AN: Please don't kill me, I really didn't mean to be gone for so long. My life has literally blown up in my face so I'm still trying to get things back under control. I'm not really happy with this chapter, but I thought you'd all been waiting too long already so here it is. Sorry again for the delay and I'm working on getting my head back on straight so I can write again.
Chapter 7: Welcome Home
"Are you sure you're ready, love?" Sophia glanced over to where Klaus sat, fingers tapping out a beat on the steering wheel, a tell to his agitation. Smiling, she leaned over her arm rest and pressed her lips to his for a soft kiss.
"Yes, I'm sure. I can do this, Nik. And Stefan will be there just in case."
The two glanced into the back, where said vampire was staring out of the window, eyes transfixed on the large white house. She just hoped it wasn't Stefan that ended up going crazy, as she really needed him there to keep her in check. If they both got bloodthirsty, there was little hope of no one getting hurt.
"Very well. Since you'll be staying here, I'll start demolition on our room so it'll be done when you wish to return."
"Don't pout." She grinned, giving him another kiss before she opened her door and stepped out of the car. Before she could even take a step towards the trunk, Klaus was in front of her, pushing her against the vehicle, hands circling her waist.
"I do not pout." He retorted, blue-green eyes going hot, making her heart pick up tempo. How he could get her to respond with just one look was seriously ridiculous.
"Of course not. You're the great Niklaus Mikaelson, feared above all. You'd never do something so…human." She smirked cheekily up at him, earning a low growl before his lips were on hers, demanding her to respond. Giving a little mewl, she slid her arms around his shoulders and pulled him into her so they were flush.
"Are we gonna go inside soon or am I to just watch you two make out? Because I really don't wish to be a third wheel and you said we'd be back around noon." Stefan's voice broke through, his irritation crystal clear. The two pulled away and gave him annoyed looks, which just earned a shrug before the vampire moved to get their bags out of the trunk.
"So what're you gonna do now?" Sophia questioned as she wiggled out from between the hybrid and the car, smoothing her hands down her top to get any wrinkles out.
"Rebekah has convinced me to finish her driving lessons." Klaus replied in a pained voice.
"How'd she manage to do that?" She asked in amusement.
"By mentioning how unhappy you'd be if she ran someone over in her inexperience." He glared at her, which just made the witch's lips twitch before she gave into the chuckle that refused to be silenced at the image of Klaus giving driving lessons to his little sister.
"Poor baby." She mocked, laughing again when he tugged her against him roughly and bit at her neck. Her amusement quickly turned into want as his blunt teeth grazed her sensitive skin, sending sparks through her system and a shiver coursing down her spine.
"You guys are worse than rabbits." Stefan muttered, drawing their attention once more. Sophia blushed before shrugging, not ashamed that she found her boyfriend irresistible. Because really, if you weren't driven crazy by your significant other, you needed to find a new one.
"I'll call you later." She murmured, pressing another kiss to his red lips before she moved away.
"Take care of her. Don't let her lose control." Klaus said lowly to Stefan as Sophia began to make her way up the drive.
"I won't." Stefan responded with a nod before he followed behind her, duffle bag slung over his shoulders. Klaus sighed before he got back into his SUV, hating he actually had to let her be. Her family better not do anything to upset his witch or else there'd be hell to pay.
"You ready for this?" Sophia questioned as glanced over at the silent vampire as she got ready to open the door. Stefan rocked back on his heels before taking a deep breath, knowing he could actually be honest with Sophia.
"Not really, but I can't avoid them just because I'm having problems again." He replied, trying to calm himself.
"Hey, it'll be alright. You'll watch my back and I'll watch yours. Right?"
"Right." They smiled at each other before the witch twisted the handle, satisfied when it opened without a fight. She really needed to get a key made.
The two walked into the mostly silent house, their enhanced ears picking up on the quiet shuffling that was coming from the kitchen. Sophia rolled her eyes at her friend as she set her bag by the stairs and headed towards the kitchen, Stefan falling into step behind her.
"SURPRISE!" The two unsurprised people smiled as their friends shot up out of hiding places with beaming faces. It was obvious Caroline had planned this, as there was a "Welcome Home" banner and a cake.
"Ah, you guys are such dorks." Sophia laughed before she was on Elena and Jenna, pulling the two into a tight triple hug. Elena squeezed her for a moment before breaking away, throwing her arms around her boyfriend and capturing his mouth with hers, earning catcalls and whistles from Tyler, Caroline and Bonnie.
"Welcome back." Jenna whispered into her ear before two pulled away.
The older woman raked her eyes up and down her niece, trying to see if anything had changed over the summer. But Sophia looked amazing, so it was clear that the months had been good on her, so she felt the tight knot that had been in her stomach since she'd left ease.
"I'm so happy you're back!" Caroline said happily as she pulled the doppelgänger into a hug. Sophia smiled and embraced her friend, also thankful to finally be back. She'd really need to stop leaving for such long periods of time because it was seriously getting in the way of her life and friendships.
"Me too, Care. I've missed you." The witch pulled away with a grin before she was tugged away from the vampire into strong werewolf arms, making Sophia laugh as she was spun around the kitchen.
"We've missed you Sophia!" Tyler said as he twirled her around, grinning when her laughter filled the air. He hadn't seen her since she'd left the first time, so it was really great to see her again; even when Caroline sent them a jealous look.
"I've missed you all too. Now put me down, you beast." Sophia giggled, earning a low growl from the wolf that had her bursting into loud peals of laughter.
"I'll show you a beast, little girl." Tyler said before he attacked her, fingers finding her weak spots immediately.
"NO! Ty, stop it!" Sophia tried to squirm away, but the teen wouldn't be denied and kept her firmly in place.
"Mattie, save me!" Sophia begged, big doe eyes locking on the blonde. Willing to play along, as was their usual interaction, Matt dived for the brunette.
"I'll save you my lady." Even though Caroline felt the hot jab of jealousy for her friend's effortless relationship with the guys, she couldn't stop herself from laughing at their antics.
Stefan watched the interplay with interest, seeing for the first time a truly carefree side of the witch. While she certainly hadn't been serious all during the summer, she still hadn't been this light hearted, no matter how much she loved Klaus. It was good to see her relaxed and happy, not worrying about rather she would hurt her friends and family. It was certainly something he wished he could also experience.
Elena watched her sister, the heaviness in her heart lifting a little as the three fooled around. She was thrilled that Sophia and Stefan were both home, but it didn't remove the heaviness that'd began to grow since she'd found out about vampires and the supernatural.
It seemed as if with each passing day, she was pulled even deeper into the darkness, no matter how she might try to fight it. It didn't help that she had Damon, who was always tempting her to betray Stefan and herself and give into her darker desires.
"Okay, jeez, let the poor girl go." Jenna said, pulling the boys off her niece, who was clutching her sides as they ached from laughing so hard. The older woman helped the witch stand, rolling her eyes at Alaric, who'd remained silent during the whole scene.
"Where's Jeremy?" Sophia asked once she'd caught her breath, eyes flicking between Elena and Jenna.
"He's probably hiding from Bonnie." Caroline provided, drawing her attention.
"Why? Where's Bonnie? What happened?" Sophia asked in confusion, just then noticing her fellow witch was absent.
"I don't think now's really the time to talk about it." Elena spoke up, eyes flicking towards Matt, who looked down and his shoulders slumped.
Sophia had to clamp her mouth shut before her questions could jump out of it, not understanding what was going on, but not wanting to somehow hurt Matt. He was really too adorable to see sad.
"Is Damon also hiding?" Stefan asked, even though he figured his brother probably just didn't want to be there. He'd probably just wait at the house to welcome him back with a tumbler of scotch.
"I dunno." Elena shrugged, eyes not meeting his.
Sophia's gaze shot to her sister, her ears picking up the sudden acceleration of her sis's heartbeat, indicating that either she was lying or she was hiding something. Stefan also looked down at her, but somehow instinctively knew he really didn't want to know the truth, let it be.
"Let's eat." Caroline said to fill the silence, moving over to the counter to start handing out plates of food. Knowing not to even attempt to deny the blonde, the others shuffled towards her. Once their plates were full, the group situated themselves around the table.
"So how was your summer?" Elena asked the two, really wanting to get the details. Sophia and Stefan had both kept her pretty up to date, but she felt like there was something they weren't telling them. And if it kept the attention off her, then all the better.
Sophia's gaze met Stefan's, both thinking about the very big development that they'd kept from the other doppelgänger. Stefan arched a questioning brow at her, making Sophia fiddle with her fork before she sighed and set the utensil down.
"It was mostly boring, as all of you know. It took us forever to find the werewolves. I'm not sure if I've ever been more bored in my life." Sophia supplied, making the others snicker, all too aware of how well the witch handled boredom.
"So Klaus was really able to turn them into hybrids?" Tyler asked, more interested than the others in that one topic. Caroline shot him a look, not liking the way his eyes were peaked with interest.
"Yep. Well, we almost lost them all, as it takes doppelgänger blood to turn them without them dying. It was horrible. They bled out through their faces." Sophia's face scrunched up in disgust.
"So what? Klaus just used you like a blood bag?" Alaric asked, speaking for the first time. The witch glanced over at him, not liking the underlying current of hatred she could hear in his voice.
"No. I offered my blood to some of the wolves to speed the process up and we saw that they immediately started changing. I then 'donated' some blood for the purpose, so we could get out of the woods. I don't really do that well with nature." Sophia replied, eyes going hot as she defended her boyfriend.
"So every time he wants to turn a werewolf he'll take you with him?" Jenna questioned.
"No, of course not. He'll have a few bags of my blood to take with him."
"So you are a blood bag to him." Caroline said unkindly, not liking the thought of her friend anywhere near the psycho.
"Donating blood is better than him taking be away, isn't it? And this way Elena doesn't have to get involved. Why are you making such a big deal out of this? It's my damn blood; I'll do with it what I want." Sophia said, her anger quickly beginning to boil over from a simmer.
"But how can you just let yourself be used like that? If he really 'loved' you, then he wouldn't use you." Caroline retorted, not sensing the dangerous ground she was threading. Stefan watched his friend closely, prepared to launch himself at her if she got out of control.
"I provide the blood because I love him and want him to be happy! He's waited a thousand years to make more of his kind, to not be the only one in the world, to not be lonely anymore. Who are you to think you know anything about this, Caroline Forbes?" Sophia demanded, hands clenching the table side until her knuckles turned white, the wood giving a low groan at the pressure.
"Let's just cool down. I'm sure Caroline didn't mean it the way it came out." Stefan said, slowly standing. Everyone's eyes were moving between the two women, completely confused as to what exactly was going on. They'd never seen Sophia get angry so quickly before, and over something so small.
"What's going on?" Matt questioned, drawing the witch's gaze. The human shot out of his chair in fright, the stool banging to the floor from the abrupt movement.
"Sophia!" Stefan called, pulling her attention back to him. The others gasped when they saw her eyes were ablaze, a deep crimson red having colored over her beautiful brown irises.
"What happened to her?" Elena asked in alarm, backing away from the table. Stefan ignored his girlfriend and moved to the witch, grasping her shoulders tightly and forcing her to look up at him.
"Sophia, calm down."
"You see, Klaus did something to her! I told you he'd do something to her!" Caroline exclaimed, earning a growl from Sophia, who started to struggle against the vampire's hold.
"Really? Stop insulting Klaus. You're making things worse." Stefan shot out angrily, shocking everyone further by his raised voice.
"Sophia, listen to me. These are your friends, remember? You don't want to hurt them. I'll keep you in check and you keep me in check, right?" Sophia's eyes glared at Caroline for a moment longer before she met Stefan's, giving a slight nod as she took a deep breath.
"I'm alright." Sophia said after a few moments, eyes slowly turning back to brown as she calmed down. She shoved her anger away, embarrassed it'd gotten the better of her so quickly. Klaus was definitely a trigger for her new side and she'd have to work on not reacting to jabs made towards him. Because, let's face it, not many people liked her boyfriend.
"Is anyone going to tell us what the hell just happened?" Jenna demanded.
"Sorry Caroline, I shouldn't have overreacted like that. I'm still getting used to all the changes." Sophia said, giving an apologetic smile to her friend before she turned to face her alarmed family.
"We should sit down, this might take a while." They all glanced at each other before slowly reseating themselves, all still on edge as they watched the newly returned doppelgänger.
Taking a deep breath, Sophia shared a look with Stefan before she dove in, finally telling them the truth about what'd really happened to her.
/*/
"Can we talk?" Sophia turned to see Tyler standing by the back door, hands in his pockets.
"Sure." She replied, thankful for the company. It'd been almost two hours since she'd finished her tale and he was the first person who'd come out of the house to talk with her. It hurt that they seemed so afraid of her, even though the witch understood the fear and doubt. She'd certainly been afraid of what she might be capable of.
"Let's take a walk." Tyler said and stepped off the back porch, trusting her to follow him. They might have only dated for a short while, but they'd been friends almost since birth, so he knew she'd be too interesting to refuse his request.
The two walked in silence, making their way towards the small playground/park that they'd used to play on. Sophia had a feeling she already knew what he wanted to talk about, and understood the trek was more to get away from enhanced blonde ears than anything else.
"You want to be a hybrid." She uttered once they'd sat down on the swings, cutting to the chase. There was no use beating around the bush.
"Yeah." Tyler shrugged, not surprised Sophia already knew what he was thinking.
"Ty, you have to be completely sure. There're no take backs with this. Once you're a hybrid, that's it. No going back." Sophia said, tilting her head to watch her friend as she began to slowly swing back and forth on her heels.
"You have no idea what I go through every month, Sophia. No one does, unless they're werewolves. It's absolutely excruciating. Every single bone in my body breaks. And then I lose myself once I'm a wolf, not really remembering anything until after I change back. It's pure hell." Reaching over, Sophia gripped his large hand in hers, giving it a squeeze.
"It's the payment for being a werewolf, as well as a consequence for killing someone, no matter if it was an accident or not. Everything must be in balance, as I've been reminded of lately. It sucks huge, Ty, and I don't wish it on anyone. But changing into a hybrid shouldn't be taken lightly."
"I can't keep doing this. It hurts too much, Sophia. Please, you have to help me." Sighing, the witch leaned her head back to stare up at the sky, surprised it'd already gotten dark.
"I'll talk to Klaus. I'm sure he would be more than happy to change you. But, Ty, you should know that the hybrids have a strange bond with Klaus. They seem to want to please him, so they do what he asks without question. It—"
"Are they like slaves?" Tyler asked, worried for the first time.
"I don't think so. They didn't seem to have to do what he asks, only that they wanted to. I'm not really sure about it all, to be honest. But I wanted you to know about this before I speak with him, because I don't know how much it really affects the hybrids. I mean, they seemed like normal."
"What'd he make them do?"
"He asked them to go home, return to their lives until he calls on them. It's important that they remain who they were, you know. It'd be wrong to just have them completely forget their lives and loved ones just because Klaus changed them." Sophia shrugged.
"You would…you'd keep him from making me do anything I'd regret, right? I mean, he listens to you, right?" Glancing over at him, Sophia gave another small shrug.
"I don't think I'd have to keep him in check, to be honest. He promised he wouldn't do anything to you guys as long as you left him and Rebekah alone, so I think you'd be safe."
"I want to be a hybrid. They don't have to change unless they want to, and I want that. I can't bear even the thought of shifting again." Tyler said firmly.
"If you're absolutely sure." When he gave a firm nod, Sophia sighed.
"Alright then, I'll text Klaus. When do you want to do this?"
"My mother'll be gone tomorrow morning. Would that be a good time?" He couldn't help the note of excitement in his voice; he was too thrilled about the prospect of no longer being ruled by the full moon to care.
"I'm sure it'll be fine. I'll call you when we're headed your way. Now we better get back before Care sends out a search party." The two shared a knowing smile and chuckle before they stood and headed back.
/*/
Sophia stared up at the dark ceiling, having been denied the beauty of sleep for the last few hours. Her mind just would not be silenced and she missed her bed buddy. Not that she'd give in and call him, as that would just make her look like a weak girl who couldn't sleep without her boyfriend. Which was just ridiculous. Sophia Gilbert did not need anyone. Nope. No one.
Huffing in irritation, the witch turned on her side, searching for a cool spot on her pillow. This was all Klaus's fault! If he wasn't so comfortable to fall asleep against, then she wouldn't have a problem. And if he couldn't turn hybrids, then she wouldn't be kept awake by thoughts about one of her closest friends willingly being turned. See, it really was all Klaus's fault.
Stupid, sexy hybrid.
/*/
"You look like hell, darling."
Sophia glared at Klaus as she slid into the passenger seat. It was way too early for her liking, especially when she'd slept so poorly the night before. Added to that, she'd practically had to sneak out of the house, as everyone was still tiptoeing around her in uneasiness and she didn't want to deal with their reactions if they found out where she was headed.
It was Tyler's decision, and only his. Even if she wasn't 100% on board with letting Tyler transition, she understood the desperation for solutions that he was feeling. Besides, it was Tyler's life, so he should be the one to choose how to he lived it.
"You're an ass." Klaus chuckled at her, bringing her hand up to press a kiss to it before he shifted the car into drive.
"Are you sure you want me to do this, my love? I wasn't going to approach the wolf since he was your friend."
"I know. But this is what he wants, Nik, so you're going to give it him. Tyler doesn't deserve the pain of changing every month, no matter how big a douche he can be. Just don't make him do anything embarrassing, okay?" She arched a brow at him, which he returned, lips twitching.
"I haven't the faintest idea what you could possibly be referring to."
"Of course you don't." She rolled her eyes, her own lips curving into a smile.
Klaus linked their fingers together as he followed her instructions towards the Lockwood mansion, glad she was back at his side. He would never admit it to anyone, but he'd missed having her in his bed the night before. It was alarming how used he'd gotten to her, how much he missed her when she was gone.
/*/
"Jeremy!" The teen turned to see his other sister hurtling towards him in delight, making the boy cringe and try to prepare for impact.
"Sophia, you're back." The witch threw herself on her little brother, squeezing him tightly.
"So are you. Where've you been? I got back last night and you weren't here." She said, pulling back to give his cheek a light slap of reprimand.
"Sorry, Damon kidnapped me."
"What?" Sophia asked in alarm, eyes shooting to land on Elena, who was standing by the coach with a pinched expression.
"I was just telling Elena about it. Apparently I was the only one that could help him and Katherine—"
"He's working with Katherine?"
"Are you gonna let me finish or what?"
"Yeah yeah. Get on with it." Jeremy rolled his eyes at her, quickly remembering how annoying his sister could be.
"They needed me to talk to Anna—"
"You're ex that you keep talking to, even though you're dating Bonnie? That's so sketchy, brother of mine."
"Sophia!"
"Right, sorry." She mimed zipping her lips shut, making Elena have to cover her laugh with a cough. Even though this was really serious and she was pissed Damon would team up with Katherine and kidnap her brother, seeing the two of them together again was hilarious.
"Anna's mother knew where a hunter named Mikael was kept, so they used me to get the right location."
"You…you found Mikael?" Sophia's voice had lost all amusement, her eyes going large as she stared at her brother in horror. The other two siblings shared a confused look, not knowing why she'd react in such a way.
"Yeah, but he wasn't really responsive last I saw. Katherine's still trying to wake him up."
"How could you be so stupid? Do you know what you've done?" Sophia's voice rose in panic, alarming the others.
"What's wrong, Sophia?" Elena asked, stepping forward to try and calm her twin down. She really didn't want what happened the day before to happen again, especially since Stefan wasn't there to keep her from lashing out.
"It's not like I really had a choice." Jeremy retorted, but he felt fear settle in his stomach at his sis's scared face. Add that with Anna's warning, and he was sufficiently worried.
"I have to warn them." Sophia shot out of the room, not even bothering to close the front door as she shot out of it, her new enhanced speed kicking in and carrying her across town quickly.
"What just happened? Is she a vampire?" Jeremy asked. Elena shook her head and pulled out her phone.
"No, she isn't. I'll explain later." Elena replied before she dialed Stefan's number, hoping he'd know what was going on.
/*/
Klaus gently pulled the needle from Sophia's arm, pressing a cotton pad to the small wound until the bleeding stopped.
"Thank you, Sophia."
"You're welcome. Just…be careful, Nik. I couldn't bear it if Mikael killed you." She said softly. Klaus pulled her up out of the seat and into his arms, stroking her soft hair.
"I won't let him win, love. I've been afraid of my father for too long. It's time he be dealt with, permanently."
"What about me? What am I gonna do here?" Rebekah asked, drawing the couple's attention.
"You're the one who wanted to be in high school, remember." Klaus replied as he moved away from Sophia, stowing the blood bag in the cooler next to the others.
"Yeah, Beks, we're gonna be seniors. Yay." Sophia gave a halfhearted fist pump, too worn down emotionally to put much effort into it.
"Keep me updated on Mikael's movements. I'll be back as soon as I can with an army." Klaus said, turning to face both women.
"Of course. Just be careful." Sophia said again.
"Keep yourselves safe. There's no telling what Mikael might try to pull."
"Don't worry, Nik, father won't stand a chance against us." Rebekah said, forcing more assurance into her voice than she really felt. She'd been running from her father for a thousand years, so the very thought of staying in town where he could find her was terrifying.
"We'll look out for each other." Sophia said, looping her arm through her newest friend's, trying to reassure her. There was no way she was going to let Mikael destroy the life she was trying to build with Klaus, no way.
"Good." Klaus said before he approached them, actually allowing his softer side out long enough to envelope both of them in a hug. Rebekah's eyes widened at the affectionate gesture, but she smiled and hugged her brother back, relishing in the changes Sophia had brought out in the usually cold man.
Sophia clutched him to her, wanting to remember the feel of his arms around her, not knowing when she'd next feel them. It could take months before Mikael was dealt and they could breathe easy again. She really couldn't wait to see Damon Salvatore so she could punch his lights out. Douche was seriously messing with her life and that shit was just not okay.
AN: Okay, so I know this chapter wasn't really that good, but I need to get this done and posted. Sorry if it sucked a lot. I'm trying to get back into the right mindset. Please review and let me know what you thought, rather it was good or bad. Thanks.