A/N: Now that we've all recovered from the arrival and one of the reunions between Klaus and Grace; get ready for the latest chapter.
Let me know if you're enjoying this story by leaving a review. Thank you for not leaving flames. They are not desired or appreciated.
I don't own The Vampire Diaries. All characters (except for Grace) are owned by author L.J. Smith.
Happy reading ;)
WALK ME HOME
"Your life is your message to the world. Make sure it's inspiring."
~Unknown Author.
~:GRACE P.O.V:~
When it got dark, Elijah believed it to be a good idea to retreat back inside the Lockwood Mansion. Because Carol Lockwood had been compelled by Elijah to be more compliant, we were free to stay there for as long as was required for Elijah to divulge the information he needed to give to Elena … if she ever returned from making sure Jenna was out of immediate danger from Nik.
I was curled up with a throw rug draped over me, and dozing on an overstuffed couch in front of the fireplace, which was at full blaze and crackling along nicely. My brother paced in front of it. I awoke from my slumber, which summoned Elijah to my side and he sat beside me on the couch, smoothing back my hair from my face; like he used to when I was a child and he was attempting comfort me when I had awoken from a nightmare. The tears that I had shed hours earlier had long since dried up; leaving behind a deep sorrow that both Elijah and I were currently sharing together, as we remembered the night that started this all.
We both agreed that it would be in Elena's best interest if we explained to her what Nik's curse was, so she could be better prepared even though I was reluctant to provide any ammo against my lover. His current issue with Elijah was between them. I didn't want to get involved. On cue, Elena stepped into the living room. Elijah turned almost immediately, and looked relieved that she had kept her word and returned.
I sat up, and yawned.
"Welcome back." Elijah greeted Elena, cordially.
"Tell me. What is Klaus' curse?" Elena demanded, taking off her jacket; all business. It was obvious by the determined expression on her face, that Elena had been thinking a lot about this during her return back to town to make sure Jenna was alright. Elijah and I exchanged looks with each other.
"Do you want to tell her, or shall I?" I asked Elijah, dully. He frowned.
"I think it's best that we both tell her." Elijah suggested. I nodded.
"Tell me what?" Elena asked.
"Please." Elijah gestures for Elena to take a seat, and I sit up to make myself comfortable, while Elijah sits between the both of us. "As you probably have already learned from Grace's stories; my family was quite close, and Grace had been warmly accepted by most of our family as our future sister and daughter-in-law around this time. However, Klaus and my father did not get on too well." Elijah began.
Elena nodded. Good, she was following so far; this made it easier to divulge our story.
"None of us could work out why he was always so harsh towards Niklaus, and it always seemed like he was constantly in trouble. Even for things he hadn't even done. Their mother would only intervene if things were getting too violent. Otherwise she stayed out of it." I added. Elijah frowned, casting his mind back to those days. I placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"When we became vampires, we discovered the truth. Klaus was not my father's son. My mother had been unfaithful many years before, and this was her darkest secret. Klaus is from a different bloodline." Elijah revealed. Elena looked shocked; and I noticed the barest flicker of sympathy in her brown eyes. "Of course, when my father discovered this, he hunted down and he killed my mother's lover and his entire family. Not realizing, of course, that he was igniting a war between species that rages until this day."
Now it was my turn to be shocked.
"He did what?" Elijah looked at me with saddened eyes, and nodded. "How could he be so cruel?" Elena looked at me, surprised.
"You mean, you didn't know?" She asked. I looked over at her.
"The Mikaelsons were always a very private family, and I dare say even more so now." I glanced at Elijah for confirmation and he nodded vehemently. "I might've been becoming a member of their family, by marriage, but there were still some things that I wasn't privy to." I told her. "Which was why I wasn't aware that Elijah and Niklaus had become vampires until the very last moment." Elena paled, realizing that I was referring to when I had been killed.
"What species were you referring to?" Elena asked Elijah.
"The vampires… and the werewolves." Elijah replied. Elena's eyes widened even further.
"So Klaus' real father was from the werewolf bloodline?" Elijah nodded. "What does that make Klaus? A werewolf? Or a vampire?" She asked.
"Both." Elijah and I spoke in unison.
"A hybrid would be deadlier than any werewolf or vampire. Nature would not stand for such an imbalance of power. Therefore the witches, the servants of nature, saw to it that my brother's werewolf side would become dormant." Elijah explained.
"That's the curse that Klaus wants to break?" Elena questioned.
"Yes. He wants to trigger that part of him that's a werewolf." I explained.
"If allowed, Klaus would sire his own bloodline. He'd build his own race. Endangering not just vampires, but everyone." Elijah looked and sounded grave. Elena looked bewildered.
"But you helped him?"
"I helped him because I loved him. That's changed, now he must die." Elijah declared. That made me bristle.
"You had a funny way of showing your brother that you loved him, Elijah." I muttered, earning a sharp look from him. Elena looked at us with confusion.
"Is that why Grace was crying, because Klaus had been cursed and she was remembering that night?" Elena wanted to know. I looked at her, calculating.
"Partially right. The night that Niklaus was cursed, was also the night that I had been slaughtered in front of him, to prove a point and teach him a lesson." I told her, bitterly. Elena's eyes widened.
"I remember you telling me that. You said you attempted to intervene, and you were killed for it. But why did you say that Elijah had a funny way of showing that he loved Klaus?" She asked.
"Because Elijah helped, but not in the way that you'd think. He helped his parents curse Niklaus, rather than helped him escape so you wouldn't have to go through with the ritual to free him in the first place." I revealed. "However, his actions can be forgiven, considering who his father is." I admitted.
"Is?" Elena echoed.
