Chapter 40: The Sun Also Rises

April 28, 2010

"Klaus." Ellie gasped as she yanked Jenna behind her. "What are you doing here?"

He gave her a look as he replied, "Well darling, it seems I'm short a vampire since Damon Salvatore decided to take mine. I've come to fetch a replacement."

When he gave a pointed look at Jenna, Ellie pushed her farther behind Ellie and out of his line of sight. "No! No way in hell."

"Well, I think it's only fair. I think dear Jenna as the replacement vampire is just right." Klaus drawled. "Come along now, Jenna. I don't have all night."

"No!" Ellie repeated, more forcefully than before.

He clearly didn't like her tone, if the glare he gave her was anything to go by. "If you were anyone else, I'd kill you for that. I'm tempted to do so anyway, little witch." He hissed. "You lot just seem eager to die with the way you keep testing my patience."

"Klaus, please. You're about to kill my sister and we've already lost our parents. My brother needs her." Ellie pleaded.

"So sad. Now come along, Jenna." Klaus said as he gestured for her to come forward. "Either you come out, or I burn this house down and you have no choice but to come out."

"Wait! Wait!" Ellie pleaded and took a dangerous step closer to the door. "Let's make a deal."

That caught his attention, and he turned to focus on her. "Ellie, no." Jenna said quietly as she gripped at Ellie's hand.

"A deal?" Klaus said curiously. "What kind of a deal? What could you offer me that I'd want?"

"Me." Ellie told him. He quirked up an eyebrow at that. "You've never encountered a doppelgänger that was a witch right?" She asked. "That makes me one of a kind. Something unique and possibly irreplaceable. Leave Jenna, and the rest of my friends and family alone, and I'll come with you. Wherever you intend to go."

"Ellie!" Jenna said in panic.

"You'd come with me?" Klaus said, clearly intrigued. "Wherever I went?"

"So long as the rest of my friends and family are safe from you, then yes." Ellie told him. "No one else gets hurt, no one else dies. You do the sacrifice and then we leave." Elijah was going to be furious. This was the exact opposite of trying to keep herself out of danger. But she couldn't let Jenna die. "Think about it. Who knows what kind of benefits there could be from having a doppelgänger witch on your side?"

Klaus observed her for a long moment, and she could feel her heart beating erratically in her chest as she waited for his answer. "You'd really give up everything to keep your aunt alive?"

"Without hesitation." She insisted. There was no need to even think about it before she answered him. She knew it was true. Jenna had been like a big sister to Ellie for her entire life. She'd given up her life as a relatively carefree college stoner to take care of them after their parents, and Jeremy needed some sort of parental figure in his life. She couldn't leave him alone.

"How do I know you're not lying to me?" Klaus asked.

Ellie took a huge risk, and stepped out onto the porch with him. "I give you my word that I'll go with you, so long as you don't hurt my friends or my family and you don't use Jenna as your vampire sacrifice." Ellie said as she smothered her fear and stared him dead in the eye.

Suddenly, Klaus grinned brightly at her. "Well! Seems we have a deal then, darling." He said as he took her hand. "I give you my word that I will not use dear Jenna as my vampire sacrifice and I will not harm your friends or family." He brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed it. "Well, I suppose we have to go get another vampire. Come along."

"One second." Ellie said as she darted back into the house and hugged Jenna as the other woman cried. "It's ok. I'm gonna be ok and so are you, I love you so much." Ellie reminded, pressing the keys of her car into Jenna's hand. "It's at The Grill. Take care of it for me."

Jenna looked distraught. "Ellie…"

"I love you."

"I love you too." Jenna said tearfully and then their hug was ending, and Ellie stepped back onto the porch where Klaus took a hold of her as her hand slipped from Jenna's.

"This is all very touching, but we've got places to be." Klaus said as he pulled her towards his car. "In you go." Once they were in, Ellie felt like she was going to have a panic attack as the silence stretched between them. He kept his eyes peeled for someone to turn and as they came across the hospital, the headlights illuminated what looked to be a homeless woman walking alone. "Suppose she'll do." He said as he pulled over next to her. "Stay in the car." He insisted.

She watched as he got out of the car and struck up a conversation with the woman, looking ever so charming. Then, he'd ripped into his wrist, and shoved the blood into the woman's mouth. Ellie winced as she watched the woman struggle, and tried to not feel guilty about causing this woman's death. However, there was no way she could have stopped the startled cry from watching him snap the woman's neck like it was nothing. "Oh my god." She choked as he slung the woman over his shoulder before dropping her unceremoniously into the backseat.

"What?" He asked in confusion as he returned to the driver's seat. "It's not like you didn't see it coming." He reminded her.

"Doesn't mean I wanted to see it at all." Ellie said softly as she tried to distract herself from catching a glimpse of the corpse in the back.

"Ahh, you'll get used to it, don't worry." He said, as if it were a funny joke. Ellie didn't understand what he was doing when he pulled into the parking lot of Alaric's apartment building. "Now, you're going to go up there, and you're going to stay with Katherine until all of this messy business is over."

"What?" She asked.

He sighed, as if talking to a toddler that didn't understand what no meant. "You, go upstairs. I'm not so cruel as to make you watch your own sister's death. Though, I could be if I change my mind. Last thing I need is for a witch trying to get in my way at the last moment and mess everything up. I mean, wouldn't you just hate to try and save her only to mess everything up and she would die for nothing?" Her face paled. "That's what I thought. Now up you go. And if you try to run, I'll personally rip all of your friends apart, piece by piece."

Ellie felt sick at the image her brain came up with. So, she simply got out of the car and did as she was told. When she reached Alaric's apartment and stumbled inside, Ellie was falling into a full blown panic attack. "Ellie?" Katherine's voice sounded like she was underwater. "Ellie why are you here?"

"He… he was gonna kill her. He came for Jenna." Ellie choked.

Katherine felt guilty. Guiltier than she had in a very long time. She'd never expected Ellie to have such a reaction. "Ellie, I'm so sorry. He made me call her. If I hadn't, he would have killed me." Katherine apologized.

"He killed someone else and I had to watch." Ellie said as she gripped at her chest. She couldn't breathe.

Katherine took her face in her hands, forcing Ellie to look at her. "Ellie, breathe." She insisted. Had Ellie not been a witch, it probably would have worked better. "What do you mean he killed someone else?"

That seemed to snap Ellie out of it a bit. "He… I… I made a deal with Klaus. I'd go with him if he left everyone else alone." Ellie confessed.

"You didn't." Katherine said in shock as she stared at the girl in wide eyed confusion.

"I had to!" Ellie replied. "I know you didn't have a choice in calling her, but Katherine, I didn't have a choice but to save her." Ellie was trying hard to focus on Katherine. The last thing she needed was to destroy Alaric's apartment with her magic from a panic attack. Katherine had a strange look on her face. "Katherine it's not your fault."

Really, Ellie didn't blame her. She knew Katherine would do whatever it took to survive. Klaus would have brutally killed her after he tortured her had she disobeyed. "I'm so sorry." Katherine wondered what it would have been like to have a sibling so fiercely loyal that they'd give their own life to keep her safe. Her father had been a scary man, and she'd had no one to protect her from him. There was only so much that Malina could have done. "I told Damon that I called Jenna."

"They're gonna try and save her." Ellie said in realization. "I have to go, I have to help them."

"Ellie, you can't. If Klaus told you to stay here, and then he finds out you left, there's gonna be consequences." Katherine insisted. "Ellie, he will kill you or worse."

Ellie looked desperate. "I have to at least do something." She said. She jolted slightly when she felt her phone still tucked away in her back pocket. Ellie called Bonnie first, but the witch didn't pick up. She called Jeremy and John, hell she even called Damon, but no one answered. "For fuck's sake this is not the time for all you to have your phones on silent." Ellie cursed.

