Disclaimer: I only own my OCs

A/N: This has always been one of my favourite episodes and it was a really fun one to write too! Especially since the Klaus and Alexa interactions are so fun to write ;) This chapter was a fun opportunity to explore some new relationships, and set up a fun new one :)

XXX

I had been looking forward to this day for so long. Like literally years. And now it was finally here. Senior Prank Night was upon us. And I was going to make the most of it. Along with Caroline, I had been in charge of organizing who would hit each classroom, and what supplies were needed.

It was also a welcome distraction from Damon's absence. I knew that he wasn't going to do anything with Katherine, but that didn't mean that I didn't miss him. I was so used to having him around, I couldn't even remember the last time we had been separated for this long.

I sighed and shook my head, focusing my mind back on what I was doing. We had done a few classrooms already, and were currently in the math classroom, setting up mousetraps. Our teacher had once made the mistake of mentioning how much he hated the sound of mousetraps, especially after a previous year had set them up in his classroom. So we decided to take a leaf from their book and do it again. He had gotten off relatively unscathed last year, so we had to make up for it.

I was in charge of the torches, along with Bonnie. My sister, Tyler and Caroline were busy setting up the traps. After my sister had moaned at me for getting distracted, and not pointing the light where she needed it, I went to go help Tyler and Caroline instead.

"Remind me," I started, only to be shushed by Caroline. I rolled my eyes and lowered my voice. "Remind me, why are we doing this in the dark? I never put this in the plans."

"So we don't get busted," the blonde replied, sounding as though I had asked the stupidest question ever.

"Riiiiight," I nodded sarcastically. "You do know that the teachers very rarely come to interrupt the prank night, right? I've only heard of it happening a couple of times."

"Yeah, but it could happen," Care rolled her eyes at me and I gave up. If she wanted to do it in the dark, then I would just go along with it. Not like it bothered me too much. While a few more mouse traps were set up, I twirled my pencil around my fingers before tucking it behind my ear. I didn't actually need to write anything down, I just felt like I was in charge when I had it. We worked quietly until Caroline suddenly hissed, "Shh, someone's coming."

Damn, it would be our luck, that this is the year that the teachers decide to bust us. Man, I just wanted to prank them, it was the one thing that I had been looking forward to for years. I switched off my torch, while Bonnie did the same. We waited in silence as we saw someone peer through the window in the door.

The person opened the door and stepped inside, setting off all of the mousetraps that we had painstakingly set up. The person jolted in surprise before flicking on the light. We all stood up at the sight of Matt.

"Ohh, come on!" Caroline groaned as I looked around at all the mousetraps. Well, that was a waste of time, now we're gonna have to set them all up again. "Seriously! Do you know how long it took for us to set all this up?!"

"Forgot about senior prank night, huh?" Tyler chuckled as he confiscated the torch that I had been poking him in the stomach with. It had been a while since I had been able to properly annoy Tyler, and I was going to use every opportunity possible to do so.

"Clearly," Matt shook his head. He was in his workout gear, probably getting himself ready for the new season. Must have been the only reason why he was in the school tonight. It reminded me that I was going to ask if I could train with him. With his job at the Grill, Matt had been busy all summer. So training with him was the only way that I could spend time with my old friend.

"How could you forget?" Caroline sighed, her hands on her hips. "We've only been waiting for this since like freshman year."

"Yeah, Matt," I agreed, crossing my arms, a cheeky look on my face. "You know how long I've been making plans for this. Silly goose."

"Yeah, Matt," Ellie agreed, coming up to stand beside me. "If I'm doing this, then you're doing this."

Matt glanced around us, before raising an eyebrow, "I'm kind of surprised that any of you are doing this. Except Alexa. I would be more surprised if she wasn't doing this."

"Why thank you, Matthew," I smiled at the blue-eyed cutie.

"Well, Alexa is making us," Bonnie laughed, dodging my finger as I reached out to give her a prod. "Along with Caroline."

The blonde vampire rolled her eyes at that, before repeating something that she had said many times before, "We're about to be seniors. These are the memories that will stay with us forever, and if we don't…"

She trailed off as Elena took over, "And if we don't create these memories now, then what's the point of it all?"

I coughed to hide a laugh as my twin gave Caroline a cheeky look. It was good, seeing my twin smile again. She had definitely started to move on from Stefan, and now that she had accepted it, her mood had dramatically improved.

"Go ahead and make fun of me," Caroline shrugged her shoulders, her hair bouncing as she ran a hand through it. "I don't care."

The werewolf in the room snorted and shook his head, "You're all lame. And I've got ten more classrooms to prank."

He grabbed his bag and left the room, ignoring my shout of, "You're the lame one!"

Honestly, he was so rude. Like seriously, I was the one who gave him free reign with who he could prank and what to do. And this was how he thanked me, honestly. I needed to disown him.

My sister shook her head at me before grabbing my hand and tugging me from the room. Before I could ask where we were going, Bonnie called after us, "Hey! Where are you going?"

Elena gave everyone a mischievous smile, "To superglue Alaric's desk shut. I'm making memories."

"Yay, love your thinking!" I laughed, holding up a hand for a high-wave. One that my sister quickly returned.

Caroline laughed and smile at us, "I love you!"

"Love you too, Care-Bear," I gave her a thumbs up before leaving the room with my sister. We saw Tyler in the hallway with a few other students. He was handing out supplies from his bag and I saw a few rolls of saran wrap being exchanged.

"Get the faculty toilet seats," he ordered them. "And Dana needs bodies in the gym. Let's go."

We watched as they all jogged off in separate directions. I couldn't help but shake my head. Honestly, Tyler was an amazing leader when it came to making mischief. I didn't know if I should be worried by that or not.

"So you know how Ric likes to put his hands on the back of his chair while he lectures," I mused as Ellie began to lead the way to our history teacher's classroom. "I was thinking that we put something sticky there. I know that Caroline brought someone with her that could be used."

"You know if you do too much to Ric, then Jenna won't be happy with you," my sister shook her head but she wasn't doing anything to stop my scheming.

"Nah, Jenna will understand," I waved away her concerns with a laugh. "This is senior prank night; all bets are off."

We went through the double doors at the end of the hall. Before Elena could say anything, we came face to face with our worst nightmare.

"There's my girl," Klaus smirked down at us as he stood in our school. As he stood in our town. Why was he in Mystic Falls? Oh my god, why was he in front of my sister?

"Klaus!" Elena gasped as I forced her to stand behind me.

"You are supposed to be dead," the hybrid continued smirking, but you could hear the annoyance in his tone. "What are we going to do about that?"

I knew that I had to get him away from Elena. Now that he knew that she was alive, he would do anything to change that. And I couldn't let that happen. So I did what I do best, I put myself between my twin sister and danger.

"Why don't you choke on it," I snapped, grabbing the pencil that was tucked behind my ear. With speed that surprised even myself, I stabbed it deep in Klaus' chest while yelling, "Elena run!"

I shoved her with one arm, and my sister took the hint. She took off through the double doors while Klaus looked down at the pencil sticking out of his chest. He looked up at me, his eyes dark with anger, "I knew that you would make this difficult."

Before I could say anything, the asshole backhanded me into the lockers behind me. I crashed into them painfully as my cheek erupted with pain. I feel to the floor, cradling my cheek, before I heard the familiar sound of vampire speed. Fuck, he was still going after Elena. I had hoped to distract him for a bit longer.

With a low groan, I pushed myself to my feet. My body ached with the force that I had crashed into the lockers, but I couldn't let that hold me back. So with gritted teeth, I started to run after my sister. I hoped that she had gotten far, but I had a nasty feeling that Klaus had caught up with her easily. I only had to go through one more set of doors to realise that my feeling was right.

Klaus had Elena corned by the lockers, a frustrated look on his face. A part of me was glad that we were able to get under his skin. He deserved it for all the shit that he had put us through. For once, I was wearing trainers, and I was so thankful for it. As it meant that I could sneak up behind the hybrid. I held my breath and crept up behind him. But something must have given me away, as the moment I got within arm's length, the hybrid spun around and grabbed me.

He pulled me against his chest, his arm pressed against my neck. I clawed at his arm as the pressure against my neck grew. Oh god, I couldn't breathe. I locked eyes with my twin, silently urging her to run. I was wearing my ring, I could survive anything that he threw at me.

"If you try to run," Klaus spoke up, his gaze locked onto my sister. "I will kill Alexa," he grabbed my hand, the one that held my ring, and held it tight, "and I will make sure that she isn't wearing her ring."

"Ellie, no," I croaked out, using what little air I had left to urge my sister to run, to get out of here. I would be fine, but if she stayed, then Elena wouldn't be. And I couldn't let anything happen to my sister.

My twin stared at me, before staring, "I won't run. Just promise that you won't hurt her."

That definitely pleased the hybrid asshole as he smirked, "Atta girl."

XXX

Damon's POV

We had been driving for hours, and I could feel my annoyance levels rising. Katherine had proclaimed to have a plan, when we left my home. But she had just been leading me in circles. I knew that we were a good distance away from Mystic Falls, but the doppelganger had yet to say where we were actually going.

I had put on the radio not longer after we left, to discourage Katherine from speaking to me. Just because she had information that could potentially help us, didn't mean that I had to listen to her. I knew that she would be making remarks about my new relationship with Alexa. I had seen the way she looked at us when I kissed my girl. The bitch had been seething.

"Are you hungry?" Katherine broke the silence, glancing over at me. "Let's stop for a bite. A truck stop. Or a trucker."

"Oh, stop being cute," I rolled my eyes, keeping my gaze forward. It hadn't been that long since we last stopped to eat. And I knew what Katherine was playing at. At our first stop outside of Mystic Falls, the doppelganger had gotten changed, looking more like herself. And she had chosen one of the more provocative outfits that she owned. I knew what she wanted. She wanted to entice me, to make me want her again.

Katherine quirked her lips before smirking, "It's not possible."

I could feel her resting her hand on my thigh and resisted the urge to roll my eyes. She had been playing these games ever since we left. You'd have thought that she would have gotten fed up with being constantly rejected by now.

"We've been driving around aimlessly for hours," I shook my head, keeping my eyes forward. "Where are we going?"

"Far enough away so that you can't go running back," the bitch replied, slowly moving closer to me. Her fingers tapped my thigh, trying to distract me. Every now and then, they got slightly too close to my crotch. Each time, I smacked her hand away and shifted my hips.

"I'm not going back until I know what you're after," I rolled my eyes, ignoring the way she moved her hand up my thigh. "Alexa wants the information you have, and I'll get it for her."

"Ah yes, little Alexa," Katherine sneered, her head now resting on my shoulder. "How long has that been going on for? Does she accept what you are, Damon? Does she embrace it?"

