Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries.

Three

AJ's head was spinning. Her vision faded to black on the edges, returned to its normal clarity, and then repeated the cycle. Nausea rolled over her in waves, steady like a ghastly rhythm, bringing on headaches and raising bile into her throat. Her thoughts were incomplete as her eyes darted around the scene before her. She tried very hard not to take deep breaths. Only one word clicked in her head. Death.

Klaus and Stefan had immediately gotten to work starting the transition for the werewolves that'd remained. And their work was now strewn carelessly about the campsite, exuding a terrible smell of decaying flesh and organs, even though the bodies were perfectly intact and would soon re-animate. Her vision was starting to get an odd dreamlike transparency. Everything was outlined in white and gold as if she were somewhere heavenly rather than a place that reeked of just the opposite. She fretfully wondered if her reality was meshing with the place she wanted to be, which was in Elijah's comforting arms.

Klaus was finishing the last werewolf. The boy looked to be seventeen, and he had light brown hair and clear blue eyes. He looked like a perfectly normal teenager, except for the fear etched in his eyes and the blood seeping out of his mouth. AJ cringed, turning away. No one deserved that. She wouldn't wish it on her worst enemy. Not even the darker part of her could—the part that'd completely fused with her better side when the two could no longer fight for dominance in her head. There'd been times over the summer when she feared that they'd returned to their warring ways, but something worse had happened. The fusion had created a mix of new emotions in her; emotions that she wasn't sure how to handle. Right now, she was quite certain she was on the verge of losing her sanity and gaining something else, something darker.

Vertigo twisted up in her stomach, and she thought for a moment that she'd wretch. But she didn't. She took in short, concise breaths and closed her eyes. Pulling her knees up to her chin, she laced her fingers around her shins and just focused on staying calm. She couldn't lose herself emotionally; not now, of all times. She needed to stay in control of herself. Letting out a long breath, she reopened her eyes.

Beside her, Ray shivered. "They're dead," he said wretchedly, "They're all dead." He rocked back and forth, his arms tucked up under the sleeves of his jacket and his shoulders hunched over. He was a pitiful sight. AJ put her hand on his back and rubbed it soothingly, but she knew it provided very little comfort. The guilt she'd felt over the past hour now pressed down on her like a heavy weight.

Klaus approached them, and Stefan was now standing on Ray's other side.

Klaus's eyes skimmed over Ray. "He's reaching the peak of his transition. He should feel better soon."

Still rubbing Ray's back, AJ gave him a reproachful look. "You should have never done this. I should have never allowed it."

Klaus met her eyes steadily. "Maybe you should have stayed back somewhere. It's not too late for you to leave, now."

AJ shook her head angrily. "No," she said firmly, "I'm not leaving him like this. And the others—I won't leave."

Klaus whistled low, but his mouth settled into a fine line. "Such a saint," he said harshly, "And here I'd thought you couldn't stand any more of this. I'm giving you a way out for the day."

"And I'm refusing it."

Stefan looked between the two of them, indifferent. "So is this your master plan?" he asked Klaus. "Build an army of hybrid slaves?"

"Not slaves," Klaus said seriously. "Soldiers. Comrades."

Stefan nearly scoffed. "For what war, might I ask?"

Klaus looked down at Ray. "You don't arm yourself after war has been declared, Stefan," he said, "You build your army so big, that no one ever dares pick a fight."

"And what makes you so sure that they'll be loyal?"

Klaus smiled unnervingly. "Oh, it's not difficult to be loyal when you're on the winning team. That's something you'll learn once you shake that horribly depressive chip off your shoulder."

Stefan laughed humorlessly. "So that's why you're keeping me around? To witness my attitude adjustment?"

Klaus was no longer looking at Stefan. His eyes were on Ray, akin with worry like AJ. Blood was seeping out of his eyes, and he began choking as he shivered. Klaus kneeled down and took Ray's head in his hands, turning it sideways to examine him. "You'll know why I'm keeping you around when I've decided that I want you to know," he said as he studied Ray's face. "Something's wrong," he said suddenly, and concern was clear in his voice.

