Once again, thank you for all the lovely reviews. We're getting closer to the end!

We're back in with the action and drama with this chapter!

I'm away in Poland next week, so apologies if I don't respond to messages/reviews straight away. Don't worry, I've uploaded a few chapters so I should be able to publish a couple whilst I'm over there.

TW: Injury, Death, Trauma

x-x-x-x

They'd spent yesterday planning. Elena had sat through the start, tucked into Damon's arm on the sofa as he plotted with his brother, Bree, Ric and her biological parents.

She didn't like the idea; she was sure that it would only annoy Elijah and Klaus. Force their hand into keeping her captured or finding a worse way to punish them.

Damon had refused to back down, promising he would only fight once, but he had to fight for her choice. He'd follow through with John and Isobel's initial plan. If it didn't work, he'd let her go through with the sacrifice with no more arguments.

Elena was worried about that 'if'. If it didn't work, would Klaus kill them all before the sacrifice?

She'd wanted to go home, to sit in the kitchen and eat take-out with Jenna and Jeremy. To be normal, if such a thing existed. That would have involved leaving Damon at the boarding house, where he was deep in research and conversation.

That wasn't about to happen, so instead she'd invited them over. She'd tried to call Bonnie and Care, but Care was busy preparing for the next town event and Bonnie had said she'd wanted to spend the day with her dad. She'd needed time away from the supernatural, and Elena completely understood.

She needed time away from it all as well, time to go back to being an average teenager. Unfortunately, she was instead facing weeks of uncertainty and an eternity of being anything but average. Luckily, the movie distracted her.

They'd chosen 'Made of Honor' much to Jeremy's disdain. Jenna was a fan of Patrick Dempsey, and Elena was all for a romcom. Anything light-hearted, no death or supernatural. It had, however, opened an awkward discussion about marriage and weddings.

"Do you remember the last time we watched this?" Jenna asked, nudging her in the ribs. Elena nodded; it was when they'd first got the DVD.

"I was convinced you'd have a moment like this, pick Matt as your maid of honor and then he'd break up the wedding. You'd both realise you were definitely meant to be, and you'd live happily ever after." Jenna giggled, with Jeremy rolling his eyes.

"I thought you were insane." Elena responded, "Even then, I knew Matt and I were never, ever getting back together. Plus, Jeremy would be my maid." She winked at her brother, sending another round of giggles through Jenna.

Jeremy scoffed, "As long as I don't have to wear a dress."

"No promises," She grinned.

For one afternoon, they had felt like a normal family. Even if the rest of the family had been plotting to kill an immortal, undefeatable, big, bad original in the room next door.

Today was the day that plan would be going into effect. By nightfall, she'd know who would survive.

x-x-x-x

Tyler grabbed Caroline between classes, pulling her wrist around the corner and almost slamming her against the lockers. Her breath immediately hitched, her pupils dilating as she looked at him. He was leaning over her, one hand pressed against the lockers behind her, lips inches from her face.

As his lips were about to touch hers, the tension about to be released, he whispered instead, "Come with me, straight after school." He hummed at her, inhaling her scent.

She bit her lip, "Tyler, I have to go see Nik. Mr Michaelson. About the masks."

He practically growled at her, "Ditch that perv, I've got a present for you."

Perhaps her boyfriend knew her well, realising that surprise presents were her kryptonite. Maybe, it was how deep his voice has become, a rumbling in her ear that went straight down. Either way, she knew she wanted to kiss him, and she knew she'd be going with him later.

Instead of waiting for him to come to her, she parted the distance between them. He was so warm, radiating heat as if he were reflecting her desire back at him.

Minutes later, her lips swollen, she pulled away and flashed him a naughty smile. "I'll meet you at your car after class."

x-x-x-x

Stefan was sitting in his last class, History, when his phone pinged painfully loudly. Looking at Ric apologetically, he slid it open to read the message. Damon and John had been called to an urgent council meeting.

They weren't essential to the plan. It has been decided last night that Ric and Stefan would initiate the attack. They were both supposed to be in the school building anyway, which would trigger less suspicion from Klaus and still allow them access to him. Anna would be essential, ensuring the building was clear in case of any fall out and acting as a guard.

Damon had fought about it for hours, insisting Elena wouldn't go for any plan where anyone could get hurt, that he had to go in alone, minimise the risk. It had taken hours to convince him that good tactics mattered more than what Elena would forgive.

