Twisted Love
Season Four
Graduation
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the vampire diaries characters or story lines, I only own Grace.
At Mystic Falls High School in the football fields they were all ready for the graduation ceremony, all the chairs set out in rows for all the students, a stage with a podium on it where the new Mayor would stand and hand out the diploma's. It was all empty until Kol found his way there, standing at the podium tapping the microphone twice to set it was working, the feedback hissing through the speakers.
"Welcome back." He greeted the dead hybrids and witches that were killed for the sake of the Expression triangle. "It was our deaths that allowed this day to come to pass – massacres preformed in the name of resurrecting the immortal, Silas. Twelve hybrids, twelve witches, the slaughter of innocents by the so-called hero protectors of Mystic Falls." The words came out like acid on his tongue. "They risked unleashing hell on earth for their own selfish gains. And today that's exactly what they're going to get."
The Salvatore boarding house was filled with the loud music of Bon Jovi. Lexi was standing and dancing with a bottle of bourbon in her hand whilst her best friend sat on the couch rocking out also with a bottle. Looking across the room she watched as the older Salvatore entered the room. "Damon!" Stefan announced. "Help me celebrate my 17th high school graduation." He turned off the blaring music. "Hey, you remember my friend, Lexi, of course?" He was teasing him, Damon had been the one to end her life
"Lexi, back from the dead. Goody." Damon smirked when suddenly a flash of extremely long blonde locks crossed the room and his back hit the wall with a hand tightly around his throat making him choke.
"What's up, buzzkill?" Lexi purred out with a smirk on her lips as she tightened her grip, obviously she was pissed that he had been the reason to end her life and she had every right to be.
With a strained voice his icy blue eyes found his brother who was still sitting there casually. "Stefan, you're just gonna sit there and let her enact her ghostly revenge?" He asked but his brother wasn't about to move to save him anytime, of course he would be on Lexi's side for this whole ordeal.
"You reap what you sow, buddy."
"Let's be very clear: whatever time I have left here, I sure as hell don't plan wasting on you." The blonde told him in a firm voice looking directly into his smouldering blue orbs. "You got me?" She growled letting her grip loosen so he could answer.
Nodding he answered. "Yeah. Got ya." She released him walking back across the room as he rubbed his sore throat. "So if you and Ric and little Gilbert and Grandma telepath are all flesh-like and real-seeming, that means something went horribly wrong when Bonnie tried to put that veil up." He commented but it didn't look like the two of them were paying attention. "And here you two are, having dance party USA."
"You're right." Stefan's voice was slick with sarcasm as he sat up from where he was laying back against the couch. "How selfish of me to be indulging in these precious moments with my formerly dead best friend. I should be sacrificing my own happiness for the good of others, right?" He tilted his head to the side as his brother watched him. "I should be upstairs grooming my hero-hair." He noted.
"Are you drunk?"
The younger brother smirked as he shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, mom, am I?" He smirked as the blonde behind him laughed, the older brother reached out and snatched the bottle from him giving him a hard look before turning around.
"Well, I guess that's one way to celebrate our supernatural apocalypse." He took a swig from the bottle. "Now, care the hazard any guesses on what the hell went wrong?" He questioned looking at them both.
Caroline was speaking on the phone with her witch best friend as she manned the yearbook table in the hallway of the school, handing them out to people as the walked past, it was the final day and the blonde wanted to make sure that everything was perfect and that the ghost of Mystic Falls were back where they belong. "I kind of hit a snag." Bonnie explained vaguely.
"A snag?" The blonde questioned. "A snag is a bad yearbook picture. You hit a tsunami. Where are you?" She questioned creasing her eye brows.
"I'm trying to fix it, but I'm running into some trouble." The witch replied, troubles like her being dead after restoring Jeremy to his body. "I need to wait until the full moon tonight to have enough power to put the veil back up." She explained making the blonde stopped what she was doing.
"Are you telling me that we might graduate right smack in the middle of a ghost-filled Expression triangle?" She questioned and after a beat the witch replied that they should cancel, this only angered the blonde. "No, we are not going to cancel. Graduation is the most important event of our lives, the last ceremony of our youth. It is our rite of freaking passage! Hell will freeze over before I let anyone cancel graduation." She told her firmly.
Bonnie let out a soft sigh as she replied. "Can you not make jokes about hell freezing over? We're not that far from that already." Caroline sighed as she asked the witch to promise her that today was a friend day. "Okay, I promise." Her voice didn't sound sure, but she wasn't about to dash the vampires hopes on one of the most important days of her life. "I love you."
The blonde smiled. "I love you, too."
Hanging up Bonnie was looking down at her body mournfully, as soon as she got enough power to put the veil back up she would be gone too, trapped on the Other Side with all the other supernatural creatures. "Go." Sheila's voice came from beside her. "I'll make sure no one finds your body. But Bonnie-"
"I know." The witch nodded. "Okay? I know I need to tell them, I just can't." She muttered shaking her head, everyone in the town had already lost so many people, losing another might just break them. "They've been through too much already." Always thinking about other people rather than her own problems.
"I know, child." Sheila nodded from where she stood in the doorway watching her granddaughter. "I was just going to say that... make sure you say your goodbyes." The ghost looked up at her and smiled sadly, she was going to have to say goodbye to everyone before she never saw them again.
Alaric, Jeremy and Elena were sitting eating lunch together in the old cemetery. Both of the men too a large bite of their burgers the girl had got them from the Grill making noises of appreciation. "No grease on the Other Side, huh?" She laughed watching them both enjoying.
"You have no idea how much I've missed this." Alaric laughed as he looked down at his delicious burger before reaching beside him and grabbing a bottle of bourbon she had snagged from the Salvatore boarding house. "And this." The girl reached over and took the bottle. "No, hey, hey!"
"C'mon, she's a vampire now and it's been a rough year." Jeremy replied sticking up for his sister reaching over to take the bottle for himself, but she held it away from him but he gave her a look. "I'm dead – what are they gonna do, throw me in juvie?" He joked as she smiled a little.
Alaric looked up smirking retorting. "Well, at least you'd have a place to live." Obviously he was teasing the vampire because she had burnt down the house in an attempt to get rid of the memories that were inside. Throwing fries at them the vampire laughed telling them that they were jerks. "Hey! Now there it is – that smile." She was grinning ear to ear. "I wasn't sure we were gonna see that again."
Tears began to glisten in her eyes but Jeremy was quick to step in. "Hey, no. No tears. If Caroline was right, we only have until tonight. We need a no-crying rule." He told her firmly as she felt more tears growing but the brilliant smile still plastering her lips.
"But the cryings good." She explained. "It means that I'm finally feeling everything that I'm supposed to, and right now I..." She reached across and took both of their hands. "I feel happy." She told them as they both smiled back at her, Alaric asked where Grace was and why she couldn't make it to their family meal. "I, uh, I think that Heidi wanted to speak to her about some of the choices she made... To do with Klaus and Damon." Alaric and Jeremy both looked down awkwardly, they knew that conversation was a touchy subject.
Heidi and Grace were walking around the park in the middle of Mystic Falls, the older woman was just finishing off an ice cream that her Granddaughter had brought for her. Pulling her over to the side Grandmother sat the girl down on a bench then sat beside her. "I really miss being here in Mystic Falls with you, Grace. I've been there with you watching over you as you make some terrible decisions, I was very angry for a long time." She informed her. "And rage on the Other Side is never a good thing, dear, but also being there it gives you a long time to think over everything."
Heidi sighed. "I'm very sorry." She told her as the brunette creased her eye brows. "I left you when you needed me the most, I wonder what would have happened if I never left, if your life would be like this." She looked down for a second before looking back up. "The point I'm making is leaving you alone is the worse decision I've made."
"I wouldn't say that..." Grace finally said after an awkward silence, Heidi looked up. "I mean, you leaving forced me to grow up and see the world for what it truly was, I know you probably think the second you left I jumped into Damon's bed, but your wrong, I resisted him but I fell in love with him and he's compulsive and crazy but he's always helped me through some of the darkest times in my life..." She looked down for a second.
Heidi nodded before asking. "And Niklaus? What do you think of him? What truly draws you to him?" She questioned as the brunette sighed looking back up at her. "I just want to know what you're thinking, so I can try to understand, it's not everyday you have to see your Granddaughter taking blood from the vicious monster that ended your life."