Stefan leaned down, also examining Ray. "Huh," he said smugly, touching Ray's head, "Now that shouldn't be happening, should it?" He looked at Klaus haughtily.

Klaus gave him a dark glare. "Obviously."

"What's happening to him?" AJ asked, grabbing Ray's hand. She looked from him, to Stefan and Klaus. Klaus had stood. His finger and thumb were on his chin as one arm crossed over his body. He stared at Ray pensively. "What's happening?" she asked shrilly. Couldn't Klaus do something? Was there a problem with the transition?

"You said it would feel better," Ray said, and his words came out staccato. He shook his head, looking up at Klaus. "I don't feel better."

Klaus crossed his arms, sighing lightly. Across from him, Stefan leaned against a tree. "Some master race," he commented without inflection.

Klaus narrowed his eyes. "Lose the attitude."

AJ flinched when another werewolf woke up, gasping for air. It was the dark-haired girl; the girlfriend of the human. She spit out blood and looked up at Stefan and Klaus, confused.

"Derek," Klaus called unhappily, "Come feed your girlfriend." Derek stood languidly, slowly rising to his feet, and made his way over to the girl. He was a gory mess. Just as he was about to reach his girlfriend, AJ screamed.

Klaus was at her side in an instant, pushing her behind him. He watched as Ray's fangs slid out of his mouth and the newly made hybrid took off into the forest. Stefan gaped, and then looked back at Klaus. "Go get him," Klaus ordered. Stefan hesitated before taking off after Ray. AJ bit her lip. Not a moment later, she could hear Stefan cry out in pain. She looked up at Klaus, eyes wide and fearful.

Klaus swore under his breath and started off towards Stefan, pulling AJ along with him. A minute later they came upon him looking out over a ridge. Stefan swiftly turned on his heel. Ray was nowhere to be seen.

"Where did he go?" Klaus demanded.

"He got away," Stefan said quickly. AJ could see that something was wrong, other than Ray escaping. His eyes held the smallest glint of desperation in them. He moved to go past Klaus, but Klaus grabbed Stefan's wrist.

"A fatal werewolf bite," he noted with a smirk, "Ouch."

Stefan looked down at it. "Yeah," he said coolly, "I'm going to need your blood, to heal me."

"Well, I'll tell you what," Klaus said, "You find Ray, and then I'll heal you."

Stefan processed this a moment. "You can't be serious."

"Klaus," AJ cut in, "He could find Ray better if he was healed. Don't be a dick."

"You'd better hurry," Klaus said, ignoring AJ's comment, "Because that bite looks nasty." He then stepped past Stefan, leaving him there as he headed back to the campsite.

AJ remained. She caught Stefan's eyes and gave him a questionable look. Stefan pressed his lips together, glancing back over his shoulder. Then he made a gesture as if he were writing. Catching on, AJ pulled a pen and small sheet of paper out of her pocket from where she kept it for when ideas popped into her head. She handed the items to him.

He quickly scrawled a note on the paper, placed it back in her hands, and took off after Ray. AJ blinked after him, but looked down at the paper. Elena, Damon, Alaric, and Elijah. They're here. Stay put, I'll handle it. Klaus can't know.

AJ's eyes widened and she reread the messy message several times. Her friends were here, somewhere in the mountains. Elijah was here. Her heart both rejoiced and became very fearful. Would she see him?

"AJ," Klaus called out, breaking into her thoughts, "Are you coming?"

AJ immediately crumpled up the paper and tossed it over the ridge. She turned on her heel and fast-walked back to the campsite. "Yes," she said, trying to control the excitement in her voice, "I'm coming."

