"I feel like I'm going crazy. Totally paranoid." Elena huffed as she spoke to Bonnie.
I sat across the table from them, in my own little world as they spoke to one another. Thinking back to the conversation between Mikael and I had the other night. It's something that I'll never forget and something that I need answers to as soon as possible.
"Klaus is still out there and he knows you tried to kill him."
I checked back into the conversation at Bonnie's words.
"Why hasn't he made a move?" Elena asked. "There has been no sign of him. Nothing. Just my slow spiral into insanity."
Bonnie sniggered, "Join the club. Every time I close my eyes, I have the same nightmare on repeat."
"The same dream?" I asked as I swirled my straw in the glass.
"Yeah! Four coffins, Klaus is in one of them. It's weird."
"What if it's not a dream?" Elena shot into the air.
"What do you mean?" I wondered.
"What if it's like... you know... witch dream?"
Bonnie shrugged. "It's just stress. I'll figure it out. And what about Stefan? Has there been any sign of him?"
Elena's face fell at Bonnie's question. We hadn't seen Stefan since that night and I hadn't seen Damon since I left the Boarding house. Not even when I came back to collect my things the next day. Nothing.
It was a ghost town.
"He betrayed us, Bonnie. The Stefan that we know is gone." Elena finally replied.
If only she knew the truth. Then she might not hate Stefan as much as she does right now.
"How's Damon handling it?"
"Damon is... Damon."
Maybe twenty or so minutes passed before something had to happen to offset the peaceful day that we were all having. Damon approached from the bar where he sat with Alaric to inform Elena that Jer had been fired from the Grill. She was clearly upset as she left to call him quickly. I joined Damon across the bar for a game of darts.
I could really do with something to stab right about now.
"So, how have you been, blondie?" Damon asked as he threw a bullseye.
"Good shot." I acknowledged his hit as I took aim at the board. "I've been better. I mean, haven't we all?" I threw a double twenty and winced.
"Not a good shot." Damon joked as I pulled my darts from the board. "Yeah, I know what you mean."
I hopped up onto a stool and leaned my elbows on the table as Elena arrived back.
"Unbelievable!" She exclaimed.
"Still not answering?" I asked.
She shook her head and placed her phone back into her pocket.
"You are feisty when you're mad." Damon said as he approached the table.
I rolled my eyes.
"I'm not mad. I'm just- I'm worried." She spoke softly.
"I'm sure he's fine." I tried to reassure her.
"He is spiralling, Jess." Elena sighed heavily, "Ever since Bonnie broke up with him, he is moody, he is not really talking to anyone."
"Well... he's hurting, Elena. He just needs sometime to come to terms with everything that's happened." I replied.
"Maybe you're right."
I frowned, "When am I wrong?"
I finally got a smile out of her. The first one I had seen in a while.
Damon threw another dart and completely missed the board.
Elena looked at him worryingly. "You okay?"
He narrowed his eyes as he looked at her. "What makes you think I'm not?"
"Well, you're day-drunk. It's not exactly your most attractive look."
Damon smirked at her words as he approached her slowly, a coy smile on his face.
"Hmm-What is my most attractive look?"
"Gross." I scrunched my nose up as he spoke.
"Ah-ah, I'm not saying you have any attractive looks. I'm saying that this is my least favourite one..." Elena clarified.
"Noted." He nodded. "See if I can make any improvements."
I smiled... but it fell quickly as the hairs in the back of my neck stood tall. His scent travelled through my senses.
He was here.
"Don't mind me." Klaus spoke cockily from behind me as he approached.
I swivelled on the stool to face him as Damon stepped closer to Elena and I.
"Klaus." Elena breathed. She, too, was uneasy with his presence.
"You gonna do this in The Grill? In front of everyone? It's a little beneath you, don't you think?" Damon said, twirling a dart between his fingers.
Klaus smiled. "I don't know what you are talking about." He raised his arm and waved it around. "I just came down to the local pub to grab a drink with a mate." A man approached from behind him as Klaus spoke, "Get a round in, would you Tony?"
Elena's sudden uneasiness made the hybrid smile wider.
"I'm surprised you stuck around for happy hour." Damon groaned in annoyance.