"What's the matter, Katherine? Are you jealous?" I glanced over at the vampire to see her staring up at me with blazing eyes. I knew that she was jealous. Even though she didn't want me, she didn't want anyone else to have me. Having me at her beck and call must have delighted the duplicitous little bitch. And now she had lost that. To have lost it to Alexa, someone she hated, must make it burn every more. So she tried to pull that card, the vampire card. Katherine knew some of what I have done, and probably expected that Alexa knew none of it. But I didn't keep things from her. If this relationship had any chance, then there had to be honesty. I knew that, and so did Alexa. Just because Katherine had no idea what honesty was, she would never understand.

"Of Alexa?" Katherine scoffed, her breath hitting my neck as her nose gently moved across my jawline. "Of that little brat? Do be serious, Damon. I would never be jealous of her."

"Then why are you acting like this?" I ignored the hand that had moved from my thigh to my chest. Katherine's fingers traced random patterns as they trailed up my chest. It was something that she used to do, back when I was human, to get a reaction from my body. But while it might have worked back then, it did nothing now.

"Why are you acting the hero for her?" the bitch countered, as she shifted her body closer to me. I could feel her knee against my thigh as she moved across the gap between the seats. "We both know that it isn't the part that you want to play. You aren't suited to the role."

"You have no idea what I'm suited for, Katherine. 150 years is a long time, and people change. Not that you ever bothered to learn the real me."

"Aww, don't be like that," the bitch mock-cooed, her face moving into my eyeline. "Let me make it up to you."

I knew what she was going to do, and I had a split-second to react. Before her lips could touch mine, I shoved Katherine away. Her head hit the glass with a thud and she raised a hand to touch the spot that hit it, an offended look on her face. There was no way that I was going to let her kiss me. Not only does the mere thought of locking lips with the bitch make me sick, I wouldn't do that to Alexa. I had spent too long loving her to do anything to jeopardize our relationship. Especially over Katherine. That bitch didn't deserve to get between us.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, a frustrated tone in her voice as she narrowed her eyes at me.

"Sorry Katherine," I shrugged, glancing over at the other vampire. "You just don't do it for me anymore. And you never will."

"Alexa looks enough like me that I know that isn't true," Katherine spat, sounding angry for the first time. And I couldn't help but enjoy it. Getting under Katherine's skin and getting a reaction from her wasn't easy to do, so I was going to make the most of this. "So don't kid yourself, Damon."

"She may look like you," I agreed before shaking my head. "But she is nothing like you. See, Alexa has this thing called a heart. Look it up. You may actually learn something."

XXX

Alexa's POV

After getting my sister's agreement to not run, he released his grip on my throat, switching it to my arm instead. He used his other hand to take Elena's arm before marching us through the corridors. I didn't know where he was leading us, but Klaus apparently had something in mind.

"You put a rather large kink in my plans, sweetheart," the hybrid dick was complaining to my sister. "The whole point of breaking the curse and becoming a hybrid was to make more hybrids. I haven't been able to do that. Now, my bet is, it has something to do with the fact that you're still breathing."

Each door that we encountered, Klaus kicked open. You could tell that he was frustrated, but I didn't know with what. There were a lot of options. My sister being alive was one of them. Him not being able to make hybrids was another. The lack of Stefan made me fear that he was another possible reason. The fact that the younger Salvatore hadn't made an appearance was worrying. I hoped that nothing had happened to him.

"If you're going to kill me, just do it!" Ellie snapped and I stared at her aghast.

"Elena, no!" I protested loudly, fighting against Klaus' grip so I could go shake some sense into my idiot sister. After all I had done to keep her alive, and she was telling Klaus to kill her. She wasn't even protecting anyone this time. I swear, I was going to shake some sense into that stupid head of hers.

"Not until I know I'm right," Klaus smirked darkly, and I tried kicking him in the leg. Of course, it did nothing and all it achieved was me nearly falling over. But it was something. "But I do have ways of making you suffer. And your sister is involved in all of them."

Before either one of us could say anything to that, he swung us into the gym. The floor was covered with plastic cups, with several groups of students hanging around. They all glanced up when we entered. A part of me hoped that they would come help us, but the other part wanted them to stay far away. I didn't want any of them to get hurt, and I knew that Klaus would kill them without hesitation.

"Attention, seniors," the hybrid spoke up with an American accent. I looked up at him in shock. It was a really convincing accent and I just didn't know what to think of it. "You have officially been busted. Prank night is over. Head on home."

Groans echoed around the hall as the students expressed their annoyance at being caught. Or what they thought was caught. But I was just glad that Klaus was letting them go. Hopefully there would be no deaths tonight.

Something must have caught Klaus' attention as he pulled us further into the room, not letting go of either of ours arms.

"You two," he called, the accent gone. Dana and Chad glanced behind them before turning back. I could feel my stomach sink and silently begged them to run from the room. "I remember you."

"I'm sorry," Dana smiled awkwardly, unable to just ignore him. That girl was far too polite for her own good. She had to just run, to get away from him. "Who are you?"

"Oh, don't worry, I wasn't in my right head last time we met," Klaus shook his head before speaking with a commanding voice, "Lift your foot up, please, Dana." It took me a moment to realise that he was compelling her, but in that moment, he turned to Chad. "If she drops her foot, Chad, I want you to beat her to death. Understood?"

Chad had no choice but to nod. He had no protection from the compulsion, neither of them did. Dana's foot was raised while Chad watched her closely. You could see the confusion on both their faces.

"Don't, Klaus," my sister begged, turning to face the hybrid. "You don't have to hurt anybody."

"Leave them alone, you monster," I went for the more direct approach, unable to show the dick any politeness. I was fed up with him hurting the people I cared about. Dana and Chad were my friends. They didn't deserve to be fucked with like this.

The ass just smirked, glancing between us, "Oh, come on, girls. Of course I do. How else would I amuse myself?"

"You can amuse yourself by fucking dying, you dick!" I spat, tugging on the arm that he held captive. In a move that I didn't expect, Klaus let go. I stumbled back a couple of steps before getting my bearings.

"So much fire," the dick mused, looking impressed. "You're going to be a lot of fun."

"Why don't you take that fire and suck on it," I hissed as I walked over to Dana. I wrapped her arm around my shoulders and helped support her weight. I half expected Klaus to stop me, since he enjoyed tormenting people so much. But maybe my pitiful efforts amused him. Either way, I should be able to keep Dana alive long enough for backup to arrive.

I suddenly regretted telling Damon to leave with Katherine, because I really could have used him here. But I suppose, if my vampire was here, then Klaus might have killed him by now. It was no secret that the dick hated Damon, and he was going to kill him back in Chicago. And I couldn't lose Damon. So maybe it was a good thing that my love was out of town.

"What do you think, Elena?" Klaus asked, and I glanced over at him from where I had been whispering comforting words to Dana. "Should I rip out your sister's tongue for her insolence now? Or do it later?"

"Klaus, no, leave her alone, please," my sweet sister begged. I felt bad for putting her in that position, but when it came to Klaus, my self-control went out of the window. I just wanted to make him hurt, for the way he hurt my loved ones. He had caused so much misery, he deserved to pay for that.

XXX

Damon's POV

Once I had had enough of Katherine's sulking, I pulled over along the road. It was a small rest area, filled with benches and a small carpark. The perfect place for me to get the answers that the bitch was clearly trying to get away with giving.

I got out of the car, stretching as I did so. I could see feel Katherine's touch and it made me want to take a shower. What I ever saw in her, I do not know. I heard the other door opening and sighed. I knew that she wouldn't stay in the car for long. But I had hoped that I would have a little more time to myself.

"Why are we stopping?" she asked, crossing her arms in frustration. Ever since I refused to play her game, she had not been happy with me. But I knew that she needed me. If she had any chance on taking on Klaus, she needed backup. And she knew that I wanted to kill Klaus, for Alexa's sake, so she knew that I would help.

"I thought that we might want to stretch our legs," I shrugged innocently, it was something that she would believe, since it had been a while since we last left the car. "Take a break from the awkward silence. Besides, I'm tired of driving. It's your turn."

The doppelganger rolled her eyes but made her way around the car, "Fine."

I held out the keys for her, shaking them slightly to hurry her up. I knew that it would annoy her, and getting under her skin would never get old. Just as Katherine was about to take them, I spun around and threw them in the direction of the woods. While we had a mode of transport with us, Katherine would never give me a straight answer. But if I forced her to remain in one place, then I might have a chance.

"Hey!" the other vampire protested loudly, staring in the direction that I threw the keys. Even with her vampire sense, she wouldn't be able to find them easily. It was dark out and the seating area wasn't exactly well lit. It would take a few minutes for her to find the keys, at best. And I knew how much Katherine hated digging around in the dirt. Despite being on the run, the bitch had surrounded herself with finery.

"We're not going anywhere until you spill your guts," I told her firmly, crossing my arms and leaning against the car behind me. The doppelganger narrowed her eyes at me as she considered her options. I knew what she was thinking. She was working out how much she needed my help. But something must have gotten through to her as she eventually rolled her eyes.

"Fine," she snapped, digging into her pocket. She pulled out Elena's necklace and I immediately hated the sight of it. It had caused a lot of problems in the past couple of days. But maybe I would find out why she had stolen it in the first place. "Do you recognize this, hmm? A little birdy told me that Klaus wants to get his hands on it."

I frowned, "Why would Klaus want Elena's necklace?"

It made no sense. It was just an old trinket that Stefan gave to her back when they met. Yeah, it apparently had its own magic, but why would Klaus want it? What was so special about it?

"Does it matter?" Katherine scoffed, tucking it back into her pocket. "He wants it, and I have it. It's leverage, Damon. Always stay one step ahead of your enemy."

I gave her a look as I remarked, "I'll keep that in mind."

Katherine pouted at me, clearly realizing what I meant. But I didn't take back my words. Even though we now had a common goal, it didn't mean that I had forgotten everything that she had done before. Even if she tried to play it off as helping Elena, I knew that she was only ever helping herself. And there was so way that she could explain away killing Alexa that first time. She had taken a vicious dislike to my girl the moment she met her.

"But, more importantly," the doppelganger continued, now in the mood to share. "When I stole the necklace from Bonnie, I found out something else, something better."

That caught my attention. I was curious as to what Bonnie had to say. And it must have been important for Katherine to latch onto it like she did. As much as I hated her, I had to admire the way she was able to analyze information. She had an uncanny ability to work out what was important and what could be ignored.

"Oh yeah?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "What's that?"

Katherine's eyes gleamed as she realised that she had my full attention, "Are you willing to do whatever it takes to stop Klaus? No turning back?"

