Twisted Love
Season Four
The Killer
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the Vampire Diaries, I only own Grace :)
Connor stalked angrily into his trailer that was still placed on the outskirts of the town deep in the woods, he was still covered in Nate's sticky crimson red blood and now was holding a white sack that was seeping at the bottom.
Placing it on the table it made a heavy thudding noise, he opened it glancing inside to see Nate's head inside, that was where he was going to get his werewolf toxin for his plan.
Professor Shane's Office – Past
Before Connor had returned to his untidy trailer he had been to visit Professor Shane in his university telling him about everything that had happened to him the day prior with Klaus and Stefan and all the torture he had been put through because of the tattoo on his arm.
"Do you have any idea what I have been through?" Connor demanded in a low tone looking across at the professor with a pointed look on his mad face. "I've spent the last two days chained up by an Original." He added in a hiss.
"So, you met Klaus?" Shane nodded his head actually interested in hearing what the hunter would have to say about the hybrid. "I only know him by reputation. Apparently he's a real monster." There was an almost state of awe behind his voice.
"He's a vampire-werewolf hybrid." Connor spat out like it was acid on his tongue, he had only really had encountered with vampires and even then they hadn't been that old, Klaus was an Original hybrid, basically impossible to kill. "Do you know how hard it is to kill them?"
Shane took a moment to contemplate this, all he had heard about with hybrids was fiction in old lore books, but from what he had read it seemed to be quite challenging. "From what I gather you have to remove their head or their heart..." He took a seat on the edge of his desk looking across at the hunter. "That is according to lore. I'm just speculating."
Connor's Trailer Present Day
Carefully Connor pierced a needle into Nate's gums, where the hybrid would store his venom or toxin. Drawing the plunger back he retried the venom that he was going to need, it was going to be his most valuable weapon in this town when he was going to hunt down and kill every last vampire.
Professor Shane's Office – Past
Connor was looking down at a map of Mystic Falls just getting a general feel for the area as the professor stood there and explained what was going to happen. "There's no shortage of vampires." Shane started. "That town is practically infested." He took a moment to thing about Bonnie Bennett the young witch that would do anything for her friends whether they are vampires or not. "Listen, there's a witch mixed up in all of this. She's important to what I have planned. I want her to be kept out of harms way."
Connor shook his head from side to side as he looked up at the professor with a glare on his handsome face. "Anybody gets in my way. Anybody. They're dead." Connor added, he wanted this town to be free of vampires, like any good hunter would.
"Ok. Sure." Shane took a moment to think about this, there was going to be no way to get around Connor whom appeared to be so set in his ways. "I'll occupy her myself." He added rubbing his chin with the palm of his hand thinking hard.
As soon as Connor had finished gathering his supplies that he would be needing to take down all the vampires and hybrids in Mystic Falls he found himself at the Mystic Grill, daily hang out for these kids and where Jeremy Gilbert would be working.
Slipping through the front door unnoticed he didn't fail to realised that they were not even open yet, this would be easier than he had originally anticipated. Sneaking into the back room he knew he would have to wait until his first victim arrived.
Jeremy was already hard at work in the Grill getting the tables ready for serving and setting up the bar when he suddenly heard a suspicious noise coming from behind him in the back room, placing the plates he had carried on the side he went back to investigate.
Looking around for a moment he creased his eye brows, he had been sure he had heard something. Shrugging his shoulders he went to head back into the main room but was startled when a strong pair of hands caught him aggressively catching him in a headlock before a sharp object was held against his throat. A knife.
"Do I have your attention?" Connor's deep growl came from behind him revealing him to be the holder of the deadly weapon that could end his life at any moment, expect for the fact he was wearing his Gilbert ring. "Good. Then let's talk about vampires."
Pulling her thick chocolate-brown hair up into a pony tail so it was out of her face and not getting on her nerves Grace reached over and grabbed her black leather jacket sliding that on too about to leave and grab some coffee so she could get started for the day. Glancing over her thin shoulder she saw Damon in a deep, silent sleep on the bed.
Smiling to herself suppressing a giggle she tore a piece of paper out of her lilac journal she grabbed a pen licking the tip before beginning to write on it in her untidy script.
If I'm not back by the time you wake up then don't worry I've just gone out for the Grill to grab a coffee. I'll grab you one, too. I love you, Salvatore xxxx
She pressed her glossy pink lips to the corner of the scrap of paper leaving her lipstick mark there for him to have before placing it on the nightstand so he would see it as he woke up. Sliding her journal into her bag she threw it on her back and travelled down the stairs surprised when she saw Stefan standing in the middle of the room on the phone.
He quickly muttered something she didn't quite catch before hanging up and sliding his iPhone back into his pocket before throwing her a nervous smile. "Hey. Morning. You're up early." He greeted her quickly and she smiled kindly in return, none the wiser to whom he had actually been speaking with.
"Oh, yeah, I know. I'm just heading over to the Grill to grab some coffee's for Damon and I." She informed him tucking her fringe behind her ear and he just nodded leaning against the wall trying to relax a little. "Do you and Elena want one?" She assumed her sister to be in the house considering he was here. "I can pick you both up one, too."
"Actually I'm only here to pick up some things, Elena is still over her place." Stefan replied as he looked at her with a torn expression on his face, he hated what had happened between the two and didn't like seeing them fight. "Look, Grace. I know it's not my place to say, but Elena told me about what happened between the two of you, with the fight you had in Whitmore College."
Grace looked down awkwardly, she hadn't really had a chance to talk about that fight with anyone yet, and really it was a haze to her she couldn't remember much about what had happened. "Oh."
"Yeah. I don't want either of you to lose each other. I mean, that's what happened between Damon and I... We're getting there with brotherly bonding now, but I hated losing him." He admitted and she looked up into his torn forest green orbs that were filled with such deep compassion and concern. "What I am trying to say is... Don't make the same mistakes Damon and I did, learn from it, learn from us. Make up." He urged her and Grace took a moment to think about it.
"Alright, Stefan." She smiled up at him and he smiled in return. "I'm really sorry for making you feel like this. I'll go talk to get after I've got my coffee's, are you alright with that?"
"I would really appreciate it." Stefan nodded his head before wrapping his arms around her so they could share a sibling like hug, she giggled a bit, it had been too long since they had been able to share moments like this, ones that aren't filled with fear or anger or Originals, just normal moments. "Thank you. Elena, she... she needs the support of all her family if she's going to get through this."
"I know." She nodded her head as she pulled back, unfortunately her bag got caught on his arm and it fell tumbling to the floor making everything drop out including her phone, purse and journal which fell open on a page filled with names. "Damn." She muttered quickly bending down to pick it all up, he was down there with her helping and they both reached for the book at the same time.
His hands clutched around the book as he looked up into her incredibly ashamed and nervous chocolate-brown eyes. "Grace-"
"You know, I... I, uh, I really have to go, Stef." She told him in a nervous voice snatching the book from his hands shoving it into her bag and walking towards the front door grabbing her keys from the bowl. "Don't worry, I'll stop by Elena. Bye." She called zipping from the house slamming the door shut behind her.
Elena was wide awake in her bedroom and finally after what had seemed like years she pried open her diary actually wanting to write for once, she felt as if she had something worth writing about, she missed nostalgia of this book, missing what it meant to be able to write down her deepest fears, feelings, desires and keep them to only herself.
Dear diary, I know its been a while. A long while. I haven't needed I haven't wanted to write this stuff down, but I don't want to say it out loud either. The thing is: I'm a vampire and I hate it.
Stefan wandered up to his large bedroom and opened his cabinet getting out his newest journal for this year of his life throwing it down on his desk grabbing a pen and opening it, he was going to save Elena, he was going to her his Elena back if it took him everything.
She's been spiralling since her transition and at times I barely recognise her. But now, for the first time in a while, there's hope.
Elena frowned as she found herself unable to find a place for her to sit comfortably and be able to write all her inner thoughts, moving from her bed to the bay window seat overlooking from the front of her house.
Pressing her ballpoint pen to the paper, she found this stuff some easier to write down than she did talking about it to the people she cared about the most, the last thing she wanted to do was hurt them.
I feel hopeless, depressed, angry, but most of all; I'm scared.
Somewhere in the world, there's a cure for vampires. If I can get it, Elena can be human again. I can give her back her life.
Stefan continued to write almost smiling to himself, he was going to give her back the life that she had terrible lost due to his own hands, if he had put her life first before her choices then she'd still be a human but then Matt would be dead and he knew she'd only blame herself and him for that. After-all, that was all he ever wanted for her, to have her own choices, freewill.
Part of me just wants to end it, but then I think of Jeremy and Grace, too. She may not deserve it. She's still my twin and I still love her even if she is going through a hard time. I'm all they have left, so I need to find a way through this. No matter what it takes.
She added frowning as she madly crossed out about the part about Grace not deserving it, she knew they were going through a rough patch but after everything she was still her twin sister and she knew everything about her.
Elena couldn't help but feel angry about Damon, he wasn't helping her by throwing a parade of bodies at her to feast on, even she knew that and she was a newborn vampire. They needed to help her get her hunger under control one feed at a time.
Stefan was just finishing writing in his journal not wanting to be in the clutches of Niklaus Mikaelson but knowing it was what he needed to do for Elena, if it took him everything he would do this for the woman he loved more than anything.
So, that's what I need to do. No matter what Klaus asks, no matter what lies I have to tell or secrets I have to keep, I'll do it. No matter what it takes.
He was rudely interrupted from his train of thoughts when his phone began to buzz loudly on the desk, picking it up he looked down to see that his new boss Klaus was calling him down, the saying speak of the devil and he shall appear came to mind. "Yes?"
"Has my little lovely gone trotting off yet, or will I have to call you back when she's gone?" Klaus questioned and Stefan gritted his teeth, the way he was talking about Grace made his brotherly instincts flare up more than ever. "From that silence I'll take it she's gone... Good, we have a problem."
Klaus explained the entire situation about Connor escaping from his captivity from the Original hybrids mansion with Nate's head where he would be able to get the werewolf toxin he needed to kill the entire town of vampires in Mystic Falls with ease.
Stefan didn't waste anytime in zipping over to Klaus' mansion to see for himself that Connor had in-fact escaped and Nate's beheaded body was still lying there on the ground.
"How the hell did Connor escape?" Stefan demanded in a gruff voice, he didn't have time for this vampire hunter to be running around this town trying to kill people, let alone his family and friends.
"I'd blame mind numbing incompetence, but pointing fingers isn't going to help me, you're going to help me." Klaus informed the younger vampire in a matter-of-factly tone, if the hunter was to get hurt in the cross fire of trying to hurt supernatural creatures, or worse killed then the only map that they knew of to the cure for vampirism would be gone too, leaving them at a dead-end.
Stefan pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger trying desperately to suppress his growing headache. "Well, he could be anywhere now."
"Think, Stefan." Klaus urged in a hard voice, the hybrid was half way across the world in Italy in the middle of a dig sight, no good to anyone over there, but he was doing good in the quest of finding the sword of Alexander which had been revealed by his own sister that had been buried with him, that was well underway. "He took the hybrid's head which means he wants werewolf toxin." He summed it all up for the younger vampire.
Stefan finally understood what Klaus was trying to tell him about the hunter taking Nate's head with him. "Which means he plans to stay in Mystic Falls to kill vampires."