"My sister seems to be missing. Need to sort that out." Klaus replied and I felt my heartbeat faster at his words.
I knew exactly where she was and It was already eating me up inside.
Damon sniggered, "Cute blonde bombshell, psycho." He toyed with him, "Shouldn't be too hard to find."
Klaus' smile grew ever-so-slightly as he spoke. "Truth is, I've grown to rather like your little town. Think I might fancy a home here." His eyes scanned over me briefly, almost like he was waiting for a reaction before he continued talking. "Oh, I imagine you're wondering how this affects you. The answer is; not in the slightest." He smiled a teeth-bearing grin. "As long as I get what I want and everyone behaves themselves, you can go on living your little lives however you choose. You have my word."
"What more could you possibly want?!" Elena scoffed.
"Well for starters, you can tell me where I might find Stefan."
"Stefan skipped town the second he saved your ass." Damon moaned.
Klaus looked at me, knowing full well that I had something to do with it, and I instantly felt the heat radiating from his glare.
"Is that true, love?"
Love.
Why did I feel like I always had to answer him when he called me that.
I nodded, "Yeah. We haven't seen him since that night."
He pressed his lips into a fine line as he approached me. He reached down to my hand that was resting in my lap to retrieve one of my darts. As he done so, he made sure to sweep his fingers across my thigh and palm as he took the small, metal spear. He smirked as I shuddered slightly at his touch.
"Well you see that is a shame." He spoke as he threw the dart straight into the bullseye. "Your brother stole from me. I need him found so I can take back what's mine."
Elena sniggered, "That sounds like a 'Klaus and Stefan' problem."
Klaus moved towards Elena but Damon stepped in between them, causing Klaus to smirk at his possessiveness.
"Ha. Well this is me broadening the scope, sweetheart."
It didn't take long before Damon ushered Elena and I to leave The Grill. He didn't think it was safe for us to be there, not with Klaus hanging around, not to mention his hybrids. Elena asked me to join her for dinner at her house and I happily agreed. Since being back, I haven't really spent that much time with her, or anyone for that matter. I felt guilty for not spending much time with my sister either but I feel that if my suspicions are true, It'll drive a wedge in-between us. So I avoided her.
"So you're ready?" Alaric asked Elena as she placed cutlery onto the table.
"Vampires, hybrids and Originals. No problem. My rebellious brother. I'm worried.
"Proof that you're still human." Alaric smiled.
I placed plates around the table and smiled to myself.
"If he kicks off, I can punch him for you." Elena looked at me slightly taken aback at my comment. I raised my hands in retreat, "I'm joking." Alaric laughed but It faded out at the sound of the front door opening an shutting as someone entered.
Jeremy entered the kitchen and made a b-line for the fridge.
"Just in time!" Elena smiled. "We're cooking."
He looked at her briefly, "Sorry, just passing through." he said before looking back to the fridge and received a few cans.
Elena looked to Alaric for support. He cleared his throat and clapped his hands together. "Ah, well I thought we would all stay, in have a meal together like a typical, atypical family."
I fake coughed and caught Alaric's attention. "And Jess."
"Thank you." I smiled.
Jeremy just looked at us confused.
"Why?" He asked.
"Maybe because you got fired and you didn't tell anyone." Elena cut straight to the point and ripped that bandage right off.
He frowned, "Ahh- look, can we do this later? I made plans with Tyler. He's right outside."
Elena looked at Alaric and I worryingly.
"Oh wait!" Alaric gasped, "When did you start hanging out with Tyler Lockwood?"
Jer shrugged, "I don't know... Does it matter?"
"Yeah Jeremy!" Elena looked at her little brother frustrated by his actions. "He was sired by Klaus. He's dangerous."
"He can still hear you. He's right outside." Jeremy scoffed. "Besides, you of all people are gonna lecture me on who I can and can't hang out with?"
"Jeremy..." I spoke from across the room to be met with a shrug of his shoulders. He wasn't interested in what anyone had to say.
"What's with the attitude?"
Jeremy rolled his eyes at Elena. "Yeah, whatever, this is lame. Tyler's waiting." He went to leave the room but Elena blocked the door before he could leave the kitchen area.
"Oh, no no! You're not going anywhere, especially not with Tyler." Elena made her feelings transparently clear. However, Jeremy was having none of it and looked to Alaric and I for help.
