long gone, tucked away in the back of their mind as a moment they'd rather forget it ever happened.

"I'll get the car ready," Jeremy let them know, exiting the room quietly and disconnecting the radio before leaving.

His footsteps faded away in seconds, leaving them alone, "I know we're supposed to go to a Halloween party but the black mouth it's too much," Alex joked lightly, reaching for a piece of toilet paper that she wet under the sink before wiping the crust that had formed around Elena's lips.

"If-"

She cut her off immediately, already knowing where this conversation was headed, "No, don't finish that sentence. You'll be fine, Elena. I'll make sure of it." She promised, fervently, "You heard me? You'll be fine- We'll be fine." She shook her head, "Before you'll know this will be nothing but an awful memory,"

She was confident in her words, they had done everything right, all that was left was waiting.

The bathroom door busted open, a panicked Jeremy squeezed his head in, "We have a problem,"

Uncle John was in their living room, a duffel bag by his feet as he spoke amicably with their mom.

Alex eyed the main door, the urge to just make a run for it was strong, but there was no way the three of them could leave without catching their attention. They'll have to sneak out using the window in her room.

She took a step back with the intention of leaving when Aunt Jenna saw them, cluttered on the top of the stairs. The woman raised a brow, feeling sorry for them as she knew they weren't particularly fond of their uncle. She winked at them in compliance when Miranda saw them too.

"Why are you three doing over there? Come say hi to your uncle." She called them, using her stern mother tone that always got them doing what she wanted and this time wasn't the exception.

Reluctantly, they stepped down, "Uncle John, what are you doing here?"

"Alex," her mother reprimanded her, "Your uncle here just wanted to pay us a visit to check on us."

"It's okay Miranda, I know I'm a strange sight around town." He said, grinning at them, "Something I've been wanting to change for a while. I found my own place here in Mystic Falls to keep an eye on my family," he told them, "I'm sure this is what Grayson would've liked."

That sounded like a threat more than an act of kindness.

"And we are thankful for it," Miranda graciously answered, touched by his words, something Alex blamed on the hormones as their mom wasn't the biggest fan of John either.

Elena shifted by her side, "That's great news Uncle John," she lied, "You can show us your new place tomorrow if you're free."

"It's not ready yet," he answered, rubbing his palms together, "Maybe next week if all comes according to plan."

"Then when will you be staying?" Jeremy's rude question was met with a glare from their mother.

John raised his brows, opening his arms wide, "Here, of course."

"There's no space," Alex responded, earning another glare from Miranda.

"I'm aware of it," he said, growing serious, "But I have no problem taking the couch."

That was bound to bring them trouble in the future, but for now, they have already wasted enough time as it was.

"Well, that's fantastic." Alex spoke through her teeth, turning to her siblings, "Shall we get going? We'll promise Anna we'll be there by now."

"You're going out?" Uncle John asked, reaching down to his bag, pulling out a board game, "I thought I'll be a good idea to reminisce old times,"

"Maybe some other day," Alex said.

"Aw, c'mon I've been looking forward to it all week. I'm sure you three miss family nights as much as I do," He walked towards Alex, staring intently at her, setting down a hand on her shoulder, squeezing firmly, "Party's will always be there but family wouldn't, right?" He stared a second too long, Alex refusing to back down and holding his gaze, chin high.

"Your uncle is right. Family is more important than a Halloween party."

"Mom," Elena reacted first, "You gave us permission."

"And I'm taking it back. No more complaints. You three have made your uncle feel unwelcome enough as it is."

John finally let her go, cheerfully turning around to put the board game on the kitchen table, "All right, who's ready to get their ass kicked in Monopoly?"

Jeremy looked at Alex, "Now what?" He whispered.

"Now we play," she said, "I want the hat!" She spoke enthusiastically, leaving them confused.

They joined the game after a second of contemplation, trusting their sister had a plan. Jenna spread the board in the middle of the table as Miranda counted the money and handed it over to each player. They picked a piece, putting it down in the 'go' square.

Minutes went by and Elena was getting restless, Alex was too immersed in the game with no apparent intention to get up soon. She shot Jeremy a look but he just shook his shoulders just as lost as she was.

"Aww c'mon!" Aunt Jenna whined when she landed on Alex's property, "Can you give me a special discount for being your favourite aunt?"

"Nope. Now pay for it!"

Grunting, Jenna handed over half of her cash, leaving her close to bankruptcy, "Can I ask for credit?" She asked Miranda who was acting as their banker.

"No, sorry, Jen. You should learn how to manage your money wisely,"

Jenna sighed, getting up, "I need a drink,"

"Make that two," John asked, he was tired of pretending he was into this. But he had made a promise to Isobel.

"Make it three," Alex said, grinning at her mom, "Just one glass, I promise."

The woman relented, pinching the bridge of her nose, "Get me a glass of water, please." Miranda requested.

"I've only got two hands,"

"I'll help you," Alex said, going after her.

The distance between the kitchen and the table was enough to give them some privacy so when Jenna thought they were far enough she quietly asked Alex, "Is it my imagination or is John mad at you?"

