Author's Note: An hour and a half in the real world = 1 minute in the Other Side...1 day in real world = 16 minutes in Other Side.
Warning: It's a horror genre. Expect stuff you would see in a horror movie...a good horror movie...I REFUSE to write horror clichés...Unless it is Elena...walking into a dimly lit hallway...
Songs: Young and Beautiful [Instrumental] - Lana Del Rey (first scene), Amsterdam - Imagine Dragons (after third scene and so forth), Sweet Dreams - Marilyn Manson (everything after Jeremy...GAH! I REALLY RECOMMEND IT!)
"Your body is dying. Pay no attention." - Lestat [Interview With a Vampire]
"Elijah, I need your help. I-"
"Katerina...I am busy. Do not call again."
The sound of nothing greets Katherine on the other end. She looks up from her phone and swallows. Normally, his rejection would have made her slightly depressed. Yet, as a human she feels nothing so strong.
Weak human emotions, she thinks, the only good thing about this. She frowns then, remembering that nothing is good about being weak, even if pesky emotions aren't amplified.
A sigh escapes her lips. She holds the phone close to her heart. "Now, what am I supposed to do without your help, Elijah?" She scoffs at the thought of asking Damon or Stefan for help, let alone her doppelgänger. No one would help her now that she needed it.
She can't really blame them but, nevertheless, it is still annoying.
"Maybe Stefan..."
She begins to walk, filled now with hope and determination. Of any person she has ever met Stefan is the one with the kindest heart, a soul of forgiveness. He forgave Damon, why shouldn't he forgive her?
Perhaps it is her doppelgänger's ever hopeful nature rubbing off on her.
She takes a moment to revel in her hatred for the girl. Admittedly, the disappointment of being defeated by her is embarrassing. She feels a slight annoyance at the choice of not killing her the day she met her.
Being mad at herself will just make Katherine weak, she decides. This is why she chooses to just place all the rage she feels on the girl who did this to her. Because, in the end, it really is Elena's fault. It would always be her fault, the shadow Katherine could never rid herself of.
She growls at the thought.
"I'll kill her when I'm a vampire again," she promises herself.
Tanned hands twitch.
Drip.
Drip.
Jaw muscles clench.
Drip.
"Say that again," Raulf says, lips curling up into an insidious smile.
The woman hesitates for only a moment before spitting at his face. "Fuck you," she says, slowly, making sure to enunciate every syllable.
He grabs a fistful of her blond strands and pulls abruptly to the left then upward, causing crimson drops to fling onto the floor and himself. "Once you break," he whispers, mouth pressing against her ear. "I'll make sure to sew those lips shut."
Brown eyes remain defiant. It, however, doesn't take long for definite signs of terror to surface above her façade when he starts to peel away bits of her skin.
The woman screams.
Much better.
His lips spread, allowing his teeth to bite into her fair flesh. He pulls; gnaws; pulls.
His fingers reach into his mouth just as soon shoving the bloody mess into hers. His free hand holds her jaw in place as she struggles to spit. Yet, his hand keeps moving, fingers sliding further into her mouth.
She gags.
"Raulf."
His head turns, allowing his dark eyes to study the man standing at the metal door. "Louis," he says, smiling. "Such a pleasure to see you." Abruptly, he releases the woman's face and stands. "About four months it has been since you have graced my presence..."
Louis' eyes move from Raulf's bloody hands to the sink. He looks back at the man, more surprised by the fact that there is a sink in this room than by the fact that he isn't using it.
"And the first you have ever entered this room, if I am correct that is?"
Out of the corner of his eyes Louis sees a bloody woman spit equally bloody flesh onto the concrete. He forces his attention to remain on Raulf. "I do not intend to come in again, I assure you."
Raulf's smile widens. "That is your loss, my friend." He looks back at the shaking woman. "Watching their souls break is quite fascinating." Slowly, his eyes move to focus on Louis. "A man must take pleasure in his duties...Do you agree?"
"Indeed." He takes a step forward. "However, that is not what I came to talk about."
"Oh? What would you like to discuss then, friend?"
"I need you to help me wake someone."
"Who might that be?"
"A friend of mine."
Raulf catches on to the lie as soon as Louis speaks it. "A friend?" He licks the blood from his stained lips, eyes shining with amusement. "You jest, surely."
"You are my friend, are you not?"
The dark-haired man smiles once again. His eyes betray no secondary agenda; though, the thing's existence would not be a surprising find for the man standing before him.
Louis continues when the silence becomes an obvious hint that Raulf isn't going to reply to his question. "I cannot wait for her to awaken of her own free will...Evios has need of her."
"Is that so?" Raulf's face still bares no sign of trust, yet he nods, regardless. "For Evios, anything," he says, repeating a phrase that is familiar to his tongue.
"Anything," Louis agrees.
"Caroline."
The blond's heavy eyelids open halfway. She pulls her dark-blue blanket over her face and rolls over, back facing the door.
"You're not five anymore, Caroline."
"Yeah, I am," she mumbles.
"Caroline."
"What?" she says, grumpy.
"There's someone waiting for you."
Caroline turns to see her mom's sly grin.
"I'm going to work now...You two have fun."
She frowns, confused.
A smile graces her face as soon as her mom walks away and her boyfriend steps forward. "Tyler..." She stares at him in disbelief, for a moment not believing that he is truly there.
"Hey, Care."
She runs to him and wraps her arms around his body. He laughs and hugs her back. He is about to speak before her mouth smashes against his in urgency. He responds instantly, hands going to his favourite part of her body: her hips.
The blond moans into the kiss. She pulls away and places a gentle hand on his cheek. "I've missed you so much."
He presses his forehead against hers, breath still heavy, though less animalistic. His lips touch the spot between her eyebrows. "I love you, too, Care."
She grins beneath the kiss he places on her pink lips and wraps her arms around his neck.
"Okay, reunion over."
With wide eyes, Caroline looks at Damon. "Why are you here?"
"Who do you think brought him, Blondie?" He smirks, though the amusement doesn't quite reach his eyes. "We need to talk."
Slowly, Caroline's arms leave Tyler's neck. "About what?" she asks, annoyed.
"Baby Gilbert and Bonnie."
The blond frowns. "What?" She shakes her head. "Why?"
"Don't tell me you're that stupid. Bonnie and vacations? Doesn't make sense."
"Well, she deserves one-"
He scoffs. "More than anyone else, I know. That doesn't mean the stubborn witch is going to take one."
Her frown deepens. "So, you're saying..."
"That Jeremy lied." He smiles. "And you, Blondie, are going to help me find out why."
"Wait, Bonnie's gone?" Tyler asks. "Why?"
Damon looks at him, eyes narrowing at the stupidity of his question. "That's what we're going to figure out, Mutt. Try to pay attention." He focuses on Caroline again.
"Since when did you give a shit about Bonnie?" Tyler asks, flabbergasted.
"You're wasting time. Focus." He glances at the two of them, the plans in his head coming to fruition.
"So, what do you plan on doing? Torturing the real answer out of him?" Caroline questions, suspicious of his intentions.
"Yeah, that would be my first choice but since he is Elena's brother and such," he says, a look of annoyance on his face. "I can't...However, maybe a little...persuasion..."
"Persuasion," Caroline repeats, unconvinced.
Damon nods, a dangerous smile finding its way onto his lips.
Katherine is annoyed to see Elena's face greet her when the door opens. "Where is Stefan?" she asks, wanting to get away from the girl as soon as possible.
"He's gone," she says, simply. She smiles, smug at seeing Katherine's expression. "How does it feel, Katherine? To be so powerless?"
The smile Katherine returns is far from sincere. "Don't get your hopes up...I don't plan on staying like this."
"Do you really think," Elena says, folding her arms together. "That anyone is gonna want to change Katherine Pierce back into a vampire? If I was you, I'd give up now."
"That's you. You're pathetic."
"I could kill you."
Katherine frowns, a bitter taste in her mouth. It is a disgusting thought to know that her doppelgänger could end her life with ease now. "The one thing we share in common, my dear doppelgänger, is our love for revenge. You would rather see me in misery than see me die so easily..." She glances around, having a feeling that Damon will pop out and snap her spine in half. She looks back at her doppelgänger. "What did you do to Stefan to make him leave for good?"
"He wouldn't have turned you back into a vampire, Katherine."
"That's not what I asked." She smiles again, this time genuine and filled with amusement. "Oh...you chose the wrong brother didn't you? Stefan is so much better, you know." She flicks her wrist, nonchalantly. "You'll see the error of your ways in a couple of years, trust me."
She shoves past Elena and walks into the house.
"I didn't say you could come in."
"I don't have to be invited, remember? Anyways, you're a vampire. You can't invite. It is you that needs to be invited." She plops down on the couch and smiles. "And, now, my lovely Elena, you're going to be stuck with me. So...what shall we do first? Swap Salvatore stories?"
"Get out, Katherine."
"I was joking. I don't want to talk to you." She relaxes on the couch, lifting her feet onto the leather. "You can go if you want but I'm not leaving."
"I could make you leave."
Katherine stands. "You'd risk having innocent little me roaming Mystic Falls?" She smiles. "Fine by me."
Elena stops her as she walks toward the door. "You're powerless, Katherine. There is nothing that you could do."
"Really? We'll see about that."
Elena watches her leave, feeling suddenly anxious. She repeats the words in her mind: she's powerless. Yet, a strong part of her is unconvinced. For a moment, she considers asking her to stay.
The stubborn part of her, the one that despises her, refuses to do so.
Still, that doesn't mean that she is above following her.
It's just a matter of stealth.
"So...what's it like living with him?"
"Damon?" Jeremy shrugs. "It's alright. I mean, he's already tried hooking me up so..."
Bonnie looks at him.
He laughs. "I'm kidding." He reaches for her hand, his smile becoming sweet in the way that has always melted Bonnie's heart.
"Jer, I..." Her eyes are fixed on his lips. She forces herself to meet his eyes. "I..."
Out of instinct he reaches for her face. Their skin makes contact only in sight, in the other sense, touch, they feel nothing. Nevertheless, her free hand covers his, trying its hardest to feel something.
"I miss you, Bonnie."
Her smile is small. "I miss you, too, Jer." After a few seconds, she pulls away and stands from the bed. She turns around and faces him, trying her best to force a smile. "I bet Grace will be happy that you're alive. You know, she's had a crush on you for a...long time." She swallows.
He stands and takes a step towards her, face becoming serious. "Bonnie-"
"Jer, I'm a ghost. You'll have to move on eventually and-"
He takes her face in his hands, silencing her with his lips; it is both the absence of feeling and the action itself that brings tears to her eyes. "Not just yet," he whispers. "I can't...let you go."
"Jer-"
"Bonnie. Just..." He smiles. "Don't ruin the moment."
She sighs and leans into him. He wraps his arms around her.
"I'm not ready..." she admits. "I thought I was but..."
"We'll get you back, Bonnie, I promise."
She pulls away, quickly. "You didn't tell them, did you?"
"No," he says with a frown. "But I should."
"Jer, please."
"No, Bonnie. They can help me get you back. We'll be able to touch...you'll breathe...you'll be able to-"
"Jer..." Her eyes widen as she pulls away from him, her hands pulsing. Nervously, she looks at him, begging for answers that he doesn't have.
"What's happening?" he almost yells, just as terrified as her.
A blood-curdling scream explodes from her mouth. Within seconds she is on her knees, a blue-grey colour filling the whites of her eyes.
The room shakes.
Jeremy bends down, reaching for her.
A light flashes.
She is gone.
Jeremy's eyes search the room, wildly, desperately. "Bonnie!"
The sun fades into the distance as Katherine Pierce walks into the Mystic Grill. Her hips sway seductively.
She stops at the entrance and looks around, trying to find a somewhat attractive human. After completely scanning the room her lips turn down in displeasure.
Not even Matt is here, she thinks. He, at least, is cute.
She growls.
Then she hears a laugh.
That laugh.
Her eyes dart to the man she loved for almost two-hundred years.
Stefan.
How did she not notice him?
Before she knows it, she is at his side. "Hey," she says, resting a hand on his shoulder. She eyes the red-headed girl across from him with a look of distaste. "Sorry, can you excuse us? I need to talk to my boyfriend."
The girl frowns and looks at the brown-haired immortal. "But you said..." She looks back at Katherine. "I'm really sorry, Elena, I thought you two...he told me you broke up."
She feigns anger when she glances at her 'boyfriend'. She folds her arms. "Interesting...I didn't know that we did. If you wanted to end things, all you had to do was say so."
Sensing an impending argument, the girl leaves.
The immortal's look is one of intrigue as he studies the girl before him. "We didn't break up? That's...news to me."
"What can I say? I realized I made the wrong choice." She grabs his hand and pulls him up. "Let's go."
As they walk out of the Mystic Grill he continues to stare at her. "You're not Elena," he says once they are outside.
Katherine glances back at him, smiling. "You could always see through me, couldn't you, Stefan?"
Yet, his hand remains in hers. She looks at their entwined fingers, curious as to why he hasn't disposed of her like a fly yet. As soon as they are alone, no people nearby to hear them, Katherine speaks. "I need your help." She releases his hand. "You need to turn me back into a vampire."
He smiles. "Shall we talk somewhere else? Somewhere private, I think."
Shall we? Katherine's eyebrows furrow. Yet, the possible innuendo in his words manages to distract her from the strange phrasing. Slowly, she nods.
Elena is in her car, sitting outside the hotel her ex-boyfriend and Katherine are about to walk in.
"What are you doing?" she whispers.
As if hearing her, the man glances back. He smiles at her ducking image, something she doesn't see. After a few seconds she sits up and they are gone.
She waits for a minute before going in after them. After peeking in through the door, she sees that they are already gone.
She heads for the small-faced, frail man at the front desk. His eyebrows furrow as he looks at her.
"I served...a girl that looked just like you," he says, confused as to what logic would make the most sense to him.
Elena speaks before he can think further. "What room did she go to?" she questions, pupils becoming small as she looks into the old man's faded-brown eyes.
With a dazed look, he says, "203."
The immortal shoves Katherine against a wall. Immediately, his lips are against her neck.
She gasps, surprised by his sudden actions. Yet, the human part of her, the one that craves becoming maternal, ignites. She reaches for his chin and pulls his face to hers.
Their lips meet in a burst of passion.
His fingers grip her thighs, the need within him becoming almost too much to bare.
He throws her on the bed and jumps on top of her, ripping the shirt from her body.
Katherine almost feels like asking him why he is doing this. Is she a rebound? A replacement for her doppelgänger?
Then he begins to nibble on the skin above her breast and she forgets everything.
"What do you want?" Bonnie asks, fists clenched, back against the wall.
"I thought this was your friend, Louis," Raulf says, a knowing smile on his face.
Blue eyes with a splash of green surrounding them are focused on Bonnie's bare figure. They are unmoving, watching. Louis is mesmerized by this goddess that stands before him, almost speechless. "I promise to never hurt you," he says, going to his knees. He takes her hand in his.
Cautiously, Bonnie looks at him, eyes wide with suspicion.
His lips press against her skin, lingering longer than would be considered normal. While still kissing her hand, he looks up into her eyes. "For Evios," he says. "I will protect you with my life."
Evios?
Her eyes narrow. "Let me go," she says.
Raulf laughs.
Bonnie looks at him, disturbed by the darkness of his eyes. She sees the blood stains covering his clothes and skin; the twitching of his fingers, as if they are restless; the strength of his jaw.
It is his words, however, that bother her more than his appearance ever could.
"You are not leaving. Can you not see it in his eyes?" Raulf's own eyes dance with laughter, as if amused by a joke that pleases him more to keep to himself.
Bonnie looks at Louis again, this time not mistaking the look on his face for anything other than what it truly is.
A vampire about to bite into his next meal.
Author's Note: I will leave you readers with a question. Answer it or not, it's your choice ;)
Is being devoured alive the worst way to die? If not, then what is? Why is that idea so terrifying?