Chapter 19

They had twenty-four hours until the ritual when Stefan sat beside Elena outside on the deck. He took her hand in his and squeezed it a bit.

"As much as I know why you're doing this again…I don't think I can stand to see you die again. For this ritual." She smiled and squeezed it back.

"I know Stefan but this is my choice. It was my choice last time and no one cared that I was compliant."

"I'll miss your compassion." He murmured. She laughed.

"I'll still be me-I'll just be a vampire but I'll still be the same."

Elijah was walking on pins and needles all afternoon, nervousness settling into him when Rebekah went over to him with a club glass filled with whiskey. Thanking her, she had to ask.

"Do you want her to go through with this?"

"I don't." He said with a heavy sigh. "But this is what she wants and no-she doesn't want to take the elixir that I had made, she wants to take my blood." He looked at her with watery eyes. "She'll die and she'll come back as a vampire. She wants my blood to change her."

"Then don't be upset." She kissed his cheek. "She's always been yours-you've waited a thousand years for her like she's waited years for you. This is her choice. Let her do this and then you two can go on some beautiful tropical island getaway and be happy together for eternity."

He gave her a small smile and nodded.

"I will-I'm just scared." He let out a breath. "Last time, I tried to kill Niklaus but I didn't. I'm just afraid that he'll compel her to forget about me." She snorted.

"I highly doubt that he's going to compel her to forget you-we've never seen you this interested in a woman and yet, here we are. He wants you happy like I do. Like Kol does."

Kol and Bonnie were just lying in bed, cuddling each other. She was worried, not just for herself but for Elena because her life was on the line. She knew that Elijah wouldn't let anything happen to her but she kept remembering the last time.

Kol noticed her tears and held her close to his chest. He hated that she was crying. He had been told what happened the last time this occurred but yet, he couldn't find fault with anyone of his siblings-if he had been in Elijah's spot and he wanted to kill Klaus he would have done what Elijah did except for negotiating with Elena who was already compliant and ready to die.

No, he would have done something else to make her realize that the Salvatores were nuisances and made her take the potion to save her life. This time, he knew that Elijah would take steps into securing Elena's immortality and find a way to keep her humanity.

Whatever the cost.

Elena was in bed with Elijah, she was breathing heavily after god knows how many rounds of sex they had and she was curled into him. She knew that he was worried about losing her-either her humanity or something else and she needed to reassure him.

"I'll always be yours-humanity less or even with it still intact." She looked up and pressed her lips to his. "Always and forever."

"I can't lose you after getting you back." He murmured and she allowed her mouth to be caught by his and she managed to get out, "I promise you that you'll never lose me."

Caroline was sitting in the garden, worried about the upcoming ritual and everything that will happen during said ritual. The ritual required a female wolf, a female vampire and the Petrova doppelganger but she didn't know who was going to be used.

Last time it had been Jenna as the vampire sacrifice, Jules as the wolf one and Elena as the Petrova sacrifice but John had used magic to save Elena and to die in her spot. This time, there will be no magic of that kind to bring her back as a human, no-she'll come back as a vampire but she's still unsure of this vampire life she has.

She was holding a few pink roses when her tears splashed the petals of said flowers and warm arms encircled her.

"Don't worry-everything will go according to plan, I swear it." Klaus murmured in her hair.

"I'm allowed to worry and to grieve for my friend's life and her humanity aren't I?"

He sighed and kissed the back of her head. "You are but understand this-she will be fine and safe. Nothing will harm her-even I won't harm her after the sacrifice."

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