"Please sign here and here." The man handed me a pen and pointed to the lines. I took it, and Bonnie and Elena watched as I signed my name on the many dotted lines.

"So this place is yours, they just gave it to you?" Bonnie asked me, and I nodded while Elena butted in, "For now." Mr. Henry turned the page so I could scribble my name more, and I further explained to them.

"As sole owner, I can invite a certain type of people in here. If you know what I mean." I elaborated, and Bonnie questioned, "Your own safe house?" My twin and I nodded our heads in reply, and Bonnie joked, "Wouldn't want to clean it."

We all chuckled, except Mr. Henry who was too caught up in the contract to know what we were saying. "Well Miss Gilbert; that was the last of it. This house is all yours, congratulations." He told me, and I walked him to the door and opened it for him.

I shook his hand and smiled, "Thank you, Mr. Henry." The man was then on his way to his car, and I turned around and started to walk to Elena. My twin then told me to turn around, and I face palmed myself. "Sorry, I totally forgot. Okay, pick a number 1 to 10."

Damon squinted his eyes at me and gave me an 'are you kidding me' look. I put my hands on my hips and stared him down until he rolled his eyes. Stefan then guessed, "Seven." A gave my boyfriend a proud smile and spoke, "Stefan, would you like to come inside my house?"

"I would love to, thank you Erin." He replied and kissed me on the cheek when he walked inside. I kept the smile going as I faced Damon. "What are we, twelve?" He mocked me, and I shrugged at his comment.

"Well, you should have guessed a number. It's not my fault you didn't take your chances." I replied coolly. When he raised an eyebrow at me, I added, "If I let you in, you have to obey my rules. No lies, no secret agendas because we are doing this my way whether you like it or not. And if you don't like it, then you can go move in with Alaric."

The vampire in front of me smirked as he stated, "It's about time you got your spunk back. I was missing the old Erin." At my heated glare, he finally gave up, "Fine, you win Erin." I smiled sweetly at him and invited him in, and Damon told Stefan to shut up as he passed him.

Bonnie then walked in and handed Elena and I our coats. When Stefan asked where we were going, I replied simply, "School." The brothers disagreed with me, and Damon spoke, "No, we didn't create a safe house so you could leave it."

Stefan pointed out, "Klaus is out there. We know that." Elena then sassed him, "Right, but where? No one knows." I proceeded to tell the two brothers that I would not be a prisoner in my magnificent home. The Salvatores looked at each other warily until Damon broke the silence, "Your way, Erin."

"Don't worry, if he shows his face, I can take him." Bonnie stated, and I tried to reassure them, "See? Next to Bonnie is the safest place I can be." Elena smirked at them and waved goodbye to the brothers fiercely.

In school, I sat down as the bell rang and found a flier on my desk. I showed it to Stefan, who smiled at me and shook his head, signaling his disapproval. I would have to drag him to the dance, but he would dance with me, he always did. I waved the flier at Bonnie and Elena who grinned and gave me two thumbs up.

Alaric then walked in and started to act strange. He kept rambling on about the sixties, and I corrected him when he said Watergate. "Watergate was the seventies, Ric." Everyone seemed to look at me when I called him his first name, but I didn't care or attempt to call him Mr. Saltzman.
"Right, it kind of all mushes together up here. Thank you, Erin." Alaric said, and he carried on teaching. I didn't take any notes, for I didn't really need to. It wasn't like we were going to have a test or anything. The bell rang, and I really did not want to go to Chemistry. I stayed behind for a little bit, knowing that Alaric didn't have a class next. I told Stefan and my friends not to wait up for me and to get to class.

"Hey, Ric. How are you doing on this fine day?" I made conversation, and Alaric kind of just stared at me. I tried to get his attention by snapping my fingers in front of his eyes, and luckily, it worked. I laughed a little bit, and he started to laugh as well. "Did you not eat breakfast this morning or something?" I joked, and he admitted, "No, actually, I was in a bit of a rush."

Roaming around in my purse, I pulled out a granola bar and handed it to my aunt's ex. "Here, you can have it. You look like you need it more than I do." Ric took it cautiously, and he asked, "Aren't you supposed to be in class right now?" I shrugged and told, "Yes, but Mrs. Hall is a total witch and I hate Chemistry. History is where it's at."

"Anyway, I should probably get going so I don't get in trouble. Thanks for helping me out, Ric." I told, and started to walk to the door. Ric's voice stopped me when he asked, "Why is your hair curly while Elena's is straight? It's just something that's always gotten me curious. I mean, Katherine's is like that too, isn't it? That's why no one can tell you two apart."

