On the Other Side, Rose was still near the caves. That's when Anna and Pearl appeared. "I'm glad you're here." Rose said.
"I could feel you calling." Anna said. "What's up?"
"Well, first of all, I'm glad you haven't passed on yet. It seems our living friends still need some help." Rose said.
"Looks like your duty isn't over yet." Pearl said.
"I don't want to lose you again, though." Anna said.
"You won't. Now that we're together again, nothing will separate us." Pearl put her hand on her daughter's shoulder.
"You should get to the high school. Something we found out in these ancient sketches have given Elena the idea to talk to Rebekah." Rose said.
"Got it." Anna said. "Don't worry, I'll make sure that Original doesn't attempt to kill her."
By the time she got to the high school, she found Elena walking off the field. "Elena!" She called.
"Anna?" Elena walked over to her. "How are you still here?"
"Apparently I still have some unfinished business, even now that I'm back with my mother." Anna said.
"Well, I'm glad you're still here." Elena said.
"So, what's going on here?"
"Tried talking to Rebekah. She's not saying anything."
"Maybe that's a good thing."
"She's afraid of Mikael." Elena said. Anna flinched at the mention of his name. "What is it?"
"Well, she has a good reason. I heard he's one of the most powerful vampires in existence, and also the most dangerous." Anna said.
"But if we have any chance against Klaus…"
"I know, but if any of you cross him, he'll destroy you guys." Anna explained. "Look, that's not even the point. Point is, if Rebekah gets pissed enough, she'll end you before you finish speaking."
"So you're just here as a bodyguard?" Elena asked.
"Someone's gotta keep an eye on everyone's favorite human." Anna pointed out, smiling.
"Does Jer know…"
"No." Anna said. "I've been too to see him." Despite everything that happened, some of the others had seen Jeremy and Bonnie break up that night. She wasn't ready to face either one of them yet.
"Anyway, I think I'm meeting Rebekah later."
"I'll come with you. Just to be on the safe side."
Meanwhile, Lexi saw Damon in the cell she locked Stefan in. "What are you doing?" Lexi asked.
"Look, let's face it, Lexi, your plan's not going to work this time." Damon said. "Going on an all-animal diet isn't going to work, because if he has human blood again, we'll be back to where we started."
"You know, Klaus may wanna keep Elena alive, but that doesn't mean she's safe with Rebekah."
"If you really believed that, then you'd protect her if you thought she was in any danger from that blonde bitch." Lexi pointed out.
"You've really given up, haven't you?" Damon asked him.
"Actually, this is my happy face."
"Right." Lexi rolled her eyes. "You know, the animal thing was supposed to be temporary, anyway. At least until he could learn to control the human blood thing."
"And how'd that work the first dozen times?" Damon pointed out.
"Like I'm the first one to make a mistake, you're the one who freed the tomb vampires."
"Touché." Damon undid the chains surrounding his brother. "Feel free to come with us." He told her. They left the dark room.
At the Boarding House, Anna shadowed Elena as the entered. Rebekah walked over to her, smiling. "Hey! What's up?"
"You invited me over? To talk?" Elena said.
"All right girls." A group of girls appeared, modelling dresses. "O.k. now turn please."
"You compelled your own private runway show?"
"Damn, how come I never thought of that?" Anna asked. Elena looked at her, surprised.
"I need a Homecoming dress." Rebekah explained. "So, what do you think? Pick one!"
"I'm not here to help you shop! I'm here to talk about why you don't want me to wake up Mikael." Just then Rebekah ran over to one of the girls.
"I said "pick one", Elena."
"The... red one." Elena said.
"Yeah. It wasn't so hard, was it?" She turned to the girls. "Go away! Remember nothing!" They all left the room. "You do not threaten me! You'll learn what I allow you to learn. Is that clear?"
Elena nodded. Anna stayed close to her, wondering if Rebekah had a split personality disorder.
They went up to Stefan's room. "How fun is this...?"
"We shouldn't be here..." Elena began.
"'course we should! Come on, like you've never wanted to snoop." Rebekah said. Anna and Elena exchanged a glance. Rebekah pulled something out of one of his drawers. "Boxer briefs. A lot has changed from the twenties." Anna blushed, suddenly feeling embarrassed for coming.
"Are you gonna root through his stuff all night or you're gonna start to tell me your story?" Elena asked.
"Ah... you really are no fun." Rebekah sighed. "What do you want to know?"
"Well, Elijah said that your father was a landowner in Europe. How did you guys end up here?"
"My parents had just started a family, when a plague struck their homeland. They lost a child to it. They wanted to escape and protect their future family from the same fate." Rebekah explained.
"So, how did you end up here? This part of the world hadn't even been discovered yet." Elena said.
"Not by anyone in your history books. But my mother knew the witch Ayanna, who heard from the spirits of a mystical land where everyone was healthy." Rebekah told her. Blessed by the gifts of speed and strength; that lead my family here, where we lived amongst those people."
"The werewolves?"
"To us they were just our neighbors. My family lived in peace with them for over 20 years, during which time my family had more children, including me." Rebekah said.
"You make it sound so normal."
"It was."
"Well, that explains why she's been acting half-decent today so far." Anna said. Elena glanced at her briefly before turning back to Rebekah.
"Once a month my family retreated in caves beneath the village. The wolves would howl through the night and by morning we'd return home." Rebekah told them. "One full moon, Klaus and my youngest brother Henric snuck out to watch the men turn into beasts. That was forbidden. Henric paid the price. And that was the beginning of the end of peace with our neighbors. And one of the last moments my family had together as humans."
Just then, Elena's phone started ringing. "You better get back. Gotta be Damon checking up on you."
"How does she know everything?" Anna asked.
"Maybe cause she glanced at my caller ID." Elena said. "Hello? Damon? Where are you?" Anna couldn't hear the other side of the conversation. "Yes, I'm fine, but I can't talk right now." She frowned. "Is that Stefan? Damon! How could you let him out?"
At the bar, Lexi was with the guys. Damon was still on the phone with Elena. "I got his back, Elena." He hung up on her before she could start ranting at him again. He turned to his brother. "What are we drinking?"
"For me something a little bit warmer, blonder..."
"Hi!" A waitress came up to them then.
"Okay, make sure no one gets killed here." Lexi said.
"I've got this." Damon told her. He turned to the girl. ""Hello..." He glanced at her nametag. "Callie. I would love a shot of your best whiskey and my brother here would love a shot of you." Lexi could feel Damon compel the woman. She didn't know how, it was just a feeling she had.
"What's the catch, Damon?"
"No catch, brother. Drink up. It's on me."
"I can see you've got this slightly under control." Lexi said. "But I'm still not sure…"
"You can stay or go, it's your choice." Damon pointed out.
About an hour later, they were sitting at a table. Lexi was next to Stefan. "You've been on this "bunny diet" for a better part of 50 years." Damon said. "So, how is it that "Saint Stefan" of all people is good at a drinking game?"
"Oh "bunny diet" gave me a lot of time to practice." Stefan told him. "A while on despair, drowning guilt, regreting my existence- it's precision born out of tragic boredom. Drink up, brother!"
"All that after ways to try tell you how boring you are and now you finally agree with me?" Damon asked, disbelieving.
"I never thought he was boring." Lexi pointed out.
"Yeah, but out of the two of you, you were the cool one."
"Don't flirt with me, Damon." Lexi looked angry. "I still haven't forgiven you for that incident. Trust me, when you betray a girl like that, she remembers it for life, and her afterlife, apparently."
"Damon, you are worse than Elena. Getting me drunk, brotherly bonding - what do you think: I'll break down and you get call me back from the edge, is that it?"
"I happen to like the edge, Stefan. Your problem is your inability to resist falling over it." Damon pointed out. "All or nothing, man. Can't just be."
"That's something we can agree on." Lexi said.
Back in Stefan's room, Anna and Elena were watching as Rebekah read through one of Stefan's diaries. "Did you get your fill of snooping yet?" Elena asked.
"Seriously, how many of these does your boyfriend have?" Anna said. Elena gave her a look.
"Honestly, I don't get you two as a couple." Rebekah said, looking at a picture of the two of them.
"Why would you? You don't know anything about who he really is." Elena said.
"I know exactly who he is. He's a vampire. We're a predatory species. We don't have time to care about humans and their silly little lives."
"Is that why you did that runway show earlier? 'Cause you don't care about the Homecoming Dance?" Elena pointed out. "You know, I'm just gonna go."
"You're giving up?" Anna asked her, trying to keep up as they walked through the house. "That's not like you."
"You haven't even heard half the story." Rebekah said, coming after them.
"And you are not going to tell it." Elena said, turning around. "You're just bored and looking for someone to push around. Find someone else to play with! Maybe you can compel yourself a friend."
"The necklace wasn't Stefan's to give." Rebekah said. "It belonged to the original witch."
"The one who put the hybrid curse on Klaus?" Elena asked.
"Not just the hybrid curse. She's the one who turned us into vampires." Rebekah said.
"Wait, now I'm really confused." Anna said. Elena nodded.
"Our parents found a spell that could protect us from the same fate as Henrik. I overheard them talking about it with Ayana."
"So, vampirism was a form of protection?" Elena asked.
"What else would it be?"
"A curse?"
"My parents only saw a way of keeping their children alive." Rebekah said.
"Makes sense to me." Anna said. "My mother and I turned because the town we lived in before coming here was struck with an influenza epidemic." Elena seemed surprised by this. "We would've been killed by it if we hadn't become vampires."
"That explains so much." Elena told her. Rebekah raised an eyebrow. Elena turned her attention back to her. "So, why stay if they were so afraid of the werewolves? Why not leave?"
"Pride." Rebekah answered. "My father didn't want to run anymore: He wanted to fight and be superior to the wolves. Where they could bite we had to bite harder. Where they had speed we had to be faster. Agility, strength, senses..."
"Okay, but wasn't that spell dark magic?" Anna pointed out. "I'm pretty sure her witch friend was against that."
"Ayana refused to help us, saying that doing the spell would have dark consequences." Rebekah continued. "So our father left the situation in our mother's hands."
"In her hands? How could she do anything?" Elena asked.
"Because my mother was also a witch."
"What?" Elena and Anna looked at each other. Judging from how surprised Anna looked, Elena knew she had no idea about this.
"The witch of the original family. The original witch." Rebekah told her.
"That same crazy witch that tried to convince Vicki Donovan to kill you?" Anna asked. "Unbelievable." Elena nodded. "Though that would explain why Rebekah's half crazy."
"Not the time." Elena whispered. The three of them entered the library.
"Where do they keep their best vintage?" Rebekah wondered.
"But if your mother was a witch, then..."
"Is she also a vampire?" Rebekah finished before she could complete the question. "No, a witch is nature's servant, a vampire is an abomination of nature. You can either be one or the other, never both." She explained. "My mother did this for us. She did not turn."
"How did you turn?" Elena asked.
"She called upon the sun for life and the ancient white oak tree, one of nature's eternal objects, for immortality." She explained. "That night my father offered us wine laced with blood. And then he drove his sword through our hearts."
"He killed you?" Elena asked.
"And he wasn't delicate about it either." Rebekah said.
"Mikael was rumored to be one of the most powerful and threatening vampires around." Anna explained. "Mother used to say he was relentless and merciless. This is why I don't trust him. I heard he killed almost half the New York population in 1932." Elena looked worried.
"Are you okay?" Rebekah asked, looking at her. Elena turned to her. "You're not listening, are you?"
"Sorry, I kind of spaced for a second." Elena said. "What happened after Mikael killed you?"
"We had to drink more blood to complete the ritual." Rebekah explained. "It was euphoric. The feeling of power was indescribable. But the witch Ayanna was right about the consequences. The spirits turned on us and nature fought back... For every strength there would be a weakness."
"Spells always have their consequences." Anna sighed.
"The sun became our enemy. It kept us indoors for weeks." Rebekah continued. "Until my mother found a solution. There were other problems. Neighbors who had opened their homes to us could now keep us out. Flowers at the base of the white oak burned and prevented compulsion. And the spell decreed that the tree that gave us life could also take it away. So we burned it to the ground."
"I heard about that." Anna said. "There was legend that said the white oak was sacred to the land its people, thought to have been some kind of protective charm. When it was burned, the protection over it was broken. At least, that's what the ancients believed." Elena nodded, but didn't look at her.
"But the darkest consequence was something my parents never anticipated," Rebekah said. "The hunger. Blood had made us reborn and it was blood that we craved above all else. We could not control it. And with that the predatory species was born." Elena and Anna looked at each other.
At the bar, Lexi was still sitting at the table. She noticed a girl looking at Stefan and Callie. She quickly got to Damon. "People are watching, do something!" Lexi said. He noticed the situation and quickly walked over to the girl staring at them. She breathed a sigh of relief. While she didn't particularly like Damon, she knew he was one of the only people who could help Stefan.
She joined them at the bar. "Alright! Tell me what's up! What's the point of the jailbreak?"
"I thought you could use a hug, Stefan."
"Yeah, right." Lexi said.
"Come on, Damon, you know Elena is gonna hate you for letting me out." Stefan pointed out. "And we all know that you care about what she thinks."
"Maybe I wanted to remind you what freedom was like before Klaus took it from you."
"As long as Klaus is alive I do what he says."
"That's my point, Stefan! You have given up." Damon said. "Now you could sit around and be his little bitch. Or you get mad enough and you can do something about it!"
"I have to admit, I wasn't too big on this plan at first." Lexi told Stefan. "But Damon's right. You can't just sit here and let Klaus ruin the rest of your life."
"In case you've forgotten, he can't be killed." Stefan told them.
"Maybe I can help with that." The trio turned around. A man was standing there. Lexi was getting a very strong, very bad feeling from him. She shivered. "The Salvatore boys, I presume?"
"Mikael." Stefan realized. Lexi looked worried.
Back in the Boarding House, Anna was still with Elena and Rebekah. "Why did Mikael start hunting Klaus?" Elena asked her.
"When Nik made his first human kill, it triggered his werewolf gene." Rebekah explained. "With that he became my father's greatest shame..."
"Yeah - Elijah told me this part of the story. Your mother had had an affair with one of the werewolf villagers. Klaus wasn't his son."
"She tried to make it right. She put the hybrid curse on Nik to suppress his werewolf side and then she turned her back on him." Rebekah said.
"Is it weird that I feel bad for him?" Anna asked. Elena looked at her. "For him to go through that, it must've been hard." Elena nodded, seeing her point.
"But Mikael's greatest weakness as a human was his pride. As a vampire that was magnified. He went on a rampage and killed half the village." Rebekah said. "Then he came home and killed her."
Anna looked surprised. She couldn't even say anything. "Mikael killed your mother?" Elena asked.
"He said she broke his heart so he would break hers. He tore it from her chest as Nik watched. Afterwards my father took off in a rage and the rest of my family scattered." Rebekah explained. "Nik stayed so he could help me bury her. He knew I had to say goodbye to my mother. At our mother's grave, that's where we swore to stay together. Always and forever."
"Always and forever." Elena repeated. "Even though he locked you in a coffin for 90 years?"
"We're vampires. Our emotions are heightened. I'm stubborn, Elijah moral, and Nik... Nik has no tolerance for those who disappoint him." She said. "Over a thousand years as a family we've all made that mistake at least once. I've made it several times."
"But you still love him." Elena pointed out.
"He's my brother. And I'm immortal. Should I spend an eternity alone instead?" Rebekah asked.
"She has a point there. It sucks being alone, whether you're a vampire or a ghost." Anna said. Elena looked at her, feeling empathy for her. She realized she wasn't angry at her anymore.
"You've heard the story, it's time to go." Rebekah said. They both stayed there. "I said "Leave" Elena! I don't know what you're up to but I'm no longer playing along."
"I'm just looking for one good reason why we shouldn't wake Mikael." Elena said. Anna looked at her in shock.
"And I've given you a thousand! But you will anyway. I know you want him to help you kill my brother, I'm not stupid."
"It's no secret that I want Klaus dead. He has a hold over Stefan's life and over mine!" Elena pointed out.
"Do what you need. Wake Mikael at your own peril. But make no mistake! If you come after my brother I will rip you apart!" Rebekah said, getting closer to Elena with each word. Anna got in front of the brunette girl. "And I get my temper from my father! Now leave!"
"Come on, just do what she says." Anna told her. "I'm not sure I'd be able to hold her off." Elena took a deep breath, then followed Anna out of the house.