Alex shrugged, "Hell if I know. He's always been weird with Elena and I."

Jenna hummed, setting three glasses down as Alex uncorked the wine, accidentally spilling some in her shirt and the cabinet.

"Crap,"

"It's okay. I'll get a towel. Take those to the table." Jenna said, turning her back to her.

John sipped his wine, enjoyed the taste and used it to fuel himself. But his tiredness only seemed to increase. He blinked, biting back a yawn, he suddenly got up, getting everyone's attention, "I need to use the bathroom," he excused himself, hurrying up the stairs.

"Why didn't he use the washroom?" Jenna asked, motioning to the room next to them.

"Maybe he didn't want us to listen to him," Miranda defended, "Elena, why don't you go check on your sister. She's taking too long to change her shirt.

Elena nodded, looking at Jeremy one last time before she too headed upstairs, finding the door to Alex's room open, hurrying towards it she saw Uncle John there and her sister having a stare off.

"What did you do to me?" He asked with difficulty, struggling to stand upright.

Alex saw her standing outside, turning to answer, "I don't know what you're talking about, Uncle John. But you don't look too good. Maybe it would be best if you call it a night and go to sleep," she said innocently.

"You have no idea what you're getting yourself into." John breathed harshly, his gaze becoming a blur, body heavy, he took a step forward to look down at his niece, "Your father would be so disappointed," he whispered.

Alex bit her tongue, nails digging into her palm, opting to ignore his warning, she knew exactly what she was doing, the question was, how did he know? Isobel Perhaps?

"Goodnight." She said, watching as he blinked one last time, falling to his knees, "Help me move him to Jeremy's room." She said to Elena before both of them froze when they heard footsteps only to be relieved when they saw Jeremy.

"What the fuck happened?"

"Just help us move him,"

In the end, they ended up putting him in the bathroom, since that's where he told them he was going to go.

"How did you do that?" Jeremy asked as they opened the window in her room, "A sleeping spell?"

"No, I crushed mom's sleeping pills on his wine." She confessed, swinging a leg over the windowsill. Alex knew her Aunt well and she knew the woman wouldn't be able to spend the whole night withouth at least having a drink, it had been a shot in the dark to assume John would be same, so she seized the opportunity when Aunt Jenna turned around to do it, it was just her luck that her mom kept the bottle in the cabinets with the tea boxes. She had to do it old school since a sleeping spell would've been too obvious, Uncle John falling asleep on the table was bound to bring more questions than him falling asleep on the toilet.

Elena was already down on the ground when Alex leaped on the nearest branch, hugging it with both arms, being thankful she wasn't afraid of heights. She soon joined her sister as they waited for Jeremy.

"How are we supposed to start the car without mom noticing?" He asked once he jumped down.

"Magic, Jeremy." Alex answered as they crouched, moving in the shadows. Feeling watched, she looked up, seeing a man staring at them, talking on the phone.

"What is it- Who's that?" Elena whispered.

"One of Klaus' minions, Maddox. He must've sent him to make sure we weren't running away." She stood, giving a nod in greeting, one that he returned before disappearing in the shadows, "We need to hurry,"

A silencing spell was cast on her car, allowing them to drive away without alerting their mom or Aunt Jenna.

The streets were desolated, most people were already tucked in bed, ready to end their day. Besides her, Elena nervously tapped her fingers rapidly on the dashboard, her gaze set off in the distance, clearly lost in her thoughts. Alex's right hand held Elena's left for comfort, opting to stay quiet until she stopped her car near the woods.

"Here we are," she announced as Elena's door clicked open, Jeremy's soon following suit, "It's just a 20 minutes walk from here." She said as she locked the doors behind her.

"Let's get moving then," Jeremy took the lead.

Not a word was exchanged during their walk, despite Elena's eagerness to get this over with now that the moment of truth was so close, neither of them wished to rush it. They finally reached the last trek, the orange glow of a fire being distinguishable from there. A cool wind blew past them as Jeremy halted.

"Before we continue. There's something I must confess," Jeremy cleared his throat, facing Elena, "You remember Bonnie's birthday party, at the park? Well, Tyler wasn't the one who broke your tooth jumping on the trampoline. It was me." He confessed.

When Elena was little, around 7, she had developed a small, childish crush on Tyler when he stopped a ball from hitting her face. Jeremy had been very vocal about his disapproval but she would've never guessed that it had reached that level.

Annoyed from being lied to, more than anything, Elena asked, "Why are you telling me this?" Right now of all moments.

"Just wanted to let you know,"

She sighed tiredly, "Anything you want to confess?" He shook his head, "Alex? What about you? Anything you need to get out of your chest before I die?"

"I ruined your favourite sweater in the dryer," she said bluntly, "I also lost one of your bracelets at a party, and I-"

"Alright, that's enough. I don't want to leave this world holding a grudge," Elena joked before resuming their walk.

The trees parted before them as they descended down into the clearing, Alex had taken the lead now, shielding her siblings as much as she could with her frame. Klaus didn't look too happy, pacing around like a caged animal, in a way she guessed that's what he felt like after a thousand years of being denied his true nature. He was a scary sight, seething with so much anger, she swore she could taste it. Elijah was nowhere to be found, that realisation twisted her gut, her intuition filled in the blanks.