Turning back to Alaric, I saw that something was different about him. It was like I was meeting him for the first time, a different part of him. This part was desperate and craved answers, but he also seemed intrigued. I shook my head mentally, getting rid of those thoughts as I answered him.

"It wasn't always like this. My hair is naturally wavy, while Elena's is completely straight. I had pink streaks during my rebellious phase last year. I started to curl it once my parents died; I needed a change I guess.. I guess, my curly hair just prompted me to go out and have some fun." I opened up to him, not completely sure I was telling this to Ric who would never understand.

But, what he said in return surprised me, "Grief does that to people, it transforms you in ways you could never imagine. Some for the better, some for the worse." My eyes landed on his, and I saw them soften under my gaze. I just nodded at him and smiled a little before walking out of the room.

Elena and I walked up to Jeremy and Bonnie, who looked like they were in a bit of a fight. My twin decided to lighten the mood by asking, "Hey, Jer. How's it been? Are you okay at the house alone with John?" Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Elena decided to move into the Boarding House with me. Yay.

"It's not ideal." My brother commented, and he got up from his spot. I questioned him on if Jenna made a return to the house, and he answered, "It looks like she's been staying on campus. Look, I'm late for class."

My sister and I sat down at the table side by side, and Elena asked what happened. I could tell Elena was still bothered by the relationship, but I knew it was because she didn't have anybody. "I told him he had to dress up tonight, and he got all uptight." My best friend told, and it sounded like typical Jer.

I took a sip of my water as Dana came up and started talking, "Oh, Erin, there you are. This is gonna sound creepy, but this totally hot guy just asked me to ask you if you were going to the dance tonight." Elena sneered at the girl, "Tell him she has a boyfriend, Dana. It's not rocket science."

I drank more water as Dana went on, "Oh, come on, you could at least give him a chance. Look for him tonight, his name is Klaus." At that, I started choking on my water. Elena rubbed my back, and I finally could breathe again.

The girl then added, "I know the name's stupid, but I swear he's hot." Bonnie then tried to get Dana to point him out, but she couldn't. She was compelled, I realized. Dana continued, adding to my nightmare, "And he wants you to know that you are beautiful, and if you'll save him the last dance. How romantic is that?"

We scurried back to the Boarding House and told Damon everything that happened. "So we go to the dance and kill him." He surmised, and Stefan sassed his brother, "Really? How are we gonna do that when we have no idea what he looks like."

"Something tells me he's not gonna be 16 and pimply. I mean, he flirted with Erin, so he's gotta be a strong supernatural being." Damon took a shot at her, and I exclaimed, "Hey!"

Stefan went on and ignored the two childish people. "He could be anywhere at any time, he compelled someone at school. Guess it's not as safe as you thought, huh?" I then whined at my boyfriend, "Stef that was such a cheap shot! I mean, I love sassy Stefan as much as the next girl, but come on!"

A knock then sounded, and Alaric walked into my house. He apologized for being late, and Damon told, "I need you to put me down as a chaperon for the dance tonight, Klaus made his first move." Elena then asked us all, "Okay, so we got to the dance and find him. And then what, what's our plan of attack?"

"Me, I'm the plan. He has no idea how much power I can channel. If you can find him, I can kill him." Bonnie stated, and I had feel faith in my best friend's abilities even though Alaric and Damon started to doubt her. Damon then rushed towards my witchy friend, who wasted no time in throwing him across the room.

I started to laugh and applaud my friend, "And again!" Stefan, Elena, and even Alaric cracked a little smile at that, while Bonnie drawled, "It doesn't matter if he's an Original. I can take down anyone who comes at me, I can kill him, Erin. I know I can." And just like that, we had a plan of attack.

"Your relatives were such packrats. It's awesome. Okay, what do you think: Twiggy or sexy hippie?" I asked him and pulled out two costumes to show him. Stefan could see right through my fake smile, and he assured me, "You know it's not too late to back out, right?"

I sighed and stared at the clothes in my hands, "And here I thought it was fun." My boyfriend then walked up to me and took my face in his hands. "We've spent all this time worrying about Klaus, and I think I convinced myself that he wasn't real. But he is."

"And tonight, we will put an end to him." Stefan soothed me, and then he kissed me. I smiled weakly at him and began, "Stefan, I-" He interrupted me before I said the full thing, and he stated, "I want you to tell me that when the night is over." He knew what I was going to say, and I just pressed my lips to his, hoping that it would suffice for now.

Damon then came in and commented, "Any time tonight. Elena's waiting, and she said not to wear the Twiggy costume because she is. Personally, I think you should wear the Twiggy costume just to piss her off."

After meeting Bonnie and Jer outside of the school, we all walked into the gym together. I heard Dana talk, "We have a special shout out tonight. This is for Erin, from Klaus." We all looked around, trying to figure out who was who.

"That was a lame cheap shot, he's trying to bait us." Damon said, and I spoke, "I know everyone here." Stefan then suggested that Klaus wanted us to think he was here, but Damon ordered us all to enjoy the party.

Damon went over to Ric, and Stefan took my hand and pulled me onto the dance floor. I smiled as he dipped me as we danced, but my mind went elsewhere as my blonde friend walked in. "Caroline's here, they don't know what's going on. We have to tell her." Stefan said that he was 'on it', and then he twirled right into Damon.

"How you doin'?" He asked, and I stuttered about before replying, "Freaking out a bit, what about you?" Damon started doing crazy moves as he talked, "Cool as a cucumber. C'mon, remember the last decade dance. The vampires were all ahh, and you were all ahh!"

I smiled at the memory and told, "Yeah, I kicked ass that night and we won." Damon took my hands and stated, "Yes, we did." He then twirled me into him, and I breathed, "You're good at this." I laughed as he danced with me and whispered in my ear, "I've got moves you've never seen before."

Elena and Jeremy glared at Bonnie and Damon while they dance, but I smiled at their blossoming friendship. "What are they up to?" Elena gritted her teeth, and Jeremy answered with a bored tone, "Who knows."

"Is there something going on Jer? Are you okay?" I asked my baby brother who avoided my eyes when I tried to speak with him. He repeated that he was fine, but he stalked away from us and into the hall. Elena and I exchanged worried glances, and we knew that something was up. Stefan then approached us and asked if everything was alright. "I'm not sure." Elena responded, and my boyfriend went to get Jeremy.

Elena and I dragged Bonnie away from the crowd and outside so we could speak freely. "How could you not tell us?" I questioned her, and Bonnie replied, "Because I knew how you would react, especially you, Erin."

I refused to even consider the option, and Bonnie argued, "It's the only option." Elena then surprised the both of us by snapping, "Then we'll find another way." I then added, "Bonnie, you are not dying to save my life."

"I have the power to save you. If I don't use it and something happens, that would kill me even more." Bonnie spoke, and I shook my head at her. My witch friend continued, "Just answer one question: if the situation was reversed, would you do it for me?" I couldn't find anything to say, I knew I would in a heartbeat, no question.

"So you know why I have to." Bonnie cooed, and Elena repeated, "No, no." Just then, the three of us were interrupted by Alaric. "Erin, Erin. He has Jeremy, Klaus has Jeremy. C'mon." We all then ran into the building with Ric guiding us.

Elena and Bonnie kept asking Ric questions, and when the teacher's posture changed, I stopped in my tracks. Something was not right. "I just had to get away from that dance. The sixties, ugh, not my decade. I mean, whose call was that anyway; I much prefer the twenties. The style, the parties, the jazz." He said.

My twin said Ric's name, and he just smirked in a way that was not Alaric. "Elena, Bonnie, get behind me." I ordered them, and they gave me quizzical looks but did as I told. "Now, Erin, I knew you were the smart one. Now, tell me what's really going on inside that clever head of yours."

Bonnie asked me what was going on, and I stated, "That's not Alaric." 'Ric' pointed at me and smiled cruelly, and he urged, "Go ahead, now you're just teasing them. I mean, look at your sister's face, she's so confused. I guess she didn't get the brains or the doppelganger trait."

"It's Klaus." I confirmed, and this earned a gasp from my sister. Bonnie held her hand up at the ready as Elena stuttered, "It's-it's not-not possible."

Klaus then drawled, "Relax Elena, you and your sister are not on my hit list tonight. But you are." Bonnie then threw him into the lockers, but it did nothing to him. He taunted her, "Now, did I mention that I know a witch? You're gonna have to do a lot better than that."

Bonnie then threw him into the trophy case, and the glass shattered around him. I then yelled at the girls to run, and we did until I hit something hard. "What the hell happened?" Damon asked me, holding me in place.

"Klaus is in Alaric's body." Elena stumbled, and I added, "He's possessing it or something like that." Damon then ordered Elena and I to retrieve Stefan, and we ran towards the gym. We found him after we told Caroline to stay in the gym with Matt who looked rather confused.

Stefan, Elena, and I all ran down the hall to find Damon walking casually to us. "What are you doing, where's Bonnie?" I interrogated him, and he simply replied, "She's doing what she has to do." Stefan demanded to know where Bonnie was, and I just gave up on asking Damon and ran down the hall.

