The Hybrid

June 23, 2010

Unlike the sweltering front yard, the interior of the Salvatore house was like another world. Protected by the shade of ancient trees, the second floor was cool and dark. And quiet. Elena walked slowly walked over the highly polished wooden floorboards of the hallway, coming to a stop in the doorway of Damon's room. The vampire was removing all the notes, maps and newspaper cutting from his closet while listening to the tv news.

"Whether suicide, or a tragic accident, WPKW News has lost one of its shining stars. Field reporter and weekend anchor Andie Star was discovered..."

Damon glanced at the TV for a moment before going back to ripping the trails and newspaper clippings. Movement at the door caught his attention, and he sighed, not looking up.

"What do you want?" he asked. "I'm really not in the mood."

Elena hesitated for a second before walking closer to him, a sad shine to her eyes. "You've been dodging my calls."

"Yeah, well, busy trying to get rid of a dead news reporter and all." The vampire mumbled darkly.

Her shoulders sagged. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Happy Birthday, Elena. Stefan killed Andie. Cake?" His voice was sick with sarcasm.

Elena sunk her teeth into her bottom lip, hard and looked away. Damon's revelation had silenced her and ignited a bright fire of denial in her heart. Questioning the older Salvatore was second nature and she couldn't bring herself top, especially not in the face of such damning accusations. Elena vividly remembered what had happened the last time Stefan had tasted human blood - his relapse had been her fault after all.

"He called me, Damon. They both did."

"What?" Damon hissed looking over at her.

Elena smiled slightly. "Louise left me a voicemail and Stefan called me last night."

"Let me hear it." Damon snatched the phone from her hand before entering the code so that Louise's voice came through.

"Hey, Elena. It's...It's Louise. Happy Birthday, I'm sorry I couldn't be there to celebrate our day...but I hope you had a good time..." Damon heard Louise sniffle, probably fighting back tears and his heart ached. "I'm sorry. I love you...and...I just need you, Elena." It came out in a sob. "I don't know what to do. I'm trying really hard...to be okay. But I don't know how to move on. End of messages-" Damon quickly hung up and handed her phone back.

"Are you okay?" Elena whispered.

Damon narrowed his eyes fractionally, hesitating just for a moment before nodding. "Fine." His jaw clenched so tight it actually hurt. He was surprised his teeth didn't shatter. When he was upset, he forgot to control it. "Well, what did Stefan say?"

Elena sucked in a sharp breath and lifted her head. Damon's gaze was black as their eyes caught. "He didn't say anything, but it was him. I asked Sheriff Forbes if she would trace the call's origin. It came from Tennessee."

"Where he's binge drinking on the country folk. We went through this, Elena. Stefan's gone." Damon snapped, grabbing the newspaper clips from the bed and walking to the chimney. "I don't mean geographically."

"If he was gone, he wouldn't have called." Elena insisted, her tone more tender this time.

Damon doesn't respond to her. He kept his back to her, lit a match before letting it fall into the fireplace so his entire research would burn to nothing but ashes. Elena shook her head and left the room. If he wasn't going to help her, that's fine. She'll find someone else who will.

Smoky Mountains, Tennessee

The path that led up the mountain wasn't civilised. However, for a species that are secretive and recluse as werewolves, civilisation was no doubt far from a top priority when it came to choosing an ideal location for a pack gatherings. In fact, knowing the nature of the species around the rise of a full moon, uncivilised mountains with rocky terrains only adventurous humans with a love for hiking would dare venture up, was ideal.

Louise Gilbert had never been the hiking type. Her along with her companions Klaus and Stefan had been trekking up the mountain for some time now. The Salvatore vampire was carrying the unconscious werewolf, Ray, over his shoulder.

"You okay, love? Are you getting tired?" With a displeasured look on her face, Louise shrugged Klaus's arm off her shoulder as the original came up behind her. She picked up her pace, moving ahead of the two vampires. Stefan now in-between the pair as if he was a wall between Klaus and herself.

"I'm fine." Louise muttered, her reply short. Dismissive. She was definitely not in the mood to banter with the hybrid.

"You sure about that?" Klaus was in a mood to banter. His amusement as clear as the grin that stretched across his face. He and Stefan followed the seer. "You know, we've been walking for quite some time now. If you need some water or a little sit down." She continued to ignore him and Klaus smirked before he turned to Stefan. "What about you, mate? Are you getting tired?"

