Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries or any quotes used/borrowed.
Notes: Oh my gosh, I want to thank all of you for the wonderful, kind and encouraging reviews! I love getting them and knowing what you guys all think and your suggestions. There are far too many Guest reviews to reply to all of them in the notes here, but I want you to know that they were all read and made me smile.
Warnings: Non-explicit sexuality, language, major and minor character death.
i'm gonna tell the gravedigger that he better dig two
"Go tell that long tongue liar
Go and tell that midnight rider
Tell the rambler, the gambler, the back biter
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down."
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"Where the hell are we?" Jeremy's arms were constricted behind his back, wrists bruising beneath the pressure of Rebekah's vampire strength. The smoky atmosphere of the bar they'd taken him to made Jeremy want to choke; the air was so thick that he couldn't see much besides the strobe lights reflected off of the fog and creeping colored smoke. The bass was thrumming through the walls and floor, vibrating up his body and making his heart beat just a little bit faster. Jeremy could hear tinkling glasses at the bar somewhere to his left, and the soft crinkling of fabric brushing up against skin on his other side as people grinded next to each other on the dance floor.
"It's Beacon Bar," Faye's throaty voice came from Rebekah's side. She sent him an amused glance. "It has a terrible name, but it's a pretty good place to go if you want to spend some time with the supernatural underground. You learn all kinds of things in a place like this." She winked.
"It's also the perfect spot to begin growing your Hunter's Mark." Jeremy could feel Rebekah trembling with excitement behind him. Her nails dug into his wrists and he felt the sharp prick of pain that always preluded the flow of blood.
"What are you doing?" Jeremy hissed. He struggled in her grasp, but Rebekah just tightened her hold on his wriggling body.
"Drawing them to us," She whispered into his ear and Jeremy shuddered at the feeling of her breath on his face. Jeremy craned his neck a little and saw that Rebekah had said the magic words; several interested parties began peeping at them and sniffing the air in an animalistic way that made that hunter part of him quiver in anticipation of a kill. "Are you ready, little Gilbert?"
"If I'm not?" He asked tightly and forced his eyes upwards.
"Then we go back and I kill your sister and her boyfriend. And then I'll kill Matt Donovan and Anna, and then April . . . shall I go on?" A knot formed in the pit of Jeremy's stomach. "Do we understand each other?"
"Perfectly," Jeremy said. He ground his teeth in frustration as Rebekah pushed him forward and then slipped a small wooden stake into his hand.
"Let loose and don't disappoint me." Jeremy couldn't ignore the adrenaline that flooded his veins, and could not deny the smile that crawled onto his face at the challenge of killing every vampire in that bar. He licked his lips and took a small step. And then another.
Everything went kind of hazy and he felt like he was in a dream as he engaged the vampires in the bar in a several small fights, and he didn't wake up until every vampire was dead, and dust and ash rested on his skin and shimmered in the club's fog and lights. His fingers began to tingle and the sensation grew up his wrist. Jeremy looked down and his lips formed a tiny 'o' as the Hunter's Mark grew before his very eyes. Parts of his skin darkened and turned into the forest green color than had marked Connor's, and the winding roads and loops of the tattoo rapidly grew up and up and up.
"Looks like we still have a few more vampires to kill," Rebekah mused, and this time Jeremy didn't resist as she led him to the car.
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Phantom hands and kisses ghosted over her body, a leftover sensation from their night together, and his mouth was still on her neck, lazily pulling blood from her body as their minds touched each other in every way possible. He didn't hide his love that morning, letting it wash over Stephanie, mostly to reassure her that he hadn't lied to her the night before, and it wrapped around her thoughts and heart and squeezed tightly. Stephanie's hand floated over the blankets, searching for Klaus, whose hand was rested on her hip and drawing circles with his fingers there. She touched his hand there, laced her fingers into his, and pulled them up to hover over the naked skin on her heart.
Klaus disengaged his fangs from her jugular and his tongue licked the blood there. Black veins containing his werewolf venom were rapidly spreading down her shoulder and across her breasts, and she bit into his wrist and let his blood flow into her mouth. As quickly as the infection in her system had grown, it disappeared as the antidote flooded her system. Her body was reenergizing with the fix of hybrid blood and she opened her forest green eyes for the first time that morning.
"Good morning, love." Klaus' voice was husky. "Sleep well?"
