Hello Everyone! Finally! An update! It's been SO LONG! First of all, let me just apologize to all you faithful readers. If you haven't been keeping up with my on Tumblr, I've been kinda MIA on my fanfics for the past two weeks because I've been super stressed and busy with school. Getting ready to graduate means I've had LOADS to do. However, my spring break has arrived so I'm hoping that in the free time I will get LOTS of writing done and be able to update ALL of my fics :)
So thank you thank you thank you for being patient and for the support and reading and all the loveliness!
Enjoy :)
Klaus awoke, a sharp pain in his head. He cracked his neck to the side and heard the bones loudly snap back into to place. Across the room, Rebekah began to stir, groaning and rubbing her head. He sat up on the floor and took a moment to look around. Esther was gone. The coffin with her body was missing as well.
Klaus muttered a few choice words under his breath. Esther had outwitted him. He hated nothing more than being outsmarted. He would have to call off his hybrids so that she wouldn't be able to use any more of them. Most importantly, he needed to figure out the spells Esther was using. He couldn't do magic himself, but he had had plenty of years to study up a bit and know the ins and outs of spell work. Obviously whatever she was using was similar to what he had used when he first came to Mystic Falls, and had hidden himself inside Alaric Salztman's body. The problem with that was, he would need a vacant body for Esther to jump into and right now he was short on those.
There was no way he could let Esther get back into her own body. Yes it would be easier to kill her then, she would be human again after all, but she would also have legion of angry witches behind her on this unholy mission, granting her access to all their power. He recalled the night of the sacrifice and the way the Bennett witch had reduced him to nothing more than a weak child with her entire blood line at her fingertips.
Klaus was wracking his brain, but coming up with nothing. He let out a frustrated yell. Then suddenly he heard Rebekah sniffle from her seat on the floor. He crawled over to her, laying a hand on her arm.
"Rebekah are you alright?" Klaus asked, concern painting his face.
"She hates us," Rebekah said sadly, "she hates us for something that was her fault."
Klaus had to give a small laugh. Now Rebekah was experiencing something that he had known his whole life. Familial rejection.
"Now you know why I killed her," Klaus said quietly. "Rebekah I need you to listen to me. I need you to tell me anything you can about Esther's plans."
"Like what?"
Klaus grabbed her by the shoulders and gave her a gentle shake. "Anything. How did she say she was going to kill me? Did she mention it?"
"A dagger. It was something she told me about. She told me where it was and how to find it. She said with the right spell and a bit of the doppelganger's blood, it would kill you."
"Where is this dagger now? What did you do with it?"
"I stashed it in the Salvatore house when I came to see you last night."
Klaus gave her an incredulous look. "The Salvatore house? Why there?"
Rebekah snickered, the tears drying from her eyes. "Always hide it right under their noses. It's the last place anyone will look. You taught me that."
Klaus smiled and gave her arm a brotherly squeeze. "That's my girl." He stood up off the ground then, pulling Rebekah with him. "Come on. We need to get to the Salvatore house."
They strode out of the abandoned house together. Klaus stepped over the dead bodies of two of his hybrids. He hoped that Esther hadn't already gotten the dagger back or the doppelganger's blood.
Klaus arrived at the boarding house a few minutes later with Rebekah. They approached carefully, in case Esther was still around. The walked up to the door and opened it, sneaking into the house. All was quite. He didn't hear any sign of Damon or the doppelganger or anyone else.
"So where is this dagger?" Klaus whispered to his sister.
She nodded down the hall towards a small table. "There, in that drawer, under some old papers."
Klaus and Rebekah crept forward, careful not to let old squeaky floorboards give away their presence. They stood in front of the decorative table. Klaus grasped the brass handle and gave it a gentle tug, slipping the drawer open. Rebekah pawed through the papers, but found no dagger.
"It's not here. She must have it already," Rebekah said dejectedly.
"Looking for something?"
The two of them spun around to see Damon standing behind them, an unamused look spread across his face.
"Not any of your business Damon," Klaus said.
"Actually, wrong. You're snooping in my house, so it is in fact, my business."
"And what do you plan to do it about it?" Klaus challenged.
Damon rolled his shoulders and stepped forward, but before he could follow through with the unspoken threat, Rebekah flashed in front of him, gripping his throat in her hands.
"I wouldn't if I were you," she growled, teeth bared.
"I guess you two made up," Damon squeaked out.
Klaus crossed his arms, trying to suppress a grin, "Let him go Rebekah."
She released him with a toss and backed away, standing near her brother again.
"Actually you are right Damon," Klaus said, "this does concern you. Because it also concerns your doppelganger love."
Damon narrowed his crystal eyes at the hybrid. "What about Elena?"
"Where is she? Is she safe?"
"Of course she's safe, she's upstairs with Caroline. "
As soon as he said it, a loud crash came from upstairs. The three of them exchanged quick glances and then ran up the stairs at supernatural speed. Damon whipped open the door to his bedroom, where he had left Elena with Caroline, but they were gone. One of the windows was wide open, the curtain billowing in the wind.
"Esther must have taken her," Rebekah said.
"Fuck," Klaus muttered, "and she has the dagger." So much for plan A.
"Someone better explain what is going on. Fast." Damon growled at the two of them.
"Well isn't this poetic. Now it's you having to worry," Klaus retorted, echoing Damon's earlier words.
Damon snarled at the hybrid, but Klaus ignored him. He quickly explained what had really taken place earlier that morning with Caroline and his mother. Then told him about Esther's plan and Elena's involvement in it all.
"I knew something was wrong with Blondie. She just wasn't her usual peppy self," Damon said rubbing a hand in his hair, "not to mention it was a little crazy how fast she was supposedly willing to ditch you."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Klaus quipped.
Damon scoffed. "I just knew it was too good to be true." He paced back and forth a couple times then stopped and looked at Klaus again.
"So what's the plan?"
"Stop Esther before she can complete the spell on the dagger," Rebekah said.
"And how do we do that?"
"We kill her," Klaus said coldly.
"And I'll be the one who does it," Rebekah announced. Klaus turned toward her then in surprise.
"Rebekah…"
"Nik, I need to be the one who does this."
He looked into his baby sister's deep eyes, seeing the seriousness and resolve in her wish. He understood why she was saying this. He had been in her position once. But he also wasn't about to let Rebekah do this to herself. Yes she was bad tempered and ruthless and without much conscience, but he just couldn't let her commit this particular sin.
"Whoever has the opportunity will do it," Klaus replied, knowing that he would make sure that it would be him.
"Hang on a second," Damon said interrupting, "I want you guys dead anyways. Why am I helping you again?"
"Because if you don't I'll kill the doppelganger as soon as I find them so Esther can't use her blood."
Damon considered him. "You wouldn't. You couldn't make your precious hybrids then."
Klaus smirked. "No point in a hybrid army if I'm not alive to enjoy them."
Damon conceded then. He was obviously backed into a corner. They continued discussing their plan, filling Damon in on his part in it all. Soon enough, one of the hybrids reported Esther's location to Klaus. It was time to head out, and finish Esther off. This time, for good.
Caroline couldn't believe where she was, or what she had had to watch happen for the past hour. The sun was going down over Mystic Falls and the moon was rising in the sky. Esther had ordered the hybrids to bring the coffin with her body to a particular location. Then Esther went back to the Salvatore house, pretending to be Elena, so that she could attack her and kidnap her. After that she had brought them here.
She looked out at the familiar green grass, the white painted strips running across it, and the metal bleachers that surrounded them on either side. They were smack in the middle of the Mystic Falls High School football field.
Go Timberwolves, Caroline thought.
Elena began to stir awake where she lay on the ground as Esther lit the last of her white candles. The girl rubbed her eyes and sat up, trying to get her bearings. Her gaze immediately went to Caroline and she shot off the ground, ready to run if she needed to.
"Now Elena, you know there is no point in running, I'll just drag you back if you do," Esther said in Caroline's voice.
"Caroline what is going on? Is this something Klaus is making you do?"
"No Elena, but I am doing this because of Niklaus."
"I don't understand."
Esther's flicked her gaze up to Elena and Caroline was finally able to see her head on. Her poor friend's cheek was split and bleeding and she looked utterly confused.
"I am going to kill Niklaus."
Elena shook her head. "How? He's invincible."
"Not to me he isn't. But I need your help first." Esther walked around the coffin and over to Elena. She shrank back a bit in fear.
"What do you want?"
"I need your blood. Just one drop. That is all."
"My blood? Caroline I—"
Esther cut her off. "I suppose this would all be easier and less confusing for you if I went ahead and revealed to you that I am not your friend Caroline. I am simply borrowing her body for a short while."
"Then who—"
"Think child. Who would want Niklaus and all the originals dead more than anyone in the entire world?"
Elena considered her words. She knew Damon would definitely be at the top of that list, but she also knew that this wasn't him or his doing. The only other person she could think of was Mikael and he was dead. But then there was one other…but no that would be impossible.
"Esther?" Caroline felt her head nod up and down and saw Elena's eyes go wide in surprise. "How?"
"It's a very long story and one that I do not desire to explain again," Esther said producing a dagger from its sheath at her waist, "now I will be requiring your blood."
Klaus, Rebekah, and Damon watched from the shadows of the bleachers as Esther spoke to Elena. Damon couldn't stop his anxious twitching anxious as he looked on. It was getting on Klaus's nerves. Damon had no reason to fear, Elena was perfectly safe. Caroline on the other hand…Klaus wasn't sure what would happen to her. He knew that Caroline could survive the transition once Esther left her body, as long as Esther let her. She could decide to kill Caroline as further punishment to him. He was well aware of the serious chance he was taking. He was gambling with her life and he didn't like it at all. But as always he was forced to do what had to be done.
"If that witch hurts Elena, I'll snap her neck, I don't give a fuck if she's in blondie's body," Damon whispered. Klaus glared at him from the corner of his eye. If that vampire so much as made a single move to hurt Caroline, he would be the one getting his neck snapped.
"She's about to take Elena's blood," Rebekah said, "we should go now."
Klaus turned to his sister. "You're sure you want to do this?"
He didn't know why he was asking. He wanted Caroline and his family safe above anything else, and this was the only way to accomplish that. But Rebekah, she'd always idolized their mother, always wanted her back. He could see how much the woman's betrayal was destroying her. But at the same time, he could see the determination in his sister's dark blue eyes, the hard set of her jaw that told him she was sure of the decision that she was making. It made him glad that his sister was back on his side.
"We stick together," she said grasping his hand, "always and forever."
Klaus gave her hand a small squeeze and nodded.
"This is all very touching," Damon said, "but time's a-wastin'"
Klaus saw Rebekah roll her eyes and then turn, stepping forward. The boys followed her, the three of them walking out of the shadows and onto the football field.
"Ah, children, so good of you to come," Esther said, standing next to her coffin with Elena in her grasp.
The stadium lights illuminated the scene, the harsh white light glaring angrily off the silver coffin. A group of hybrids stood around, protectively, still under Esther's compulsion.
"Elena here was just about to cooperate and donate to my cause," the witch continued, brandishing a large, ornate dagger.
"You touch her and you're dead," Damon growled.
"We'll see about that," Esther challenged. She grabbed Elena's forearm and pressed the dagger to it, drawing the slightest amount of blood. Elena clenched her teeth and hissed in pain. Klaus noticed Damon take a half step forward and mentally willed him to hold himself together.
"Thank you my dear," Esther said sweetly, "your part is done."
The doppelganger's thick, red blood coated the steel of the dagger. The scent swirled in the air. It had always been different; sweet and dangerous all at the same time, like a forbidden fruit. Elena looked at Esther, confused, until she realized she was being let go. She ran over toward Damon. He met her halfway and quickly pulled her back behind him, standing in front of her protectively.
"What's going on," she whispered, taking her jacket off and wrapping it around her arm to staunch the blood flow.
"Don't worry, we have a plan," Damon said through his teeth.
"With them? I thought Klaus was the bad guy?"
"Not right now he isn't."
Klaus would have smirked at the backhanded comment, but his eyes were trained on Esther and the dagger. Now it was all up to chance. His hands clenched at his sides. He felt Rebekah's rage increasing next to him as she shifted slightly from foot to foot. Esther held the dagger in Caroline's hand twisting it in her grasp. He stood there, counting the breaths trying to anticipate Esther's next move. Each possible scenario flashed through his mind.. The seconds ticked away as they all stood there. Waiting. Waiting for someone to make the first move. Would she kill him in her own body or in Caroline's? And what was he going to do if she chose the latter?
Esther stood there, in front of the coffin, two of the hybrids closed in next to her. She smiled and blew a kiss in their direction, waving. She looked every bit the teenage mean girl. Klaus's gaze narrowed and them suddenly he watched the change over take her face. The wicked smile melted away to a look of surprise, the blue of her eyes brightened and the hard lines of her cheeks softened. Her gaze caught his as she stumbled forward, her hand reaching out.
"Klaus!" Caroline yelled, it was definitely Caroline's voice.
Before he could take a single step, she fell forward and hit the ground.
So let me know what you think?
I hope everything with this chapter is ok...I'm updating this as I'm about to go to sleep after a very long day/week, but I really wanted everyone to have something to read :)
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