Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries.
A/N: This took longer than I would have liked, but it's up. I know I said this before, but I love, love, love my reviewers! You all make me smile. (:
Twelve
Overwhelming pain. That was all AJ could process. It felt as if a thousand needles had lined themselves underneath her skin, the pin pricks of pain spreading like fire until it consumed her, wholly. She had no control over her limbs, and barely registered her lack of balance until a blow rattled her spine. Her ears were ringing, blocking out the voices around her.
A tumult of noise seemed to rise up around her. Dissonantly stony screams. That's what they were. Screams. She could hear anguish, cries of pure agony, all that seemed to amass into one single thing, reach a pinnacle, until suddenly there was utter silence.
It left her entire body feeling like a single block of ice. No longer did warm blood pump through her veins, but instead, it was replaced by a flow of arctic water. She couldn't move. She couldn't speak. She could do nothing at all but think, in total shock, of what was happening. Of what had happened.
She wasn't quite so sure why she hadn't noticed it sooner. The absence of Klaus's necklace, that is. She could see it in her head, however foggy her mind might be. The soft, perfectly carved spirals of the rays on the sun pendant, reaching out like they could envelope warmth and security, and hold it all in one place. As it had. The cool smoothness of the carved wood that touched her skin, emanating a peaceful tranquility into her, never getting warmed by her body heat but staying constant with its magic. The deep color of the etched wood contrasting so starkly against her light skin, as it had against Klaus's as well, from when she remembered him wearing it. She never admitted so, not even to herself, but it always did look like a lovely little thing. And on him—especially on him—it seemed only lovelier.
Lovely seemed to be a word without a place in her head.
Yet, the day he'd rested it at the base of her throat was the day everything had changed. Or, if she was being completely honest, was the day she allowed herself to see the change.
Those deep blue eyes that sometimes looked so closely at her soul, it made her shiver and shake in anticipation and longing. The handsome angles of his face she never dared run her fingers across. His fair hair, ruffled and unkempt, yet so perfect in perfection's brightest state. And those lips. She couldn't think about his lips without losing herself in other ideas. It was these thoughts she shoved away constantly, these poisonous thoughts that rebelled during her dreams.
And now, she couldn't come up with a decent explanation as to why they chose to reveal themselves, be put on display in her mind's eye so bare, so wrong. She wasn't like this. She wasn't weak, didn't succumb to pleasures the way others might. She fought them, however painstaking they might be, and put as much distanced herself from them. But always, oh always, they were fighting back. It was mutiny, she knew. They didn't want to be quelled, but acted upon. And he had no idea. Absolutely no idea.
She felt bodiless. As if, somehow, her soul had detached itself from her physical being, and now looked down upon it. An out of body experience, she supposed. Was that what the pain did? Shoved her conscious mind from her body?
She lay on the cold, tomblike floor of the gym. Unmoving. Her eyes were open, but unseeing. A gory mess of blood traced its way from her nose to her shirt, soaking her neck along the way. The beautiful crimson color was so damning, she thought in wonder. It was her very life-force, the reason she could live, but when spilled with no fix, it was the death of her. Was that what was happening? Was she dying?
Elena was kneeled over her body, sobs wracking through her body, tears streaming down her face and into AJ's open, limp hand. The sound seemed garbled, as if underwater. Elena's shimmering brown eyes held the deepest sadness she'd ever seen in them, like the time they'd thought Bonnie was dead. She kept looking up, demanding he do something.
Klaus.
Klaus was on his knees. There was a hard look about his face—a calculating one. Measuring what? Putting together what? It was true, then. That he didn't really care. He never did. AJ was suddenly glad she couldn't feel anything. That meant she didn't have to feel the hollowness he would have created in her heart.
Elena continued to yell, rising to a scream. Klaus gave her a silencing look, and she fell back into sobs.
He reached out and cleaned away blood from AJ's neck, seemingly feeling for a pulse. Then Rebekah appeared from nowhere. She was holding something. Klaus looked utterly relieved.
AJ felt like she was being sucked back, sucked in, returning somewhere cold and yet warm at the same time. A flurry of feelings brushed over her, but she couldn't grasp them, couldn't reach out to them. A familiar coolness rested at her throat, consistent, almost having a pulse of its own. When she blinked, lifeless eyes turned animate, she found herself looking into a blue abyss.
And then, in a flash, it was gone.
She coughed suddenly, choking for air to fill her deflated lungs.
"Breathe," Elena said, helping AJ into a sitting position and patting her back. "Just breathe."
"What happened?" AJ croaked. Her throat felt like sandpaper and stung as more blood seeped down it. Swallowing hard, she wiped her wrist across her mouth. The blood that'd stained her lips came away, sticky. She stared at it, uncomprehending.
"I don't know," Elena said in a tremulous voice. "AJ—I don't know. What is this?"
She was holding the sun pendant in the palm of her hand, looking at it warily. The back of it was coated in fresh crimson.
AJ's brows furrowed as she straightened everything out in her head. The fogginess went away, replaced with a sharp clarity that seemed almost too lucid. The pain in her head was gone. It no longer felt like needles were being shoved through her skull, piercing her brain, her organs. The vociferous voices that'd surrounded her had fallen silent as death.
"That's Klaus's," AJ said slowly. "Where is he? Where's Klaus?" She looked up, searching the room. He was sitting in the bleachers, his face buried in his hands; looking the most discomposed she'd ever seen him. He was very, unnervingly, still. Rebekah had vanished, if the vampire had ever even been here at all. She could have very well imagined it.
Elena was giving AJ an abstruse look. "Why… well, why are you wearing it? Why did they put it on you? You came back after they did—you came back. I really think you were gone, AJ. I think you were… dead."
Returning her attention to Elena, she realized that her best friend had no clue what was going on. "It's too long of a story to tell you right now. First, we need to get you out of here."
AJ stood, pulling Elena up with her.
"AJ—you died," Elena hissed with concern. "Don't stress your body. I'm not joking."
Ignoring the comment, AJ yanked Elena towards the opposite side of the gym, towards the exit sign. With any luck, Klaus was too stuck in his thoughts to emerge from them.
Such was not the case. He appeared in front of them within seconds. AJ pushed Elena behind her.
"Move," he demanded. His blue eyes were focused on AJ, heavily guarded by walls upon walls of steel.
AJ shook her head. She could feel the stickiness of the blood on her neck as she did. "No. You move."
"I am not playing games with you," Klaus growled. "I don't care if you'd have died or not. Move now, and I will make Elena's death a quick one, when it comes to it."
"Oh, I'm so sick of this!" she half-shouted, folding her arms over her chest. "You don't care Klaus? Really? Go ahead, keep telling yourself that. Now that we know what really happens when I remove the necklace, should I try it again, then? Since you don't care? No more tedious Warrior impeding all your plans anymore. I bet it sounds nice."
He gave a snarl, his teeth clenched.
The click of a heavy gymnasium door closing caught their attention. Turning around, AJ saw Stefan. In some ways, he appeared unruffled, completely undisturbed by the scene before him. It was what he wanted Klaus to believe. But there was a certain desperate shine in his eyes.
"Stefan…" Elena whispered. Her gaze was glued to him, her mouth parted like she wanted to say more.
Stefan didn't even glance at her. "Klaus," he said carefully.
AJ wasn't sure what to do. She sensed Klaus's rage from the short distance away that he stood. The urge to reassure him came over her, accompanied by another urge to slap him silly. His constant denial was aggravating; it was like soothing a wild animal until it revealed itself, only to scare it back into hiding. Stefan's appearance would only exacerbate things.
"Come to save your damsel, mate?" Klaus asked darkly.
Stefan was expressionless. "I've come to ask for your forgiveness and pledge my loyalty."
"You broke that pledge once already."
"Elena means nothing to me anymore," Stefan said, slowly approaching the trio before stopping. AJ could hear Elena over her shoulder make a dreadful sound. "Whatever you ask…" he slanted his eyes to the floor. "I will do."
AJ's stomach knotted up into a tangled mess. "Klaus," she implored. "Please, think about what you're doing. There has to be another way. We'll find another way, I promise you—"
"Enough," he cut her off, regarding Stefan. "So you want to pledge your loyalty? Ask for forgiveness? Then we'll drink on it." The sides of his lips curled up into a smile as sinister as Death itself. "Kill them," he commanded, his gaze flicking to Chad and Dana. A moment of heavy silence passed, with Stefan staring at the two students. "Well, what are you waiting for? Kill them!"
Beside AJ, Elena cried out. "No! Stefan, please don't! He won't hurt me, he already said—"
In a flash, Klaus's hand lashed out. Elena sprawled to the floor with a shout, holding a hand tenderly to her face as she glanced fearfully up at Klaus. Stefan had advanced on him at full-vampire speed, his fangs barred. AJ knelt beside Elena, using her body to guard her.
Stefan stopped, face to face with Klaus, his eyes blazing with fury.
"So she means nothing to you?" Klaus's voice was as biting as a poisonous snake. "Your lies just keep piling up, don't they?"
"Let her go," Stefan demanded; his self-restraint was evident in the strain of his voice. "I'll do whatever you want, Klaus. Just let her go. You have my word."
"Your word doesn't mean much. I've lived by your word all summer, during which I've never had to resort to this." He stepped in Stefan's face, capturing his gaze. Compelling him.
AJ darted to her feet, shoving at Klaus. "Stop it! Klaus, stop it! I won't let you do this!"
Klaus caught her arms with a single hand, holding her away as he stared at Stefan. "Stop fighting."
Stefan tried fighting it; he couldn't tear his eyes away. "Don't do this. You don't have to do this."
"I didn't want to," Klaus said simply. "I only wanted your allegiance. Now, it looks like I'll have to take it."
"Klaus," AJ breathed desperately, her eyes darting between him and Stefan. "Please. Please stop."
When he spoke to Stefan, he spoke slowly. "You will do exactly as I say, when I say it. You will not run. You will not hide. You will simply obey."
"No!" Elena half-sobbed half-shouted. "Stefan!"
"Now kill them," Klaus said quietly. "Ripper."
AJ dug her fingernails into Klaus's arm, but still he wouldn't look at her. It was too late.
Stefan's fangs elongated, and he hissed savagely before racing towards Dana. His fangs suck into her flesh not a moment later as he began slurping her blood like air, sucking it out of her so quickly that AJ could see the pallor of her skin go from rosy to white within minutes. When he finished with Dana, he tossed her limp body aside and started on Chad, who was cowering away by the bleachers.
Elena sagged to the floor, watching as tears threatened to prick at her eyes. Then her mood became charged with anger, and she was on her feet and heading towards Stefan.
AJ jumped in front of her, pushing her back. "Stop it, Elena! You have to stop! It's already too late!" Her best friend's fighting slowed until her breathing was ragged, and she simply stared over AJ's shoulder hopelessly. AJ hugged Elena fiercely, smoothing down her hair. "There's another way," she whispered reassuringly into Elena's ear. "There has to be."
Klaus rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, observing his new monster. "It's always nice to see a vampire in his true element. The species has become such a broody lot."
"No," Elena shook her head, pulling away from AJ. Her voice broke. "You did this to him."
"Is that so? Funny, I could have sworn he was this way when I knew him last."
The gym doors were shoved open forcefully; its impetus swinging the door against the wall with a loud and resounding boom. Rebekah was stalking in, completely discomposed. Her face seemed white with rage, her eyes lethal and dark, her tiny mouth pulled tight into a snarl. There was a cell phone clenched in one hand. She was headed towards Elena.
"Where is it?" she demanded in a shout, her anger bursting like sparks from a fire. "Where's my necklace?"
Elena looked shocked. AJ felt the knots in her stomach tighten as she placed herself between Elena and Rebekah.
"What are you talking about?" Klaus was clearly exasperated.
"She has my necklace!" Rebekah shoved the phone in his face, all the while glowering at Elena over AJ's shoulder. "Look at that. She's wearing it, in that picture."
Klaus's eyes found AJ's before Elena's. "More lies, I see. Why am I not surprised?"
"Klaus," AJ spoke levelly. "I don't know what you're talking about. If you'd just listen to a single thing—"
"Now's really not the time," he brushed her off as easily as one might brush dust off their sleeve, his gaze now fixed on Elena.
Rebekah's chest heaved up and down, her breathing shallow and her teeth barred. "Where is it?"
"I don't have it anymore," Elena said, looking dubiously between the vampires.
"You're lying!" Rebekah drove forward, wrenching AJ away from Elena and throwing her to the floor. She latched onto Elena and savagely tore her fangs into the doppelganger's neck. Elena cried out in pain as Klaus pulled Rebekah away.
AJ had landed on her back, with the wind knocked out of her lungs like someone had hit them with a shovel, leaving them deflated and empty. She sucked in a loud gasp of air, quickly staggering back to her unsteady feet and went to Elena. Elena held a hand to her neck. Luckily the wound was shallow. A small amount of blood trickled from it, making a tracery of crimson ribbon down her neck.
Rebekah struggled in Klaus's grip. He looked like he was trying to restrain a bloodthirsty dog from attacking. "Knock it off!" he chided Rebekah.
She only fought harder, sneering. "Make her tell me where it is, Nik! I want it back!"
"Where's the necklace?" Klaus asked of Elena, his inquiring voice having a razor sharp edge to it. "Be honest."
"I'm telling the truth," Elena said with conviction. "Katherine stole it."
Klaus laughed humorlessly. "Of course. Katerina. Well that's unfortunate. If we had the necklace, it would make things a whole lot easier for your witch. But since we're doing this the hard way, let's put it on the clock, shall we?" He released a calmer-yet-furious Rebekah and crossed the gym to the tech booth. After a few moments, a buzzer sounded, and the clock high above them flashed 20:00 in red lights.
"Twenty minutes," Klaus reads off, a wicked smile growing on his face. He turned to Stefan, who'd been watching from a distance. Chad's body laid lifeless on the floor beside Dana's, looking sickly pale. "If Bonnie hasn't found a solution by then, I want you to feed again. Only this time… I want you to feed on Elena."
"No!" Elena shouted, clenching her fists. "Klaus, don't do this to him!"
"No one leaves," he commanded Stefan. "If either girl tries to run, fracture their spine."
With that, he looked at Rebekah before turning to leave. She followed on his heels, casting a glare back over her shoulder at Elena. Her eyes barely grazed over AJ, but she could see some meaning there. Whatever game Rebekah had been playing since she woke in the truck, she was still playing it. AJ didn't know if she was a pawn, or something more important than that.
After watching them go, she buried her face in her hands, trying to think. She paced back and forth, aware that both Stefan and Elena were watching her and each other. After ten minutes, she stopped. Opening her mouth, she clamped it shut again, pensive. It couldn't possibly be the only escape plan, could it?
Abruptly, she turned to Elena. "Do you have your cell phone?"
"Yes," Elena said slowly, blinking up at her. She pulled it out of her pocket. "Why? What good could it do—oh. Oh, AJ, you can't do that. It's too dangerous."
"And this isn't?" AJ reasoned, gesturing at the clock. "It'll be fine. Just give me your phone."
Elena reluctantly handed it over. AJ immediately began typing in the number she knew by heart. It only rang once.
"Elijah," she said before he could speak, in fear of Klaus returning. "Elijah, we're at the school. Klaus—he's lost his head. I wouldn't ask you this unless I absolutely had to, but is there something you can do? Can you break a compulsion he's made?"
There was a millisecond pause. "No, I can't. Before he was a hybrid, I could, but not now. The school? I'm on my way." Another pause. AJ felt her heart contract. "It may take a few minutes. I'm not in Mystic Falls."
"What? Where are you?"
She could hear him sigh. "I was looking for a way out, for you. I'll be there as soon as I can."
The call ended. She was left staring at Elena and Stefan. "We can get out of this," she said reassuringly.
They looked up to the clock simultaneously. Six minutes left.
Elena's face tightened with apprehension. "Elijah may not make it in time. Stefan, you can control this. I know you can." She gave him a pleading look.
Stefan shook his head in exasperation. "No, I can't. You don't get it, Elena! I'm a ripper! A ripper doesn't stop! I listen to the words coming out of your mouth, and all I hear is the sound of your heart pumping blood through your body. And when that clock ticks down… I'm going to have to feed on you. You know what's worse? I won't be able to stop."
"No, I don't believe that. You can fight it. You just have to want it bad enough."
He laughed mirthlessly. "Why? Because I love you?"
"Yes!" she shouted, angry. "Yes, because you love me. Isn't that enough?"
Stefan looked back up at the clock. Less than a minute left. AJ shifted on her feet, looking towards the doors for any sign of Elijah.
"You're going to have to run," Stefan said quickly, looking at both girls. "Both of you need to run."
Elena was confused. "But Klaus said that if we run…"
"I know what he said! But it's the only way! If you stay, it won't even matter. Just please, go. It's the only way."
"There is another way, Stefan," Elena said softly. "It's for you to fight."
The buzzer went off, making the trio flinch. AJ could feel her insides melt with anxiety. Where was Elijah? From his place, Stefan was holding himself back visibly. His fangs slid out slowly, and a tracery of dark veins appeared under his eyes. AJ grabbed a hold of Elena's arm, tugging her backwards.
"Stefan, I love you," Elena tried desperately. "You can fight it. Don't give up."
