[3x21; Before Sunset]
Stefan silently entered the Gilbert house, using his enhanced hearing to locate the Gilbert siblings. He heard three heartbeats upstairs, two of them in the room that he knew to be Alaric's room, and Joel's laughter at something that Jeremy had said that Stefan didn't catch. Everyone was accounted for, which relieved him.
Lucy had been a mess the previous night once she saw the picture of herself and Alaric. She hadn't even known that the photo existed and her grief hit her hard once again. For the first time since he had known her, Stefan was unable to calm Lucy down. His heart broke for her but he stayed by her side, holding her as she cried until she passed out.
He had returned her to her bedroom and stayed with her until Joel came home and took over watching her. Now that the sun was out and morning had begun, Stefan wanted to make sure that all the siblings were dealing with Alaric's death.
He sped upstairs and stopped at the threshold of Alaric's room, looking around the room. Elena was dressed for the day and painting the far wall a beige-green while Jeremy and Joel patched up holes and dents in the three other walls.
"Going darker, huh?" he announced his presence, though he was sure Joel already knew he was there.
Elena turned around as he leaned against the door frame, giving him a weak smile. "It's the only color we had."
"That's what happens when you decide to paint your dead guardian's room in the middle of the night," Jeremy commented, exchanging a pointed look with Joel.
Stefan took that to mean that this was Elena's idea.
"I don't suppose anyone tried to talk you guys out of doing this so soon?" he hummed, walking into the room.
"Lucy doesn't know," Joel told him. Stefan frowned, knowing that Lucy wasn't going to be happy that they were doing this without her—or so soon after Alaric's death.
"We have to keep moving," Elena stated matter-of-factly as she dipped her roller into more paint. "Otherwise we'll start thinking and we don't wanna think."
"Well," he sighed. "I'm gonna check on Lucy."
"So, what's going on with you guys?" Jeremy spoke up, looking between Stefan and Elena. "Did you, like, switch sisters, or what?"
Stefan blinked as Elena grimaced.
"Jeremy," she hissed. "You know, we just…"
"I was just checking up on you guys," Stefan spoke when she trailed off unsurely. "seeing how you were doing after everything."
"We're fine," Jeremy's voice hardened as he set down his spatula. "but, if you are trying to be the good guy again, why don't you do the right thing and give us one day—just one day without you guys in it."
"Jeremy…" Joel said warningly; Jeremy just shrugged and walked out of the room.
"He didn't mean that," Elena told Stefan apologetically.
"Yeah, he did," Stefan knew exactly what Jeremy meant and he didn't blame the kid for feeling that way. All of what happened to Alaric was the fault of vampires; Stefan was a vampire and he wasn't family, so he knew Jeremy didn't want him around. "I'm, uh, I'm gonna check on Lucy."
Elena nodded with a weak smile and Stefan left the room, walking down the hall to Lucy's. The door was shut but it wasn't locked, so he gently knocked and walked in. He saw the top of Lucy's head peek out from her comforter but she didn't say anything as he walked over to the bed.
"Good morning," he greeted her, sitting in the free spot next to her legs.
"There's nothing good about it," Lucy's voice was weak and gravely, like her throat was sore, but it made Stefan's dead heart race all the same.
"Yeah, I know," Stefan agreed quietly. "You okay?"
"No."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"No."
"Do you want me to leave?"
Lucy sighed heavily and pulled her comforter away from her face. Her eyes were bloodshot, her nose was red, and there were traces of mascara around the corners of her eyes; it was clear that she had been crying off and on all night.
"No," she answered him. "I want you to stay."
Stefan smiled slightly and nodded at her. "Scoot over."
Lucy wiggled across her bed, making just enough room so Stefan could slip into the bed with her. Stefan nudged off his shoes and slipped off his jacket before laying down and lifting his arm. Lucy shifted into his side and laid her head on his chest as his arm wrapped around her.
It was quiet as they laid together but that was okay with both of them. Stefan didn't want to talk if she didn't want to; he would stay with her as long as she wanted. He could hear her heart beating strongly and her breath start to quicken, so he kissed the top of her head, hoping that it would let her know that he was here for her.
