"Elena?" Jenna asked frowning. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Aunt Jenna" Elena said giving her a sad smile. "What happened to you?"

"You weren't supposed to leave the house" I said quietly.

"You called me" Jenna said confusedly to Elena. "You said you needed me…"

"Katherine" I growled.

"Oh, God… I couldn't tell. Her voice was just like…" Jenna stammered. "I got out, and someone grabbed me. Klaus made me drink his blood, but I don't remember anything else…"

"Aunt Jenna, do you remember what I told you about vampires? How people become one?"

Jenna's frown deepened and then her mouth fell, she seemed shocked and just… lost.

"Everything will be OK" Elena said wiping her tears.

We all knew she was lying. Greta walked to us and asked Jenna if she was hungry. Elena snapped up, grabbing a rock, and tried to attack her, but Greta used her powers to throw her at me. We fell on the ground, and I groaned as my head hit a rock. Yeah, not my lucky day, I was all sore and was about to be sacrificed. We scrambled up when a circle of fire surrounded us, and I looked away as Greta fed Jenna her blood as Elena begged her not to. Greta pushed Jenna back in the ground, and lit fire around her too.

"It will be okay" Elena mumbled.

I watched as Greta conjured fire around Jules too. I glared at the flames in front of me, and walked past it, not bothered as the flames burned higher, to my shoulders, since they couldn't burn me. Greta glared at me and Klaus smirked. I looked at Jules, who was screaming and thrashing in pain and back at the witch and hybrid.

"What have you done?" I snapped walking to them.

"I slowed down the transition process" Greta said.

"Witches are supposed to keep balance!" I yelled at her.

"Easy" Klaus said calmly holding me back from attacking Greta.

"My loyalty lies with Niklaus" she said calmly.

"Isabella" Klaus said and I glared at him. "We must begin. Here"

He extended me my talisman, and I grabbed it, fisting the pendant in my hand. I looked up at the moon, and prayed everything would work. He handed the moonstone to Greta, and I begrudgingly walked to where she stood. I took deep breaths and could feel Klaus watching me closely.

"Do it" he snapped.

"Absorbing so much energy is not that simple" I said and concentrated on the talisman.

I whispered a spell, summoning the power my ancestor left on the talisman, while hoping I would be forgiven for such risky plan. My eyes snapped open as energy flowed through my veins, starting in my arm, to my heart and pumping through my body. I pocketed the talisman and with a sigh held out my hands to Greta. She took it and closed her eyes, muttering the spell. I glanced at Jules who was crying, knowing what would happen now, and muttered the spell with Greta. The fire around Jules went out and she cried to Elena that everything she did was for Tyler. As the La Push pack, these werewolves were just as protective of each other. They were a family. She tried to run, and when Klaus grabbed her she tried to fight back. I snapped my eyes shut, as my stomach twisted after seeing him rip her heart out. Greta slipped her hand from mine, and took the heart from him, letting the blood drip down on the moonstone. Elena and Jenna had been talking quietly, but as Klaus turned to Jenna, Elena stood up, careful with the flames and wiped her tears away.

"No, please" she cried. "You don't have to kill her! I don't want Jeremy to be without a family! Please, I did everything you've asked!"

"I was going to use other vampire" he said and shrugged. "Unfortunately, I needed another one and your aunt seemed a good choice"

"Klaus" I said warningly. "The deal was no one else getting hurt. I won't help you kill her"

"It's her or Caroline" he said calmly.

I looked at Elena with a frown.

"No" Jenna cried. "No, leave Caroline alone!"

"She has chosen" Klaus said taking a step toward her.

"Wait!"

We turned and I sighed with relief as Stefan approached. He looked at Elena and me with a deep frown and then locked eyes with Klaus.

"Let's make a deal" he said. "Let Jenna go, you can use me"

Elena gasped and Jenna stared at him in shock.

"Stefan" I whispered.

Damon wouldn't let him. He would come and take Stefan away. Stefan could have done many wrongs to Damon in the past, and they could be fighting each other constantly, but Stefan would always be Damon's little brother. He hadn't told me, but it was pretty clear he loved his brother when he would tell me stories of their childhood, a time before Katherine. But if Damon came, he could ruin our plan, and Klaus might escape.