"You know, I get that we're all, uh..." Stefan racked his brain for a careful selection of words to wipe the grin off Klaus's face. "stuck together but if we could maybe just skip the chitchat, I'd be great."

"I second that." Louise called from ahead with a raised hand.

"So much brooding. The both of you." Klaus hummed. "I don't understand it."

"Maybe it's 'cause I'm a little tired of hunting werewolves." Stefan muttered in reply. "We've been at it all summer."

But the original didn't share the frustration. Not now, when they were so close. "Thanks to our pal Ray, we found ourselves a pack. There."

Louise slowed when she reached a clearing through the trees. Stefan was the first to enter the camp and he suspected that Klaus only allowed this because he hoped the sight of the battered, bruised and bloodied werewolf on his back would make an immediate impact. Of course, he was right.

Within a matter of seconds, a dark haired woman had crossed the clearing, her eyes wide with panic as she bent down to examine the werewolf Stefan had promptly deposited on the ground. "Ray! Oh, my God. What's going on? Who are you?" Her eyes darted between Ray and Stefan, torn between seeing to her pack mate or assessing whether or not the man stood in front of her was a friend or foe. Just then, Klaus stepped forward with Louise in tow.

"The important question is who am I." Klaus informed the woman. His gaze swept over the camp, undoubtedly counting the heads of every werewolf present and finding the number a sufficient and satisfactory start. "Please forgive the intrusion. My name is Klaus."

He didn't need a bigger introduction. That much was evident from the rustle of uneasiness that coursed through the pack, followed by the woman's gasp of realisation.

"You're the hybrid."

Klaus's grin was big with delight. Nothing seemed to please him more than when his reputation preceded him. "You've heard of me. Fantastic."

The confirmation didn't seem as if it was great news to the pack. In fact, they seemed more on edge than before.

Klaus, Louise and Stefan all moved to sit on a large rock whilst all the werewolves stared them done intensely, some were scared for their lives, others were ready to fight. Stefan didn't feel comfortable with Louise in this setting. Not that the young human seemed too worried about any of it. Maybe she trusted that with the famed hybrid close, no one would dare make a risky move.

"It's fascinating, actually." Klaus mused with a smile tugging at his lips. "A werewolf who isn't beholden to the moon, a vampire who doesn't burn in the sun." To Louise it seemed like he was actually awed at himself. Talk about an ego, the brunette thought. "A true hybrid."

Suddenly, there was a loud inhale on the forest floor, Ray's back arching as he gasped to life.

Klaus straightened, with a smile. "Excellent timing, Ray. Very dramatic."

"What's happening to me?" Ray choked out as he rolled over onto his stomach, desperate to ease the itch in his throat.

Klaus turned to the Salvatore vampire at his beckon. "Stefan?"

Stefan gave a sour smile before he looked around and stood, shouting clearly. "Are any of you human? Your friend here needs human blood to complete his transition to vampire." Nobody answered. "If he doesn't get it, he will die." Still no one budged.

"Doesn't take much, just a sip." Klaus added as he stood from the rock and stalked around, surveying the prospects. "Anyone? A boyfriend, a girlfriend, along for the ride?"

Louise remained seated on the big rock, her legs crossed over one another, one arm resting lazily over he legs and her elbow propped up on her knee, her hand serving as support for her chin. Her eyes darted around at the werewolves, trying to see which one would be willing to give their life up for a someone they loved. A blonde guy caught her gaze for a second. He looked like her childhood friend, Matt Donovan. Well, he reminded her of Matt.

"You!" Klaus watched the human as his eyes widened upon realisation that he got caught. Before anyone had a chance to react, the hybrid flashed forward and bit into the human's arm, causing him to scream out in pain. Klaus tossed the man over to Stefan, who caught him and threw him to the ground, his wound exposed right in front of Ray.

The haired woman protested, ready to pounce but Klaus caught her by the neck, he shook his head. It was a warning.

"If you don't drink it, Ray, I will. Problem is I don't know how to stop." Stefan said, although Louise wasn't sure if he said it to scare Ray or because he meant it.

"It's the new order, sweetheart." Klaus told the struggling werewolf in his iron-clad grasp. He looked at her seriously. "You join us, or you die."