However, it wasn't long before they were interrupted. Stefan's phone rang and when he answered it, it was requested that he come downstairs. He kissed Lucy's head and told her that he'd be back before making his way down the stairs.
"What's going on?" he asked as he entered the dining room and saw that his brother and Bonnie had joined them. His eyes widened when he saw the wound on Bonnie's neck. "What the hell?"
"We have a problem," Damon told him and Joel, who had answered the door for him and Bonnie. "Alaric transitioned."
"Excuse me?" Joel spluttered.
"What do you mean he turned?" Stefan asked. "I thought you were standing guard."
"Don't blame me," Damon defended himself. "Blame Bonnie the blood bank. She fed him."
"I had no idea what was happening, okay?" Bonnie grabbed the cloth-covered ice pack that Joel offered her and pressed it against her neck. "The witches led me there. They wanted him to feed so he'd turn."
"So, where's the stake?" Stefan looked away from Bonnie to ask his brother.
"Oh, you mean the white oak stake? The one that can kill an Original and wipe out an entire line of vampires?" Damon glared at Bonnie. "We don't know."
"If you're so upset with me, why did you feed me your blood to save my life?" Bonnie spat back at him.
"Because I do stupid things, Bonnie!" he exclaimed, getting in her face. "I do things like let my friend die with dignity when I should've just killed him."
"Stop," Joel pulled Damon away from Bonnie and asked her, "How do we kill him now?"
He didn't want to think about the fact that they now had to kill Alaric themselves but he wasn't exactly Alaric anymore. They were all in danger now that he was an enhanced Original and probably had the white oak stake in his possession.
"I've been trying to figure that out," Bonnie sighed. "A witch can't truly make an immortal creature. There's always a way to undo the spell."
"So, what's the loophole?" Stefan asked.
"That's the problem," Bonnie said grimly. "I don't know."
"I'll call Nik," they all turned to look at Lucy as she walked into the kitchen, still dressed in her pajamas and looking exhausted. "Maybe there's something in Esther's grimoire."
"No, Lucy, we'll take care of this," Stefan walked over to her. "You don't have to—"
"Yeah, I do," Lucy said determinately. "Esther did this and if I can help find a way to undo it, I will."
Before anyone else could try to talk her out of helping—none of them really wanted Klaus involved—the doorbell rang. Lucy went to go answer it, but Joel stopped her.
"Stay here," he ordered as he walked past her to the foyer. He opened the door and sighed when he saw Klaus standing on the other side of the threshold. "What the fuck do you want?"
"Now is that any way to treat a guest?"
Joel clicked his tongue. "When the guest is you, sure."
"What are you doing here Klaus?" Stefan walked up beside Joel, Damon on his heels.
"Well, for starters, Joel could show some manners and get my baby sister to invite me in," Klaus requested sternly.
"I thought I was being polite," Joel said, giving Damon an innocent look before turning back to Klaus. "No invite, sorry."
"I thought that I'd check on Luciana," Klaus insisted. "The loss of another father is hard on her, I suspect."
"Yeah, about that…"
"I know all about my mother's invulnerable little creation," Klaus cut Damon off, changing his tune. "That's another reason I'm here. I'm leaving town and I needed to pick up a few road trip necessities; a spare tire, flashlight, doppelganger, little sister…"
"Can't help with that," Joel shook his head and shut the door in Klaus' face.
As Lucy walked into the foyer, Damon sped up the stairs, calling Elena's name.
"What the hell is going on?" Lucy asked Stefan and Joel. "What'd Nik want?"
"He wants to take you and Elena," Stefan told her as Damon came back downstairs. "Where is she?"
"She's not here."
Joel gave him a confused look. "What do you mean she's not here?" he asked Damon. "Where did she go?"
It was then that Bonnie joined them. "What's happening?"
Joel walked over to the window beside the door and peeked out of the blinds, watching as Klaus paced up and down the sidewalk in front of their house. "Klaus wants in," he stated. "We have to keep him out."
"Look, I'll go out and talk to him," Lucy suggested but was immediately met with three separate denials from Stefan, Joel, and Damon. "Why not?"