"Do you remember sleeping?" She mumbled as she released his wrist and curled into her pillow. "Because I don't."
His throaty chuckle sent pleasant shivers down Steph's spine. "Well, I'm sorry to have kept you up." He pressed his lips into her shoulder.
"I'm not." Stephanie felt Klaus' lips turn up into a smirk and turned and flipped them so she was sitting on top of Klaus' hips. He arched his brows and folded his arms behind his head.
"Oh?" Her eyes darkened and she darted into and bite the space between his neck and shoulder and Klaus arched up off the bed. "Bloody hell," Klaus cursed and his pretty blue eyes rolled up.
Stephanie's phone rang. She disengaged her teeth from his flesh and she slipped out of the bed, to Klaus' consternation. Steph searched the room for her pants, found them by the door, and rooted around her pockets until she located her cell phone. "Hello?"
"We have a serious problem."
"Damon?" Stephanie asked sharply and Klaus rolled his eyes in aggravation in the bed. She turned her back on the hybrid. "What's the matter?"
"Jeremy's disappeared," Her brother said grimly. "Faye came and took him while Elena was at the store, and we have no idea where they went." In the background, there was a the sound of something shattering.
"I'll be right there," Stephanie reassured and she spun around to search for her clothes. "When did they vanish?"
"Yesterday evening," Damon growled and Stephanie heard rustling in the background as he threw something else. "She gave me some kind of witchy roofie and knocked me out for hours. Elena found me out and Jeremy gone and freaked for a while before figuring out how to wake me up."
"Maybe Bonnie can help us find them with a locator spell," She suggested as she shrugged into her panties and jeans. She looked around for her shoes.
"That's probably our only chance of finding them. Where are you, anyway? Elena and I came home and you weren't here."
"Out," Stephanie murmured as her eyes scanned the floor.
"'Out?'" Damon questioned slyly, tone changing from concern to sleaziness like a light switch. "Who's the lucky guy? And can I congratulate you on moving on from killer blonds?" Klaus smirked on the bed, showing all of his teeth, and Stephanie shot him a dirty look.
"It wasn't that kind of out and we're not talking about this," Stephanie said tightly. "I'll see you soon." She hung up her phone and slipped it into her pocket. "Where's my shirt?"
"On the stairwell bannister," Klaus drawled.
"We're not telling anyone about this," Stephanie warned him as she darted out of the room.
"Wouldn't dream of it, love!"
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Many things were said about Katherine Pierce. Things like, but not limited to: liar, manipulative, bitch, and evil . . . crazy, selfish . . . but really, Katherine just considered herself a survivor. She'd spent five hundred years running from a psychotic Original, and so she'd had to adapt to survive. And if that meant she lost the innocent little girl who'd had her daughter ruthlessly ripped from her arms after birthing that baby, Katherine had been prepared for that. But no more running, she'd decided. She was going to get that Cure and shove it down Klaus' throat; then she'd find a way to make sure all of Klaus' enemies got wind of it and sit back and watch the show as Klaus became the hunted once more. Katherine would be free and Klaus helpless.
Executing her plan was easy; all she really needed to do was follow Rebekah, her girlfriend and Jeremy Gilbert as they trekked through city after city mowing down vampire and vampire to make the little hunter's mark grow. She kept her distance so that they didn't detect her, but close enough to determine that Rebekah was efficient in choosing their hunting grounds; it was less than twenty four hours after they'd abducted Jeremy, but already the mark was growing over his shoulder and across his chest.
Rebekah had the sword and with her and her little group's combined efforts, they were able to sketch out the map on the boy's body and decipher it as they went along.
Katherine just had to sit back and wait, then.
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"Is this the walk of shame?" Damon asked with a far too amused smile on his face. Elena ignored him and reached out to hug Stephanie as the shorter vampire stepped into boarding house's living room. "Serious, who's the lucky guy?"
"What guy?" Caroline asked curiously, appearing from the kitchen with a blood bag in hand.
"Not the time," Stephanie snapped over Elena's shoulder. She rubbed her friend's back consolingly. "Have you called Bonnie?" She asked softly. Elena nodded into Steph's shoulder and sniffled a little. She released her and took a step back and checked her phone's screen, and from the way Damon rolled his eyes, it must have been the hundredth time.
"We only left five messages," Caroline deadpanned as she crinkled up the empty bag and tossed it into the kitchen's trash bag. She ran a hand through her messy blonde curls and then crossed her arms.
"Did someone summon us?"
"Aw, hell," Damon sighed. The group turned their heads to greet Bonnie and Kol as they strolled into the living room. Bonnie made a straight shot towards Elena and Steph and she collected her best friend into a tight embrace. Caroline made a noise and joined them.
Damon and Kol stood next to each other awkwardly. Kol's eyes ran over the girls' hugging bodies and he made an appreciative sound, much to Damon's consternation. "Hey," He grouched. "Eyes up here."
"Let's do a locator spell," Bonnie said firmly. "Elena?"
"Of course," Elena nodded and she spun around, hands searching the couch. She pulled a sketch book off the cushions and proffered it to Bonnie. "He doesn't draw much anymore, but this means a lot to him."
"Of course," Bonnie said softly. "Okay. I need you guys to step back." Steph nodded and took Caroline and Elena's elbows and pulled them to stand over next to the two guys, where they all stood and waited for Bonnie's magic. Kol eyed his friend as she raised her hands over the book and a concerned indentation formed between his eyes. Wind stirred the dust in the room as Bonnie's low chanting began. She looked up, frustrated, a few moments later. "Nothing," She growled.
"I can help," Kol offered and took a step forward.
"No," Bonnie snapped and the Original suddenly found himself frozen in place by a wordless spell. His limbs were locked into place, tense and stiff.
"Bonnie-" He started, but she glared and his mouth shut without his violation. He glared at her and wished he could curl his lip into a snarl, but not even his facial muscles would do that.
"No," She repeated, firmer. "I can do this myself." She looked back down at the book and focused. Then the whites of her eyes made her irises and pupils seem to melt away as both of her eyeballs turned completely white. Tree branches tapped on the windows.
"Is it just me, or his Judgy getting creepier and creepier?" Damon whispered. Stephanie's lips were pressed into a fine line, clearly in agreement, and Caroline nervously bit her nails.
"She's just focused, is all," Elena denied fiercely. "Bonnie's fine."
"Right," Damon muttered, but refused to say anything else. Stephanie glanced at him. His attention was divided between Elena and Bonnie, and it was clear that he was concerned; his forehead was wrinkled and his arms crossed defensively, and she could tell he was fighting the urge to grab Elena and just hold her to his chest.
Steph's phone vibrated in her pocket, so she stepped away from her friends and took it out. "Now's not the time."
"The sword is missing," Klaus' voice carried from the other end of the connection. "Someone stole it last night."
Stephanie bit her lip to keep from cursing.
"Found him!" Bonnie announced. "He's . . ." She pulled out a map and pointed. "Here, on this island. It's a few miles off the coast of Nova Scotia. We need to leave immediately."
"Stephanie? What's happening?" Klaus demanded.
"Someone kidnapped Jeremy too," She said slowly. "So they're after the Cure."
"Bloody hell. Who else wants the stupid thing?"
"Who are you talking to?" Damon asked. "We need to hit the road, like, now."
"Someone stole the sword from Klaus," Stephanie hissed. "They're after the Cure."
Damon turned his head and glanced at Caroline, who waved her fingers sheepishly. "Did I forget to mention that Rebekah kidnapped Caroline for five minutes yesterday? Must have slipped my mind when you came in from your walk of shame."
"Meet us at the boarding house," Stephanie told Klaus and she glared at her brother. "We're going to go find them, and you're the only one strong enough to take on Rebekah. She's the one who did it."
"What?" He asked, but Steph hung up the phone.
"Why didn't someone tell me this earlier?" Stephanie threw out her arms. "That was kind of important!"
"Why did you invite Klaus to go with us?" Damon asked accusingly.
"Because he can dagger her!" Stephanie snapped. "Or maybe talk some sense into her. God, Damon." She ran a hand through her hair. "Caroline, could you stay here and keep an eye on everyone in town? If they wake up Silas and he gets off that island, who knows where he's going to go."
Caroline nodded her head determinedly. "I can definitely do that."
"Okay." Stephanie nodded. "Let's get together some things. Bonnie, do you think you'll need to bring anything?"
"Maybe a grimoire or two," She hedged. She glanced at Kol and blinked, making his binds melt away. He jerked suddenly and took several steps around the boarding house.