At the bar, Lexi hovered near the end of the group as Mikael kept asking Stefan about where Klaus was, which was clearly getting them nowhere, since none of them knew. "I really hope this silly game of twenty questions isn't your secret weapon." Damon said.
"You see, Damon, I've been a vampire hunter longer than you've been alive." Mikael told him. "It's why I found you here. It's why I'm gonna find Niklaus."
"Well, Klaus has been running for about thousand years, so you think you can get to work around here?" Lexi flinched as Mikael slammed his fist into Damon's chest. Now she was worried.
"Careful, Stefan. One move and his heart's gone." Mikael told him. Lexi immediately went to Stefan's side. "Now, where is Klaus? Come on! What's the trick question, Stefan? One twist and he's dead. Unless you don't care of course."
"His emotions have been shut off." Damon said. "He can't care."
"That's not true." Lexi pointed out. "Even when your humanity was off, you still cared about your brother on some level." She turned to Stefan. "I know you don't know where Klaus is, but for Damon's sake, we have to figure out a way to get him out of hiding."
"I guess you're right. He's a dead end! And so are you, Damon..." Lexi was prepared to psychically throw him across the room when Stefan spoke.
"I can bring him back! I can lure Klaus back to Mystic Falls." Mikael released Damon.
"And there is our loophole. Just had to rail him up a bit. Get Klaus back to Mystic Falls and I will gladly drive a stake through his heart. Fail, I'll drive it through yours." He left the bar. Lexi put her hand on Damon's shoulder to support him.
"You okay?"
"I will be." They watched Mikael leave.
"That guy seriously creeps me out." Lexi said.
Meanwhile, Anna was sitting outside the cave where Elena met the others. Bonnie was in there and she wasn't ready to talk about things with her yet. Suddenly, Elena walked out of the cave fast. Anna followed her.
"What's going on?"
"Mikael didn't kill the Original Witch." Elena told her. "We found this sign connected with her death." She showed her a picture of the drawing when they got outside. "It's a mix of vampire and werewolf signs."
"A hybrid." Anna realized. "That means…" Elena nodded. "And Rebekah doesn't know." She stopped. "I'm not sure telling her is a good idea."
"Yeah, but she thinks it was Mikael."
"I know we should, but she will kill you if you just spring it on her." Anna said.
"She deserves to know the truth, even if it isn't what she wants to hear." Elena pointed out. Anna sighed. She was right, even if it was going to hurt and anger the Original girl.
"I'm coming with you."
As soon as Damon healed, the group left the bar. "I give you ten points for flair." Damon told his brother.
"At least we know where Klaus and Elijah learned their tricks from."
"Don't think he had a way to last second have your breakthrough, though."
"I never break through, Damon."
"Please, my brother is about to die and I just had to save his life for the millionth time. Careful Stefan, your humanity's showing."
"Not to mention all those times I helped you before." Lexi added.
"You know what? You're right, Damon. You're right. You reminded me what my freedom felt like." Stefan told him. "And when we kill Klaus, I'll be free. Free to leave. See, I didn't do this for you, Damon. I did it for myself."
"Sure, Stefan. Whatever you say..."
"Really? I'm pretty sure it's not the only reason." Lexi pointed out.
"Okay, why are you doing this? What do you want from me? Why is everybody trying to save me?"
"Because I have to, Stefan! Because you are in this mess with Klaus, because you saved my life." Damon pointed out. "Because I owe you. And I can't just leave you in a cell to rot."
"Wow! Better be careful, brother! Your humanity's showing." Stefan said. Lexi jumped back as Damon knocked his brother to the ground. Once he left, she was immediately at his side.
"Are you okay?"
"Nothing I can't recover from." Stefan pointed out. She helped him to his feet. "And you don't have to help me."
"Yes, I do, Stefan. Before you lost your humanity, you made me promise to never give up on you. And unlike you guys, ghosts are bound to their promises to living." Lexi said. "At least, the light ones are."
"You do realize it's pointless, right?"
"Nothing I haven't heard a thousand times before." Lexi told him. "Besides, you know these guys. We've managed to make some miracles before." She headed back to The Other Side. She knew she wasn't going to give up on him or anyone else in their group and that Klaus was seriously going to pay for turning their friend against them.