I spotted her taking on Klaus and I called her name. The three of us pounded on the door, and Stefan even used his vampire strength, but it wouldn't budge. I was forced to watch my best friend die for me. The lights flickered on and off, and papers flew everywhere. Bonnie then turned to me and weakly smiled.

Her body then seized up, and I yelled, "No!" Her magic stopped, and Elena, Stefan, and I ran into the cafeteria to help Bonnie. I called her name and checked for her pulse as Elena did the same. Stefan searched the room for Klaus, but he was gone.

I started hyperventilating as I realized, "Stefan, she's not breathing. Stefan-Stefan do something please! I can't find a pulse, give her blood please!" Elena started sobbing, and I just shook my head as tears came into my eyes.

"No, no. Bonnie, please wake up, please. I can't-you can't leave me." I cried and shook my best friend's body, hoping that it would bring her back to life. Damon then came in and told, "Stefan, get them both out of her. I'll deal with the body."

"What do you mean 'deal with it'? This is Bonnie!" I spoke, my voice cracking as I said my best friend's name. Damon rattled on about the Sheriff and more mysterious deaths, but I started to zone out. I heard Damon tell my boyfriend to get me out of here and Elena's cries, but I couldn't get myself to move or speak. I was numb.

Tears hadn't started to flow freely down my face like Elena, and Stefan worried about me. He tried to get me to drink, but I couldn't, I wouldn't. Stefan begged me, but I wouldn't take the cup. He eventually let up and gave the water to Elena. "This is my fault." I muttered in my zombie like haze, and Stefan hugged me.

"Hey, no this was Klaus. Klaus did this." My boyfriend cooed, and his gaze was ripped from me to the door as Damon walked in. Elena immediately got up, "What did you do with her?" Damon told Stefan to calm her down, and she went on, "Don't talk like I'm not standing right in front of you. You knew didn't you? That if she harnessed all of that energy that she would die?"

Damon said yes, and Elena slapped him as hard as she could. In the corner, I then started to cry. "Stop fighting." I screamed at them, snapping out of my haze. The three people looked at me, surprised that I was coherent. "Bonnie's gone, okay? She's dead and she's not coming back. And it's my fault; my best friend's dead because of me." I cried, and started to sob uncontrollably.

I sunk onto the ground and curled up in a ball. Damon then whirled in front of me and tried to calm me down. "Hey, look at me Erin. Please look at me." I reluctantly did, and his eyes softened at the sight of me. I could tell that he became sad just by looking at me, and I knew I probably looked horrible but I didn't care.

Damon's hands cupped my cheeks as he told, "Bonnie had to die. Klaus using Alaric's body was a total surprise, she wasn't prepared for that. And he wasn't going to stop, and we weren't going to stop him until he knew she was dead. He had to believe it. She cast a spell, Bonnie's okay."

A few minutes later, Bonnie's face popped up on Elena's computer screen. She apologized many times, and I told her that I was just happy she was alive. I then excused myself for a moment to give Elena and Bonnie a much needed time to make up.

I changed out of my sixties garb and took a shower. Elena met me in the hallway near Damon's room; we agreed it would be nice to set some things straight. He groaned when he saw us, "Klaus had to think she was dead, your reactions had to be real."

"We understand why you did what you did. Klaus was fooled and Bonnie's alive." I admitted to him, and he looked shocked. I walked further into the room with my sister by my side, "But, let's get one thing straight, Damon: Bonnie will not die for me. I will not let that happen."

Damon tried to explain, "We need to kill Klaus, Erin. Real Klaus who will probably be coming to pay you a visit soon now that he knows that Bonnie is dead. She's the only one who can do it." I then replied hopefully, "We'll find another way."

"I hope so." He stated, and Elena apologized, "Look, I'm sorry for hitting you." I then butted in and remarked, "I'm not, he deserved it, and it was a good slap." Damon smirked at that and forgave Elena.

We were about to leave the room, but Damon stopped me, "Let me be clear about something, Erin. If it comes down to the witch or you again, I will gladly let Bonnie die. No matter if it's Elena, Jeremy, Bonnie, or anyone else. I will always choose you."

I then said goodnight to Damon, for it officially became awkward. Elena scampered off to her own room after she gave me a look, but I ignored her and went about my business. Damon's confession sparked something within me: desperation. I needed to protect everyone that I love, and only one person guaranteed their lives.

Quietly, I tip toed down the basement steps and opened the cell. I looked to see a gray, ashen Elijah laying on the dusty ground with the dagger in his chest. I sighed and thought it over, but eventually I concluded that this was my best option. With all my might, I took out the dagger that I ironically put in his heart and waited for the Original to wake.