"Because—oh, shit! Duck!" Joel cried as Klaus threw a newspaper at the window he was looking out of.
Lucy gasped when her body hit the floor after Stefan threw himself on her, protecting her from the shards of glass flying away from the window pane. Stefan quickly rolled off of her and ushered her and Bonnie into the kitchen out of harms way.
"I think you're probably gonna want to let me in!" Klaus called from outside.
Lucy looked out the window over the sink that looked over their driveway and garage. Elena's car was gone and the garage door was left open.
"Elena's car is gone," she told the others as Jeremy rushed into the kitchen.
Bonnie furrowed her eyebrows. "Why wouldn't she tell anyone where shew as going?"
The front door was burst down and a soccer ball came flying into the dining room and kitchen. Lucy ducked away from an airborne apple as the ball hit the fruit bowl on the table near Damon.
"Get down!" Stefan shouted at Jeremy and Bonnie while Joel and Damon jumped out of the way of a torn piece of a picket fence.
"Missed me!" Damon yelled to Klaus as he readied the next picket. He tore the white wood out of the wall where it impaled itself and whipped it toward Klaus, who moved out of the way.
Klaus split the last picket into two and threw them into the house; Joel and Damon ducked out of the way again.
"Missed me, too!" Joel taunted him.
Lucy flinched from behind the island as her phone started vibrating in her pocket. She gawked at the caller ID and answered it, knowing that Alaric's evil alter-ego wouldn't be calling her for the heck of it.
"Alaric."
"Lucy," Alaric replied stoically. "I have Elena and Caroline at the school. If Klaus doesn't turn himself over to me, I'm killing them both."
"What? No!"
"You have until sunset."
Lucy gaped at her phone when the call ended and clenched her teeth together. "Stop!" she called out to Damon and Joel. "We have a problem."
Five minutes later, after assuring Damon and Joel that she should be the one to tell Klaus about Alaric's threat and allowing Stefan to walk out with her after his very insistent argument, Lucy walked out onto the porch to face Klaus. She eyed the propane tank in his left hand and the newspaper he had lit on fire in the other.
"Put that out, Nik," she ordered as Stefan took his spot beside her. "Elena's not here. Alaric has her and Caroline and he's gonna kill them both unless you turn yourself over to him."
Klaus pressed his lips together and threw the propane tank and the newspaper on the porch, the flame going out. "Now I know you're not asking me to walk into a certain death."
"Oh, please, Nik," Lucy rolled her eyes.
"I wish we could afford that but we can't," Stefan spoke up. "If Alaric kills you, there a one-in-four chance that we die, too."
"I'll take those odds," Damon said as he stepped onto the porch behind Lucy and Stefan with a picket resting against his shoulder
"And a hundred percent Tyler dies," Lucy reminded Damon with a glare.
He shrugged. "I'm good with that too."
"Why don't we just figure out a way to put Alaric down?" Stefan rested his hand on Lucy's shoulder as he looked between Damon and Klaus.
Joel joined the four of them as they began brainstorming ideas to stop Alaric, shutting the door behind him. Lucy thought about what Bonnie said earlier, how nature wouldn't allow a way for someone to be completely immortal but she couldn't figure out what loophole Esther might have made when she casted the spell to make Alaric into an enhanced Original.
"Okay," Klaus spoke up, turning away from the corner of the porch he had been pacing. "How about Damon sneaks in and distracts Alaric while Stefan and Joel grab Elena and Caroline and carry them to safety."
"Oh, that's a great idea," Damon muttered sarcastically. "What's to stop me from getting killed instantly?"
"Nothing," Klaus grinned.
"Caroline's in there," Damon reminded Klaus needlessly. "Don't you have a thing for her or did she just reject you too many times?"
"Both of you, shut up," Lucy glared at the two oldest vampires. "Your arguing isn't helping."
The door opened and Bonnie walked out, wearing some of the clothes she borrowed from Lucy. "I might have an idea," she told them. "My mom used a desiccation spell on Michael that immobilized him for over fifteen years. If I can get it, I might be able to use it on Alaric."
Lucy nodded in agreement. "It might work."
"If and might," Klaus repeated with a sigh. "Your words inspire such confidence."
"I'll get it," Bonnie glared at him. "but even with the spell, we need a lot of vampire muscle to take him down, including yours."
Lucy raised her eyebrows at Klaus, hoping that he would agree to the best plan they had.
Klaus sighed and turned away from them, his eyes searching the sky. "Just so we're clear, the sun sets in about eight hours. If we don't succeed before then, Elena will be dead, Luciana and I will be gone, and the rest of you will be left to fend for yourselves."
"Okay," Lucy sighed while Klaus turned back to them with a smirk. "Let's get to work."
Lucy played with her bracelet as she sat in the Salvatores' living room, her eyes on the clock. It was just about noon, two long hours after Bonnie had called Abby to find out about the desiccation spell her mother had performed on Mikael all those years ago.
Abby still hadn't shown and she was getting anxious, exchanging nervous looks with Joel, who waited with her and Bonnie.
Joel sighed as the clock chimed and asked Bonnie, "Are you sure she's coming?"
"Relax," Bonnie muttered nervously as she paced back and forth, tapping her phone on her free hand. "Abby will be here."
"Okay, it's just that she doesn't exactly have the best track record—" Joel grunted as Lucy nudged him in the ribs with her elbow. "…sorry."
Bonnie brushed off his apology. "Jamie said she was coming, okay? Just give her time."
As soon as she finished speaking, the doorbell rang. Lucy and Joel jumped to their feet as Bonnie answered the door, revealing Abby on the other side.
Abby smiled nervously. "Hello, Bonnie."
"Thanks for coming," Bonnie ushered her into the house.
"Jamie's worried about you," Abby told her as they stepped into the living room. "He said it was urgent. I just didn't think you'd ever want to see me again."
Lucy bit her lip, giving Bonnie a sympathetic look.
"Like Jamie said," Bonnie shrugged. "It's urgent."
Abby nodded and looked around the house, spotting Lucy and Joel. "Why didn't I have to be invited in?"
"Only vampires live here," Bonnie informed her.
"Stefan and Damon signed over the deed to me and Elena but when Elena died, the seal broke," Lucy spoke up. "Damon had me sign the house back over to him. He said something about not trusting me."
Joel raised a playful eyebrow. "Wonder why."
"We called you here because I need help with a spell," Bonnie told her mother. "Esther created a vampire that can't be killed. I want to desiccate him like you did with Mikael."
Abby gave Bonnie a shocked look. "Bonnie, it's too dangerous," she shook her head. "Your magic comes from the earth. It's pure. This spell asks you to tap into dark places. Places of temptation. Places you can't handle."
"You turned your back on me for sixteen years," Bonnie angrily raised her eyebrows at Abby. "You have no idea what I can handle."
"Bonnie's not going to be alone," Lucy assured Abby before walking over to Bonnie for support. "I'll be helping her."
"The spell allows you to stop a vampire's heart," Abby said, still hesitant. "The blood will stop flowing and his body will desiccate."
"That's exactly what we want to do."
"To stop a vampire's heart, you need to find a balance among the living," Abby dropped the bombshell. "Can you handle that?"
Lucy inhaled deeply, knowing exactly what Abby meant. They had to stop a human heart in order to stop Alaric's. It was risky—and nerve-wracking.
"What does that mean?" Joel asked Bonnie and Lucy.
"We have to stop a human heart," Bonnie answered him.
Things went quickly after that, with Bonnie calling Jeremy to ask him about being the volunteer. Lucy and Joel were both reluctant, asking Jeremy to do this, but the youngest Gilbert was adamant that they use him. He wanted to protect Elena just like that and they weren't going to say no when it was his choice.
Abby taught Lucy and Bonnie the spell to desiccate Alaric and then they were meeting Jeremy, Stefan, Damon, and Klaus at the school. The plan to rescue Elena and Caroline, while putting Alaric down was about to commence.
As Lucy, Joel, and Bonnie met up with Jeremy, Lucy showed them an app on her phone. "Look at this," she pointed at her phone where four dots were being shown on the map of the school; hers and Bonnie's phone were out in the parking lot, while Elena and Caroline's were in the school. "This connects me to Caroline, Elena, and Bonnie. They're in Alaric's classroom."
Bonnie peeked at the map. "You should probably go in from the south entrance."
"Digital locater spell," Damon commented as he, Stefan, and Klaus walked over to them. "Why the hell do we need you, then?"
Joel rolled his eyes at Damon before holding his hand out toward Jeremy. "Give me your ring."
"No," Jeremy objected. "Let me do this."
"Jeremy you've died two times already," Lucy shook her head. "You're not doing this unless you give us the ring."
"If Bonnie and Lucy can't restart your heart for some reason, you do die, then before you know it, you're like Alaric," Joel tried to reason with his little brother. "Give me the ring."
"This is my ring," Jeremy declared. "and Elena's my sister, too. I'm gonna fight for her."
Lucy sighed and conceded as Joel cursed under his breath.
"You're such a stubborn ass," Joel said and turned to Lucy and Bonnie. "Try not to kill him, will you?"
"Time's ticking," Klaus spoke up impatiently. "There's not time for a big family argument."
Lucy rolled her eyes at him as Bonnie handed Damon the vial of her and Lucy's blood mixed together.
"Drink this, it's our blood," Bonnie informed them. "It bridges us all together so that when we stop Jeremy's heart, you'll have the power to stop Alaric's."
"You need to make a physical connection to his bloodstream," Lucy continued, looking at the vampires of the group. "A vein, artery…something connected to his heart."
Damon, Joel, Stefan, and Klaus took a sip of the blood.
"One of us gets a clean shot, take it," Stefan ordered. "the other three will hold him down."
"Before we all walk through those doors, let's get on the same page, shall we?" Klaus handed the vial back to Lucy. "I was the one who created your vampire blood line, therefore I'm responsible for your lives, Tyler's life, Caroline's life, and of course, Abby's life. Should anything go wrong."
"Or you're just lying to save your ass," Damon pointed out.
Klaus shrugged. "I'm not lying but go ahead, call my bluff. Let the teach kill and you'll all be dead soon thereafter."
"Let's just get this over with," Joel sighed.
Lucy nodded and looked at him, Damon, Klaus, and Stefan. "Be careful," she demanded; she cared about all of them—even Damon—and she didn't want anyone to get hurt. They had no idea exactly how strong Alaric was—he was meant to kill Klaus, after all. "Good luck."
The three vampires and one hybrid nodded and everyone split up. Lucy gave Stefan one last look, hoping and praying that she'd see him again, and then followed Bonnie and Jeremy into the woods just a few yards away from the school.
Lucy knelt on one side of Jeremy on the forest floor, Bonnie on the other. They waited for the action to begin, quietly focusing on their heartbeats. Lucy kept a hand on her necklace, waiting to siphon at a moment's notice.
And then they felt someone make contact with Alaric. Lucy started siphoning with one hand while holding out another over Jeremy's heart. Bonnie's hands joined her, one of them holding Lucy's while the other pressed against Jeremy's chest.
"They made contact," Bonnie told Jeremy. "It's happening."
Together, Lucy and Bonnie started chanting, casting the spell that would stop Jeremy's heart and Alaric's with it. All to soon, though, the connection with Alaric's heart broke. Lucy gasped and let go of Bonnie while pulling her hand away from her necklace.
"What's wrong?" Jeremy's eyes glanced between her and Bonnie.
"Something happened," Bonnie said worriedly. "the connection broke."
Lucy sighed and put the magic in her body back into her necklace so she wouldn't waste it.
Lucy's phone rang ten minutes later. It was Joel; she put the call on speaker so Bonnie and Jeremy could hear.
"What's going on?" she asked him.
"Klaus took Elena," Joel informed them. "Alaric said that his life is tied to Elena's, so Klaus is gonna kill her."
"What do we do?" Bonnie asked as Lucy inhaled sharply.
"I don't know but we have to do something to stop him."
"We'll use the spell on Klaus," Lucy spoke up. "We'll desiccate him."