She knew that I wouldn't turn back. Alexa had wanted me to get whatever information Katherine had, and to work out what her plan was. I wasn't going to let my girl down by going home without it.

I rolled my eyes, but played along, "I'm not turning back."

Katherine smirked gleefully as she made her way over to the car. She rested her hand on the boot before looking at me, "Good, because this isn't going to win you any points at home."

I frowned as I tried to work out what she meant. But the answer was revealed a moment later. She opened the trunk to reveal the youngest Gilbert lying there. He was unconscious, but looked unharmed. I stared down at him, my heart sinking. Why did she have the kid? Had anyone back home realised that he was missing?

I listened for a heartbeat and relaxed when I heard it beating strong. I stared down at him for a moment longer before switching my gaze to Katherine.

"Jeremy? Really?"

The bitch smirked, "Told you it wouldn't win you any points back home."

XXX

Alexa's POV

Despite my assistance, Dana was still struggling to keep her foot up. I knew that her muscles must be aching by now, even with me holding her leg for her at times.

"Keep it up, Dana," Klaus reminded her cheerfully, and I gave him a dirty look.

"Alexa, I don't think I can do it," my friend whispered fearfully into my ear, looking at me with wide eyes.

"You can do it," I tried to encourage her, even as I rested more of her weight against me. "You're strong, Dana, and I'm here to help you."

She nodded tearfully, resting her forehead against my chin. I hated what she was going through. But nothing that me or Elena had said had gotten through to the hybrid douche in front of us. We were just lucky that I was able to nudge her foot back up without falling over.

"Where's Stefan?" Elena demanded, drawing Klaus' attention away from us. I knew that she had been stewing over the question ever since she saw Klaus. And I was surprised that she had waited this long to ask. "What did you do to him?"

The asshole shrugged uncaringly, "Stefan's on a timeout."

Despite the nonchalant air he gave, you could see the tension in his body when Stefan was mentioned. I didn't know what had happened, but I prayed that Stefan was okay. Klaus was obviously pissed off at him. And anyone who got on the wrong side of Klaus, didn't tend to stay alive for very long.

Before my sister could ask any more questions, the doors at the far end of the hall opened. Bonnie and Matt walked in, looking as though they had just shared a joke. But the smiles on their faces immediately disappeared the moment they saw the hybrid standing in the middle of the gym.

"Bonnie, get out of here!" my sister shouted desperately, and I added my voice to her calls, "Bonnie, run!"

But before the witch could take more than a step, Klaus blurred over to her. He stood behind her, blocking the doors. He smirked down at my friend, a vicious look in his eyes, "Ah, I was wondering when you'd show up. Now, we can get started." He glanced over to where I was standing with Dana and Chad, "Ah, Dana, why don't you relax? You and Chad sit tight."

I gently eased the girl down to the floor, before resting her against Chad. He immediately wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. Well, if they weren't dating before, they certainly would be after tonight. Traumatic experiences had a way of bonding you.

Now that there were no distractions, the hybrid turned back to Bonnie, a dark glint in his eyes, "I assume you're the reason Elena's still walking around alive?"

And, despite the fact that it was actually Elijah's elixir that saved my sister, my amazing witchy friend squared her jaw and glared at the dick in front of her, "That's right. If you want to blame someone, blame me."

"Bonnie, shut up!" I hissed at her, as I approached my sister's side. Honestly, I already had one idiot acting suicidal, although it wasn't as bad as last time, I didn't need another one too.

"Oh, there's no need for blame, love," Klaus replied cheerfully, and I knew that it wasn't a good sign. I'd had enough encounters with the hybrid to know that cheerful wasn't always a good thing. "Just your witchy interference seems to have caused some undesirable side effects. And since you caused the problem, I'm going to have you find the fix."

One of the other doors to the gym opening drew everyone's attention. Klaus smirked happily as he approached the center of the group. A blonde girl entered, dragging Tyler in with her. She must have been a vampire, as she managed to drag the struggling werewolf in effortlessly. Her blue eyes instantly reminded me of Klaus, and I just knew that she was related to him. Which was just fantastic, now I had two of them to deal with.

My heart clenched in my chest at the sight of Tyler. I had hoped that he could escape being involved in this. Despite being a werewolf, he was vulnerable and I couldn't bare it if he got hurt. I felt my sister grab my hand and give it a squeeze, offering me her support.

"Get off of me!" my adopted brother protested, trying to free himself from the blonde's grip. But she was completely unphased by it all.

"Hush now," she rolled her eyes as she dragged my bro over to Klaus.

"I'd like you all to meet my sister, Rebekah," he gestured to the blonde as she joined his side. "Word of warning… she can be quite mean."

Rebekah gave him a dirty look as she threw Tyler at the hybrid, "Don't be an ass."

"Hey, let him go!" I shouted as Klaus wrapped his arm around Tyler's neck. Ty gripped at it, looking around at us all. The fear in his eyes had me stepping forward. But Ellie pulled me back.

"I'm going to make this very simple," the dick said, the cheerful look on his face clashing horribly with his serious tone. "Every time I attempt to turn a werewolf into a vampire hybrid, they die during the transition. It's quite horrible actually." He bit into his wrist before forcing it against Tyler's mouth. My twin held me back as my brother was forced to drink the hybrid's blood. "I need you to find a way to save my hybrids, Bonnie. And for Tyler's sake, you better hurry."

With that said, he snapped Tyler's neck. I barely registered the scream that left my mouth, as I ripped myself free of Elena's grip. I rushed over to Tyler, frantically checking his neck for a pulse. But I knew that I wouldn't find one.

I glanced up to see Klaus smiling in satisfaction and I saw red. With a scream of rage, I launched myself at the hybrid, clawing at his face. I had lost all composure. Tyler was never supposed to die. Tyler was supposed to be safe and live as happy a life as he could. He had already been tortured by the werewolf curse; he wasn't supposed to suffer from anything else.

I only managed to get a couple of hits in before Klaus grabbed my wrists. I struggled in his strong grip, my eyes burning with tears. But I refused to give the hybrid the satisfaction of seeing them fall.

"Now, if I let you go, are you going to calm down?" the dick asked, squeezing my wrists to the point of pain.

"Go fuck yourself," I spat at him, making the hybrid sigh. Klaus used his grip to push me backwards. I stumbled a couple of steps before finding my feet. Unfortunately, before I could lunge at him again, a familiar body wrapped itself around me. I glared at the hybrid one last time before relaxing in my sister's grasp, ignoring the way my wrists throbbed.

XXX

Once my sister was reassured that I was no longer going to try and fight Klaus, she let me go. I immediately sat down next to Tyler's body. He had already started to go cold. Due to his werewolf nature, Tyler always ran hotter than normal. It was comforting, that extra heat, and it made the cold feel of him now even more upsetting.

Matt approached me, a shocked look on his face. This was his first experience of death, and for it to be your best friend, it must have been awful for him. He crouched down next to me, reaching out to touch Ty's body, before pulling his hand back. I could understand his hesitance. Feeling the cold skin made it real. I was only able to hold Tyler's hand because I knew that Klaus' blood would bring him back. Although from what he said earlier, it might not be a good thing.

If Elena being alive really meant that Klaus wasn't able to turn hybrids, as it looked like that was the case, then it meant that I would have to chose between Tyler and Elena. Not that it was much of a choice. As much as I loved Tyler, and I did, he was my big brother, Ellie came first. She was my twin; I didn't know what I would do without her.

"He killed him," Mattie said softly, and I reached out to grab his hand with my free one.

"He's not dead," Elena shook her head, glancing down at Tyler's body. She had barely looked at him, instead keeping her focus on the rest of us. I could understand why, she cared for Tyler too, and it was hard seeing him like this. But I refused to let him be alone, even if he didn't know it. "Klaus' blood will turn him into a vampire."

"And if Bonnie's successful," the dick in question spoke up. "He'll live through his transition." He walked up behind my sister, while staring at Bonnie. "Go on, then. Go and fetch your grimoires and enchantments and what-not. I'll hold onto the twins… for safe-keeping."

He grabbed my twin's arm, pulling her close to him while staring down at her. I slowly stood up, while my sister glanced over at Bonnie. While they were having a silent stare-down, I urged Matt to go over to the witch.

"I can't just leave you two," Matt whispered, trying not to draw anyone's attention.

"Bonnie needs your help more than we do," I replied, giving him another nudge over to the witch. "We'll be fine here; Klaus won't hurt us while Bonnie could still help him."

The blue-eyed darling still didn't look convinced, but when I nudged him again, he started to make his way over to Bonnie. Something in my sister's gaze must have persuaded her, as Bonnie nodded sharply before grabbing Matt's hand and pulling him from the gym.

Now that they were safe, I could focus my attention back onto my sister. Rebekah had approached her from behind.

"So this is the latest doppelganger," she spoke up, staring hard at my sister. Elena jumped, not realizing that the blonde was so close to her, before moving as far away as she could, with Klaus still holding her arm. "The original one was much prettier."

"I do hope that you're not talking about Katherine," I said, trying to draw the attention away from my sister. "Because that bitch is nothing but rotten."

Rebekah looked over at me, her eyes shining with amusement. Clearly she didn't like Katherine either. Not that I blamed her. No one liked Katherine. She didn't deserve to be liked. All she deserved was pain.

The blonde examined me carefully, before smirking, "You seem fun. Bet you've been driving my brother mad."

"After what he's done? He's more than deserved it," I smiled sharply, and I couldn't help but enjoy the way that Rebekah nodded in agreement.

"Enough, Rebekah," Klaus groaned, clearly not liking the way she was agreeing with me. "Take the wolf boy elsewhere, would you?"

The sister rolled her eyes but grabbed Tyler's arm. She started to drag him out but I called out, "Please don't do it like that. He's a good person, he doesn't deserve to be treated like that."

Rebekah paused, glancing over her shoulder at me. She eyed me carefully before nodding. The blonde crouched down and threw Ty's body over her shoulder, carrying him out instead.

Behind me, I heard Klaus speak into my twin's ear, "Just ignore her. Petty little thing."

"Petty or not, I prefer her to you," I narrowed my eyes at the dick, before walking forward. "Now get your slimy hands off of my sister."

Klaus smirked at me, "Why don't you make me?"

"Oh, you wanna fight?" I put my hands on my hips. "I've fought you before and made you regret it. I can hurt you if I want to."

"Hmm, I seem to recall you ending up needing saving both of those time," Klaus challenged me with a vicious look. "And you don't have your Salvatore brother around to save you this time."

"You're the one is gonna need saving, mate," I replied mockingly, putting on a terrible British accent at the end.