I shook my head firmly and Alaric said that he agreed with Elena.
"All right, fine. You want me to stay in? Let's all stay in then," Jeremy faced the door and before we could even move, he called out to Tyler. "Yo, Tyler! Come on in!" His voice didn't need to travel far to be heard from the ears of a hybrid.
"Jeremy!" Elena and I shouted in unison as the front door opened and in walked Tyler.
All seated at the table, we all eyed each other nervously as Jeremy handed Tyler a glass of water and sat across from him.
I sat beside Alaric and twirled my fingers together nervously.
"This is weird. Klaus has hybrids stalking me and now you're just sitting in our kitchen." Elena spoke.
Tyler looked around uneasy.
"Look, maybe I should go." He said.
Jer shook his head, "Oh, stay. You're not doing anything."
"Unless you have to, you know, check in with your hybrid master." Elena said bitterly.
Tyler laughed. "It's not like that, Elena."
Alaric cleared his throat beside me.
"Tell me Tyler... What is the difference between being sired and being compelled?"
I nodded at his question, as I too was curious about the difference.
"Compulsion- that's just mind control- like hypnosis." He spoke confidently. "Being sired is... it's like faith. You do something because you believe it's the right thing."
"So you believe that serving Klaus is the right thing?" Elena asked, her face hard.
Tyler shook his head, "I don't serve him. Klaus released me from a curse that was ruining my life. I owe him for that."
"What if he asked you to jump off a bridge?" Alaric shot to him.
"He wouldn't! And even if he did I'd be fine. I'm a hybrid."
"Okay, so what if he asked you to rip out your own heart?" Elena asked next.
"Again, he wouldn't."
"What if he did, Tyler?" I asked for the other end of the table. "Would you do it without hesitation?"
"I don't know!" Tyler yelled. "Then I'd rip out my own heart!" Everyone was taken aback at his sudden out burst. "You guys sound like Caroline, getting all freaked out over something you don't understand."
"That's the point, Tyler. We don't understand." I said.
"Klaus has terrorised every single one of us and you're just blindly loyal to him." Elena followed on after me. She was right though. Klaus had done a lot to people but at the risk of sounding insane, I kept my internal thoughts to myself.
"You're overthinking it. I can still make my own decisions." Tyler replied.
I couldn't tell if he was angry or hurt by the sudden interrogation that he was under. He was hard to read since he transformed into a hybrid. I use to understand him, but I hardly recognise him in this form.
Jeremy's phone began to ring from across the kitchen, so he got up to answer it.
"What was that about?" Elena asked.
He shrugged his shoulders, "It was nothing."
Tyler looked at him briefly before standing from the table. "I got to go. Umm, thanks for the food offer, but-"
"-Next time." Alaric cut him off.
He turned and left the house, the door made a slight 'clink' as he closed it behind him.
"That was riveting." I said as I got to my feet and collected plates, which were still empty.
"So, Tyler Lockwood is a lunatic who has access to our house." Elena sighed from my side as she handed over plates.
I shrugged, "I wouldn't worry about it too much. I highly doubt he'd do anything."
Alaric walked over to the sink and took the plates from me and placed them into the sink. "I mean this whole sire bond thing is... wild. I don't even think Tyler is fully aware of what little reason lies behind what he's saying. It's this weird cult logic."
"Well, great." Elena moaned. "That's a wonderful influence for you Jer..." Elena turned around to look at Jeremy but he was gone. "Jeremy?" She called once more.
As I walked over to the table to collect the rest of the plates, I stopped as soon as I got to where Jeremy was sitting and looked at his plate. In the centre was his Gilbert ring. I picked it up and turned to face Elena.
"Isn't this his ring?" I asked as I held it up.
"Where did he go?" Elena looked around but he was no where in sight.
I walked over to the kitchen door and noticed that the front door was open slightly and walked over to it, followed by Elena and Alaric.
As we walked out onto the porch, we all stopped and looked at Jeremy as he stood in the middle of the street.
"Jeremy? What's he doing?" Elena gasped.
Suddenly, the screeching of car tires approaching fast came bellowing down the street and the reality set in.
"Oh my god! Jeremy!" Elena screamed. "Jeremy, move!"