It didn't matter to her right now that Klaus was her brother. He was threatening to kill Elena, which he hadn't done in a long time, due to his need for her blood. It seemed like it didn't matter to him if he could make more hybrids, as long as Alaric was off his back.
"What about Alaric?"
"We'll figure that out," Lucy shook her head. "Just—we're gonna desiccate Klaus, okay?"
She eyed Bonnie, wondering if that was the right thing to do; Bonnie nodded.
"Tell Stefan and Damon there's a change of plans," Bonnie told Joel. "We'll know when you make contact."
"Be careful," Lucy said as Jeremy added, "Save Elena!"
"Get ready," Joel told them before ending the call.
They waited for what seemed like hours but in reality was only ten or twenty minutes. Lucy tried not to feel guilty about what she was about to do but it was the only option at the moment. Klaus would wouldn't be awake and she'd probably never see him again, but Elena wouldn't die and neither would he. It was the right thing to do.
Lucy quickly siphoned from her necklace and grabbed Bonnie's hand as they felt someone make contact with Klaus' heart. Using the magic from her necklace, Lucy chanted in sync with Bonnie. The wind started picking up around them as the spell gained momentum.
Soon Jeremy's heart stopped beating and the spell picked up. Lucy stopped chanting and tried to pull away from Bonnie, but Bonnie held onto her tighter. She shouted in pain as she felt the magic still in her body start to be pulled out of her by Bonnie.
"Bonnie, stop!" she begged Bonnie, gasping when she saw black veins crawling up Bonnie's skin. "Bonnie, stop. Bonnie!"
Bonnie's eyes snapped open and Lucy ripped her hand out of her grasp. Now she knew how painful it was when magic was taken from you. It didn't feel as good as when Lucy siphoned it.
"Oh, my God," Bonnie gasped. "Sorry."
"It's fine," Lucy said quickly and glanced at her currently dead brother. "We have to wake up Jeremy now."
Bonnie nodded and they joined hands once more. They started chanting the spell that would start up Jeremy's heart again. When nothing happened, Lucy started to panic.
"Oh, my God," she breathed while Bonnie started trying to nudge him awake.
"Jeremy!" Bonnie shouted as Lucy joined her, both of them trying to jostle him awake. "Jeremy, wake up!"
Jeremy gasped awake, looking at them in confusion. Lucy sighed in relief and grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly as Bonnie pulled him into a frantic hug.
"What happened?" Jeremy asked as he pulled away from Bonnie's embrace. "Did it work?"
"Yeah," Lucy nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. "It worked."
Lucy slowly opened the casket and stared at her brother's face. It was surprisingly peaceful, like he hadn't been ambushed by four vampires and desiccated by his own sister and her friend.
She gasped when his eyes popped open but supposed that was part of the spell. Hopefully he'd become unaware the longer he was down.
"I'm sorry, Nik," she whispered to him as he blinked slowly at her. "I'm sorry I had to do this to you but you were going to kill Elena."
She bit her lip and gathered enough nerve to say goodbye to him; another loved one lost in the span of twenty-four hours.
"I love you, brother," she pressed her index and middle fingers to his cheek. "You'll forgive me one day."
She gave him one last sad smile and then shut the casket. She nodded at Stefan, allowing him to push the casket back into the SUV they were borrowing from Klaus.
"Ready for a road trip?" she asked him with a sigh, shutting the hatch; Stefan smiled at her. "Where are we headed with him?"
"Damon thinks he's going to the bottom of the Atlantic but I was thinking you might know somewhere he'd like to be," Stefan said as he walked her over to the passenger door.
Lucy smiled thoughtfully. "How about the Smokey Mountains?" she suggested. "Nik was always a fan."
"Some random cave in the Smokey Mountains, it is," Stefan nodded. "You okay?"
"He's alive," Lucy sighed as she opened her door. "and so is Elena. So, yeah, I'm okay."
Stefan smiled and brought her into his embrace, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead. "What do you say we stop by Duke on the way back?"
Lucy laughed, sliding into the passenger seat. "Duke's out of the way, Broody."
"Is it?" Stefan grinned innocently; Lucy nodded. "Well, I guess we're gonna miss school."
Lucy giggled and shut her door, ready to get on the road.