Chapter 48: It Pours
"Here?" Caroline swallowed, exchanging glances with the other vampires. "Why?"
Rebekah sauntered over to a high back antique chair covered in dust. She brushed at the seat cushion, contemplated it, then turned her nose up and just leaned an elbow against the back.
"Elena may have been turned so he can no longer make hybrids, but he still has an obsession with werewolves. His kind is almost extinct. And the ones that were still alive, he killed while trying to make his own stupid hybrid army the first time. He cared little for this werewolf species because he didn't think they could be turned into his hybrids. Now that he can't make any anymore, he doesn't care. Elijah says that Nik is tired of running, having spent so many years chasing Katherine and her bloodline. He wants to – Elijah says – settle ."
"Why don't I get a nice image of your brother just kicking back in white picket fenced suburbia?" Damon dropped into the chair and Rebekah stepped away, rolling her eyes.
"My brother has been searching for a place that fits his liking. But first, he plans on gathering power. Werewolves."
"Why now? Why here?" Stefan interjected, eyeing the Beacon Hills residents in the room, feeling something dropping in his gut.
"Werewolves aren't my brothers only obsession." Rebekah crossed the room and propped herself up on a table, crossing her legs over the side with far too casual of ease. "Nik has only ever had one friend in his very long lifetime. You. Just because you're no longer the Ripper, doesn't mean he isn't hoping for the day you slip back."
"That's never going to happen," Stefan said with a hint of a threat in his words.
"Either way," Rebekah continued, nonplussed, "he's been having you watched. He knows you came here and he knows about the werewolf pack. And the Alphas. That's probably why they decided to keep your little hybrid friend once they figured out what he was. Probably caught wind of the way things were heading around here and wanted a bargaining chip, or peace offering, whichever. But it doesn't matter. Nik wants the Alphas, the pack, you, the entire town."
"I knew there had to be another reason for Tyler," Elena glanced at Caroline, recalling their conversation from the previous night. "And I wondered if someone else was pulling Deucalion's strings."
"Why the town?" Caroline looked worriedly at the young pack members.
"The werewolves are already here, so it's convenient for him. Not to mention that it's a town surrounded entirely by forest, much like Mystic Falls. He's bored of Mystic Falls. He wouldn't try to take it, except for maybe out of spite now. But, right now, he's coming here."
There was a stiff silence that settled over the room.
"Okay," Stiles stood up, arms flying above his head. "Who are you? Who's this Nik guy? What's a hybrid? Who's Elijah and Katherine? And what is so terrifying that it's got a group of freaking vampires scared?"
"And how can we stop him?" Derek added.
"Or trust you?" Erica folded her arms.
"What's a ripper?" Isaac glanced at Stefan.
"You better start explaining," Lydia stepped forward, "or things are going to get pretty messy in here."
The vampires and humans of Mystic Falls shared silent glances.
"We've shared a lot of our histories while together, but there's a lot more," Stefan finally spoke after a long pause. "You all might want to sit down," he sighed. "This is going to take a while."
"I suddenly feel like my past year of high school supernatural survival was very easy."
Stiles was, predictably, the first person to speak after the vampires had finished detailing their last few years.
"So," Isaac started, a hitch in his voice, "what do we do?"
"You guys?" Damon snorted. "Against Klaus? Run, run, and oh, keep running."
"Damon -"
"No, Stefan. If Klaus wants to take Mayberry, let him have it. I'm taking a page out of Katherine's extensive book of avoiding Klaus and getting the hell out of here. I suggest you pups do the same."
"Just leave Beacon Hills?" Jackson grunted, not sounding entirely against the idea.
"If you want to live past high school graduation, yes!"
"No," Scott stepped forward, speaking for the first time in the meeting. "Our families are here. Our friends."
"Then, genius, take them with you," Damon rolled his eyes.
"We can't take the whole town with us," Scott snapped back. "The Alphas are still here and this vampire - or hybrid - or whatever - is coming. Even if we leave, everyone else here will be in danger."
"Your point?" Damon lifted his brow.
"We can't just leave them to die!" Scott took a warning step toward the vampire.
"You're about as morally annoying as Stefan, mutt."
