Professor Shane had had a hard time working his way into the staff of the local university. The position that would have been perfect for him was filled by Sheila Bennett, a witch that he knew was too wise for him to manipulate and that wouldn't leave her position for a while. He knew that he couldn't count on her to retire any time soon so he had to take a lower and much less interesting position just so he could have money to pay his rent and be close enough to Mystic Fall's to find the right people he would manipulate into freeing Silas. He also had to be careful as to stay under Sheila Bennett's radar. She had known his wife when she was alive and knew that she was a witch so he had to make sure she didn't get too close to him, that she didn't find out what his plans truly were or she would be capable to make him lose his new ob. She had helped him get it after all.
He had considered Bonnie Bennett but apparently her powers had been taken away from her and she was under close watch by her family. Of course she would be able to use expression but Shane decided to save her as a last resort. Trying to use her would be taking the risk to put him on Sheila's radar and this was the last thing he wanted or needed.
His attention went immediately on Rachel Salvatore. The girl seemed perfect for what he needed. She was powerful and young enough to be impressionable, all he needed to do was find a way to be alone with her, talk to her and hope she saw things the way he wanted her to see things.
He got his chance when he was asked to go to Mystic Fall's high school to recruit some students and talk about his subject to students who could be interested. The day was a long one filled with a few boring speeches (and some interesting ones) but he managed to locate Rachel and corner her alone at some point, a while after the last bell had rang.
"Hello, Rachel right?" He asked her.
She was alone, leaving the bathroom while her friends were waiting for her in the auditorium for Glee rehearsals.
"Yes... You're the professor from college..." She recognised.
"I am. Professor Shane, it's an honor to meet you. I was wondering if I could have a word with you, alone?"
"Oh, I'm sorry but I'm going to NYADA, in New York. I'm not interested in another school, no matter what they're offering..." She informed him.
Rachel had always been an excellent students and it wasn't the first time she was approached by a collage trying to recruit her. She knew that she could at least try for it but since she had been accepted into her dream College, she saw no reasons to try for anywhere else, there was just no point in it.
"It has nothing to do with my reason for being here, I assure you." He insisted.
"I have to go back to rehearsals... We want our final performance together at graduation to be perfect..." She didn't like the fact that he was so pressing, she was getting a weird vibe.
"What I have to talk to you about is very important..." He insisted again.
"Well, why don't you meet me at the Grill in 2 hours?" She suggested, unable to deny the urgency in his eyes.
She would go prepared and protected.
"Thank you. I'll be there." He replied before he turned around and left.
As she walked back to the auditorium, Rachel couldn't help but think that something weird was going on. Why did he want with her that was so important? She used her vampire hearing to follow him and she caught him with a few students, telling them the story of Silas and Qetsiyah. She shook her head when he said that it was the proof that "Hell has no fury as a woman scorned". It made it look like Silas was perfectly innocent and a victim in this story. -men-
"Rachel, what's wrong?" Rebekah asked her when she saw her concerned face.
"Professor Shane wants to talk to me, alone... I have a bad feeling... I think it has something to do with Qetsiyah... I told him to meet me at the Grill in 2 hours." The young Salvatore explained.
"There's no way you're going alone." Rebekah exclaimed.
"I know, I've already texted Klaus to meet me there, he replied he'd be there with your brothers and my daddy." Rachel replied.
"Good." Rebekah nodded before they both went back on stage and tried to temporarily forget everything about this situation.
.
Right on time, it's two hours later that Rachel entered the Grill alone. To Shane's eye, it looked like she was all alone and defenseless.
Of course, Rebekah, Caroline and Santana had entered it a few minutes earlier with Tyler and they were playing pool in a corner, watching over her silently. At the bar, she could see her father, Stefan and Kol talking and drinking Bourbon but she knew that they were watching over her too. As she joined Shane at his table, she saw that Klaus and Elijah were sharing another table not too far away.
She was safe.
"So, I'm here. What is so important that you have to tell me?" She asked Shane.
"It's a long story but I know who you are. I know that you're a witch." He started.
"Okay, so what?" Rachel asked, getting impatient because of the bad feeling that kept on growing in her.
It was a very uneasy feeling. Although not painful, it was like a silent warning and she intended to listen to it.
"You're the most powerful witch around and I need your help. My wife was also a witch and she died along with our son in a car accident a few years ago..."
"I'm sorry for your loss but I can't bring back the dead." Rachel interrupted, thinking that if she could indeed bring back the dead she would have brought Zack back already.
"I know that. What I want is for you to help me bring someone who can."
"What are you talking about?" She asked him, shocked that he would even consider it.
"My wife was doing researches with me on someone... His name is Silas and I found out where he was imprisoned. I know that it sounds crazy but it's the truth, he's real... He's a very powerful immortal that..." He started but was interrupted by Rachel.
"I know who he is. A friend of mine told me his story."
Indeed, Kol had told Rachel about Silas not too long ago, linking it to the hunters and Qetsiyah. He had figured that Rachel needed to know as much as possible and she was now grateful for it. It had completed pretty well what the spirits had already told her and she was now one of the most well informed person on this planet on this subject.
"Then you know how real it is. I'm sure that there are people you'd like to bring back too... Silas can do it all. He can bring back everyone you've lost too." Shane looked sure of himself.
"Stop. Stop right there. You're crazy and you don't even know what you're asking of me... I know more about it than you do, I know everything, every side of this story and in order to bring back someone, Silas would have to bring down the wall that separates us from the other side. That means that every werewolf, witch and vampire that was ever killed would be able to come back, the good ones along with the bad ones... He'd be bringing Hell on Earth." Rachel told him in a tone like one of a teacher scolding a misbehaving toddler.
"You don't understand, my wife appeared to me when I found Silas's tomb. Silas will bring her back if I help free him and I need a witch to do so..." He insisted, his tone rising and bringing people to look at them.
"Keep your voice down if you don't want to get arrested and sent to a psychiatric hospital, not everyone in town knows about the supernatural! It's not your wife you saw, it was Silas himself. He's that powerful and can disguise himself as anyone he desires to appear as. Waking Silas would be a dumb move and he'd need a lot of magic to drop the veil like he wants to. Do you know what that requires?" She asked him.
"Yes, I do. I did my researches. He'd need an expression triangle completed."
"Yes, that means sacrificing 12 humans, 12 witches and 12 demons..." Rachel insisted, trying to convince him of the evilness of it all.
"I know that, I'm not stupid but they'd be able to come back once the veil is down." Shane whispered in a harsh tone.
"The humans wouldn't. Even if they die from supernatural causes, the humans move on, they don't go to the other side. I'm sorry but I'm not helping you. I'll even be doing everything in my power to stop you because what you want to do is the worst thing that could ever be done. I'm not saying that Silas deserves the fate Qetsiyah gave him because if he played with her feelings it was only so he could be with his true love forever and that should allow him some slack but undoing it would be too dangerous for everyone. It's time you let your wife go. Move on. Waking Silas is not an option and if I find out that you're still thinking of doing it, I'll have to take things into my own hands and kill you myself, even if it qualifies as murder and send me directly to jail." She told him as calmly as she could.
"You know I've counted your supernatural friends and family... Tyler and Santana the hybrids, Caroline, Damon, Stefan, Sage, Finn, Kol, Elijah, Klaus, Rebekah, all vampires... That's Eleven, plus Jeremy the potential hunter is twelve or even Elena the bitchy and selfish doppelganger... This lot would be perfect for the demon sacrifice." Shane threatened while Rachel made a move to stand and she turned back to face him, knowing the people he had mentioned where very angry at the threat right now.
"Don't even think about it. We're stronger and better protected than you think. Threatening the people I love is definitely not a smart move. I don't know if you've notice but they're all around here... I can smell the vervain on you but how long do you think it will take to bleed it out of you? Rebekah and Klaus love to do this...Although Daddy might snap your neck first... I don't like threats and neither do they. Some of them can turn very nasty when my life is threatened." Rachel snapped at him, anger visible in her eyes.
"You can't stop me. It will happen, one way or another. If you kill me someone else will take my place. I came prepared. You have no idea of what will happen to you and your loved ones if I die. You'd come to regret it quickly." Shane warned her and it was obvious that he was dead serious.
"Don't tempt me." Rachel growled before she turned around and joined her father, soon joined by everyone else.
"Let's go back to the house to talk about all of this." Damon suggested.
Shane watched them leave the Grill and shook his head.
It would have been too easy to have Rachel helping him. Well, he still had Bonnie. He'd be able to manipulate her easily enough as long as he promised her some powers back and the possibility to see her best friend Elena again. Plus, he had allies. Hailey would do her part well enough and even if the hunter had disappeared on him, he was sure that the young Jeremy would be able to be convinced to kill a vampire to awake his curse... Then the need to kill more vampires would awaken in him and take over until he had completed his map and then he'd finally be able to free Silas and get his wife back.
It was the most important, he didn't care if other people had to die for it.
.
At the Salvatore Boarding house, everyone was gathered and Rachel was telling them everything she knew about Silas. Some of it she had learned from Kol, some of it she found out in very old books and some facts had been told to her by witches during her call to them back when the hunter was in town.
She wanted everyone to be on the same page. They all needed to know the same thing and trust that awaking Silas wasn't a good idea. When she told them of the cure, everyone's hope went up. She knew that Sage and Finn would want it, along with Stefan and Caroline but she warned them that it was possible that there was only one cure: for Silas. When they asked her why she explained why Qetsiyah wanted him punished on the other side with her and they understood that it was very possible that there was only one dose of the precious cure.
Here you go,
Did you notice that this fanfiction is almost ONE YEAR OLD? On the 20th I'll try to celebrate it by publishing either a very big chapter or several smaller ones. This story won't be much longer but I still have material for about 15 to 20 chapters I think...
What do you think will happen during the anniversary chapter? Something special or just the rest of the story going on? Tell me what you think and I might make some changes for you.
Although, for the fans, Santana and Kol are on the way, just give them some time!
Don't forget to review please,
Lorelei Candice Black