Stefan shook his head fiercely. "I can't stop it. AJ… take Elena and run. Run now."
An instant later, he hissed and rushed at them, only to deviate into the bleachers, connecting with them with a sickening thump. He moaned in pain. "Go! Run!"
AJ yanked Elena backwards, shoving her towards the doors. Once into the lobby, they took off down the hall. The sound of displaced air followed behind them, and AJ glanced back to see Stefan forcing himself to crash into the trophy case, shattering shards of glass to the linoleum. She pushed Elena faster, feeling the desperate need to escape kick in. Skidding as they rounded a corner, Stefan hit a row of lockers behind them. The sound of metal caving in on metal filled the hallway, making them cover their ears. Just ahead was the cafeteria.
"There!" AJ shouted at Elena, pointing.
Elena shoved open the door as she and AJ tumbled into the room, only to stop dead in their tracks.
Klaus.
"Well," he said lightly. "Isn't this fascinating?"
Behind them, Stefan raced through the doors. He immediately drew a stake from nowhere and plunged it into his abdomen, crying out in pain as he doubled over. AJ pulled Elena back away from them.
"I've never seen this before," Klaus continued, his blue eyes rapt on Stefan. "The only thing stronger than your craving for blood is your love for this one girl. Why don't you turn it off?"
"No!" Stefan shouted, his gaze dropping to the floor as he tried to retain his control. He was focusing on the pain, letting it spread through his body.
Klaus stepped towards him slowly, like a predator intending to intimidate its prey. "Come on," he said in a light tone, edged with razor blades. "Your humanity is obviously killing you. All this must be exhausting. Turn it off."
"No," Stefan gritted out.
Standing in front of him now, Klaus gave him a reproachful look. "You're strong," he said, wrenching out the stake from Stefan's body. Stefan winced. "But you're not that strong. Turn. It. Off."
Stefan met his eyes. "No." He shoved Klaus in the chest with as much force as he could, but Klaus was stronger. Using his vampire-speed, he pushed Stefan back until a resonating crack was made in the cement wall where Klaus held him up by the neck.
"Turn it off!" Klaus yelled.
The command had too much power behind it for Stefan's mind to fight. His face twisted and went blank. His eyes were round and wide. When he blinked again, the change within was evident.
"No," Elena whispered. "What did you do?"
Klaus turned to face them, instantly calm. "I fixed him. But I think a test is in order, don't you?"
He moved to circumvent AJ to get to Elena, but AJ shoved him away.
"No," she said, a strain in her voice. "Klaus, you don't need to hurt her."
"Don't be pathetic," he spat. "Your naivety is exasperating."
AJ's hand moved on its own will. She slapped Klaus with speed that nearly seemed to parallel that of a vampire. His face had whipped to the side, and when he looked back at her, her blood ran cold. He'd never looked at her in such a savage way, such a cold-hearted, truly uncaring way.
In less than a second, he had her pinned against the wall, his body crushing her. He was seething and white with rage. As AJ looked into his eyes, that blue abyss she could easily get so lost in, she saw him crumbling away from her. Whatever had made Klaus this desperate, this bloodthirsty again, was taking him over completely. How could she keep him? How could she bring back the Klaus she knew?
She was moving before she realized it. Her lips brushed his, soft as butterfly wings. He was completely rigid against her. She pressed her lips firmer against his, feeling how soft they were, tasting him, encouraging him. His lips moved against hers, finally, as if some sort of shock or hesitation had worn off. He picked her up, and her legs wrapped around his waist as he ran a hand along the side of her face, down her body and back. Placing her hands on his chest, she slid them up and around his neck, burying them in his hair, pulling him closer. A strange desire burned in her, intense and electrifying. He dug his fingers into her, but there was no pain, only the need to be closer. When he brushed his lips against the side of her lips, moving down to her neck, she sucked in a gasp. Her eyes opened, snapping her back to reality.
He felt the shift in her, and pulled away to meet her shocked gaze.
Before either of them could say anything, another voice spoke. AJ would recognize his rich voice anywhere, had heard it in her dreams a thousand times. "Well, I see my aid is no longer needed."
Elijah.
Please review! I love to hear your thoughts. Also, I need some input. (I have an idea, but I want to think of other ones before I use it.) I'm certain everyone remembers Klaus leaving on the show in this episode at the end. What would you want him to do instead? As I said, I do have an idea that works quite well, but I'd like to know what you guys would like! And now, of course, we have the added mix of Elijah. Let me know! (: