A/N As always, thanks for your favs, follows and reviews! After this chapter, there will only be two left :)! please let me know you thoughts and anything you want to see before the end. You guys are great.
Big thanks to Shetan200 for being my beta and helping my story make sense :).
Remember, if a chapter gets 10+ reviews, I will do an early update! As I will do for Angelic Devil this week, for those who are reading that Klaroline fic I'm writing as well.
Back to the Future
Elijah POV
I gauge Niklaus's reaction as he reads Silas's note, already knowing its contents. Knowing my brother for over a thousand years, there was only one time I could recall seeing him a broken man. Even when Claire "died," he was hurt and furious yes. Went on a killing spree for a week, but he handled it. Did he handle it well? Not necessarily, but he was still functional, emotionally present even. Only when Henrik died, did he shut down, became nearly a recluse, and wished for death every day till we became vampires. Only then, with his newfound hybrid abilities did he manage to move on, feeling more in control of the destinies of those he loved, though he never forgot or stopped feeling guilty.
Yet, here I was, watching with great sadness as I watch Niklaus' expression. The life that was there moments before is sucked out, his eyes glaze over and his jaw tightens.
When he speaks and I watch his hands tremble, holding the note, I knew he was broken, leaving me at a loss as to what would bring him back from the depths of despair this time.
"He killed her," Klaus manage to say, not recognizing his voice. "He killed Caroline," he chokes out, his eyes still on the note.
"It could be a bluff Brother," not even believing my own words, but desperate to soothe him. "You know how Silas adores his mind games."
"THEN WHERE IS SHE?!" he yells into my face.
I look away, unable to absorb the amount of pain I see in his face in that moment.
I feel him grab my arms, the tremors that go through him, radiate into me, forcing me to look at him as he hold on to me.
"Where is she Elijah?" he asks again weakly, his head bowed.
I grab his shoulders, his hands never letting mine go. He looks at me, his eyes pleading for answers, but I don't have any.
"You have to be strong Niklaus," I say forcefully, trying to pour some hope into him. "We don't know where she is but there isn't a body. That has to mean something. Silas knows what she means to you. He'd sooner use her as leverage than outright kill her."
That seems to do the trick. He steps away from me, running a hand over his face and nodding in agreement.
"You're right Elijah," he says, pacing back in forth. "If he simply wanted to send me a message, he would have left her somewhere I would find the body."
Or he killed her and took her corpse so he could harvest her blood for his hybrid potion, I think but I dare not say that aloud.
"We need to find her Elijah," he says, the concern permeating his voice. "I can't…I won't lose her. Not when we've found our way back to one another. Is the cure complete?"
I nod. "Yes. That was what I was coming to inform you about. Marcel and Sophie are awaiting us outside."
"Excellent. The sooner we get to Mystic Falls, the better."
Before I can say anything, my phone starts to vibrate in the breast pocket of my suit jacket. I glance at Niklaus who stops his pacing as I pull my phone out.
"What is it Rebekah?"
I can barely make out her words as she mumbles through what it sounds like tears.
"Calm yourself Rebekah," I say, trying to keep my voice as even as possible. "Now tell me again. What has happened?"
As I listen, my heart drops to the pit of my stomach and stare at Niklaus, who, hearing everything, turns pale.
"It…it's not true," he manages to mumble.
"I'm so sorry, Nik!" Rebekah cries out through the phone. "I'm so sorry! With Caroline gone, Henry…" she chokes on her tears, unable to finish.
I watch as Niklaus walks robotically pass me, his jaw set, giving himself now to the only thing, in his mind, he had left - anger and vengeance.
I had lost another brother.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Three hours ago
Rebekah POV
I take a deep breath as Henry gives me back my phone, my brother's annoying smirk gracing his features.
I roll my eyes. It's like having two Niks in the world. God, the world must be ending. Like one Nik wasn't enough.
"What?" he asks, raising one eyebrow at me.
"Oh nothing," I say nonchalantly, "What does the King say?" I sneer.
He shakes his head as he pulls a knife from his inner jacket pocket."Oh Aunt Bex. It really makes me happy that you're exactly the same."
I glance at the knife and watch with surprise when he cuts his palm deeply.
"What are you doing?"
"Covering our bases," he pulls a vial from his pocket and glides it along his palm, making sure he get enough blood.
He licks the leftover blood and passes the vial to me.
"What the hell am I going to do with this?"
Now he rolls his eyes. "If it isn't obvious now, give it a minute," he says sarcastically.
"You really should drop the attitude," I say with a smile, admiring his spunk. "I'm your elder."
"Guess insulting you is in my genes," he says with a lopsided grin. "Just keep it safe."
I shrug, putting it in my pocket when I see Damon closing in on us, his face happy.
"What is it?" I ask.
"Stefan. She found Stefan!" he says excitedly.
"Who?"
"Katherine. The bitch was finally useful."
"Katherine?" I say, not bothering to hide my incredulous look.
"She's the one that I left with Baby Klaus," he explains with a dismissive gesture. "When she found out what happened, she felt all guilty and came looking for her. Must of known about her being fake dead. Luckily, I had moved the hybrid princess and told Ms. Kat that she can play hero after she helped me find Stefan."
"All this time, Elijah thought she left because she was tired of him," I say softly. Well. Who would have thought the former doppelganger actually cared that much for us to want to save Claire. Guess I have to apologize for all the times I snapped her neck and burned her clothes, I muse.
"Anyway. I don't have all night. Let's meet up with Stefan and Katherine. While we're at it, you can have Snow White and have Prince Charming kiss her or whatever you guys need to do to wake her up," says Damon, flashing to his car.
Henry laughs, while I stand there, confused by the reference.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The minute we pass the Mystic Falls sign, the environment in the car tenses.
We look around warily, quietly praying.
"I see dead people," Henry whispers to Damon.
I freeze. Who is it? Mikael, Esther?
Damon smirks and then quickly turns serious. "In your dreams?"
I watch them as Henry's eyes grow wide with fear. He nods no.
"While you're awake?" says Damon, seemingly concerned. I narrow my eyes at his stupidity. The veil is down idiot. Doesn't matter if you're sleeping or not.
Henry shakes his head yes, still looking petrified.
"Dead people like, in graves? In coffins?" presses Damon softly.
"Yeah, but they don't stay there," I mutter.
"Walking around like regular people," Henry answers in an amazingly child like voice that is miles away from its usual masculine deepness. "They don't see each other," he continues. "They only see what they want to see. They don't know they're dead."
Really? I think, intrigued.
"How often do you see them?" asks Damon, now starting to look scared.
"All the time," he whispers eerily.
"Oh shit! There's one right there!" shouts Damon suddenly.
"Where?!" I shout, looking frantically out the window.
But the two of them start laugh loudly, annoying me as they high five each other.
"Classic!" says Henry, his fear, obviously faked, gone.
"I don't see how that's funny," I grumble, mad that I was so easily fooled.
"Come on. This veil situation was just begging for a Sixth Sense reference!" says Henry in between laughs.
"What is the Sixth Sense?"
The car goes silent, as Henry's mouth drops in an O of surprise.
"Sexy Bex probably hasn't seen the Sixth Sense, kid. She was staked in the 20's."
"Oh. Wow. What a tragedy," Henry shakes his head, disappointed.
"It is. So she wouldn't get it."
"Get what?" I demand, hating feeling left out.
"Nothing," they both in unison.
I narrow my eyes angrily as we turn into a path in the woods. It eventually leads to a clearing with a lake down below.
I practically stop breathing when I see a man turn with brown hair, green eyes, smiling at me.
"Stefan," I whisper, my spirit lifting exponentially. He's still as gorgeous as I last remembered him.
The car screeches to a halt and Damon jumps out first about to run to Stefan who was standing casually in front of a black safe. Before he can move, Henry stops him.
Something is wrong, I realize. My smile falls as I notice an open casket and grey corpse next to it.
Katherine.
"Well. Now isn't it the man of the hour?" says Stefan, his eyes narrowing at Henry.
Henry smiles as Damon glances at him in confusion.
"Hello Silas," Henry says casually.
"I've been dying to meet you, Mr. Back to the Future."
"Where's Stefan?" Interjects Damon.
"Oh," Silas raises a finger as a signal to wait. He walks to the safe, revealing a desiccated Stefan, looking like he hasn't tasted blood in forever.
"Give him back," growls Damon.
"No. I think I'll put my doppelganger back right where he belongs. After I kill the rest of you."
I rush forward then, as Henry pushes Damon back. I hit an invisible wall, right when Damon tries to get up to do the same. All we can do is watch as Henry and Silas circle each other.
There isn't an inch of fear on Henry's face. He licks his lips, his eyes glowing yellow like Silas is a tasty steak.
"I've been waiting a long time for this Silas," he says devilishly.
Silas's earlier amusement is gone. "You really think you, a child, can kill me a 2,000 year old vampire? Aren't you cocky?"
In a flash, Henry lunges at Silas, who's so fast, that it looks like he disappears into thin air before he comes up behind Henry with a stake.
But Silas never pushes it through his chest. He freezes, inches away from Henry who simple straighten his jacket, turning to face Silas.
"Weren't you a warlock at some point?" Henry mocks him. He takes a knife and slices open Silas's wrist, taking two steps back.
I hear Damon chuckle beside me. "Einstein Klaus is a bad ass."
I look at the ground more closely, smiling.
A perfect circle. Henry made a perfect circle with his feet when he and Silas were doing their little dance.
When Silas's blood falls to the ground, the circle illuminates. The clearing is filled with Silas screams as Henry chants loudly in Latin.
This is it. This is the end of Silas, I think excitedly.
Damon and I watch as blood starts to erupt from Silas's sockets and his skin begins to turn into stone.
Henry glares at Silas, focusing hard, his yellow eyes, and his fangs exposed.
"A little more," urges Damon. " Keep doing it!"
But then, I notice Henry start to flicker on and off, to the point I can see through him.
Henry falls to his knees, his body growing fainter.
"No…" he hisses. "I'm so…close…" he murmurs, trying to focus on Silas.
Damon and I take a step back when we watch in dismay as Silas regains his color, a huge smile gracing his features.
He wastes no time grabbing Henry's throat.
"Aren't you a tricky one," he growls and I can hear the bones in Henry's neck breaking.
I want to turn away, but I find myself unable to. When he plunges his hand in his heart, and I hear Henry's gut wrenching scream, I feel my tears fall and Damon's arm wrap around me.
"A valiant effort Henrik, but this how things are going to end," gloats Silas. "Do you want me to explain what's happening to you Marty McFly?"
Damon stiffens next to me as Henry's eyes widen.
"Of course," Damon whispers.
"What?" I demand weakly. "What is it Damon?"
"Mother…" Henry chokes out.
"Something's happened to Caroline," says Damon, grimly. "Something that's altered Henry ever being conceived in the first place."
"Oh God," I gasp, "are you saying…"
"Run," hisses Henry at us. "I can't hold the barrier," he whispers.
And with that, he disappears.
Gone.
Silas then turns to us. He stalks towards us before I see a blur come into his path and a loud crack is heard. Silas's neck twists into a weird angle, broken.
The figure stands over Silas with a bat in his hand, then turns to us with a smirk.
"Kol," I choke in disbelief.
"Hello little sister," he smiles. "How about we get you, Stefan, and your new boy toy Salvatore out of here? The mystic falls gang is waiting."
A/N the fate of Caroline, Stefan's role in killing Silas, and possible flashbacks