"Yeah, but that's another story for keeps." I stated, firmly. "Right now we're focusing on the ritual that's very rapidly approaching." Elena nodded, then looked like she had come to a realization.
"We have the dagger now. We can stop him." She stated. Elijah shook his head.
"When a werewolf is wounded by silver, it heals. An Original can't be killed by anything but white oak ash on a silver dagger." Elena's eyes widened in realization. "So you can see the conundrum. The dagger won't work on Klaus." There was silence for several minutes while we all let this delightful fact sink in. Then Elena voiced the question we were all reluctant to say.
"Are you saying that Klaus can't be killed?" She looked defeated, fearing the worst as usual. I offered a humorless smile.
"Everything can be killed, Elena. It's not impossible." I told her, and even Elijah agreed with my statement. "It's just that much more difficult to kill Nik." I added, reluctantly; feeling like I was betraying him.
"There's one way to kill any supernatural species … at the hands of the servants of nature themselves." Elijah stated. Elena's eyes widened in realization.
"A witch. If they can channel that much power. But it would kill them." I glared resentfully at Elijah, who remained stubbornly unperturbed by my anger. But at the same time looking guilty and upset at how badly I was taking the information.
"The curse must be broken during the full moon. When Klaus is in transition. That's when he'll be at his most vulnerable. A witch with enough power … can kill Klaus." He said, and I got up from the couch and walked over to the fireplace, hugging myself for comfort; wishing that I wasn't hearing how Nik could potentially be killed out of some vendetta instigated by Elijah.
"What if I told you that I knew a witch that could channel that much power?" Elena said, slyly.
"Then I would tell you there's one more thing that you should know." Elijah stated, and I could feel his eyes penetrating the back of my head. "500-years-ago when Katerina was in your position, I searched for a way to bring her back to life once the curse upon Klaus had been broken." Elijah explained, and I turned to look at them curiously.
"You found a cure, didn't you?" Elena looked hopeful.
"Yes, Elena. I did. But unfortunately, Katerina took matters into her own hands first. I believe you already know how that played out." Elena frowned and nodded, presumably remembering what Katherine had told her back in the tomb, when she went searching for answers. I saw her shudder; then noticed something in Elijah's eyes.
"You cared about her, didn't you?" She guessed. I caught Elijah's eye, before he turned back to answer Elena's question. It was clear that Katherine wasn't the only doppelgänger that he cared about. A thousand years ago, he had his eye on Tatia. But she was unfortunately only interested in him if Nik was interested in her as well. Thank the Lord, Nik disliked her and thought that Tatia was a cheap, manipulative cow. She and Katherine were apparently the types of women who enjoyed being the center of attention and fought over.
Pretty damn pathetic.
"It's a common mistake, I'm told. And it's one I won't make again." Elijah responded, with obvious distaste. He walks over and retrieves Elena's jacket for her, before handing it to her and taking his leave.
"Elijah, wait." I stepped into his path, feeling remorseful. He waited patiently for what I had to say. "I'm sorry for what I said. I was out of line." I told him. "I hope that you accept my apology." Elijah merely smiled and pulled me into a hug, kissing my temple affectionately.
"There's nothing to forgive, little one. What you had been thinking has often crossed my mind as well." Elijah acknowledged. "I believe we've trespassed on Carol's hospitality long enough. Shall we leave?" He asked us.
Elena, Elijah and I went back to the Boarding House, and immediately encountered an all-out brawl between Damon and Stefan. Apparently, Stefan had a go at Damon about something involving Elena. Damon had taken umbrage at the remark and punched Stefan so hard that he flew into a bookshelf and broke it. But Stefan wasn't down for long before he got up on his feet and rushed over to Damon to deliver his own knuckle sandwich. We came into the living room when they were reaching for each other's shoulders, trying to harm one another.
"Stop!" Elena shouted in alarm.
"What the bloody hell is going on here!?" I demanded, as Elijah walked into the room and stood between Elena and me, looking at the brothers curiously. Both Damon and Stefan stare at Elijah in astonishment, before Damon suddenly frowned at Elena and me in outrage.
"Now you've both invited him in?" Damon exclaimed, indicating towards Elijah, who raised an eyebrow at the remark.
"Elijah and I have renewed the terms of our deal." Elena explained, frowning at him.
"Really?"
"The two of you will come to no harm at my hands. I only ask for one thing in return." Elijah compromised with Damon and Stefan.
"What?" Damon asked, suspiciously.
"An apology."
Damon raised an eyebrow. "A what?" Stefan did not hesitate for a second. He stood up from where Damon had thrown him during their brawl and approached Elijah cautiously.
"I'm sorry for the part that I played in your death. I was protecting Elena. I will always protect Elena." Stefan said, sincerely. I smiled, approvingly.
"I understand." Elijah replied, promptly. Damon remained silent as we all stared at him. I sighed and walked over to him, pulling him to one side. As far as I was aware, Damon was still in on the plan we had started with Elijah before he was daggered temporarily. I pulled out my phone and typed a message to him, as I 'talked' him down from the metaphorical ledge.
Everything is going to plan. Elijah is still agreeable to our plan. Damon nodded to the message and prepared to perform an award winning performance of a man not getting his own way.
"The sacrifice is going to happen, Damon." I told him, calmly. Elena jumped in with her two cents.
"Bonnie will be able to kill Klaus without hurting herself and Elijah knows how to save my life. I told you I'd find another way. And I did." Damon scowled at Elijah.
"Is that true?" Elijah's eyes flicker towards me and I give him the thumbs up; which I hoped reassured him that Damon and I were still to be trusted and on his side.
"It is." Elijah replied.
Damon looks at Elena. "And you're trusting him?"
"I am." Elena replied confidently and stubbornly. Damon was silent; wracking his brain for the appropriate response.
