mfmxxx: It totally slipped from my mind. Wow, if I realized that it would surely change a few things.
lilly2587: What I meant was for Kol to appear in the flashback. Well, hopefully soon!
ddluzelle: Cassandra is alive and kicking! I have lots of plans for her but not really sure what to do with her yet!
And thank you so much for the rest reviewers, I love you guys. Enjoy the chapter and as usual, I only own three doppelgangers.
Chapter 13: Let Me Burn
I stayed in the kitchen with John, and listened to the conversation without any effort. Jenna left the house, and I honestly thought it was better for her to leave for the time being.
"Let her go. It's better that she's not here, what with everything that's going on but maybe had you been a little more honest with her from the beginning, this–" John's words were cut off by Alaric's punch. I snorted, amused by the scene of John getting punched in the face. I had always wanted to punch that father of mine but I was afraid I would punch him with all my hatred and strength and killed him accidentally.
"You know this is your fault, right?" Elena asked John with a smirk.
"Right," he mumbled quietly and I snickered.
Later on, Stefan came by and I opened the door for him. He was on the phone and I narrowed my eyes when I heard Caroline on the other line.
"I can't find him anywhere. He's not at home. He's not answering his phone," she said, agitated.
"Is it Matt?" I guessed and Stefan nodded. "Well, what happened?" I asked.
"He knows what I am, Nessa. And he was totally freaked out," Caroline answered and I pursed my lips.
"How could you let him go?" Stefan asked and I followed him upstairs.
"My mom walked in. He took off. I didn't know what to do," Caroline snapped.
"Did your mum hear anything?" I asked and Stefan gave me a look not to interrupt his conversation and I gave him an eye roll.
"No. She just thinks we're fighting but he knows about me, and he's freaking out about Vicki," Caroline said.
"Alright, listen. You have to find him. You have to calm him down. Compel him if you have to. Is he still on the vervain?" Stefan asked.
"I slip it into his soda when he's at work, but I didn't get to last night, so it's out of his system. He has a catering shift at the Lockwood's' today. I'm gonna try there."
"Good luck," I said and Caroline hung up.
"This is bad," Elena said with a sigh. "Between Isobel and Jenna and now Matt, this is disaster bad."
"Yeah," Stefan said and I pursed my lips, debating how to tell them about my encounter with Klaus.
"Um, we actually have a bigger problem," I told and the couple looked at me. "Last night-"
"Elena, can you come downstairs, please? I need to talk to you," John said, appearing at the doorway.
Elena scoffed and coldly said, "I have nothing to say to you."
"Please, it's important. You too, Stefan, Vanessa," he said pleadingly and we looked at each other before going downstairs.
None of us were pleased in seeing Isobel in the kitchen doorway, already been invited in.
"Isobel," I said, giving her a warning look.
"You invited her in?" Elena asked, enraged at John for inviting the black haired vampire in.
"She has information about Klaus. Please, just listen to her, okay?" John pleaded and Elena looked at Stefan before looking at me. She had met Klaus and there was a big chance of whatever she was going to say was actually from Klaus.
"Just listen to her," I said and turned to Stefan.
"Alright, what do you know?" he asked.
"Since I was last here, I've been doing everything possible to find Klaus. We knew our best chance was to find him before he could find you," Isobel explained calmly while Elena was pacing around. I sat on the counter near Stefan, telling Elena telepathically to stop pacing as it was making my head hurt.
"Best chance at what?" Stefan questioned.
"Keeping Elena alive," John answered dryly.
"You don't get to talk, okay, not after everything you've done," Elena snapped and my lips twitched into a smile.
"Were you able to find Klaus?" Stefan asked and I narrowed my eyes at Isobel.
"No. Nobody knows where he is but there are these rumors that are flying around. That a doppelganger exists," Isobel said, half lying and half telling the truth. Now I knew where I got the skill to lie so smoothly from.
"Which means any vampire that wants to get in favor with Klaus will be lining up to capture you," John concluded. Stefan turned around, looking at Elena worriedly.
"I'm not buying any of this," Elena said and I rolled my eyes. She then turned to Isobel. "The last time that you were here, you made it clear that you didn't give a damn about me. Now all of a sudden I'm supposed to believe that you want to help?" She asked, totally not trusting her.
"Isobel's been helping all along," John said and Elena gave him a look. "Klaus has been obsessed with finding Katherine for centuries. All it would take was any one of those 1864 tomb vampires to spread the word around that Katherine was still alive and it would bring him straight here to Mystic Falls, where you were bound to be discovered, so we killed them," John explained.
"And almost killed Stefan and Damon in the process," Elena countered.
"Yeah," Stefan agreed grudgingly.
"I have a safe house that I can take you to. The deed is in your name. No vampires can get in without your permission, not even me. Let me help you," Isobel said, almost pleadingly and I sent another telepathy message to Elena not to accept it. But Elena didn't need my advice.
"You wanna help? Then get the hell out of my house," Elena said through her gritted teeth. I sighed in relief. That house could be Klaus's lair.
We were in the library of Salvatore Boarding House, discussing about the recent news. I still hadn't told them about my meeting with Klaus. How was I supposed to tell them anyway? And let's not mention that I actually made out with him. Did I though?
"Do you really think that Isobel's telling the truth that word's gotten out about the doppelganger?" Elena asked.
"Look, I don't trust a word that she says, but I think we'd be stupid to ignore the warning," Stefan said and I pursed my lips.
"I think there's a big chance that Isobel had already met Klaus," I told them. "We've got to be careful around her."
"And you know this because…?" Damon trailed off and I bit my lower lip.
"Yeah, about that…" I said, trailing off.
"You've got something to say?" Damon asked and I looked at the three of them. I got up from the couch and poured myself a drink.
"What is it?" Elena asked, concerned. I sighed and downed the drink.
"I met Klaus," I finally said and the three of them looked at me, shocked. None of them knew what to say and Stefan was the first one to be able to conjure a question.
"What did you mean you met Klaus?" Stefan asked, asking me to clarify my statement.
"Last night, that was the reason I went home late. He had been following me," I said and Elena looked seriously anxious.
"Where?" Damon asked.
"A town near Mystic Falls. That means he's close," I said.
"Did he compel you? What did he do to you?" Stefan asked.
"He got inside my head. So whatever I know, he knows," I told them with a sigh.
"Well, luckily you didn't where the moonstone is," Damon commented and I looked at him in amazement.
"He didn't hurt you?" Elena asked and I gave her a tight smile. What Klaus did to me was far than hurting me.
"I'm a little traumatized but I'll be fine," I said, shaking off the thought of Klaus drinking from me.
"What about Elena?" Damon asked and I shook my head.
"I think he already knows that the doppelganger exists…" I said, glancing at Elena.
"Then why isn't he here?" Damon asked.
"He's waiting for the right time," Stefan said in realization and we fell into a grim silence.
"You know Elena, you should just stay here. It's better for us to keep an eye on you," Damon suggested suddenly.
"What, in the house that any vampire can enter? No. Her house is safer," Stefan argued.
"Well, then we'll stay there," Damon said and Stefan shrugged, half agreeing with his brother.
"What? No!" I protested. "I can take care of Elena, you don't have to stay at our place," I said, totally rejecting the idea.
"So is that the plan? None of you will let me out of your sight again?" Elena asked.
"Oh, I'm sleeping in your room tonight," I said to Elena and looked at Stefan. "Unless Stefan…wants to come over…" I trailed off and cleared my throat awkwardly and Damon smirked.
"Not funny," Elena said although she was blushing. "Fine then, one of you three bodyguards is gonna have to come with me to the Lockwood luncheon," Elena said.
"That'd be me," Stefan and I said in sync and I grimaced at him making him chuckled.
"Not me. I have witch stuff to attend to with Bonnie," Damon said.
"Oh you're getting along huh?" I teased and he rolled his eyes.
"Does that mean you're taking her to…" Elena asked when Damon shushed her.
"Don't get quiet on my account," Katherine said, announcing her arrival. "If you have a plan to combat the impending vampire doom, please do tell," she said and rested her hands on the table.
"Seriously, what is the plan to get us out of this mess, hmm?" she asked when none of us answered her. Damon was sharing a funny look with Stefan that was much harder to ignore than Katherine.
"I delivered you a moonstone, a werewolf, and the dagger to lure and kill Klaus, and right now all you have is a moonstone. Or so you tell me," Katherine said, luring one of us to tell her something.
"No, we have it," Damon piped up and Katherine looked at him.
"Where is it?" she asked.
"It's in a very safe place," Damon answered sarcastically.
"I've been honest with you. Time to return the favor," Katherine snapped.
"Let me be honest with you. Don't mistake the fact that we haven't set you on fire in your sleep for trust," Damon said and I grinned at his remark. Elena gave Katherine a sweet smile and Katherine huffed.
"Fine, be that way," she scowled and left.
Stefan drove us to the luncheon by Elena's car. Elena was wearing tight, long sleeve purple dress while I wore dark teal sleeveless dress with black leggings and black heels. Dressing up like this reminded me how long I had been away from going to events in Mystic Falls with Elena.
