Stefan tore through the halls of the hospital, keeping his speed to what would be considered possible for a human, his breathing coming quickly. He always would hear Elena's voice in his ears, even when they were apart, a trick his memory constantly played on him; For a very long time after he witnessed Katherine perish her voice had also echoed through his mind. He could only hope that Elena wouldn't be dead when he heard her voice again.

"She's not dead, Stefan, so stop this self-pity-parade. I can hear her." Damon snapped, his harsh tone catching the attention of the women standing at the nurses station as they past it. He could hear her, but his mind could not comprehend what she was saying. Why would she be thinking of them? He slowed to a stop half-way down the whitened hall and caught Stefan by the arm. "She's not alone." he said.

"We can't just abandon her!" Stefan protested, tugging feebly on his brother's restraining arm.

"Believe me, I know." Damon softly said.

Elena felt herself grow stiff in Elijah's arms as he man-handled her further from her room and through the exit of the hospital. He could have kept her elevated with one finger had he wanted to, but he held her tightly in both arms as if she were as delicate as a china figurine. She could appreciate the strength he possessed if it kept him from dropping her, but she knew there was no way she could escape his clutches. She had to remind herself that even if his hold was weak, she was no match for his vampire-speed.

They said nothing, but both were aware of where they were going. They would take her to a place where the Salvatores' were unlikely to tread: Katherine's tomb. Both agreed that it was a rather fitting place for her doppelgänger to die. It was pitch black in the little alcove when they got there, but their vampiric eyes reflected light like a cats.

Klaus dropped his mock friendly smile as suddenly as if it had turned painful. His expression then turned as dark as thunder clouds and a sinister light filled his eyes. His grin, as he met Elena's deep blue gaze and touched her cheek, was menacing. The two Salvatore brothers were undoubtedly on their way to save her –but why? Why were they so willing to meet death? Her blood tasted different, but how different could she be? She was just a human.

Elena felt the burning sting of two sharp pins the size of knitting needles entering the skin at her neck. Elijah's head was bent over her prone body and his arms were supporting his weight at either side, the effect being that he appeared like an eagle with it's wings smothering it's prey. He was the vulture, the eagle, and dominant over this teen girl. He was a Vampire, and he welcomed the frantic beating of her heart.

"Please... let me go..." she moaned as the blood was drawn from her body, her eye-lids growing heavier with every second. She felt so drained, not just of blood but of mind. The longer she stayed in their grasp, the less she felt the need to escape, the more her will-power dissipated. Her time was running out, she could feel it leaving her, like sand in an hour glass. If there were such a timer she could see now, it would be less than half full and losing sand with every second.

"No, I don't think I will, my precious." Klaus replied coldly from her back, blood escaping out from the corners of his mouth as he spoke, his eyes showing nothing but fiendish delight. He clasped her arms to hold her still. His insides were buzzing with the supernatural energy he tasted in her blood, and he knew without considering the alternative that he would never allow her to leave. It did not matter that he had to share; with the amount of times they had both bitten her she would surly live far past her human lifespan.

Elijah's head was on his shoulder and he did not blink. He was listening intently for the disturbance he had sensed moments before. Two energies, twin powers, two vampires coming closer. He was as certain of this as any being could be, but they were working hard to cloak there presence. Whoever approached knew that he and Klaus were here, and whatever their species they weren't human. He did not have to say anything.

"I don't believe this," Klaus growled, the sound quiet and menacing, and he tore at his clothes.

Elijah was struck speechless. He had seen his brother transform, but never so rapidly had he manifested the beast. Even to him it was frightening, and he was more confident than Elena that his brother could control himself. It wasn't natural, this combination of monsters –Vampire and Werewolf, even after all this time. He found that he could relate to how Elena was feeling when she stared in horror.

Damon slipped into hunting mode as if he were donning one of his Armani suits. His transformation was as seamless as a burning sunset, and the sound he made next was as vicious as the most terrifying of carnivores. Rarely did any of his enemies do anything he found insulting, but Klaus had stolen something of his and he was going to get it back.

"Do you think we will surprise them?" Stefan said so softly it was almost silence.

"Of course not," Damon said in a louder voice, his guilt giving away to frustration at last, "they're probably counting the seconds until we arrive." And that truth was a cold, bitter taste in his mouth. Klaus and Elijah would probably have heard them miles off, which meant they probably had something prepared and waiting for them.

From the mouth of one of the caves, he heard voices coming from the darkness. He stopped suddenly and caught Stefan by the shoulder to stop him from running any further. With his eyes he directed Stefan's attention to the sound. Without pause, they entered the cave.

Elena was flat against the rocky wall when the jaws of the hybrid snapped closed around air. Elijah held the monster back enough that she wasn't bitten, but even his strength wasn't going to be enough. She tried to scream, but when she drew in a breath to make a sound it was sickening. The creature's breath was as pungent and vile as a rotting corpse covered in rotting weed. She was still reeling from his almost instantaneous transformation. She closed her eyes tightly and waited for it all to end.

Just as she was sure the hybrid's jaws were going to clench around her outstretched arms, something else took them with just as much force. She kept her eyes tightly closed, but she knew the things that gripped her weren't claws. They were hands, smooth and strong, and at her back there was a lean, hard body. It might have been another rock wall, it was so cold and motionless, but his voice vibrated her whole body through his chest. She opened her eyes only when she smelt the pine trees surrounding her.

She tried to turn around to see her saviour but his arms kept her in one place. Everything was silent but for the swishing of the tree branches above. A long, elegant, finger snaked around to her mouth in a signal for her to be quiet...