"You can all go to hell." He stated, before leaving the room. The way he had said it sounded so genuine that I wasn't entirely sure that he was faking it. I exchanged a panicked look with Elijah and he looked mildly concerned as well. Stefan turned towards Elijah to give an explanation for Damon's actions.
"He's angry with me right now. But he'll come around." Stefan reassured my brother. Elijah nodded, looking unconvinced.
"Perhaps."
I followed after Damon and found him upstairs in his bedroom looking rather angry. I was worried.
"Hey." He looked up at me with a 'get on with it' expression. I gulped. "What's wrong?" I asked. Then without warning, Damon had rushed over to me and seized me by the lapels. I looked at him with alarm.
"I'm upset. And you know what happens when I'm upset." Damon reminded me. "You have to leave." I frowned at him.
"Yeah, I do know what happens when you're upset. Which is why I'm asking what is wrong?" I demanded firmly. In response, Damon attempts to take a bite out of me, but I swiftly kneed him in the gut and managed to dart out of the way. "What the hell, Damon?" I asked, sternly. Damon straightened up, looking at me furiously.
"Did you lie to me this morning about Elena calling you?" He demanded back.
"She called me. But only because Elijah refused to speak with her until I was there with them. If you wanted Elena to come back, I had to comply with their wishes." Damon rushes me again, and I barely manage to flip him over my shoulder and pinned him to the ground with my foot. "That's enough! Control yourself!" I growled, annoyed.
"Is everything alright?" We both glanced over to see an alert and serious looking Elijah who was sternly glancing at Damon, as though daring him to attack me again. It was obvious that he had heard the commotion from downstairs and had come to protect me. I stepped off of Damon, and backed off; not wanting to tempt fate.
"It's alright, Elijah. Just a misunderstanding." I reassured him. "At least I hope it is." I added, looking down at Damon and feeling somewhat hurt at his actions. Damon got to his feet drunkenly and stared at the both of us resentfully.
"I need you to leave my room, Grace. I'm in a foul mood at the moment, and I don't want to hurt you." Damon pleaded, eying Elijah like he was a snake poised to strike at the wrong move. "Please, just go." Damon urged.
"As you wish, Damon. But I'm not your enemy, and I was only trying to help." I stated, walking towards Elijah's open, protective arms. I walked by my brother and headed downstairs, but not before I overheard Elijah speak again.
"I'd be careful if I were you, Salvatore. If you so much as harm a hair on Grace's head; your existence will be fleeting." Elijah warned him, before he also left the room.
I was yet to actually get into my car and drive home from this truly bizarre day. Right now, I was sitting on one of the Salvatores' couches in their living room just watching a conversation between Elijah, Elena and Stefan like it was an intense session of tennis. Damon was still upstairs sulking; and I was waiting for an explanation about why he had reacted the way he did when I told him the truth about Elena and Elijah calling me this morning.
"Tonight is the full moon." Elijah explains to B1 and B2. "We should assume that Klaus is prepared to break the curse." I bit my bottom lip. So soon? That seemed to come around a little too quickly. Stefan frowned also.
"Elena said that the Sun and the Moon curse is fake? That it's actually just a curse placed on Klaus." He clarified.
I stood up, drawing their attention.
"Correct. One that he desperately wants to shed at all costs." I stated. "Not that I blame him. It really was a horrible, selfish and petty act of revenge." I commented. Elijah ignored me.
"Klaus is a vampire born of a werewolf bloodline. The curse has kept his werewolf aspect from manifesting. But if he breaks it … he'll be a true hybrid." Elijah explained. Damon chose that moment to re-enter the room. Although, it appeared that his temper hadn't abated yet.
"So why are we letting him break the curse?" He wanted to know.
"Because it wasn't Niklaus' fault his mother was unfaithful, and the man whom he thought was his father was too much of a child to just deal with it, that he had to subject Nik to unnecessary pain and humiliation to satisfy his ego." I stated.
Damon didn't look at all moved.
"I still think we can kill him today. With Bonnie." He said, seemingly ignoring what I said. I glowered at him, while Stefan sighed exasperatedly; finally realizing that I had been there to witness Nik being cursed first hand.
"Damon…"
"Very nice. Real mature." I commented. Stefan offered me a sympathetic and apologetic wince at Damon's temper tantrum attitude. Elena looked annoyed as well, but obviously for different reasons.
"Bonnie can't use that much power without dying." She insisted.
"I'll write her a great eulogy."
"Not an option." Elena insisted.
"Yeah, for once I agree with Elena. Not because I don't want you all to kill my beloved, because I don't. It would be like Elena saying that she has Stefan's back because he's her boyfriend and she loves him, only to turn around and strike him down where he stood." Elena and Stefan looked at me curiously when I said this. "No. It's because I've never condoned killing anybody – even those who have committed loads of crimes in the past just to get his freedom back – because there is always another option." I said, looking at both Damon and Elijah specifically when I said this. Only one out of the two glared back at me stubbornly; two guesses who? "It's my opinion that killing is a final option when all the other options have been tried and have failed completely." I stated.
Elijah nodded his head, acknowledging what I said, and I relaxed a little. But I was disappointed in Damon. He still seemed determined to eliminate Nik. I would've thought he'd have learned by now from the last time he attempted to kill somebody. Okay: Caroline was a newborn vampire, and Nik is a thousand years old with more experience and notches on his belt.
But still…
"All right, how do we break this curse then?" Stefan stepped forward, ready to hear the other choices and I smiled gratefully at him; ignoring the possessive glare Elena tossed at me. Elijah stepped forward to take over the conversation.
"Well, the ritual itself is relatively straightforward. The ingredients, so to speak, you already know."
"The moonstone." Stefan said, and Elijah nodded.
"A witch will channel the power of the full moon to release the spell that's bound within the stone. After that, Klaus, being both werewolf and vampire, will sacrifice one of each." Elena stepped forward.
"And where do I fit into it?" She asked. Elijah inclined his head toward her.
"The final part of the ritual." He takes down a wooden box from a nearby shelf that I hadn't seen there before. I raised an eyebrow and walked to his side to peer inside the box. "Klaus must drink the blood of the doppelgänger … to the point of your death." He said pointedly to Elena. I noticed Damon looking at both Elena and me with a calculating look on his face, while Stefan reaches for Elena's hand. She looks at him, as Elijah opened the box and pulled out a small jar with a dark liquid sloshing around inside.
I pulled a face.
"And that's where you come in." Elena concluded.
"May I?" I asked Elijah for the jar, and he nodded and passed it over to me. "What pray tell is this, Elijah?" I asked him.
"This is an elixir that I acquired some 500 years ago for Katerina." He replied, taking the jar back and placing it back into the wooden box. "It possesses mystical properties of resuscitation."
"Wow." I breathed. But I couldn't imagine something like that tasting all that wonderful. Elena looked a little sceptical.
"So I'll be dead?"
"And then you won't." Elijah confirmed. Damon stepped forward.
"That's your plan? A magical witch potion with no expiration date?" He glances at Elena. "You want to come back to life, what about John's ring?" He suggested, and I widened my eyes in realisation. We hadn't thought about that option, but Elijah shook his head.
"Those rings only work on humans. The doppelgänger's a supernatural occurrence. Odds are, the ring won't work for you." Elijah stomped down firmly on the option and I deflated a little.
"It's still an option. What if it doesn't work, Elena?" Damon protested. Elena just gave him a flat look.
"Then I'll just be dead." She shrugged, and I couldn't help but wonder if she truly meant it. Wasn't she at all afraid of dying? Damon shakes his head and leaves the room once again. "Does Klaus have everything he needs to do this? Does he have a werewolf?" Elena asked Elijah.
"I know just the wolf if he doesn't." I piped up, smirking a little. Elijah looked at me.
"Who, sister?" He asked. My answer was to pull down my shirt a little to reveal the half-healed werewolf bite on my shoulder and Elijah, Elena and Stefan immediately understood. Elijah smirked at the thought. "Klaus has been waiting to break this curse for over a thousand years. If he doesn't already have a werewolf, my guess is by tonight, he will." He confirmed.
It's early morning on the night of the ritual, and nearly everybody was on tender hooks; Damon especially. I don't know what his problem was, but it was definitely clear that Damon wasn't up for helping Elijah anymore; he wanted to be the lone wolf in his plan for taking down Nik.
If you'll excuse the pun.
Because his temper hadn't abated yet, I decided to stick around with Elijah for the time being. However, it didn't stop me from keeping a worried eye on him. Currently, he was outside drinking scotch, and generally ignoring everyone; including me, and that hurt. Sighing, I went off in search for Elijah and found him in the library with the box containing that weird elixir he was intending on serving to Elena at the last minute.
"Are you alright, Grace?" Elijah questioned me with his back facing me.
I sighed heavily.
"My best friend is angry with me. How do you think I'm feeling Elijah? I don't understand what I've done wrong, apart from the fact that I did lie a little about the fact that Elena and you called me the other morning about our little tête-à-tête." I replied, leaning against the black couch and folding my arms across my chest.
Elijah snorted.
"I believe it is perfectly obvious why he is angry with you, my dear." He responded, before turning towards me and coming over. "He is lashing out because he loves you and is resentful of the fact that you've chosen Niklaus over him. Even more so now that Niklaus has returned." My face jerked at first with shock, then annoyance.
"Oh, for God's sake." I muttered. I looked up at Elijah, feeling helpless. "Why can't he accept that I cannot give him what he seeks? That I've already given my heart away a very long time ago?" I bitched, and Elijah acted like my older brother and hugged me, allowing me to rest my forehead on his chest.
Elijah reiterated.
"Because he loves you. You're the first person he has encountered since he became a vampire that accepted him for who he is, and hasn't been trying to change him; unlike Elena. And now he fears that he is going to lose you." I looked up at him with horror.
"But that's stupid. Why on earth would he think that?" I demanded.
"Because simply, everyone he has ever loved has left him and he thinks you're not going to be the exception. You must prove to him that this is false. That you and he will always be together in friendship and love, for eternity." I didn't respond, choosing to let Elijah's words sink in as Elena walks into the library, looking like she was distracted by her thoughts.
"You'd think he'd understand why I'm willing to do this." Elena stated, warily, obviously referring to Damon. She approaches the elixir bottle and lifts it upright. Elijah frowned at her curiously.
"Why are you?" He queried. Elena looked at him with a determination.
"I'm the key to breaking the curse. Klaus is here because of me. If I don't stop him, then he's going to hurt people. It's that simple." She said.
I sighed.
"Nik won't hurt the people that you love if you don't run like Katherine did when the time came to complete the ritual." Elena scowled at me.
"I can't run the risk that he won't do it any way." Elena stubbornly persisted. I rolled my eyes.
"Sometimes you need to take a few risks to get on in life, Elena." I reminded her, irritably.
"That's quite enough, Grace." Elijah cut in before another argument between Elena and I could break out. I nodded obediently, and Elena smirked at the fact that I had been scolded. But sobered when Elijah eyed her warningly as well.
"I hope you realise, Elena, that there's a possibility that this elixir won't work. I don't want to mislead you." Elijah said.
"I know the chance I'm taking." Elena insisted. There is a commotion at the front door and all three of us go to investigate. It was Jenna (whom I didn't realise was staying here) confronting Alaric with a loaded crossbow. Although, it wasn't entirely clear if it was Alaric back to his old self, or if it still was Nik posing as Alaric.
"Jenna, put the crossbow down, okay? It's me." Alaric said calmly to her. Jenna didn't lower the crossbow.
"Stay away from me." She warned. We all joined them.
"What's going on?" Elena asked, eying Alaric suspiciously. He looked at her pleadingly.
"It's me, Elena, I swear, okay? He let me go. Klaus let me go." Alaric insisted. Damon narrowed his eyes at him.
"Prove it." He requested. Before Alaric could do anything, however, I simply ran at him and wrapped my arms tightly around his neck; holding him in the same tight hug Nik had given me when he was Alaric.
"Uh, hi Grace. Good to see you again." He hugged me back awkwardly, patting my back a couple of times. "Could you let me go now?" I grinned triumphantly, convinced.
"It's Alaric." I said, smugly and walked back over to them. Jenna lowered the crossbow, looking confused.
"I don't understand."
"My fiancée, from the story I told you during that Historical Society Morning Tea at the Lockwoods, is Klaus." I told her. "The way he would've reacted when I hugged him unexpectedly would've given us an indication if he was trying to fool us again." I told her.
Jenna looked surprised.
"Oh." Then she looked horrified. "That creep Stefan and I talked with at home is your fiancée?!" Jenna exclaimed. Both Elijah and I looked mildly offended by Jenna's comment.
"He wasn't always like that, Jenna. Niklaus has been through a lot in his long life." I told her, sounding wounded.
"So you keep telling us." Damon grumbled, earning a mild glare from me.
"Why did he let you go?" Stefan asked immediately, trying to avoid another argument. Alaric looked hesitant.
"He wanted me to deliver a message. The sacrifice happens tonight." He announced. We all regrouped in the living room: Jenna, Elena and myself sitting on the red couches, with Stefan standing near Elena, and Elijah and Alaric standing near or pacing in front of the large fireplace. Damon had disappeared up to his room.
"So you don't remember anything that happened?" Stefan questioned Alaric.
Alaric shook his head. "No. It's like I blacked out and woke up three days later. Katherine was there." He reported back. Stefan nodded.
"She's under compulsion." He said. "Damon snuck her some vervain, but she can't leave until Klaus tells her she can." Elena glanced around.
"Where is Damon?"
I pointed upstairs. "He's in his room. I'm gonna go check up on him." I decided and got to my feet.
"I'm coming with you." Elena stated, getting up and following. We walked upstairs towards Damon's bedroom, and Elena went in first to confront him. We found Damon standing by the window looking outside to the grounds. Elena strode right up to him, while I walked in but stayed close to the door; eying him and her warily. "You disappeared." Elena stated. Damon frowned, annoyed that she was interrupting him.
"I don't want to hear anymore." He stated, stubbornly. Elena sighed.
"I need you to understand why I'm doing this." Damon turned and looked at her with steely eyes.
"Why? It clearly doesn't matter what I think."
"I'll be fine, Damon. I'll drink the elixir, Bonnie will kill Klaus and then all of this will finally be over." Elena promised.
"If it works." Damon scoffed, sceptically.
"It will work." Elena insisted. Damon stepped away from the window, eying me absently before he started to pace. This made both Elena and I nervous.
"You think it will work. You want it to work. Why am I the only one who's convinced it won't? There has to be another way." Damon stated. Elena folded her arms across her chest, getting annoyed.
"There isn't."
"And you're going to die, Elena." Damon promised.
"And I'll come back to life."
"That's not a risk I'm willing to take." Damon insisted. I walked towards them both.
"The trouble is Damon, it's not your risk. It's Elena's." I pointed out to him. Elena takes Damon's hand in hers, trying to make him understand.
"She's right, Damon. It's my life, my choice."
"But it's the wrong choice." Elena sighed and turned to leave the room, deeming this discussion to be over and I went to follow. "But there is another way." Elena and I stopped and turned to look at Damon questioningly.
"What are you…?" Elena began, and I swore when Damon bit down onto his wrist so it started bleeding and immediately started force-feeding Elena his blood. I rushed over to him.
"Damon, no!" Elena fights Damon, summoning Stefan who pushes him away and causes Elena to fall on the floor. Blood is smeared around her mouth.
"What did you do?! Huh? What did you do?!" Stefan screamed at Damon.
"Stefan, stop it! This isn't helping anyone!" I yelled at him. Stefan stops what he is doing and heads straight for Elena.
"I saved her life." Damon appeared unapologetic. "You're so bent on dying, at least this way you'll come back." He confirmed. Stefan was furious.
"As a vampire! She'll come back a vampire!" Stefan yelled.
"It's better than nothing else." Damon insisted. Stefan got into Damon's face.
"How could you, of all people, take that choice away from her?" Damon focuses on Elena.
"I did this for you, Stefan. So you wouldn't be alone." Damon insisted. There was shocked silence for several minutes as Damon glares down at Elena. "Go ahead: wish me an eternity of misery. I don't care." Stefan instantly rushes over to Damon in an attempt to push him, and I pushed Damon out of the path of fire.
"Enough! You've proven your point, Stefan. Go take care of Elena!" I raged, before storming from the room.
Damon goes to chase after me, dodging Alaric and Jenna who had come up to see what was going on. I got to the foyer of the Boarding House and made a beeline for outside, barely noticing Elijah who was calmly putting away the elixir back into its box. I didn't go too far, just slid down the wall beside the front door and succumbed to tears; overhearing Elijah confront Damon.
"Well, it sounds like you won't be needing this anymore." Elijah stated, referring to the elixir he had just put away. "Feeding her vampire blood rendered it useless. Tell Elena I'll be back before nightfall. We'll proceed as planned." Elijah told Damon.
"We both know that elixir wouldn't have worked anyway." Damon insisted. There was a pause before Elijah responded, sounding angry.
"The problem, Damon: you talk a good game but you don't actually know anything." Elijah walks away, but then pauses. "I'd tread very carefully, or you'll lose her. And never for a vampire… it's a very long time." Elijah's footsteps came closer to the front door.
"We're not talking about Elena anymore, are we?" Damon questioned him.
"No, we're not." Elijah agreed, sounding protective and his voice was low and dangerous.
"Grace is not a vampire." Damon pointed out, and I felt the tears fall from my eyes while I listened to their conversation.
"But she will be. Klaus had every intention of turning her into one before she had been murdered, and I dare say it is still a goal. Do not mistake Grace's decision to remain by my brother's side as an act of rejection. The only reason you still live is because my sister would be devastated if you were not in her life. She loves you, just not in the way you wish her to. Keep that in mind before you go too far, and lose her forever." Elijah advised.
I heard his footsteps come closer, and then pause. A hand descends onto my head, and I looked up and saw Elijah squatting before me and I turn away, avoiding eye contact. "Come, dearest. Let's go for now." Elijah murmurs to me, and I nodded and got to my feet, walking over to my car.
"Do you want a lift home?" I asked him, politely. He nods.
"That would be helpful." Elijah agreed. We both got into my car and drove away.
I drove Elijah back to where he was temporarily boarding at the residence of a very nice, but a little too trusting middle-aged woman named Mrs. Flowers. After promising him to stay away from the ritual at all costs, I turned around and headed back to town to return my car, and go for a hike. I often went for long walks to help clear my head from negative thoughts, which was how I ended up having that suspected premonition about Nik and my child. I decided that I would hike and make an attempt to uncover the caves the Mikaelsons', my family and I used to hide in to avoid the shifting werewolves every full moon, to see what the slow decay of time had done to them after all these years.
It was ironic that tonight happened to be a full moon, and a little bit of nostalgia never hurt anyone. At any rate, hopefully the ritual would be over by the time I returned to my apartment, and all this bullshit will be finally done. I drove to the town's square and parked my car close by to where the apartment block was before getting out and slamming the car door behind me. I was about to turn and head over to the vestibule when I heard the sound of footsteps behind me.
Great.
Just what I need to finish off what has already been a crappy day: a potential mugger… or worse, had picked me as their next victim. Yeah, why wouldn't that be on the agenda? I sighed and straightened up and mentally prepared myself as I confronted whoever the hell was standing behind me.
"Whoever you are, I'm not in the mood for whatever bullshit you are planning. I've had a horrible day, and I would much rather go upstairs to my apartment. So let's get this over with." I stated, irritably.
"I'm sorry to hear that, love." I turned towards the stranger standing in the shadows; recognising that same voice from my dreams and visions from ever since I was a child. "Is there anything I can do to make it better?" His voice was like honey.
"Nik?" I whispered.
He stepped into the light; and for the first time in over a thousand years, I saw him. I hadn't lied to Damon, Stefan, Bonnie or Elena about my limited knowledge about Nik's appearance. He was the exact same height as Elijah, but he was slightly thinner than Elijah was in the muscular area. His short curly hair was a dirty blonde, and he had an oval-shaped face with finely sculpted cheekbones, blue-green eyes, a small elegant nose, thin pink lips and a fine dusting of stubble around the jaw, mouth and slightly down his neck. He was wearing brown cargo pants, a wine-red button up long-sleeved shirt with the top two buttons left undone, revealing black rosary beads that he wore around his neck, black boots and a short black duster.
He was smiling at me, displaying an adorable dimple on the corner of his mouth.
"Hello, elskede." ("Hello, beloved.") Nik murmured, quietly. Overjoyed tears formed in my eyes.
"Oh, thank god!" I cried, and ran full speed ahead right into his arms. Immediately, he kissed me fiercely and passionately, and I returned the kiss most ardently as Nik scooped me up into his arms and spun me around before propping me up upon the hood of my car.
"You have no idea how long I've waited to do that." He told me, pecking me on the lips between every few words. I giggled and wrapped my arms around his neck; carding my fingers through the small hairs at the back of his head.
"I think I have a good idea." I told him, and rested my forehead against his. "But what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be preparing for the ritual?" I asked, frowning a little. Nik chuckled.
"Everything is going according to plan." He reassured me, brushing my hair behind my ear. "I just needed to see you like I promised you that I would. Besides, I have all the ingredients I need to break this infernal curse, except for the doppelgänger. But that can be rectified soon." He reassures me. "Speaking of, how is Ms. Gilbert anyway? Is she ready to come quietly, or do you think I might need to 'persuade' her?" Nik asked, giving me a slightly evil grin.
"Oh, she'll come along quietly." I confirmed, tiredly. "She's terrified, although she won't admit it to anybody; including herself. But it's obvious. God, I swear she reminds me Tatia every passing day." I shuddered. Nik raised an eyebrow at this statement.
"Really?"
"Yes. Except I think Elena is more manipulative." I stated. Nik set me back down on my feet, and I couldn't help but wonder: "How long have you got before you have to go?" I asked. Nik checked the sky, as he wraps his arms around me and pulls me into his chest. The full moon wasn't even visible yet, which meant we possibly had loads of time.
"It's early yet, and I'm not in any hurry to leave you. Why?" He asked. I grinned, immediately linking hands with him.
"Follow me." I requested, and took off towards the woods. Nik followed willingly, but also looked confused.
"Where are you taking me?" He asked. I walked backwards so I could talk to him.
"To the caves. I want to see how time has fared against them." I said. And to see if I can remember where they were after all these years. Nik and I hiked through the trees, not in any hurry; just enjoying each other's company and sharing stories about what we had missed out on in each other's lives.
"Tell me, Nik. Were you this calm the first time you attempted to break the curse 500 years ago?" I asked him, stepping over a moss covered log.
He snorted.
"I don't believe calm would be the right word to describe how I felt, Grace." Nik responded, bending aside a low tree branch in his path out of the way. "I was so close to breaking the curse, I could taste it." The pleasant smile on his face, immediately dropped; replaced by an ugly sneer. "But then of course, Katerina caught wind of what was expected of her, and she had to escape and ruin everything." He stated with resentment.
"And you got back at her by travelling to Bulgaria and slaughtering her family, out of spite." I added, earning a look of astonishment from my boyfriend.
"How did you know that?" He asked, surprised.
"Katherine has loose lips." I told him. "Elena took it upon herself to learn more about you and what happened 500-years ago when Katherine was still human and facing the ritual. So she visited her in an underground tomb in the woods near the old Fell Church. I suppose Katherine revealed everything in an attempt to warn Elena against pissing you off and suffering the same consequence as she did." I explained, smiling.
"That was oddly considerate of her." Nik mused. The night was unusually warm, and I paused momentarily to remove my sweater and tied it around my waist; forgetting about the werewolf bite on my shoulder and how Nik would be able to see it, and demand an explanation. Sure enough:
"You're hurt." I felt Nik's calloused fingers carefully touching the month old wound. I looked at it, immediately feeling sheepish.
"Oh, yeah. I almost forgot about that." I admitted. Nik frowned.
"You forgot? This is a werewolf bite. How are you still alive?" He asked, urgently.
"Elijah saved me." I responded, earning a look of shock from Nik. "Damon pissed off a werewolf he had been interrogating, and during last month's full moon as well." Nik's eyes narrowed at Damon's obvious stupidity. "Alaric tried to subdue her with a handful of wolfsbane in her drink while Damon and I distracted her, but it backfired when she smelt it." I cringed at the memory. "Later that night, a wolf burst into the Boarding House and attacked Rose and I out of revenge. She bit the both of us on the shoulder."
"Rose-Marie?" Nik blurted out. I nodded.
"She was infected, but I was the one in immediate danger. I would've bled out, if Elijah hadn't fed me his blood and healed me." Nik looked murderous.
"But he didn't heal you completely." He accused.
"It was on purpose." I explained.
"What the bloody hell for?" Nik raged.
"Because I scared the hell out of him. The attack reminded him too much of…"
"Henrik." Nik whispered, and I nodded. "Nevertheless, he should've healed you all the way. Here." Nik bit down on his wrist and offered it to me. "Drink up, darling." I was going to refuse, since I had refused once before; but I knew that if I refused, Nik would probably find another way to get his blood into my system. So I drank until the wound healed over on Nik's wrist and almost immediately the werewolf bite, and Katherine's bite on my neck healed instantly. "Do you know the name of this werewolf?" He asked me, seriously.
"Her name was Jules. She's a friend of the mayor's son, Tyler Lockwood. Stubborn, vicious and a smug piece of work also. Before she left town with Tyler, she kidnapped my friend Caroline and I and used us for ransom." I said, then noticed that Nik had an amused little smirk on his face.
What the…? I had expected him to react with rage rather than amusement. What was going on with him?
"Well, this is a surprising coincidence." He said, cheerfully.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Nothing, darling. Just something I've been working on for this ritual." He admitted. I shrugged and we continued walking, hand in hand.
Suddenly, we stopped.
"I remember this place." I muttered.
I dropped Nik's hand and jogged ahead along a dirt path that would've been invisible to those who didn't already know it was there. I didn't have to look behind to know that Nik was following me, unhurried, and looking completely nonchalant about the entire adventure. That is, until we found the caves; then we both became very sombre. This was the place that was the hot spot for all our problems.
"Never thought that I'd ever see this place again." I commented quietly, as Nik came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, trying to bring us both some comfort because of the unpleasant memories we both shared. "Last thing I remembered – apart from the, ahem, obvious – was eating dinner with Rebekah in the cave. Both of us were worried about where you and Elijah had gone. More so because it was the full moon." Nik looked surprised at first when he learned the reason why I had been out there on the night he had been cursed, then he looked angry.
"I am not worth your life, Grace." He stated, firmly. "Do not ever do that again. I don't think I would be able to live with myself if you were killed again." He confessed. I couldn't help but grimace. It was also the very last thing that I would want, but I also believed that Nik was forgetting one thing.
"I doubt that the fact that I had left the safety of the caves, would've stopped Mikael or made any difference in his intentions, Nik." I told him. "I probably would've been killed eventually." I stated logically, and feeling rather morbid about this. I stepped out of his embrace and entered the caves. It was cold, dark and dampened from the rain a few days ago, and there was evidence that an animal had been in residence here recently. I stopped and pulled out my phone to use it as a torch, so I could see where I was going.
Eventually, I came to a fork in the road.
"Be careful, sweetheart." Nik called out from behind me. "These caves are old." I looked back and nodded before looking at both paths and eventually walking down the left tunnel. However, there was an unexpected and nasty surprise waiting for me. Suddenly, and without warning; wooden stakes shot out from the walls, causing me to scream out in terror, and my eyes snapped shut from fear and expected instantaneous pain. "GRACE?!" Nik roared out with concern, and about two seconds later he appeared at my side. I was lucky that I had stopped before the stakes had a chance to cause any serious injury, and I fell backwards onto my arse. I stared up at the protruding stakes with horror, and could feel my heart thudding loudly in my chest as I breathed hard. Nik looked horrified. "Are you alright, darling?" He demanded, inspecting me from head to toe urgently.
I laughed out of nervousness, rather than humour.
"Well, I'm in one piece. Whoever was here last clearly expected vampires to come snooping around." I replied, as Nik helped me to my feet. "Let's go back and try the other path." I said, turning and walking back. Nik was frowning at me with concern.
"Are you sure you're alright? You're shaking like a leaf." He observed. I grinned at him.
"I'm fine, I swear. That was a great adrenaline rush." I reassured him. Nik just shook his head, looking exasperated. But he eventually started laughing and pulled me closer.
"I love you." He said, and kissed my forehead. We got back to the beginning of the fork in the road and immediately went down the right tunnel. This time it started looking a bit more familiar.
"This is more like it." I said. Nik nodded, pleased that there was no more obvious booby traps. Eventually, we came upon a dead end, and Nik thudded against an invisible barrier.
"Oh, for God's sake." He grumbled, irritably. I frowned and approached him.
"That's weird. What's down here that's preventing you from entering?" I wondered. "Do you remember?" Nik shrugged.
"Buggered if I remember. It was a very long time ago, love." He stated, slightly flippant. I wondered back down the path and started looking around, before freezing when I see something familiar. Nik notices my interest.
"What's wrong?" I approached the cave wall right above my head.
"There's some mural drawings on here." I muttered absently. This made Nik stiffen as a result. "They're old. Very old; almost as old as you." I commented, lightly touching them with my fingers. Then I gasped.
"What?"
"Your name. It's written here in Viking script." I traced my finger over the runes. Nik looked surprised that I could read it, even now a thousand years later.
"You can understand what that says?"
I just looked at him. "Ja, selvfølgelig forstår jeg Nik." ("Yes, of course I understand, Nik.") I replied to him, proving to another member of this ancient family that not only could I read Viking script, that I could also speak the mother language. I grinned at the astonished look on his face. "That's the exact same expression Elijah had on his face when I first spoke the mother language." I laughed. Then noticed some more names carved into the stone:
Finnik. Elijah. Kol. Rebekah. Henrik. Esther. Mikael.
"Graínne?" I looked at a smirking Nik. "You carved my name here too?" He nodded. "Why?"
"You said 'yes'. That still applies even today, love." Nik reminded me. I smiled warmly at him, then looked back at the mural drawings. But as I examined the pictures, the smile on my face eventually started to fade as I realised exactly what I was studying. I glanced over at Nik for an explanation and was shocked at the nervous expression on his normally stoic and composed face.
"These pictures read like a story with symbols." I continued deciphering them.
"Grace…"
My eyes widened. I hoped that I was mistaken. "You killed Esther?" I looked at him with shock. Nik's face hardened slightly, and he remained silent; confirming the story. But instead of feeling anger or outrage at his actions, I simply offered him a weak smile. "I guess a lot of things happened after I died, huh?" I stated. Nik looked surprised by my response.
"You're not angry?" He questioned me.
I scoffed.
"I thought you knew me, Niklaus Mikaelson." I replied, walking towards him and taking his hand. "I reserve my judgement for those who truly deserve it. Something that I explained to Damon, Elena and the rest when I first came to Mystic Falls a month and a half ago." I reassured him. He smiled, relaxing a little. "To be honest, I'm not surprised that you ended up killing the woman in the end. It was she and Mikael who doomed you and the rest of your siblings to this existence." I shrugged. "My best guess is, she reaped what she had sown." I told him as I squeezed his hand and wondered towards the exit of the cave.
I didn't bother to look back to know that Nik probably had a mystified expression on his face about how quickly I had accepted Esther's fate in the end, and not chewed him out for killing her by ripping her heart from her chest.
Nik escorted me back home to my apartment, and up the staircase to the landing were I strode towards my front door, absently eying Alaric's apartment that Nik was temporarily using as a hideout when he first came to town.
"Good luck with tonight, Nik. You deserve your freedom." I wished him luck, causing him to frown at me guardedly.
"You're not going to try to persuade me to postpone it, or plead for Elena Gilbert's life?" He clarified. "Your friends tried that with me back at that quaint Mystic Grill across the way." Nik told me.
I made a face.
"Not a chance. I was there when you were first cursed, Nik, and I tried to stop it from happening then as you well recall. So why would I prevent it from happening now?" I asked him.
Nik smiled.
"That's all I needed to hear." He said, and leaned in to kiss me.
"One more thing, Nik." I whispered, causing him to raise an eyebrow in response. "I remember what you said to me, that night before I died." His eyes widened. "And I've heard those words every night since I was born. It's brought me a lot of comfort, even before I realised why. Thank you for that, and I look forward to every moment we have with each other from now on." I told him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and clinging tight. Nik's only response was to hold me tighter and bury his face into my shoulder. Soon, it was getting hard to breathe. "Uh, Nik. Breathing's becoming an issue…" I gasped. He quickly released me, and kissed my hand.
"See you, my darling." And he disappeared downstairs while I waved after him. I was about to turn and enter my apartment, when something drew my attention from down the corridor.
"Hello? Is someone there?" I called out, cautiously. No response. "Do you need some help?" Still no reply. I grew worried and headed towards where I heard the sound. But I also wasn't stupid; I pulled free my dagger and had it at the ready in case the situation went south rapidly. I turned the corner and saw … nothing.
Confused, and I went to turn back to head to my apartment when somebody blew something powder-like into my face,
… Then nothing.
A/N: That's a wrap. Klaus and Grace have FINALLY reunited with Klaus in his own body. But what's gonna happen next?
Find out in the next chapter! ;) TTFN xxx