Desperately, she called Elijah. "Eleanor, where are you?" He asked sharply.

"It's not Jenna!" She nearly shouted.

"What?" Elijah questioned.

"It's not… it's not Jenna! I was at the house when he came. I made a deal, Jenna's safe. Please tell me someone hasn't attempted a rescue mission yet." She begged.

There was a moment of tense silence before he replied. "Stefan has gone to try and barter for Jenna's life. Eleanor what do you mean you made a deal with Klaus?"

"I…"

"Eleanor." His tone was sharper, sharper than anything he'd ever used with her. It made her nervous. She knew he was going to be more than a little pissed at what she'd done.

"Please, Elijah. I didn't have a choice. Jeremy needed a parent in his life. I couldn't stand there and do nothing. What's going on?" Ellie said.

"Bonnie and your brother are going through the grimoires your uncle brought as well as the Gilbert journals he went back to your home to receive. What deal did you make with him?" Elijah all but demanded.

She hesitated, glancing over at Katherine who seemed all too interested in the conversation. "I told him if he let her go, and if he didn't hurt and of my other friends or family, that I would go with him."

"Go with him where?" Elijah asked.

"Wherever he wants me to go."

"You traded your life for theirs?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"You do whatever you have to do for family." Ellie replied. "You shouldn't be surprised that it's a price that I'm willing to pay."

He sighed heavily. "I'm not, but that doesn't mean that I don't think that it was incredibly reckless. Where are you?"

"I'm at Alaric's apartment with Katherine." Ellie told him. "Elijah, how long does a werewolf stay in transition?"

"A werewolf's first transition is typically his longest. We can't be sure if the same rules apply to a hybrid, but I would assume so. Why?"

Ellie looked back over at Katherine, who was shaking her head in disapproval. "Klaus told me to stay at the apartment. I've got time to get there and help however I can."

"That could be very dangerous." Elijah warned.

"See! He's smart, Ellie. You should listen to him." Katherine encouraged.

"If something happens, and Klaus survives, this could be my last chance to say goodbye to my family." Ellie told them both softly. "I've already done one thing you disagree with, this is just going to have to be one more."

Ellie did something that she'd never been so reckless to do before. She hung up on him. "Are you insane?" Katherine asked. "You can't just… Ellie, no. I won't let you."

"Please don't." Ellie pleaded.

When Katherine tried to rush her, Ellie's hand flew up, pinning the vampire in place without hurting her. "Ellie, come back here!" Katherine demanded.

"I will be back, after I go help them." Ellie said. Once she was out of Katherine's range, she released her hold on the vampire and dialed another number.

"Ellie?" Jenna asked.

"I need you to come get me from Ric's. I only have so much time before I have to be back here so Klaus doesn't know and we need to get to Jeremy." Ellie said in a rush.

"I'm on my way. I'll be there as fast as I can." Jenna said and Ellie made her way downstairs, ignoring the fact that both Elijah and Katherine were probably going to have something to say about her recklessness.

Ellie was pacing in front of the apartment complex when she saw the headlights of her car speeding towards her. "Thank god. We gotta move fast." Ellie said as she slid into the seat. Jenna followed the directions Ellie gave her with ease, not questioning it as they drove further into the woods.

Jenna felt like she was going to be sick. If this didn't work, and Klaus didn't die, she just lost one of her nieces to a psychopath. A psychopath that was going to end up being totally immortal with no real way to kill him that wouldn't get other people killed as well. God, what would Miranda say if she knew that Jenna let this happen? She was supposed to protect these kids, and yet somehow Ellie managed to basically sign away her whole life while Jenna could do nothing but stand there and watch. When they arrived, Ellie was out of the car before it was even parked.

"Jenna, come on." Ellie called as they rushed towards the house.

"What is this place?" Jenna asked.

"It's that house where all those witches were killed, including Emily." Ellie explained.

"The girl that was like Katherine's maid, servant, whatever?" Jenna asked.

"Mmhmm, she's also a witch and Bonnie's ancestor. This house has a lot of witch mojo in it. They're using it to make Bonnie stronger." Ellie told her as they made their way in the house.

Alaric was the first to notice them, and Ellie watched the emotions as they ran across his face. He was shocked, and then it looked like he wasn't sure to believe his eyes. Then, something in him cracked, and he rushed to Jenna and pulled her into his hold. "Oh thank god." His voice broke as he held her. "Damon said… I thought you… Jenna I thought I lost you."

Jenna was holding him back just as tightly. They were both crying, and it helped ease some of the panic that was eating away at Ellie. Alaric had already lost his wife, it would have been a lethal blow for him to lose the woman he loved. "I'm ok." She told him and Ellie watched as Jenna desperately grasped at the fabric of Alaric's shirt, trying to pull him closer.

When he pulled back slightly, he cupped Jenna's face carefully. "I love you so much." He said it with so much sincerity that Ellie's eyes watered. If nothing else went the way it was supposed to, then at least she did this right.

"I love you too." Jenna replied and when he leaned down to kiss her, Ellie made her exit to give them some privacy.

Elijah was the next person she came across. "Elijah." She said softly, and he turned to face her.

It was clear that he was angry with her. "How could you be so reckless?" He asked as he made his way towards her.

"I couldn't let her die." Ellie told him calmly. She would not apologize for that. "Besides, if Klaus is going to be dead soon, then it doesn't matter what deal I made with him, and I still saved Jenna's life." Elijah made a face, and she knew he realized that she was right. He was about to kill Klaus, so the deal she made didn't matter. "It's going to be over soon, right?"

Elijah swallowed his frustration as he observed her. She was messing with Isobel's necklace again. It seemed to be a habit she'd developed when she was nervous. Even though he didn't like it, she was right. Once Klaus was dead, the deal she made with him wouldn't matter. "It is." He finally said. "It seems Bonnie and Damon are ready for us to go."

She followed him out into the hall and pulled Bonnie into a tight hug. "Please, please be careful." Ellie pleaded. "I'd hate to have to drag your ass out of the afterlife just to fight you for being stupid."

Bonnie laughed slightly as she hugged Ellie back. "I'll be safe I promise." She assured her. "Everything's going to be fine, I know it."

Ellie hoped she was right. "I love you, be safe."

"I love you too." Bonnie replied. "John is with Jeremy downstairs, please help him understand that it wasn't safe for him to go."

"I will." Ellie said.

She kept a hold on Bonnie as they walked towards the door. Damon paused at the sight of Jenna wrapped safely in Alaric's arms. "Jenna?" Bonnie said in surprise.

Damon immediately turned to look at Ellie. "As if I'd let him take her." Ellie said simply.

"What did you do?" Damon asked in confusion.

She could see that Bonnie was a bit worried, understandably so. "Don't worry about it. I'll tell you about it when this is over." She assured her. She didn't need the added pressure on Bonnie if the other witch knew that Ellie's life was kind of on the line.

"It's time." Elijah announced to Alaric and the other man moved to follow the rest of them.

"I got the weapons in the car." Alaric said as they walked.

"Bonnie's the only weapon we need." Elijah replied. Ellie wasn't surprised when a barrier came up that didn't allow Alaric to pass through.

Alaric grunted as he hit the barrier. "Bonnie! Ellie! What is this?" He called as they stopped.

"I can't put anyone else at risk." Bonnie replied.

"I can't just stay here when Elena and Stefan are out there!" Alaric demanded.

"I'm sorry." Bonnie apologized.

"You can't do this! Damon?" Alaric asked.

"Sorry, buddy. She's right." Damon replied.

Ellie hugged Bonnie one last time before releasing her. "Give him hell." Ellie said instead of saying goodbye. Bonnie nodded and Ellie stepped back as they walked away. She shared one last look at Elijah, before they both turned away from one another and Ellie made her way back into the house.

"Ellie! You can't seriously be letting them go without us?" Alaric demanded as Jenna walked over.

She sighed as she stepped back into the house. "Bonnie has got an insane amount of power in her corner right now, and Elijah is literally an Original. If they can't take down Klaus on their own, there's not much we could do to help them." Ellie explained. When he looked like he was going to protest she added, "If we go, that's just two more people for them to be worried about getting killed. They'll be more focused if we aren't there."

"It's safer for us here." Jenna stepped in, and she watched as Ellie relaxed a bit. "We just have to wait a while."

"But what about Elena? She'll be a vampire." Alaric asked.

"No, she won't." John replied as he made his appearance.

That was the best news he could have announced. "Bonnie figured out a spell to use?" Ellie asked in relief.

"Yes. There were entries in Jonathan Gilbert's journals confirming that the spell she used will work as it's supposed to. Elena will come back to life, just as she was before." He confirmed. "What took you so long to get here?" He questioned.

Ellie shot a pleading look at Jenna before telling him, "Just had some stuff I needed to get done before we came."

Thankfully, Jenna didn't call her out on her lie. "Jeremy's asleep downstairs, it'll probably be a bit before he wakes up."

Jenna made a face at John. "He's asleep? With everything that's going on?" She asked.

"Bonnie had to… subdue him because he wanted to go with her. She was doing it to keep him safe." John replied. Ellie understood what he meant. There was no way that Jeremy would have let Bonnie go without him being there with her. He was way too protective for that. "Ellie, do you think you could come with me? There's something we need to talk about."

Ellie shot Alaric and Jenna a look of confusion, but neither of them seemed to know what was up. "Yeah." She agreed and followed him into a room with an old looking couch. They both sat and Ellie frowned at his expression, "What's going on?"

To her surprise, he reached out and took a hold of her hands. "The spell that Bonnie performed, it's not one of the ones you'd marked. She looked at those, but when we found a spell that Jonathan Gilbert confirmed in his journals to be successful, we decided to go with that one. We couldn't take any chances with Elena's life."

"That makes sense, but what is it?" Ellie asked as she squeezed his hand. "There's something you're not telling me."

He sighed before he confessed, "The spell works by saving Elena's soul. Nature needs balance so…"

It took a moment before she asked, "A soul for a soul?" His expression spoke volumes, "Who's soul?"

"Mine."

A flood of emotions overwhelmed her, leaving her feeling sick. "You're the only parent we have left." She said softly.

"Parents aren't supposed to outlive their children, Ellie." John replied. "There is a lot of stuff that I have done wrong when it comes to taking care of the two of you. All I ever wanted was to give you two the opportunity to grow up normally. Grayson will always be your dad, he was always a better dad than I could have ever hoped to be, but I love you and Elena just as much as he did."

The familiar longing that came with the mention of dead parents was now accompanied by the new grief of losing John. "We know you love us, John. I hope you know that. We love you too. You did the best you knew how to do." She told him. "Ever since Isobel died, I've been so grateful for the time that we've gotten together. Honestly, I thought you would have been disappointed in me for being a witch."

"I've never been disappointed in you, Ellie." John replied with such sincerity that she had no choice but to believe him. "In everything that Isobel had learned about Katherine and her family, she'd never really found anything to indicate that they'd been witches, so I was surprised. But vampires aren't natural, they aren't supposed to exist. Witches however, have always existed, since the beginning of humanity. I don't despise witches, and I would have never been disappointed in you for being one."

"I thought you hated supernatural creatures." Ellie said.

"Most of that hate is just for vampires. They are the thing that our family has always fought against. But our family has also known witches and worked with them, like Emily." John told her. "Ellie, I'm so proud of how hard you've worked to be able to protect your siblings. Grayson and Miranda would be so proud of you, of who you are now. I hope you never forget that."

Ellie's vision blurred as the tears came unbridled. She turned into him, and shook in his embrace. "I don't want you to die." She told him as she sniffled.

Her reaction wasn't what he'd expected in the slightest. They'd spent a good deal of time together since he found out she was a witch, but he'd never expected for her to care so much. "I'll always watch over you and Elena. And I know it's hard, and I wish there was another way, but this is what I have to do. This is what a parent is supposed to be willing to do for their child."

She held onto him for a long time as she tried to come to terms with what she'd been told. Bonnie was already gone, which meant the spell was already cast. Even if there was something that Ellie could do, John wouldn't let her. Life wasn't fair. It was so god awfully unfair that Ellie wanted to scream until her lungs gave out. What had she ever done to lose all four of her parents in tragic deaths? "Does Jeremy know?" Ellie finally asked.

"Not yet." John replied. "I'll tell him, don't worry." There was no way that she was going to stop worrying. She was holding onto her last parent, someone who was about to become another body that they had to bury. Another loved one lost.


Bonnie's spell ended up being so strong that Jeremy had slept through the night. He was the only one that slept. The rest of them were anxious, and Ellie felt the pull of the witches she had spent so much time with brewing in the house. They were ready to take down Klaus. Ellie had stayed glued to John's side, desperate to spend as much time with him as she could manage. She wasn't sure if it made her better or worse knowing that she was spending so much time with him as his time ran out.

Something had happened when the moon was still out. Ellie had felt the pull of the witches. She felt drained as if she too had been channeled. Emily told her nothing of what had happened. Ellie wasn't even sure if Emily knew. The sun had risen, and no one knew where the others were. They'd not seen or heard from Stefan or Bonnie or Damon. Anxiety was eating away at Ellie's insides. Had something gone wrong? All she knew was that Elena had not come back yet, or John wouldn't be beside her writing away on that letter of his.

He had explained that it was his letter to Elena, explaining what had happened. Ellie was not above admitting that she'd spent a great deal of the night crying. When John had explained to Jenna what he'd done, he'd been surprised that she too dissolved into tears and held him tightly. The two girls had not left his side since then. "We should have heard from them by now." Alaric sighed. They all knew he was right, but they had no answer for him.

"Did you read all this?" Jeremy asked. Ellie turned from where she'd been watching John to look at her brother who was staring intently at the words written in Jonathan Gilbert's journal.

"I did." John confessed.

"So you understand what happened to the child's mother after the baby was brought back to life." Jeremy said.

John didn't look at him as he replied, "She saved her daughter. She found peace."

"John…" Jeremy started, but he trailed off.

Ellie felt a knot in her throat as her emotions threatened to go out of control. John stood and walked over to Jeremy, handing him the letter he'd written. "I need you to give this to Elena for me. And also this." They watched as John pulled off his ring and passed it to the younger Gilbert.

"Oh hey, what's going on?" Alaric asked softly. His gaze shifted to the two girls in the room, and he noticed how red their eyes were. Ellie's hand was shaking in Jenna's.

John sighed heavily and Ellie's lips trembled as he looked between her, Jeremy, and Jenna. "Take care of each other. Please."

Ellie felt like she was going to be sick, but she didn't get the chance to react. A door squeaked open and Alaric said, "I think they're here." He and Jeremy rushed up the stairs, but Ellie and Jenna lingered behind.

"John…" Ellie said softly, her voice cracking.

There were a million emotions clear in his eyes. "You should go be up there with Elena when she wakes up." He replied.

She was hugging him like her life depended on it so fast he hadn't even registered she'd moved. "I love you so much." She said, and he could feel his shirt becoming damp with her tears.

"I love you too, Ellie. You need to go upstairs. This isn't something you need to be here for." John said as he blinked back his own tears. Jenna was the only one that saw how watery his eyes became. She joined the hug between the father and daughter as she tried to process how much worse this would have been for the kids if she'd died too. John held them tightly as he tried to reign in his emotions. At least he could die knowing that his daughters loved him, and that he died saving his child. And at least he'd get to see his brother again soon. "Jenna, please, take Ellie upstairs to check on Elena."

Jenna understood what he was trying to do, and as much as she didn't want to, she knew it would be traumatic to witness this. "Ellie come on, we need to check on Elena." Jenna said softly. Ellie whimpered, and John pressed one last kiss to her head before he let her go. Jenna had to force Ellie to move and tried hard not to cry as she felt her niece trembling. The two of them made it into the room where Damon was kneeling next to Elena's body. "How is she?" Jenna asked.

"I don't know yet." Damon replied. Ellie took a hold of Jeremy's hand and squeezed tightly. She prayed desperately to whoever was listening, and as if on cue, Elena gasped violently, shooting up. "Elena?" Damon asked as Jeremy and Ellie jerked towards their sister.

"What happened?" Elena asked in a shaky voice. She was breathless, and panting heavily.

"How do you feel?" Damon asked.

"I feel fine." The tension drained out of Damon's body at her response. Ellie was openly crying at that point, and dropped down to her knees as she pulled Elena to her. Elena hugged her back with as much strength as she could. "Ellie what happened? What's going on?"

She pulled back and held Elena's face in her hands as she stared at the twin she'd come so close to losing. Her emotions were overwhelming her, and even Damon seemed to realize that Ellie was struggling to handle it. Elena looked so confused as Ellie rested her forehead against her twins. No one said anything as they let Ellie gather herself. Finally, she confessed, "Elena, John's gone."

It was a blur from the time she'd told Elena what had happened. She let Stefan and Damon handle getting everything prepared for John's funeral. In the midst of her grief, she did not dare ask what happened with the sacrifice. Caroline had been at Ellie's side faster than she'd ever been before and held Ellie as her grief consumed her. Ellie had never been so grateful for Caroline as she'd been in that moment. Caroline had helped her dress, and was there for Ellie as she alternated between feeling nothing and feeling too much of everything.

Once she was ready, she'd stayed wrapped in Jenna's embrace as they waited to go. When they arrived at the cemetery, Ellie held on to Jeremy so tightly she was afraid she'd bruise him, but she could not bear to let him go. Caroline was right behind them, and Ellie could feel the touch of her friend, reassuring her that she was still right there.

She nearly hesitated in her approach to the graves, and her emotions made her feel like she was drowning all over again. But this time, there was no sweet release as the darkness consumed her. No, this time, she would not be allowed to give into the water. Someone had gotten a thing of roses, and Ellie was given three of them. She eyed the fresh dirt of John's grave and tried desperately to push away her pain.

Elena was the first to lay down a rose, and Ellie followed her lead. When she noticed how Elena's shoulders shook, Ellie broke away from her brother. The twins wrapped themself around each other as they tried to process their emotions. Jeremy and Jenna joined them a second later, and for a moment, their little family forgot everyone else around them. As people began to separate, Damon and Stefan were standing several yards away. Alaric was giving the family space, and Bonnie and Caroline were waiting for them.

She didn't want to lose anyone else. She wasn't sure if they could handle it. The only thing that Ellie could pray for now is that Klaus was dead and this was over.


Author's Note:

Hey guys, as always thanks for reading and please leave a review and let me know your thoughts! Also did I cry a little bit while writing this chapter, yes, yes I did.

To IrisTurner: I'm definitely considering a Kol/Ellie AU, but I haven't yet decided. I totally agree that Elena is worse than Katherine, and a large part of it comes from her acting like she's so innocent. It always pleases me when she gets a taste of her own medicine.

To peaxchyhearts: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Did you see Ellie's deal coming?

To xenocanaan: You should have known by now I would have never let Jenna die. I like her too much lol.

To PhenioxMaster: Your wish has been granted. Jenna survives the sacrifice!

To Daynesky: Thanks for letting me know! Ellie wasn't there for the actual sacrifice bit, but I hope you liked this chapter!

To The Cloud Princess: I'm really considering it! But for now I'll focus on this story, but it's possible there will be a Kol AU.

To RiRi: Ye of little faith, Jenna was never in danger. Heaven knows the Gilberts needed a stable parent in their life, I couldn't let her die. Alaric really needs to get it together, he never once really parented them. Honestly if Elena keeps it up it wouldn't surprise me either. I don't feel bad for Elena either. Honestly after the whole sacrifice nonsense, she should have told them that she didn't want to be involved in vampire business and broken up with them instead of stringing them along. I haven't written it yet, but it'll probably be brought up at some point.

To Guest: It'll definitely get to the Originals at some point, it'll just be a while.

To MarieBarnes: It means so much when someone tells me this is one of their favorite fics, so thank you so much! I agree that they do fit together well. He really did get away with way too much. It's not even that I don't like Damon, it's just that he never had to really answer for any of the bad things he did. The more people are all for a Kol AU the more my brain begs me to write it. If I were to do a Kol version should I start all over at the pilot or somewhere else? He definitely deserved more than he got in the original show.

To PikachuHeather: Ellie threatening Damon is so much fun to write. It's not like he doesn't have it coming lol. Ellie and Katherine's dynamic is so much fun to write oh my gosh I love them.

To : Thank you so much! It means a lot to know that this story is someone's favorite! When I first started writing it, one of the things I'd always intended was for someone to be upfront with Elena and Damon, I feel like you don't see it enough in fics. Don't worry, Jenna has survived the sacrifice! You'll definitely get to see more Katherine and Ellie. Kol is going to be so much fun to write. In my writing I've almost reached the part where the Originals are undaggered and I'm so excited. A Kol AU is very tempting. Don't worry, your English is great! If you hadn't said anything, I wouldn't have known you were a native speaker.

To Guest(2): I'm glad fanfic is working again too. I'm definitely considering the Kol AU. I could definitely see her thinking he was hot, but not doing anything about it because he's an Original and a little unhinged lol. it would definitely be interesting to see how her character would change from being in love with Kol instead of Elijah. Don't worry, there's enough love triangles in TVD, Ellie won't be in one.

To Mimi: Bro, Katherine and Kol would definitely make an interesting brotp. I think if Kol fell for her but didn't do anything because of Elijah would honestly be a really good brother move of him. She definitely still hates him. Like, she's willing to work with him to keep the people she loves safe, but she's definitely not forgotten all the crap he's done. They really should have just left the others out of their drama, but of course they never do.

To Kiwire: Thank you so much!

To lolistarkiller: Don't worry, Jenna has survived the sacrifice! Ellie absolutely needs her. Honestly, I think if Jenna had died, Ellie would have broken down. But I promise, Jenna is safe.

to afralmazouei: I know I don't often do cliffhangers, but that one was necessary lol. You were right! Jenna survives the night! Bro Jenna being a badass vampire hunter is a really cool thought! I do have plans for Jenna and Alaric's relationship and when it will or won't end. When I wrote that, the big thing in my mind was that Ellie will do whatever it takes to protect her family, even if it means working with Damon. This chapter was the sacrifice, though Ellie wasn't there when it happened. Thank you for enjoying my story! Love you too!

To Oz: You will definitely get more moments where she doesn't take Damon's bs. I doubt that'll go away any time soon. I know, but the daggering was necessary, we'll get them back eventually though. I love writing her with Katherine too. Exactly! The moment everything with the sacrifice was over, Elena should have gone back to being a normal girl and left the vampire stuff alone.

To Tanisha Rai: Thank you so much! That means a lot to me. I'm glad you like Katherine's characterisation and her and Ellie's relationship.

To AdiraBraelynn: Oh my gosh, I'm so glad you like the way it's written! I can't believe you enjoyed it enough to binge read it multiple times! I know! I don't often leave it on a cliffhanger, but this time it was necessary, the wait is over though and I hope you liked this chapter! Oh yes, it's very unlikely that Ellie will ever pander to their bs, they got away with way too much. I've always loved Elijah too. Honestly the Originals as a whole tend to be my favorites.

To FreakingLEM: Please let me know if you were ever able to read the latest chapters!

-Madame Magic

Posted: 11/14/20