"I already told you, I'm sorry you had to see that." Grace announced sincerely. "Niklaus is... He's been there for me, too, in a different kind of way, if I said I didn't like the attention he showered me with I'd be lying, because what girl doesn't want to be treated that way." She announced feeling so shallow in that very moment. "But he's also done such awful things, like I have, like Damon has, like we all have." She paused for a moment. "What draws me to him? Maybe the thought of an eternity full of surprises and not knowing what's coming around the corner."
"That could be your death." Heidi pointed out. "He has tried to kill you more than once, dear, if I need to remind you." Grace nodded slowly when her phone began to vibrate, pulling her phone out of her pocket she saw it was the Grill ringing her. "Who is it?"
"It says it's the Grill, maybe it's Matt calling to talk about Graduation." She muttered answering it. "Hey." She greeted them before hearing a voice spill down the phone she never wanted to hear again.
Smirking the ghost hunter replied. "Hello, Gracie. It's your dead friend, Connor. You remember me?" He questioned in a voice that sent chills down her spine, Heidi stood up with a wide-eyed look.
In a small parking lot near the high school Alexander was stood looking at all the new age weaponry that the hunter Connor had in his trailer which they had moved there. The human and Rebekah were stood opposite him looking almost fearful. "A hidden compartment filled with advanced weaponry." Alexander announced in an amazed tone. "Man has evolved from his days of throwing stones." He noted.
Blinking a couple of times Rebekah tried pleading. "There is nothing we can do for you Alexander." She informed him before adding. "Please, let us go." She fluttered her eye lashes hoping she might be able to persuade him with reminding him of the time when they were deeply in love, but he wasn't buying into it.
"I'm not holding you here." He reminded her with a smirk on his lips. "Although, I have a feeling that exploding contraption will have a hard time parting with your friend intact." The hunter nodded down at the wooden platform that Matt was standing on, a bomb was strapped to the bottom of it and the whole device worked on a balancing weighted system.
The human glanced at the Original as he told her. "Just go, Rebekah. I'll be fine." He tried to assure her but she was quick to tell him that she wouldn't leave him and by that he felt touched, she was willing to risk everything to be there with him, she was really living up to her promise by not leaving her behind.
Alexander as now moved to make himself more comfortable sitting in the doorway of the trailer inspecting a bottle of clear liquid clearly he was amazed by the new age methods that Connor used. "The solider, Connor, found a way to siphon venom from a werewolf." He announced looking up at the blonde Original as he asked what he wanted from them. "To fulfill my destiny. The brotherhood of hunters was created for one reason, and one reason alone."
The older Salvatore was milling around the boarding house when he heard the door knock, creasing his eye brows he moved to open it surprised to see a face he never wanted to see again. "Vaughn?" He asked when suddenly the hunter lifted a pistol pointing it at his chest and then fired a single shot.
Stepping back and groaning in pain the vampire felt something beginning to sting from the inside, he had felt that kind of pain before but couldn't finger where he had felt it. "Got a little message fr you, laddie." Vaughn smirked evilly as he continued. "Straight from the mouth of the witch Qetsiyah."
Grace was standing in the middle of the park on her own still speaking to Connor trying to postpone him from whatever he was planning to do waiting for her Grandmother to return with help of some kind, being a ghost she would be able to travel a lot faster than the vampire could. "We want Silas, and we want the cure."
"I don't know where they are, so I guess I can't help you." Grace replied firmly tucking her hand into her pocket looking around nervous that he might be somewhere watching her.
"Huh." Connor laughed gently. "Well, you know who's gonna need some help? Grandma and Grandpa Jones, in town for the big high school graduation, along with Auntie Sue and Uncle Mark..." He was threatening her with innocent lives before she saw her Gran approaching her with Alaric by her side, he gestured that he would sort it out, being a ghost there wasn't much that Connor could do to threaten his life anymore. "Matter of fact, everybody here at the Mystic Grill for graduation brunch." He continued pulling the vampire back. "You either give me what I want, or they die."
Back over at the Salvatore boarding house the older brother was digging the wooden bullet out of his shoulder as the hunter stood over him inspecting the gun he had loaded off of Connor. "Yeah, borrowed it from my jar-head friend, Connor. Shoots wood like lead." He concluded with a smirk.
"C'mon, man. I didn't kill you." He tried to reason with him.
Vaughn laughed. "No, but you left me in that well on the island, where I starved to death. There I was, all alone on the Other Side, till Qetsiyah found me and reminded me of my supernatural destiny – to cure Silas, and then kill Silas. End of story-" He gasped as he chest lurched forward and then he dropped tot eh ground, Damon eyes went wide as he saw Stefan standing there with the hunters bloody heart in his hand, he merely raised his eye brows before dropping the organ to the floor.
Grace was trying to find a way to reason with Connor, she knew she couldn't just ask him to stop what he was doing, after all she had killed him but it was to protect her family, of course he knew her weakness. "Please, don't hurt anyone." She pleaded as her Grandmother rubbed her arm soothingly. "I'll find Silas and I'll get the cure."
"Good. Get it done." With that the line went dead.
Alaric wandered into the Grill, he missed everything about it, after all it was almost like his second home, the place he spent the most time with his best friend, the place that had got him through all the hard times in his life. Looking up at the bar he saw Connor standing there. "So, you get off on terrorising innocent people?" He quizzed in a rough voice.
"And who might you be?" Connor questioned looking the ghost up and down.
Smirking Alaric answered. "The guy who is half-responsible for the 18-year-old you just threatened." Of course Damon was responsible for Grace too, but she was still a Gilbert and in his eyes that was enough.
"Well, that 18-year-old snapped my neck with her bare hands." He told him as if it was going to change his opinions on Alaric as the teacher scoffed under his breath and moved further towards him.
"And to my understanding it was because you tried to kill her sister and brother, you had it coming, buddy." He scolded him crossing his arms over his chest.
Connor chuckled darkly rubbing his hand over his chin slowly before replying. "Well, that's touching. Family and friends must be important to you." The hunter obviously didn't know the half of it. "But how far are you willing to go, how about trying to intimidate a dead guy packing C4." He opened his jacket slightly to reveal he had explosive strapped to his chest.
This only made the ghost angry, this place was like his home and he wasn't about to let some crazy hunter destroy it and all of the people inside. "This is my bar, pal." He told him firmly taking a threatening step towards him. "Nobody's gonna blow it up." Connor only grinned at this as he lifted the detonator in his hand.
Clicking the button on the top the bomb was about to go off but Alaric moved quicker than out could detonate, zipping him through the back and out of the Grill making the entire building shake as it finally erupted and making all of the patrons inside shriek in fear as they ran from where the explosion had come from.
Back over in the parking lot Matt was still standing on the explosive device whilst the blonde Original stood beside him. Looking up at her the deceased hunter told her. "Go ahead, sweet Rebekah. Use your vampire powers to whisk him away. I'm sure you can survive the blast of six of these... auto-mobiles. Can he?" He nodded over to the human.
"Just ignore him." Matt told her as she turned to him looking up at him through fearful eyes. "Alright? Let's think about something else. Like graduation. What are your plans – college? Travel? Just because I'm never getting out of this town doesn't mean you shouldn't see the world." He tried to reason with her.
The blonde looked down watching the device nervously as his weight shifted shakily on it. "It's just been settled." She looked back up into his brilliant sparkly blue orbs. "I'm gonna show you life as you've only dreamt it. We'll start in Italy. There's a lovely little church." She glanced over her shoulder at Alexander who was still sat in the doorway to the trailer casually. "Outside San Vittore in Brienno."
Nodding the hunter answered. "Romantic spot." It was the place that they had been set to wed before he turned on her. "Popular for weddings."
The Original looked back at the awaiting human continuing. "And then I'll show you the Northern Lights in the springtime, the Simatai Gorge from atop the Great Wall of China, every inch of the Louvre." Her voice was full of excitement as she made plans for them and he smiled nodding his head agreeing. "We'll see it all when we're done here because we can. We're alive." She looked scornfully back at Alexander. "We're not gonna be stuck as ghost in misery on the Other Side."
Standing the hunter told her firmly. "Alright, you're done now." He hissed before throwing the dagger he was holding in their direction, Rebekah turned quickly and grabbed it just inches from the humans back but almost knocking him off balance also. Zipping around she grabbed his arms bracing him to be standing still again as she dropped the dagger to the ground. "I've got you." She promised and the human let out a breathy laugh gazing deeply into her eyes.
Walking down the deserted hallway of the school Bonnie had finally changed into her graduation gown holding her cap in her hand playing with the soft material when she heard a pair of heels approach her. "I don't think red's really your colour, Bon-Bon." A snide voice came from behind her, looking ups he saw Fayth standing there with a smirk on her face.
"And here I was hoping the ghost of anyone would've killed you already." The witch replied harshly expecting to see Katherine standing down the other end of the hall but she wasn't there, it was Fayth on her own which seemed very strange for the codependent twins. "Where is your shadow?" She asked referring to Katherine.
"Kat and I have had a slight falling out after the whole getting ambushed by my doe-eyed doppelgänger. We haven't really spoken since that night and I am not going to be the first to fall to my knees begging for forgiveness." The doppelgänger informed her not sure why she was actually telling the witch that.
Fayth rolled her eyes as she continued. "You know, it's funny you should mention death, because I'm here to collect that immortality you've promised me." She told her firmly as the witch shook her head looking down, of course after all the bad things that had happened the Petrova to see want to be immortal after everything.
"Funny you still think you're going to get it." Bonnie replied sharply. "I told you, Qetsiyah the only witch who knows the immortality still. If she was a n-show, you're out of luck." She explained continuing to walk but the Petrova stood in front of her with a hard look on her face.
Gritting her teeth Fayth answered. "See, here's the thing, Bonnie, I can't disagree with you, because I have been feeling out of luck lately. But you know who has been getting all of my luck?" She tilted her head to the spire pure hatred in her eyes. "My beloved, dull as dishwater doppelgänger, Grace. My shadow-self is living a better life than I am, so if I don't get that immortality, I may have to get rid of her altogether."
Bonnie blinked a couple of times before answering. "Did you just threaten my best friend?" She questioned obviously every from Grace trying to kill her and vice versa was already forgotten. "I could crush your skull without even flinching." She told her with a smirk on her lips.
"Go ahead." Fayth dared in a low tone seeing a group of students begin to make their way down the hall to begin the ceremony. "Make your move." She let the statement hang in the air before drifting off down the hall away from the witches sight.
At the Salvatore Boarding house Damon was standing in front of his long mirror in his room checking his shoulder uncomfortably, rubbing it gently he heard someone approaching his room, looking up he saw Grace standing there in the doorway with a soft smile on her lips. "Hey." He greeted her back and she walked a little further into the room. "So, I think there's some stuff you and I need to talk about."
"Yes, we do." He nodded his head before walking across the room reaching into a small box and grabbing something for her. "But first... I wanted to give this back to you." He held out his hand before opening it to reveal the beautiful promise ring he had given her at Christmas. "I found this in my car, you must have taken it off and left it in there."
She smiled gently before walking towards him. "You still want to give this to me?" She didn't sound sure as he gave her a lopsided smile, obviously nothing had changed for him carefully he spun her around and unclipped her day walking necklace and slipped it on before re-clasping it for her. "Thank you, Damon." She told him gratefully.
"I have something else for you, too." He moved across the room as she tried to explain that she didn't need anymore. "I need you to take this because I don't know what else to do with it." He informed her reaching into a small box and getting out the cure. "You're good, I know you'll find someone worthy of it." He watched her face for a second. "Unless you want it..."
"I mean... I'm not sure I'd want to give up being a vampire and... and I couldn't. It's the only one." She took it from his hand looking at the red liquid inside of the glass container. "There is only one cure. And the hunters have made it pretty clear that they're willing to kill everyone in Mystic Falls until they get it." She explained before hearing footsteps coming from behind them. "Elena." She turned to see her sister standing there with Jeremy by her side.
In the living room of the boarding house Lexi was standing over Vaughn's body with a puzzled look on her face, her best friend stood behind her pouring them both a glass of blood handing it over to her she smiled at him. "So, the veil's down until tonight, he dies and goes to the Other Side, and what? Comes back all over again? How long does that take?"
"What, the don't give you a rulebook over there?" He teased as she laughed gently sitting down opposite him.
The blonde looked at him with tender eyes as she told him. "You know, you're missing your chance to weigh in on the Great Cure Debate. This could be Elena's chance of going back to what she is supposed to be."
Stefan sighed gently pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger as he replied. "What am I supposed to do, tell her it's her choice? Because that worked out so well. You know, those four are in there arguing about how to protect the world, and Grace and Damon have yet to address their biggest issue."
"Enlighten me."
The younger Salvatore answered. "The sire bond's gone." He informed her. "Klaus has run off to New Orleans. Grace's head is clear." He explained.
"And what about you and Elena? What do you plan to do when the veil goes back up and stays up?" Lexi asked interested.
A small smile spread across his lips as he replied. "She's the love of my life. I'll go wherever she goes and she knows that." He explained. "I'd stay with her even if she wanted to move to Australia and live in yurt." He joked as she laughed gently lifting up their glasses and clinking them again each other in a cheers fashion.
They were both surprised when Vaughn finally rose from where he was on the floor without his heart looking very well for a ghost, this surprised both of the vampires who were sitting there.
The four of them continued to argue about where the cure would go, Grace was pretty adamant that they should give the cure to Silas so they could get of him once and for all, but Damon decided that was a bad idea. "C'mon, we don't need the cure for Silas – he's a calcified statue." He explained before feeling a twinge of pain in his shoulder, hissing in pain.
"What was that?" Grace asked a concerned look on her face as he tried to tell her it was nothing, she stepped forward. "Take off your shirt." She demanded in a low voice.
"Gracie, there are children present." He tried to brush her concern off with humour but she quickly zipped over to him yanking the collar of his shirt down to reveal the wound on his shoulder, he cringed in pain as her fingers brushed over it. Blinking a couple of times she asked why it hadn't healed. "Because the bullet was laced with werewolf venom, okay? The hunters are dicks."
A spike of panic burst through her body as she stepped away from him. "Your infected. Damon, you're infected." She whispered before covering her mouth in surprise, he tried to calm her. "No, no. I need... We need Klaus. I'll go get him, I'll beg him if I have to." She tried to but he wasn't about to let her run off to Klaus begging him for anything.
"Sweetheart, let's be honest, Klaus would rather see me die and even if he did give me his blood he'd take you away from me... Uh, Mystic Falls, for good this time." She looked up into his eyes with uncertainty. "Plus, Klaus is a thousand miles away sipping Hurricanes on Bourbon Street."
"That wound will kill you!" Grace tried to reason with him, but by the stubborn look on his face he wasn't going to let her run off to the hybrid and start begging.
A voice came from behind them, it was Jeremy acting like the voice of reason. "What about the cure?" He suggested and then her eyes brightened up, if he was a human then he would have to deal with the venom from a werewolf.
Clearing his throat the older Salvatore told him. "And here I was, so moved by your speech to save mankind." He feigned listening just to get out of the room. "Sounds like Vaughn's awake." He swiftly walked past her as she called after him, but it was too late, he was gone.
Vaughn was facing both the vampires in the living room with a hard look on his face when the raven-black haired vampire wandered in from behind. "Here." He tossed the cure over to the hunter who caught it looking down almost surprised, Stefan asked what he was doing, obviously surprised by his brothers actions. "Digging up Silas."
Turning on his heels he wandered over to the front door opening it and looking over his shoulder at the Scot who stood there confused by his change of heart. "You coming, Vaughn, or not?" Both of them exited the house just as Grace and Elena rounded the corner look at both Lexi and Stefan speechless.
Damon lead the vampire hunter over to a quarry, the hunter was looking awfully confused as the vampire told them they were where they needed to be. "What is it?" He quizzed carefully looking over the edge of the cliff.
"It's where I dumped Silas." The older Salvatore replied nodding his head. "Closed off to hikers, no food for animals, endlessly deep water." He listed the reason why they had chosen the location.
Vaughn creased his eye brows. "I'm not following you, Damon. Where exactly did you put the body?" He asked wanting more explanation.
The vampire smiled humorously as he replied. "Well, um... Well, let me see. So I dragged his stone ass through here, I flung him in that general direction." He pointed over the quarry. "Then he tumbled down into those weeds... I kind of lost him in the rocks." He smirked a little. "The thing about physics... Wait, what is it? It's, ah, distance equals velocity times time?" He looked up at the hunter. "Guess I should've told you to bring some scuba gear, huh?"
Back in the parking lot, Rebekah and Matt were braced against each other whilst the hunter circled them threateningly, one shove and the entire lot would be blown away, killing the human in the process. "Don't you two look cosy." He teased before walking back into the trailer leaving them alone.
"So... He seems nice." Matt's voice was thick with sarcasm which only made the blonde laugh but then stop herself warning him not to make her laugh because she would let him fall. "I'm wearing the Gilbert ring. I can't be killed by anything supernatural, so maybe if you're the one who detonates the bomb, then I won't die." He explained.
"Absolutely not." The blonde replied firmly shaking her head. "You'll blow into a billion pieces, the ring with it." She assumed as he replied that it was the only way. "Fine." She nodded her head sheer fear on her face. "The first rule of truly living: go the thing you're most afraid of." With that she crushed her lips against him passionately.
This took the human by surprise but he was more than happy to kiss back, he hadn't noticed but in one swift movement she had removed him off of the platform and stepped herself on it in his place, pulling away he smiled for a moment before looking down at their feet surprised. "What are you doing?"
"I can't be killed and you can't miss graduation." Rebekah replied giving him a sure smile as she added. "Please, go." He tried to tell her no but she commanded. "Run!" Hesitating for a moment more he glanced over at the trailer and then began to run through the cars getting to a safe distance. The hunter exited the trailed furiously asking what she had done. "I finally chose one of the good ones." She zipped off of the device out of the parking lot leaving the device to explode taking some of the cars with it.
Grace was pacing in front of the fire-place trying to decide what they should do next, Elena was sitting next to her boyfriend watching her sister with a concerned look on her face. "We have to do something. If those hunters give the cure to Silas-"
"They're not giving it to Silas." Stefan explained as she turned to him with a confused look on her face. "Wherever Damon is taking Vaughn right now, it's to stall, because Damon hasn't had time to bury Silas' body yet." She let out a breathy sigh. "And that's all you need to know right now." He assured them.
"Okay, fine." Grace breathed out before she felt that gnawing feeling on panic in the pit of her stomach. "We're stalling the hunters, but Damon is still dying." She explained.
"It was one bullet, and it was only laced." The younger Salvatore tried to assure her that everything was okay. "We still have a little bit of time. I will go to New Orleans myself and I will beg Klaus if I have to." He replied as he stood up grabbing a glass of bourbon.
"Then it's settled." Jeremy's voice came from the corner of them room. "You're going to graduation." He was holding two sets of caps and gowns as both of the girls shook their heads, now wasn't the time to put on fake smiles and say their last goodbye's to their friends before going off to college.
"No, I can't, I have to wait for Damon, I need to make sure he's okay." Grace sat down on the couch. When she saw her Gran walk into the room, sighing heavily she covered her face with her hands not wanting to be lectured. "I never even sent my college applications."
"Does it really look like I care about that?" Heidi took a gown from the younger boy walking towards her. "Your mother and father would kill you if there wasn't a photo of your look smart in this." The older woman passed it over to her as she told her that she wouldn't be able to be there. "Does it look like I'm going to be lonely? That Alaric seems to be a nice chap, I'll spend some time with him." She smiled.
Finally Grace gave in and stood up and took the gown smiling at it as she looked over to her sister who was waiting for her. "Let's go graduate." They both smiled gladly.
All the students were dressed up looking smart in their caps and gowns in the football field waiting for the ceremony to begin, Grace was walking through the crowd with Elena by her side leaving a voicemail for Niklaus. "... I know we haven't spoken since the night I turned it back on, but I could really use your help, Nik. Please. Call me back." She begged before sliding her phone in her pocket.
Waiting around Caroline wandered over to Bonnie with a look of concern on her face as she asked. "Where is everyone?" Looking around when Matt suddenly arrived beside them sorting out his attire, making sure his cap was on straight. "Where have you been?" She asked in a hiss.
"Oh, you know, making plans for the summer, dodging death by vampire hunter." He shrugged carelessly as the both smiled up at him before asking where the Gilbert's were, both of them arrived with Stefan by their side hugging their friends happily that they had finally made it to their senior year.
The blonde was smiling at them all. "I can't believe it. We're actually here. We are all here together!" She gushed before looking down at her witch friend to see tears lining her light-brown orbs. "Bonnie Bennett, are you crying?" She asked surprised, if anyone would be cry she wouldn't have guessed it would have been Bonnie first.
"It's our last hurrah before you guys go off to college." She explained as Caroline was quick to corrected her that it was 'we' and then them, obviously the blonde didn't know yet that the witch wouldn't be going with them anymore.
Clearing her throat the smaller Gilbert replied. "I... Kinda sorta missed the deadline." She informed them as her friends looked at her. "You know, being an emotionless bitch." She shrugged her shoulders, she wasn't fooling herself that she didn't do awful things during her time without humanity.
"Well, that's the perks of being a vampire – we can go wherever we wanna go." The blonde announced with a grin on her face. "We can choose our room-mates. We could – we could get two double rooms next to each other!" She announced enthusiastically as the rest of them laughed gently. "Group hug!" She announced.
"Ah, I don't – I don't hug..." Stefan tried to get out of it when they all laughed before the six of them all pulled in to a loving hug, so glad that all of them were there and they were going to be going through all of that together.
The ceremony soon started, all of the students were lined up in alphabetically order as Mayor Hopkins stood up on the stage at the podium. "Welcome parents, family, and friends." He greeted them all. "What a beautiful day for a graduation. Thank you for joining us today on this special day, as we celebrate our graduates. So let's get started." He announced looking down at the list and beginning. "John Albrecht... David Bance... Sarah Beasley..." He smiled at the next name. "Um, not to play favourites, but I am especially proud of this next graduate, my lovely daughter Bonnie Bennett."
Proudly the witch walked up onto the stage with a smile on her lips, she gave her father a loving hug as he told her quietly, just to her. "Congratulations. I'm so proud of you, sweetie." He told her as tears lined her eyes once more.
"Thanks, Dad." She smiled as he nodded. "For everything." Her voice broke as she took her diploma and walked off the stage, he almost sensed that something was wrong with her and it wasn't just the fact that she was leaving high school, frowning he continued the ceremony.
"Savannah Davis... Matt Donovan." Matt walked up onto the stage with a grin on his lips as he congratulated him and then walked down to sit in the crowd of students. "William Duncan... Caroline Forbes." The blonde walked up onto the stage with a very proud look on her face as she looked out at her mother in the crowd who sat there clapping her.
Looking down at the list Mayor Hopkins continued. "Matt Freeman... Elena Gilbert..." The brunette wandered up onto the stage looking over at her sister who was clapping giving her a kind smile as she smiled back at her before accepting her diploma and then walked off the stage to be with her friends. "Grace Gilbert..." She wandered up onto the stage smiling out at the crowd accepting her diploma and congratulations.
In the audience Bonnie was clapping for her friends watching as they all accepted and graduated from high school she was surprised when she heard a whisper in her ear. "Greetings, little witch." He purred as she grit her teeth stating that she thought Stefan had got rid of him. "He did, and I spent the night crawling out of a cement grave." He looked at the row behind him to see Aja sitting there. "Isn't that the witch your friend Caroline killed?"
The Bennett witch turned slowly to see Aja sitting there with a very scornful look on her face. "And over there, that's my hybrid friend, Adrian. Also dead." He nodded at the hybrid who had been put to an end by Niklaus. "In fact these seats are scattered with two dozen supernatural faces, all of whom have reason to lash out since their lives were sacrificed in order to make your Expression triangle. All they're waiting on is word from me." He informed her.
The witch rolled her eyes as she replied. "The veil goes back up tonight. Don't you have anything better to do than harass me and my friends?" She asked.
Laughing the deceased Original replied. "Well, that's the thing. I don't want to the veil to go back up. In fact, I want yo to drop it completely, so I and my fallen friends can live, Bonnie. It's time to pay the piper." He smirked at her.
They made their way inside the school and down into the boiler room. "The Kol I remember was adamantly against hell on earth." He smirked as he replied that he just wanted to be back on Earth, she lead him through to show him her body, creasing his eye brows he asked what it was. "It's me." She replied nodding her head. "I died last night. I'm a ghost, and I want the same thing you want. I don't want to be on the Other Side with unfinished business. I want my parents to see me go off to college, I want to decorate my dorm room with my best friends. I want to stay here, Kol. More than anything." She explained.
"Then what are we waiting for?" The Original quizzed. "Let's go it together." He suggested as he walked towards her but was stopped in his tracks by a wall he couldn't get past. "What have you done?" He demanded in a rough voice. Turning around he tried to exit through the door they had come through but was blocked once more by a magical barrier.
"This will hold you till dark." The witch informed him as he growled over at her. "Then, when the veil is back up, this town will be rid of you for good." She added as he asked about everything she had just said, of course she wanted that, but she wasn't going to put the rest of the world in danger so she could be happy. "It was true." She nodded. "But we don't always get what we want, do we?"
Over at the quarry the vampire and the hunter were still at the edge of the cliff, Vaughn carefully looked over the edge whilst point his gun at Damon. "What's wrong, laddie? Can't swim?" Damon mocked him in a bad Scottish accent as the hunter looked back over see a black swollen looking wound creeping up his neck. "Oh. Well, would you look at that." Damon muttered looking at it. "That is nasty." He commented.
"Connor." Vaughn laughed looking at the gun in his hand. "He must've laced these bullets with werewolf venom." He announced and Damon was quick to insult his ability to figure out what was going on which only made the Scot angrier shooting him in the leg making him drop to his knees. "That was all a lie, eh? You knew you were a dead man." He pulled out the cure which was attacked to a string around his neck. "Well, you don't get this back. Where'd you put Silas?" He demanded.
The older Salvatore only laughed softly feeling the venom beginning to spread throughout his body when he felt another bullet enter his body, in his chest this time. "One more jolt of werewolf toxin, and you'll be dead within minutes." He informed him logically. "Where's Silas?!" He demanded once more but the vampire wasn't about to tell him.
Shaking his head the hunter pointed the gun at his head about to squeeze the trigger and end his life but suddenly Alaric zipped behind him, reaching around and snapping his neck before throwing him over the cliff straight into the quarry. "Oops." Was Alaric's only response as he smiled at his friend.
Weakly the vampire opened his eyes and replied. "One slight problem." He was about to mention that on Vaughn's body the cure was begin held but the ghost held up the cure which was dangling on the end of the string asking if he meant that. "Yes. Yes, that." He breathed out feeling the venom rushing through his veins.
Back at the high school Mayor Hopkins had finished reading the names, Stefan, Caroline, Elena and Grace were under the bleachers speaking with Alaric on the phone whilst trying to get hold of anyone who might be able to help them. "I would love nothing more than to get out of here before Vaughn comes back to life, but Damon won't take the cure." Alaric's voice came through the speaker. "He said he doesn't want it."
Stefan sighed heavily hating how stubborn his brother could be. "Okay, just hang on a little longer. Grace's calling Klaus again." He informed the ghost looking over at the brunette who growled down her phone for him to please come to Mystic Falls.
"Stefan, we are past the point of Hail Mary phone calls." Alaric informed him. "What do you want me to do, stand here and watch him die, or force-feed him the cure?" He left the choice up to them as Grace looked over at the younger Salvatore with a look on her face, it seemed that they had no other choice. "Stefan?"
Their trains of thought were cut off when a high pitch noises whooshed through the air making them all clutch their heads in pain doubling over to see a group of people approaching. "Remember us, Caroline?" Aja's spiteful voice came over the noise that was causing them immense pain.
The witch held her hand out in front of her causing the agony to intensify when suddenly a cap whipped through hitting Aja straight in the head and ripping it clean off, the spell was ended and all the vampires looked up to see Klaus standing there with a smirk on his lips. "There are plenty more of these to go around. Who's next?" He looked at the witch who appeared to be backing off. "I can do this all day."
Grace watched as the older Salvatore accepted the blood from the hybrid, he leant against the wall as he looked between them both, she knew that she was going to have make some kind of decision in the end and everything seemed as if it was coming to a close. "... Love?" Klaus voice spilled out.
She was so lost in her train of thought that she hadn't even noticed the hybrid had moved to be standing in the doorway also, looking up at him politely she asked what he had said. "I was hoping to speak with you soon." He announced and she nodded her head before glancing over at Damon who was looking in the mirror at himself. "I'll give you two a moment." He walked from the room.
Twisting and untwisting her fingers she wandered further into the room sitting down on the bed for a moment before looking up at the Salvatore who was watching her through the mirror he was looking in, picking up his v-neck shirt he slid it over his head and put it back on. "Are you feeling better?" She quizzed in a light voice feeling something bubbling in her stomach. He told her that he was. "So, you're all healed up?" She stood up brushing her dress down delicately.
"Fresh as a daisy." He answered with a smirk and that only made her rage build, how he would be so carefree after he almost died, refusing to take the one thing that would heal him for good. He was surprised when he felt her cold hand strike across his cheek but he didn't react understanding why she was so mad. "Grace-" He said but she shook her head before turning and stalking from the room.
"Ouch." Lexi laughed from where she was sat with the rest of the ghosts, minus Jeremy who were all settled with drinks. "Can't say he didn't deserve it though." She shrugged her shoulders as the ghosts around her laugh.
"I just hope that she'll make the right choice." Heidi announced from where she was sat besides the blonde vampire who was telling her everything that was going on considering the older woman didn't have supernatural hearing like the others had, Stefan and Elena stepped into the room giving them all looks.
Stefan smirked looking over at Lexi and telling her. "You know, it's not polite to eavesdrop, right?" He scolded them all when across the room the brunette walked in with a soft look on her face, Stefan and Elena looked up at her a little concerned but when she asked to speak with them alone they agreed. "Sure." He nodded.
Lexi turned to the teacher and told him. "This could get interesting." She smiled as he replied it would, the smile slowly faded off her face as she remember where they would be heading real soon. "So, the Other Side..." She announced as the two other ghosts looked at her. "Not exactly a party, is it?"
"I've lived... better." Alaric admitted
Heidi looked between them, knowing she wasn't the oldest but she seemed to have a lot of lift experience told them. "You know there's something else out there, right?" She nodded at them as they looked at her. "There has to be. Silas' whole agenda was to find peace with his one true love, and whatever 'peace' is... it's out there. I figure once we've served our time for all the bad things we've done, then it's just about letting go, moving on."
"And how are we supposed to do that when the knuckle-heads we care about can't seem to keep their lives straight?" Alaric questioned from across from the other woman who laughed gently shaking her head softly a small giggle falling from her lips.
The couple were sitting in a library waiting as the brunette paced slowly in front of the fireplace, Elena asked kindly if something was wrong and she turned slowly back to them both smiling. "I just wanted to thank you. For trying when you could have just walked away, for believe that deep down under that bitch façade that I was still there. Even after everything that had happened. Neither of you have up on me."
"C'mon." Stefan chuckled wrapping his arm around Elena's waist lovingly. "We all knew you were still in there, you don't have to thank us." He assured her as the girl leaned down and placed someone on the table, removing her hand to reveal the cure, both of them seemed surprised for a moment. "What are you doing?"
"I can't think of anyone better to give it to. Either of you could use it a lot more than I can." She informed them as a soft smile brushed over her lips as they tried to argue. "Please, just use it or destroy it or... or give it to someone else." She laughed hopelessly. "I can't take it, Damon doesn't want it and you two deserve it more than anyone." She turned on her heels and walked from the room.
"That was very noble." Niklaus voice told her as she wandered out into the Salvatore garden standing on the steps with a bottle of bourbon in her hands. She looked over at him shrugging her shoulders innocently.
Moving to sit down on the steps he sat down beside her taking the bottle as she offered it to him. "Thank you, again." She nodded at him as replied it wasn't any problem. "But... How did you get here so fast?" She quizzed creasing her eye brows wondering how he had moved from New Orleans to Virginia so quickly.
"I got a lovely letter through the door." He handed it to her as she opened it to see Caroline had invited him on the brunette's behalf, she let out a breathy laugh as she looked up at him. "I suppose it's a good thing I chose to come after all, isn't it." He smiled at her as she blushed heavily. "I've missed that. Your smile."
"Thank you for coming and... and for saving Damon." She told him, she couldn't fight it anymore, it sounded awful but after everything that they had gone through he was like family to her and she loved him to some extent. "I didn't think I was going to see you again after... After that whole humanity thing." She told him gulping.
"As if I'd miss the most important day of your school year." He told her as tears prickled her eyes her grin only getting wider as he held his arm out for her to have and she took it. "I'm sure you know by now but I am leaving Mystic Falls and moving to New Orleans for good this time and I won't be coming back." He informed her. "I have important business over there that I can't ignore."
"Yeah, I, uh, I heard." She nodded her head. "I hope that you find everything you're looking for, Nik. You deserve it after everything." She smiled up at him as he gave her a soft smile, licking her lips she turned to be face him. "Maybe now the people of Mystic Falls can sleep easy knowing the Big-Bad hybrid had moved on." She teased but the look on his face wasn't humorous and that made her nervous.
After a moment he just came out with it. "Come with me." Her stomach clenched uncomfortable tight she thought she was about to vomit. "We can be together. After everything we've been through you can admit how you feel. Please." He was begging now looking deeply into her eyes, reaching up she stroked his cheek tenderly leaning forward and kissing the most loving kiss to his stubbled cheek.
"I care for you, deeply. Maybe I love you... I can admit that." She whispered in a voice that made his heart pound before pulling back. "But this is my hometown and this is my life." She blinked away the tears that were threatening to fall. "Your life is living large in New Orleans and being King of the town which is rightfully yours, but this..." She looked around. "This is my Queendom." She smiled tears building in her eyes. "And I love it."
Stepping towards her he placed his hand on her lower back before telling her. "You could be my Queen. You and I, we could rule New Orleans together." He suggested as she turned back to him about speak but he shook his head. "But you won't because I know you." There was no spite to his voice, he expected it to happen, he prepared himself, Elijah had told him to. "I will never forget any of the time we spent together."
She paused for a moment before looking up at him and saying. "You've been so good to me and I've been so awful to you." He shook his head but she only continued. "And I know a lot of people would say that it was around the other way but you only offered your heart to me and every time I declined. But you're persistent and cocky." They both laughed a little. "And I will never forget you."
"My door is always open for you." He told her as she smiled at him tears in her eyes trying not to let any fall. "And if you ever find yourself wanting to talk, well you know my number and you have my email." He informed her with a breathy smile before he leaned forward and pressed the most sweet kiss on her forehead. "Damon is your first love and I can see you need him so deeply. I did intend to be your last." He put his head down. "Whether that will happen, I don't know... But I will always be here for you." He smiled. "Only you." She leaned up and kissed his cheek tenderly. "I should really be going, before 12 angry hybrids decide to pick a fight."
"I understand." She whispered he felt his hand stroke against her head looking up she saw him zip away from her leaving her standing out there in the cold on her own, it almost felt like a piece of her heart was gone, but it was also light a weight had been lifted from her chest, she didn't like keeping Klaus waiting and she also didn't like hurting Damon.
Drying away the tears that had fallen the girl walked back through the house, this was it she was so angry at Damon but that was just one of the things that made her love him so much more. She found him standing in the library staring intently into the fire. She strode into the room. "I wanted to apologise..." She cut him off by saying good and crossing her arms over her chest. "Let me finish. I said I wanted to. And then I realised, I'm not sorry."
Grace scoffed. "Well, that's just you all over isn't it, Damon. You'd rather die than become human, you're rather die than let me go ask Klaus for help. Do you really expect me to just sit back and let that happen to you? Did you really think I wasn't going to do something about it? I'm not okay with that."
The older vampire growled as he turned back to her. "I didn't say you were supposed to be okay with it, I just said I'm not sorry. But you know what I really am? Selfish, because I make bad choices that hurt you and your family. Yes, I would rather die than become human. I'd rather die right now than spend a handful of years with you, only to lose you when I'm too old and sick and miserable and you're still this perfect, beautiful vampire that I fell in love with."
She let out a shaky breath about to argue with him, but he just continued. "I'd rather die right now than spend my last years remembering how good I had it and how happy I was, because that's who I am, Gracie, and I'm not gonna change. You should realise that by now." She nodded her head. "And there's no apology in the world that encompasses all the reasons that I'm wrong for you." He paused. "So you should just go and be happy, without me."
She blinked a couple of times looking at him. "I am not going anywhere, we have both invested too much time into this relationship and I love you too much to walk away." Her voice broke as she took a couple of steps towards him. "But I'm not sorry either. I'm not sorry that I met you. I'm not sorry that being with you is one of the most frustrating things I've ever had to go through." He chuckled breathlessly. "I'm not sorry that I think some of the choices you make are rash and stupid, because they are. You've been a terrible person, you've made some choices that have really made me question my views on everything and whether you're the person I want to be with for eternity." He nodded slowly thinking that this was going to be it.
"But I am not walking away, because you are the best decision I ever made and we may drive each other crazy sometimes, but that's why we work." He looked up at her his eyes lighting up as the words came from her mouth. "I'm not sorry I'm in love with you. So deeply and madly I'm willing to look past every single bad thing you've done and I'm here right now telling you, I love you, Damon."
With that he grabbed her by her waist and yanked her towards him pressing the most passionately kiss he had ever given anyone on her lips, she moaned against him running her fingers through his raven-black locks as he smiled gripping on to her only kissing her deeper which she loved. Pulling away for a moment he told her. "Let's go away." Her eyes lit up. "For the summer, I can do what I promised and show you the world, then you can come back and go to college." He gazed deeply into her chocolate-brown orbs. "If that's what you want."
"You're what I want, Damon. Always." She whispered leaning up onto her tip-toes and pressing a sweet kiss to his lips.
Back upstairs Stefan smiled over at his girlfriend before telling her. "It sounds like Damon and Grace are going to be busy packing... I guess I should go get rid of Silas." He suggested as she got up about to come with him but he wandered across the room and placed the most darling kiss on her lips before telling her. "I'll handle this, alright? There is someone you need to say goodbye to." He reminded her.
Looking down she sighed. "I'm going to miss him, but you're right, I should go find him and say goodbye." She nodded her head he leaned forward and brushed a lock of hair from her face as she leaned up and kissed him on the lips. "I'll see you when you get back?" She quizzed and he nodded his head.
Not long after Stefan was downstairs loading the car with Silas' body which was covered over with a blanket when he heard footsteps coming towards him, looking over his shoulder Damon was standing there with a genuine smile on his face as he nursed a glass of blood. "Stefan?" He answered that he was going to the quarry to bury the body. "Yeah, I don't think anyone's gonna stumble on him there... Do you want me to come with-"
Stefan chuckled. "No, I think I'm okay, plus I got Lexi coming with me." He informed him as the raven black-haired vampire turned around nodding his head. "Hey, Damon." He called as the older brother looked over his shoulder at him. "I'm really happy for you and Grace. You both deserve each other. Just... Don't mess it up, alright?" He smirked.
"I'll do my best." He replied with a soft grin on his face sipping his glass of blood before replying. "I guess I'll see you when I get back from wherever Grace and I are going." He nodded as Stefan smiled nodding his head.
In the underground cave under the high school Jeremy wandered into the cave to meet up with Bonnie like he had arranged. "Hey." He announced as she looked over at him. "I needed to see you." He told her as a soft smile pulled over her lips and she nodded her head, she understood that feeling.
"I need to close the veil, Jer." The witch explained hiding her inner pain that she would be disappearing to the Other Side with them all. "The hybrids, and the hunters-"
Jeremy nodded his head as he cut her off saying. "I get it. I'm ready." He informed her confidently, but she knew he would be joining them there, the spell that she had done to try and bring him back had killed but he didn't know that, not yet. "I just... wanted to be with you when it happened." Tears sparkled in her beautiful brown orbs.
Clearing her throat lightly she asked. "Did you, Grace and Elena...?"
"I can't." He shook his head gently before adding. "I can't say goodbye to them. We said 'no tears' and... I left her a letter. She'll find it when all this is over. I'm ready." He announced as the witch closed her eyes making the flames from the torches placed around them ignite more in a roaring flame.
Grace was wandering down the hall of the high school with her Gran by her side, she had agreed to go with her to find her witch friend. "If it's any consolation I think you made the right choice, Grace." Heidi reached over and stroked her Granddaughter's back lovingly as they continued to walk. "Damon will make you happy, I can see that now."
She let out a breathy laugh as she replied. "I just... It hurts knowing that I've hurt him." She didn't expect the tear to roll down her cheek, her Gran stopped her turning the younger girl to face her and brushed the tear away swiftly. "I'm sorry." She looked down almost ashamed. "I know I shouldn't be talking about Klaus to you, after what he did-"
"Shh, dear." Heidi cooed but the brunette refused to look up at her, she could already feel the pull of the Other Side drawing her back, she knew her time was coming to an end once again. "I am so proud of you and nothing is ever going to change that, whether you chose your Salvatore or the hybrid. I love you." She pressed her lips to her Granddaughter's forehead and the vampire reviled in the feeling before it vanished.