"I'd rather die than be a vampire." she snarled.

"Wrong choice."

Louise watched as Klaus's face transitioned into a monster's. He bit into his wrist before shoving the bloody wound into the woman's mouth. When he finished force-feeding her, he instantaneously snapped her neck and she fell limp onto the floor, temporarily dead. Louise continued to look on as Klaus gave her a curious look, but then just snickered.

"She'll thank me for that later." he determined before bringing up his hand to wipe off the blood from his lis with his bloody hand. He looked around the forest to all the other werwolved and smiled, his golden eyes sparkling in the daylight. "Okay, who's next?"

Apparently, Elena had taken matters into her own hands and enlisted Alaric to help her hike up the Smokey Mountains to find her boyfriend and sister. Alaric lead the way, looking around to make sure they weren't anyone lurking while Elena following whilst fiddling with her backpack. As they rounded a small cliff of the trail that overlooked the water, Alaric pointed up to the other side of the mountain.

"In a couple hours, the full moon's gonna rise just above that ridge. If Tyler's right, that's where the pack'll be."

"You were a boy scout, weren't you?" Elena chucked. "A boy scout, slash vampire slayer?"

"Slash whiskey-drinking all-around lost cause." he added.

As she laughed at his pessimism, Alaric came to a stop at a rock, where he set his bag down and opened it to reveal a stash of weapons to use they got into a sticky situation.

Elena's eyes widened slightly as she peered into the bag. "Wow. You came stocked."

"Well, we aren't exactly bird-watching." He pulled out a jar full of liquid and herbs and extended his arm to hand it to Elena. "Here. Put that in your bag."

"Vervain grenade?"

"Wolfsbane." Ric corrected and she nodded.

"Well, since we're exchanging gifts..." The doppelganger pulled out her late father's ring from her bag and extended it to Alaric, who just stared down at the ring blankly. He then looked up at her.

"That's John Gilbert's ring."

Elena shifted slightly. "It was yours once. Go ahead. Take it. I'll protect you from whatever supernatural danger we're about to get ourselves into."

Alaric was hesitant. "He gave it to you."

"Yeah, but I'm a doppelgänger. It's not gonna work on me. He left it for if I ever have kids."

"Yeah, well, then why don't you save it for future generations of stubborn, relentless baby Gilberts?"

Elena sighed. "Okay, and how 'bout you borrow it until after we survive this? I'd feel bad if I got you killed before happy hour."

Ric couldn't help but chuckle lightly at her judgey joke and watched as she waited patiently for him to take the ring, obviously not taking no for an answer. She urged him to take it once again, so he reached forward and grabbed the ring graciously. Elena nodded with a look of relief while Alaric turned around to his backpack.

Elena moved closer to the water. "I don't know why you think that you're a lost cause."

Then she felt two strong hands against her back and she was flying through the air in the neck moment, landing with a splash a few feet out in the lake. Alaric reacted quickly and aimed his crossbow.

The water was freezing and Elena came up spluttering. "Damon?" The vampire was standing up on the ledge, one arm propped up against the tree with the smuggest smile on his face. She ached to slap it off. "How are you even here?"

Damon turned his head slightly to look at Ric. "Thanks for the tip, brother."

Alaric stepped forward slowly, Elena's eyes full of disbelief. "You sold me out!"

"You think I'd take you to a mountain range of werewolves on a full moon without backup?" The teacher scoffed. They shared a look and he turned away.

"Get out of the water, Elena." Damon sounded somewhere between impatient and bored.

Elena crossed her arms defiantly and huffed. "If I get out of the water, you're gonna make me go home."

"Yes, because I'm not an idiot like you." He was taunting her and she knew it.

"Right now, you're both acting like idiots." Alaric shouted at them both, tired of the childish back and forth.

"You gave up on him Damon." Elena shook her head and looked away.

"I didn't give up on him, Elena. I faced reality. Now get out of the water."

Elena stood her ground, still the defiant child. "No!"

In that moment Elena reminded Damon of Louise. They were both very stubborn. Pig-headed, if you will. And perhaps that was where they resembled each other far more than in any of their differences. It was a common fact; if a Gilbert twin made up their mind, not even moving earth itself would or could do anything to change it. It was a talent. A trait both could appreciate.

"What's your big plan, Elena? Huh? You gonna walk through a campsite full of werewolves, roast a marshmallow, and wait for Stefan and Louise to stop by?" He jumped down into the water. Moving forward, not exactly stalking her but intimidating all the same.

"My plan is to find them, help Stefan, and bring them home! Damon, this is our chance to get them back, don't you see? We can't go home when we're this close."

"Klaus thinks you died when he broke the curse. That makes you safe. This" He gestured to the lake, the open sky. "this is not safe."

Elena stubbornly jutted out her chin, arms remained crossed. "I'm not leaving before we find them."

"It's a full moon tonight, Elena."

"Then we'll find him before then. Damon, please." Elena begged. "I want to bring my sister home. I want to bring your brother home!"

Damon watched her, the desperation in her eyes wanting her family. He had to admit, he wanted to find them just as much as Elena did. Besides, there was no turning back now. "Okay. Okay. But we are out of here before the moon is full and I'm werewolf bait.

"Okay."

"Because the last thing I need is to hallucinate about 1864 again."

"Okay, okay. I get it!"

"Good."

He turned and stalked out the water, leaving her there. With a sigh, she followed him out, ringing her hair as she climbed up the ledge he'd so easily just passed a moment before.

"There." Klaus snatched his wrist back from the human's mouth and stared the male in the eyes, bringing to compel him. "Good as new. Now you relax, okay, mate? We're gonna need you when the rest of them wake up."

The hybrid lifted himself from the ground, the ground which was soaked in blood of the pack of werewolves that were lying dead, awaiting transition. He moved towards Stefan and Louise who were currently keeping Ray company as the newly transitioned hybrid was shaking back and forth, his arms wrapped around his own body, in disbelief at the sight of his friends.

"They're dead." Ray whispered. "They're all dead."

Klaus titled his head slightly to examine him then shrugged. "Ah, he's through his transition. He should be feeling better soon."

Stefan pushed himself from the tree he was propped on and walked forward. "So is this your master plan? Build an army of hybrid slaves?"

"No, not slaves. Soldiers, comrades." Klaus corrected.

"For what war, might I ask?"

"Oh, you don't arm yourself after war has been declared, Stefan. You build your army so big that no one ever dares pick a fight."

"What makes you so sure that they'll be loyal?" Stefan questioned curiously.

"Well, it's not difficult to be loyal when you're on the winning team. That's something you'll learn once you shake that horribly depressive chip off your shoulder. You should be more like Louise." Louise was far too preoccupied watching Ray as he blubbered oddly.

Stefan chuckled humourlessly. "That's why you're, uh...you're keeping us around? To witness our attitude adjustments?"

"Louise is an asset." Klaus countered as his eyes flickered towards the brunette. "But you - you'll know why I'm keeping you around when I've decided that I want you to know."

"I think there's something wrong with him!" Louise caught the hybrid's attention as she grabbed Ray's face and titled it up to see blood spilling out of his tear ducts. Klaus immediately sat down on the other side of Ray and did the same, examining the strangeness of his transition process. Stefan, too, was confounded at the behaviour of the hybrid.

"Huh?" Stefan looked over at the original. "That shouldn't be happening, should it?"

"Well, obviously." Klaus hissed.

It quickly became clear to Ray that there was something wrong with him and he began shaking more as the blood spilled easier from his eyes. "You said it was gonna feel better. Why doesn't it feel better?" He looked at Klaus for an explanation but there was none.

Stefan, on the other hand, found it too easy to mock the situation. "Some master race."

"Lose the attitude." Klaus demanded sourly. Just then, the woman who they had first turned, gasped awake, shooting upright. Klaus, still extremely weary of the situation at hand, decided to continue with his experiments. "Derek, come feed your girlfriend."

The human rose to his feet and Klaus took his hand but right as he was about to create a fresh wond, there was a sudden whoosh, and all heads turned as Ray took off into the forest like a wild animal, jumping over rocks as he escaped. Stefan turned to Klaus, who gestured forward.

"Go get him."

Stefan reluctantly went after the werewolf and stupidly, Louise decided to follow while Klaus was distracted making hybrids. Louise rushed into the sight just as Ray bit down into Stefan's arm, causing her to shout in protest. Ray quickly disappeared and Stefan was left on his knees groaning at the bite mark on his arm. Almost at once Louise felt as thought she was sucker punched, breath leaving right out of her. Her stomach lunched and she couldn't tear her eyes away from the angry red wound. Because it looked familiar. Too familiar.

"Stefan!" Louise shouted as she dove onto the ground, gripping his arm tightly, pulling him closer to get a better look, ignoring Stefan's insistent tugging to release him.

Stefan huffed out an annoyed breath. "I'm fine. It's nothing. Klaus will heal me."

They both got to their feet and as they moved forward, Stefan stopped dead in his tracks, his super hearing picking up three familiar voices through the woods.

"How you doing?" Damon asked.

"Fine." Elena responded out of breath and Stefan's eyes grew wide, his heart throbbing at her words. The residual part of him raged at his brother for putting Elena in danger and bringing her here, so close to the vampire who had killed her.

"You know, I could help you."

"No, thanks."

"Just one little fwoosh."

"Yeah, with my luck, you'd drop me."

The third voice, Alaric's, chimed in. "What are you guys, twelve?"

Stefan walked over to the cliff towards where he heard the voices, only to see Damon, Elena and Alaric all dragging themselves up the hill onto the ridge. Louise moved to stand next to the Salvatore, eyes squinting to see what he could see. Her eyes widened and her breath caught while Stefan stood still, not saying a word.

"Is that...?" Louise trailed off. She looked up at Stefan before looking back over the cliff. She considered the startling but not unexpected news. She'd known her sister wouldn't let them go without a fight and on some level she'd been waiting for the inevitable moment. Her rescue party had arrived to free her from Klaus and take her back to Mystic Falls.

A twig snapping from behind them alerted Stefan of Klaus's presence. He rushed forward and walked onto the other side of Klaus to distract him from the edge of the mountain where the bandwagon from Mystic Falls were currently hiking up.

"Where did he go?" The hybrid wondered out loud.

"He, uh...he got away." Stefan responded quickly. "Forget him. Let's go."

Klaus caught Stefan's arm and forced him back, where he noticed the wound growing on his arm. The Salvatore let out a hiss and Klaus smiled slightly. "A fatal werewolf bite. Ouch."

"Yeah. I'm gonna need your blood to heal me."

Klaus inhaled deeply, pondering the idea for a moment before he finally spoke. "Well, I tell you what. You find Ray, and then I'll heal you."

Louise scoffed for him. "You can't be serious." Her eyes flared with worry as they flickered between the two vampires. "That's crazy. He can't go running around the forest with a bite like that..."

"Oh, I'm dead serious." He replied before he looked toward Stefan. "You better hurry, 'cause that bite looks nasty." He snaked his arm around Louise's shoulder and ordered. "Come on, love." The hybrid moved them forward, Louise not having a choice but to obligate as she looked back at Stefan with wide eyes.

The sun was setting, yellow-orange light disappeared through the canopy of trees with each of their steps as the darkness grew all around them. Alaric peered back to Elena and Damon, who were following closely behind him, to give them an update. "We got about a mile left."

Damon examined the sky and pursed his lips cautiously. "The sun's about to set."

Elena rolled her eyes. "I have eyes, I can see that, Damon."

"I'm just saying." Damon held his hands up innocently.

"The moon doesn't reach its apex for a while. We have time."

The trio all moved warily through the leafy bushed, looking out for anything abnormal that might pop out at them. Alaric was armed with his crossbow as a weary feeling washed over him. Sure enough, the was a loud rustle and immediately Alaric pointed his weapon as they all looked to see a man, Ray Sutton, shirt soaked in blood staggering around.

"Stay where you are!" The hunter demanded at the intruder.

Ray came to a slow in front of them. But suddenly something snapped in him and he glanced towards Damon, assessing the threat. "Vampire."

In a flash, Ray rushed over to Damon and the two began to tussle. Damon managed to grab the wolf by his throat but Ray had him pinned to the tree a few feet ahead. Ray attempted to bite the vampire but Alaric triggered his crossbow, the arrow landing in the wolf's back but it didn't hurt him for long as he continued on his quest to try and bite Damon. With quick thinking, Elena quickly threw down her backpack, zipped it open and pulled out the jar of wolfsbane Alaric had given her earlier.

"Damon!" she called, as she pulled out the pin in the jar and tossed it to him.