"It's great having you around," Elena suddenly said, hooking her arm with mine and I looked at her, as if she had just read my mind.
"It's great to be around," I said and smiled as we walked side by side into the mansion with Stefan stalking behind us. He smiled at the sight, glad to see Elena happy. As we entered the mansion, Caroline saw us and walked up to us.
"Did you find Matt?" I asked although already knowing the answer by the look of her anxious face.
"No. What if he tells somebody? What if he tells everybody?" she asked, freaking out. I couldn't help but chuckled.
"He won't. And no one would believe him anyway," I said, trying to calm her down. Elena shot me a look of disapproval for taking this so lightly and I gave her a grin.
"Do you have any idea where he would be?" Stefan asked Elena.
"I wish I did, but he wasn't really one to run," Elena said and I nodded in agreement. Matt was always the rational one, but maybe this was too much for him.
"You know, this wasn't how it was supposed to happen. You know, I was supposed to tell him at the right moment in the right way, and he was supposed to be okay with it because he loves me," Caroline said, and we could clearly see how hurt she was.
"It's going to be fine. We'll help you find him," I said and looked at Elena.
"Yeah, we just have to accept this thing for Jenna," Elena nodded along and Caroline sighed.
"Alright. Well, call me when you're done, and I'll be out looking for him," Caroline said and we nodded and she left.
"Maybe he'll come around," Stefan said. "You did," he said lovingly to Elena and they smiled to each other. I rolled my eyes at the couple although I couldn't help but smiled at them.
"And here to accept the donation to the Miranda Sommers-Gilbert scholarship fund is Elena and Vanessa Gilbert," Carol said and everyone applauded. Elena and I smiled as we walked up to the stage, hand in hand. It was an amazing and lovely sight from the third person. The Gilbert twins, smiling as they walked side by side, even after everything that had happened.
"The historical society was my mom's baby. She considered all of you family and would be honored and touched by this gift," Elena said and I smiled, remembering how passionate my mom was whenever she was doing activities for the historical society. As boring as it sounded, it was always fun when I helped my mom. I just looked at her smile and how her eyes seemed to sparkle in passion and I didn't mind helping her at all.
Elena's speech was interrupted with a loud, crashing noise and we glanced at each other. The crowd headed to the noise, curious about it. I walked a few steps forward trying to get a better look when I heard Elena called my name in panic. Then I felt a sharp pain at my neck and felt weak instantly. I realized it was vervain just a second before I blacked out.
"Are we good to go?" I heard a woman voice said. Groaning slightly as I regained my consciousness, I turned my head to the side to see Isobel on the phone.
"We'll be long gone before that," Isobel said and glanced at me. I shifted my weight and looked at the back to see Elena, unconscious.
"Good, how far are you"? I heard Elena-no, Katherine's voice and frowned. That bitch, I cursed in my head.
"I'm sorry, Katherine. I had to do what I was told. He wanted the moonstone and he wanted you," Isobel said before hanging up.
"Where are you taking us?" I asked, feeling slightly betrayed. She was our mother after all, and no matter how vampirism had changed us, we were still a family. I somehow, had foolishly believed that.
"Are you taking us to Klaus?" Elena asked.
"Isobel!" I growled when she didn't answer.
"I'm not taking you two to him," she said and looked at me, pleadingly. "Please don't look at me like that," she whispered and I looked away. I was pretty sure my eyes were blazing with betrayal and anger. The car came to a stop and the man, the one that I had fed from, opened the door. Isobel got out of the car and I followed suit. We were in a graveyard and I recognized it instantly, the place where Isobel was buried.
"Just because you can't be compelled doesn't mean I can't force you to come with me," Isobel said to Elena and she got out of the car grudgingly. I offered her my hand and she took it.
"It's okay," I said to her, although I wasn't sure what was going to happen. I somehow, still believed that Isobel won't betray me. Katherine did, a voice in my head said and I tried to ignore it.
"Were you compelled to betray Katherine?" Elena asked.
"If I was, I couldn't tell you," Isobel remarked.
"So you lied. You did find Klaus, didn't you? He knows where I am now," Elena said, feeling betrayed too. I hold up my hand to Elena, cutting her off.
"So you made a deal with him to give him Katherine, the moonstone and us. Huh?" I asked harshly and she ignored me. We kept walking until we came to a stop, her grave.
"What is this?" Elena asked.
"My parents, your grandparents, they put it here when it became clear that the police weren't gonna find my body. They visit every week, and they bring flowers, even though there's no one buried here. The Isobel they knew is dead. So maybe there's a part of me that's buried here, the-the human part, the part that I abandoned when I-when I choose to become a vampire, the part that used to dream about the day that she'd know her daughters," she said, looking at us longingly.