"Which is a pity, as I'm half a world away digging up a dead hunter, you'll have no access to my blood and therefore, the antidote." Klaus reminded him in his thick British accent making Stefan grit his teeth once again trying to keep his cool whilst talking to the patronising Original hybrid. "Nevertheless, his tattoo is our only map to the cure, so your task is quite simple; find him, catch him, and above all, keep him alive." He growled at the young vampire before adding. "He's no good to us dead."
Stefan let out a small sign as he continued to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Damon's been looking everywhere for him, if they cross paths-"
"Well, then for once you'll have to keep Damon in check. That bloody love-sick brother of your swill have to keep his temper in check, won't he." Klaus retorted in a thick voice, he for one hated talking about Stefan's older brother and would avoid it at all costs if he could."
Stefan almost wanted to laugh when the hybrid mentioned Damon having a temper in comparison to Klaus, after everything that Original had put his family through. "Be a lot easier if I could just tell him the truth."
"You trust Damon with the cure? Don't you think he'll want to give it to Grace? And she's just beginning to find her 'vampire legs' from what I hear. Now, in my opinion she is a better vampire than she is human..."
"Well, what if Grace and Damon don't get a damn about your opinion, it's her life and she should get to choose if she wants to be a vampire or not." Stefan took a moment to think about what the hybrid could be planning. "Why don't you want me to tell them about the cure? Because there is a small possibility that Grace might want to be human again? You can't hit her when she's human, she'll break."
Klaus cut him off with a loud feral growl. "If there was indeed a reason for me wanting to keep Grace a vampire, do you think that it would be any of your business, Stefan? Eh? No, mate, I don't think it would, and there isn't so I'd just drop it if I were you." He took a moment to try to calm himself before he said something stupid. "I just know that at the moment I only need to trust you with the cure and keeping that to yourself... And I trust no one. Which is why my sister is lying daggered in a box. The more who find out about the cure, the more who will go after it. Nations have gone to war over less. You make my words, tell one soul and I will throw the hunter's sword in the Mediterranean and we can end this quest right now. Am I understood?"
Stefan growled loudly for a moment before he hung up shoving his phone back into his back pocket running his long fingers through his soft spiky light brown hair.
Pushing the door open to the Grill, Grace walked inside looking around to see the entire place was still empty with no customers ordering, she looked around for a moment until she finally spotted Matt who was setting up tables on his own, she smiled over to him waving her hand. "Hey, Matt."
"Hey, Grace." He smiled as he threw his towel over his shoulder jogging over to her to be standing right there in front of her. "We're not open yet, but I think I can make an exception for you." He smirked charmingly and she giggled a little as she walked over to a table taking a seat on the chairs playing with the salt shaker. "What'll it be?"
"Uh, just two coffee's please." She smiled at him over her shoulder, what had happened this morning between herself and Stefan was still playing heavily on her mind, had he seen what had been written in her book? She hoped not, she didn't want to explain herself, she didn't want Damon knowing, maybe she shoulder talk to the younger Salvatore about it. "So, how's it going? I haven't seen you in a while, Matty."
"You know, just setting up the place on my own. Jeremy was meant to be here at least." He glanced over at the clock on the wall of the Grill with a heavy frown on his face. "At least half an hour ago but has decided to skip out, but apart from that same old... How's... How's Elena?" He questioned timidly, he hadn't seen her in a while and had began to grow fearful.
"Oh..." She took a moment to think about things, she knew that he must have felt guilty about what happened to Elena in the first place, she knew that she shouldn't drag him into her family troubles. "Elena... She's, uh, she's fine in light of everything. Listen, Matt, I know you feel guilty about what happened to her, but she made the decision-"
She was cut off as the door opened behind them and they both looked over breaking away from their intense conversation to see a timid April Young wander into the restaurant. "Uh, Matt?" She called and he looked over at her, not wanting to stop his conversation with the vampire, he really needed to speak about all this with someone and Grace seemed like the perfect person to talk to.
"Uh, hey, April..." Matt held two coffee's in his hand for Grace to have. "We don't open until eleven." He informed her in a soft voice as he placed both coffee's in front of the small vampire.
"Oh, sorry." She quickly apologised running her hands through her long raven black locks, something she tended to do when she thought she was being awkward. "I wasn't like trying to stalk you or whatever..." April informed him and Grace threw Matt an amused look. "I just – I came here to ask if you've seen Rebekah."
Grace creased her eye brows, she had never know Rebekah had friends, or people who had been able to put up with her outside of herself and her the Original family, she looked over at the blue-eyed girl a little confused, what did the Original see in her.
"Why would I have seen Rebekah?" The blond human questioned creasing his eye brows drying his hands awkwardly with his towel before throwing it back over his shoulder carelessly, he glanced down to see Grace throwing him a pointed look. "Hey, don't look at me like that." He warned and the young vampire only giggled as she sat back in her chair, kicking her feet up.
"Oh, I just assumed..." April gulped lightly still standing across from them looking awkward and out-of-place. "I mean, aren't you guys kind of like a thing?" She asked innocently earning a loud scoff from Matt a bewildered look on his handsome face.
"Rebekah and I are not a thing." Matt made himself very clear looking between the two girls, the vampire was almost smirking into her coffee whilst the human was twisting the ends of her thick hair around her finger.
"Well, I – I mean, I'm worried about her." April informed them both in a subtle voice and Grace glanced up from her foamy coffee trying to hide the slightly concerned look on her face, after everything Rebekah had done the young vampire knew there was a half decent person deep inside her. "She said she'd help me find stuff out about the fire that killed my dad and then she just... disappeared."
"What do you mean she just disappeared?" Grace quizzed looking up at the blue-eyed girl, but before April could even after Jeremy stumbled into the room, the three of them looked over to look at him confused but then Connor materialised from behind too.
Grace was quick to act as she saw the vampire hunter enter the room, pushing April behind herself and Matt protecting her from the view of Connor who glared over at the three of them still holding Jeremy by the throat with a blade.
"Trust me, that's the least of your problems." Connor sneered.
Damon jogged up to the porch of the Gilbert house opening the door and just barging inside like he owned the place, looking around the downstairs for a moment he began to call out for his girlfriend, he hadn't seen or heard from her all morning, but he had seen her note.
"Grace?" He called but there was no response. "Grace? Elena?" He decided to call on her twin maybe she would know where his brunette vampire was.
"What's going on?" Elena walked down the stairs glaring at him giving him a cold, grim reception, it was obvious she was still pissed at him because of what had been said at the College the day before. "You know you can't just walk into my house, right?"
"Have you seen, Grace? She said she was going to get a coffee, then I guessed she was going to come over here to talk to you, now I can't find her and that wouldn't be a problem if there wasn't a vampire hunter on the loose." Damon explained in an angered voice which was clearly covering the worried one underneath. "Is Stefan dodging you, too? I can't get hold of him either."
"Maybe they're together." Elena tried to find a reasonable explanation for them both for them both not being able to get hold of their respectable partners. "Maybe he's talking to her about... Ripper stuff." She added shrugging her shoulders.
"Elena, Grace isn't a Ripper." Damon growled over at the young vampire as she was using her phone to ring through to Stefan, but it just seemed to go straight through to his voicemail which worried her even more. "So, either their both dodging us, but Grace has no reason to dodge me..."
Elena gasped at him, he was insinuating that Stefan didn't want to speak to her but Grace would still want to speak to him after everything that had gone down the day earlier. "Well, Stefan has no reason to dodge me!"
"Shocking." Damon's voice was filled with a deep growl of sarcasm as she slid her phone back into her pocket. "So, that means something is very wrong."
Connor approached the three teens in front of him, throwing Jeremy down roughly into a chair. "Sit down." He ordered in a rugged voice, but the three remained standing their ground. "Sit down!" He hollered and they all took seats around a table, the hunter pressed his hands to the table looking directly at Grace with an angered look on his face, his patience was already being tested enough. "Phone. Now"
"Listen, just let April go." Grace tried to argue with him, she knew that he wasn't about to have any of it, he just wanted to get whatever he wanted done and wouldn't care who got in his was. "She doesn't have anything to do with this." She hissed in a low tone rubbing the raven haired girls back with the palm of her hand trying to calm her fears.
"She has everything to do with this." Connor retorted as the vampire reluctantly slid her phone out of her pocket and slid it across the table to him, not wanting to touch his hands at all, just incase he had some kind of vervain on that would expose her like it had done with Tyler, at the moment to her knowledge he didn't know about her and wanted to keep it that way. "Her and her father. Plus, she and I have history."
"What are you talking about?" April's voice wavered uncomfortably as tears creeped down her cheeks as she looked up at the man she had never met before, of course that just meant that Elena's compulsion had been successful in making her forget about the memorial. "I've never met you before in my life."
"Well, you kids need to get some vervain." Connor muttered at the four of them as Matt sideways glanced at Grace whom had a worried look on her face as she continued to stare down at the table avoiding eye contact. "And don't just wear it as a bracelet where anybody can just take it..." He looked up to see the brunette looking away from him. "And where is your vervain, honey? Your boyfriend hide it from you. I bet he's got you so compelled you don't even remember your middle name." He sneered at her and suppressed a protective growl over her and Damon's relationship, if only he knew.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Grace kept her voice calm as she looked up at him gripping the seat of her chair, almost crushing it beneath the force of her grip, not wanting to expose herself but not wanting to expose her anger either. "You don't know anything about Damon and I." She added like it was acid on her tongue. "Look, buddy, just keep my phone. Let us out of here."
"You know, if you ingested vervain, like you should, then you'd remember our conversation at the hybrid's yesterday." Connor murmured as his eye flickered between Jeremy and Grace's iPhone but the human seemed slightly confused by this.
The vampire in the room was even more confused, why had Jeremy been to Klaus' mansion, that's who she assumed the hunter was talking about, after all Klaus and Tyler were the only hybrids in town. But why would either hybrids let the hunter in their homes, they knew what he was capable of.
"Our conversation?" Jeremy blanked completely unable to piece together anything from the day before, it was hazy and a blur then he finally got what the hunter was trying to say to him, he had been compelled by someone. "Are you saying someone compelled me!?" He demanded absolutely appalled that someone had compelled him once again, he was never safe in this town from the vampires that controlled it.
April sniffled from where she sat gnawing on her nails nervously, she had never been held hostage before and now they were talking about compulsion and vampires, she was scared out of her mind thinking this man was going to kill them. "Would someone please tell me what he's talking about?!" She ordered looking at her friends around her.
"Compulsion, secrets, vampires!" The hunter yelled at her and she flinched at the words, the only vampire in the room wanted so bad to end his life and take him down but knew she could risk the humans in the room, one of them being her family members. Plus, from what Damon had told her he was rather skilled in what he could do, he was able to escape an explosion without any signs of being hurt or distress.
Matt shook his head looking over at a young April who avoided eye contact from the lot of them, he flickered his eyes up to the hunter keeping his voice low. "If you know so much, then you know our friends are coming from us." The blond hissed but Connor only smirked down at the vampires phone.
"Oh, yeah." He purred looking at the contacts on her phone. "I'm counting on it. Every vampire that comes for you is another one I get to kill." His eyes shot up to Grace smirking at her lightly. "Now who should I text first? Hm?" He added and she grabbed the table, it began to crackle under her strength, but no one except Matt seemed to noticed as he squeezed her rock hard elbow. "How about your boyfriend? Damon Salvatore." He pressed the name adding him to the text. "Or how about his brother. Stefan Salvatore." He added his name, too. "Or maybe Tyler Lockwood..." The last add to the text, he looked up from the phone to see the deadly look on three of the humans faces. "Nah, all of the above."
