3x19 and 3x20


warning: rant

I had planned to write this chapter wednesday. Blame my english teacher, according to who I "TRY to write in an elevated language, creating an impression of preciosity that is not welcome and only highlight your poor proficiency in writing english", roughtly translated.
Let me say one thing: I. Do. Not. Try.
I write like that. I don't TRY. (Obviously, I had tuned it down with the orality in my writing, since it was for school...)
Blast her.
And of course I'm not bilingual. If I was, I wouldn't be in her class. That does not mean I'm completely hopeless either. I like to think I'm not so bad, thank you very much.

Of course, I don't think she meant it to be insulting. But that's the thing with her, she doesn't notice when she says vexing things. I know that. Doesn't make it any less upsetting.

Tell me My writing style is so not Anglo-Saxon, and I will agree with you. But don't tell me it's precious, and never, never even attempt to tell me I'm TRYING to write like that. I don't.
Now, I'll let you read my poor english.


Each a monster, part 36: A lesser evil

When Alaric woke up, he was still Alaric.

And that was as reassuring as it was disappointing. He knew they needed to get the hunter to talk, and even if he had been the one to suggest a more... direct way of contacting his alter-ego, the teacher still wasn't confortable with losing his body to a psychopath and that with no idea of when he'd get it back. If he ever got it back.

Such doubts.

Strange, weren't they? Why would he have doubts about the whole thing? Such a wonder.

But he had to do it. He had to let the hunter out, and have Stefan question him about the stake. He had to, if he wanted them to go on living. Even if there was a risk that he'd never come back.

If it proved to be necessary, they'd just have to kill him, and then take the ring away while he'd still be dead. Damon wouldn't be happy about it, but at least he'd be alive – vampire-style. Undead. Whatever.

Ric wasn't going to ask anyone to live in perpetual fear that the hunter would one day get an opportunity to end another line of vampires.

True, they could just kill him right now, and the white oak stake would remain hidden where he had left it. Yet, the teacher was far from convinced no one would ever get their hands on it, and then... Depending who "someone" would be, it could be great or terrible.

He wasn't going to ask such a thing of them, to wait for the stake to come back into the game, and to kill hundreds of vampires in one go if the one using it was to be lucky in their tentative.

Of course, Alaric could see how that could be good, in a way. The hunter was him, and he was the hunter. They weren't complete opposites. They shared a past, if anything. And they knew very well that all vampires weren't as cute and nice as Stefan and Caroline – well, when Stefan wasn't going all Ripper, of course. And yes, the teacher had omitted his boyfriend in that thought, but it was totally intentional. Despite Damon's latest improvements, he still couldn't be considered as a cute and fluffy one.

Hell, that'd be frightening, if the vampire ever got to be considered that way.

Cute and fluffy?

Yeah right.

Anyway.

Alaric Saltzman knew getting rid of another vampire line would do a lot of good. But unlike his half-crazed alter-ego, he also knew it would do as much evil. Not all vampires were bad, as not all vampires were nice. He wasn't willing to kill them all because some of them were bad. If he acted like that, he could as well kill his whole family, including himself, because there was always the risk one of them would turn out like Theodoric had. And even amongst those who weren't insane like Theo, there were a few who were still bad, for they used knowingly their indifference to do contract killings or similar deeds. So thinking like that, that all vampires should be exterminated – and no, thank you, he wasn't willing to let himself become a dalek, Doctor, get out of his mind this instant! – thinking like that would be hypocritical if he didn't turn against his own kind afterwards.

But who said I had no intention of doing just that?

Ah, the evil alter-ago was revealing himself. Would he be kind enough to go all the way and discuss with the nice vampire over there? Because Alaric was pretty sure the hunter wouldn't just tell him were he had hidden the last white oak stake just because Stefan asked nicely.

Damn right you are, Ric. And no, I have no intention to get out and discuss with your... friend. I have nothing to kill him with, and there is no gain in talking with him.

But that was where the evil-alter-ego-from-hell was wrong.

He certainly hadn't expected Alaric to go this far. The teacher had truly gone bonkers. No wonder he had appeared in the man's mind. "Alaric" couldn't be trusted with himself right now, or he'd have never asked a vampire notorious for his lack of control with his bloodlust to beat him to the edge of life in an underground cell with no one to call for help if said vampire lost it.

There really was something wrong with the current "Alaric". He had to take over. Quickly.

Yet, the hunter believed the teacher would tell the Salvatore vampire to stop, if he was unsuccessful long enough that he'd really fear for his life. For a moment, as they both took in the punches and kicks – because after all, they only had one body – he wondered if, seeing the vampire continue to harm him regardless of his pleas for it to stop, Alaric would finally understand. For even if the monsters seemed to have some kinds of feelings – the hunter couldn't deny that anymore, not after Damon, not after their love – they still were monsters. The younger Salvatore brother seemed reluctant to hit very hard at first, and the hunter guessed it was because Alaric and him were friends. He seemed to hesitate quite a lot, actually.

But the hunter knew.

Stefan Salvatore was a monster, just like Damon. They may have had feelings, but nothing could overcome their true nature. Now that he had started, he wouldn't stop. And if Alaric didn't realize that pretty soon...

But the teacher was doing it on purpose. He wanted the hunter to come out, and he had to say, it was tempting even if only to stop his face from further looking like a bloody and battered steak.

Alaric started riling the vampire up, and after a time, the monster couldn't take it anymore.

Punches. Kicks.

And yells.

Anger.

Alaric knew how to anger someone. He knew the words that hurt. He had no remorse using them. He knew, in the back of his mind, in something that sounded a lot like a conscience, but wasn't really – because it only worked in a cold, calculating way for those kinds of things – he knew it wasn't right. But he knew only because that was how the world was, how normal people were supposed to think. How he had seen them behave.

But Alaric was a Falkenbach, and if he wanted, he could just ignore the rational part of his brain, and go with the flow, with the practical part of it. He merely chose not to do it on a daily basis.

There was no such thing as feelings involved in doing what he did.

And he needed the hunter to come out and speak.

So for once, Ric would forget about the tiny voice of his self-made conscience.

Alaric really wasn't going to make it stop.

The hunter came out.

Nevermind ridding the world of all evil / supernatural freaks, he wouldn't kill even another normal vampire if he got himself killed for waiting too long. It wasn't as if any of the fanged monsters could get to the stake on their own, after all.

But he wasn't going to just tell them. He needed them to follow him into the cave, without knowing exactly where the white oak stake was. If he could make that happen, the hunter would be safe in the no-vampire area, and with the stake. Sure, they could get someone else, a lot less dead and so a lot more able to get in the guarded area of the secret cave, to come in, kill him, and hand over the stake. But it would be difficult, for there were few living beings who would be able to get rid of him. Some sport-freak, perhaps. One or two werewolves, too. But those had been driven out of town or made hybrids by Klaus – so, not there, or dead. That let only a witch, and so Bonnie.

Such a pity, the hunter thought. He kind of liked the young woman. But if she came after him...

Well, it wasn't as if she was not on his list anyway.

Bonnie Bennett was a witch, and a friend to many monsters. She had to die, in the end.

So the hunter put up with some more beating, until one Rebekah Mikaelson came to the boarding house, sulking at being ordered around by her brother.

Then, he thought that maybe, it was time to give in.

"Okay... I get it! You... want the stake. I'll show you where it... where it is."

Blood was dripping from his lips, his teeth, his nose, and, overall, his whole face. His side was aching and he was certain he had at least two bruised ribs. And of course, his shoulder was aflame with pain due to his sixth death. On the bright side, he was in such a state he could barely feel it.

Oh well, to make a long story short, he felt like he could die any time. But he didn't care.

There was only one white oak stake left. He was going to go exactly where he had hidden it. Escorted by one of the Originals. And she wouldn't be able to take the stake away from him. There was only one Original he could kill with the stake before it burnt into flames.

Maybe he'd find another way, one day. Maybe another white oak would grow in Mystic Falls, in a few decades or centuries. It had happened before. Why wouldn't it happen again? He'd be dead by then, but if he could leave instructions... There was still a chance the world would one day be done with vampires.

If he could get to the cave, stake Rebekah Mikaelson, and go on his merry way murdering every other monster that wasn't an Original up till the end of his life, that would already be quite a lot.

Barbie Klaus' voice took the hunter back to the present.

"Hell no. If anything, you tell us where it is, then I decide whether or not I kill you right now or wait a bit, even if it is just to see if your original personality will ever come back, after all, we all need distraction, and in all my years I have never seen a case such as yours."

The hunter spat some blood.

"As if. You don't have a choice. I won't tell you where this stake is, and it will take days for the vervain to completely leave my body. Unlike with a vampire, you can't drain me without killing me, and I'm not sure even the Gilbert ring can give me back my blood if you drain the vervain out."

The Original squinted at him, a thoughtful look on her face.

"I'm sure I can figure out something, involving a lot of suffering, blood, and torture, that will make you talk. But I appreciate your concern."

"You don't have time to waste with that. Klaus seemed very... eager to get the stake back and burn it. We both know he can be unsufferable when he doesn't get what he want. He wants it now, and he will not leave you alone if you take your time to play. So there is only one way. You following me to where I hid it, me bargaining for my life, and once the trade is over, I leave town for good."

Barbie Klaus scoffed at that, but she looked like she was considering his offer. After all, she hadn't even wanted to take care of the white oak stake business, and Klaus had just said "go", implying "before I get angry and unpleasant" – not that she didn't want the stake to be destroyed. But if she could finish this early...

Or at least that was what her thinking process and face looked like to the hunter.

"Alright. But..."

The original vampire left in a blur, and came back in the same fashion only one minute later.

She had a ring he knew too well in her hand.

"See that? I saw it last time I came over. I'm quite curious as to which one of you stole it from my dear brother... Anyway, I can't kill you if I want the white oak stake back. But if you do even one suspicious move, I'll shove it down your throat."

The hunter eyed the amethyst ring warily, but well... It was still better than to be killed on the spot. And he suspected he was so sore it wouldn't be so terrible, all in all.

"Deal."

So they went to the cave.

The hunter walked in the no-vampire-allowed area. And then came back with the stake.

Saying he was surprised when Rebekah Mikaelson got past the barrier would be an understatement. Saying he was surprised when she revealed herself to be Esther Mikaelson possessing her own daughter's body would be another understatement. But saying he wasn't pleased with her coming back to take care of her despicable offspring would have been a lie.

He accepted her offer, and lied to everyone, telling them he was taking some time off to work on destroying his alter-ego. It wasn't so much of a lie, actually. Alaric hadn't come back. He was still here, and the hunter could feel he wasn't yet the true "Alaric", but he was close.

With her on his side, the hunter had a chance to get rid of every single Original, he thought as the witch made the last white oak stake indestructible, using the Gilbert ring. He didn't really like her plan to make him into an unkillable vampire to get there, but he'd be linked to Elena's lifespan, so it was a lesser evil.

She killed him. Without warning. Seventh time.

Now he knew why she hadn't told him exactly how the turning would go. He'd have been quite reluctant to agree, if she had. But at least, he'd soon kill all the vampires in the world – and the witch who had created them. Esther wasn't the only one who kept things to herself.