Eventually, Stefan had pulled Elena into the room and just asked. He'd thought it would speed the process up, but instead it had added another half an hour to the discussion as she refused to let anyone- Damon included- fight on her behalf. She did, after much persuasion, succumb to the fact they were going to do it regardless. As such, she'd begged Damon to stay by her side.

That suited the rest of them.

Damon, Isobel and John's new part had been to guard Elena. Damon had recommended she have a multiple guard, for if anything went wrong, she would almost certainly run in and offer herself up on a plate. None of them had wanted that.

With Damon and John out of action, Stefan had to hope Isobel had more survival instincts than her daughter.

Stefan had filled Jeremy and Anna in on the plan later that night. Anna's only resistance was being on the same team as John Gilbert. He had murdered her mother, and she wanted him dead. Jeremy had talked her into it, reminding her that vengeance wouldn't help anyone.

Then, Jeremy had spoken words wiser than Stefan could ever have produced. "John's punishment is his own guilt."

Though intended for Anna, the words had hit Stefan like a freight train. His guilt often overwhelmed him, trapped him in a miserable existence of animal hunting. It was more punishment than any of his victims could have hoped to enact on him. Perhaps it was time he learnt how to not punish himself?

Once they were all safe.

As the bell rang for the end of the day, he nodded at Alaric and quickly filed out of the classroom. He waited around the corner for 10 minutes; watching the halls empty. His phone, now on silent, in his hand as he waited for the message.

"Got her." Isobel and Elena were in the car park, in her car. Just a mother picking up her daughter, nothing suspicious about that.

"Empty." Anna sent. They'd compelled most of the staff earlier to cancel any extracurriculars and to help empty the building. Anna and Jeremy would be heading home, far away from the action.

"Barrier up." Bree sent, 5 minutes later. She was also out of the way in the car park, working on securing the perimeter.

In theory, the device should work quickly and only affect Klaus. All other vampires in the town lines were immune to Bennett magic, temporarily, having ingested Bree's potion. Jenna and Bonnie had taken Elijah out of town to Whitmore college, claiming Sheila's office might hold clues about the moonstone.

It was the part of the plan that held the greatest weakness. Damon had wanted to kill both the originals, but the risk was too high. Elijah wanted Klaus dead anyway, if the plan failed, he had no reason to go on the attack if he himself had not been a target. Additionally, Jenna was a terrible liar and Bonnie was quite rightly getting fed up with the drama of being a witch.

As such, neither knew any actual details of the plan.

"Bottoms up." He sent out to each of the vampires in town. They were taking an additional dose of Bree's potion, as once the device was active, they weren't sure how long it would be active.

Then, putting his hand in his pocket and on the device, he walked into the art room.

Klaus Mikaelson was there, this big bad evil, carefully sorting a selection of glitter tubs and feathers. Without turning around, he said "We might need more red glitter, love, it is the colour of passion."

The sensible thing would be to just activate the device, slip the pin inside before Klaus ever turned around. Where was the fun in that?

"I'm more into black, Klaus, the colour of death." He waited for the swivel, to see the shocked expression.

Then he set the device off.

He felt like a supervillain as he watched Klaus tumble to his knees, watched him hold his head in agony as Stefan just stood there. Thankfully, the potion was working against the device. He could feel a dull ache, but nothing more. Klaus was on his knees, whimpering as he held his head.

He wasn't dying though, and they had no idea how long the device would last. Ric was plan B, and he entered the room only moments after Stefan.

Seeing Klaus very much alive, he slipped the dagger out of his waistband. John had brought that to the meeting yesterday, an artefact Grayson had unearthed from one of the founder's graves. Dipped in the pot of ash that came with it, it could take down an original. However, it had to be administered by a human.

Ric stepped forward, the tip of the dagger glistening with the powder of the white oak tree, and slammed the dagger into Klaus' back, straight through his heart.

The grey veins began to form on Klaus' face, as he looked up at them. "Ripper." He spat at Stefan before collapsing in a grey pile on the floor.

Ric and Stefan looked at each other, both shocked. They didn't expect that to actually happen, for it to go so smoothly. He removed the pin from the device, letting the dull ache subside. Ric sent a quick message out to the group as Stefan sat and stared at the body in front of them.

The face, the way he had called him 'ripper', it was all eerily familiar and yet he couldn't place it at all. Katherine had said he'd been compelled to forget, seeing the man in front of her, he was actually inclined to believe her. A flash of memory ran behind his eyes, a blonde girl flirting with him in Gloria's bar in Chicago. Klaus's face laughing with him as they drank at the bar.

Then the flashes were gone, he was back in the art room and Bree, Elena and Isobel were running up the corridor. The sound of metal hitting the floor startled him, his eyes drawn to the sight of the dagger lying on the floor.

"Well, well, well, it seems some of my students need a little education. I did think the American school system was rather shoddy. Do they not teach you that silver daggers don't work on Originals with a werewolf side?"

x-x-x-x

She entered the art room, desperate to see with her own eyes that they were all okay. That Klaus really had been taken down, killed by the device or at least trapped by the dagger.

Instead, she saw Ric being held high in the air by his throat. Stefan's face was white with shock, the dagger resting at his feet. Isobel and Bree immediately stepped in front of her, a defensive stance.

"Ah, so you're the doppelgangers defenders. I like it, a small group of nobodies from the middle of nowhere thinking they stood a chance against me. It's rather sweet, actually." He chuckled. "Of course, you don't."

He squeezed, and Elena watched Ric's face turn purple and then blue. His legs kicking and his fingers trying to pry at Klaus's hand. Klaus held him firm, that one hand tightly gripping his throat high in the air.

As Ric's body went still, Elena couldn't help but scream, trying to rush to his side. Her head knew he was wearing his ring, she'd seen it on his hand as he'd squirmed, but her heart wanted to be there. Over the past few months, he'd practically moved in. Jenna loved him. They all did.

She heard Klaus command, "Hold her, and don't let her go." but she wasn't sure who he was speaking to. Her eyes were on Ric's body and that alone when she felt the hands firmly around her. They were strong, the manicured nails digging into her flesh as she was pulled away, away from Ric.

Bree and Stefan were both in shock, watching the scene unfold, their eyes silently conversing with each other, trying to plan. Klaus had wandered back to the glitters, lifting the tray of tubs to return to the cupboards. His voice was calm as he went about his chores.

"You see, I compelled Isobel when she first found me. She's on my side now, and I hold the doppelganger. I only need the moonstone, and Isobel proved to be incredibly helpful with that too." Returning from the cupboard he flashed a smile over her shoulder, presumably to Isobel. "You're so incredibly efficient, darling, I just might keep you around."

Elena gulped; her mother had betrayed them. Did it count if she had been compelled, was she doing it out of choice?

"That leaves the little matter of how I punish you for this attempt. Of course, I've already killed my colleague here. But I feel I need another bargaining tool to ensure your utter and total cooperation. Wouldn't you agree, Ripper?"

The look he directed at Stefan was clearly more than just a question. Those dark, evil eyes held hope of some sort, Elena thought. Why would such a creature care about Stefan's response?

"I'll go with you, be your prisoner." Stefan offered.

"No." Elena shouted, instantly. "I will." She said defiantly. It was the easiest way, the simplest way. She was going to die anyway.

Bree and Stefan stared angrily at her; Klaus simply laughed. "It's bloody brilliant how any of you think you have a choice. So naive, it's sweet really."

Turning back to Isobel, he spat. "Leave her. Take the witch."

Elena fell forward as Isobel grabbed Bree, and sped out of the room, followed by Klaus. She collapsed next to Ric, taking his hand and letting herself sob. Stefan was quickly by her side, trying to comfort her.

It was no use; the one hope had gone. In 23 days, she would be becoming a vampire. It was no longer in the distance, an inevitability to be dealt with down the line. No longer was it something for after college, for when she was old enough to consider marriage and eternal love and that kind of thing.

It was this month.

This month, she would have to die.

x-x-x-x

Another body had been discovered, a third in a matter of weeks. The council had been convened for an emergency meeting at the Lockwood Mansion, and Damon and John couldn't miss it.

That would raise suspicion in the town they wanted to stay in, and knowing more of the picture could help in their battle. Furthermore, Liz had finally cracked and told the mayor they suspected the vampire could walk in the sun.

Big council news like that meant a fully attended meeting, no excuses.

Walking into the room together, Liz raised an eyebrow at them. Damon walked to her side, pouring himself a glass of the mayor's finest liquor on the way. There had to be benefits to these meetings.

"I thought you hated John Gilbert." Liz whispered to him when he took a place by her side.

"I'm sucking up to the in-laws." He whispered, back.

Liz rolled her eyes at him, "She's 17, Damon. Don't do anything stupid."

His eyebrows raised, grinning widely at her as he sipped her drink. "I always do something stupid, Liz. That's why I'm best friends with the Sheriff and sucking up to the most boring man to ever set foot in Mystic Falls."

She set him with a hard stare. "Damon." She said, annoyance in her voice.

"No need to get jealous Liz, you know you'll always be my main love." He quipped back, wiggling his eyebrows at her in an over-the-top reproduction of his most seductive looks.

At that, she cracked a smile. Almost a laugh! Unfortunately, Richard Lockwood was clearing his throat to start the meeting.

"Earlier this morning, another animal attack was reported in Mystic Falls. We all know, it was no animal. The creature is clearly not just passing through." He glared at Damon, who held his hands palms up.

"I hoped that would be the case," He said, "I'm sorry that it is not, and I promise to do what I can to protect the town."

He smoothly dodged the anger and accusation, his voice calming the fears of the council.

"Most attacks are one offs," John added, backing him and causing Liz to raise an eyebrow again. "Where did this one occur?"

"Near the new house, up past the lake. The new owner reported it." Liz joined the conversation. "Though how an art teacher can afford a house like that, I don't know."

John and Damon locked eyes. Klaus was behind these attacks, clearly.

At that moment, there was a mixture of gasps. Damon's eyes roaming the room spotted the source of the shock. Richard Lockwood was on his knees, clutching his head. The howl of pain he let out was guttural, his eyes flashing yellow as he looked up in a silent prayer.

Damon watched the blood drip from his nose, pooling in his eyes. He watched the man collapse and die.

He was the first there, rolling him on his back and performing CPR. He didn't care if the mayor lived or died, quite frankly, but he cared about his image before this group of people. Liz was calling for an ambulance, John was holding back the screaming Carol and Damon started to notice the throbbing in his head.

Was that the device? Had the device done this to Lockwood?

x-x-x-x

They were in his Buick, speeding out of town, with the radio turned up and the top down. This is what life was about, these moments of pure joy that she could experience.

She was glad that for once she'd skipped the good girl choice and decided instead to just have fun with her boyfriend. Unbuckling, she stood up and waved her arms in the air as they approached the sign to say they were leaving town. It was like a scene out of a movie, something she'd always wanted to try.

Singing along to the deafening music, she didn't notice that Tyler was grabbing his head and screaming until it was too late. They were already spinning; she was already falling.

As the car flipped past the sign, the last thought she had was that at least she was dying young, pretty and Miss Mystic Falls.

x-x-x-x

Damon stepped out of the ambulance to a scene of utter carnage in the emergency room. A road traffic accident had just arrived, his ears picking up there was one badly injured and one dead on arrival.

He was trying to sort through the medical jargon, hear the issues. Richard Lockwood was being pulled through to continue resuscitation attempts. It would be futile, he knew, but for the town's mayor they would pull out all the stops.

The teenage boy that was being wheeled in had major head trauma, the prognosis wasn't good. As he caught the name, he thought there had been a mistake, an error. It couldn't be, it was too much of a coincidence.

Tyler Lockwood had been in a car crash at the same time his father had collapsed and died. He listened carefully, hoping he wouldn't hear the name of any of Elena's friends as they brought the passenger, but his heart fell when he heard the hushed whispers.

He rushed past the chaos, his thoughts on his friend as he navigated his way to the main entrance. The accident and emergency waiting room. He watched Liz and John guide Carol in, still sobbing, getting her seated. He walked up to them, wondering if he really was the best person to do this.

Surely a doctor would be better trained.

But this was Liz, she wouldn't want a stranger. She wouldn't want the world to see.

"Liz, I need a quick word. It's urgent."

She was about to brush him off, to tell him she was here for Carol, when she looked up and saw his face. There was no point hiding the pain he was feeling, the guilt. Liz's daughter, Elena's friend, Caroline, had died as a result of them using the device. He was pretty sure that's what had killed the mayor, what caused the crash. He even had an idea why, given the mayor's orange eyes and Mason Lockwood's super strength.

He'd have to figure out where Mason was soon, but Liz was his first priority.

Guiding her down a side corridor, a quiet spot beside the vending machine, he broke the news of what he had heard.

The sound she made was unmatched.

It wasn't the first time he'd heard the wail of a mother who had lost her child, he'd lived through wars a-plenty and times of disease and famine. Every time, it was raw. The pain was visceral, the sound touching every bone in his body.