Hunter in Mystic Grill with hostages. They all die at sundown. Send. With that the hunter launched her phone at the floor so hard it smashed the screen completely rendering it useless but just to add insult to injury Connor stomped his foot down on it smiling at the glaring vampire.
Damon, Elena and Tyler had all gathered in Lockwood mansion after receiving the text from the Grace's phone. The oldest vampire had tried to call her back but each time there was no answer, he was stalking around the room angrily venting. The front door opened and they all looked to see Stefan approach the room, the youngest didn't waste any time in launching herself towards him and embracing him tightly.
The younger Salvatore couldn't help but feel a sickly churn of guilt in his stomach, he hated keeping this from them and having to work with Klaus, but he knew what he was going was for the best for his girlfriend, he loved her and that was why he was doing this.
"Where the hell have you been?" Damon demanded in a low tone from across the room breaking Stefan's train of thought, Stefan could understand why he was so pissed off and on edge his lover had been captured by a deadly vampire hunter she was in a lot of danger, the younger Salvatore did not even want to tell Klaus what was going on.
"Coming up with a plan." Stefan lied smoothly to his families faces feeling so terrible about it but had been sworn to secrecy by the Original hybrid and going against his family which just felt dirty and wrong, it felt like he was being compelled by him again.
Damon nodded his head slowly. "Yeah, we have a plan. The plan is I'm gonna rip Connor's heart out and I'm going to feed it to him." He announced and his younger brother froze for a moment, if the hunter was to die by their hands the map to the cure would be lost and all hope they had for Elena would be gone.
Narrowing his eyes at his brother shaking his head from side to side. "That's not a plan." He glanced down at Elena to see the worried, torn look over her pretty face, he couldn't imagine what she was going through knowing her vampire sister was locked in there with a vampire hunter, he imagined it was quite close to what he was feeling. "We need to be careful. Connor has Grace, whom is I need to remind you is a vampire-"
"Connor doesn't know Grace is a vampire yet." Damon spoke up from where he stood with Tyler across the room, it was evident with the looks on their faces that they had made up their minds. "But, brother, it is only a matter of time until he does, he's not an idiot and Grace will protect hostages at all costs... We need to get her out of there as soon as possible, because I am not letting her get killed by a damn hunter." He spat glaring across at his brother.
"Damon's right." Elena's small voice came from under Stefan who looked down at her, he was hoping for her support, but it was Grace and after everything they had been through she was still her sister. "For once." She added in a snarky tone making Damon scowl over at her. "Connor's strong but he's not going to be able to take us all."
"I called in the hybrids to help, too." Tyler finally spoke up and his interjection gave Stefan a fine idea about using Klaus' hybrids against the hunter, the werewolf toxin he had couldn't hurt the hybrids, they could be a shield for the vampires to use so they could get however many hostages there were in there out, but first he would need to run it over with Klaus to get the hybrids on his side. "We're wasting time sitting here talking about this."
The door opened behind them again and the adorable blonde, Caroline, came rushing into the room sensing the tension between them all, they all looked about ready to kill each other which worried her. "My mom put squad cars blocking the streets." She informed them all and they all looked over at her some glad, some not so glad. "They're saying it's a faulty gas main. We're good to go."
"Good, great. No cops, no witnesses, no reason to wait around." Damon informed them all as he went to head out of the front door only to be blocked by Stefan standing in his way giving him a hard look.
"Alright, hold on, you're not all going." Stefan ordered in a low tone, as much as he needed Connor alive their plan was stupid and risky, some of them would get hurt and Connor was a crafty, trap laying hunter, he knew what he was doing securing hostages in a single building.
Tyler scoffed loudly as he stepped forward, wrapping his arm around Caroline's thin waist holding her close to him. "He shot me like nine times." He reminded the younger Salvatore brother in a deadly low voice. "If we're killing him, I want in." That was exactly what Stefan didn't want, the hunter ending up dead.
"He's got Grace, Stefan." Elena's voice was so small and weak next to him as he looked down into her worried rich brown orbs that were pleading him to let them do this, she couldn't understand why he was so against this. "I'm going."
"Listen, nobody is going anywhere until I figure out what we're walking into." Stefan informed them all brushing Elena's hand with his hand for a moment, he had to control this situation to the best of his abilities and as much as he hated admitting it he needed Klaus' help, the Original would have no choice in helping if Grace was in danger and that was what he hated more, using her against him.
"Until you figure it out?" The older Salvatore scoffed stepping towards Stefan with a look of disbelief on his face, this was his girlfriend and he was going to control this all and end that stupid hunters life once and for all, his brother would need to back down before he got hurt. "Is that where you've been all morning? Out buying bossy pants?"
"This guy is known for setting traps, right?" Stefan argued and some looked at each other nodding in conformation, it was true, he was a hunter he knew his way around a trap or two. "We're be pretty dumb to walk into one, especially if he had werwolf venom." He remembered that Connor would have the resources he needed to get the venom.
"Does he?" Elena looked up at him shocked by how he knew that, she had been pretty sure the last batch the hunter had before he went missing was used in the beer at Rebekah's party to poison them all, but it had only turned out to poison herself and the party host.
"He's had it before." Quickly Stefan covered for himself, he couldn't tell them how he knew that Connor would have werewolf venom from the hybrid Nate, that would be giving too much away and would just open up a whole new cans of worms he wasn't allowed to get into.
Damon let out a loud growl giving into his younger brother. "Fine." He gave his brother a fierce look. "Fine, if you want to take some time to do recon, you get one hour. But we're gonna need some extra help. So, where the hell's the Wicked Witch if the West?" He referred to Bonnie.
Caroline frowned from where she stood next to her handsome boyfriend Tyler. "She can't do magic." She informed them all, Elena appeared to be the only one concerned about this, the others were plotting schemes in their head.
"Really?" Damon scoffed looking over at the blonde. "Well, call her and tell her Grace has been captured by a vampire hunter; maybe that will bring her out of retirement." He spat before he walked from the room, aggressively knocking his shoulder against his brothers on the way out.
Bonnie was sitting in Professor Shane's office flipping through a new looking book a wide smile spreading across her face as she continued to read before she looked up at the professor himself. "I can't believe you wrote a book."
"I did." Shane smiled nodding his head. "I wrote three books actually. Two of them were just too mortifying to display."
Bonnie gawked at him before reaching in her pocket and pulling out her phone. "Oh, I'm finding them online."
"No, no you're not." He announced whilst pouring tea, flicking his eyes up to meets hers from across the table. "Hey, c'mon, you promised, remember? Alright, no cell phones and no internet during witch therapy." He reached over and slid her phone from her hand placing it delicately into the first draw on his desk. "Here, this is yours. Right now, I want you to focus and I want your undivided attention." He takes his place across from the witch at his desk.
"You really think you can help me start practicing magic again?" Bonnie's voice was timid as she looked down at her tea that was still placed on the table.
"Absolutely, I can." Shane's answer filled her with so much confidence she smiled at him warmly as she closed her hands around her tea. "I invited you here because I can. But you know what, right now, just relax, drink your tea." He insisted and she did. "I got this in Australia when I was backpacking with these Aborigines spirit guides. Trust me, it's better when you smoke it, but I'm trying to be a good role model." Both laugh as they sip their tea placing them back down on the table. "Bonnie, listen the thing is what I have in mind might come off as a little unorthodox."
"Now I'm officially curious."
"Good." He spun around and grabbed a metronome from behind him, turning around to place in front of them on the table. "What do you know about hypnosis?" He pulled the pendulum so it was rocking back and forth.
"You really think that would work?"
"You practice witchcraft, but you don't believe in hypnotism?" Professor Shane couldn't help but laugh a little as he reached up and pits his hand on his ear. "Bonnie, listen, you're afraid to practice magic because of those witch spirits convince you it's wrong. They threatened your Grams and they made you feel guilty." He informed her and she placed her hand subconsciously on her ear. "You just have to confront the fear and that guilt and remove it." He placed his hand on the table and so did she.
"Maybe." Bonnie muttered shrugging her shoulders. "I don't think hypnosis would work, witches are naturally immune to any sort of manipulation." She informed him.
"Really?" Shane questioned and she nodded as if it was nothing. "Well, let me ask you something." He glanced down at the table. "Would you like to put that earring back on?" He questioned and she surprised she looked down at the table to see her earring laying there, she laughed as he sipped his tea satisfied.
Stefan was wandering around the town square just opposite from the Grill talking on his phone privately with Niklaus, he had told him about the hostages being held by Connor in the Grill, but not about Grace being one of them, he knew that the Original would react badly if he found out, although he couldn't keep it from him forever.
"You expect me to care about a couple of blood hostages?" Klaus scoffed as he checked in on the dig for Alexander's sword, he had waited patiently for his workers to find it but now he was beginning to grow irritated.
"Yes..." Stefan took a moment to think about his plan, if he wanted Klaus on board then he was going to have to use the big guns, only that meant he had to use Grace which he hated doing. "And I know you're not going to like this but one of the hostages... one of them is... Grace." The line went dead for a moment, completely silent which made Stefan worry more than ever.
"I'm sorry..." Klaus' voice was heard again, the young vampire could tell that he was trying to keep his cool but was losing the battle, the anger was heard in his breathing. "Wait, I'm sorry, Stefan, did you just say that the vampire hunter has my vampire!?" He demanded now his voice had turned into a feral yelling.
"Connor... He, uh, he has Grace, yes." Stefan stuttered, he couldn't believe how nervous he was to actually be telling the hybrid this, the youngest vampire did not in any respects belong to the hybrid. "She got caught up in it all, he doesn't know that she's vampire at the moment but we don't know how long before he finds out."
Klaus let out a feral growl almost crushing his phone with his hand. "For crying out loud, Stefan. I leave town for one bloody day and Grace gets kidnapped! Where the hell was Damon whilst all of this was happening, eh? I figured that he loved her enough I could trust him to protect her for a while and she might not be in harm's way for a second!"
"Like I said, it all happened so fast and Grace got caught up I everything. Klaus, listen, I can buy us some time, but Damon's getting antsy." Stefan informed the Original who growled again, he knew that the hybrid was a heartbeat away from hanging up and killing someone. "So, if you want Connor and Grace alive, you better get on board with my plan." His voice was now more firm and demanding which didn't help Klaus' anger but really meant he had no choice.
Up in Alaric's empty feeling loft that was overlooking the town square, Elena was watching through the blinds suspicious about whom he was talking to, he must have had a plan he wasn't telling any of them about.
Damon on the other hand was preparing for plan B when his younger brothers one failed and he had to step in and take over. Searching through Alaric's draws in his filled furnished loft, none of them could bring themselves to clean it out or sell it, so they'd just left it they way Alaric had wanted it. He found some vervain, which seemed hard to come by in Mystic Falls after the explosion at the Young farm and a mini cross-bow.
"Who is he talking to?" Elena questioned a thick amount of curiosity in her voice, she glanced over her shoulder to see that the older vampire was hard at work on finding something in the deceased history teachers draws.
The raven haired vampire shrugged his shoulders almost carelessly. "Bonnie, hopefully. Maybe she decided to make herself useful again." He finally found what he was looking for, a large, old-looking map which he spread over the table placing heavy objects in the corners to pin it down.
Elena creased her thin eye brows as she walked towards the older Salvatore, confused to what he would be doing with an old-looking map like that. "What is that?" She questioned.
"It's our way in." Damon replied looking up at his girlfriends sister, he took was still silently angry over what had gone down between them at Whitmore College. "Courtesy of Alaric Saltzman's interested in Mystic Falls Underground Railroad." He added with a smirk playing on his lips as he reminisced in his good friend.
"The tunnels, like the ones in the Lockwood cellar." The younger vampire remembered having to use them not too long ago, Damon just nodded as he slid his phone out of his pocket and took a picture of it just incase the map was spoiled or ruined.
Elena's phone began to buzz loudly on the table, she reached over and answered the call from her boyfriend who appeared to still be standing in the town square just by the Grill, she flipped it on to speaker so that Damon could hear also. "What did you find out?" She questioned.
"I can only make out the voices." Stefan replied not wanting to tell Elena that her brother was also in there as well as her sister, it just seemed like such bad luck for her to have both of her siblings lives in danger at once.
"How many hostages?" Damon was beginning to grow inpatient, he just wanted to get in there and grab Grace and get out so that he could go back and kill Connor without a second thought there was nothing special about the hunters life to him.
"Four." Stefan replied and Elena almost let out a sign of relief, at least it wasn't busy whilst the hunter had began to hold people hostage, but then he continued and her breathing got caught in her throat. "But, Elena, it's Jeremy, Matt and April Young." He added and she froze covering her mouth with her hand.
"What?!"
"Those three idiots." Damon muttered as he looked down at Elena's phone shaking his head from side to side. "They're like danger magnets..." Elena shot him a look from where she stood the other side of the table
The younger vampire had given up her life so that Matt could have his, not so he could be killed by a vampire hunter. April Young had already been through so much in this town, not that she would remember anything due to all the compulsion she had been through. Finally Jeremy was her baby brother, she couldn't stand by and let him get hurt, she couldn't stand to see that happen.
"I just need a little more time." Stefan's pleading tone broke of Elena's train of thought and she looked down at her phone shocked, Damon on the other hand wasn't having none of it they had already spent enough time waiting around for him, Grace's life was on the line and that was all he cared about.
"Well, the clocks ticking, brother." Damon growled out reminding him crossing his arms over his chest, he hated waiting around but on another level he knew that Stefan wouldn't want his girlfriend to get hurt anymore than he did.
"You know, I could do without the coloured commentary." Stefan hissed out as he narrowed his eyes staring blankly in front of him, hanging up on them both shoving his phone back into his pocket.
Elena grabbed her phone and slid it into her pocket too as she got a good look at the map in front of her. "I'm going in these tunnels." She informed him like she was saying something so casual like she was talking about the weather, but there was a level of determination to her voice.
"No, you're not." He scoffed at her, in his mind she was a new-born vampire with impulses and stupidity like the rest of them. "Do you really think Stefan would be ok if I just let you walk out the door?" He questioned and she didn't say a word, already knowing the answer. "No. This guy doesn't know you're a vampire, let's keep it that way." He added and she grit her teeth narrowing her eyes at him.
"Well, maybe it is. I can offer myself in exchange for the hostages." She argued shrugging her shoulders but the older vampire moved in her way, blocking from her exiting the room which she was beginning to grow frustrated with.
"No. Best cast scenario is now you're a hostage. Worst cast scenario: he figures you out, kills you on the spot. I'm looking out for Grace's best interests here, Elena. No means no." He growled down at her firmly and she crossed her arms over her chest like a five-year whom couldn't get their own way before crossing the room over to the window and staring out it with a hard look on her face.
"You should really stop treating my like I can't handle myself." She hissed at him intently staring out the window as he watched her with a hard look on his face. "What the hell do you care if I run off and get myself killed? You're just looking out for Grace, right? You shouldn't care-"
"No, but unbelievable Elena my brother cares for you and Grace cares for you, too. I'm protecting them both." Damon replied threateningly as he looked over his shoulder at her. "Do you really think you're going to be able to take on a professional killer? Because I think if you walk into that Grill that my girlfriend is going to jump to your defence, like she does and end up getting herself exposed... Just wait until Stefan gets here." He ordered and the entire room went awkwardly silent for a long moment.
"Do you give Grace this much free will?" Her voice was deeply sarcastic and he turned around to face her completely as she did the same for him. "Because I do not envy her if she doesn't even get to make her own choices, at least I can have that with Stefan. He can trust me." She added and her had to stop himself from flying across the room and attacking her.
Connor was pouring werewolf venom carefully into a glass jar making sure not to waste any, the young vampire was the only one who could smell the sickly stench from across the room, it burnt her nostrils making her eyes water. April and Matt were sat around the table the blonde trying to calm her down whilst Jeremy was in a deep state of thought.
"We need to get you out of here." Matt muttered to Grace and she looked up at him surprised, the last thing she was going to do now was leave them to deal with the hunter on their own. "Just run, Grace. We can handle him." He added speaking in a low tone so that Connor wouldn't hear them talking.
"I'm not leaving now, Matt. I need to make sure no one gets hurt." Grace replied in a firm voice as he watched the hunter hard at work from across the bar, he looked over at her, smirking a little before getting back to his work, she turned her head to see April was sniffling and crying. "April, everything is going to be ok-"
"He's clearly delusional." April tried to find an excuse for all of this, she didn't want to believe anything of what he was saying was real, but something about him seemed so familiar to her in an odd way. "I mean, right? All this – all this talk about vampires, but I mean, he mentioned me dad..."
"Hey, the guy's a nut job, ok?" Matt assured her from where he sat, talking in a gruff low voice making sure the crazy hunter didn't hear any of them speaking. "Don't let him get in your head."
"What if he knows something?" April questioned as she looked to her right at Jeremy who had been all too quite, he was in deep thought about what the hunter had said about their conversation, he didn't remember at word of it which meant he had been compelled by a vampire for an unknown reason. "Jeremy, did he say anything to you about why he's doing this?"
Jeremy was broken from his train of thought as he looked up into her bright blue eyes with such confusion and distress. "I don't know." He muttered wishing he could remember what happened the day before so much as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Maybe. Maybe I just can't remember with." With that he crossed the room to talk with the others with much protest from the others. "You said we had a conversation yesterday."
The hunter nodded his head softly as he was deep in concentration on the complicated looking mechanism he was working on. "Mm-hmm."
"About what?" Jeremy pressed, if he was to get even a little hunt from the hunter then maybe he would be able to remember, or even if he was to find out what vampire compelled him then he could find out why they did this to him.
"We'll get to that." Connor replied trying to calm the human down, obviously he knew everything about what Jeremy was missing but wasn't going to tell him yet, he was too busy working on the werewolf toxin mechanism. "First, take a look at my handy work. Pick up some tips from the hunter's trade." He showed it to him a proud look on his face.
"What is all that?" Jeremy asked, Grace had listened with her supernatural hearing, she wanted to know what the hunter was planing to do with the werewolf toxin he had, although she already had a pretty good idea.
"The fluid is derived from werewolf toxin." Connor informed him and the vampire in the room looked directly over to them both her eyes filled with worry. "Trip the wire, bomb goes off, nails deliver a lethal dose into the bloodstream." That meant any vampire who tried to enter this building would be killed and in turn so would she.
"And what's the point?" Jeremy demanded as he looked at the hunter trying to figure out why he would want to kill all these vampires. "What do you get from all this?"
Connor took a moment to think about all this. "You know, I used to think that there was no 'get'; that I was just supposed to do. Kill vampires. That was until I realised that the mark held the answer to why I'm the way I am." He glanced down to the large tattoo on his arm that only Jeremy can see. "The more I kill, the more it grows and once it's complete, I'll know my story and – and all of this will have meant something."
Glancing around the room his eyes stopped on the three people at the table before he took off walking towards them, Jeremy close behind looking at the expert hunter with a worried look on his face.
"Hey!" Connor yelled at them all, he received two deadly looks from two and an extremely concerned look from another. "We're gonna have visitors soon, you two get in the back." He ordered April and Matt as he grabbed Grace pulling her to the side by the bar, she watched as the two humans were led into the back room. "So, Grace, did you think I didn't know?" The hunter questioned smirking to himself.
The vampire was so concerned at the humans she didn't even notice when the hunter pull out a stake and stab it into her gut making her stumble back clutching onto the bar, April screamed loudly before she was pulled into the back room by Matt.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Jeremy yelled as he ran across the room towards her, he stabbed another stake in her back and she fell forward towards the ground landing on her knees, Connor was quick to grab the human by the throat ceasing him from walking any further forward. "Don't hurt her. Don't hurt her. She's my sister. Please."
"She isn't your sister! She's a vampire, Jeremy. It's time you woke up and saw the monster she truly is! The monster that kills innocent people. She isn't any different from that Klaus is, alright?" He informed him as they both looked down at the brunette on the floor whom looked up at them through her raven black eyes, blood-red tinge on the outside. "See that. Monster."
"You ass..." Grace hissed as she pulled the wooden stake from her back throwing it to the floor blood covering it as she looked up at the hunter confused. "How... How did you know... Ah." She pulled the stake from her stomach.
"I heard your boyfriend talking about you." Connor informed her as he loaded a gun with wooden bullets looking down at her with a deathly look on her face. "You know, the rich hybrid one. Niklaus." Her eye brows creased, when did the hunter have interactions with the Original, it must have been the same time that Jeremy had. "It's a long story, but he called you his 'little vampire'... I guess it tipped me off that you were a vampire."
"Whoa." Grace muttered as she looked up at him about to raise to her feet. "You're so intuitive, you should be a detective or something." Her voice was thick with sarcasm when a shot rang out and a wooden bullet lodged into her thigh, she screamed.
The older Salvatore was pacing back and forth in Alaric's loft going over his back-up plan in his head, praying that Grace was still ok and undetected as a human. He was so frustrated and angry he wanted to go in there all guns blazing and take Connor down, but knew his brother was right the hunter was bound to have traps and he wouldn't risk Grace's life like that.
"Stefan is on his way." Elena's soft voice came from the other side of the room rudely cutting off his train of thought, he looked over at her still angry about what she had said about not giving Grace any freedom. "This will all be over very soon..." There was a long awkward silence between them both. "Listen, Damon, about what I said, I only said it out of anger, I'm scared for her and for Jeremy."
"No, no, Elena, you have the right to your opinion." Damon nodded his head as she gave him a kind smile. "No matter how stupid and entirely wrong it might be, you have the right." He muttered and she gave him a filthy glare from across the room.
The front door opened and Stefan wandered in sensing the tension between them, he turned to his brother. "Did you find the tunnel map?" He quizzed.
"Got it." Damon confirmed as he glanced over to where the map was still spread out over the table for them to view. "It was in his weapons drawer with seven stakes, some weird MacGyver crossbow, and the last remaining vervain in Mystic Falls, so how about we get this party started." He smiled overly ready to rip the hunters throat out and save his girlfriend.
"Not yet." Stefan shook his head from side to side trying to cool his brother down, his plan wasn't in motion yet and if Damon got in there before he could then Connor would end up dead and the cure would be lost in all that. "Klaus is sending one of his men. He'll take the front, you and I can take the tunnels."
Damon couldn't help but scoff loudly as he looked across at his younger brother with a look filled with disbelief. "Since when did we team up with Klaus and the Lollipop Guild?" He demanded in a low tone, he hated the thought of Klaus helping with this situation, Grace was his vampire and he was going to protect her.
"Well, I already told you, Connor has werewolf venom." Stefan reminded him with a hard look narrowing his eyes. "We need someone to draw his fire, the hybrids are immune to it so they're our best bet." He added with a valid point, if any of the vampires were to get infected they would be able to get the antidote due to Klaus being away.
"Well, how are you sure that he even has werewolf venom?" Damon pressed taking an intimidating step towards his brother. "Why is Klaus involved, Stefan? Why does he need to be involved in all of this? We've seen enough of him." He added.
"Stop being paranoid, Damon." The younger Salvatore ordered crossing his arms over his chest, his statement earned a glare from his brother. "Grace chose you over him every time he made advances on her, she doesn't want him Damon, but he does want to help. Let him help us help her."
Shaking his head from side to side the raven haired vampire stared disgusted at his attitude. "Start telling the trust, Stefan." He ordered in a low voice. "Why is Klaus involved? Did he compel you?" He pressed further and his younger brother just rolled his eyes.
"I am telling the truth." Stefan informed him in a low growl defending himself, he could see why they could think he was compelled, it had happened before but he was doing this for a good reason to help his lover. "This is the best way to get everyone out."
Elena let out a feral, impatient growl from where she stood. "Ok, what is with you two?" She ordered from where she stood across the room. "We're wasting time."
"You know what, she's right. For once." The raven haired vampire muttered and the youngest vampire shot him a deathly look. "Screw your plan. Screw Klaus. I'll kill Connor myself." He advanced on the door but his brother didn't waste anytime in stabbing him in the back with a vervain dart effectively knocking him out.
Elena gasped loudly as she jumped back shocked to see Stefan act this way. "Stefan!" She shrieked as he boyfriend began to search Damon's body for his phone, pulling it out of the pocket on his leather jacket. "Why are you doing this?"
"Damon has the right idea about the tunnels." Stefan nodded his head as he began to search through his photos until he found the picture of the underground railroad tunnels he had found. "But, I'm not gonna go in there is I can't count on his to do it my way."
Elena gave him a look of disbelief. "If you can't count on him?" She couldn't believe she was sticking up for Damon but the way her boyfriend was acting was just unacceptable, the raven haired vampire was just trying help Grace, like the rest of them way. "You just vervained him!"
"Do you think he cares about April, Matt or even Jeremy?" Stefan questioned her as she took a moment to think about it, he was right he had never truly cared for any of the others only Grace. "He'll get Grace out for himself, but then go right after Connor, no matter who gets hurt." He added giving her a look.
"Then I'm coming with you." The youngest vampire made a quick decision in her head, but he took her hands looking into her eyes with a deeply compassionate look on his face.
"You're not coming with me, Elena." He moved one hand up to cup her cheek, he didn't want to risk her getting hurt in the cross fire of this all.
Elena tried to argue with him but he pressed his lips to her passionately, as he pulled back she was slightly drunk off of his presence. "You need my help, Stefan-"
"What if Connor attacks and you have to defend yourself?" The forest green-eyed vampire shared his pointed with her, tucking a rich brown lock of her hair behind her ear looking down into her eyes lovingly. "And what if you kill him? The guilt will wreck you."
"You think I'm not afraid of that?" She questioned him looking up into his eyes innocently, as he brushed his hand over her cheek again. "Of course, I am. Stefan, I'm barely holding it together. If Jeremy gets hurt, or if Grace gets hurt-"
"I'll get them all out, ok?" Stefan reassured her pressing his lips to her forehead making her let out a small sigh in love. "I promise you." He leaned down further and connected to her lips passionately one last time before pulling away.
"No." She tried to protest again as he moved across the room, she followed him like a little lost puppy but he turned and took her hands within his own once more.
"Elena, listen to me, listen to me." He whispered looking deep into her chocolate-brown orbs with so much passion. "This is the most important thing I have ever asked you to do. I just need you to trust me. Please." He begged and slowly she gave in nodding her head, he placed a small kiss on her lips before vanishing through the door with a whoosh of cold air.
Over at the Lockwood mansion, Tyler was talking to one of his hybrid friends trying to convince him not to help out with Klaus and Stefan's plan but he was sired and had no choice in the matter. "Look, man, this guy is dangerous. He's highly trained. He's armed." They didn't seem to notice Hayley standing in the doorway of the room.
"I can handle myself. Besides Klaus asked my personally." The hybrid stated proudly as he turned around walking from the room Tyler following him, neither of them noticing Caroline whom had also been watching on the side lines.
As the blonde turned around with a frown on her face she noticed Hayley in the door way arms crossed over her chest watching the hybrids argue heatedly. "Uh, who are you?" Caroline cocked an eye brow at her.
"Who the hell are you?" Hayley spat back standing up straight making the vampire laugh a little raising her eye brows at the bad attitude on the new girl.
"Caroline."
"Oh, you're Tyler's girl." Hayley nodded remembering that the Lockwood boy had mentioned her once upon a time. "He told me about you. I'm Hayley." She introduced herself with a now softer smile.
"Well, Hayley, that's pretty crazy, because I haven't heard a thing about you." Caroline remarked with a bad feeling towards this new girl who had infiltrated her boyfriend's house.
"I've been staying here a few days." Hayley informed her and jealousy flamed through the vampires veins wildly as she stared down at the wolf.
"Excuse me?"
"I needed a place to crash, Ty's a buddy, he was kind enough to offer." Hayley shrugged her shoulders as if it was nothing that she had stayed in Caroline's boyfriends house for a while and she had not been informed by Tyler himself.
"I know all of Ty's buddies and I haven't heard about you." Caroline growled as she stalked towards the carefree brunette with anger filling her silvery orbs. "So, how about we cut the crap."
Hayley's eyes were filled with sudden disbelief mixed with humour as she looked up at the vampire in front of her. "Yeah, I don't do teen drama. Take it up with Ty. Excuse me." She walked past the blonde crossing her arms over her chest as she caught up with Tyler and his hybrid friend Dean. "Dean, you don't need to do this."
Stay out of this, Hayley. I'm going." Dean answered narrowing his eyes as he looked over at her.
"Just listen to her, man. It's suicide." Tyler tried to make himself very clear but it was obvious Klaus' sire bond to the hybrid was taking over his common sense looking over his shoulder as Caroline entered the room from behind them. "Klaus told you to take Connor on by yourself and you can't even fight back? You have to use non-lethal force. What the hell is that?"
"Klaus gave me a direct order-"
"It's too dangerous." Hayley spoke up from the side of them and they both looked over to her. "That maniac already killed Nate." She added.
"You're not a hybrid, you don't know what it's like." Dean hissed at her and she looked slightly taken back by the statement. "Klaus asks for something, you do it."
"Look, I'm a hybrid." Tyler told him in a firm voice understanding what he was going through. "I used to do everything Klaus said, but I don't anymore. You don't have to either."
"You think you can stand up to Klaus?" Dean taunted as he dug his phone out of his pocket holding his phone out for Tyler to take. "Prove it."
Tyler snatched the phone from his hand and started to find his number in there. "Tyler, don't." Caroline begged from behind him but Tyler continued anyway holding the phone to his ear.
"Hello." Klaus answered after the third ring, he was standing in Italy looking down at the sword of Alexander that had finally been recovered from his grave, he smiled at the man who had found it before brushing him off to the side.
"Hey, Klaus."
"Tyler!" His voice was filled with excitement, hearing his first hybrids voice for the first time in a long time. "I hope you're not causing problems."
"Fair enough." Klaus nodded his head, he was planning to fight dirty again Tyler who would standing in the way of meaning Grace was safe and out of harms way. "Although I do happen to know your little secret about your time in Appalachia." He announced and Tyler was visibly uncomfortable at this thought knowing Caroline was standing behind him. "What was you friends' name? Hayley, was it? You probably prefer I kept that to myself."
Standing behind Caroline seemed shocked and hurt by the news biting her bottom lip as she stared intently at the back of her boyfriends head, she let out a shaky breath almost slapping herself for being such a fool.
"I'm sorry, mate." Klaus' voice came through the speaker again cutting of Tyler's train of thought and the heavy silence of the phone line. "Are you going to answer or should I just assume you're back to being... how did you phrase it? Ah, yes, my little bitch." With that Tyler hung up passing his phone back to Dean clearing his throat.
"Do whatever the hell you want." Tyler spat as he as he walked swiftly from the room a shocked Hayley walking after him quizzing him on what happened as Caroline continued to stand there in shock, almost in tears.
Ring. Ring. Ring. Grace opened her dark eyes and tried to move but she revealed there was heavy chains on her hands, ones she couldn't simply break through even if she wanted to, she glanced over her shoulder to see Jeremy sitting at a table running his fingers through his hair.
"Will you answer that incessant phone?" Grace's harsh raspy voice came out and the young boy looked up relieved to see she was ok, she gave him a subtle smile as Connor crossed the room picking up his phone holding it to his ear.
"We're closed." Connor announced down the phone in a low voice but was surprised when he heard the vampires voice come through the other end.
Stefan growled down the other end as he walked through the thick woods. "I want you to free the hostages."
"What? Oh, the hostages. You mean your vampire friend? Grace? And the others? I'll free them as soon as you give me what I want. You and everyone like you dead, I'll take care of Grace myself, don't worry."
"What? So your hunter's mark can grow?" He growled and there was a stunned silence on the other end of the line making Stefan smirk. "Yeah, I know all about that. What it means, what you are. Listen, if you free the hostages you and I can have a little chat. I'll even tell you about the brotherhood of the Five."
Connor scoffed loudly. "That's a weak move. You must be desperate."
"Think about it, Connor." Stefan purred as he threw a shovel down beside him. "Klaus saved your life. He needs you alive. Aren't you the least bit curious why?" Without another word Connor slammed the phone down onto the receiver repeatedly breaking it.
Matt and April are in the back room of the Grill, she looked really distressed by the situation big tears rolling down her cheeks as the older human began to move things around finding their escape from that place.
"H-He killed her. He just shoved a stake into her and killed her." April whimpered as she looked over at Matt who nodded his head it was easier for her to think that Grace was dead than to explain her everything about all this. "Why would he do that? She... She didn't do anything to him... He knew something about her... Didn't he?" She pressed and he continued moving boxes. "You know, when I was a kid my dad used to tell me these scary stories about vampires."
"They're just stories." Matt told her in a firm voice pulled the flimsy steel rack from the wall giving him more space to work.
"Not to that man out there. There's something so familiar about him." She shook her head but everything seemed so clouded and hazy, she knew him but she didn't know him.
"Look, this is a messed up situation, but the last thing you want to do is buy into that guys' craziness." He announced keeping her calm as he pulled a large panel off the wall. "You're gonna be fine. We're getting out of here."
"What is that?"
"There used to be an exit to the old wine cellar." He glanced back into the hidden room behind the panel to see there was now bricks placed over the old entrance. "They bricked it over."
"So, that's it then?" April whimpered as more tears crashed down her young face. "He killed Grace and now he's gonna kill us! We're screwed."
Matt stood back up and looked around the room finding exactly what he needed a hammer walking back over to the bricked passage. "No, we're not screwed." He began to bang away.
Stefan was stalking around the underground tunnels when he began to hear a light tapping noise, creasing his eye brows he began to advance on it.
"There's no sign of anyone." Dean muttered to Klaus over a headset as he stood at the entrance of the Grill curious to what is going on.
"Stefan is coming at him from the other side. He'll free the hostages, your job is to get Connor out alive and make sure, with your life, that Grace does not get hurt in the crossfire, do you understand? Good boy. And use caution, mate. He favours booby traps and ambushes."
"Understood."
Inside the Grill, Jeremy was waiting for Connor to set up one of his traps just at the front door to the Grill, slyly he spotted a wooden stake laying on the bar, he reached over about to grab it but a voice startled him.
"You may be a potential hunter, but if you make one move, I'll break all 27 bones in your hand." Connor warned and Jeremy was quick to move away from the stake he was going to use against him.
A low growl came from beside them. "If you touch him I will break all 206 bones in your entire body." Grace hissed threateningly and Connor only laughed a little.
"Oh, honey. I'll be killing your boyfriends before you can even try to break all 206 bones in my body, so just relax and enjoy the show whilst you can, eh?" Connor teased and she snarled at him.
"Oh, sweetheart." She mocked him with a snarl. "I'm pretty fast." Grace remarked and Connor only scoffed looking over his shoulder at Jeremy who stood there with a hurt look on his face.
"They're not all bad, you know. Some of them, they're my friends. Grace, she's my sister and she's never hurt anyone." Jeremy stated and the chained up vampire felt a sickening churn of guilt in the pit of her stomach, he thought she was still a good person but she wasn't she had killed.
"Your friends, huh? Yeah, I had a friend like that once." Connor reminisced as he stood with the human boy. "She got turned by this vampire I was hunting. He thought it would be ironic." He added with a set look on his face.
"What happened to her?"
"I didn't want to hurt her." Connor admitted in a low voice as he rubbed his chin with the palm of his hand lightly. "She promised hat she would keep it under control, but... a vampire's like a loaded gun. Eventually it's gonna go off." He showed Jeremy his tattoo again. "That's why I got this."
"So, you killed you own friend?" Jeremy growled in disgust as he admired the part of the tattoo covering the crook of his elbow.
"Listen, if you're gonna be like me, you need to understand." He wandered over to Grace holding a the wooden stake Jeremy was going to use on him. "Vampires kill humans." He shoved it into her stomach making her scream. "Hunters kill vampires." There was a noise from the front, he grabbed the back of Grace's chair moving her back from the harms away flicking the lights off and turning the music on loudly.
Dean pried the door open slowly and didn't fail to notice the thin wire going across the doorway, thinking he could outsmart the hunter he stepped over it not noticing that there had been a pressure plate under the carpet that would also set of an explosion.
Suddenly a loud explosion came from the other room in the Grill, Matt and April seemed startled by this, the younger girl jumped up and ran back but stopped dead when she collided with a hard chest looking up into a set of forest green eyes.
Dean slowly rose from his knees holding his hands up, he looked in a really bad way nails covering his entire bloody bruised body, Connor grabbed his gun and approached him aggressively and didn't hesitate in shooting him directly in the chest blowing a clean hole from the hybrid killing him.
"Where are Grace and Jeremy?" Stefan ordered as he flipped through Damon's phone finding the map for the two humans to use, April whimpered as she began to cry again. He looked down at her worried. "What's happened?"
"He... He killed Grace." April announced and Stefan grit his teeth as he looked down at her completely taken back. "Just killed her outright."
"He stabbed her in the stomach..." Matt gave him a look and Stefan got the idea, April didn't know about Grace being a vampire so she wouldn't know about her healing techniques, but in his mind he didn't know if the younger had been stabbed with toxin or not.
"Alright, listen, just follow this map, get out of here, take her to Caroline so she can..." He gave him a look and Matt nodded understanding leading her away but turning back to him with a concerned look.
"Stefan, that guy is armed. If you go out there, he's gonna kill Jeremy and..." He gave him a look not wanting to mention Grace in front of April,
"No one's killing anyone. Go." Stefan pressed as April and Matt go through the panel in the wall into the large hole that lead into the underground tunnels under Mystic Falls.
Jeremy took a moment to think about things whilst Connor was distracted admiring is tattoo he crouched behind Grace working on the heavy chains, she growled but realised it was him as he shhed her gently.
"Thank you." She whispered as the music thumped loudly around the entire building, Jeremy placed the chains on the floor freeing her and she glanced around for a moment looking for a good place to find cover.
She didn't fail to notice Stefan sneaking in from the back, Jeremy moved to be standing next to Connor again but unfortunately Grace hadn't been the only one to see the oldest vampire entering the room so he grabbed the human holding his hostage, when he looked over to Grace he realised she was gone from the seat. "God dammit!" He growled loudly.
Crouching behind a turned over table she hugged her knees into her chest as she heard several gun shots being fired, flinching at each deafening bang suddenly she felt a presence next to her and she looked up surprised to see Stefan crouched there giving her a small assuring smile.
"Are you ok? He didn't use toxin?" He questioned looking her over to see blood marks but no wounds slowly she shook her head from side to side. "Connor, you don't have to do this!" He called glancing over to see Connor pushing Jeremy away, unknown to them onto another pressure plate for another bomb.
"Stefan, call me!" Elena ordered in a low voice as she spoke to his voicemail once again, she had heard the huge explosion coming from the Grill and she wanted to know what was going on. "There was an explosion at the Grill. I need to know what's happening!"
There was a low groan that emitted from the couch, Damon was finally waking up after being vervained by his own brother, she looked over her shoulder to see him finally getting up. "There was an explosion at the Grill." She informed him.
He got up without even thinking about it surprised when his skin began to sizzle uncomfortably under the sun that entered the room through the shades, he quickly dropped to the ground protecting himself.
"He took your ring? Why would he do that?!"
"Because he's playing us." Damon growled as he looked across the room at the newborn vampire. "All this stalling, getting hybrids, taking my ring, add it up." He hissed as he stood up quickly moving away from direct sunlight. "He's either made a deal with Klaus or he's compelled."
"Then I need to get in there."
"No, Elena, this guy is dangerous!"
"So am I, Damon!"
"Then you need to be smart. He doesn't know you're a vampire. You get as close as you can and you kill him." Damon growled and she was taken back by the idea, the last thing she wanted to do was kill anyone.
"Connor, we can end this right now!" Stefan called from where he crouched down with Grace who was tending to her wounds delicately drying her blood from herself. "Just put down the gun and come with me!" He called.
"Sure. Come out, I'll hand the gun over." Connor remarked, they were in a catch 22 situation, Stefan wouldn't come out until Connor put the gun down and the hunter wouldn't put the gun down at all, he wanted them all dead.
"Think about this. No one has to die. I'll tell you everything you need to know!" Stefan promised and Grace glanced over at him confused what did he know so much about that Connor needed to know. "I can give you the truth. Just put down the gun and let Jeremy go!"
The front door to the grill opened suddenly and Elena entered without another thought, Connor hadn't noticed he was still holding a gun to where Grace and Stefan were hiding, he turned his head to see the newborn vampire standing there, unknown to him that she was actually a vampire.
"Please!" The newborn begged and Grace went to run out but the older vampire grabbed her shoulders keeping her down, Connor would still have the gun trained on their location he didn't know that the girl who had just entered was a threat. "Don't hurt him!"
"You come any closer, he's dead." Connor growled as he moved the gun to be locked on Jeremy, Elena flinched at the sight, she wanted to sprint over and take him down but nothing in her body could bring herself to actually kill him.
Jeremy gave his sister a pleading look as he yelled. "Elena, get out of here!"
Shaking her head from side to side the vampire answered. "Just – just let him go." She begged, he was her baby brother she couldn't stand to see him get hurt.
"You hear that? Your girl is watching. I will shot the boy right in front of her!" Connor yelled from where he was standing next to Jeremy whom in turn was looking directly at Elena with a pleading look on his face. "on the count of three! One! Two!"
He didn't even have to get to three Stefan stood up and Grace followed both of them had a gun trained on them but before he could even think about firing it the new-born flew at him pining him to the floor, a shot rang off and it hit Jeremy directly in the stomach making him fall to the ground bleeding profusely clutching his wound for dear life.
Grace warned Stefan about the bomb that was basically next to Jeremy about to go off and he quickly sprinted across the room grabbing the human all of them ducking down shielding themselves from the explosion.
"Jeremy?!" Elena screamed at the sound of the explosion but this caught her off guard so Connor took his chance to flip them so he was on top about to stake her with wooden stake, this was when Grace stepped in and grabbed him by the back of his shirt tugging him off throwing him to the ground.
"My threat about breaking every bone in your body was a promise." She snapped his arm easily and he yelled out in sever pain but with a whoosh of air Stefan crossed the room knocking Grace off carefully grabbing the hunter and leaving again.
Not too long later Elena was feeding her brother her blood so that his wound could heal, she couldn't help but feel drawn to his blood, her being a vampire after all, she returns her face to normal she backs away from him. "I'm sorry – I..."
"Hey, it's ok." Jeremy assured her as he reached out and took her hand softly. "You don't have to hide it. I know you're not going to hurt me." He smiled at her and she smiled in return. "He said I was like him, because I could see his tattoo."
Grace had paced up and down angrily gnawing on her nails she turned to look at Elena with a worried expression on her face as she looked down at the youngest Gilbert. "His what?" The newborn question.
"His hunter's mark. It's invisible to everyone but me. Stefan and Damon didn't tell you about it?" He questioned and they both looked at each other suppressing loud growls of frustration.
"No. Wait, who else knows about this?"
"Well, that's the thing. I don't know." Jeremy admitted as he looked up at Grace. "Remember how Connor said I was with him all day yesterday, someone must have compelled me. That's what he was talking about. But who?"
"I think I know." Elena growled as she looked over at Grace whom seemed rather confused by her speculation.
Stefan was pushing the hunter through the tunnel system, he was nursing his broken arm whilst the vampire twisted his over one behind his back making sure he kept walking forward, he didn't expected when his older brother stepped out from the shadows.
"Good work, brother."
"It's over, Damon. I have him." Stefan had been through a long day and the hunter had come off with barely any scratches which was good, he just needed to get him back to Klaus' mansion before the hybrid could get home.
"Not after what I just went through." Damon hissed as he stepped towards them both. "I had to punch through a boiler room basement into a septic tank to get into this stupid tunnel. But it'll be worth it." He growled at the hunter who moved back into Stefan slightly.
"I'm taking him with me."
"That's the thing, you're not. I don't know what you're up to or what Klaus has over you, but even if I have to go through you, I'm gonna kill him." The older brother replied with a snarl added on to the end to add intimidation.
Stefan had a fixed look on his face. "You better back off, Damon."
"Why? Because Klaus wants him alive?"
"This has nothing to do with Klaus. You're just gonna have to trust me on that." Stefan begged, he wasn't about to let his brother ruin this for him, he needed to do this for Elena, he loved her that's why he was going through all this trouble of working with Klaus once again.
"I don't want to. I don't have to. Not gonna. Now, give him to me, brother." Damon ordered in a low tone stepping towards him again closing the gap between the three of them.
"Run as fast as you can!" Stefan yelled as Connor as he shoved him in the other direction leaving the two brothers alone to deal with each other, the younger Salvatore rushed at his older brother pinning him against the wall. "You're not gonna kill him."
Damon grabbed Stefan and ran around him throwing him against the same wall looking deep into his forest green orbs intently. "Why are you protecting him!? Tell me!" He ordered trying to shove his hand into Stefan's chest but the younger brother was fighting back.
It didn't take much for the raven haired vampire to overpower him and force his fist into the vampires chest clutching his hand around his heart. "Tell me!" He ordered again.
"Klaus will kill anyone who knows."
Damon laughed loudly as he tightening his grip on his brother's heart. "Then it has to be good. Spill it!" He demanded once again giving him a deathly look. "Spill it!"
"Connor's tattoo is the key to a cure!" He announced loudly and Damon loosened his grip lightly so Stefan could tell him more.
"A cure for what?"
"For her. For Elena."
"Klaus told you there's a cure for vampirism?" Damon scoffed loudly, he had been alive for a long time now and never had there been word of a cure for what he was.
"Yeah, and if Connor dies then we'll lose it forever..." Stefan explained and the older brother looked at him slightly confused and taken back by this news. "I know its crazy, Damon. But it's hope, do you understand me? It's her only hope."
Connor was running frantically through the tunnels trying to find his escape route whilst still nursing his arms, it hurt like hell but he wasn't going to let that get in his way, he was surprised when it felt like a ton of bricks hit him and he was thrown against a wall.
"Oops." Grace's menacing voice came from the side, he looked up through blurred vision to see her standing there over him, head tilted to the side looking down at him. "Did that hurt? Shame." She kicked him hard in the stomach he called out as he felt several of his rips shatter under the force. "Oh, sorry." She muttered stalking around him. "Oh, this is going to be so much fun..."
"Look at you..." He coughed loudly blood spitting up and she looked down at him crouching in front of him looking into his eyes. "You're just like that rest of them. A monster."
"A monster you say..." She took a moment to contemplate this, looking down at him to see he was struggling to pull a stake out of his pocket. "C'mon, you're not going to need that." She muttered sliding it from his hand throwing it across the room before she pushed her fangs out letting her eyes turn their deadly black colour. "You know, I think you're right about that..." She smirked before pushing him violently to the floor burying her fangs into his neck until he was no longer living.
"Grace..." Elena's fearful voice came from beside her, she looked up to see her sister there smiling a bloody smile at her as she lifted herself from the hunters body. "What... What have you done?"
"I was protecting you, Elena. He tried to kill you." She reminded her but Elena knelt next to his dead body tears burning her eyes, Grace dried her mouth with the back of her hand licking the excess blood off. "Mmm, delicious." She muttered before taking off from the tunnels leaving her sister to deal with the body.
Bonnie was sitting patiently in front of Professor Shane, both of them had their eyes firmly closed but the witch was beginning to grow tired of all the waiting around, she opened her eyes and let out a heavy sign.
"This isn't working." She announced and the handsome Professor in front of her opened his eyes too staring at her. "I just – I can't get into hypnosis." She informed him.
"Bonnie, what do you think we've been doing for seven hours?" He questioned her and she looked up at the clock surprised, it felt like it had been at least 20 minutes at the most.
"Wow, that's crazy."
Shane couldn't help but chuckle lightly. "Look, I'm good at this, ok? Trust me, you're going a lot better than you were when you came in this morning. Here, you know what. Proof." He pulled out a candle and set it in front of her. "I bet that you can light this candle as easily as I can sign my name. All you have to do is want to."
"I'm sorry, I can't." She was scared of what would happen if she used her magic again, she didn't want to see the spirits do anything to her Grams, it was too horrifying to watch the first time she couldn't see it again.
"If you can't, it's only because you're afraid." Shane told her in a light voice and she looked up at him through pained eyes. "you're afraid of those spirits and what they might to do your Grams. Well, let me tell you something, Bonnie Bennett, you're stronger than they are. You have a power of your own you haven't even approached yet and you don't have to be afraid. Of anyone. Say it. I don't have to be afraid."
She hesitated for a moment. "I don't have to be afraid." She couldn't help the smile that pulled over her face, it was nice to feel that way for once, considering she was always around vampires, hybrids and spirits that pushed her around like she was nothing.
"Now, close your eyes and mean it."
Bonnie closed her eyes again and concentrated hard as she said. "I don't have to be afraid." Fluttering her eyes open they locked on the candle in font of her that still wasn't lit. "Guess it wasn't good enough."
"Oh, I don't know." He smirked as he glanced around the room, the witch followed to see that every other candle in the room had been illuminated by her, she smiled widely and then actually laughed for what seemed to be the first time in a long time.
Silently the newborn vampire was digging a deep grave for the recently deceased hunter, she still couldn't believe what her own sister had done to him. Never had Elena seen her act so dark and evil it made her shudder just thinking about it. And on top of that her boyfriend was lying to her and working with Klaus.
She heard light foot steps from behind her, turning abruptly she saw a bloody Grace step out from the brush with an innocent doe eyed look on her young face. "Elena... You don't have to do that." The vampire whispered stepping towards her but her twin stepped back almost falling over the hunters body. "You don't have to be scared."
"I have to do this." Elena muttered as she brushed her hair back off of her face looking down at the dead body sniffling as a tear dropped down her face, no one deserved to die in that much fear. "I have to put him to rest."
"You don't understand. He tried to kill us all, 'Lena. I was protecting my family, I did what I did for a reason." The smaller brunette tried to explain but her sister wasn't having any of it she dropped the shovel to the ground turning around to face her sister. "I'm sorry you had to see me like that."
"I don't understand, Grace. I don't understand how you can justify this." She looked down at Connor's body through teary eyes. "And what you did to him as protecting your family."
"Did you want me to let him go? Is that what you wanted, Elena? To live the rest of our lives in fear of a hunter around the town, a hunter that could call in others. Yes, I did what I did to protect all of us, alright?" Grace hissed as she stepped forward, the two had been so busy arguing that they hadn't noticed the two Salvatore brothers approach from beside them.
"No, you did this because you enjoyed it." Elena growled out and Grace took a moment to let that sink in about to speak but her sister cut her off. "You have a darkness in you that every keeps ignoring, every says that you'll be fine and you'll get over this, but I don't think you want to, I don't think you're trying."
"You don't know what you're talking about, Elena." Grace hissed as she took an intimidating step towards her, Damon was quick to move forward and grab her wrist pulling her back towards him. "So, you've planned this speech for a while? Are you glad you got it off your chest now?" She quizzed and Elena shook her head.
"Until you sort your life out I don't want to see from you and I don't want you anywhere near Jeremy." She warned and she was taken back by this both the brothers seemed surprised by her banning of her seeing her family.
"But... You're my family-"
"Not until you get whatever this is under control." Elena warned and she took a step back nodding her head slowly biting her bottom lip a small tear dripping down her face. "Do you understand?"
Damon wrapped his arm around Grace's tiny waist softly looking over at the newborn with an angered look on his face, feeling protective of his girlfriend. "Elena, you don't have to do this. Grace isn't a threat. Guess what, vampires kill. It's what we do and when you do one day, which you kill, you better hope that Grace is there to stand by your side."
"You're clearly in denial then." Elena hissed at them both looking down at Connor's body for a moment before looking back up at her twin. "I want you to leave. Now."
Slowly Grace nodded her head before taking off into the forest, Damon stared her down for a long moment before the younger Salvatore stepped in front of her giving him a look. "You've just made a big mistake, Elena."
"You should leave, Damon." Stefan ordered giving him a hard look, Damon let out a feral snarl before taking off after his girlfriend who was bound to be emotional after that, he couldn't help but feel awful for her.
"Elena-"
"No, Stefan. I heard you talking to him. Making some secret deal with Klaus? You said you were going to protect Jeremy and you said she was going to be fine. She is long from fine, Stefan. She's becoming a monster. She isn't my sister."
Over at the Lockwood mansion Hayley and Tyler were embracing each other tightly mourning over the loss of their good friend Dean. "I am so sorry."
"I can't believe Dean's gone. We could have saved him." Hayley whimpered noticing that Caroline had entered the room, the hybrid was quick to pull away looking over at his blonde girlfriend whom stood there with her hands on her hips.
"Oh, I apologise, am I intruding?" Caroline quizzed cocking an eye brow gritting her teeth as she looked over at her boyfriend and the new werwolf who had recently entered their lives.
Tyler sighed heavily as he stepped towards his girlfriend. "Caroline, it's not like that."
"I keep waiting for you to make up some dumb story so at least I can call you a liar." The blonde muttered as she looked over at her boyfriend. "Is that now?"
Hayley felt awkward standing in the middle of this and took a step backwards. "I'll let you two talk." She announced.
"Thank you. How big of you." Caroline growled aggressively earning a glare from the wolf before she exited the room leaving the couple to speak in private.
"You have to understand-"
"No, you don't tell me what I have to do. I went through hell when I thought you died. I cried like an idiot and this whole time you've been keeping a secret from me about falling for some werewolf in the Appalachians!"
"I never fell for her-"
Caroline scoffed loudly as she narrowed her eyes looking over at the hybrid. "Oh, please."
"Caroline, she saved my life." Tyler quickly explained and the vampire looked over slightly confused. "I almost died trying to break the sire bond. Hayley was there for me, she helped me get through it, but nothing else happened."
"Then, why would Klaus think that?"
"Because I'd rather him think that then know the truth." Tyler replied and she looked at him with such confusion on her face. "There are other hybrids that need to be set free. Hayley and I can help them. But if Klaus found out about what we're trying to do, he'd kill us all."
Connor Jordan
Grace wrote yet another name into her lilac journal frowning behind closing it and placing it on the bed, she heard footsteps approach her door before it opened and Damon walked in giving her a soft smile.
"How are you holding up?" He questioned her and she shrugged her shoulders lightly pulling her knees into her chest.
"I feel like I should be crying, because that's my family but I just can't cry anymore. If that's the way that she wants to be then fine, she can be that way even though I stood by her through so much she can leave me now." Grace hissed as she stood up from the bed, Damon walked over to her and captured her into a kiss. "Can we not now? I'm really not in the mood."
Damon sighed heavily as he tucked a long piece of her hair behind her ear. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"No." She answered as she sat on the bed running her fingers through her hair, he was confused he wasn't sure what she wanted or needed she wasn't being clear to him.
"Then what do you want, Grace? Do you want me to leave? I can leave give you some space or just tell me or we can leave, we can get out-of-town for a while, what do you want from me? Please tell me." He pressed as he walked over to the door about to leave but she called his name lightly he turned to see her holding her lilac journal in her hands.
"I'm sorry. I-I'm sorry. I don't mean to be a bitch." She muttered as she stood up and wandered over to him placing the journal in his hands. "No one else has seen this. Ever. You don't have to if you don't want to... It's up to you."
"What is it?" He questioned as he opened the front page to see the names written. "This is... Is this?" She slowly nodded her head and he leaned back against the wall reading all the names. "How long have you been...?"
She took a moment running her hands over her face before looking up to see he was still staring down at the page. "A while. Since I got back from with Klaus. At first it was just kinda fun having this to myself, something I could do on my own... I enjoyed it, I'd go out of town-"
"You'd go out of town? When there was several crazy Originals and hybrids running around at the time?" Damon looked up at her surprised. "When? When would you find the time do to that?" He demanded.
"Just when I could, I guess." She added closing her eyes for a moment. "When you were asleep, I wouldn't go far but I guess I'd drink and come back."
"So when you told me that you didn't want us drinking blood from the vein you were going of by yourself to get your fill? Lying to me." He added and her lower lip trembled as he threw the book to the ground.
"Because at the time of that, I was trying to wean myself off the blood from the vein, trying to want to drink from the bag but it was becoming too much and it was getting harder and harder hiding it from you, I was blacking out waking up hours later with bodies I couldn't explain and lost hours I couldn't make up for." She looked up at him to see the torn look on his face. "I'm sorry I lied to you, I should have said something."
"Yeah, you should have." Damon muttered as he walked around the room feeling angry but also feeling bad for her at the same time. "You can talk to me about anything, Grace. Nothing you say is going to scare me off."
"I figured I could handle it on my own-"
"On your own?" Damon scoffed loudly. "Grace, you saw what Stefan was going through with being a Ripper, didn't you think that was a good time to speak up and tell someone? I want to help you, but you aren't making this easy on me, you aren't letting me help you."
"Don't be angry with me, Damon. Please. I've already lost so many people today, I can't bear losing you, too. You're the only good thing I have going right now."
"Well I am angry, god dammit!" Damon hissed as he threw stack of books off of the side letting them hit the wall with a loud thud making Grace flinch but then he stopped and turned to face her. "I'm not angry. Not with you. With myself I should have known, I should have seen this coming." He muttered walking over to her taking her hands. "I'm sorry I shouted."
"I'm sorry I kept this from you." He pulled her into a tight hug holding her in his arms for a long moment as she held back tears, he brushed his fingers through her long hair. "I love you, Damon."
"I love you, Gracie."
Jeremy was sitting in the middle of Mystic Falls town square on a bench looking down at his vervain bracelet when he heard footsteps approach him, looking up he saw a chirpy April Young and concerned Matt Donovan.
"Hey Jeremy." April greeted with a wide smile looking down at him. "Sorry we're so late, we had to take this crazy detour." She announced it looked like Caroline's compulsion had worked on the girl once again.
"There was a gas leak." Matt elaborated so that Jeremy would know the story and not mess up the story that April had been compelled to think by the blonde vampire.
Slowly the human brunette nodded his head. "Yeah, I heard about that."
"Yeah, and we had to stop by Tyler Lockwood's house because we had to see Caroline. We talked to her for a bit, but not I was thinking maybe we could all go get some coffee." She glanced towards the Grill which seemed to be off-limits. "But the Grill is closed. That's weird." The raven haired human gave them all a look filled with confusion.
"You know what, it's ok." Jeremy nodded his head giving her a regret filled smile. "I, uh, I need to get home anyways. I'm feeling a little over it today." He informed them both.
"I should probably get home too." Matt nodded his head in confirmation and April frowned a little but still shrugged her shoulders nodding her head in understanding.
"Oh, alright then." She gave them both a kind smile before beginning to walk away, Jeremy 'accidentally' dropped his vervain bracelet to the ground, Matt gave him a funny look as the other human bent down to pick it up.
"Hey, April!" He called and she turned around to look at him holding out the bracelet to her. "Did you drop this?"
April creased her eye brows inspecting the bracelet carefully, she had never seen that piece of jewellery in her life. "Oh, that's not mine."
"You sure?" Jeremy questioned as he stepped towards her. "Hey, let me see our wrist." She extended her arm to him to that he could see but to her surprised he tied it around smiling down at her.
"Uh, thanks, but-"
"I like it." Matt quickly announced throwing her a charming smile which made her blush heavily. "It looks good on you. You should wear it."
"Ok." April smiled looking up at the older boy doe eyed before taking off down the street smiling happily to herself whilst looking down at her new piece of jewellery.
"Are you ok?" Matt questioned his young friend whom stood there with his hands in his pockets watching the innocent human walk away by herself.
"Yeah." They began to walk off together, it had been a long day for both the boys being held hostage and being wounded. "I'm just sick of all the secrets, you know."
"Yeah, tell me about it." Jeremy couldn't help but feel an irritation on his skin, glancing down at his hand he couldn't help but notice a thick black ink spreading across his skin to make up the same tattoo as Connor had before he died. "What?"
"What's wrong?"
Jeremy looked up at the blond, he couldn't see it like Jeremy was able to on Connor's. "Nothing." He lied as they both walk on, he kept having to take second glances down at his hand to make sure he wasn't imagining anything.
Damon was down in the parlour room pouring himself a drink whilst reading all the names in Grace's journal, the door opened behind him and his younger brother walked into the house surprised to see him reading that book.
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing." Damon closed the book and placed it down next to him look up at his brother with a hard look. "How's Elena?" He questioned.
"Like you care." Stefan muttered as he poured himself a glass of bourbon downing it quickly. "We've torn their family apart, you know that right? We've done what happened to us and now it's happening to them."
"And look how well that worked out... I just don't get it." Damon muttered as he ran his hands through his hair. "When you lost control, I mean, you really lost control, Grace's process is happening slowly."
Stefan shrugged his shoulders. "She's strong, she wants to fight it as hard as she can, I just gave in. But, you know, that doesn't mean she can't be saved, I mean with the right training and supervision she could pull through all this."
"She's been doing this a lot longer than we've know about it, Stefan. And I just keep thinking she one bad conversation away from turning it off all together and ripping someones head off." The raven haired vampire murmured. "And if that happens, then I'd have to follow her, you know that right?"
"Yeah." Stefan nodded his head looking over at his brother. "You love her and you want to be with her, but when you turn it off, there is no love or hate, it's only killing. A Ripper doesn't need companionship, brother." He reminded him and Damon stopped for a moment running his fingers through his hair. "But we're going to help her."
"You figured out how to tell Klaus you lost a hunter and a hybrid?" Damon questioned changing the subject looking over at his younger brother with a solemn look on his face.
"He's on a plane, which means I get to live for another six hours." The younger Salvatore answered taking a seat on the couch.
The raven haired vampire smirked a little. "Well, I got your back, you know, when he comes to murder you." He informed him assuringly.
"Thanks. Thanks for not saying anything to Elena or Grace."
"About what?" Damon scoffed loudly. "About the cure we don't have, can't find, and probably doesn't exist? You're welcome." He added sarcastically pouring himself another bourbon drinking that down quickly too.
"Elena doesn't need to be turned against her sister anymore at the moment knowing that she killed her only chance of being human again." The forest green-eyed vampire announced and Damon glared over at him.
"Alleged chance."
"I believe him, Damon. You didn't hear Klaus' story. I believed every word he said." Stefan stuck up for the hybrid, he had a good point the hybrid he had no reason to lie to them about this.
"Well, I'll remain skeptic for now." Damon informed him pouring himself yet another drink and then one for his brother too, sliding it across the table. "So what's your next move?"
"He said there was a Brotherhood of the Five, which means there are other hunters out there and I'm just gonna keep looking until I find one." Stefan nodded determined over at his brother whom just gave him a pointed look.
"Sure, Stefan, since you asked; I'd be happy to go on a suicide mission with you for a potentially non-existent cure. No problem." Damon rose his glass up to his brother in a cheers motion and the younger brother just laughed.
"Yet a couple of hours ago, you were ready to rip my heart out."
"Because you were being a in the ass." Damon replied sharply taking another sip of his bourbon as he glanced over at his brother. "Tell me one thing. Why do you want to cure her?"
Stefan creased his eye brows. "What kind of question is that?"
"A legitimate one." The older Salvatore answered in a sharp tone. "You want to cure her because she's a vampire and she's not cut out to be? Or you can't love her if she is one?" He asked curiously.
"I'll always love her." Stefan confirmed as he downed his drink. "But she's not supposed to be this person. I don't want her to be."
"Well, if I'm going to ride his fairy tale to its conclusion, I want to be be clear about one this."
"What's that?"
"I'm fine with Grace either way. Ripper or not. Vampire or not. I'm perfectly fine with her either way. I'll stand by her through think and thin. So, if you're doing this, you're doing this for you." He informed him as he walked from the room out onto the back porch with his drink.
Walking into the shower room Grace removed her bloody clothes from herself throwing them to the floor carelessly twisting the shower knob so the warm water came spraying out she stepped under washing off all the sticky blood that was crackling to her skin.
Once she was completely clean she leaned against the wall running her fingers through her sopping wet hair as she reached over and twisted the knob turning the scolding water off and stepping out reaching for a towel pressing it against her face, when she took it back she saw a load of blood now sticking to the towel.
Her stomach churned uncomfortably as she let the towel fall to the ground, she turned to look in the shower to see it had been painted in blood she gasped loudly and grabbed her silk dressing gown throwing it on and tying it tightly.
As she turned back around she was surprised to see the entire room was not coated in a thick layer of blood her eyes caught the mirror to read the word 'RIPPER' in thick crimson letter that streaked down the surface.
Moving back she slipped on a puddle of blood hitting her head hard on the floor hissing out squeezing her eyes closed only reopening them to see that the bathroom hadn't been touched by blood it was completely clean but her mind was buzzing with so many questions wondering what had happened to her.
A/N
So Grace and Elena have had a fight and Damon knows more about her being a Ripper but still wants to be part of her life, which is good. I wonder what will happen in the next chapter with her hallucinations ;)
How are you liking this season so far? What songs do you think would be best for Klace/Drace, I would really like to know, I need some news songs for my iPod, so if you have any in mind let me know :) Who do you prefer? Klace, Drace, Stace, Grebekah or is there someone else you prefer to see Grace interact with?
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I'm sorry it took longer than I anticipated but sometimes I just want to get things right :)
If you would like to follow me on tumblr then visit little – vampire – girl1 . tumblr and if you would like to see outfits and pictures of Drace or Klace then follow me on polyvore my name is graciiieee
If you left a review last chapter then check below I would have responded/answered it :)
xxxRena – Elena was a little harsh to Grace and she does have some really good points, but she only gets worse in this chapter, I guess she's only trying to protect her family at the end of the day.
PattyFleur87 – Thank you so much honey, you're right Elena doesn't really understand what she is going through she's only just became a vampire and she has most certainly never been a Ripper, although she saw Stefan go through it.
winxgirl1997 – No problem, I hope you enjoy :)
Luli Cullen – Hey :) thank you so much I hope you enjoy xoxo
RICANPRINCESS18 – Drace are really cute and they have great conversations and they would really do anything for each other :) I really want them to get married, but Grace isn't even out of school yet, I think Damon is just giving her time to grow up and experience life. By the way, I love your picture :) Alcide *swoon*
Guess – I think I could take her control issues pretty far but I don't want to take her too far that she can't come back from them :) Happy new year to you, too
Mia Salvatore – You get everything right, every time, I just love it it's so cool :) I hope you enjoyed this chapter, sweetie
Nymartian – I glad you enjoyed the Drace, I like the way you compare her to being a Ripper like Stefan but evil like that, that is definitely what I was aiming for with her, only not too extreme. I'm also glad you like the choice of Mila Kunis she great :)
Guest – I'm so happy that you liked the Drace is this chapter, they seem to be the popular choice, although there are still some people that enjoy the odd bit of Klace, Bonnie and Elena can be total kill joys! I hope you enjoy :) x
5salvatore – I really glad you liked it and the Drace of the chapter :) Hope you enjoy.
SomebodyWhoCares – She is trying really hard but it seems like she's being pushed to the limit, too. Team Grace! Woo!
David Fishwick – I glad you liked the twist of Grace being a Ripper :)
grapejuice101 – Thank you so much for all the help and ideas, I really appreciate it and I'm hope you like this chapter
Tvdlover87654 – Grace is two different people at the moment she can be really dark or she can be her usual lovely self. You're sure about her being sired, but how do you know that wasn't just her darker side talking over? ;) I also really glad you liked the poster :)
TinyDancer365 – Thank you so much, honey. I really appreciate you updating, I love your stories so much you don't even know! Yeah, I don't know what it is about Elena this season but I just find she's getting on my nerves, which usually doesn't happen with her but I guess it is haha.
Graciiee xx