Before Klaus could retaliate, and the dark look on his face meant that I would not enjoy it, my sister spoke up loudly, "Just stop it. Klaus, let me go. You don't need to hold onto me, I won't run."

"Now, how can I guarantee that?" the hybrid mused into her ear. "I know that the two of you can be quite resourceful when the occasion calls for it."

"Because I know that you'll hurt my sister if we try it," Ellie sighed, a sad look on her face as she looked over at me. "And I won't do anything that could put her in danger."

That might be the case, but that wouldn't stop me from trying it. Which Klaus must have seen on my face, as he said, "I'll let you go. But Alexa, if you try anything, it'll be Elena that suffers the consequences."

I narrowed my eyes but jerked my head in a nod, "Fine."

Klaus smirked in satisfaction before releasing my sister. I immediately pulled her forward and into my arms, giving the hybrid a dirty look as I did so.

XXX

Damon's POV

Once I had gotten over the shock of Katherine kidnapping the youngest Gilbert, I carefully lifted him from the trunk of her car. Luckily, there were picnic tables around for me to carefully lay the kid on. Once he was down, I listened for his heartbeat before checking his breathing. Well, she hadn't done any visible damage. There was a small bump on the back of his head, but it wasn't anything to worry about.

At least when I took him home, I didn't need to worry too much. Hopefully when I explained the situation to Alexa, she would understand that I wasn't responsible for this. I knew that Elena would go insane either way, but Alexa should understand. She knows what Katherine was like, she knew that I didn't have any idea that this happened.

After I got the kid settled, I sat down on the bench opposite, next to Katherine. I didn't want to get close to the bitch, especially after the stunt she pulled, but if I wanted to find out why she took Jeremy, then I had to play along.

"I'm listening," I prompted her, when the doppelganger remained quiet. Apparently she was back to playing her little game and wouldn't give me any information unless I asked for it. I hated it when she did that.

Katherine's eyes gleamed at the interest that I showed in her little scheme, "What if I told you that there was a way to kill Klaus? And not Dagger dead. Dead dead."

"I'd say you were desperate and lying," I immediately retorted. "Or drunk. Or desperate, lying and drunk."

Katherine rolled her eyes but continued, "Do you remember my friend Pearl?"

As if I could forget the bitch that dug my eyes out. She had always hated me, even when I was a human. Whether it was because Katherine was putting everyone in danger with her infatuation with me and my brother, I would never know. But either way, she wasn't someone that I could ever forget.

"Vividly," I smirked briefly, before gesturing for her to continue.

"Well, centuries ago, she told me about a vampire who knew how to kill Klaus," the doppelganger revealed, inching slightly closer. "Then she wouldn't tell me any more."

Ugh, then what was the point of this? If Pearl didn't tell her anything, then why was Katherine talking about all of this? She better not be leading me on a wild goose chase, otherwise I'll take Baby Gilbert and leave her here. I would have no issues with taking her car and stranding her in this dead end piece of nowhere.

"Well, why not?" I demanded, standing up so that I was facing her, putting my body between her and Jeremy.

"Because it was her leverage," she rolled her eyes, resting her elbows on the table behind her. "She knew that it was valuable information, and wouldn't share it with me."

"Well, this is all great," I sighed, shaking my head. "But… she's dead."

"Which is why I never brought it up," the bitch snorted, picking at her nail before looking up at me with gleaming eyes. "Because she only ever told one other person."

I gestured for her to keep going, "Who?"

"Her daughter," Katherine didn't let much information go. "Anna."

"Also dead," I sighed, realizing that we were getting nowhere. Everything that Katherine was saying was a dead end. So why was she wasting both of our time with this?

"Which brings us right back around to…" the doppelganger trailed off, looking at something behind me.

"To me," a new voice joined the conversation. I turned around to see Jeremy sitting up, a slightly pained look on his face. "Back around to me."

I glanced between the two, frustration growing at being kept out of the loop, "What's this about? Why is Jeremy involved, Katherine?"

"Awww, you mean you don't know?" the bitch pouted mockingly, looking like she was enjoying herself far too much. I narrowed my eyes at her, letting the veins ripple for a moment, the temptation to finally make her hurt almost getting the best of me.

"I can see ghosts," Jeremy revealed, stopping me from doing something stupid. "It's just Anna and Vicki, but apparently, that's all you need."

"Do your sisters know about this?" I asked, taking a moment to shake my head. Of course the youngest Gilbert could see ghosts. Honestly, was there nothing normal about that family? Jenna was lucky that she was only related through marriage.

"No, I haven't gotten around to telling them yet," the kid shifted uncomfortably, not looking at me. "But now that Bonnie knows, I imagine that it won't be long until they find out."

Oh great, not only had I unknowingly helped to abduct the kid, I now knew something that Alexa didn't. As soon as I got the kid home, he was going to tell Alexa. I didn't like keeping things from her, and I was not going to keep this from her just because Jeremy had issues. At least Bonnie knew, she could work out why he was seeing the ghosts, especially those of his girlfriends. Bet the witch didn't like that though, she was now competing with the dead even more so than before.

"Wonderful," I rolled my eyes, before grabbing the kid and doing a concussion check. "So let me get this straight, you can see the ghosts of your deceased girlfriends, and Katherine is planning on using you to get information that we want from Anna."

"Sounds about right," Jeremy sighed, shaking off my grip. "But I don't know if she will help you."

"Of course she will," Katherine said from behind us. Sounding as smug as she possibly could. "Or she won't like the consequences."

I rolled my eyes before turning to face the bitch, making sure to keep Jeremy behind me, "No one is hurting Jeremy, Katherine. So don't even think about it."

The look on Katherine's face didn't convince me otherwise.

XXX

Alexa's POV

While we were waiting for Bonnie to work her magic, Klaus left us alone. He was content to just sit on the bleachers, watching us with dark eyes. I did my best to keep his gaze off of my sister, by blocking her with my body. But I knew that it was futile.

Ellie and I took turns in checking on Dana and Chad. They were handling this remarkably well, although that might be the compulsion. Once this whole situation was over with, we had to work out how much to tell them. I knew that Dana was trustworthy, Chad could go either way. But we had to give them both the opportunity to know the truth.

"Alexa, are we going to die?" Dana asked quietly, as I knelt down next to her. I glanced upwards, exchanging a look with my sister before putting on my most comforting smile.

"Of course you're not going to die," I grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "You're both going to be fine. Absolutely nothing to worry about."

I prayed that I was telling her the truth. Klaus hadn't killed them yet. I was hoping that he was just using them to make sure that we behaved. Ever since he told them to relax, the hybrid had ignored their presence.

The sound of a door opening behind us had us both turning around. The moment we did, I froze.

Stefan.

Once it registered what I was seeing, I immediately looked at my sister. Ellie's face was so full of relief as she took a step forward, breathing out his name. This was the first time that they had seen each other since Chicago. Since he told her to let him go. But from the look on his face, that certainly wasn't what he wanted.

Stefan looked at my sister, carefully examining her, before glancing at me. I gave him a quick thumbs up, hiding the gesture from the hybrid sitting at the side. Content that we were both okay, although I knew that Stefan's main worry was my sister, the vampire turned to face the oldest in the room.

"Klaus," Stefan said quietly, walking over to him, an urgent look on his face. His forehead was crinkled in a way that worried me, and I reached out to pull my sister close.

"Come to save your damsel, mate?" Klaus asked quietly, actually sounding disappointed in Stefan. Yikes, that was not a good sign. Their relationship was weird, but I hoped that it was close enough that Stefan was safe.

"I came to ask for your forgiveness," the vampire replied, ignoring the startled gasp from my twin. "And pledge my loyalty."

Well, let's hope that Stefan was playing him, otherwise we were royally fucked. With Damon out of town, Stefan was our only hope of surviving this. Because as much as I trusted Bonnie, I didn't want her to find an answer. I knew that it meant that Tyler wouldn't survive, but we couldn't let Klaus have the power of creating hybrids. I just hoped that he found a way for forgive me.

"Well, you broke that pledge once already," yep, Klaus definitely sounded disappointed in Stefan.

"Elena means nothing to me anymore," Stefan stated firmly, but he avoided looking over at my sister. Hopefully Klaus didn't pick up on that. Otherwise the game was over.

"Fair enough," the hybrid shrugged, getting up off of the bleachers and making his way over to us. He stood close enough that I pulled my sister to the side. "Let's drink on it." With a sly smirk, the dick pointed at Chad and Dad, "Kill them." Everything was silent for a moment as the words registered. "What are you waiting for? Kill them."

Stefan hesitated, glancing at the students behind us with regretful eyes. I didn't envy the position that he was in. The vampire clearly had enough humanity in him that he didn't want to kill. But if he didn't, then Klaus could kill us all.

The hesitation was all my sister needed in order to speak up, "No! Stefan, don't. He's not going to hurt me; he won't hurt either of us. He already said-"

She was interrupted by a sudden slap to the face. Klaus had dashed over to her, and backhanded her with enough force that she literally went flying. I shouted out my sister's name, running over to the side, while Stefan blurred over to the hybrid. He had his fangs out, a fierce look on his face. But Klaus was unphased. He just grabbed him by the throat, holding him from the ground.

"She means nothing to you?" the hybrid growled; his voice low. "Your lies just keep piling up."

"Let her go!" Stefan begged, gripping the arm that held him up. "I'll do whatever you want, you have my word!"

"Your word doesn't mean much," Klaus shook his head. "I lived by your word all summer, during which time I never had to resort to this," his voice took on a different tone, one that I recognised, "Stop fighting."

"Don't do this, don't do this," the vampire shook his head, but his body obeyed the hybrid's command. The fear and desperation in Stefan's voice had my heart clenching. I just wanted to wrap him up in a hug.

"I didn't want to," Klaus sighed and I actually believed him. And I just didn't know what to think of that. It was a slightly human side to the hybrid that I never wanted to see. "All I wanted was your allegiance. Now I'm going to have to take it."

"Don't," Stefan begged, shaking his head. "Don't."

But Klaus ignored him, forcing his head still and compelling him, "You will do exactly as I say when I say it. You will not run, you will not hide, you will simply just obey."

"No!" my sister cried out as I held her close. "Stefan."

You could see the look on Stefan's face. You could see from his eyes that he didn't want to listen, but he had to. He had no choice. He would do whatever Klaus wanted.

"Now, kill them," Klaus held out his arm, gesturing in the direction of Dana and Chad. "Ripper."

The veins under his eyes darkened and his fangs extended. Stefan stared at the students for a moment, a hungry look on his face, before he rushed over to Dana. He ripped into her neck, ignoring her screams.

I pressed my sister's face to my chest, so she wouldn't have to watch her boyfriend brutalizing the students next to us. But that didn't mean that I was able to stop her from hearing the screams.

XXX

Damon's POV

"This isn't going to work," Jeremy sighed, rubbing his face. I could see his fingers reaching back to the bump on the back of his head. With a roll of my eyes, I tapped his fingers, stopping him from making the bump worse. He was just like Alexa in that regard. When it came to injuries, she just couldn't stop herself from podding them and examining them. Apparently, Jeremy was just the same.

I heard a faint buzz next to me and glanced to the side. Katherine pulled out a cellphone, one that clearly wasn't hers. She read the message on the screen before looking at Jeremy. From the look on her face, I knew that she was looking to cause drama. You would think that she would care more about getting the answers that she needed, not causing needless drama. But then again, she had always been a self-centered little bitch like that.

The bitch smirked before faking a pout, "I think that your witchy girlfriend's worried that you've run away with your ghostly lover."

I sighed and rolled my eyes, "Stop with the teenybopper drama." I snapped my fingers in front of Jeremy's face. "Focus."

With a blink, the kid sat up straight, and glanced to the side. He frowned slightly but you could see the relief in his expression. My guess was, Anna had made an appearance. I retreated back a couple of steps, giving the kid some space. Unfortunately, that brought me close to Katherine. She looked smug as she shuffled closer, her arm brushing mine. But I couldn't move, not without making it obvious to Jeremy. And I needed him to stay focused on getting what we needed from Anna.

"No, it's okay to help," Jeremy smiled softly, nodding at empty air. It was so weird watching this. Logically, I knew that he was speaking to Anna. But realistically? It looked like he was crazy. I exchanged a look with Katherine, who apprently shared my thoughts. "They're looking for a way to stop Klaus."

When the kid frowned at whatever it was that Anna said, glancing over to us, I just had to speak up, "What's she saying?"

"Well, she doesn't want to help you," Jeremy shrugged, glancing to the side. He didn't sound very apologetic, the little shit. But there wasn't much that I could do. Other than persuade Anna to help us, before Katherine got impatient.

Speaking of the bitch, she whispered in a low voice, "My advice? If you want to make an omelet, you have to break a few eggs."

I shot the vampire a dirty look, "No one is hurting Jeremy, Katherine. We can get answers a different way."

The doppelganger just shrugged, "Very well, try it your way."

I narrowed my eyes at her for a moment before turning back to Jeremy, "Jer, you have to persuade her to help. Not for us, but for your sisters. Every moment that Klaus is alive, they are in danger."

The kid nodded before turning to the empty space next to him, "Anna, please? I don't want them to get hurt when I could have done something about it."

He listened for a moment, before frowning. Jeremy sighed, shaking his head and opened his mouth. But before he could say anything, Katherine rushed forward. She slammed his head down on the table, drawing a cry from the kid.

"What the hell?" Jeremy cried out as the bitch tangled her fingers in his hair.

"Sorry Jeremy, it's nothing personal," she sneered before looking around. "I want answers, Anna!"

I growled before blurring forward, ripping her away from him. Katherine glared at me as I held myself between her and Jeremy. I knew that with her strength, I couldn't keep her off of him forever. How dare she try to hurt the kid. I specifically told her that he was not to be hurt. And now he was bleeding. With the force that his head hit the table, he almost definitely had a concussion now.

"Anna, I know you can hear me," I called into the empty air, my body shifting with every move that Katherine made. "Tell us what you know. I can't keep her off of him forever, so quick as you can. Because you know that she will rip him apart to get what she wants."

Jeremy was silent for a moment before shouting out, "Mikael."

Katherine immediately leapt on that piece of information, "Mikael. Is that his name?"

"Who's Mikael?" I asked, glancing over my shoulder at the kid. He was listening intently, paying close attention to whatever it was that Anna was saying. I could see him wince every now and then, probably from the headwound that was slowly leaking blood. I would have to offer him my blood at some point, just to make sure that he hadn't suffered any brain damage.

"What's she saying, Jer?" I asked when the kid startled, his eyes wide.

"Uh, he's a vampire and a Hunter, and you guys would be idiots to wake him," he repeated before pausing with a frown. "What do you mean, wake him?"

I nodded with a sigh, "It's time to go find the keys."

Katherine agreed with a hum as I walked towards the trees, trying to remember in which direction I threw the keys. Well, at least I would go back to Alexa with good news. We had a way of killing Klaus. Of course, we actually had to track this Mikael guy down and persuade him to help us. But it was a start. One that I knew that my girl needed. Every moment that Klaus was alive, Elena was in danger. And that meant that Alexa was in danger. But she would do anything for her twin. Including throwing herself between her and a murderous hybrid douche.

So I had to do everything that I could to take out Klaus. Because I couldn't lose Alexa. I had tasted that before, when Rose had killed her and I hadn't immediately seen her ring. I refused to go through that again. So I would do what was needed to take out Klaus, and keep my girl safe and alive.

XXX

Alexa's POV

I kept my sister's head pressed against my chest, so she couldn't see Stefan feeding on Chad's body. He had died just as brutally as Dana, his screams still echoing in my ears. Klaus still a little further away, watching the scene with callous satisfaction. I narrowed my eyes at him, focusing on the anger rather than the fear. Because every time I thought of what just happened, I felt sick. I had promised Dana that they would survive this. And I had failed to protect them.

"It's always nice to see a vampire in his true element," Klaus marveled, shooting us a smug look. He was proud of what he had done to Stefan, and I just wanted to smack the look off of his face. "The species has become such a broody lot."

"No," Elena spat, shaking her head. "You did this to him."

Klaus shrugged, looking all innocent, "I invited him to the party, love. He's the one dancing on the table."

Before I could say anything, the doors to the gym slammed open. I carefully eased my sister to her feet, keeping her pushed behind me. Rebekah stormed towards us, a phone clenched tightly in her fist as she angrily glared at my twin.

"Where is it?!" she demanded loudly, her heels clicking on the floor. "Where's my necklace?"

Before she could get too close to us, Klaus darted in front, stopping his sister, "What are you talking about?"

He sounded annoyed, already fed up with his sister's antics. Hopefully that would keep the blonde occupied long enough for her to calm down. But with the anger that I saw, there wouldn't be much that I could do to keep Ellie safe from her.

"She has my necklace," Rebekah growled at her brother, her eyes still staring angrily in my sister's direction. "Look."

She forced the phone into his hand. A picture was on the screen, one of Stefan and Elena early in their relationship. You could clearly see Ellie's necklace in the photo, hanging around her neck as she smiled happily.

Klaus zoomed in carefully examining the photo for shaking his head. He glanced over at the younger vampire, who watched the situation with careful eyes. He had blood dripping from his mouth, staining his top.

"Well, well. More lies," Klaus turned around to face us, tucking the phone in his pocket. "When will they ever stop?"

While Klaus was focused on taunting Stefan, Rebekah just wanted answers. She took a step forward, her eyes narrowed, "Where is it?"

"I don't have it anymore," my sister said from behind me. I could feel her trying to move to the side, where she could be seen, and promptly moved with her. I couldn't risk her getting hurt. Not now. Not ever.

"You're lying!" the other Original shrieked. Her fangs extended and she blurred forward. I went a sudden shove on my back, knocking to the floor. Behind me, I heard my sister scream. I panicked, realizing that I had failed in protecting my sister. Rebekah was attacking her, and there was nothing that I could do to stop it.

I scrambled to my feet, ignoring the pain in my wrists, desperate to help my sister. But an unlikely savior got their first. Klaus sped forward, grabbing his sister and ripping her away. He held her by the shoulders, as Ellie fell to the floor. I immediately scrambled to her side, pulling her close before checking the would on the neck. It wasn't as bad as it could have been. But I unwrapped the scarf from around my neck and held it to the bite.

"Knock it off!" Klaus snapped from behind, clearly fed up with his sister. For once, I shared his feelings. Rebekah needed to back the fuck off, before I started fighting her too.

"Make her tell me where it is, Nik!" the blonde snapped back. She sounded as though she really cared about this necklace. Maybe it really was hers, back in the day. But how did Stefan get his hands on it?

Klaus sighed before turning to face us. He crouched down, keeping a reasonable distance. It looked as though he was trying not to spook us. Which was weird. As the hybrid didn't normally care about that kind of thing.

"Where's the necklace, sweetheart?" he asked softly, but there was an intense look in his eyes. "Be honest."

"I'm telling the truth," my sister answer quietly, as I tucked her head under my chin and held her close. "Katherine stole it."

Klaus didn't look surprised by that. Which shouldn't have surprised me. Katherine had been running from him for like 500 years, of course he knew some of her tricks by now. Which included getting her hands on anything that her enemy wanted.

"Ah, Katerina," he shook his head before standing up. "Of course. Well, that's unfortunate. If we had the necklace, it would make things a whole lot easier for your witch, but since we're doing this the hard way, let's put a clock on it, shall we?"

As he talked, Klaus had been heading in the direction of the scoreboard controls. He pressed a few buttons and a buzzer rang through the room. The number 20 appeared on the screen, flashing red. As I exchanged a look with my twin, the hybrid made his way over to Stefan.

He grabbed his head and compelled him, "Twenty minutes. If Bonnie hasn't found a solution by then, I want you to feed again. Only this time, I want you to feed on Elena." The hybrid douche smirked, "You know you want to."

"No, Klaus!" my sister protested as she pushed herself to her feet, still holding her neck. "Don't do this to him!"

"Klaus, leave her alone!" I added my voice to the mix, unable to hide the panic. "Don't do this!"

"No one leaves," he ordered the vampire. "If she tries to run, fracture her spine." He turned to face me with a smirk, "You're coming with me. Can't have you staying here and interfering."

With that said, he grabbed my arm and pulled me away from my sister, ignoring my protests. I screamed my sister's name as he pulled me from the room. But Ellie could only stare after me with a helpless look.

XXX

Klaus dragged me behind him, his grip on my arm painful. I tried to rip myself free, to run back to my sister and protect her from what Stefan had become. But the hybrid's grip was too tight. I could feel my arm bruising already, but I didn't care. I needed to get to my sister.

"Klaus, let me go!" I demanded, finally using my words when it became clear that I had no chance in pulling free. "Get your stupid hands off of me!" With every unwilling step that I took away from my sister, my panic grew. I prayed that Stefan would be able to fight the compulsion, that he would use his love for my sister to not eat her. But I just couldn't guarantee that. Which meant that I had to go and save her. "Get your filthy hybrid hands off of m! you filthy, worthless, ugly, stupid, stupid, idiotic asshole!"

I threw every curse word that I could think of at the dick. I could only hope that if I got him angry enough, he would make a mistake. And I would use that to make my escape. It was my only hope. It was the one thing that would get me back to my twin. My twin who was stuck in a room with a ripper vampire who had been compelled to feed on her. I had to save her. She had to be safe. I had to make her safe. I had gone through too much to lose her now.