"Stefan" Elena cried quietly.

"I will let Elena choose" Klaus said with a smirk. "Elena? Who do you want to live, and who do you want to die?"

"Don't" I cried. "She can't choose"

She would be forever haunted by her choice and so would the one who survived.

"It's okay" Stefan said soothingly.

"I-I…" Elena stammered looking between her boyfriend and her aunt.

"Actually, you don't get to choose" Klaus laughed and turned to Stefan. "Sorry, I have plans for you, alive"

He staked Stefan in the stomach, and snapped his neck.

"Stefan" I cried.

Klaus sent me a glare and I didn't dare moving from my spot.

"Bella" Elena cried, begging me.

Klaus wouldn't be weak enough until after he killed the vampire. Greta's hold on my hand tightened as she channeled some of my energy necessary to break the curse, and she shot me an evil look. She knew. She knew what I was planning. The fire around Jenna died out and she tried to run to us, but Klaus grabbed her before she touched Greta, and staked her in the back. She screamed in pain, falling to her knees.

"Shut it off. Shut your emotions off" I whispered to her as tears ran down my cheeks.

She locked eyes with me and slowly the fear in her eyes disappeared. Klaus staked her in the heart and she let out a small gasp before falling lifeless in front of me. Elena's sobs grew louder, and I let out a shuddering breath.

"Two down, two to go" Klaus said quietly.

I glared at him and he winced before blurring right in front of me and grabbed me by the throat.

"Channel her energy. She's not being helpful" he snapped at Greta.

I blinked my tears away, and with my eyes locked on his, I tried with all strength I had to kill him. He groaned and his hold on my neck loosened a bit before tightening painfully. I choked and clawed at his hands. My nose was bleeding and I could feel my energy being drained by Greta. I tried to force air down my throat and fought against the blackness trying to sip in. I glanced at Elena and Stefan. She was crying looking at me with desperation. Stefan was weak on the ground fighting to stand up. Where were the others? Elijah promised me. I knew he would come. He wouldn't break his promise.

Where was Damon?

I focused on Klaus again, trying with not much success to harm him. He only groaned and with an outraged growl, he changed his grip on my neck. I felt pain down my spine for a moment after my neck was snapped and then nothing. Blackness took me.

"Bella!" Elena cried.

No, no, no. She needed to be alive. She was supposed to die after Elena. She was the key to their plan's success. Klaus glared down at the body of her friend. Stefan looked away, praying to whatever holy entity to help them, for their plan to work even without Bella. Greta's nose was bleeding and she swayed slightly.

"I… she was too strong" Greta mumbled. "It's too much"

"Just do it" Klaus screamed at her.

She closed her eyes and took a shuddering breath before continuing to incant the spell. Klaus walked to Elena, and she waited unmoving. Stefan tried with everything he had to get up and move, do something, take her away, but pain was coursing through his body and he was too weak.

"It's time" Klaus said to Elena smiling and extended his hand.

The fire around her disappeared and she ignored his offered hand, and walked past him to the sacrificial altar where Bella's body lay. She kneeled in front of her friend, and wiped the tears that had stayed in her cold, pale cheeks. Klaus grabbed Elena by the arm, pulling her up, and held her with an arm around her waist, pulling her against his chest.

"Thank you, Elena" he said, sounding sincere even though he was teasing her a bit.

"Go to hell" she told him.

She knew she would survive. She would be the only one to survive the damn ritual. Even if it was as a vampire. She would live many lives with Stefan. Jeremy wouldn't have any human family left besides John – what it wasn't good in her mind. Damon would go back to his old, selfish, killer ways. She just knew he would go back to the monster he was once after Bella's death. Bonnie would blame herself for not intervening when the time was right. Elena didn't know what would happen to Elijah, but considering the way he felt for Bella, she guessed he would do the same Damon would.