"What?" Elena asked, clearly surprised to see this side of Isobel. But I had seen this side of hers many times before. That was one of the reason why I still didn't believe she had betrayed us.
Isobel shrugged, didn't want to think about it. "And instead you got to meet the other part... The part that would betray her own flesh and blood," she said sadly. Her phone rang and she answered it.
"I have Katherine and the moonstone. Is the doppelganger safe?" A foreign man's voice asked. Somehow I was hoping to hear the British accent of Klaus.
"Yes."
"The doppelganger's twin?" he asked and I felt my heart skipped a beat.
"Yes."
"Then let them go," he said and I looked at Elena but she had her back turned.
"Let them go?" Isobel asked, making Elena turned around. Our eyes met, and I could see confusion and hope in her brown eyes.
"Klaus has everything he needs for now. Your part is finished. You did what he compelled you to do," the voice said.
"I'm done?" Isobel asked, smiling a little.
"You're done," he confirmed and hanged up. Isobel sighed in relief and she placed her phone back into the pocket.
"Who was that?" Elena and I asked in sync. She smiled at that, and looked at us. That look on her face, it was filled with warmth, sadness, and…love.
"I'm so sorry, Elena, Vanessa," she said sincerely, looking at Elena and me. "That I was such a disappointment to you two," she said sadly and fiddled with her daylight necklace. I didn't realize what she was doing, until she ripped her necklace off and embraced the sun.
"What are you doing?" I yelled frantically and I watched my mother in horror as she started to burn.
San Francisco - June 30, 2009
"Kat?" I called out as I headed downstairs. Instead, I saw Isobel in the kitchen. "Why are you here?" I asked and she looked at me.
"I've been busy," she began and I noticed how she fidgeted with her hands.
"And..?" I asked.
"I'm here-I'm here to wish you. Happy belated birthday," she said and I was stunned at first, and I turned to look at her. I had never seen Isobel so nervous before.
"T-thanks," I managed and gave her a smile. My mom actually wished me for my birthday. "Although…I'm dead. You know," I said and cleared my throat. "But thanks," I said awkwardly. We ended up just standing there awkwardly until she cleared her throat.
"I know I hadn't been there for you or Elena," she said. "But I had always wanted to see my daughters grow up into beautiful ladies," she said, her smile and her eyes were sad. "Anyway, here's a gift." She said and walked to the table. I followed her and saw a big white box with crimson ribbon on it.
"Wow," I said and she chuckled.
"I have no idea what to get for you," she admitted. "But then a thought occurred to me, 'she's my daughter after all, she'll love this'," she said with a laugh. She gave me a sincere smile and I laughed too.
"Can I open this now?" I asked and she nodded. I opened the lid and unwrapped whatever inside. It was a pair of dark blue, stylish stilettos and I gaped in awe. "Wow, this is beautiful," I said, knowing Caroline would totally envy me should I wear this to our senior prom.
"I'm glad you like it," she said. "I wore these to my senior prom. I wanted the prom to be something memorable. Something wonderful and it had to be great. I remember searching for the perfect dress and even though your date would never realize what shoes you were wearing that night, I wanted it to be perfect," she said, reminiscing her high school years.
"This is perfect," I said to her. "Really, really perfect," I said and she nodded in agreement. "Thank you," I said and held out my arms. She was hesitant for a second, but then she finally pulled me into an embrace.
There I was, sitting on the ground with my mother's ash in my hand, trying to comprehend what just had happened. I remembered the screams. Her scream of pain and suffering as she burned under the sun, my scream of horror and how I frantically called for her, and Elena screaming in panic as I tried to grab Isobel's necklace and put it back on her neck.
And then it was nothing.
I wasn't sobbing as I thought I would be. But I was crying. Tears were flowing down my cheeks, and to the ash, and I wasn't stopping it. I wasn't just crying for her. I was crying for all of us, the ones that I had lost and the ones that I was about to lose.
Elena watched me as I dug a small hole over the grave with my bare hands. She was sad, really, even when the last thing Isobel did was betraying us. After burying the ash, I debated whether to bury her necklace too, or not.
"Here," I said, holding out Isobel's daylight necklace to Elena. "If you want to keep it," I said.
"You can keep it," Elena said, and I shook my head.
"It's fine. Take this as her birthday present for you. She had always wanted to give you one," I said and brushed the dirt on my hands. I glanced at Elena and nodded towards the gate. I walked away from the cemetery, knowing that would be the last time I ever step my foot on that place.