I could feel my eyes burning with tears, but I refused to let them fall. I wouldn't give Klaus the satisfaction of seeing them fall. It was my panic causing the emotional response. And it was getting harder to control it.

I dragged my heels into the floor, grabbing onto a nearby doorhandle. Klaus noticed a slight resistance at first, but he just kept on walking. I stayed firm, keeping my grip on the handle. But with every step that Klaus took, it got more painful. Not that it would stop me, I would dislocate my shoulder if I needed to. I would do anything to go save my twin.

When he realised that he wouldn't tug me free, the hybrid douche rolled my eyes and gestured for his sister to continue walking. Rebekah glanced back at me before shrugging and carrying on. Fed up that I had interrupted whatever it was that he had planned next, the hybrid yanked me forward. My hand slipped off of the handle, as my shoulder jarred painfully.

Klaus spun me around, so my back was pressed painfully against the lockers. He switched his grip to my wrists, holding them above my head with one hand. I glared up at the dick as he rested his free hand against my head, looming over me. I tried tugging my hands loose. I knew that it was pointless, but I just had to try.

"There's no point struggling, sweet, you're not going to get free," Klaus rolled his eyes, but he did still sound amused. That really got under my skin. He knew how much my sister meant to me and here he was, taunting me about my lack of strength.

"I don't care if there is no fucking point!" I hissed, debating whether it would be worth switching to kicking instead. "That's my twin in there! I'm not going to just abandon her!"

Klaus stared down at me for a moment, a thoughtful look in his eyes as he mused, "Your loyalty to your sister is-"

"What?" I interrupted him with snap, narrowing my eyes as I felt my sister's time running out. "Admirable? Impressive? Unusual? Well here's some news for you, mate, not everyone goes around stabbing their family in the back! That's right, I spoke to Elijah, I know what you to do your siblings!"

The hybrid growled, squeezing my wrists as he whispered in my ear, slowly, dangerous, "Don't talk about matters that you do not fully understand."

"Then stop putting my sister's life in danger," I growled back, ignoring the voice at the back of my head. It was screaming at me to back down, that Klaus would kill me if he wanted to. He had already proven that he didn't give a shit about my life. Nothing had changed since then.

"Would you take her place?" the dick offered, pulling back so I could look him in the eye. "Would you trade your life for hers?"

"In a heartbeat," I immediately answered. Hope swelled in my chest. I would happily give my life for my twin. I didn't care what I had to do, I would die for her. I knew that I shouldn't believe the hybrid's words. He loved to play games, and he would do anything to rip apart the hope he had just given. But it was an opportunity. I had to take it.

Klaus was silent for a moment, before his hand cupped my cheek. His thumb brushed my cheekbone. I didn't know what to do. I bared breathed as I didn't want to disturb the moment. I was so close to being able to save my sister. I couldn't risk him taking that away from me.

A dark smirk formed on the hybrid's face as his hand moved to my neck. He began to squeeze, forcing me up onto my tip toes. My body was forced to bend forward, bringing me even closer to Klaus. I gasped desperately for air, but I wasn't getting any. My eyes blurred with tears as Klaus forced me to look at him.

"You really thought that I would be that kind?" he sneered, tightening his grip on my neck for a moment. The edges of my vision started to turn black. But before I could pass out, Klaus released his grip. He stepped back and I collapsed to the floor, coughing wildly. Each gasp of air felt like a blessing and a curse. It burned my throat as it went in, but it still felt so good.

I glared up at the hybrid dick with teary eyes and rasped, "You're a monster."

"I am what I need to be," he replied, before grabbing my arm and pulling me from the ground, continuing back on his way.

XXX

Damon's POV

Once I found the keys, I made my back over. While searching, I had made sure to keep an ear out for Jeremy. Even though she had her answers, I wouldn't put it past Katherine to do something else to him. The bitch thrived on other people's pain, especially those she didn't like.

The kid was propping his head with his hand, his elbow resting on the table. But you could see that he was starting to fall asleep. There was a blood wound on his head, from where it had hit the table. I knew that I would have to check him out for a concussion at some point, especially now that he was feeling drowsy.

"Don't fall asleep, Jer," I called over to the kid as I approached the seating area. "You might have a concussion."

The kid jolted up, before glancing around, "No I don't, I'm fine."

I rolled my eyes but didn't push it. I knew how stubborn he could be, something else he probably learnt from his sisters. But as long as I kept an eye on him, he should be fine.

"Oh stop pouting," Katherine mocked from where she was sat on a picnic bench opposite. She was idly swinging her legs back and forth, looking bored now that we had to take a pause to find the keys. Katherine had never done well with just sitting around. She liked to do something, even if it was getting into people's heads. "He took one for the team. Everyone back home will thank you once Klaus is dead."

Speaking of back home, I patted my pockets, looking for my phone. It had been far too long since I last checked in with Mystic Falls. God knows what could have happened in that time. It was a town that attracted trouble. But I couldn't find my phone, and I knew exactly why that was.

I turned to face the doppelganger, "Where's my phone?"

The bitch immediately smirked, not even bothering to act all innocent, "Do you need to check in with Alexa? Beg her for forgiveness, because you let her little baby bro get hurt?" She pouted mockingly, "You should be careful, Damon, she's going to turn you into something you're not."

I rolled my eyes, ignoring her taunts, I knew what she was doing. She wanted to get into my head, make me doubt my relationship with my girl, and cause drama. But I wouldn't let her. I wouldn't change unless I wanted to. And of course, Katherine's words implied that she knew who I was before. But the bitch never knew who I was, she never spent enough time trying to find out.

"You know you have it," I raised an eyebrow, trying to stay patient. Katherine wouldn't give it up easily, and she would enjoy it too much if I lost my temper with her. And I refused to give her that satisfaction.

"What can I say?" the bitch shrugged, hopping off the table and sauntering over. "I needed you present, here and now."

I sighed and held out my hand, before patiently demanding, "Katherine. Phone. Now."

The doppelganger rolled her eyes before sighing and digging my phone out of her pocket. With a grumpy look, she aggressively slammed the phone down in my hand. I didn't give her a reaction, and instead unlocked my phone.

There were numerous missed calls and messages. Most of them were from Bonnie, but the odd one was from Matt. My heart clenched in my chest as I read what was written.

"Bonnie's been texting me," I murmured out loud, catching the attention of the two with me.

"What is it?" Jeremy immediately asked, realizing that Bonnie texting me, of all people, was not a good sign. Despite her acceptance of me, the witch tried not to reach out unless it was desperate.

"It's Klaus," I replied, looking up from my phone. Klaus was in Mystic Falls. And the twins were defenseless. It was a futile hope, wishing that they hadn't been discovered by him. Where one twin was, danger tended to follow. I just had to hope that nothing bad had happened to them yet, that I had time to and save them. To save Alexa. Because I knew that she would put herself in trouble to protect her twin.

"No turning back, Damon," the doppelganger bitch pipped up, a hard look on her face.

But I didn't even look at her, "Shut up, Katherine."

Realizing that she was essentially being ignored, Katherine darted in front of me, "Hey, look at the big picture. The best shot at taking out Klaus is by finding Mikael."

I stared at her for a moment, debating whether she was worth my words. But she wasn't, she never was. So I just shook my head at her and turned to Jeremy.

"I can take you home with you or you can carry on and find Mikael," I offered, holding out the keys to Katherine's car. Jeremy paused for a moment, thinking hard. But it didn't take long for him to make up his mind.

He reached out and took the keys, giving a small nod, "I'll carry on. Katherine needs Anna to guide her to Mikael. And I want to help."

"Be careful," I warned the kid, taking a step back. "Don't trust her. And come straight back home once you've led her to Mikael."

Before Jeremy could say anything, Katherine darted forward, snatching the keys from his hand, "You're going to get yourself killed. The Damon I remember wouldn't have been that stupid."

I gave her a look before shaking my head, "I wouldn't have done it for you."

As Katherine stared after me, I turned around and began to walk back to the main roads. I just needed to find a car to stop, then all I had to do was compel the driver and get back to Mystic Falls as quick as possible. Right now, speed was essential.

XXX

Alexa's POV

Klaus had abandoned me with Rebekah in one of the classrooms. Caroline was sat there, brushing the hair back from Tyler's face. He wasn't awake yet, but maybe that was a good thing. The longer it took for him to wake up, the longer Bonnie had to work out how to keep both Elena and Tyler alive.

"Hi Care," I rasped, taking a seat on the other side of Tyler. I knew that I looked a mess, it didn't take the look on the blonde's face to tell me otherwise. Not only was neck bruised up, my arms were too. Klaus hadn't been gentle at all, and I knew that they would only get worse. "How are you doing?"

"Not great," she sighed, giving me a sympathetic smile. "This wasn't exactly how I planned for the day to go."

"I know," I scrunched up my nose and frowned. "Trust stupid vampire drama to ruin one of the best school events."

I could feel Rebekah's eyes on me as I spoke to my friend. She hadn't said a word to me since her brother left me here. Where Klaus had gone, I didn't know. But if I found a way to distract Rebekah, then I might have a chance to go and rescue Elena. All I had to do, was think of a way to do so.

"Vampire drama tends to ruin every event," Caroline sighed and I nodded. "Where's Elena?"

"Stuck in the gym. The hybrid douche compelled Stefan to feed on her unless Bonnie did what he wanted," I had to clench my fists, nails digging into my palms, to stop myself from crying as I explained where my twin was. It burned that I couldn't do anything to help her yet.

"Why do you hate my brother so much?" a new voice joined the conversation. I turned around in my seat to see the Original looking at me, a curious look on her face. Since she wasn't in town with Elijah, my guess was that she had been kept out of the action during the whole sacrifice thing. Whether Klaus had told her what he had done to my loved ones during that time, I didn't know. But I didn't have any issues with spilling the beans.

"You mean other than the multiple attempts to hurt my twin and torment her?" I retorted with a raised eyebrow, before sighing and shaking my head. "He killed my birth dad, and compelled my birth mom to kill herself. He tried to hurt so many of the people that I care about. Oh, and he actually had me killed once. Although that one was more Katherine's fault, but still. He gets a part of the blame."

Rebekah stared at me, a thoughtful expression on her face at my words. I didn't want to hate her, just because of her relation with Klaus. But it was hard. Keeping an open mind, when Elijah hadn't exactly behaved how I would have liked, wasn't an easy thing to do. Especially with the way that she attacked Elena earlier.

