Chapter 41: As I Lay Dying
May 1, 2010
The last couple of days had been incredibly hard for Ellie. When Bonnie had revealed that Klaus was still alive, Ellie felt like she'd suffered a blow so violent it took her breath away. Other than Jenna, Stefan was the first person to find out that Ellie had made a deal with Klaus. Elena and Jeremy still didn't know. She couldn't bear to tell them. It had taken a near endless stream of calls to get Elijah to finally answer. He'd been reluctant to confirm that he'd in fact spared Klaus. When he'd revealed that Klaus had apparently not buried his siblings at sea, she understood exactly why he'd done what he did. He hadn't believed her when she told him that she understood.
Elijah had told her that Klaus was still a wolf, even in the day. It gave her time to have a little bit more time with her family. She knew that her deal with Klaus would be a heavy blow to Elena and Jeremy. Even though it was cowardly, she couldn't bring herself to tell them face to face what she'd done. So she took a page from John's book, and wrote them both letters. She wasn't sure if they'd forgive her for this, but she had to.
He promised he'd tell her when Klaus shifted back, so that she could get back to Alaric's apartment. Elijah hated that she'd made the promise, but he told her that he would not let her get hurt because Klaus thought she broke her word. Ellie wasn't sure how much longer she had with everyone, so when Elena and Caroline both insisted that going to watch Gone With The Wind was a great idea, she agreed.
The twins had to practically drag Jeremy out of the house, and had cheered when he'd given into them. It had been so so long since the three of them had really spent time together, and it felt so nice. He had complained when Jenna didn't come with them. He had asked why she got out of the stupid movie day. Ellie had smugly replied because he was the baby and had to do what Ellie said. Elena had laughed when he shoved the two of them away.
"Are we sure this is a good idea?" Jeremy groaned as Ellie pulled him by the hand into the town square. She was somewhat surprised to see the amount of people that were dressed up in period clothing.
"It's an absolutely amazing idea." Ellie confirmed.
When Jeremy saw the banner hanging up, displaying the name of the movie, Jeremy scoffed and said, "You brought me to see a girl movie."
"We had to get out of the house, Jer." Elena replied. "This is our three hour distraction from reality."
"Is that what we're doing? Pretending like our lives aren't screwed?" Jeremy asked.
"We need to do this, ok? Breathe, eat, sleep, wake up, and do it all over again until one day, it's just not as hard anymore." Elena replied as she and Jeremy unfolded the blanket to lay on the grass.
The tension between the siblings was a touch too heavy for Ellie's liking, so she added, "Plus, watching Caroline react to the movie is probably better than the movie on it's own. So if you get bored, just watch Caroline. That's what I do." Ellie paused before warning him. "But don't tell her I said that. This movie is like her religion."
"Hey! There you guys are!" Caroline said excitedly as she approached holding two baskets. "Who's hungry?" She asked as she set the baskets down.
"Are we really doing this?" Jeremy asked again as he made a face.
"Yes, we are really doing this." Caroline replied immediately. "We are going to take a page from Scarlett. We made it through the war. I know you guys went through hell, and my mom knows I am a vampire, so basically, it's like Atlanta has burned. And yet, in spite of everything, we persevere." Caroline said with a dramatic raising of her fist.
Ellie gave him an over dramatic glare as she tacked on, "Plus, if you keep being grumpy, I can and will magically tie your shoelaces together and watch you face plant."
Jeremy couldn't help but laugh as he dropped down next to Caroline. "You're a witch and the scariest threat you can come up with is tying my shoelaces together?"
She rolled her eyes and confirmed, "I could do much worse, but I'd hate to mess up that darling little face."
He made a face at her before smiling. "Alright, what are we eating?"
"Something good." Caroline promised as Elena tossed Jeremy a wrapped up sandwich.
As Caroline started unpacking the food, Ellie pulled out her phone to check and see if she had any messages. To her surprise, she had several missed calls from Stefan. She spared a glance at Elena, but Elena didn't seem aware that Stefan had tried to reach her. "Uh, hang on, I have a missed call." Ellie said as she pushed herself off of the ground and pressed on the dial button to ring him back. She walked a bit away from the group as the call finally connected. "Stefan?" She said softly. She really didn't want Caroline to overhear, in case it was about Klaus. As cowardly as it was, Stefan was really the only one that knew other than Jenna.
"Ellie, hey." Stefan replied.
"I just saw the missed calls, is something going on?" Ellie asked worriedly as she glanced at her family.
"I just needed some witch help, but Bonnie agreed to help me." Stefan informed her.
She frowned. "Witch help with what? What's going on?"
He didn't answer right away, but eventually he said, "I needed to talk to Emily Bennett. Bonnie's going to help me. Are you with Elena right now?"
"Yeah, I am. We're at the town square to watch Gone With The Wind. Do you want me to put her on?"
"No, no, I just wanted to know where she was. If we manage to get in contact with Emily, I'm probably going to swing by to tell Elena what's going on." Stefan replied.
"So something is going on?" She deduced.
He sighed on the other end of the line before replying, "Yeah, it's complicated but I'll tell you and Elena as soon as I figure something out. Just, please stay with Elena until then."
She knew she should probably tell him that she would have to leave as soon as Elijah sent her a message, but whatever was going on seemed to really be stressing Stefan out. Instead, she replied, "Yeah, of course. Stay safe, Stefan."
Once Stefan replied to the sentiment, he hung up the phone and she returned to the others. Caroline smiled at her brightly as she passed the other girl a cookie that she'd made. "Who was it?" Caroline asked curiously as she took a sip of water.
Her genuine expression was more than enough confirmation that the other girl hadn't heard anything. "It was just Jenna, she just wanted to make sure that we'd locked the door on our way out." Ellie lied. The lie felt heavy on her tongue, but she brushed it aside. Something was going on, something important enough for Stefan to reach out to both her and Bonnie for help. Stefan had never reached out to Ellie for help first, and she couldn't imagine that he would do it lightly. Not right after John had died.
But he promised that he would tell them what was going on as soon as he talked to Emily. She was well aware that the ghost had issues with Stefan and Damon from what had happened when they were human and she was alive. So she didn't think that it was going to go flawlessly, but she hoped it did.
It was sometime later when Ellie finally spotted Stefan approaching them. He was smiling, but Ellie knew from the way he'd sounded earlier that something was wrong. "Hey." He greeted as he stopped at their blanket.
"Hey." Elena replied as she and Caroline smiled up at him. "Look who couldn't resist an epic romance." She teased playfully.
Stefan crouched down to Elena's level and asked, "Will you come take a walk with me?"
Elena cocked her head to the side, looking at him curiously. "Yeah, sure." She agreed and allowed him to pull her to her feet. "I'll be right back guys."
Caroline and Ellie watched as they walked away. "I wonder what that's all about." Caroline commented and she casually tucked her hair behind her ear as she tried to listen in on their conversation. "There's too many conversations going on, I can't hear them." She sighed in defeat. The sun would be setting soon, and just as Ellie started to wonder if Klaus was going to spend yet another night as a wolf, her phone vibrated with an incoming text.
We are headed to Alaric's. Do not let him beat you there.
Ellie jolted as the anxiety settled back in. "I have to go." Ellie told them suddenly as she stood.
"What? The movie's gonna start soon." Caroline protested.
"Hey! You don't get to bail. If I'm watching the chick flick, you're watching the chick flick." Jeremy added.
She sighed as she looked at her brother and best friend. She had to come up with something fast. "I left the straightener plugged in next to the hand towel. The last thing we need is the house catching on fire because I did something stupid." Ellie lied. If she told them where she was going, they'd try and stop her.
"Are you sure you left it on?" Caroline asked.
"Yeah. I'll be back soon, I just have to go unplug it." She hated how easy the lies came.
Caroline frowned but nodded. "Ok. Hopefully you make it back before the movie starts."
"I'll see you guys later." Another lie. She stood, and walked towards Stefan as Elena walked away from him. "What's going on?"
Stefan looked at her and sighed heavily. "When you and Damon rescued Caroline and Tyler, Tyler accidentally nipped him."
That was not what she was expecting. "He what?" It made sense suddenly, why Stefan had been desperate to reach Emily. He was looking for a solution. "Did Emily give you what you were looking for?" She didn't like Damon, really at all, but he was Stefan's brother and she liked Stefan.
"They didn't want to give us help, but they gave Bonnie a name." Stefan explained. "Klaus."
Ellie immediately understood his plan. She'd done the exact same thing for Jenna. "You're going to make a deal."
He nodded. "If I can find Klaus."
"You're in luck. I'm headed to Alaric's now. Klaus and Elijah are on their way and I have to beat them there." Ellie replied and she tugged him along after her as she headed to her car.
"You've been in contact with Elijah?" Stefan asked as he followed her.
They slid into their seats as she nodded. "He was trying to give me as much time as possible with my family." When she noticed his expression, which was darker than she was used to from him, she said, "He did the same thing we're trying to do, protect our family."
"He screwed us over." Stefan shot back.
"He just wanted to save his family." Ellie replied.
"And now you're stuck with Klaus." He reminded her.
"I know that Stefan." She groaned as she tried to rub her headache away. "But unless you know for a fact that you would have made a decision other than what he made in his position, how are you one to judge?" She understood why he was angry, but she also understood Elijah. If she thought that Elena had killed Jeremy, and then discovered that there was a chance to save him, even if it meant betraying someone else, she'd do it. Family comes first. Both she and Stefan understood that.
If Stefan hadn't cared about Damon as much as he did, he wouldn't be doing everything in his power to save his dying brother. Even after Damon killed his best friend and who knew how many more awful things Damon had done to Stefan, Stefan was still willing to risk it because he loved him. She respected Stefan for it. Even though she kind of hated Damon and wasn't sure she'd be all torn up about it if Damon were to die, she would help Stefan save him if she could. She was speeding slightly, worried that Klaus would somehow beat her there. "Are you ok?" Stefan asked her.
He was aware that other than Jenna, he seemed to be the only one that knew about the deal she'd made to save her aunt. Stefan knew they hadn't spent much time together, but he was worried about what was going to happen to her. "Not in the slightest." She replied honestly. There was no use in lying to him, and it wasn't like he could stop her from going. "But I've made my bed and now I have to lie in it."
The rest of the ride passed by in silence, and Stefan could hear the erratic beating of her heart. She was terrified, but they knew if he tried to help her, a lot of people would probably end up dead. When they arrived, they quickly made their way upstairs to Alaric's apartment. It was unlocked, and Stefan made sure to go in first. "Hello, Katherine." He greeted her as they entered. Luckily, Klaus and Elijah hadn't made it back yet.
"Two days, I've been waiting." Katherine said impatiently as she stood up. "I'm supposed to be free of Klaus' compulsion by now." Ellie felt a rush of guilt as she realized that she hadn't told Katherine that Klaus hadn't died. "He's supposed to be dead."
"We ran into complications." Stefan informed her.
"Complications?" Katherine asked.
"Doesn't really matter. I just need to find him." Stefan replied as he stepped closer to her. "Do you have any idea where he might be?"
In an instant, Katherine had pulled them both farther away from the door. Ellie was somewhat amused to see the way Katherine had pushed up against Stefan, holding a finger up to her lips to silence them. "Klaus, you're back." Katherine said without looking away from Stefan. The three of them stepped into view. "Look who decided to come for a visit." Katherine said.
Ellie felt both a rush of relief at seeing Elijah, and a ball of panic forming at the sight of Klaus. "You just keep popping up, don't you?" Klaus asked Stefan with an amused smile as Elijah closed the door. "Good thing you've kept your word, love, I would have hated to kill all your friends and family for acting recklessly. Katerina remembers what that's like, don't you Katerina?"
She tensed at the dig towards Katherine and as subtly as she could, placed a reassuring hand against Katherine's back, out of sight of the men in the room. "I need your help." Stefan confessed. "For my brother."
"Well, whatever it is, he's gonna have to wait a tick. You see I have an obligation to my brother that requires my immediate attention." Klaus said and Ellie dropped her hand away from Katherine as he walked towards them.
"You understand how important family is, or you wouldn't be here." Elijah said as he walked towards Stefan. "My brother gave me his word that he would reunite me with my own."
"And so I shall." Klaus said from behind Elijah. When had he gotten behind Elijah?