I didn't even think about what I had done until it happened.
As I was the furthest out the door, I ran across to where Jer stood frozen in the middle of the road. He wasn't even blinking as I grabbed a hold of his arm and shoved him hard to get him to move. I had time to move... but I kept my feet firmly in place and waited for the impending collision. I jumped as the vehicle was inches from where I stood and I was instantly thrown into the air and over the hood of the car before crashing to the ground behind it...followed by another body.
I groaned as I rolled over on the ground and got to my knees as the car pulled back around and inside was seated Tony, the hybrid. He looked at me and his face instantly paled, almost like he'd seen a ghost. I could feel the fear seeping from his pores as he licked his dry lips before looking at Elena.
"There I go again, bumping into people..."
He drove away quickly afterwards.
I crawled over to Elena as she kneeled down by Alaric's lifeless body.
"Elena..." I gasped.
"He's gonna be alright." She reassured me as she cradled his head. "Are you alright?"
I nodded.
The warm sensation of blood trickled down my forehead and onto my cheek. My arm hung limp by my side as I groaned in pain as I popped it back into place.
"I will be." I told her.
Jeremy got back to his feet from across the road and ran over to us frantically.
"I don't understand." He gasped.
"Who was that one the phone earlier?" Elena asked her brother.
He paused for a few seconds as he tried to remember back to the conversation he had with the mysterious caller.
His eyes widened, "It was Klaus!"
"You were compelled, Jeremy" We've gotta get him inside- help me!"
Elena, Jeremy and I carried Alaric back into the house and lay him on the sofa. A while had passed and he still hadn't woken up. I wasn't accustomed as to how the Gilbert rings worked. So I didn't know how long it would take before he woke up again. If he woke.
Damon arrived and rushed into the living room.
"How is he?" He asked a grieving Elena as she sat at Alaric's side.
"He's dead." She replied. A single tear rolled down her cheek. "He has his ring on. Klaus' hybrid hit him and Jess. Now we just wait.
Damon turned his attention to Jeremy before he scolded him. "Jeremy, why aren't you wearing vervain? Where is your bracelet?"
Jeremy looked down at his bare wrist. "I don't know."
"Tyler..." I spoke from behind them as I hovered in the door frame. "It must have been. That's why he was hanging about with you. He was trying to get you off the vervain, Jer."
Damon's face hardened. "Klaus is trying to send us a message. He wants us to find Stefan who stole his coffins full of his dead family members."
"Coffins?" Elena asked confused.
"Yep!" Damon sighed, "So all we have to do is find four coffins and voila! No one else on your family's Christmas list needs to die!"
"Not the time for jokes, Damon." I scowled.
"Who's joking?" He replied and I shook my head.
Which was pounding I might add.
"Wait- that's your big plan? To steal back four dead Originals so this evil hybrid doesn't kill me and everyone else we know?" Jeremy hissed.
"You got a better idea?" Damon answered.
"Jer, calm down." I said as I entered the room behind him.
"No, no! I'm not gonna calm down, Jess! This happens every time, no matter what we do!" He yelled. "Get on my case about school and work, Elena... Who cares? None of us are gonna make it out of this town alive."
Jeremy said his piece before storming out of the room.
Elena looked at Damon, hopeful as she said just what I was thinking.
"He said he want's his family back."
Damon instantly shook his head. "No! No! I know what you're thinking. The answer is no!"
"If we give him Rebekah..."
Damon cut her off sharply as he said, "Yeah, then Klaus un-daggers her, first thing she does is kill you! Frying pan, fire. Not an option."
Elena stopped talking for a moment, deep in thought before she looked back up to Damon.
"Klaus' coffins... How many did you say there were?"
Elena left with Damon and headed to meet Bonnie. Something about Stefan being in the old witches place. I didn't know exactly what it was about as I didn't stick around for the rest of the conversation...I had somewhere I needed to be.
It took me a while, but I finally found it. I stood before a mansion that was under construction. This had to be it, I could smell him here. As I walked up the drive, two hybrids immediately left the front of the premises, leaving me to enter into the house at my will. And I done just that. I opened the door and walked inside, no invitation needed as I strolled through the hallway. My footsteps echoing against the walls as I walked over the bare floorboards.