She hissed in pain, grabbing at Klaus' arms, her fighting instincts kicking in as his fangs pierced the skin of her neck. Her eyes went to Stefan on the ground and she saw tears sliding down his cheeks as she slowly became weak. She stopped fighting when it seemed that it was too hard to move. Her vision became blurry and her body started to go limp on Klaus' arms. He drained the last of her blood, and let go of her. She fell lifeless on the ground and Stefan could only stare, hoping she would wake up.

Klaus smiled wiping his lips then looked at a weak Greta.

"I can feel it happening" he said.

I took a sharp breath and my eyes snapped open.

I coughed, and gasped for air, and quickly sat up. Greta and Klaus stared at me in shock, and then he laughed darkly.

"Elijah" he laughed.

The elixir worked. It actually worked.

I gasped at the sight of Elena's lifeless form close to me and crawled to her. I cried, calling her, but she wouldn't answer. I looked at Stefan and as our eyes locked, I knew what our only hope was. Damon's blood on her system. But that hope flared my anger. She shouldn't have died in first place. I should have been able to take on Klaus, Elena shouldn't have died.

"Kill her again, this time for good" Greta told him.

I glared at her as I felt the tingling feeling of someone trying to use magic against me. I focused on Klaus, throwing his across the ground, and focusing on his life force. I didn't care if I died. I would kill him. He screamed in pain, his knees buckling.

"I should have known better than to think you would keep your word" I snapped.

Goosebumps formed in my skin at the raw power in me, around me. I blinked away the blurriness, and approached him. Greta was still trying to use her powers against me, seemed confused on why her magic wouldn't work on me. I was not only slowing down Klaus' transformation process, I was killing him.

He deserved. He had to die.

I breathed heavy as my head started to pound with pain when I heard a tiny scream and something snapping. I glanced back and saw Greta dead by Damon's feet.

"Stop" Bonnie cried.

I looked back at Klaus. As I felt my own life coming to an end, Klaus fell on the ground clawing at his chest.

"Take Elena" Stefan said.

Damon hesitated, looking at me with a worried frown before going to his brother. He pulled out the stake and with a last glance at me, he picked Elena up and disappeared. Bonnie helped Stefan up.

"Leave" I cried.

"Not until he is dead" Stefan said.

"I'll make sure…"

"No!" Bonnie yelled.

I shook my head at them and when I turned away, back at Klaus, I saw Elijah. As Damon, he hesitated but ran to Klaus. I just had to weaken Klaus enough so Elijah would kill him without trouble. Klaus tried to fight back his brother.

"They are not buried in the sea!" Klaus said as Elijah was about to kill him.

He stopped.

"No" I whispered weakly.

He looked at me and then back at his brother. It was understandable why he had stopped. Klaus gave him hope, a reason that went against Elijah's motives to kill him. If his family was safe somewhere, only Klaus knew, and if Elijah killed him, he would never know.

"Kill him or I'll kill you both, I don't care if I die" Bonnie snapped.

Elijah looked at me again, and I groaned as my heart twisted painfully.

"Bella…"

"I'll awake them" Klaus said cutting Elijah off.

And although I didn't want Elijah to hate me, I couldn't stop. I couldn't risk having Klaus around, or other Originals. I didn't care they were Elijah's family. There was no guarantee that they would be peaceful. And so, I focused the last of my energy on both brothers. I could hear Bonnie struggling against Stefan, yelling at him to let her go, for me to stop. Elijah whimpered and I fell on my knees.

That was it.

I would end what their mother begun.

I would do what the Volturi should have done a long time ago.

I would disrespect all of Blaire's work to protect Elijah by killing him.

But I had to. For everyone's safety.

"I'm sorry" Elijah mumbled wincing in pain.

I had to.

I tried to absorb energy from Greta's death, from the earth, the air, the moon. But as Bonnie had been warned by the spirits, it was too much for a witch. I fell on the ground and through blurry vision I saw Elijah running away with Klaus.

He broke his promise to me.

"Bella" I heard Stefan call. "Please, please…"

"The elixir…" Bonnie whispered somewhere to my right, I could hear her quiet sobs.

"She had died and came back already…"

"No! Bella… Oh, god, I'm so sorry"

"What for?" I croaked. "For being luckier than me?"

I smiled grimly as Stefan hugged me tight. I weakly wrapped my arms around him, and he picked me up from the rocky ground. Bonnie wiped her tears with a beaming, yet teary smile. Stefan cradled me to his chest carefully and ran to Bonnie's car. He gently set me on the passenger seat, and Bonnie sat on the back as he drove top speed away from the quarry.

"How?" Stefan asked, his voice full of happiness.

It was good to know that even though the disastrous night my resurrection could bring them some happiness.

"Blaire" I mumbled and licked my lips. "She asked me to save them"

"Them?" Bonnie questioned.

I didn't answer. The fact that I had just experienced some kind of heaven, where I met my ancestors, my dad, Jenna and Rose-Marie was still making me think of myself as crazy. Stefan parked the car and quickly, but carefully as if I was made of glass, he picked me up again. We stopped for a second at the sight of John, lying dead on the porch's steps. I looked away and Stefan ran inside the house. We found Jeremy, Alaric, Elena and Damon gathered on the living room. Jeremy and Elena were hugging each other, crying while Alaric downed the drink Damon had just given him. Tears fell from my eyes as I remembered Jenna.

"I'm sorry" I cried.

Elena looked up at me with shock and she and Jeremy stood up quickly. She started to run to me, but as Stefan moved to put me down on the couch she stepped back. Once I was comfortable on the couch, Elena crouched next to me, wiping my tears and smiled at me.

"You're alive" she cried. "Oh, thank god"

She hugged me tight, and although it hurt a bit, I didn't complain, wrapping my arms as tight as I could around her.

She was my sister in ways more important than blood.

Tatia had been a distant cousin of Blaire. So in a really distant degree, Elena and I were cousins too. But she was my sister for all we had gone through together, all the pain and risk we unwarily put our loved ones, and in what we sacrificed to get them safe. She was a sister for she was also a doppelganger. Because she also knew what was to be a ghost of passed lives.

She was my sister because she was my best friend.

"You… didn't die" Damon mumbled in shock.

I shook my head over Elena's shoulder and gave him the best smile I could muster. He gave me a genuine smile, full of happiness, relief and gratitude. Elena pulled back and Jeremy sat in the end of the couch patting my leg.

"I'm so glad to see you alright" he said sincerely.

"I'm happy to be with family" I said and frowned at them. "I'm sorry for Jenna, I couldn't do anything…"

"We know" Jeremy shook his head. "It's okay"

"I'll always be here for you" I said to Elena. "I know Jenna is irreplaceable, and it's not the same, but… you can count on me…"

"Bella" she interrupted and hugged me again. "I know, we're family. Thank you"

I entered the Gilbert household quietly, and saw Alaric was sitting in the living room, nursing an untouched beer. I sighed and approached him. He looked up at me with a sad smile as I sat by his side.

"Hey" I whispered.

"Hey" he mumbled.

"I know it's hard… But you have to fight this" I said.

"My wife had a romance with Damon and he changed her at her request. My girlfriend was changed and killed after Damon screwed up" he let out a mirthless chuckle. "Yeah, it is hard"

"I know Damon did a lot of wrong, to you, to everyone. I know. But Jenna doesn't want you to be like this, Ric… Please, she needs you to take care of Elena and Jeremy" he frowned at me. "I saw her. After Elijah and Klaus ran, and I was dead, I… I don't know, I just was there, with them"

"Them?" he asked shocked.

"Blaire, dad, Rose-Marie… Jenna" I smiled sadly. "She loves you, and she's sorry for all the pain her death is causing you, but… Elena and Jeremy are alone now. She and John were the last family they had. You need to help them. For her"

He stared at me for a long moment before gulping his beer and nodding. I gave him a hug and when I pulled back I fixed his tie.

"Men" I chuckled blinking the tears away. "Does none of you know how to properly do a tie?"

"I guess not" he chuckled.

I patted his shoulder and stood up.

"What else did she say?" he asked.

"Not much" I mumbled with a shrug. "Just that I have some things to solve"

"Klaus?"

"No"

"Then?"

"Nothing for you to worry" I assured him.

"It sounds like I should worry. I'm sure they didn't only want Elena and Jeremy protected" he said looking me in the eyes.

"I won't be here for some time, but you can't tell them… not now. Everyone has a lot to deal with" I said.

He nodded and I ran upstairs. My pleated, full skirt flaring a bit with the movement, and my heels loudly hitting the wooden steps. Amazing how in over a few months I went from loving black to hating it. I had to throw away the black dress I wore at my dad's funeral, and earlier I had gone get some clothes for the day. After a quick meeting with the school's principal to explain that I needed to take my final exams earlier, I had to go get the flowers for the funeral. Jenna and Elena had done everything they could when my father died, and I planned on doing the same for Elena. I knocked on Elena's door and she quietly told me to come in. I walked in and closed the door. She was sitting in front of her vanity, putting her hair in a bun.

"Hey" I said sitting in the window seat. "I've got everything"

"Thank you" she said giving me a small smile.

"It's nothing"

"I lost my parents, I got another mother as Jenna became my guardian, I found out I was adopted, met my parents – although I already knew my father…"

"Then you lost all of them" I mumbled. "I'm so sorry"

"I hated him. And he saved my life" she said and nodded to the letter in the dresser with John's ring on top of it. "He left it for me… I can't read it" she looked at me pleadingly.

"You want me to read it?" I asked frowning.

"Please"

I nodded and walked to the dresser. I carefully opened the folded paper and took a deep breath.

"Elena," I began.

It's no easy task being an ordinary parent to an extraordinary child. I failed in that task and because of my prejudice I failed you. I'm haunted by how things might have worked out differently if I'd been more willing to hear your side of things. For me, it's the end. For you, a chance to grow old and some day do better with your own child than I did with mine. It's for that child that I give you my ring.I don't ask for your forgiveness or for you to forget. I ask only that you believe this. Whether you are reading this as a human or as a vampire I love you all the same, as I've always loved you and always will.

"John"

When I finished we both had tears in our eyes. She shakily took it and put it in her drawer. I linked my arm with hers and we went downstairs where everyone was waiting.

I stepped forward after Jeremy and Elena put their roses in the graves. I crouched and muttered a quick spell with my hand hovering over the flowers. When I stood up I wiped my tears and gave Elena a small smile.

"They won't die" I said.

"Thank you" she said.

I nodded and stepped back, standing by Stefan's side. He gave me a questioning look and I smiled. He seemed truly worried about me, as much as he was for Elena. He gave my hand a squeeze before going to comfort Elena. I looked over my shoulder. Damon stood feet back from the group, watching everything with a frown. His tie was loose and his shirt not tucked in his pants. I walked to him and he arched an eyebrow at me as I pulled the tie completely loose and played with it. He looked better without it.

"You should hate me" he said. "I chose her life over yours"

"It was not the first time" I pointed out.

"She should hate me"

"If it wasn't Jenna it would be Caroline and Tyler… Death couldn't be avoided, as much as we wanted"

"Why do you always find excuses to forgive me?" he frowned. "It makes me feel even worse about myself"

"It's not my intention" I shrugged. "I just… will always forgive you"

We stared at each other and suddenly he stepped forward, hugging me tight. I was surprised at the gesture. Damon wasn't the kind to hug out of nowhere. I wrapped my arms around his waist and rested my head in his shoulder. I would miss him.

"I'm sorry" he said. "I really am. For everything I put you through, and for… well, being a jerk" his arms tightened around me. "I'm really happy you didn't die"

"Damon" I said softly and pulled back looking him in the eyes. There was something there. Something I hadn't ever seen before in those blue eyes. Regret, desperation… "What's wrong?" I asked worriedly.

"Nothing"

He kissed my forehead, his lips lingering, before he turned and started to walk away.

"Where are you going?" I asked frowning.

"Home"

"You're not staying for the wake?"

"No" he said without turning back.

I stared at his back and soon Stefan went after him. Knowing the brothers would solve whatever was wrong at the moment, I turned and went back to Elena. I had little time to make sure everything was alright before I would be gone.