As she came back upon the campsite, she stopped. All around, the bodies of the werewolves were now twisting and turning, writhing on the ground. Some moaned out in pain, and others began shivering the way Ray had. Once she spotted Klaus, she stepped cautiously around them. Instead of making her way over to him, she went back to the bench and settled on it. Her sudden hope for seeing her friends—for seeing Elijah—dissipated. They couldn't possibly come up here. Tonight was the full moon, and these things were hybrids. It wouldn't be safe. No one would be safe.

Klaus was going around the site, smiling beatifically at the wolves in transition. AJ averted her eyes, choosing to look off into the woods. Everything was a bright a luscious green. She tried pretending that she was just out in nature, enjoying the simplicity of it, but it didn't work very well. Elijah kept popping up in her mind.

Suddenly something had darted out in the woods—something with a humanlike figure. AJ stood suddenly, sucking in a gasp. They moved at an unbelievable speed, and yet they stayed hundreds of feet away. Was it Elijah? Dare she even think so? AJ stepped forward without any conscious volition, and flinched when she heard Klaus's voice.

"Where are you going?" he asked, his eyes raking over her. Her fair skin had a green twinge to it, and her eyes looked tormented. He frowned.

AJ swallowed hard, looking back at him. "I was just going to go for a walk in the forest," she said, and to her regret, her voice came out pitchy. "I was lucky Ray didn't come at me—I thought I'd get away for a little while as you controlled this situation."

Klaus glanced off to where she'd been heading, and her breath caught in her throat, thinking she'd been caught. He shrugged, "Don't be too long. Ray's still out there, and it'll be getting dark in less than an hour I don't want you getting lost—I have enough to handle."

AJ stared at him, her mouth open. A moment later, she regained her composure. "Yes—okay. I won't be long." She looked back out to where she'd seen the movement, and squinted. There didn't appear to be anything there anymore. With a small sigh, she started off towards it again. As she walked, she wondered what she'd even do if it was Elijah. She couldn't go back with him, no matter how much she wanted to. She felt responsible for the werewolves' fates, and she couldn't possibly leave Stefan behind to face Klaus's undoubted wrath. No, she wouldn't be able to leave. But to see him, to be close to him; that would be enough. It would give her the strength she'd been lacking.

Hopping over a fallen tree, her eyes searched the forest in front of her. Where was he? She'd seen him over here, somewhere. She was certain she was getting close. He didn't leave, did he? Like Klaus had said earlier, it was starting to get dark. The farthest she could see back was beginning to become shrouded by shadows, making her feel uneasy. But Elijah was out here somewhere. She considered calling his name, but immediately knew better. Klaus would hear, of course.

AJ came to an abrupt stop. Something suddenly didn't feel right. It wasn't the atmosphere around her, it was her. She put two fingers to her pulse point, wondering if she was having an attack of some kind for being overly excited. Her pulse was much faster than usual, but it didn't seem too absurd.

Then a sharp, shooting pain erupted from deep inside her, in the center of her body. AJ cried out and fell to her knees, landing roughly on the hard ground. There was an invisible force of some kind shrouding her, coming over her and pinpointing her throat as its target as something else stabbed into her stomach. It felt like invisible hands were wrapping around her throat, squeezing and pressing harder and harder. AJ gasped, her hands scratching at her throat. She coughed and sputtered, and blood sprayed from her mouth. Kneeling over, she wheezed in and out, straining to get the least bit of air as she choked on blood bubbling up out of her esophagus and spurting out of her mouth. Every time her lungs contracted, it felt like a torch burned within them. Tears coursed down her face, and knew she was going to die. Whatever witchery this was, it would kill her.

In a flash, she realized she wasn't alone anymore.

"AJ," Klaus said, falling to his knees beside her and looking into her eyes, "AJ what's happening? Have you been attacked? Ray—did you come across him?"

AJ couldn't do anything; she couldn't say anything. She tried gasping in air again, but only brought on a bloody coughing fit. Her eyes widened at the amount of crimson liquid that stained her hands and spattered the ground.

Klaus's face tightened, and a muscle flexed in his jaw. He whipped his head around, searching for signs of an attacker. How could she be coughing up so much blood? Something was obviously wrong with her lungs. Through the near-complete darkness, he saw no traces of another being. He regarded her again, his eyes scanning over her scrupulously. She continued clawing at her neck, trying to remove whatever was strangling her. It was an absurd thought, she knew, but she could feel hands. She sputtered blood once more, and looked up to Klaus. She prayed he would save her. No matter how much of a monster she thought he was, he was now the only person who could save her.

He was scanning his eyes over her body intently, and they narrowed at the claw marks around her throat. AJ watched with furrowed eyebrows as he reached out and placed a hand on the side of her face. She tried staying as still as possibly, having not even a remote idea about what he was doing, but her body shook with spasms of pain. But then she saw it, and hope rose in her chest. He seemed to have figured something out.

He moved quickly, pulling one of his necklaces up and over his head and placing it around her neck. AJ tried breathing in once more and was shocked when air actually filled her lungs, void of any obtrusion that'd been there just a millisecond ago. The blood bubbling up into her throat ceased, but she coughed a little more out. The invisible hands were gone, and whatever had been happening to her had stopped. Swiftly, Klaus had picked her up and settled himself down against a tree with her in his lap as he stroked her hair.

"Just breathe," he said quietly, brushing the hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ears. She leaned against his body with exhaustion, welcoming the warmth he brought her. Her muscles felt weak and somehow overworked, like she'd just ran a marathon non-stop. She breathed in and out raggedly, relishing the air that continued to fill her lungs. Closing her eyes, she breathed out slowly.

"What happened?" Klaus asked in a low voice.

She shook her head from side to side. "I don't know," she whispered hoarsely. Her throat felt like it was on fire. "I was just walking, and then something didn't feel right. It felt like someone was choking me, and somehow stabbing me at the same time." Curiously, she lifted her hands, which felt like deadweight, and set them at the hem of her shirt. Now wasn't the time to worry about what Klaus has seen or hasn't seen, she thought. She lifted it, exposing her stomach. There was an angry red mark in the middle, just barely under her ribcage; a perfect circle.

Klaus looked down at it, a crease forming between his eyebrows. Slowly, he reached out and touched the red skin. It was smooth, but felt strangely hot. "Does this hurt?" he asked.

AJ shook her head. "No. It just feels tingly." She held in any shivers his touch created, biting her lip. His hands were warm and a little rough. In all the months they'd been tracking down werewolves, he hadn't really touched her.

Klaus's eyes narrowed at the mark. AJ pulled her shirt back down as a blush crept onto her face. She reached up, suddenly, placing her hand on the necklace he'd put around her, careful to not get any blood on it. She looked down at it. It was a wooden carving of a sun on a black chord. Its surface was smooth and soft, but there was something about it that brought a sense of peace over her.

"What is this?" she asked. "Why—why did it help me?"

Klaus shifted. "I've had it for centuries," he said with a little hesitation. "A witch gave it to me once. She said I would need it someday, for protection."

AJ glanced up at him, confused. "But Bonnie—she could still hurt you. It didn't protect you like the witch said."

Klaus gave her a strange look. "Maybe it wasn't meant for me."

AJ swallowed hard, turning it around in her hand. She began to pull it over her head, but Klaus caught her hands. "No," he said, "Keep it. Whatever happened, it'll prevent it from happening again."

"Are you sure about that?" she asked quietly, keeping her eyes averted. She could feel his breath on her neck, warm and electric.

"Yes," he said concisely, "As you said, it's never worked on me, anyway. So keep it."

AJ nodded. "Thank you," she murmured. Her gaze flicked back up to him. "Do you know what happened?" she asked in a small voice. "Because I have no idea what in the hell that was."

Klaus was impassive. "We should get back. It's dark, and they're up and walking now."

AJ sighed, but gave a brief nod. He wasn't telling her something, but what was new? She prepared to shove herself to her feet. Klaus stood quickly, and held out a hand for her. She took his hand, and he pulled her to her feet, keeping a steadying hand on her. He didn't meet her eyes. "You're right," she said, "We can't let what happened to Ray happen to them."

"Yes," Klaus said, and they began making their way back. "I'll have to keep them contained."

"But after what Ray did, how are you supposed to do that?"

Klaus pressed his lips together. "We'll just have to see."

Stefan zipped through the forest, his feet barely touching the ground. Darting over fallen trees, boulders, and bushes, he raced to catch up with Ray. The bite in his arm didn't slow him down, though it did make things more painful. The wind touched it, making it burn more. The amount of human blood he'd had over the course of the past few days amplified his speed and strength, so he knew he had a pretty could chance of catching up with the hybrid. But, he thought bitterly, night had already fallen, and he hadn't caught a glimpse of Ray in over an hour.

As he ran, he listened intently to the sounds in the forest. Several times, he'd heard Ray lose control and roar in rage, but each time he'd headed in that direction, the hybrid would have already disappeared. Suddenly, to his right, he heard Ray grunt and someone else cry out in surprise. Damon. Stefan turned on a dime, heading immediately in that direction. Damon didn't know what Ray was. And Klaus sure as hell wasn't going to heal him a second time if he got bit.

Just as Ray was advancing on Damon, Stefan plunged his hand into the hybrid's chest, ripping out his heart in one swift, fluid movement. Ray's lifeless body dropped to the forest floor in two sequences; first to his knees, and then flat on his face with a thud.

Stefan, still holding the bloody heart, turned his attention to Damon. Moonlight streamed through the canopy above in patches, highlighting half of Damon's face. Stefan gave him a hard look.

Breathless from fighting off Ray, Damon said, "Fancy meeting you here." He felt utterly perturbed at the whole ordeal, but didn't let on to it.

"I told you not to follow me anymore," Stefan said, tossing the heart to the ground. It landed in the foliage, blending in with the darkness. "What got lost in translation, Damon?"

"You know, you might want to take it up with your girlfriend." Damon returned Stefan's look. "You don't want her chasing you, then I'd stop with the late-night phone calls."

Stefan remained impassive, but he shifted slightly. "I didn't call her."

Damon gave him a bull-shit look. "Sure you didn't." They exchanged looks; Damon studied Stefan, while Stefan's barriers began tugging apart. "She's not going to give up on you," Damon added in an obvious tone, dramatically rolling his eyes.

"Well she has to. Because I'm never coming back." He looked at Damon steadily, although he felt the opposite. "I want you to get her home. And see if you can keep her there this time."

Damon frowned. "I can keep Elena there, easy. Well, almost easy," he mumbled. "But you know I have an Original of my own to worry about. He's not the same without AJ. I mean that in the most literal sense possible."

As if on cue, a twig snapped in the woods to their right. They whipped their heads in that direction. Elijah stepped out of the cover of darkness formidably, the atmosphere instantly changing. His hands were in the pockets of his suit, and he stepped into the small clearing slowly, his eyes on the ground pensively. He looked very much like he had months ago when Stefan had last seen him at Alaric's apartment. But there was an obvious change, too. He appeared tense and on edge; he didn't look like the amenable gentleman he'd been when AJ had been around him. It was as if some sort of light was missing.

"Elijah," Stefan said, growing more confused. Damon scowled at the Original, but said nothing. He was quite used to the gloomy, dark mood that emanated off of him.

Elijah met Stefan's eyes, and Stefan was surprised to find that it did seem as if Elijah was more like Klaus. Except maybe the roles had reversed—Klaus, albeit a murdering psychopath, still had a light gleam in his eye, the smallest glint of content. Elijah's were hard and stone-like; the eyes of someone without anything to live for. It seemed that AJ was the catalyst that had the main affect on the two Originals, perhaps without them realizing it.