Elijah yelled as the dagger plunged deep into his heart, and Ellie couldn't stop the panicked scream that tore from her throat. "Elijah!" Katherine held her back from going towards the brothers, and even Stefan threw out a hand in warning. Ellie could hear the blood rushing in her ears as she watched Elijah's skin turn that same unnatural grey he'd been before.
He dropped to the ground, blood staining his shirt and the next thing she knew, Klaus had Stefan pinned to the wall with a hand around his throat. "Now, what am I gonna do with you?" It was another split second later that Klaus had plunged a piece of wood into Stefan's chest. Katherine's hand shook slightly but she pulled Ellie farther away from the two men until they were practically hidden away from their line of sight. "Do you feel that?" Klaus asked as Stefan groaned in pain. "It's scraping against your heart. The slightest little movement, and you're dead."
"He's just trying to help his brother." Katherine said softly, tentatively, as if she were afraid to test the waters of what she was allowed to say.
"The witches said you had a cure." Stefan groaned. He pulled himself upright enough to stare at Klaus. "Make me a deal. Just give me the cure, and I'll do whatever you want." Klaus ripped out the wood, but Katherine refused to let Ellie go to Stefan as he collapsed to the ground.
"Trouble is I don't know if you'd be any good to me." Klaus said casually, as if his brother weren't lying dead on the floor. "The way you are now. You are just shy of useless." With the way Katherine had a grip on Ellie, she knew the vampire was absolutely scared out of her mind. It was clear to Ellie that Katherine wanted to help Stefan, but she didn't want to die either. The two of them watched as Klaus poured the contents of a blood bag into a whiskey glass and he strolled over and knelt at Stefan's height. "I heard about this one vampire, crazy bloke, always on and off the wagon for decades. When he was off, he was magnificent. 1917, he went into Monterey, and wiped out an entire migrant village. A true Ripper. Sound familiar?"
Stefan looked ashamed. "I haven't been that way in a very long time."
"Well, that's the vampire I can make a deal with." Klaus replied. "That is the kind of talent that I can use when I leave this town." As Stefan managed to stand, Klaus held out a hand. "Katerina, come here." She and Ellie moved together, and Ellie watched nervously as Katherine put her hand in Klaus'.
Ellie flinched when he sunk his fangs into Katherine's wrist and her hands flew up to try and free Katherine. "No, no!" Katherine cried as he finally released her. She just kept repeating no to herself as she stared in horror at the bite on her wrist. Before the two girls could really start to panic, Klaus bit into his own wrist and shoved the bloody wrist into Katherine's mouth. She had no choice but to drink and when he pulled away she wiped her mouth, but her breathing started to slow as the wound healed.
"You want your cure?" Klaus asked. "There it is."
"Your blood is the cure." Stefan said as Klaus wiped his mouth.
"Gotta love Mother Nature." Klaus said sarcastically. "Now, let's talk, you and I." Katherine led her to go sit on the couch as the two men stood at the counter. Klaus dragged a dagger across his palm, the blood spilling into a small bottle. "There it is." Klaus finally said once the bottle was filled enough. "You want to save your brother? How bout a decade long bender? You know I have big plans for you when we leave this town."
"I'm not like that anymore." Stefan denied.
"Well that's too bad." Klaus said. "You would have made a hell of a wingman."
Klaus started to pour the blood down the drain and Stefan quickly said, "Wait."
"Now that's more like it." Klaus said smugly. "I want you to join me for a drink." He slid Stefan a blood bag and Ellie shared a worried look with Katherine. Why did Klaus want Stefan to lose it so badly? Stefan ripped off the cap and took a sip when Klaus added, "Finish it. All of it." When Stefan didn't immediately comply, Klaus explained, "You do everything I say, and I save your brother. That's the deal." Stefan hesitated for just a moment before downing the rest of the blood bag. Once it was gone, Klaus slid him another. "Again."
Ellie wasn't sure how long she'd sat with Katherine on that couch, as silently as they could, watching Klaus force Stefan to drink blood bag after blood bag. Stefan was slowly starting to look more and more unhinged, almost animalistic as he forced himself to keep drinking. Klaus, on the other hand, looked like he was having the time of his life. "You're very cooperative." Klaus said smugly. "It's almost as if you're enjoying it."
Stefan's face was smeared with blood and there was a small pool of spilt blood around the empty blood bags. "No more." Stefan insisted. "Not until you give me the cure."
"Not until we make a deal." Klaus replied. "It's your choice, Stefan. You can either remain here living your life in Mystic Falls, or you can embrace what you truly are. Leave town with me and the lovely Ellie, and save your brother's life." Stefan looked dazed, enough so that Ellie was really starting to get worried, but Katherine had yet to ease up on the grip she had on Ellie's arm. Stefan ripped into the blood bag Klaus was offering, and Ellie just knew Klaus was pleased. "That's the spirit." He stood and Katherine finally released Ellie. "Sweetheart…" He grabbed the bottle of his blood and then pulled Katherine to her feet with a hand around her throat. "Take this over to Damon and come right back."
Ellie's heart jumped in her chest. He was giving Katherine permission to leave? "You want me to leave?" Katherine asked carefully.
Stefan suddenly looked aware of everything as he focused on what Klaus was saying. "No." Stefan pleaded.
"Yes." Klaus confirmed. Ellie could see the excitement Katherine was trying to hide. She was free. "And if I were you…" Katherine had snatched the blood bottle and disappeared. "I'd hurry." Klaus said to the space Katherine had been occupying a moment before.
"She'll never take it to him." Stefan said desperately, but Klaus just smirked and shrugged. "She'll never take it to him." The defeat in Stefan's voice was painful for Ellie to hear.
Ellie actually had faith that Katherine would in fact take the cure to Damon. Katherine must have cared about Damon at some point to turn him. Even if she didn't, Ellie saw the way Katherine reacted while Stefan was being forced to drink. Katherine had hated it, but had been too scared to intervene. If Katherine cared about Stefan at all, which Ellie thought she did, she wouldn't let him go through all of this for nothing. "Well, I suppose it's time to get this show on the road." Klaus said casually as he pulled a phone out of his pocket, sending a message to someone.
"Where are we going?" Ellie asked quietly as her focus switched between a blood covered Stefan, and Elijah who was so grey and still it made her stomach hurt.
"You'll find out soon enough." Klaus replied. "Well, I don't suppose either of you have anything to pack, so let's be on our way." He hoisted Elijah over his shoulder like it was nothing, and Ellie flinched when she saw the way Elijah's head dropped back. "Come along."
Ellie and Stefan walked a few feet behind Klaus as they made their way out to a very nice car. Klaus deposited Elijah into the trunk, and Stefan mercifully took the passenger's seat so that Ellie wouldn't have to sit next to Klaus. She wasn't sure where they were going, but they didn't seem to be headed out of Mystic Falls yet. When they arrived at a storage unit, Ellie frowned but said nothing as she and Stefan followed Klaus inside. "Are you ok?" Ellie mouthed to Stefan.
He looked rough, but he nodded back at her. She didn't call him out for not believing him. When they came across two unfamiliar men, Stefan subtly placed himself in front of her, but the men didn't say anything to them. When they saw Klaus, they walked away and came back with a casket on a rolling cart. Ellie felt sick as she watched Klaus place Elijah inside. Oddly enough, he was rather gentle as he situated his brother in it. "I suppose, brother, you've been reunited with our family." Klaus said and Ellie looked up to see more caskets carefully placed inside the storage unit. "Put him with the others. We're leaving town tonight." Stefan's phone vibrated and Klaus asked, "So, did Katerina make it in time?"
"You won't be seeing her again, you know." Stefan told him.
"Because she's on vervain?" Klaus asked. Ellie's eyes widened. He had known? "I've been around a long time, Stefan. I rarely get played for a fool. Besides, she won't get far. You'll help me see to that."
Stefan stepped forward. "What is it you really want from me?"
Ellie stepped behind him and grabbed his arm in warning. "Stefan." She said softly. She wouldn't be alright if she watched him get killed or worse.
Klaus, thankfully, didn't look angry. Instead he looked a bit amused. "All will be explained in time, once we leave this tragic little town."
"Then are we done here?" Stefan asked. The tension between the two men was palpable and it made Ellie more than a little nervous. "Can we go?"
"Not quite. You see, I have a gift for you. Come here, sweetheart." Klaus called and a terrified looking girl came from around the corner. "Don't be afraid." Ellie's heart was pounding violently in her chest. There was no way this girl was getting out of this without getting hurt. "See, I wanna make sure you honor our deal. That you'll be of use to me." Klaus bit into the girl's neck and the girl cried out in pain. "I could have compelled her to behave, but a real ripper enjoys the hunt."
He released her and she took off running, screaming loudly. Ellie felt sick, and if she were honest, Stefan looked like he wasn't doing too hot either. She knew he didn't want to hurt the girl, but he didn't have a choice. It was like something in Stefan snapped and Ellie was startled to see him almost smile before he disappeared. "He's going to kill her?" Ellie asked meekly.
"Yes." Klaus told her and dragged her along in the direction the girl had run. They came across Stefan as the girl collapsed. When Stefan looked up at them, Klaus simply told them, "Now we can go."
Author's Note:
We've reached the end of season two! I know it sucks that Elijah's been daggered again, but Klaus likes to be a jerk sometimes. As always, please leave a review and let me know your thoughts!
To peaxchyhearts: I know, in all honesty a LOT of people have died because of Elena, and she never has to deal with the consequences of that. But yes, Jenna is definitely alright.
To brigitcharlesmatthew: Gosh the thought of Ellie and Kol together will not get out of my head. He definitely deserves an epic love and for someone to look out for him. I didn't finish either of TVD or TO, but I get what you mean. Not all the relationships on the shows were epic relationships, and that's ok, but he definitely deserved one. Yeah lol I never really tried to make it out that she was going to die, but I'm glad you're relieved. If the situation hadn't been so serious, she probably would have been more petty, but it wasn't the time. You're right about that one, Ellie is going to be spending her summer with Stefan and Klaus!
To RiRi: Yes! She lives! Agreed, the vampires never forced her to associate with them for the most part, but she keeps going back and getting herself into messes even when the vampires are begging her not to, like looking for Stefan when Klaus thinks she's dead. Lol, I hope you enjoy season three, I'm about halfway through writing the season.
To xenocanaan: I could see Klaus doing that just because he was in a mood, but Ellie knew better than to let Klaus get near her. That's what I was thinking, but then maybe I was thinking start over again, and maybe dive more into the magic of things? Help develop that side of her even more? I don't know yet.
To Gladiolous97: Thank you so much! That means so much to me! I hope you enjoyed this update. Katherine and Ellie's relationship is so much fun to write!
To GreenHoneyTea: Lol, that happens to me too. Sometimes I get behind on the stories I'm fond of but then it's so much fun to binge read. She got him back, only to lose him again. But don't worry, he'll be back eventually. That was a very important part of her personality for me. I wanted her to be loyal in the ways that Elena never was. That's a cute ship name not gonna lie. Yeah, she's definitely not just gonna forgive and forget him hurting her family. Kol and Katherine are going to be such an interesting pair to work with. I thought it was important for her to get closure with him before he died, especially since she didn't with the Martins. The summer is going to be... interesting to say the least. I can't wait for us to get to Rebekah, I love her.
To AdiraBraelynn: Yes, she made the deal! Yeah, losing John was incredibly hard for them. Watching Elijah get daggered was not easy for Ellie at all, but there was nothing she could have done to save him. Ellie's definitely going to get to a point where she can't stand their bs anymore, that's for sure.
To Mimi: I know we just got them back, but for now Elijah's daggered and Katherine's in the wind. They'll be back though! I never had it in me to kill Jenna, she deserved better.
To Reader: Thank you so much for reading! It means the world to me that you're enjoying this story! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
To afralmazouei: The deal was the only logical way I could think to save Jenna, lol. I guess you'll have to wait and see how the summer turns out. Oh I never even thought about Caroline and Ellie getting together, but it's an interesting thought. Maybe a one shot or something? Yeah, Ellie was originally meant for Kol, but Elijah decided to steal the show, at least for this fic. I know! I've thought about her with Kai too. I think they'd be a dangerously fascinating couple. Oh this fic is going to be going for quite a while. I don't know how much, but she'll probably have at least some form of interaction with Kai at least once. I'm so glad I've got you hooked lol.
-Madame Magic
Posted: 11/21/20