"Bloody hell, don't do that again," He breathed as he began to rub the feeling back into his arms.
"Let's get those grimoires," Bonnie said blithely as she strode past him. "Then we can be on our way as soon as Klaus gets here." She made a face when she said his older brother's name, showing how very clear she stood on her distasteful for him. Bonnie and Kol disappeared out the door, quickly followed by Caroline, who planned on warning their human friends about the new events. Stephanie turned back to Elena, who was holding her arms around herself.
"We're going to save him," Stephanie said to her. She hugged her friend again. "Okay? We all love Jeremy." Her heartstrings tugged at his name. She wasn't in love with him anymore, Steph realized, but he was her best friend's brother, and her own friend aside. "We'll all we can to rescue him."
Elena nodded and Damon took her into his arms and they settled in to wait together. "I'll get some coats and things," Stephanie said quietly, and let the couple whisper reassurances to each other. It would be a long couple of days.
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Jeremy's skin itched.
Rebekah's blonde hair brushed his face as she turned her head, and Faye's voice called to them from ahead. Jeremy focused on putting one foot in front of the other. Left. Right. Left. Vampires. Stakes. Hearts. Tattoos.
"I've found something interesting." Faye's voice was smoky and alluring, even when she sounded confused or scared. "You'll want to see this." Jeremy's ears were exceptionally perceptive now and he heard the crinkle of paper as she folded up their map. The sword made a sharp clinging noise as it brushed by her keys from its place in a homemade sword holster.
"Come on, little Gilbert." Rebekah's hand felt like fire on his arm; it was like her fingers were burning holes through the fabric of his thick jacket. His skin itched. "Let's go see what Faye's stumbled upon." She pulled Jeremy with her as they trudged through the underbrush and found Faye staring up at something in the trees. "What is it, Faye?" Rebekah squinted.
"There's a man stuck in a net," Faye explained. Jeremy looked up. Indeed, there was a man tangled in a rope net, hanging from the trees. "Hey!" The man jerked.
"What? Get me down!" He shouted and twisted his body around in the net. "Get me the hell down!" He had an Irish accent and sounded increasingly angry and frustrated. "Do you know how long I've been up here? For hours!"
"What's in it for us?" Rebekah called up.
"I know where Silas is!"
"Silas is a children's take," Rebekah scoffed. "We're just after the Cure. Come on, Faye. We'll leave him there to rot."
"No," Jeremy said suddenly. His skin itched and tingled. "We have to let him go or I won't help you."
"We already have our map," Rebekah drawled. "Really, we don't need you so much anymore either."
"What if you need me to open the gate or whatever seal is on the Cure?" Jeremy said suddenly. He had no idea what the needed to do to get to the Cure, but he would play all of the cards he had in that moment. There was something about this man that was so familiar to him, but Jeremy couldn't name it the reason why.
Rebekah looked at him curiously, tilting her head. "Fine. Faye?"
"You sure? Because I can probably do the spell without him." She jerked her head towards Jeremy. "He's practically dead weight now."
"You never know, and I won't risk my chances on getting that Cure," Rebekah said tightly. "So, will you get that man down?" Faye grumbled, but flicked out her fingers; the top of the rope burned and sizzled, sending off sparks. Seconds later, the man began to plummet to the ground. Jeremy's body moved before his mind did; he ran as quickly as he could and stood beneath the tree that had held the man, and caught him before he hit the ground. Their skin tingled when they touched, and Jeremy set the other down.
"You're a hunter," Jeremy breathed nearly silently.
"Name's Vaughn," The other hunter said with a grimace. He brushed off his pants and shirt. "Been up there a while now." He had dark blond hair and wore something that someone would wear when they went . . . hunting.
"If you're a hunter, what are you doing on this island?" Rebekah demanded. She'd heard them. Of course. She strode over to the hunters and Faye eyed them with a wary glint in her irises. "You need the sword to decode the map."
"My tattoos only finished in the night," Vaughn said, "even though I've been hunting for my entire life. Curious, isn't it?"
"You didn't answer my question," Rebekah snapped.
"Rebekah," Faye called. "Forget about him. We'll tie him up or something and bring him with us, but we need to go. I can feel . . . interference, maybe. I feel something and it doesn't seem good."
"Bonnie," Jeremy breathed and Rebekah cursed.
"Are they on the island?" She demanded.
Faye shrugged. "I can't tell. Maybe they're just close. But we should go, anyway. I'll spell him up." She wiggled her fingers and whispered something. Vaughn's body locked except for his legs, and they tied his wrists together so that they could lead him.
"Let's keep moving," Rebekah announced when that was done. "I want to be human by nightfall at the latest." She side-eyed Vaughn. "And you will tell us how you got here one way or another, hunter."
"We'll see," He whispered through stiff lips. Together, the four continued to follow the map through the tricky forest. Jeremy tried to trail a little so that he could talk to Vaughn, but Rebekah kept shoving him ahead of her so that he would stand by Faye.
"Don't think I don't know what you're doing," She told him. "Stay where we can see you." Jeremy pressed his lips together and straightened his shoulders, but did not try and talk to Vaughn again.
"This looks like the wishing well that the professor wrote about in his notes," Faye called back. We've got to go down there and . . . spill blood."
"Sounds fun," Rebekah replied. She pulled the hunters along with her and jumped down into the dark, cavernous "wishing well." She dropped her charges and returned for her girlfriend. "Ready, love?"
Faye smirked. "As I'll ever be." She wrapped her arms around Rebekah's middle and they jumped down to meet the hunters. Faye released Rebekah and she pressed the tip of the sword into the palm of her head. Blood tripped down onto the stone floor.
"Now what?" Rebekah drawled.
"We're standing on top of a perfectly geometric circle," Faye said after a moment of observation. "So this is where the next step happens. I need a hunter."
"Alright, little Gilbert." Rebekah shoved Jeremy forward and he stumbled on the cave floor. He picked himself up and walked stiffly over to a waiting Faye.
"According the Shane guy," The witch said, nodding to the papers and notebooks and the tombstone, "I need to cast a spell on your tattoo. So take off your clothes. Now." Jeremy stood there, uncomfortable and angry, but eventually stripped off his jacket and shirt. He shivered in the cold and Faye rested her right palm onto the part of the tattoo that covered his shoulder. She took a deep breath and then she started to murmur. Slowly, the tattoo, made visible by the completion of the mark, began to disappear. Rocks fell and the earth shook, making the other occupants grab onto the walls of the cave for balance.
Then everything settled.
"You did it," Rebekah said, awed. Her blue eyes grew wide as they took in the entrance that had formed in front of them. "Bloody hell, Faye. The Cure must be in there."
"Along with Silas," Vaughn grumbled underneath his breath.
"Then on the off chance that he actually exists, we'll let him go!" Rebekah snapped. "Shut your mouth or I'll silence it for you by breaking your jaw." Vaughn opened his mouth to say something else and Rebekah made good on her threat. Jeremy glanced away when he heard the sharp crunch of a bone breaking. "Now. Ready, Faye?"
"Of course." Faye and Rebekah picked up the professor's bag, and dragged Jeremy and Vaughn with them further inside. It was dark, but with a quiet spell from Faye and Rebekah's night vision, they were able to see alright. They walked down a tight, winding tunnel before finding themselves in a large, open and airy sector of the underground tomb.
"We're here."
"Where exactly is here, anyway?" Jeremy grumbled.
"This way," Faye inclined her head. In front of them lie a grey body on a huge slab of hardened dirt and rock.
"Thanks for the gift, guys, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to crash this party," a new voice echoed and the group turned.
But not in time.
Katherine Pierce blurred into the cavern and snapped Faye's neck, releasing the magic binding Vaughn, who went after Rebekah immediately with a gun and splintered bullets. Faye's lifeless body fell to the ground and Rebekah screamed. She launched herself at it at the same time Vaughn shot her up with wooden bullets. When she screamed again, it was in mental anguish and physical pain both.
Katherine grabbed Jeremy's neck and bit into it and then shoved his head down onto the stone body. Blood dripped down into the thing's mouth and nothing happened except Katherine holding Jeremy into place. Then, when it looked like nothing would revive the fabled Silas, his hands moved and gripped Jeremy close to him, releasing the Cure from his once fossilized grasp.
"Thanks again," Katherine said breathlessly and she snatched up the glass entombed Cure. She sped out of the cavern, leaving Rebekah writhing on the floor with Vaughn standing over her, Faye's lifeless body staring emptily into space, and the Immortal Silas draining the life out of Jeremy's body.
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tbc