Damon caught the jar mid-air and it blasted all over the werewolf, who screamed aloud in immense agony. His face burned so badly that he released Damon from his grasp and fell to the floor. As he struggled to recoil, Damon walked forward and kicked him over, knocked him unconscious.

"Let me guess. Hybrid." Alaric said what everyone was thinking.

Alaric reached into his bag to pull out a few feet of rope and chain before him and Damon grabbed the hybrid while Elena started soaking the ropes and chain with vervain. Ray began to stir as they chained him up to the tree.

Damon shook his head. "These ropes aren't gonna hold him much longer. What else do we have?"

"Ric, here. Take these." The brunette extended the ropes in her hand to Ric but unfortunately instead of the human who took them, Damon reached behind him and grabbed them, instantly burning his skin on contact with the vervain.

The vampire pulled back his hand. "Aah! Ow!"

"I said Ric." Elena defended herself.

Damon moved away from the hybrid and Alaric took the ropes, tying them around Ray with a sigh. "All right, that's the last of the vervain. We don't have enough stuff to hold him." He looked up. "I don't think we're gonna make that Ridge before the full moon."

Elena stepped forward. "If we can get him to talk, we don't have to."

In an attempt to wake the unconscious hybrid, Elena cautiously reached out her hand to touch Ray's face. Right as she was about to make contact, Ray woke with a startle, causing the doppelganger to jump back in defence. Ray craned his neck and began to scream, thrashing back and forth against the ropes.

Damon narrowed his eyes. "Is he turning?"

"It's impossible. It's still daylight." Elena noted.

"Tell him that." Alaric uttered as they watched and listen to Ray's agonising screams. Damon got closer to Ray, reaching out to hold his shoulders in an attempt to delay his transformation but of course that didn't work.

Elena shook her head in disbelief. "There aren't supposed to be werewolves out here until the moon is full."

"You know, those ropes aren't gonna hold the wolf." Alaric announced. Ray continued to scream and snarl as his bones shifted.

Elena looked around, desperately debating with herself but quickly realised it wasn't worth it. They couldn't risk the consequences. "Damon, we've got to get out of here. We gotta get out of these mountains now!" She pushed Damon off the wolf. "Damon, now!"

Reluctantly, the vampire released the hybrid and along with Elena and Alaric sprinted away. As they ran farther down through the mountain back to the car, nightfall came upon them, limiting the vision of the humans with the vampire. As a result, Elena, the clumsiest of the three, tripped over a tree root at her feet, causing them all halt, turning to look at her but only found something that shook them to their core.

"Don't move." Damon whispered.

Elena raised her head moving her thick, brunette locks from her eyes to see a wolf staring down at her. She gasped, trying not to moved but inevitable she was frightened to her core and her breathing quickened. The wolf growled loudly ready to attack when Damon stepped forward.

"Here, doggie, doggie." He taunted as he ran into the forest at supernatural speed and the wolf didn't hesitate to follow close on his trail.

Alaric grabbed Elena's arm, pulling her from the ground. "Come on. Let's keep moving."

Elena shook her head. "We can't leave Damon."

"He can handle himself. Let's move." He tried to drag her but she stood firmly and stubbornly.

"No. If he gets bit, he'll be dead. I'm the reason he's out here." Guilt washed over her.

"I am the reason he's out here." Alaric corrected. "I told him where we were, and I'm telling you to keep moving. Let's go. Elena, now!" He ordered, his voice full of authority as he accepted the guilt for bringing Damon out into the smoky mountains on one of the most dangerous nights for a vampire to be out on.

Dear diary,

I could count the amount of times I wanted to willingly be next to Klaus Mikaelson on one hand and I wouldn't even need the whole hand. One finger was all I'd need. I'll give you a minute to guess which one I'd use. And it wasn't because I hated him. In fact, as of late, it was sort of the opposite. I understood, at least in small increments, why he was the way he was. Why he did the things he did. How he managed to be ten steps ahead his entire existence. Admiration it was not, but it was something.

A lot of people believed Klaus to be bad but there's good in everyone. Right? My mother use to say; "Bad people aren't born bad. The world messes them up. Something happens that changes them." Like in Hansel and Gretel, she says the real story is why the witch got so sad and lonely that she starts eating children.

Klaus had his good sides, but they were mainly reserved to anybody that was lucky enough to land on it. As you can imagine it wasn't a long list.

Louise's new diary had proved to be an immense solace to her, in the way it had been just after her parents had died. She wrote in it carefully each day. Once upon a time she had been able to write pages upon pages, her thoughts spilling out onto the page as easily as sand soaks up water but that tide of words had dried up. The brunette bit her lip.

"Something the matter, love?"

Louise peered up from her diary to meet Klaus's gaze. "Oh, I don't know, maybe you're a complete dick, letting Stefan wonder around with a werewolf bite when you have the cure." Her voice dripping with sarcasm and anger. Louise Gilbert wasn't timid, she would never shy from speaking her mind, she wouldn't be intimidated. "Or maybe the fact we're surrounded by zombie hybrids. It's a real toss up between the two."

Klaus had been alive for a millennium. In all that time, he'd never been as abjectly frustrated as he was right now. Perhaps it was the fact that he stood across from a teenage girl who appeared to have the same moral compass, so to speak, as his do-good brother, or perhaps it was because she wasn't cowering in fear.

No.

It was because she was right, and he hated it.

Klaus approached Derek, placing his hand on his shoulder. "Bad news, my friend. End of the road for you." Derek offered no resistance as Klaus drained every last drop of blood from his body. The woman was quickly in front of the hybrid, a low snarl erupted from her throat. "Careful, love. There's only one Alpha here." Klaus warned. His eyes scanned his surroundings at all the werewolves staggering around the camp, blood pouring from their eyes. They looked like zombies. "Bloody hell."

Klaus let out a heavy sigh. Then there was a single second of absolute silence before all hell broke loose.

Surprised gasps, crushing sounds, and growls echoed in the forest as Klaus easily tore through the entire pack, killing the failed attempts at hybrids. Louise stood frozen in shock. Her eyes darting from one place to the next as she attempted to follow Klaus's movements. He was a blur that left blood and torn limbs in his wake. It was over fairly quickly, Louise was left feeling horrified by the scene in front of her. It reeked of violence and death.

Blood dripped down Klaus's neck but he didn't care. All he could feel was the familiar burn of the pain of all the disappointments this night had brought him.

His clothes and hands were covered in blood. He looked every inch of the monster he proudly claimed to be. 'A handsome devil of a man.' Louise wanted to slap herself for her silly thought. She felt angry with herself for thinking him handsome when he was covered in blood of an innocent pack of wolves.

Klaus's voice pulled the brunette out of her thoughts. "You know what I like about you?"

"Huh?"

"You pretend to be so holy but you're so obvious about your fascination."

"Come on, love; I fascinate you. Admit it." She watched him, dazedly, as his blue eyes, the darkest she's ever seen, suddenly lighten until they're electric. With a jolt, she realised he was expecting an answer, from the way his right eyebrow was raised.

Crossing her arms across her chest, she pinned him with a glare. "No, you don't." she responded defensively, knowing the moment a light smirk graced his lips that she shouldn't have gone for the defensive strategy. "You, don't." she repeated, with emphasis, but that only made it worse; his smirk was full blown now.

"You're bad, Louise. You pretend to be good and pure but inside, there's a fury begging to be released. And, someday, I promise you, I will be the one to unleash it. Just you wait."

Louise frowned and stared at his retreating back. What game was Klaus playing at? What the hell have I gotten myself into? How am I going to survive the next couple of months or years of my life with him?

Damon found himself in the midst of a dark clearing with no sound, which only made things worse. He had finally slowed, carefully looking around to spot the wolf who had followed him. Suddenly, in his human form, Ray jumped out the shadows and knocked the vampire to the ground with a hiss. Damon recoiled quickly and swung a punch then dodge his rebuttal. After a few moments of a power battle, as Damon fought hard to restrain the hybrid from getting to him. Suddenly, Ray hissed and fell limp, dropping to the ground heavily.

"Fancy meeting you here." The older Salvatore dusted himself off as he rose from the floor. The object of their quest, the man they'd been searching for, was standing not twenty feet away from him, holding a hybrid's heart in his hand.

"What part of "don't follow me anymore" got lost in translation, Damon?" Stefan hissed as he carelessly dropped the hybrid's heart to the floor.

Damon couldn't help the sourness that left his mouth. "Might want to take it up with your girlfriend. You don't want her chasing you, I'd stop with the late-night phone calls."

Stefan shook his head. I didn't call her.

"Sure you did." Damon shrugged. "She's not gonna give up on you."

"She has to. Because I'm never coming back. Why don't you get her home? See if you could keep her there this time."

Chaos and darkness surrounded them. The camp was silent, the fire was dying and the dead bodies of Klaus's failed attempt at hybrids were scattered across the damp, leaf covered ground. Klaus was sitting on a log with two bottles of open beer while Louise was in the corner, standing against a tree without a word. A thin mist shrouded the area, the cold air pressing against Louise's skin. She surveyed the carnage around them silently, detachedly. It wasn't the blood that bothered her, it was the unnatural angled of their limbs, half turned, the expressions of utter torment on their faces.

"You're afraid." Louise stated out loud. She was hesitant, cautious, though throughout she still attempted to keep her breathing steady. She knew Klaus. She knew all too well, how quickly he could decide she was a pest, and put an end to her entirely. She held value, and in the most twisted sense, she thanked God everyday that Klaus had need for her. "I see it in your eyes. You're afraid to be alone. That is the reason why you wanted to break curse so you could make hybrids so you're not alone."

Moments passed and the hybrid didn't speak, he just examined the doppelganger's face and her words echoed through his mind. He cocked his head slightly to the side. "What makes you think I'm afraid of anything?"

"Because loneliness is the only thing that makes people so cruel." Louise told him. She suddenly remember what she had written in her diary earlier. "My mum use to say, the real story of Hansel and Gretel is why the witch got so lonely and sad that she starts eating children." She calculated, his expression, the softness of her words. "You try to prove to anyone who dare question you that you're fearless, so you inflict cruelty on them."

"I am Klaus Mikaelson." Klaus practically yelled. "I do not fear anything. I am what lesser men fear!"

Louise scoffed, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "You are afraid, Klaus!" she repeated. "You just hide it better than most."

Once again Louise Gilbert was right and the hybrid hated it. The camp fell silent once again before there was rustling.

Dirt and leaves shifted under vampiric feet, usually silent but made heavier by the added weight of the body slung across the younger vampire's shoulders. Stefan waited, panting slightly, the smell of rotting flesh pervading the small clearing. He carelessly dropped Ray to the ground.

"Stefan!" Louise rushed over to her friend. Her hand snatched out, lighting fast, closing around Stefan's wrist in a steely grip. She could see the gleaming blood, the curdled flesh around Ray's bite; it had been hours since he'd been bitten. She looked up into his forest green eyes. "Are you okay?"

Trying to hide his discomfort, Stefan retrieved his hand back and nodded. He looked towards Klaus. "What happened?"

"They went rabid." he spat out, gesturing at the bodies scattered. "Some of them, I killed. The others just...Bled out. In the end...They're all dead." He'd been so close to his goal, so certain that the night would end with hybrid soldiers at his back. He had come for an army but was now left with nothing but corpses, it was almost sickening.

In a sudden burst of rage, Klaus spun around and let out a roar, throwing his beer bottle across camp and it shattered somewhere. He yelled once again in frustration. "

"I did everything I was told!" He regained. his composure. "I should be able to turn them. I broke the curse. I killed a werewolf. I killed a vampire. I killed the doppelgänger." Stefan looked uncomfortable, as did Louise, knowing the truth. Elena wasn't dead. Klaus suddenly looked towards Louise. "You!" Louise swallowed thickly. "You're not dead, but I did kill you." Silence fell over the camp for a moment. Klaus's lips were pressed in a thin line, eyes flickering as he lifted his chin and found his gaze fall upon Stefan. "You look like hell."

Stefan held back a scoff as he responded. "Last I checked, I'm dying...and you don't want to heal me." Klaus's gaze flickered down to Ray's dead body on the ground then back up at Stefan. "I had to take him out. I didn't have a choice. I failed you. I'm sorry. Do what you have to do."

"It should have worked." Klaus muttered to himself out loud. He turned to grab an empty beer bottle. He bit into his hand before making a fist, letting the blood drain from the wound into the bottle. Then he extended the bottle to Stefan. "Bottoms up. We're leaving."

Stefan gladly took the bottle, putting it to his mouth and drinking it before he tossed it aside.

A/N: Thank you all so much for the warm welcome back, the replies, favourites and alerts. You guys rock! I appreciate everyone of you.