"Klaus!" I yelled, and that too also echoed loudly.
I rounded a corner and stopped instantly as he came into sight. Blood coated the wall behind him as he stepped out from the dark. His eyes burned with flecks of gold as they met with mine. I peered around to where he came from and saw a body laying against a marble unit. It still jerked on the floor and it didn't take me long before I put two and two together. The decapitated head was across the room on some plastic sheets, still oozing blood.
"Tony?" I asked bluntly.
"Indeed." Klaus replied.
I nodded and he approached me slowly. Like he was sneaking up on a deer and didn't want to spook it.
"Are you alright, love?" He asked. Klaus raised his hand to my face, stopping just before he touched my forehead as he looked into my eyes, almost waiting for permission before touching me. I blinked slowly and he ran his fingers over my forehead. His jaw tightened as I winced under his gentle touch before he trailed his fingers down to my cheek, then my chin, pinching it between his fingers. "I never intended for you to get hurt, sweetheart."
I pulled my head back breaking his hold.
"No, you just meant to kill Jeremy." I eyed him. "Is that what you mean?"
"Collateral damage." He reply was ice cold as he never broke eye contact, not once since he entered the room.
"Leave Jeremy alone." I said.
He smirked, "And why would I do that?"
I smirked back at him and his eyes flared with anticipation as I narrowed my eyes.
"Because... I'll be there." I walked closer to him. My instincts taking control of my body as I closed the narrow gap that lay between us. "I'll always be there, Klaus." Much like when he said my name, It seemed to have the same effect on him as I said his. I could feel the heat radiating from his body as we were inches apart. My own body was growing warmer the longer I was in his presence. "I'll keep putting myself in the way, stopping whatever you throw at them."
His jaw tightened at my words.
He looked down at me, his eyes starting deep into my own.
"I won't let that happen, love." His warm breath washed over my face as he spoke lowly, possessively.
"You can't stop me."
"Ohh," He laughed. "I will and I can." He smiled wickedly. It wasn't a threat, but a promise.
He inched his face closer. My chest was raising and falling into a steady rhythm matching with his.
The room fell silent as we stood together. In this moment, nothing else mattered. Everything else just fell away like dust-in-the-wind. It was like we were the only two souls left roaming this burning earth. The heat was radiating not just from Klaus' body, but from mine also. The tension was thick as we stared at each other.
I brought myself back to reality and stepped back from the hybrid. Breaking us from the trance.
I took a sharp inhale to catch my breath. "What if we make a deal?"
He smiled, bearing all his teeth as he ran his hand over his face and rubbed his jaw. His eyes were now cooling off as the flecks of gold diminished and his eyes returned to there normal state.
"What do you have to offer?" He asked and leaned back against a bare table.
I thought over what I was about to do and what the possible consequences that may befall us as I made my way here. The pros far outweighed the cons as far as I was concerned.
I cleared my throat and squared my shoulders. Trying to be more confident than I actually was.
"I can get you one of your family members back." As soon as the words left my lips, I instantly regretted my plan.
Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.
I waited for him to erupt into a fit of rage. Lash out, threaten me or someone else, but he just stood there. Cool-as-a-cucumber. While I held my breath, waiting for what never came.
"Do you know where Stefan is, love?" He asked as he stroked his stubbly chin.
I shook my head. "No... But I know where Rebekah is."
"So, what is this deal you wish to strike?"
"Leave Jeremy alone." I said. "Don't come after him, and don't send another one of your hybrids after him either." I looked over to the decapitated hybrid on the ground, the blood was still seeping onto the plastic sheets.
Klaus followed my line-of-sight and smirked.
"Elena's brothers life for my sisters?" He thought it over before pushing himself off the table and stood tall. "Well, that's a deal not to pass up, sweetheart."
I nodded and shook my hands free from the tension that they held.
"Follow me."
I ushered Klaus as I walked in front of him and he followed without another word.
I opened the Salvatore Boarding house's door and peaked inside. Stefan was obviously no where to be seen, and neither was anyone else for that matter. I swung it open and walked in and made a sharp left and headed down to the cellars. Once I made it to the cellar door, my hand hovered over the pull-lock as Klaus stepped off the last step and stood a few feet in front of me.
Waiting.
I inhaled and pulled the lock, and the door swung open with no effort as we entered.
Rebekah lay on the ground, blue and cold with the dagger still in the centre of her back.
Klaus kneeled down beside her lifeless body. "My poor sister. I can't turn my back on her for a moment."
I stood at the other end of the cell as I watched him remove the dagger from her back.
"Do we have a deal?" I asked once more to confirm it.
Klaus got back to his feet, "Yes. Consider him spared."
"You should know, Elena was the one that daggered her. When she wakes, she'll come after her." I informed him as I bit into my bottom lip. "I was there... and I didn't stop her. So I might also be on her hit-list."
The sides of his lips curled into a half smirk. "No need to worry, love. I can control Rebekah. Besides, I still need your help finding Stefan."
"I told you, I don't know where he is."
"You're lying." He spoke almost in a whisper.
"I'm not." I dug my fingernails into my palms.
Klaus' eyes scanned over my body, noticing the tension that suddenly took over. He stepped over Rebekah's body and stood in front of me. His hand grasped mine and forced my palm open to reveal little crescent moons in the shape of blood.
"I know you're lying."
I squared my jaw, "You're not telling me the whole truth either."
He narrowed his eyes, "What ever do you mean?"
"You're father," Klaus instantly tensed at the mention of his father, but that's not what I wanted to talk about. "What he said the other night at the party. What he said about me." I sighed as Klaus dipped his head, the smallest of smiles on his lips. "What did he mean?"
"I'm sure you're smart enough to figure that out on your own."
"I-I have an idea, but it can't be true." I stuttered.
Klaus practically told me what I wanted to know.
"It's best you ask your mother, love. It's a family matter after all."
I nodded my head.
How could this be? There was only one explanation for all of this. I wasn't looking forward to the conversation I had to have with my mom.
I stared at him blankly as words had failed me.
He wiped the blood from my palm with the sleeve of his jacket before releasing my hand.
"As for Stefan, there's no need to worry, love. Fortunately for you, Elena has no shortage of loved ones. If I don't find my family, the question you should be asking yourself is, who's gonna die next! Bonnie? Damon?... Caroline?"
"You wouldn't dare." I hissed through clenched teeth at the mention of Care's name.
He smiled.
"It's only a matter of time before Stefan gives me what I want."
I took a step back, "You made it perfectly clear when you compelled Stefan. He doesn't care about Elena anymore. He doesn't care about anyone. You made him into a monster." I snapped. The rage inside threatened to overflow any moment. "He's your problem now."
"There's that spark," He grinned and walked over to his sister's body before lifting her off the floor with ease.
"Klaus..." I called after him and he stopped instantly. "Just a heads-up. Rebekah won't just want us dead... She knows what you did to your mother." His body tensed. "She knows that you killed her."
He didn't hang around more than two seconds after I told him before whooshing away into the night.
I leaned against the cool, concrete wall as I suddenly felt too heavy to bear my own weight. Tonight had been one thing after another and it was taking its toll. Once Klaus left I felt the need to drink as my throat became increasingly dry. I had an answer to my burning question, and yet, I didn't want to believe it.
I made my way over to Elena's to see how Alaric was doing and to tell her that I made a deal with Klaus to spare her brother's life. When I climbed the steps to the porch, I noticed the remains of blood mixed with bubbles at the front door.
"Elena?" I called into the house as the door was slightly ajar.
"Kitchen!" She called back.
I followed the sound of running water to the kitchen. Elena was scrubbing the blood out of a rag into the sink as I arrived.
"What happened?" I asked worriedly.
"Hybrids came here." She replied as she continued to squeeze the rag.
Klaus? It couldn't have been, could it? We had a deal. Plus, he wouldn't have had the time to make an attack. He was with me."
"Is Jeremy okay?" I asked.
I had to know that he didn't break our deal.
She nodded and turned off the tap. "Yeah, he's fine. I called for an ambulance for Alaric and when they came, a Hybrid compelled them to leave him to die." Her face saddened the more she talked. "Jer... Jer killed it."
"Oh god, Elena. I'm so sorry."
I enveloped her into a hug which she embraced.
I broke apart as I heard footsteps getting closer to the kitchen door.
Damon rounded the corner and I relaxed my body once more.
"Did you get rid of him?" Elena asked referring to the hybrid's body.
"Yeah. The headless hybrid is down at the bottom of Steven's Quarry." Damon informed us and Elena instantly relaxed her shoulders.
"What about Alaric?" She then proceeded to ask.
"Took care of him, too. He'll be fine." Damon half smiled as he looked at her. "How are you?"
"I think I got most of the blood off the porch."
"Elena. Look at me. It's gonna be okay." Damon spoke softly.
She nodded like she believed him but even I could tell she didn't.
I cleared my throat to gain their attention.
"I have something I need to tell yous." I nervously said, twisting the end of my ripped sleeve between my fingertips. "I made a deal with Klaus and gave him Rebekah."
Damon's face screwed up indignantly.
"What?" No. No, no, no you did not do that." Damon almost yelled. "She's gonna come straight after Elena and kill her!"
"No, she won't. Klaus won't let her hurt her." I informed them. "Besides, he needs her alive."
"Thanks." Elena narrowed her eyes at me.
"You know what I mean." I shook my head. "I did it for Jeremy. Klaus won't come after him anymore. He'll be safe."
"And suddenly you trust him?" Damon asked, his tone seeping with rage.
"No."
Maybe.
"But I done what I thought was right, Damon." I leaned back against the counter as I was still under his heated gaze. "Be pissed at me all you like, I can't change it now. Besides, what other choice did we have? I doubt you've convinced Stefan to hand over the coffins."
Damon rolled his eyes, "My brother is- sort of running his own show right now."
Elena grunted and threw the rag into the sink. "Yeah. My brother just chopped off someone's head! It's not fair. He's sixteen years old. He shouldn't have to live like this."
"Elena..." I spoke quietly as her eyes swelled.
"There has to be another way. We have to fix it." She turned back around to face the sink and began to rinse out the rag once more.
Damon walked around the island and grabbed Elena's face between his hands. "We will!" He spoke softly. "Hey... Elena. Hey. We will, okay?"
I stood in the hallway with Elena on the outside of Jer's room as Damon walked in and took a seat beside him on the bed. Elena thought the best way to help Jeremy was to send him away and make him forget everything that had happened lately. Damon looked over his shoulder for one last bit of confirmation from Elena. She nodded her head gently and Damon began to compel him. Elena broke out into light sobs beside me as she gripped my hand tighter as she watched on.
We sat outside on the porch. It was too much for Elena to watch her brother be compelled once again, but this time it had to be done, and deep down she knew that as well.
It wasn't long before Damon joined us outside in the cool, night air.
"I feel like a horrible person." Elena exhaled.
"You just saved his life, Elena. Take it from me, strange is bad, dead is worse." Damon said.
"I just can't stop thinking about what happened the last time I asked you to compel him."
Damon shrugged, "He found out, and he got over it. Again: not dead, Elena! He's so lucky to have a sister like you."
"Thank you." She replied.
"No problem.
"Not just for this, Damon." Elena shook her head, "For everything... I don't know what I would do if you weren't here."
Damon looked deep in thought before he spoke once more.
"You should know this, Elena. Stefan didn't screw us over." Damon spoke and I instantly went cold.
He knew!
"Her screwed us over but he had a good reason." He continued.
"What?" Elena gasped.
"Blondie..." Damon said as he looked down at me as I sat on the floor, rested against the wooden rail that surrounded the porch. I looked at him apprehensively. He didn't seem mad about what Katherine and I had done, which I was surprised about but also thankful. I gave him a subtle nod to continue and tell Elena. "Katherine and Jess got Stefan to come to the Lockwoods."
"What? Why?" She asked in shock. Her gaze flickering between Damon and I.
"He saved Klaus to same me. Then he stole the coffins to get even."
"Damon, if he did it to protect you then... Why would he even do that? What does it even mean?"
"What does it mean?" Damon repeated. "Means I'm and idiot. 'Cause I thought for one second that I wouldn't have to feel guilty anymore."
I got to my feet as Damon and Elena continued talking. They hadn't noticed that I had walked away from the house as they were lost in each other. It's something that I didn't want to be involved in or be the involuntary third-wheel.
So I left under the darkness of the night sky and disappeared.
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