Opening her eyes she saw that she had been left alone in the dimly lit hallway, she was gone back to the Other Side with the rest of the ghosts, she bit her bottom lip as she looked around her hoping to see some kind of sign of her anywhere but only a cold shiver down her spine. "I love you." She hiccuped out.
Back at the Salvatore boarding house Damon wandered into the library to see his ghostly friend was gazing out of the window, he went straight for the decanter of bourbon pouring two drinks. "Moon's full." Alaric noted, the vampire knew what he was getting at but didn't want to acknowledge it. "Where's Grace?"
"She went with her Gran to go find Bonnie and Jeremy, Elena said something about meeting her there." Damon replied as he took a sip of his bourbon before looking over at his best friend who stood there with a knowing smile on his lips. "What?" He smirked trying to brush off the look.
A full smile spread across his face. "You got the girl, man." He grinned nodding his head. "She chose you." He stood behind him watching the smile spread across his vampire friends face, if that was the last thing he was going to see before going back to the Other Side then he was more than happy with going now, and he could sure feel the pull drawing him in. "Just don't screw it up."
Damon chuckled darkly. "You're the second person to say that to me tonight-" He cut himself off when he felt an icy breeze, looking up see saw that Alaric was gone and only nodded. "I won't mess it up, buddy." He promised into the emptiness of the room.
"You know, you could take Elena away on a short break..." Lexi suggested from where she sat next to her best friend driving to the quarry. Stefan smiled. "New York?" She quizzed and he shook his head. "Vegas! You could have one of those quick weddings where Elvis marries you!" She laughed and Stefan gave her a look. "All joking aside, I am so proud of you, Stefan. Really proud." She smiled at him.
"I hate that you have to leave me again." He sighed heavily tightening his grip on the steering wheel.
The blonde let out a soft laugh. "Would you prefer murderous hunters running around poisoning all the people you love?" She reached across patting his knee. "You know that this has to happen, and just know that you're never alone, I'll also be here to look over you, forever." She smiled with tears in her eyes.
"Are you crying?" He teased as she shrugged out a no before pulling out a disk from her handbag and slotting it into the CD player, their favourite singer blasted through the speakers Bon Jovi, for a few minutes they rocked out, laughing and having fun before he found himself alone in the car, glancing over to the passenger seat and turned down the music and whispered. "Bye, Lexi."
Elena opened the door to the boiler room slowly creasing her eye brows looking around for any sign of her brother or her best friend. "Bonnie, Jer, are you guys in here?" She called out looking around. "Grace?" She said when she heard footsteps but she saw a face that terrified her.
"Well, well." Kol's snide voice growled out at her. "Speaking on unfinished business." He growled out throwing her to the ground violently making her call out arching her back in sheer pain bracing herself for what was about to happen, he growled and pounce on her but before she felt his jaws he had vanished from on top of her leaving her there on the ground breathing hard trying to regain her strength.
In the quietness of the room she heard a noise from the ground above her. Upstairs in the school hallway she heard a whooshing that made her nervous, standing up slowly blinked a couple of times before beginning to slowly walk up the stairs holding the back of her head which had been split when she hit the ground, but was slowly healing.
Grace was making her was to the boiler room when suddenly she heard a whooshing sound behind her, turning she saw no one there which made her nervous she cleared her throat before she heard it behind her and turned swiftly to see that no one was there either, suddenly she felt a light tap on her shoulder, turning her heart dropped to her stomach as her eyes widened.
"Happy graduation, Kitten." She purred before lashing out and shoving her doppelgänger across the hallway straight into a row of lockers.
In the underground cave Bonnie was continuing her spell whilst the younger Gilbert waited there patiently for it to be done. Prying her eyes open for a moment she told him "It's almost closed." She was spending her final moments in the land of the living with him and she couldn't think of anyone she would want to be there with.
"So this is it?" Jeremy asked feeling his heart pounding uncomfortably fast in his chest as he watched her. "Cause there are a million things I wanted to say to you, but now nothing seems quite right." He couldn't find the words she wanted to say, and she couldn't think of anything she would want to hear.
Bonnie gulped. "Then don't say anything." She answered before closing the distance between them and planting a loving kiss on his lips, the torches around them suddenly flared up one final time before extinguishing leaving them both in completely darkness looking at each other for a couple of seconds.
The younger boy gasped loudly backing away from her clutching his chest in clear pain, looking up at the witch he asked. "What's happening?" She breathed out a small laugh her eyes lighting up with triumphant, what she had died for, it had worked and he was back with his sisters for good. "What is it?"
"It worked, Jer." She told him with an amazed smile on her lips. "I did a spell that brought you back." His eyes widened, he hadn't been told that she had even attempted to do that. "I didn't think it would work, but I – I closed the veil and you're still... here." She grinned as he blinked a couple of times trying to get his head around everything.
"I'm alive?" He quizzed and she nodded quickly tears sparkling in her eyes as he struggled for words, it was another of those times when no words were needed, rushing towards her looking deeply into her eyes as he watched her placing her hand on his neck, but he didn't feel her. "I can't feel your hand." He whispered as she gulped. "What's going on, Bonnie? Why can't I feel you?"
"It's okay." She whimpered nodding her head but he demanded to know what she had done. "I have the witches, and my Grams... You can see ghosts, we can talk whenever we want." She assured him as his eyes widened, she was telling him that she was dead and clearly he wasn't taking it very well.
Jeremy stuttered out. "No... No!" He growled. "No, you can't be dead."
She only gave him a sad smile as he watched her through glassy brown orbs. "Do me this one favour: you tell Grace, Elena and Caroline that I'm spending this summer with my mom." She begged and he tried to reason with her telling her that they needed to know, but she only shook her head. "For the first time in forever, my friends are okay. I don't want to take that from them." She added before walking past the younger Gilbert about to walk through to the door. "I'm gonna be okay, I promise." She whispered.
The witch walked across the room to her Grams who was waiting there for her, reaching over she took her hand giving one final smile to the Gilbert boy before they Bennett's walked away together, together again finally.
Over at the Lockwood mansion the front door was knocked so the human that was living in the house on his own wandered over to see what was going on, opening the door he saw Rebekah standing there with a nervous smile on her lips. "Hey..." He looked her up and down. "What are you doing here?"
"I just wanted to see if you were okay." The blonde replied shrugging her shoulders as she watched him. "Rough day and whatnot." She answered as he breathed out rubbing the back of his neck.
Matt took a second before he replied. "Thanks." She looked as if she was expecting something but he had only just got the deed to this house and didn't want to invite every single vampire in town into it, that would defy the object of Tyler giving it to him. "Look, I'd invite you in, but I promised I was gonna keep this a low-vampire zone."
The Original nodded understandingly, it wasn't exactly why she had come here, but now she felt overly awkward as she stuttered over her words. "I know that we were under duress today, so... whatever, you know, plans that we were making... I understand if you don't want to." She informed him feeling her heart begin to ache in her chest.
"You and I..." Matt began looking her dead in the eye. "This isn't going to work. I need to keep my love life a low-vampire zone, too, okay?" He informed her as she plastered a fake smile on her face telling him that she got it before turning to leave feeling the aching in her heart begin to grow. "So whatever happens on the road, stays on the road, alright?" He continued making her turn back to him with a large grin pulling over her face. "That little wedding town in Italy? Don't get any ideas about turning me into a vampire so that we can live eternally ever after, you know what I mean?"
Rebekah paused for a second before replying. "I'm sorry, are you saying...?"
"I've never set foot outside of this town." Matt informed her as she grinned a little more. "I have no college plans, no idea what the future holds for me... But I do know that it's time that I started truly living. And, since you almost killed me this year, I figured it's your obligation to show me how." The Original laughed breathlessly telling him that it was okay gazing deeply into each others eyes.
Fayth kicked straight into the younger girls stomach sending her back through a set of double doors sliding on her back holding her stomach feeling her ribs were cracked but would soon heal. "What are you doing?" She coughed out as the doppelgänger began to stalk towards her in her giant heels.
"Would you believe I'm having a bad day?" She grabbed Grace by her shoulders picking her up and launching her across the room into another wall of lockers, she used the lockers to pull herself back up but Fayth zipped across the room and kicked her leg up to press her heel against the base of the younger girls throat trapping her there. "It started when Bonnie denied me my Silas-like immortality."
Choking out the brunette replied sharply. "Of course, because Fayth Pierce can't be happy with good old vampire-caliber immortality." She growled out managing to use some strength to shove the older girl off making her lose her footing and fall to the floor but she was up before she knew it grabbing her arm and throwing her back against some lockers.
Bouncing off them the girl quickly ripped off one of the doors that had opened at the force of her hitting them and swung the door against Fayth's face hoping to do some damage but it didn't affect her. She grabbed the door from her hands wielding it in her hand. "I deserved it. I never had a graduation, or a prom, or, you know, a life. But you did." She growled out scornfully as she hit the younger girl with the door sending her back a couple of paces trying to shake the dizziness away. "You have everything, and it's not because you're a good girl who deserves happiness, it's because you stole mine." She threw the door towards her but Grace was quick to dodge looking back to see the locker door lodge into a wooden door.
"I stole your happiness?" Grace spat out with fury building in her eyes. "You killed Jeremy!" She growled at her as Fayth zipped across the room heading straight for her but Grace blocked the attack sending her flying down the hall.
Pushing herself back up she replied. "I'll admit, that was nasty." She shrugged her shoulders but this time Grace came at her, quickly the older girl grabbed her arm twisting it and cracking it uncomfortably before pushing her in the direction of the wall, her head smashed against a fire emergence glass case and she dropped to the floor in pain glass sticking out the side of her face.
Fayth wandered across the room picking up a janitors mop that was set against the wall, she snapped it in half over her knee making it sharp and daggered before wandering over to the younger girl who was on her back trying to pull shards of glass out of her face. "I have nothing." She brought the wooden object down onto the girl making her call out as it slammed against her tender ribs. "But I'm about to change that." She kicked the girl hard in the face.
Slowly Grace licked her swollen lips as blood trickled down her face looking up at her doppelgänger she hissed out weakly. "Kicking someone while they're down... Classy till the end, Fayth." She growled out before looking behind her to see a shadow lurking in the door way but she remained quiet.
"Your end." She answered as she stabbed the broken end of the mop into her throat, gasping her back arched as she struggled against it, but Fayth stepped on her hand making sure she couldn't use it, the younger girl could feel her vision beginning to go blurry as she looked up at the snide look on Fayth's face.
Yanking the stick out of Grace's throat she took in a breath before suddenly the wood was plunged into her chest making her call out louder. "Bye-bye, Kitten." She purred twisting the mop, she didn't expect a flash of chocolate brown curls to zip across the room, Elena grabbed Fayth and shoved the cure into her mouth shoving her jaw up so that glass shattered into her mouth.
The cure was now gone and given to someone who didn't ever want it, but it was cosmic karma on the Petrova who fell to the floor shutting her eyes unconscious, Elena was quick to help her twin up as she looked down at the older girl on the floor a smirk on her lips as she replied. "Have a nice human life, Fayth." With that Elena helped the girl exit the school limping and holding her side. "Thank you for coming to save me, Elena. I'm... I'm sorry about the cure."
The taller girl shrugged carelessly before answering. "I'm just glad you're safe."
Stefan had finally arrived at the quarry, opening the trunk of his car he pulled out the bag that was holding Silas throwing it to the ground to see that it hearing the loose clinking of stone which made him nervous, opening it fully he saw that nothing was in there but shards of stone that would have been encasing Silas. "Don't bother." A voice came from behind him. "I'm not there." Elena was standing there but immediately the younger Salvatore knew it wasn't her.
"Silas." Stefan breathed out watching he approach slowly. "You were stone. They saw you, the spell worked." he tried to explain.
Silas smirked as he tilted his head to the side. "That's the funny things about spells – they're bound by Nature. Nature demands balance, so every spell has a loophole." He explained as Stefan creased his eye brows. "The spell that turned me into stone was bound by a witch – a living witch. So when that witch died, the spell broke."
"Bonnie?" Stefan questioned. "Bonnie's not dead."
"It doesn't matter, does it?" Silas answered rolling his eyes. "And here's where the mystery of me comes full circle. I created the immortality spell two thousand years ago. I can never die, so Nature needed to find a balance – a version of me that could die. A shadow-self – a doppelgänger." He explained.
Stefan let out a breath as he replied. "So, this is finally your real face? You're another one of her?" He questioned thing that Silas was going to be another Elena, but that didn't seem to make sense, he thought if he saw another Elena running around a Grace wouldn't be far behind.
"Not exactly." Silas smirked and Stefan watched as he his skin began to shift, his height increased and then there he was standing there in front of him, like a mirror had been placed there, Stefan was staring at himself. "Hello, my shadow-self." He purred as he stalked towards his doppelgänger suddenly stabbing him in the gut with a stake making him call out in pain. "Do you have any idea what it's like to starve for two thousand years?"
Silas smirked as he saw the huge safe that was there for his body, but he thought of a much better plan. Shoving the Salvatore back into it he swung the door closed and made sure it was locked before he tipped it over the cliff sending it over the edge down in to the quarry beneath as watched as the safe began to sink to the very bottom.
On the inside Stefan looked around the darkness feeling a clench of panic in his stomach as he gasped for air as the water began to trickle in through the gap, banging his fists as hard as he could against the door it was no use the water was already too high rising above his neck and finally he was lost under the water that was beginning to fill his lungs.
A/N
So, here it is, the finale chapter for this season, I hope you're all hyped up for the next one because it should be out pretty soon. This chapter was so much fun to write and I have to admit I had a little cry to myself whilst I was writing it because it was sad for a lot of different reasons.
Grace finally made her choice and it was Damon, I know some of you were really routing for Klaus/Grace but this is where this story has to end up being and I hope you're all okay with her decision, it doesn't mean that she is going to lose contact with him, she'll always care about him of course but she did choose Damon.
Tell me what you thought of this chapter and how it ended as a whole and for the love-triangle, were you happy? Did you want to see something else? Let me know I love hearing what you have to say. Do you want Grace and Damon to go anywhere special on their vacation away from Mystic Falls? Is there anything you want to see next season? How do you think Fayth will fare being a human?
I've always been thinking about writing a AU where Grace chooses Klaus instead to see how that would go and what would happen between them and have her leave Mystic Falls and go to New Orleans with him, let me know if you would like to see something like that.
If you want to ask Grace Gilbert any questions about this chapter or anything you have on your mind then ask her anything at ask-grace-gilbert . tumblr ask (take out the spaces)
If you want to follow me other blog for story updates and anything else then go to proud-salvatore . tumblr . com (again take out the spaces)
Finally if you wanna see the outfits for Grace then check out my polyvore page graciiieee
Answers and responses below:
Nymartian: I'm really glad that you liked this chapter with everything. I hope you like this chapter and who Grace finally chose.
runawaycherry93: Glad you liked it and that's really sweet how you were teary eyed when you read that Grace saw her family again.
xxxRena: I didn't kill one of the Petrova sisters, I didn't have it in me to actually kill one of them, but I did give one of them a fate worse than death to her so we'll see how she copes in the future.
Guest: I think that you're gonna like this chapter if you want Grace with Damon. Hope you enjoy.
Chloe: I'm really glad that Grace and Elena are sisters again, I've missed writing their scenes.
mfmxxx: They've been fighting most of this season and now their finally good and their emotions are sorted out, if I didn't have them sisters again by the end of the season then it would have felt like a loose end, their sisters at the end of the day and they would die for each other.
PattyFleur87: I'm really happy for the Gilbert's too, I hope you like who Gracie chose.
Nicole: Yeah, there was no way around having Bonnie die as much as I hated writing it because Bon-Bon is one of my favourite characters, but she can be with her Grams now. I definitely see where you're coming from about Koace, they would have been great friends if he hadn't tried to kill her family, I imagine they would be like Stefan and Lexi, I would love to see them interact more, but I guess that it for that relationship. We did have a nice little Klace moment and some kisses. And for the cat-fight it was more Grelena vs. Fayth
Mia Salvatore: Thank you, I'm really glad that you liked the chapter. Totally agree with you, felt great having the gang back in action and I will be updating soon with my version of season five.
ddluzelle: Wow, I'm really glad that you liked it that much. I hope you liked this chapter and that it didn't make you cry that much.
SomebodyWhoCares: Mm-hmm
Ghostwriter: I was really glad to see Lexi back too, she's one of my favourites in the entire series so I was glad to see her again. I guess Stefan drew the short-straw and ended up in the safe, poor baby. Glad you liked the chapter though.
winxgirl1995: Here's an update, hope you enjoy.
Graciiee