"You have to sharpen them" Stefan said tossing a stake back.
"That's the fifth complaint" I said dropping the stakes. "I give up. I don't know how to whittle. I'm a 21st century girl!"
Damon chuckled but we all fell silent when there was a knock on the door.
"Elena" I whispered.
Damon went to the door and opened just a bit so she wouldn't see inside the apartment.
"Elena" he greeted.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Well, someone has to watch the crazy guy. What are you doing here?"
"I came to see, Ric. Check on him. Let me in"
"Sorry, we're busy" Damon said. "Ooh, chocolate muffins. You know what they say, a way to a psycho killer's heart is through his stomach."
"Very funny" she deadpanned.
"I know you love my jokes"
"Shouldn't you be with Bella? Hunting?"
I walked to the door, grabbing my purse and pushed Damon out of the way.
"I went to Newark last night, got back an hour ago" I said walking out of the apartment. "Oh, can I take one?"
She nodded and I took a muffin before handing the batch to Damon.
"I'm bored of watching Ric. Call me" I said linking my arm with Elena's.
He gave me a beaming smile and closed the door. I tugged Elena away and she followed me with a light frown.
"You are up to something" she accused.
I smirked at her and she rolled her eyes.
"So, listen, about last night… I'm so sorry" I said sincerely.
"It's okay, nothing happened" she said. "Are you okay? What Stefan and Emmett did… seemed pretty brutal"
"I got a massage from Damon" I shrugged. "I'm fine now. So, did you have plans?"
"Well, I was going to check on Caroline and Bonnie…"
"They're all back?" I asked.
"Bonnie's mom ran away yesterday evening" Elena said sadly. "She's not answering my calls still"
"I thought you had talked it out yesterday when she came to do the spell" I said confusedly.
"We did, but when Caroline texted me this morning they were back and why, I called Bonnie and she doesn't answer"
"She has a lot in her mind, give her time" I shrugged. "How about we meet Caroline at the Grill?"
"Sounds good"
"So, what happened while I was in the middle of nowhere taking care of a woman that likes to leave people?" Caroline asked while picking at her fries.
I exchanged a look with Elena.
"Nothing, really" I mumbled.
"Well, Bonnie had an emergency spell here. Something is going on"
"We found out who's the serial killer" Elena said hesitantly. "It's Ric"
"What?" Caroline snapped staring at us with shock. "He killed my father?"
"The ring, coming back to life so many times… It screwed with his mind. He turns into this mean, evil Ric, and doesn't remember later" I explained. "Bonnie did a spell and he's taking herbs to heal and keep the dark side buried. We're watching him all day now, he attacked me and Meredith yesterday. We're having rounds on staying with him, but sometimes it gets boring, nothing happens"
"Oh" Caroline said nodding. "Well, if you need me on one of these rounds…"
"We don't expect you to be okay with this, Care" Elena said softly. "But Ric will get better…"
"Yeah, and that's supposed to make everything okay?" Caroline retorted pushing her plate away.
"No, Caroline, it's not okay" Elena said. "It's horrible and I feel horrible about it, but he's a victim of something supernatural, he didn't ask for this, it just happened to him. Just like Bonnie's mom, I mean, she didn't ask to become a vampire. And neither did Stefan or Tyler."
"Or us" I added.
"Or you. None of you asked for this, but who would I be if I just turned my back on any of you?"
"Oh, Elena Gilbert, savior of the cursed and the damned." Caroline chuckled.
"You can't blame yourself either, Elena" I said. "What happened to us… Nothing could change it"
"Alice says the future can be changed" Elena retorted.
"Yes, but… Caroline would be dead. And I would… well, if I kept coming back to life like I was doing maybe I would turn into Ric. We've accepted this life, you have to accept it too, and stop blaming yourself. It will cripple you"
She nodded slowly and our phones buzzed at the same time. I threw money on the table and checked the message from Damon.
Meeting by the tomb.
"What's going on?" Caroline frowned at her cell.
"You'll see" I grinned. "Come on"
"Finally" Damon said when we reached the gathering. "Even busboy got here before you"
"Well, I have a human girl with me, wearing flats. Not very helpful on walks on the woods" I said.
"Thanks" Elena muttered. "Why are we here?"
"We found some more white oak" Damon said with a grin.
"White oak? You have a weapon that can kill Klaus?" she asked happily.
"Nope, we have 12 weapons" Stefan said opening the bag and presenting the stakes.
"The plan is to get them distracted and get the weakest" I said. "Caroline, you distract Klaus"
"Why do I always have to be Klaus bait?" she asked frowning.
"Because he has a crush on you" I teased.
"What am I doing here?" Matt asked. "I'm never in on your plans"
"Because we need to distract the weakest one. We need you to play Rebekah" Stefan said. "Keep her talking"
"How?"
"Act interested. She's lonely, desperate" I said shrugging.
"You would know" Caroline snickered.
"What is that supposed to mean?" I frowned.
"Well… Alice does see what happens and… it was so gossip worthy" Caroline grinned.
"Oh God" I groaned hiding my red face in my hands.
Elena and Caroline were snickering.
"What is this about?" Stefan asked confused.
"A Rebekah sandwich" Elena laughed.
Stefan cocked an eyebrow at me and I glared at him.
"Don't you dare comment! You slept with her too" I snapped.
"Can we get back to what matters?" Damon said rolling his eyes. "No last minute attacks of pity for any of them" he gave me and Elena pointed looks.
"Not after what happened to Bonnie's mom" Elena said.
"Bella?"
"I helped you whittle. I'm not going regretting anything" I rolled my eyes at him.
"Barbie?"
"Oh, I'm ready. Anything that will free Tyler from his sire bond to Klaus."
"Busboy?"
"Do I have a choice?" Matt retorted playing with the stake.
"Good point" I muttered.
"We have 12 stakes, 12 shots at killing one Original." Stefan said. "But let's not screw it up"
"Where will we hide them?" I asked as we walked in the house.
"Don't worry about it" he said giving me a peck. "Go take a shower. You smell of your dinner, and it's not nice"
"Well, my dinner were dirty killers, robbers, rapists and druggies" I shrugged going to the stairs.
"We need to get you control so you can have nicer meals" he called out.
I took a shower, put on cargo skinny jeans, a blue top and ankle boots. I was putting on a red leather bracelet as I went downstairs and found Damon messing through the stack of wood for the fireplace.
"Really?" I asked. "I mean, didn't you learn anything from the moonstone in the soap dish?"
"The obvious place is always the last searched" he said.
"I'm gonna go get a blood bag" I said going to the basement. "I'll need strength"
I got a blood bag, noticing our stock was going low, and went back upstairs. I was almost in living room when I heard a floorboard creak behind me. I turned and Rebekah smirked before snapping my neck. I cried in pain and it got Damon's attention. He glared at Rebekah but she staked him in the stomach before he could do anything.
"Hello, lover" she sneered and broke his neck.
I struggled against the two hybrids holding me while Rebekah dragged Damon in the room. She got bear traps and made sure they were firmly held at the mansion's columns, before trapping Damon's right arm. He awoke with a cry of pain and glared at her.
"I found them in the shed" Rebekah said. "What kind of monster would trap a poor, defenseless animal?"
"You've got to admit, even for me, it's a little kinky" Damon said jokingly as she trapped his other hand.
He winced in pain and I struggled against the hybrids.
"I'll keep breaking your neck if you don't stop" the hybrid threatened.
"Not necessary" Rebekah said opening the curtains.
She walked to me with a smirk.
"What the hell are you doing?" I snapped.
"I don't like fake people" she said grabbing my hand. "You pretended to be my friend"
She tore the bracelet out of me and I cried in pain as the sunlight burned me.
"Bella"
I could hear Damon struggling against the traps while I cried in pain, the hybrids holding me down. Suddenly the pain stopped and I opened my eyes. The hybrids dragged me to the shade. Rebekah walked to Damon who was staring at me, worry in his features. I nodded to let him know I was alright.
"You pretended to be interested in me and then you slept with me so your trampy friend, Sage, could steal my thoughts. Ever since then I felt this incessant need to one up you. So I've decided to bleed the vervain from your system." Rebekah said getting a knife.
"You want to compel me to be your boyfriend?" Damon asked teasingly. "Or we? A couple of three? In bed might work but…"
"Actually, I'd rather compel you to kill your brother. Or Elena. Or better yet, Bella!" she said grinning. "But, since vampires heal, bleeding you may take a while. We should probably stick to the major arteries."
She made a deep cut across his chest, and he cried in pain. I broke one hybrid's arm and snapped the neck of the other before tackling her away from Damon, completely ignoring the sun burning me. She stabbed me in the chest and pushed me away. I got her in a headlock and was ready to snap her neck.
"What is going on?"
I froze as I heard Bonnie's voice from somewhere inside the house. Rebekah snapped my neck and I cried in pain. She left me there, thrashing on the ground, burning in the sun, while she and the hybrids healed.
Elena couldn't get a hold of Bonnie that morning. Klaus had her.
"Yes, your witchy friend is here. So I would advise you to behave" Rebekah said.
"Let her go!" Damon snapped. "I planned the whole thing"
"I don't really care who planned" she said and cut down his arm.
The hybrids dragged me away from the sun and I used some of the strength I got back to wipe the treacherous tears away. Klaus walked in the room, looked from Damon to me.
"Well, look what you've caught. Trying to bleed him of vervain, don't you think it would be easier to hang him upside down?" he suggested calmly.
"I'm perfectly capable of inflicting pain, thank you very much." Rebekah said.
"Well, excuse me, it's not like I have any expertise in the matter." Klaus rolled his eyes. "But maybe you would want to let Bella go"
"Why would I? She tried to fool me too"
"I succeeded, darling" I weakly taunted.
"I like her, she might be useful" Klaus said.
"I've had enough of the men of this family falling at her feet. I'll kill her, and you will not interfere, Niklaus. I didn't interfere on your revenge games" Rebekah snapped.
Klaus lifted his hands in surrender and with one last look around the room, he turned to walk away.
"Just be careful with my hybrids, sister" he said before leaving.
After I killed a hybrid, Rebekah got smarter. Unfortunately. She got reinforced steel chains and she and the hybrid tied me down, leaving me in the middle of the room. The hybrid stood back, watching as I burned in the sun and she torture Damon. If I focused, I could forget about the pain. It wasn't so bad as a broken neck. But each time Damon hissed in pain, I would lose my focus. I begged her to let us go, or to let him go at least. I should've known a vengeful Original would give us trouble. The hours passed and I counted the seconds as the sun lowered in the sky. Thank God I couldn't burn to death in the sun like their kind.
"Bella" Damon breathed.
"Not fun when someone messes with your thoughts, is it?" Rebekah taunted.
I looked at Damon who seemed disappointed with something, he looked so tired. I whimpered and struggled against the chains.
"Tsc, tsc… Will I have to break your neck again?" Rebekah said.
"Why are you so pissed?" Damon asked. "Oh, come on, we couldn't have hurt you that bad. You didn't really think I had a thing for you, did you? Or that Bella would want to keep an affair with you? I get it. If Klaus bossed me around for a thousand years, I'd probably be pretty desperate for attention too."
He cried in pain again and I could smell his blood, hear it dripping on the floor.
"Stop, please" I cried. "Please, please"
"Please?" Rebekah asked softly.
"Kill me" I whispered. "Leave him alone!"
"But what fun would I have with that? Your friend Elena pointed out. If I kill you now, I'll have used all my revenge. I want to drag this on" she said. "Maybe when sun sets, I can get some vervain…"
Rebekah had finally left the room with the hybrid and I tried to crawl away to the shade, or break free. It hurt to move. The chains creaked in protest as I tried to force them to break, and I smelt blood. Sweet, warm, human. I looked up, vamping out, and saw Bonnie standing in the doorway, looking at us with shocked wide eyes, with Klaus behind her.
"Yeah, you'll have to excuse the mess. Apparently they hurt my sister's feelings. Go on, help them. Save the man who turned your mother into a vampire. The woman who would kill you as soon as you got her free" Klaus said gesturing to us.
"Bonnie" Damon whispered tiredly. "Bella… please"
Bonnie's eyes filled with tears and her frown deepened. I took deep breaths, trying to control myself. The pain took my mind away from the thirst a bit. I sighed as I heard Bonnie walk away and out of the house.
"I guess she is really pissed at you" Klaus said tauntingly.
Rebekah had been very through. A vervain dipped gag on me, and breaking my neck every hour were her orders to the hybrid, minutes before sunset. Damon had passed out, drained of blood and energy. I tried to think of a way to get him free, but with a hybrid watching my every move, weak, and tied up, there was no way I would be able to do anything. I could only hope the others had continued with the plan, killed one original so all of them died. The hybrid wouldn't be sired anymore, maybe I would be able to convince him to let me go, after all Rebekah and Klaus would be dead. But if the others killed an Original, surely they would come to help. Were they even aware of what was going on? Did Bonnie tell them? Even if she didn't, Alice would. How long would they take?
I was going to give up. Or I had already.
Give up from what? Waiting for help or death?
Yes, it was very disappointing when none came. I should just shut it all down.
"Let them go" I heard Stefan say.
I opened my eyes. Stefan was there. I saw him talking to Klaus by the doorway, staring at us with a worried frown.
"Why would I?" Klaus asked. "You killed my brother, why should I let yours go?"
"We both know that by killing Finn I did you a favor" Stefan said. "He was a weak link, I got rid of him"
"No, you tried to get rid of me" Klaus said calmly.
"What is wrong with you?" Stefan said angrily. "What did you think I would do? Welcome you to the family? Start a bromance?"
"What is wrong with you?! Do you really have no appreciation for me? I have given you someone to hate, to loathe, a target for all of your anger; so you don't have to turn it on yourself. I have given your life purpose, as your friend. I really think you should be thanking me."
"Stefan" I whispered.
His attention snapped back to me. He was on the edge. He would snap at Klaus, get himself killed, get all of us killed. I shook my head weakly and he sighed. He dropped a bag at Klaus' feet.
"The stakes. Give my brother and sister back" Stefan snapped.
Klaus grinned and checked the bag.
"Eight?" Klaus asked.
"Eight, for each one of us" Stefan said. He lied. We had made four for the Cullens.
Klaus cocked an eyebrow at Stefan and walked to me. I whimpered, trying to get away. Stefan narrowed his eyes, and stepped forward. Klaus raised a hand in warning and he stopped. He crouched next to me and grabbed me by the chin, forcing me to look at him.
"How many stakes exist?" Klaus asked me, his pupils dilating.
"Twelve" I answered.
Klaus sighed, standing up and turned to Stefan.
"Really? Haven't you learned that, differently from my sister, I cannot be fooled?" Klaus asked.
He walked to Damon and poked him with the bloody knife. Damon groaned and Klaus looked him in the eyes, smirking.
"You can go, without being freed from the traps"
"No" I cried.
Damon cried in pain as he tried with all his might to get free, almost tearing his hand off.
I gasped as something blurred over me. The chains broke and I watched as Alice ripped the hybrid's head off.
"Let me go!"
I turned and saw Emmett and Jasper dragging Rebekah in. Alice smirked and got in front of them, showing Klaus a stake.
"No" Rebekah cried fearfully.
"Really? Haven't you learned that, differently from you, I don't work alone?" Stefan taunted Klaus.
"Fine!" Rebekah said. "You can go"
"Rebekah" Klaus protested.
"I brought them here, I get to release them. My rules now" she said. "Bring us the stakes and I'll leave you alone. Take them as a sign of good faith"
"Stop" Klaus ordered Damon, who relaxed. "Bring us the stakes. All of them. Or I will wage a war against everyone you love. I hope I'm being clear"
I saw Edward go to Damon, and snap the traps open and I scrambled up. Edward seemed hesitant, but seeing my pleading look, he let me throw Damon's arm around my shoulders to support him, even though I could barely stand myself. Alice threw Klaus a warning look before throwing him the stake. Emmett and Jasper let Rebekah go and she huffed as she straightened her clothes.
I never ran as fast as I ran away from that house.
I sighed as I finished another blood bag. Looking down my arms I saw they were still red, but at least the skin was healing. It was still tingling though.
"Hey"
I looked up and gave Damon a small smile.
"How was your bath?" he asked softly.
"Bad. The bubbles made the wounds burn… I took a shower" I mumbled.
He sat by my side and pulled me close to him. I could feel tension rolling off him in waves.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Ric's vampire hating alter ego hid the stake" he said. "A stake that can kill an entire line of vampires, possibly mine, yours…"
"Shit. I'm so sorry, Damon, I couldn't fight it. I should have been drinking vervain…"
"That wouldn't stop Klaus from compelling me to tell him. This is exactly why he did it to you, because of the guilt you would feel" he said and tilted my head up. "It's not your fault, no one blames you"
I hugged him and he rubbed my back softly.
"It's okay now" he murmured. "I'm just happy that you're okay"
"No, it's not okay, Damon" I cried. "Seeing you like that… in that much pain… I could feel it, every time she hurt you it was like she was hurting me. I hated to see you like that. She could have killed you. I would have gone insane if I had to endure any more of that torture…"
"I'm sorry" he said kissing my cheek. "Since my safety and well-being means so much to you, I'll be careful with the consequences of my plans, okay?"
"Of course your well-being means a lot to me" I said wiping the tears. "I love you. You're the only good thing about my eternal life, so you better be careful"
"Love you too" he whispered and kissed me softly. "I'll never let something like this happen to you again" he vowed.