"Stefan," Elijah said coolly, "I finally make contact with you."

Stefan pressed his lips together. "No," he said slowly, "I'm leaving now. I have to get back to—"

"Klaus?" Elijah raised an eyebrow. A moment later, he had Stefan pinned to a tree by the neck. It seemed to be the way Originals worked. His eyes pierced Stefan coldly. "Tell me," he said, "How has it been, being enslaved by Klaus? Or have you let your natural instinct run rampant, as the evidence you've continuously left behind causes me to assume?"

Stefan narrowed his eyes, unfazed. "Why don't you ask me what you really want to ask, instead of playing little games like your kind seems to do."

Elijah tensed. "You're quite right. I would like to get straight to the point. Where is she? Why did you not bring her here, as well?"

Stefan almost smirked. "You mean AJ. Do you really think it'd be wise of me to bring her along while I hunt down a loose hybrid?" He let the question hang in silence, catching the look in Elijah's eyes. "I didn't think so."

"Then tell me," Elijah prompted, "Where is she?"

Stefan shook his head, closing his eyes. "You can't save her, and she wouldn't want you to. Klaus would kill you first, just like he'd kill Damon."

Elijah's grip tightened on Stefan's throat. Stefan grunted and shifted, but he remained impassive. "Tell me where she is."

"Or you'll what?" Stefan inquired mockingly, "Kill me? Really? I'm the only one that can keep him from harming her, you know. You do know that. You don't have any cards to play with, Elijah."

Elijah abruptly released Stefan, allowing the ripper vampire to fall to his feet. He breathed out, remaining in control. It was rather frustrating that the once supposedly good vampire seemed to be mimicking his brother's aggravating ways. "If I can help her," he began quietly, calm and collected, "Why won't you let me?"

Stefan shook his head, his features tinged with sadness. "Because she wouldn't want you to. She's fine on her own, right now."

Elijah clenched his fists and ground his teeth together. "And what makes you so sure?"

"Because she knows you're here, but she isn't here. And she isn't making any signals for you to find her. Klaus has never said it, but she's well aware what he'd do to you if you showed up. She wouldn't get you killed. She went with Klaus so that wouldn't happen. Can't you see that?"

Elijah heaved a frustrated sigh. "Then have her go somewhere where Klaus isn't. It's a simple plan, don't you see? It'd be very easy to get her back."

"No," Stefan said, "It wouldn't. Klaus rarely lets her out of his sight."

Elijah's face pinched together with anger. "And what has Klaus been doing to her, all this time? I'm aware of what the punishment is for interfering with his plans. Has he laid a hand on her?"

"He hasn't harmed her," Stefan said seriously, "She's fine, and she knows how to take care of herself. I'm sure you're well aware of that. Now, you both need to leave. I don't know how much longer I can keep it a secret that you're here, and if I don't get back with Ray's body soon, Klaus will come looking."

Elijah's mouth tightened. Damon crossed his arms, but didn't look like he would object. "He's right, Elijah," Damon said, "Elena isn't safe here, and neither are we. We should just go."

Elijah stiffly turned to Damon. "Safe? Do you realize who is truly not safe here, or must I point it out to you? You would so easily give up on your brother and your friend? You're a coward, then."

"No," Stefan said, "He's smart. He knows that he can't win this. Not now."

"Then when?" Elijah inquired harshly.

Stefan looked away. "Probably never for me. Maybe someday for AJ—maybe Klaus will release her, and she will come back."

Elijah shook his head angrily. "And how do you expect me to just sit and wait for that time? How do you expect me not to help her?"

"Because," Stefan said simply, "You love her."

Elijah turned his back on both of the brothers, crossing his arms over his chest. He stared off into the forest, wishing AJ would just be there, would come into his arms again. There wasn't a moment that passed that she wasn't on his mind. But she wasn't there. She was with Klaus. And no matter what he had to do, he had to find a way to end that.

How do you like the story so far? Review, please!(-: