Alex was up early the next morning. It wasn't her intention to, but her body threw her up from the bed and sent her downstairs to the cooler of blood in the cellar. Yesterday had distracted her from her growing need for blood, and now she knew she would fall into a beastly sort of feasting. She reached into the cooler and took out a blood bag. Just before she could rip the top off the bag, soft footsteps greeted her at the door of the cellar.
"Hungry?" Damon asked casually. "You shouldn't keep yourself from drinking."
"Damon, please leave," Alex begged desperately, keeping a tight hold on the bag of blood. "I don't want anyone to see me like this."
"You don't have to be like this," he assured. Slowly, he walked up to her and gently took her hand. In a state of starvation and confusion, she followed Damon out of the cellar and into the living room. Her body was shaking with desire, and she nearly hissed at Damon when he took the blood bag from her hand.
"Have a seat," he suggested, leaving her and heading towards a small desk in the corner of the room.
Reluctantly, she sat on the couch, anxiously watching as Damon poured some blood into a wine glass. She always thought this habit of his was incredibly foolish and almost arrogant. But as he returned to her and handed her the glass of blood, she realized his purpose for this simple task. Humanity became more of an option with each proper sip of the liquid, and it was easier to imagine this as a lifetime ceremony. She returned his friendly smile with a grin of her own, and then he sat next to her.
"It's not so bad," he smirked comfortingly. "You've just got to create a schedule so you're not on edge all the time."
"Thank you, Damon," Alex replied quietly. "You've really helped me out, you know."
"I'm glad," he smiled. His face soon expressed a bit of awkwardness, and she tilted her head with interest.
"What's the matter, Damon?" she asked curiously.
"I never got to talk to you about yesterday morning," he sighed regretfully.
Alex's memory of yesterday's embarrassing morning returned to her, and she clumsily sat up on the sofa. Being in such a close vicinity of Damon could bring yet another unwanted humiliation if Sheriff Forbes decided to show up unexpectedly again.
"Ah, yesterday," she whispered nervously. "I guess I forgot."
"Well, I didn't," Damon replied sternly. "I mean, the whole situation was terribly suggestive. I definitely understand how Sheriff Forbes could have imagined such a story. Please believe I tried to straighten her out in the car. But she wouldn't believe me."
"I suppose you have a reputation then," Alex suggested, a feeling of disappointment strangely in her heart. "You bring girls around often."
"Yes," he answered reluctantly. "But sometimes there are those who come around every once in a while. And you know that they're not just for fun. You know they're someone to love."
Alex felt a faint rush of blood to her cheeks, and she somehow wondered if those words were meant for her. She blushed completely when she realized how much she actually wanted those words to be for her. Damon had helped her so much. Perhaps she was only falling for him because he saved her in a way. Or maybe she was just falling for him completely.
"Do you have any meetings today?" she asked quickly, her romantic thoughts now making her uncomfortable.
He rose from the couch and gave a long sigh. "I'm afraid so. The Founder's
Council is facing a little suspicion from the FBI. Too many inexplicable deaths, I guess. We'll straighten it out eventually. But I might be gone for a while. And Stefan will be at school."
"I still have the money he gave me yesterday," Alex informed, rising to her feet. "I'll just take a tour around town."
"Maybe you could go to the museum or something," he suggested, a look of slight desperation on his face. "Look, Alex, I'm sorry that we're out of the house so much. I know this is really hard on you. If I could spend time to talk with you, I would."
"Don't worry," Alex grinned. She knew Damon had the right intentions, but deep inside, she knew he would not fully understand. Really, she wanted to visit Katherine as soon as she could. "I'll find something to do."
He nodded his head slowly, but his eyes expressed an awkward frustration. Just as she assumed he would leave, he suddenly wrapped his arms around her and held her in a tender hug. In an emotion she could only describe as a chemical mixture of confusion and delight, she eagerly returned his embrace. She refrained from crying, though this was exactly what she wanted to do in his arms. Instead, she absorbed the wonderful feeling of safety he brought her.
"Don't be sad, Alex," Damon whispered, sounding like a little boy attempting to comfort his heartbroken mother. "In this vast world of magic, there must be some way to get you back to humanity."
"I think you've made this humanity for me," she replied with a strained voice. "This would have been much harder without you."
For a few minutes, they just stood there in each other's arms. She almost laughed at how difficult it was for her to imagine falling for Damon only a few moments ago. But now she would not mind if Sheriff Forbes walked in on them, which indeed she suddenly did. It was an exact reenactment of yesterday morning's fiasco. Slowly, Alex separated herself from Damon, and saw Sheriff Forbes and Stefan staring at them awkwardly.
"Wow," Stefan sighed wearily. "Sheriff Forbes, I'm sure, like yesterday, there is an explanation."
"Of course there is," Alex suddenly interrupted, reaching out and taking hold of Damon's hand. "Isn't it obvious?"
This move did not change the smart smirk on Sheriff Forbes' face, but it kept her quiet. Stefan only stared at them with a dumbfounded expression.
"What?" Stefan exclaimed in confusion. "What are you saying?"
"Damon and I are an item," Alex explained simply with a sly grin on her face. "Is there anything wrong with that?" She peered over at Damon curiously, wondering just how he was handling this strange turn of predictable embarrassment. He only smiled at her lovingly and kissed the air humorously.
"I can't believe it," Stefan breathed. "I just can't believe it."
"Well, I believe it, Stefan," Sheriff Forbes chuckled. "I'm sorry to break you two lovebirds apart, but it's time to go, Damon."
"Of course, Sheriff," he replied politely. Before he left, he looked back at Alex with a more meaningful grin that had no hint of deception or sarcasm, and he squeezed her hand gently. She understood that their romantic feeling was mutual, and reluctantly let go of his hand.
"Goodbye, dear," she called.
"So long, sweetie," Damon smirked in reply.
Alex was then left in the living room with a very confused, very appalled Stefan. She laughed childishly and fell down onto the couch. Eagerly, she awaited Stefan's outburst.
"Is this really true?" Stefan questioned. "Or were you just putting on a show for Sheriff Forbes."
"At first, I think we were," Alex suggested happily. "But now I think we've really got a connection."
Stefan shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. "If I consider this any longer, I'll get a headache." His backpack was next to the coffee table, and he quickly scooped it up with one hand. "Don't forget to drink the rest of your blood. It's not safe to go hungry in town."
Stefan's words suddenly reminded Alex of how grim her situation was. Certainly, the blushing crush she experienced only a few minutes ago was unimportant. As soon as Stefan left the mansion, she angrily took the glass of blood in her hand and finished it. Its delightful flavor only sickened her. She wanted to sit there and curse her desire for the blood, but she figured her time would be spent more appropriately bringing it to those who truly wanted it. Quickly, she took a bag of blood from the cooler downstairs, put it in a random bag lying in the living room, and headed out the door.
As Alex walked through the neighborhood, Elizabeth reentered her mind. Or, rather, her presence in her mind was intensified. The little girl never exited her thoughts. But the beautiful scenery and quiet area resembled a dream Alex had: the dream of bringing Elizabeth to live in a place like this, much more pleasant than their dubious neighborhood in Brooklyn. Surely her daughter would love to play in the huge backyard of the Salvatore mansion, or she would run wild in the leaf-covered front lawns of the neighborhood residents.
Alex realized she was wearing the same outfit she wore yesterday, but this hardly upset her. Her appearance was always very important to her, but now it was a matter of crude concern. These past few days had taught her there were more critical issues in her life. Before, she knew Elizabeth would always be waiting for her at home. Now she wondered if she would ever be able to see Elizabeth again.
When she reached the forest, she quickened her pace, realizing the blood she was carrying was meant to be on ice. With super speed, she reached the cave and entered it eagerly. Katherine's motionless body resting just at the doorway of the now revealed corridor of the tomb was again incredibly shocking, but Alex knew she had an answer to Katherine's most vital problem.
"Katherine." As soon as Alex called Katherine's name, the desperate vampire leapt up from her immobile state and stood just in front of Alex. It was obvious Katherine wasn't too thrilled with the magical barrier between her and the blood.
"I smell it," Katherine whispered hurriedly. "You brought it?"
"Yes," Alex told shakily, Katherine's beastly expression a little frightening. "Catch."
Carefully, Alex took the container of blood out of her bag and threw it to Katherine. Before even a few seconds had passed, Katherine had bitten the top of the bag and started to drink the blood. This mad longing that Katherine showed represented the very opposite of how Alex wanted to act, but she understood her desperation.
"Thank you," Katherine sighed in relief, tightly grasping the now empty blood bag in her hands.
"Do you feel better?" asked Alex, slowly exiting her state of shock. "Are you any less mummified?"
"Definitely," Katherine gasped, her desperate panting echoing through the cave. "It's been so long."
"Well, now I'm here," Alex replied confidently, taking a seat in front of the tomb. "I'm not too keen on this abuse Damon and Stefan are putting you through."
"I don't think you understand who I am," Katherine mumbled, slowly dropping to the ground as well. "Haven't Stefan and Damon told you anything about me?"
"A few things," Alex admitted reluctantly, lacking the curiosity to truly learn everything of Katherine's past. "It doesn't really matter."
"I would be cheating you if I let you leave it at that," Katherine sighed wearily. She absentmindedly started to draw symbols in the dirt. "You're a good person, Alex. I would hate for you to know my past, because I know your view of me would change. But I like you too much to leave you in the dark."
Halfheartedly, Alex nodded her head, anticipating a difficult story to hear. But she realized this was only a part of Katherine's personality seen infrequently. She readied herself for Katherine's words, and then listened carefully.
"I've killed a lot of people, you know," Katherine started confidently, her bluntness sending chills down Alex's spine. "I'm not one of those vampires who thinks it's a bad thing to actually kill someone. In fact, I've killed people very close to Stefan, Damon, and Elena. Caroline Forbes was one of them."
"Caroline Forbes?" Alex questioned immediately. "But she's alive. She's only a vampire."
"You have to die in order to become a vampire," Katherine informed regretfully. "Maybe Stefan or Damon has talked to you about this? Well, it doesn't matter anymore, really…"
Though Katherine had held a very strong front as she told her story, her eyes now showed a deep remorse. Initially, Alex had been slightly appalled by Katherine's words, but now she understood the deep struggle within Katherine. It was a struggle she herself could have faced if Stefan and Damon hadn't rescued her from such a fate. The bitterness of her stolen daughter and the anger of being a Petrova doppelganger sent her into this phase. Slowly, Alex began to grin reassuringly.
"Katherine, I don't really care what you've done," Alex promised endearingly. "I know Damon and Stefan could never understand you, but I do. Elizabeth is my daughter, and my mind is only in a slight bit of peace knowing where she is. I can't imagine what it was like to lose your daughter in such a way."
With a small light of gratefulness, Katherine peered up at Alex from her gloomy sulk and smirked. "You're a strange person, Alex. Somehow, you can't see just how evil the people of this world are."
"Or maybe the world can't see how good the people are," Alex suggested cheerily.
Their conversation grew lighter as Katherine brought up the great change the whole world made. It was incredibly difficult for Alex to understand that Katherine was indeed over five-hundred years old. Everything she said about Bulgaria and old America was certainly interesting, and they talked for a long while. Katherine even mentioned her time in Bulgaria when her true name was Katerina Petrova. Eventually, twilight was imminent, and she knew her excuses would be harder to explain. Knowing how shrewd and conniving Katherine was, even though in an usually evil way, Alex asked her what to say to Damon and Stefan.
"I would tell them you were talking with me," Katherine chuckled deviously. "That would really get on their nerves. Of course, you don't seem like a very cruel person."
"You're right, Katherine," Alex suddenly insisted. "It wouldn't be cruel. It would be the truth. You knew all the answers to this situation. It's about time they where let in on this. They can't act like you're the bad guy anymore."
"Oh, how blind you can be, Alex," Katherine grinned darkly.
As Alex walked back to the mansion, Elizabeth was still blatantly on her mind, but her attitude was much brighter. It was easier to see just how lucky she really was. Her little girl was safe with her mother in a warm home. Damon and Stefan seemed completely adamant about keeping her child safe. And they were wonderful friends who helped her. Though she wasn't brave enough to die a hero's death, she could understand her sacrifice to that point. It hurt like a burning blade in her heart, but she could feel it clearly for what it was.
As soon as she walked up to the Salvatore mansion, Damon rushed out the door and greeted her on the front lawn. His eyes were wide open with terror, and panic shone as his main expression.
"Alex, are you okay?" he asked quickly, taking her hands in his.
"Of course I am," Alex assured swiftly, anxiously expecting some very terrible news. "Damon, what happened? Why are you like this?"
"Elijah broke into the mansion," Damon informed frantically. "He brought a witch with him. They were looking for you."
"What?" Alex's mind was running wild. First, she had no clue who this Elijah was, though she remembered Damon mentioning him in a past conversation as an Original vampire. Her main thought was only on the image Damon gave her with his words. A duo consisting of a vampire and a witch were looking for her in town. These could be the very captors she was dreading. "Damon, I can't believe it."
"We convinced them you weren't with us," Damon explained fervently. "Apparently, they had heard from their friendly neighborhood vampires that a special sacrifice was in town."
"Does that mean they aren't the ones who cast the spell on me?" Alex questioned nervously.
"No," Damon answered hesitantly. "I think they just wanted to perform the sacrifice themselves. Quickly, Alex. Come inside."
Damon whisked Alex into the mansion, where Stefan and Elena were both standing in the living room. They seemed a bit shaken, and Elena kept her arms around Stefan tensely. But Alex felt the most uneasy.
"You have to tell me what they said," Alex requested hastily.
"They were very enthusiastic," Stefan told in a more steady voice than Damon's. "I'm very sure they wanted you for the sacrifice. But I can't imagine why."
"The Originals like being vampires," Elena interrupted quickly. "Why would they want to become humans again? Don't they just want more power?"
"Perhaps there's more to this sacrifice than we know," Stefan suggested. "I know they waved around some little red stone like it was important. They said you were nothing without the Blood Stone."
Alex's mind emptied suddenly. A confusing joy began to fill her vacant head, and she wondered why she should be so excited. Fear was her next emotion, but a heavy happiness still remained. The idea of finding this stone compelled her.
"We have to find them," Alex stated boldly. "We have to get that stone."
"Is it important?" Damon asked with a little fear. "Can it help you?"
The ironic question passed right by Alex's ears. "Where would they go? Who would they see?"
"Well, Katherine plays a big part in most of the schemes of MysticFalls," Stefan told with a short sigh. "Maybe they would see her. They'll interrogate her a little."
"Interrogate?" Alex exclaimed anxiously. "Stefan, I may be new to this vampire world, but I definitely know that an interrogation here is a horrible understatement." Her obvious disgust seemed to shock everyone in the room. "We have to save Katherine. Come on."
Without another word, Alex rushed out of the house with super speed. At first, she was alone, but Damon was soon with her, and she could hear an almost inaudible interview taking place. "Alex, what are you doing? This is crazy? Save Katherine?" His words were just pieces of wind barely touching her ears, but she eventually slowed down as they neared the tomb.
"Alex, please, talk to me," Damon begged as they trudged through the forest at a more human speed. "I don't understand what Katherine has to do with this."
"You never understood what Katherine had to do with anything," Alex said angrily. "Within five minutes of talking to her yesterday, I knew exactly what this spell was all about. I knew what I had to do."
"You talked to Katherine?" Damon asked avidly. "I told you she was dangerous, Alex. She could be manipulating you right now."
"Shut up, Damon," Alex commanded furiously, her speed picking up. "Just follow me."
She could feel Damon's obvious frustration, but she ignored it all. No peace would come to her until she saw the tomb. At least, that was what she thought. When she spotted the leaf-covered stairs, her heart skipped a beat, and an odd pulsing was sent through her veins. The tingling sensation that began in her chest and worked its way throughout her body almost caused her to collapse, but she made no allusion of this in her actions. She entered the cave slowly.
"Katerina." The voice was stern and chilling. "Dear Katerina, why won't you tell us the truth?"
Heavy, desperate breathing could be heard from Katherine as Alex stood at the doorway of the cave silently. She was sure Katherine was being tortured in some way, but her body was currently exhausted and unstable. Unable to hide her inexplicable weariness, she leaned against the wall of the doorway and held in a sigh of slight relief. Quietly, she shooed Damon's gestures to help her and continued to listen.
"You're crazy, Elijah," Katherine told in a struggled voice. A venomous smirk could be heard in her words even through her quick breathing. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Oh, Katerina," Elijah started callously. "You've always been the clever one. You hide so many secrets. Perhaps you've just lost it in that pretty head of yours. I am absolutely sure you know everything in this town, even when you are trapped in that little tomb of course. You see, the Blood Stone is glowing even now as we speak. The sacrifice is near."
"It is glowing faster, Elijah," a more concerned voice called. "She must be closer."
"Give us the information, Katerina," Elijah ordered, his calm voice now holding a menacing tone. "You don't want to make this difficult."
"But isn't that my specialty?" Katherine remarked slyly.
Suddenly, there was a horrifying sound of the piercing of flesh, and Katherine let out a stifled cry. Alex knew Katherine was a most resilient vampire accustomed to much pain, but Katherine's painful whimpers were too much for her, and she leapt out of her hiding place. She did not mean to let out a shriek of any kind, but that is what happened when she saw what was before her.
Standing in the cave, just outside the tomb, was Katherine Pierce with an ancient-looking knife in her abdomen. A great amount of blood sullied her shirt where the knife penetrated, but that was hardly the disturbing part. Katherine's expression showed all the great effects of unbearable pain. Her wide-open eyes stared at Alex with surprise and terror as she stood there weakly holding the handle of the knife inside her body.
That, of course, was the first sight that caught Alex's attention. At first, she did not notice the two other figures standing near Katherine. One was an extremely tall man with a very stone-like face. His expression of self-assurance seemed unbreakable. The other figure was a man slightly shorter, with ebony skin and sculpted, short hair. He showed surprise in his eyes, but it was very different from Katherine's.
"Well," the tall, impassive one started, stalking towards Alex slowly. "I think we've found our sacrifice, Jonas."
"She is the one, Elijah," Jonas replied excitedly. "The stone is out of control."
Now Alex noticed a small stone in Jonas's right hand. It was a light orange, from what she could understand, until it quickly changed into a clear white. Swiftly, it pulsated back and forth from red to white, and Alex realized its rhythm matched up with the strange throbbing in her body. It was the Blood Stone.
"What is your name, girl?" Elijah asked with a welcoming smirk.
"Leave," Alex ordered shakily, ignoring his odd affability. "Leave right now."
"If you'll join us," he began, "then that would certainly be an option."
"She's not leaving with you," Damon shouted feverishly. Alex hadn't noticed his presence behind her, but she was still quite unfocused on him. Her frightened gaze was fixed on Elijah.
"You are mistaken," Elijah warned, his inviting smile wiped away from his face. "She is to be sacrificed. It is her only duty."
"I'll kill you," Damon growled furiously as he moved towards Elijah.
"And you are certain you could kill an Original?" Elijah asked amusingly. Damon slowly stopped in his tracks, but the valor was still there in his body.
"Leave!" Alex interrupted again. "Leave here and never come back!"
It appeared as if Elijah were going to let out a wily laugh, but his expression suddenly died. He then appeared as a cold statue, and he stared at Alex dutifully. Though she did not fully understand the process of compelling, her body sent her forward with the act.
"Leave," she repeated, eagerly gazing into his eyes. "And never come back."
After a few seconds of silence, the menacing vampire simply walked past Alex and Damon, went through the doorway, and walked up the stairs. Soon, his footsteps outside could not be heard. Jonas stared at Alex in amazement.
"You compelled an Original," he exclaimed in surprise. "That is unheard of."
"Hopefully you're compelled enough by what just happened," Damon hissed. "Get out of here."
"Not so fast," Jonas said.
A sharp, agonizing pain suddenly filled Alex's head. She fell to the ground and screamed at the top of her lungs as she desperately clutched her head. Everything was so blurry and piercing, and she could not understand exactly what happened next. A loud boom could be heard, and the pain slowly dulled. Through a thin blanket of tears, she could see Jonas on the ground, apparently in much pain. Damon suddenly lifted him from the ground, said a few words, and then the witch left the tomb swiftly.
"Alex," Damon called frantically, kneeling down beside the recovering vampire. "Alex, are you okay?"
"Yeah," Alex assured weakly, slowly raising herself into a sitting position. Her aching mind wandered for a while until she spotted Katherine on the ground at the opposite wall of the cave. Blood continued to pour from her now open wound as the knife resided on the ground. Frantically, Alex leapt up and rushed over to Katherine. Her hands hovered aimlessly above Katherine's wounds as she heard the painful whimpers.
"Katherine," Alex started nervously. "Katherine, I'm so sorry. They wouldn't have done this to you if I wasn't around."
"It'll heal," Katherine told weakly. "They did one good thing. They got me out of that tomb."
"It was their biggest mistake," Damon whispered from near the doorway of the cave.
"Shut up, Damon," Alex retorted angrily. "Listen, Katherine. Here's my arm. Drink as much as you need to."
The whole notion seemed incredibly bizarre to Alex as she offered her arm to Katherine. But her compassion was taking over, and it was simply an instinct. Life slowly drained from her body as Katherine drank her blood, but it felt only like giving a very expensive gift. It was difficult to donate it at first, but the feeling she received in return was rewarding.
"Thank you," Katherine mumbled quickly after drinking for only a few seconds. "But it will heal. Don't worry."
"Alright, Katherine," Alex smiled. But her smile did not last. She suddenly shook her head, desperately trying to rid herself of the now more noticeable pulsations in her body. Anxiously, she looked back onto the floor where Jonas had been lying, and she spotted the stone. It seemed to call to her. Every single throb of red and white hypnotized her, and she found herself moving towards it. When she reached it, she stooped down to take it, then not aware of a threatening shout from Katherine. As soon as she touched it, her mind spun around at the speed of light.
Now her eyes were filled with red and white, and the colors were blinding. They were all she could see for a few moments, until the colors became images. There was an image of a man speaking to Alex. He appeared greatly excited, but his eyes still expressed an inexplicable aloofness. Suddenly, the man dashed from her presence, and she was left in a cold, dark cellar. The images faded into colors again, and the colors faded into reality. She saw the cave suddenly come into view, and she felt Damon tightly holding onto her hand.
"Alex," he started, worry shining from his eyes. "What just happened?"
"I don't know," Alex admitted fearfully, looking down at the now completely white Blood Stone.
"Alex!" Katherine called from the floor, her whole appearance now more sturdy. "Alex, you've touched it. They're coming for you!"
"I don't understand!" Damon exclaimed anxiously. "What is happening?"
"Damon, take the stone from Alex," Katherine commanded. A hysterical Damon quickly followed her instruction. "Now run! Get as far away from here as possible! Go!"
Though Alex felt crying was her most appealing option now, she had no such choice. Without even a second to relax, Damon pulled her out of the tomb and lead her through the forest at a vampire speed. The forest flew past her without even a bird's chirping or a leaf's crunching. She was losing everything at an unbearable speed, both in her eyes and in her heart.