"If it helps," I added, extending an olive branch. "I didn't hate Elijah. Yeah, we had our issues, and I did kinda dagger him. But I don't hate your entire family. It's just Klaus, and that is because of what he has done."

"Just the one brother then," the blonde nodded, quirking her lips. Hmm, maybe we could be civil. It would be helpful, having someone as powerful as Rebekah on my side. Plus, she just… she reminded me of Jazz. There was something about her, a sense of vulnerability, that just felt so familiar. She might be Klaus' sister, but she was also her own person. And I had to give her a chance.

Rebekah looked thoughtful, going quiet as she looked down at the phone in her hand. I turned back to Tyler, content to let the Original think over my words. Even though she had attacked Elena, I had to give her the benefit of the doubt. There was just something about her that made me want to give her that chance.

Tyler gasping awake jolted me from my thoughts. He immediately grabbed our arms as he looked around the room. His touch was cold, and I just couldn't stop myself from remembering why.

"Where am I?" he asked breathlessly, looking between me and Caroline. "What happened?"

I stayed silent, content to let the vampire answer the difficult questions. I had explained to Tyler how vampires were turned, but experiencing it was something else. And I just couldn't bring myself to say out loud what he was going through.

"Tyler," Caroline started quietly. You could see by her face that she was thinking the same as I was. But before she could continue, a new voice piped up.

"Don't be shy about it," I glanced over my shoulder to see Rebekah narrowing her eyes at my friend. I sighed and shook my head. This wasn't going to make things any easier.

Tyler must have picked up on the tension, as he asked, "What's going on?"

"Klaus is turning you into a vampire," Care explained, her voice soft and gentle as she squeezed his hand. "A hybrid. You're in transition."

"Don't leave out the hard part, sweets," Rebekah pushed herself off of the bench she was sitting on and sauntered over. "You'll only survive if your witch is successful. If not… you're pretty much dead."

Caroline gave the Original a dirty look, before reaching forward to rest her hand on Ty's cheek, "You're going to be okay. Okay? It's going to be okay."

"I wonder how she's doing," Rebekah mused mockingly, glancing down at the phone before showing us the screen. "Tick tock goes the gym clock."

My heart froze in my chest as I saw that there was just two minutes remaining. Two minutes until Stefan would feed on my sister. And I just didn't know if he would be able to stop himself.

XXX

I paced back and forth, trying to stay calm. The twenty minutes had long since passed, and I was still stuck in this classroom. I had no idea what was happening, if my sister was okay. And it was killing me.

Caroline was speaking quietly to Tyler, trying to keep him calm and talking him through what was happening. Rebekah chimed in now and then, but was otherwise content to just watch what was happening. I saw her glance over me sometimes, but she left me alone. Maybe my olive branch from earlier had worked. Either way, I was glad that they were leaving me alone. Worrying about my sister was taking up all of my brain power, I wouldn't be able to help look after anyone.

It wasn't until the classroom door opened that I paused in my pacing. Klaus sauntered in, looking far too happy. I narrowed my eyes at him, and took a step forward. His happiness meant that I wouldn't be happy. And I dreaded to think what had caused his happiness.

"Well, the verdict's in," he smirked, looking at his sister. "The original witch says the doppelganger should be dead."

My heart froze in my chest. That's what Bonnie had found out? That my sister was doomed? We should have left Mystic Falls after the sacrifice. We should have left town, where she would be safer. Hell, we should have left the country. Mexico would be a decent place to hide in.

Rebekah looked far too happy at that news as she stood up, "Does that mean that we can kill her?"

Before I could say anything, Klaus shook his head, his next words surprising me, "No, I'm fairly certain it means the opposite."

Wait a moment, was Klaus saying that he didn't want to kill my twin? What was happening? Clearly, Rebekah was thinking the same, as she exclaimed, "What?!"

The hybrid gave her a look, a thoughtful expression on his face. It looked like he had been doing a lot of thinking, and had a plan in mind. Rebekah must have read something on his face, as she sped behind Caroline. She wrapped her arms around my friend, and pulled her close. Care had no chance, unable to fight against the Original's strength. Klaus glanced over at me, before shaking his dead, dismissing me as a threat to his plan.

"Call it a hunch," he mused, pulling a test tube from his pocket. He popped free the lid and held it out to Tyler. It was filled with red liquid, and I had a sick feeling in my stomach as I realised what it was. "Elena's blood. Drink it."

Caroline instantly started begging him not to, "No! No, no, no, Tyler, don't!"

Ty couldn't take his eyes off of the blood in front of his. I had heard how strong the call for blood was when transitioning. I hadn't seen it personally, but Damon had told me what it was like. It consumed your thoughts, maybe even more than when you first turned. Your body burned with the need for it, knowing that it needed it to survive.

"If he doesn't feed, he'll die anyway, love," Klaus glanced over at Caroline before looking back at the transitioning werewolf. "Consider this an experiment. It's okay."

I took a step forward, drawing Tyler's attention to me. This was a way for him to survive. And while I didn't want to think of what the consequences of it would be, I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to save Tyler. I didn't want him to die. Losing Tyler was something that I had never considered possible. And now I had a chance to save him.

"Do it, Ty," I said softly, giving him a reassuring smile and a nod. "It's okay."

My brother stared at me, a conflicted look on his face. He wanted to live; it was clear. But the thought of drinking blood, it was a hard one to wrap your head around. But I tried to reassure him with my face, that it was okay.

He looked back at the test tube full of blood. His eyes closed for a moment, before nodding sharply and downing the blood.

"There we go," Klaus looked pleased as he took the empty test tube. "Good boy."

Everything was silent and still for a moment. But then it all went to hell.

Tyler coughed violently, his whole body shaking with the movement, before collapsing to the floor. He started screaming, his body writhing on the ground. Small whimpers broke up the screams and my heart broke. I stepped forward, desperate to help him but I just didn't know how to.

Klaus had crouched down in front of Tyler, examining what was happening. My movement had brought me close enough to see his face. And the look on it had my blood boiling. He was interested as to what was happening, but there was a callousness there. He didn't care if Tyler lived or died. Either way, he had answers.

It was then that I let my anger and frustration and fear take over. Everything that had happened tonight finally took its toll. And I lost control. I looked around the room, looking for something to hurt the hybrid douche with. I wanted him to feel the pain that Tyler was feeling, that I had been feeling.

Tyler's screams echoed in the background as I grabbed something off the desk. It was a test tube rack, full of test tubes. It wasn't the best thing in the world, but it was something that would hurt him. And I wanted him to hurt. The noises Tyler was making were ripping my heart apart. I had told him to drink the blood, this was happening because I told him it was okay.

Dashing forward, I smashed the test tube rack over the hybrid's head. The glass broke, scattering all over floor. Flecks of blood appeared in the blonde hair and a low growl ripped its way out of Klaus' throat. He spun around in a blur, shoving me against the wall.

The veins beneath his eyes rippled as they turned yellow. Then the next thing I knew, I was screaming. Klaus' fangs ripped into my neck, tearing the skin viciously. He wasn't even drinking my blood, he just wanted to cause me pain. My eyes rolled back dangerously at the excruciating pain. Everything throbbed and hurt and oh god please just stop. Tears fell as I weakly tried to push Klaus away. But it was someone else who came to my rescue.

Tyler grabbed Klaus by the shoulders, forcing him away. I fell heavily to the floor, my hand coming up to cover the bleeding wounds on my neck. My vision was blurry as I looked up at my brother. His eyes were yellow, the same yellow as Klaus'. The veins under his eyes rippled darkly, as he snarled, showing off his fangs.

The Original Hybrid smirked happily, uncaring of the anger on his face, "Well, that's a good sign."

XXX

Damon's POV

I made my way back to Mystic Falls ask quickly as possible. There was a sick feeling in my chest, as I knew that something bad was happening. I had called Ric on my way, finding out what he knew. Which was apparently nothing. So I called blondie instead. Caroline gave a tearful account of what happened, before noting that Klaus had taken the twins to the hospital. I texted Ric to meet me there as I immediately made my way to the local hospital.

I heard the hybrid speaking to a girl as I made my way through the carpark. By the time I got close to the dick, she had already left. I made a beeline to the hospital entrance, keeping an eye on the hybrid blocking my way.

"Well, look who finally decided to show up to the party," he smirked at me as I walked closer.

"Where are they?" I demanded, ignoring his mocking words. I knew that he just wanted to get a rise from me. And I wouldn't let that happen until I knew where my girl and her sister were.

"Well, Elena is making a donation to a greater cause," the dick shrugged, his eyes gleaming. "As for Alexa, well, she is in a little timeout."

I instantly knew what he meant and my blood boiled. He had killed her. He had put her through that again. She had finally recovered from everything that had happened before, and now she had died again. I tried to push the thought from my mind, but I couldn't. I immediately tried to walk past the hybrid, but he dodged in front of me.

"I'm afraid I can't let you interfere, mate," he placed a hand on my chest, pushing me back. I tried to step forward, but he pushed me back again.

I narrowed my eyes, "You'll have to kill me."

The hybrid smirked dangerously, "Oh, I would love to kill you, but I made a pledge to your brother, and unlike him, I keep my word. Although, you know what, thinking about it now, he probably doesn't care that much anymore."

A part of me wondered what he meant but it wasn't important for now. I could puzzle over my brother at a later date, saving the twins was more important. Looking after Alexa was more important.

I went to move forward again, but I must have tested the last of the hybrid's patience. He sped forward, pushing me back against a nearby car. He held me down with one hand, the other held up, ready to rip my heart out. But little did he know, I had a trump card left to play.

"Don't you want to know about your friend Mikael?" I taunted him, as I grabbed the arm pinning me down. I smirked as he froze, before looking down at me with wide-eyes.

"What do you know about Mikael?" he hissed, but you could hear the fear in his voice. Katherine was right, Klaus was scared of Mikael, which meant that he was the perfect leverage for us. I did wonder who this Mikael guy was, that he scared Klaus so much. You could see it in his eyes, hear it in his voice. His body tensed slightly at the name.

"Just that he knows you're here," I bluffed. I doubted that Katherine and Jeremy had made it to Mikael yet, or that they had told him about Klaus' whereabouts. Assuming that he was in a condition to speak with straight away. Anna had said something about waking him, but whether it was he was out of it through desiccation or a magical sleep, she didn't say. But the dick didn't need to know that. As far as he was concerned, Mikael was awake and ready to come after him.

"You're bluffing," Klaus snapped, but he was slowly lowering his arm. Now that he was no longer going to kill me, I got a bit cockier.

"Katherine and I found him," I smirked, enjoying having Klaus on the back foot for once. He always had the upper hand and I hated it. He was always one step ahead of us, and now the tables had turned. "Consider it our leverage."

The hybrid snarled before yanking me up. His eyes blazing angrily, he threw me against a nearby car. I landed heavily, leaving a large dent in the car door. When I looked up, Klaus was gone. I pushed myself to my feet with a groan, cracking my back.

With a shake of my head, I started to approach the hospital entrance. Ric met me there, jogging around the corner. He looked as though he had been woken up from my call earlier, and had rushed here. A part of me wondered if Jenna knew what had happened to her charges, but I pushed the thought from my mind. Once the twins were safe, I could wonder what happened while I was tracking down our leverage with Katherine.

"Damon," the hunter greeted me with a nod as we made our way inside the hospital. "Do you know where they are?"

"No," I shook my head, already trying to think as to where the best places to look would be. "Did you bring your car?" When Ric nodded, I continued, "Call me if you find one of them. I suspect that he would have kept them close."

"Did he say what he was doing them to?" Ric asked, looking at the directions list by the reception.

"He needs Elena's blood," I sighed, itching to get moving. But Ric needed to know what to look for, he couldn't sense them like I could. "It's the only way he can turn hybrids. And Alexa," I shook my head, barely able to force the words out, "he killed her. I except she pushed him too far and he snapped. Caroline wouldn't give me too many details."

"Shit, it's probably a good thing that I didn't tell Jenna what happened," he sighed, shaking his head.

With that said, we split up.

XXX

It didn't take me long to track the girls. He taken them to one of the quieter parts of the hospital, and from the glazed look in the nurses' eyes, it was obvious that they had been compelled. When I got close, I could immediately smell her blood. It was smell that made me sick to my stomach.

I quickly followed the scent, pushing open one of the closed doors. My girl laid on the bed, her eyes closed and body still. Her neck was covered in blood, but the magic of the ring had already healed her injuries. But even so, it was clear that it had been ripped apart. The amount of blood that covered her skin, it was more than it should have been. Klaus hadn't tried drinking any of it. He just wanted to hurt her.

I approached her with a soft sigh, brushing the hair from her face. Alexa's skin was still cold and I knew that it would be a while yet until she woke up. I sat down next to her on the bed, and pulled out my phone, dialing Ric's number.

He picked up quickly, "Damon."

"I found Alexa," I stroked my girl's cheek as I rattled off directions. "Elena will be close by. Let me know when you find her. I don't want Alexa to be alone if she wakes up."

I knew that I should go look for the other twin, especially if Klaus was taking her blood from her. But what I said to Ric was true, I didn't want Alexa to wake up alone. While her skin was still cold, I knew that it could change at any moment. Plus, on a more selfish note, I didn't want to be away from her. Last time I had left her side, this had happened. I couldn't bring myself to do it again.

It wasn't long later that there was a knock on the door and Ric poked his head around the door. Once he saw that it was just me and Alexa, he pushed the door open all the way. Elena was leaning heavily against him, her eyes half-closed. The older twin's skin was pale and her legs trembled. Alaric had his arm wrapped around the girl's waist, supporting her as much as possible.

Ric gestured to Alexa, an uncomfortable look on his face, "Is she still…?"

I nodded sharply as I pushed myself off the bed. The hunter cleared his throat, taking his gaze off of the girl and back to me, "I'll take Elena down to the car."

"I'll be right behind you," I shrugged off my jacket and carefully tucked it around Alexa. It looked so big on her, making my girl look even more vulnerable. I eased my arm around her shoulders and under her leg, picking her up. I tucked Alexa's head under my chin, keeping the bloody side of her neck hidden.

As I carried her out of the hospital, I felt her body start to get warmer. It would only be a matter of time until she came back to life. And I couldn't wait for the moment. It wasn't right, Alexa being this still. My girl was so full of movement and life, I hated seeing her like this.

Elena was settled in the passenger seat, her head resting against the door. Despite the amount of blood that had been taken from her, her heart was still beating strong. So I didn't need to worry about her. I eased myself into the backseat, keeping Alexa close to my chest. Once I was in, Ric took off, leaving the hospital behind. I directed him to take us back to the Boarding House before focusing all of my attention on Alexa.

She was definitely close to waking up now. And it was only a matter of time. I stroked her hair back from her face, running my hands through the smooth strands. I only glanced up when Ric passed me a packet of baby wipes. He didn't have to say anything for me to take the hint.

Using one of the wipes, I gently wiped away the drying blood on her neck. It had dripped down her chest, staining her top. But I cleared away what I could. I knew that it would make her feel better when she woke up. And from experience, I knew that she would need all the comfort that she could get.

It was only a couple of minutes after I finished that Alexa gasped back into life. She grabbed my arm, squeezing tight as she gasped erratically. I pulled her closer, whispering comforting words into her ear as she tried to catch her breath. I could hear her heart beating wildly in her chest as she switched her grip from my arm to my hand.

She squeezed her eyes shut before gasping out, "Elena?"

"She's right here," I replied softly, my thumb stroking her cheek. "She's alive, she's okay."

"Oh thank god," she murmured, relaxing against my chest.

"Just focus on yourself, baby," I whispered in her ear as she looked up at me. The last time she had died, the pain had haunted her eyes for days. But since it had been quite some time since she last had to experience that, I hoped that I would be able to get her through this a lot easier. With the sacrifice no longer looming over, I was hoping that Alexa would be able to focus on recovering from this. As I knew that last time, she spent more energy on looking after her sister than on recovering from her brushes with death.

The rest of the drive to the Boarding House was silent, other than the occasional hitches in Alexa's breath. Ric dropped us off, before going back home to Jenna, to tell her what had happened. I knew that she would want to see the girls as soon as she could, but I told Ric to try and keep her at home until the morning.

After getting Elena settled in the library, I took Alexa up to my room, where she could change her clothes. Of course, that meant her actually letting go of me. It took some time to persuade her to get out of her blood-stained top, but even then, she refused to let me leave the room. I gave her one of shirts to put on before she retreated back into my arms. I took a deep breath, breathing in her cherry shampoo, feeling her heart beating against my chest.

She was alive.

XXX

Alexa's POV

Once I could finally bring myself to let go of Damon, I retreated to my sister's side. We sat in the same chair; a blanket wrapped around our shoulders. The bite on her neck, the one that Rebekah had given her, looked worser than before. And I just prayed that it wasn't Stefan who did it. I hadn't asked her what happened after Klaus forced me to leave the gym, and I wouldn't for a while. She needed time to recover from what happened. You could see it in my sister's eyes, the night had been a nightmare for her. And I didn't have to make it any worse.

Damon passed a glass to my sister, sitting down on the coffee table in front of us with a glass of his own, "Hey, have some bourbon. It'll help you forget."

He glanced over at me, offering me his glass. But I shook my head. I knew that Ellie wouldn't finish her glass, so I planned on just taking hers. Elena nodded her thanks before taking a sip. She immediately wrinkled her nose at the taste, passing the glass over to me. I took the drink, my fingers brushing hers. My head was resting against her shoulder, my arm linked with hers.

"Yeah, it's strong," Damon winced sympathetically as I took a sip of the bourbon. He glanced over at me, and I twitched my lips into a smile, encouraging him to continue. "You know, I can help you forget, too, Elena. At the least the memories you don't want to keep."

My sister paused for a moment, considering the offer before sighing and shaking her head, "No. no compulsion. I need to remember. All of it."

I could understand why my twin wanted to remember. I would too, if I was in her position. While I didn't know exactly what happened to her, I could guess that Stefan had done something to her. Maybe even feed on her. Ellie had mentioned that he had been compelled to turn off his humanity, which must have been traumatizing for her to see.

Damon nodded before holding out his hand. Ellie's necklace, the one from Stefan, sat on his palm. My sister looked at it, before swallowing hard. I downed my drink, placing the glass to the side before taking her hands.

"He's really gone this time," she whispered, sounding utterly broken by the events of the night. "I watched it happen. After everything that we went through to get… to help him. Now he's just… gone."

I exchanged a glance with Damon, as he placed the necklace to the side. What could we say to that? I knew that Ellie wouldn't accept any comfort, not yet. She needed time to process what happened before she would allow herself to be comforted. But that didn't mean that I wouldn't be there, to keep an eye on her. My own trauma could wait. Although I knew that Damon would force me to deal with it sooner rather than later. But by that point, hopefully Jenna would be able to look after Elena.

"Where were you, Damon?" Ellie asked with a whisper, looking up at my vampire. "Why weren't you here to look after us?"

"I sent him off with Katherine," I sighed, squeezing my sister's hand. "She came here, teasing us with answers, and I sent him off with her."

But if he was here, then he would have been in danger. I know that Klaus would have hurt him if he tried to save us, maybe even killed him. So was it bad for me to be grateful that he wasn't here?

"I still shouldn't have left," Damon shook his head, reaching out to grab my free hand. "I shouldn't have left, even if we did get the answers we wanted."

Before anyone could say anything, a new voice joined the conversation, "Well, isn't this cozy?"

We all looked towards the stairs, where Stefan stood, leaning against a pillar. You could instantly tell that there was something different about him. There was a coldness in his eyes, one that I had never seen before. He had a cruel smirk on his face as he looked between us.

Damon slowly stood up, putting his body between the younger vampire and us. It was like he didn't trust the other vampire, not that I could blame him. He had attacked my sister, and I honestly didn't know if he would do it again.

"What are you doing here, brother?" my vampire asked slowly, a calculating look on his face. Stefan just stared at him for a moment, before walking further into the room. He approached the drinks table, which, luckily, wasn't close to us. The other Salvatore poured himself a drink before looking up.

"Last I checked; I lived here," the humanity-less vampire snorted, a derisive look on his face. "Klaus is gone, but he's asked me to keep an eye on the twins until he returns, especially Elena." He turned his mocking gaze to my sister, his eyes hard. "From now on, you're under my protection." With a smirk, he lifted his glass in a toast before downing it. "Mmm, by all means. Carry on."

He placed the glass back down on the table before leaving the room. We all stared after him, waiting until he left the room. My sister's grip on my hand grew tight and I looked up at her. The heartbreak in my eyes hurt my heart. I eased my hand from hers before wrapped my arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. She buried her face in my neck, and I could feel my neck growing wet. I let my sister cry it out, knowing that sometimes you just needed to let it all out in order to move on. It was something that Damon understood too. He settled on the arm next to me, his hand on my back as I comforted my sister. I could tell that he was keeping an ear out for Stefan, who was apparently going to linger like a bad smell. How Elena could move on with him in town, I didn't know. But at least she wasn't going to deal with it alone.

XXX

A/N: Thank you, my darlings, for all the reviews :) I loved reading them, and they really made my day! I'm so happy that you are all enjoying this story, and I really love writing it :) I hope you all enjoyed the chapter xoxo