He halted once she was close, hands on his hips he bared his teeth at her, sharp canines peeked as he spoke, "Look who decided to join show up," his tone made her wince as he took a step forward, "I put my trust in you and this is how you repaid me? Showing up at the last moment? You're lucky I'm feeling generous tonight or else your head would be on a spike before you could even open your mouth to apologise."

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again." She said sincerely.

"No, it won't." He promised harshly and stared at her another second before looking at Elena, nostrils flaring, he tilted his chin to the side, motioning her to move, "Get in position."

A short glance was sent Jeremy's way, a warning not to do or say anything stupid as they were on thin ice as it is. Elena walked past her, coming to a stop beside a cauldron, purposely ignoring the unconscious man laying next to it. Alex frowned at the man, why was there only one?

"Don't make that face, love. You think I'm careless enough not to be prepared?" Klaus' voice came directly behind her. He waved a hand and Maddox came out of the woods, dragging a masked man along, "Take this as a present for your family since you'd done so much for me, I thought I'd return the favour."

At that, Maddox removed the mask from the man and Alex froze. The last time she'd seen him he was in the middle of the funeral home, gasping for air. Peter Tennyson was a shelf of who he used to be, he had lost weight, his frame sunk in and fragile. A gust of wind could take him down.

Elena gasped, "Is that..."

She had no pity for him.

Klaus was delighted to see her unforgiving expression, it suited her, "You're welcome." He whispered on her ear, making her stiffen, he turned to Maddox noticing the man was stirring awake, "Do it,"

The witch offered his wrist to the newly awakened vampire who drank hungrily from it, only stopping when Maddox pushed him away. Peter looked around in confusion until he identified all three of the Gilbert siblings.

He got on his knees, pleading as tears fell down his face, "I'm so sorry, I didn't- I," he touched his lips, a shaky covered in blood made him pale. His voice was barely above a whisper, "What's going on?"

"Silencio," Alex ordered, muting his voice, coming to stand in front of the cauldron. Elena's shocked gaze felt on her, like she was the one who hand picked him to be sacrificed. She shook her head at her younger sister, "Not now," she mouthed, sending Elena an encouraging nod.

"Shall we start then?" Klaus asked, his anger now gone, replaced by pure bliss, he handed Alex the moonstone.

It looked so small and insignificant right now as it fell on the cauldron exploding into flames, Klaus got in between Elena and Peter, the latter having to be enclosed in a fire circle, (courtesy of Maddox,) to keep him from escaping. His anguished face distorted with the flames as he struggled to scream, thick veins appearing on his neck and eyes bloodshot. The unconscious man, the werewolf, moaned in pain, a thin layer of sweat coated his body as he contorted in pain, not quite awake yet but his body responding to the moonlight.

Alex voice came strong and even, "Phasmatos Tribum, Salve Sorce Das." She paused to look at Elena, she looked so small and defenceless but still stood bravely, " Phasmatos Eliximo Nominum, Etrinox Sorce Sotero Callux Oxtara."

In a flash, Klaus pounced on the werewolf, one hand ripping into his chest until he stopped moving. Alex felt a shift in the air, a strange energy coursing through her as she continued the incantation, keeping her eyes set in her sister.

Peter came next, Klaus grinned at her before he disappeared, appearing behind Peter's cowering form, his silent pleads were met with indifference as Klaus pushed out of the circle, landing on top of him, giving him no time process what was happening before he suffered the same fate as the man before him.

Now it was just Elena's left. Her voice faltered for a bit when Klaus came to stop behind her sister, a bloodied hand moved the hair away from Elena's neck and her body tensed in preparation. He held her in what could be interpreted as gentle before he bit down her neck.

Elena maintained her eyes on her as little by little they glossed over as the life was drained out of her. Klaus drank hungrily as Elena's hand gripped him as thigh as she could. Tears fell down Alex's face when Elena's eyes closed and her chest stopped moving. He lowered her slowly, a tremor shaking his body.

Blood dripped down his mouth, yellowish eyes shining with euphoria, "I can feel it." He grunted, "It's happening," he said to himself before his body shook again, accompanied by the unmistakable sound of breaking bones. He fell down, leaves crunching under him as he contorted in pain.

Jeremy rushed to Elena's side, carrying her on his arms, his tear strikes face turned to her, "Let's go,"

Alex blinked, still watching Klaus, "Go ahead, I'll be right behind you."

"I'll watch over him," Maddox told her, "You can leave. He'll find you when he needs you."

With his permission, Alex glanced at Klaus one last time as fur started to appear on his skin, nodding goodbye to Maddox, she ran after Jeremy.

Unaware of the two lone figures watching them from a distance.

I'm on a roll and sat down yesterday to write this as soon as I posted the previous chapter.

Finally! We're here! after all of this time! we made it!

Special thanks for reviewing to: insert name here XD, Jamie Gemini (thank for the advice! c:) and musa22lbl.

I'll see you all soon c:

Take care everyone!