4) Whose first?
A/N: Hi guys! Sorry for this note but since I consider you all like my family I have to tell you guys that I haven't been feeling well lately and so I went to the doctor and got checked, turns out I have cancer. Yeah sucks. Fourth stage and I didn't even know till now. It's spread in my lungs and all. Don't know how long I'll live (Doctor said 6-9 months but who knows right?) I want to thank each and every one of you guys for being with me and I made a promise to myself to not let this disease control my life so I'm going to continue writing because I love it and it's my passion. I promise to complete all my stories before ….
Onto the story then. Sorry for the bad news guys. Hope I didn't spoil your mood too much. :')
The sunlight peered through the only window in the cellar. Caroline eyed the sunlight and grimaced that she couldn't take off the damn ring in her finger, burn and die. She didn't have the guts to do it. She didn't have the guts to take her own life. Last night had been one of the toughest nights of her life. She had already lost so much and now she'd lost yet another piece of her life. Her humanity. Her beloved Tyler.
Her eyes were red and cheeks still wet from the tears that wouldn't stop. She had been crying all night along with Bonnie, Elena, Matt and Jeremy. She screamed and kicked and pulled at the bars unserviceably as she saw Klaus' minions take away Tyler's body. She even begged them to leave him there. With her.
But she stopped when she saw their dazed eyes and their disordered demeanor. She sighed. It was all useless. All they could do now was wait and endure all the punishments Klaus had decided for them. She hated him. Yes, they had killed Kol but it was only self-defense. Kol was going to kill Elena and chop off Jeremy's arms. He had to be stopped. And even if it was wrong to kill Kol, Tyler had no part in it and Klaus just killed him out of his hatred.
"Caroline?" she was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard her friend Elena call for her. She honestly couldn't feel a thing right now. Everything felt numb to her. Except the sorrow she felt for Tyler and the hatred she felt for Klaus.
"Care I know this is a hard time for you but you should know that we're here for you. All of us. Me, Bonnie, Matt, Jeremy, Stefan" Elena said and smiled but sighed, she couldn't even console her friend properly in such a situation.
"I'm also here for you Barbie" Damon's voice came surprising almost everyone in the room.
Caroline smiled sarcastically. It took her boyfriend to get murdered in front of her eyes to gain Damon Salvatore's sympathy.
"I'm fine. Don't need any sympathy" she answered with a smile that everyone knew was fake and contrasting to the tears that kept flowing down her cheeks. Matt kept stroking her hair softly and murmured encouragements to her.
"Guys we need to get out of here." Bonnie spoke up after a few minutes of silence. Everyone agreed with her except Caroline.
"What's the point? He's going to find us again and then he'll kill someone else. Let's just get this over with" she said in a grim voice.
"Caroline we know you're hurting right now but you're not thinking clearly. We have to get out of here and I'm hate to say this but you and Donovan are our best bet right now" he said and looked elsewhere when Elena, Stefan and Bonnie protested to his idea.
"Damon shut up!" Elena protested.
"Look we know both those psychopathic siblings feel something for Barbie and Donovan. Maybe we can use it to our advantage." Damon argued.
"Are you crazy- Matt started but was cut off by Caroline's abrupt fit of laughter?
She stood up and pulled at the bars and swung against them like a crazy person but the fact was she was gone crazy after Tyler's death. No! Murder. Tyler's murder.
"What do you want me to do? Play the blonde distraction again? Maybe this time Klaus will kill my mother. Then he'll kill Bonnie and then Elena. What will happen next? Maybe Stefan will be next on that list." She spoke and fresh tears stained her cheeks. "Don't you see it? He doesn't feel anything for me. I'm just a new obsession for him after his curse. He has destroyed everything in my life. I will never stop hating him!" She screamed and yelled as more tears fell from her eyes and she fell to the floor in tears pulling against the bars caging her in.
Klaus watched how broken the baby vampire was. Just because of the death of that treacherous hybrid of his. The thought of freeing her and compelling her to forget Tyler's death was fresh in his death till he heard the amount of revulsion she held for him. 'I will never stop hating him' her words rang in his ears causing him heartache. He didn't want this to happen. He wanted them to fear him, not hate him. At least not her to hate him.
He ignored the painful way his heart clenched when he saw her slide down the wall onto the floor and walked straight in with a confident smirk.
"Good morning to you all" he announced in a cheerful voice. Everyone in the room kept silent kept Damon Salvatore who groaned in response.
"My least favorite hybrid. What do you want Klaus?" Damon asked sarcastically. He still had his arrogance even though he was trapped to die.
"For starters I want you to shut up Damon. Today I'm here for poor Matt and Caroline of course" Klaus said with fake sympathy and moved to stand in front of their cell. "The blonde distractions" he sung loud enough for everyone to know that he was indeed listening in on their conversation earlier.
"What do you want? Haven't you done enough already?" Matt asked bravely looking directly at Klaus who was right now trying to make Caroline look at him.
Klaus rolled his eyes and looked at Matt angrily. "I've barely even begun yet. But since you are so eager, we'll start with you" he announced and in a flash, he unlocked the cell and pulled Matt out by his collar before Caroline could even blink.
He locked the cell again and shook his finger at Caroline who hissed at him, "Ah ah! No trying to rescue anyone today love. Don't you remember what happened yesterday love?" he cruelly reminded her and smiled at her before pulling Matt with him to the center of the room.
"So here's what we're going to do" he started off by crushing Matt's right hand. Matt screamed in pain and fell on his knees.
"Considering there's seven of you here, we're going to have a week full of excitement. I am going to kill all of you, that's a given but whom to kill first that depends on the voting" he announced cheerfully as if telling the rules of a game.
"I can kill Matt here or all of you can vote and decide who takes his place" Klaus finished off with a creepy smile.
"Leave the quarterback. Kill me if you want, I hardly care" Damon challenged carelessly but before Klaus could reply laughter cut him off.
It was Caroline who was now standing and laughing.
"You won't win Klaus. I won't let you. Not after what you did to Tyler. To me!" she spat at him in revulsion and then everything happened as if in slow motion. Caroline flung her ring off and as soon as the sunlight hit her, she burned and screamed as her flesh was seared by the light. She could hear Elena and Bonnie's cries for help and Stefan and Jeremy's bickering with Klaus but she could care less. She wouldn't die at the hands of Klaus. No! If she had to die, she'd die her own way.
"Stop it!" Jeremy voiced.
"Help her" Bonnie demanded with anger and hurt in her voice.
"Care please" Elena sobbed through the bars caging her in.
"Do something" Stefan and Damon both buzzed looking at Klaus who was in some sort of daze. He just stood there paralyzed as he realized
It was Rebekah who had enough sense to rush in there and knock out the blonde baby vampire before she burnt into ashes. She dragged Caroline's body into the shadows and placed the ring back on her finger. Not that she cared for the baby vampire but it would absolutely ruin her perfect plans if she died right now and Nik would go into hibernation again.
"You're welcome" Rebekah sounded as she walked past Klaus and Matt and flipped her hair from her shoulder.
Both Bonnie and Elena sighed in relief but Stefan knew this was not a good move on Caroline's behalf because now she was on Klaus' radius even more than before and he could only wonder what Klaus would do next to Caroline.
Klaus could hardly believe what had just happened. Or was about to happen. Was she really ready to die? After Tyler? That mutt meant that much to her? He went to her cell picked her up and chained her to the wall with her wrists above her head and only fed her a little of his blood so she couldn't harm herself. At least not any more than she already had.
"So who's first?" Rebekah asked once Klaus stepped out of the cell. She faced Elena with a wide smile. "How about you Elena? Who would you like to die now? Huh? Who will you nominate?" she asked cruelly.
Elena was in tears, "Go to hell. I'm not playing your sick game" she spat at the original blonde.
"Your vote or Matt gets is other hand crushed" Rebekah warned and took a step towards the blonde quarterback menacingly.
"And remember you can't vote for yourself love" Klaus chimed in leaning against the wall smiling and enjoying the show.
"It's okay Elena. Give my name" Damon spoke up.
"Oh how cute! So whose it gonna be 'Lena. Matt or Damon?" Rebekah fake pouted.
"NO!" Elena shouted as the tears prickled down her eyes.
"Fine I'd like to nominate little Gilbert then" Klaus spoke up with a dark mirth in his eyes.
"What? No!" Elena spoke up again. She couldn't lose Jeremy.
"Then Damon it is" Klaus announced and waited for Elena's protest, only it never came.
"Now that wasn't very hard was it?" Rebekah asked teasingly as Elena hugged Jeremy. She couldn't lose Jeremy. He was the only family she had left and after everything Jeremy was her responsibility.
Rebekah then turned to the Salvatores' cell. "Did that hurt? To hear the girl you love choose someone over you?" she asked in a serious tone.
Damon just scowled at her.
She smiled, "Who would you like to nominate in return for Stefan's life?" she asked. Damon pinched the bridge of his nose. Elena was never going to forgive him if she chose Jeremy and he naturally couldn't choose Stefan and Elena.
"I'd like to nominate Barbie over there" he said sarcastically pointing towards Caroline's unconscious form. She wanted to die just a few minutes ago so it wouldn't really matter if she died. He'd only be giving her what she wanted. Right?
Instantly Klaus sped in front of Damon's cell startling him. "Sorry mate she's off limits" Klaus said in a firm voice.
It was Damon's turn to smirk at the original hybrid, "You said all of us had to die or did your heart just soften at the sight of a flip of blonde hair and blue eyes?" he countered sardonically.
"DAMON!" Stefan and Bonnie shouted at him at the same time telling him to shut up.
"Well she didn't know about Kol being killed so her punishment is going to be a little different than yours. Right brother?" Rebekah spoke up in defense of her brother. Sure she didn't like Caroline Forbes but if she was the one thing her brother wanted, she would make sure Caroline Forbes would be her brother's even if it was the last thing she did.
Klaus smiled at his baby sister and nodded.
"I would like to put up Damon's name as well" Bonnie spoke up angrily from the corner. She was more than pissed at him right now. How dare he use Caroline to save himself? Hadn't she suffered enough already?
"Bonnie" Elena suddenly said disapprovingly.
"He said Caroline's name Elena. Caroline!" Bonnie said each syllable slowly and clearly so that she understood.
Elena was clearly shaken by Bonnie's willingness to kill Damon. "But Bonnie. We can't just let Damon die" Elena argued.
"Elena! We've known her forever. This is CARE!" Bonnie yelled and she wished her hands were not tied right now so she could go smack some sense into Elena.
The doppelganger just sighed and let her head down in an exasperated way.
"That was refreshing" Rebekah spoke up sarcastically. "Well Damon's in the lead with two votes while the others are at zero"
"Stefan mate! Why are you so awfully quiet today? Please do tell who would you like to nominate?" Klaus asked mischievously. Damon was a jerk to everyone so it didn't come out as a surprise that he would try and nominate Caroline but Stefan always played the knight in the shining armor. Who would he choose now?
Stefan looked down and pondered for a moment before he spoke up again. "Matt. I'm sorry" he apologized and looked away.
"That was shocking mate" Klaus said chuckling. Matt only nodded in understanding and looked away trying to hide the pain in his crushed hands.
"I thought he would choose the witch" Rebekah said wiping the fake tears of laughter from her eyes.
"So one for Matt, two for Damon" Klaus announced.
"Jeremy Gilbert. I do believe you get a turn too" Rebekah spoke up not even looking at him but looking at Damon instead who was actually very saddened that his name had come up two times. He didn't mind dying but dying like this was humiliating.
"Damon" Jeremy spoke up with stern eyes of the hunter within him.
"Damon what would you like to say and who do you nominate?" Klaus chimed in. Of course he hadn't forgotten Damon's turn.
"I'd still like to go with Barbie but since you're so obsessed with her. I'm going to go with judgy over there" Damon answered in his usual casual tone pointing towards Bonnie. He knew Bonnie could never have enough votes to get herself killed so he figured, he'd waste his vote.
"Well that concludes the voting for tonight. We have a winner ladies and gentlemen" Rebekah announced dramatically already going to unlock the Salvatores' cell. As soon as she opened the door, however, Stefan Salvatore flew at her, attacking her with all his might.
"RUN DAMON!" He yelled at his brother who just stood there in shock.
But Rebekah glared him and pushed him off her and pinned him to the wall in a matter of seconds before Damon could even blink. "That was mean" she commented and glared the younger Salvatore.
"Just let him go. Kill me already or are you too tired Barbie?" Damon asked Rebekah tiredly. He was tired of Stefan trying to save his ass all the time.
Klaus smirked and moved to the center of the commotion. "Actually I have quite the fantastic idea for Damon here to die" he mused out loud.
"Please do share brother" Rebekah asked impatiently slamming Stefan's head against the wall as he once again tried to escape her.
Klaus only smiled wickedly and moved towards Stefan and gazed into his eyes, Pupils dilating. "Kill Damon and state the things that you have always hated most about him and never really forgave him for" he compelled and smiled even more as the ripper tried to fight his compulsion in vain and then his gaze emptied and he nodded dumbly.
Both Rebekah and Klaus stood there as Stefan marched to his brother muttering about all the wrongs of Damon Salvatore. They watched as Stefan punched his hand through Damon's chest and tears ran down his cheeks. Elena shouted for Stefan to fight the compulsion but the next thing to be heard was silence as Damon's greying body fell to the floor with a loud thud.
"No!" Elena cried unbelievably.
That is when Stefan was pulled out of his compulsion and he realized what he had done. His hands were covered in the blood of his own brother.
"No no no no!" He screamed hysterically and bent down to Damon's body. He could only shake the body and stare at it hoping that Damon wasn't dead but the truth was that he was gone. All these years and this was how his life was to be ended. By his own brother.
"I think that's enough for tonight. You have yourselves a good night" Rebekah spoke up and smiled sweetly as she compelled Stefan to not turn off his emotions and to not kill himself. She stepped out and locked the cell and walked out with her brother, smiling. Good.
Now one of them knew what it felt like to lose your brother and she wouldn't stop until all of them knew exactly how it felt to lose such an integral part of your life. Kol was that part of hers and she would see to it that the rest would suffer too.