"But he's right," Derek moved to stand beside the beta.
"And here I was beginning to like you," Damon snorted.
"If Klaus comes here, what will he do?" Boyd questioned evenly.
"Make himself king," Rebekah replied with a bored tone. "Make the werewolves serve him or die. Probably turn a few people for more protection. For everyone else, they'll either be killed, kept as food or entertainment, or live under his thumb. He would have to at least keep up appearances. The rest of the world couldn't know anything was wrong at all in the town. It would risk hunters coming for him. Ever hear of Roanoke? Elijah wasn't a fan of the publicity and myth the disappearances received. Klaus only changed his tactics when a group of hunters nearly killed myself and Kol. Eventually, he'll get bored and move on, taking his new army with him. That's what he really wants most out of all of this anyway. He's been whining about going back to New Orleans."
"We can't let that happen to these people," Jeremy moved to stand with the pack.
"You barely survived Klaus' fun in Mystic Falls," Damon grabbed the kid and dragged him back over. "In fact, you didn't . Little Miss Witch had to work the magics to bring your incredibly brainless self back to the land of the living. You want to risk that again? Do you remember what your death did to Elena?"
"Damon," Elena stepped between them, "he's right."
"He is so – wait – he's what?"
"He's right. Klaus destroyed my family. He took Jenna, my mom, John. He's the reason Alaric is gone. The reason Jeremy died in the first place."
"Wait," Allison shook her head. "I thought that Katherine killed him?"
"Yes, but it was Klaus' fault she became a vampire. Why I became a vampire. I mean, Meredith gave me vampire blood to save me. And technically, Rebekah was the reason Matt and I drove off the bridge, but the only reason Meredith had to save me in the first place is because I was hurt when Tyler was saving me from Klaus . It all comes back to Klaus. We can't keep letting him get what he wants. We can't let him do to everyone here what he did to all of us."
"And how do you suggest we stop him, Elena?" Damon rolled his eyes. "We can't kill him without killing ourselves, remember?"
"Can you do what you did the last time?" Lydia suggested. "The spell you used to bind Klaus before?"
"It won't be easy," Stefan sighed. "He'll be expecting it this time. He knows it's our only move now without killing him."
"We'll need Bonnie," Elena announced, glancing to Jeremy and then pulling out her phone.
"Wait," Jeremy stepped forward with a hand raised. "Should we really bother her? You just said that he'll be expecting it this time. Maybe we should try to think of a different plan."
"Jeremy," Bonnie whispered from behind him, only for his ears, " please."
"We still might need her help," Elena countered, listening to the ringing on the other end of the line.
"She didn't answer," Elena slid her phone back in her jeans. "She hasn't answered her phone since she left. She barely emails anymore."
"First she doesn't come to help when Elena is taken, and now when Tyler needs help?" Caroline crossed her arms. "Bonnie would never just abandon us like this, no matter what."
"I told you," Jeremy pushed, "she can't do magic. She can give me the name of another witch, or we can find one we used for the locator spells. She lost her powers. She feels bad enough that she can't help. She's embarrassed and - and grieving. Losing her magic, it was a part of her, more than that. It was her. For her, it's like, like a piece, a big piece of her, died. Bringing her here, unable to do anything, she'll feel even worse."
Derek looked curiously at the boy, the kid's heart practically ripping out of its chest, the sweet smell of panic acting as his own personal perfume. Derek saw Isaac open his mouth and shot him a silencing glare. Derek was surprised. The vampires could surely have heard the teenager's fluctuating heartbeat had they been listening. They trusted the boy so completely that they didn't even think to be paying any attention to it. Derek had heard it before, but had been too distracted, concerned for Boyd and Erica and not caring enough for this stranger and his secrets. Now that he paid closer attention, though, it was there. And now that he had heard exactly how powerful this witch had been against this new apparent enemy, he was going to get answers.
A/N: Klaus?! Be honest. Who saw that coming? After taking almost 50 chapters just to save them from the bank, I almost cut out my Klaus storyline completely and left it just the Darach and the Alphas, but that would've been too easy for the wolves plus the vamps. Not to mention the thousands of words I'd already written for it...
