Disclaimer: I only own my OCs

A/N: This chapter needs to huge disclaimer that I do love Stefan. He is just in a bad place right now, but it will get better for him! I hate being so mean to him haha but our girls have got to stick together ;) this is more of a twin one than a Dalexa one, but we can never keep our favourite couple apart for long ;)

XXX

I sighed as I gently knocked on the door to Tyler's room, coffee in hand. Ever since his mom died, I had been staying with him. He called me the moment that he had heard the news, sobbing, unable to get the words out. That had been a month ago. Christmas and New Years had come and gone, rubbing salt in the wounds. I had managed to get him over to my home during that time, not wanting him to spend the time alone. It wasn't easy for him, but it helped. Kind of.

But today was the day of the memorial service. It was the first day of school for the new calendar year, and they were honouring the deceased mayor. I knew that Tyler didn't want to go and even though it was described as a mandatory assembly, he could probably get away with it. But I knew that he couldn't run away from it forever. And it would help the healing process, hearing people say nice things about his mom.

When I go no answer, I shook my head and carefully opened the door. The curtains were still closed from when I got up this morning. And I knew that my adopted brother had yet to emerge from his bed. The lump under the covers proved my theory.

With a soft sigh, I placed the mug of coffee on the bedside table closest to Ty before carefully climbing back onto the bed. I settled down behind him, resting back against the headboard. My hand gently rested on his back while I sipped at my own coffee. I knew that there was no need to break the silence. Tyler would speak to me when he was ready. It had been this way all month.

I didn't push him to talk. That only made it harder. Instead, I waited until Tyler was ready. I just sat by his side each day, making sure that he had enough to eat and drink. I helped him with the funeral and all of the memorial services. I acted as a polite shield between him and all of the well-wishers. It was everything that he had done for me when my parents had died.

"Has Caroline called yet?" a muffled voice asked from beside me, as Tyler shifted slightly, pressing his back against my leg.

"Not yet," I hummed, moving my hand to his head, gently running my fingers through his hair. "But she did text me, asking how you are doing."

That was another issue. Caroline, in her desperation to help her boyfriend, had been pushing Tyler to talk. But he wasn't ready to talk yet. And he had just lashed out. His grief had fuelled his anger and now, I had to manage that relationship too. Fortunately, my blonde friend was relieved that I was able to look after Tyler when he wouldn't let her.

"What did you tell her?" Ty asked, his voice a bit clearer as he moved the blanket away from his face.

"That you were still asleep," I replied, placing my empty mug to the side. "But you'll see her at the memorial service at school."

"Do I have to go?" my bro groaned, turning onto his back, staring up at me with sad eyes.

"You don't," I sighed, still running my fingers through his hair. "But I think that it would be good for you too. I'll be there with you and Caroline will too."

"I just don't know if I can hear them refer to… that… as an accident again," Tyler admitted, his voice soft and I winced.

"I know, Ty," I cleared my throat as I thought back to the official story. It was said that she slipped over and hit her head. But those in the know, we knew the truth. Klaus had killed Mrs Lockwood in a fit of rage. It was revenge, for the hybrids plan to take him out. And he only took out Mrs Lockwood because he couldn't find Tyler. To be honest, I was surprised that the Original Hybrid hadn't made an appearance. But he had been MIA since that night. I wasn't complaining. It meant that I could get Tyler through this without worrying about his safety. "Just try not to listen to that part. That's all the advice that I can give you, I'm afraid."

I glanced to the side when my phone buzzed. It was a text from Damon. I was supposed to be at the Lakehouse with Damon, helping to train Jeremy. But I just couldn't abandon Tyler when he needed me the most. Luckily, my boyfriend understood. He told me to go and look after my honorary brother, that I could return to him later. Which was why I had sped home that very night.

'would you be mad if I starved the dynamic duo?'

I rolled my eyes at the message. Matt had driven up to the Lakehouse to provide Jeremy some support while he trained to be an awesome vampire killer. Unfortunately, when those two got together, they became annoying. And I knew that they were driving my boyfriend up the wall. Which was kind of hilarious.

'depends, what have they done?'

'what haven't they done?'

'just cut off the pizza supply, babe, that will do it'

When I didn't get a response, I placed my phone to the side, hiding a smile. But it had already been noticed, "What's so funny?"

I glanced down at Tyler at his words, "Jer and Matt are driving Damon up the wall. So he's going to stop them from ordering pizza. When you're feeling up to it, we can head up there and join in on the fun."

"Shouldn't you be on Damon's side?" Ty snorted, shaking his head at me as he sat up to drink his coffee.

"Probably," I smirked, wiggling my eyebrows. "But he gets rough when he's annoyed and it's so damn hot."

"Ugh, Alex, I did not need that information," my brother screwed up his nose in disgust, but the sad look was gone from his eyes for the moment. And that was all that I cared about.

XXX

I had to say, it was a lovely memorial service. The entire school was gathered in the gym, holding candles encased in glass cups. A photo of Mrs Lockwood was by the podium, with the memorial stand over by the wall. The candles burnt brightly, casting a warm glow over the face of the woman that I had known my entire life. I still couldn't believe that she was gone. But I couldn't focus too much on my grief. I had to be there for Tyler.

Speaking of the grieving teen, I was sat next to him, Caroline on his other side. The blonde had made a beeline for him the moment she saw him. Tyler had accepted her hug, holding her tight, and I think she was so appreciative of that acceptance that she didn't try asking him if he was okay. Which Ty definitely appreciated. I had just rolled my eyes at the pair of them before ushering them inside the gym. I knew that the original plan was to have Tyler near the front, but I knew that he wouldn't have that. So I led us to some seats near the middle, where he could blend in a bit better. Elena and Bonnie were sat behind us, up and to the right. Fortunately, they were close enough that I could listen out for them using my vampire hearing. If I couldn't sit near my sister, then I wanted to at least be able to keep an ear out for her.

"Carol Lockwood always said that togetherness in times of tragedy leads to healing, that one community is stronger than a thousand of its members," Sheriff Forces spoke into the microphone, a strong look on her face, despite the sadness in her eyes. "But how does a community stay strong after losing its leader? And Carol was so much more than a leader; she was an open-minded friend and a concerned mother," Sheriff Forbes' eyes glanced up at where we were sat, a sympathetic look in them as she gazed upon Tyler, "taken from us too soon by a terrible accident."

I winced at that as I lit the candle in Tyler's hand. He robotically did the same to Caroline's, as he looked down at the floor. I knew that it was those final words that had gotten into his head. He knew, on one level, that his mother's death had to be referred to as an accident. The townspeople didn't know the truth about the supernatural. But when you knew that your mother was murdered, it was hard to hear it be referred to as an accident.

Which was why I was surprised when Ty muttered, "Screw this."

He stood up, passing Caroline his candle, before making his way down the steps of the bleachers. Behind him, Care hissed, "What? Tyler? Tyler?"

But he ignored her, walking with determination to the doors of the gym. Sheriff Forbes glanced at him, a regretful look on her face before she said, "Please join me in observing a minute silence in her memory."

Knowing that Ty shouldn't be left alone, I passed my candle to the girl next to me before following my adopted brother down the stairs, despite the fact that everyone should be bowing their heads. I could feel eyes on me, and I could guess as to who those eyes belonged to. But I didn't glance back as I walked out. Instead, I only had eyes for Tyler.

I managed to catch him at the end of the corridor. He was walking with quite some speed, eager to get away from the school and the latest reminder of his dead mother. I quickly glanced around before using my vampire speed to catch up with him. I stood in front of Tyler, cupping his face as I examined his expression. Despite the false blankness on his face, I could see the devastation in his eyes.

"Hey," I murmured, pulling him forward into a hug. He immediately wrapped his arms around me, burying his face in my neck. "Go home, Ty, you don't need to be here. You showed your face at the memorial, that's all that matters."

"What if anyone asks where I am?" Ty mumbled, as I felt something wet on my neck. Tyler had only cried once over his mother. That night that she was found. Otherwise, the tears hadn't fallen. But I think that now, with the memorial, it was feeling a bit more real. Mrs Lockwood's funeral had been slightly rushed, as the remaining members of the town council had wanted it to be done before Christmas, so that they could get an interim mayor in place. Of course, that plan had fallen apart because no one wanted the job, until Bonnie's dad returned to town. But anyway, I think today had made things sink in a little more.

"Then I'll compel them into allowing it," I replied, running my fingers through his hair. "I'm really good at that. No one will think twice. Besides, you're allowed to take time off to grieve, Tyler. And if anyone says otherwise, they'll have me to answer to."

I felt Tyler smile against my skin, albeit a small one, "You know, you're really not as scary as you think you are, Alex."

"That's what you think" I snorted, pressing a kiss to his temple. "Come on, I'd recommend leaving before people start leaving the assembly. I don't know how long introducing the new mayor will take."

"Thanks, Alex," Tyler sighed before pulling back. "I really do appreciate this."

"And you can make it up to me by giving me a foot rub after I cook you dinner tonight," I gave him a wink before waving off my adopted brother. Ty gave me a nod before disappearing from sight, using his super speed. I sighed and shook my head, well, that was one sibling sorted. I knew that Tyler would want some time to himself, so I decided to go search for Elena. Because I knew that it was only a matter of time before she got in trouble too. Honestly, as much as I loved my siblings, they got into far too much trouble.

XXX

As I turned around to head back into the assembly, as I apparently wasn't lucky enough to have missed the end of it, I saw my sister exiting the room. She glanced around the corridor, a frown on her pretty face, before she saw me. I knew the moment that she did, as her body relaxed slightly, even if her expression didn't. I wondered why she had left, because my sister was not one to ditch mandatory assemblies, especially halfway through them. And while she had probably left for a reason, it wasn't an obvious one. I just hoped that it wasn't something bad. We had dealt with enough bad shit already. I needed this year to remain a bit calmer, at least until the end of the month.

"Ditching the assembly, Els? Tut tut," I teased as I walked towards her. I had expected her to roll her eyes and tease me back, but the frown on her face remained. As I got closer to her, I noticed that there was a confused edge to it. Her fists were clenched, knuckles turning white from the effort, as she stood by the entrance to the gym. "What's up, Elena?"

"I, uh, I thought that I saw Rebekah in the assembly," my sister muttered, pulling me closer to her when I got within arms length. She held onto my arm tightly as she looked around again. "But that couldn't be possible, right?"

"At this point, it wouldn't surprise me," I rolled my eyes as I also looked around. I knew that my sister had no reason to be hallucinating Rebekah Mikaelson of all people. So either she really saw her, which would not be good news for anyone. Or my sister was lying to get out of the assembly. But I immediately ruled out that option. Ellie's body was tense and there was no faking the worry in her eyes. She had definitely seen Rebekah. And while I didn't know all of the circumstances around the Original Sister being daggered again, I did know that she would find a way to take it out on my sister. "If she is here, then you shouldn't be. Come on, lets get you home. One day of skipping school won't hurt anyone."

"Normally I'd argue this, but I know that I won't win," my twin sighed, shaking her head. I nodded in satisfaction and switched her grip to my hand, using it to tug her down the hallway. Unfortunately, we didn't get too far until a noise stopped us. It was crying. Someone was crying.

"Who is that?" my sweet sister frowned again, tugging me in the other direction. I shook my head but let her lead me. I know what Elena could be like when she set her mind to something. So it would be easier for me to let her do this before whisking her to safety.

We turned the corner to see April Young crying by her locker. She glanced up when she heard us, quickly wiping away the tears that had fallen. But her eyes were still red and her makeup stained. It was obvious that the girl had been crying. She clearly wasn't expecting to be caught, as she clutched her books to her chest, glancing around.

"April, what's wrong?" my twin frowned, stepping forward to rest her hand on April's shoulder.

"Nothing," the girl immediately shook her head, forcing a smile. "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine, kiddo," I raised an eyebrow, resting my shoulder against the lockers to the side. "Come on, spill. Why the tears?"

"It's just the whole mayor thing, you know," April immediately dropped the façade. I wasn't surprised that it didn't take too much prodding. The kid clearly wanted, needed, to speak to someone about all of this. It just so happened to be us. "It's bringing stuff up about my dad."

"Ah, that sucks," I nodded while Ellie wrapped her in a hug. "I remember after our parents died, so many things just bring up what happened. If you need to talk, you know where to find us."

"We're here for you, April," my sister confirmed, a sweet smile on her face, as she gave her a gentle squeeze. "You don't have to go through this alone."

"We're going to ditch school for the day, you wanna ditch with us?" I asked, a gentle smile on my face as I stepped away from the locker. "We can have a girls day. Sounds a lot better than school, ammright?"

The girl jerked her head in a nod, biting her lip for a moment before blurting out, "I know that you're a vampire."

I froze where I stood, unable to believe what I had just heard. I mean, April couldn't know that I was a vampire. Right? No one in our group would have told her. And there was no way that she could just stumble on that information. No, someone told her. And that someone would not be our friend. Damn, I should have known that it wouldn't be a quiet year, hell, a quiet month, for us.

"Wait, what?" Elena gasped, immediately letting go of the girl. She stepped back, closer to me, standing in front of me slightly. "April, what are you talking about?"

"I know the truth," the girl replied, her voice sounding stronger as she narrowed her eyes. "I know that Alexa is a vampire and that you've been covering it up. I know that you've been lying to me!"

"April, listen to me very carefully," I kept my voice calm, which was a huge effort. I knew that April knowing wasn't good. She could have told anyone, and there was no guarantee that it would be someone safe to know my secret. "Who told you this?"

A completely unexpected voice answered from behind me, "I did."

I barely had the chance to spin around, pushing my sister behind me, before Rebekah snapped my neck. And everything went black.

XXX

I woke up to a sore neck and the worried eyes of my sister. When Ellie saw that I was awake, she carefully helped me sit up, leaning me back against the shelves behind me. I quickly glanced around, noting that we were in the library, before focusing my gaze on my twin. I couldn't see any injuries on her, but that didn't mean that Rebekah hadn't hurt her.

"Ellie, are you okay?" I asked, gently gripping her elbows as she knelt in front of me. "Rebekah didn't do anything to you, did she?"

"I'm fine," Elena gave me a small smile, indulging me for a moment, content that I was watching her back. "Rebekah just dragged me here after she snapped your neck."

"Yeah, I'm definitely going to make her pay for that," I muttered grumpily, reaching up to rub at my neck. The muscles were still tense and probably would be for a bit longer. Damon had told me what a broken neck felt like. How, even though it had healed, it still ached slightly. How the muscles remained tense for a while. And, more importantly, how it sucked. "Has she been back here since she brought us here?"

My sister shook her head as she helped me to my feet, "No, she hasn't been back. But… uh… she did take my vervain. And compelled me to remain in here until she told me otherwise."

"That bitch," I cursed, noticing the missing vervain bracelet from my twin's wrist. "So I can't get you out of here?"

"Not until she says so," Elena sighed as the door opened. I immediately pushed my sister behind me as I turned to face the newcomer. It was April. The kid had wiped away all signs of tears and stared at us with what she hoped was a hard look.

"The assembly is over," she said as we walked over to her. I narrowed my eyes at her, feeling a lot less sympathetic now that she had helped Rebekah trap my sister in here. I knew that the Original's intentions weren't good. And I knew that this wouldn't end well. I just had to hope that I got my sister out of here injury-free.

"What the hell is going on?" Ellie asked from behind me, her voice hard as she gripped my hand. I knew that she felt more betrayed by April than I did. Oh, I knew that it would all hit me later, but for now, my only focus was my twin.

"The school will be empty soon," April shrugged before focusing her gaze on me. "How many times did you compel me?" I raised an eyebrow at her. "Don't… don't lie to me. Rebekah says that you lie. Well, not so much you. But that you do, Elena."

"Of course she does," I rolled my eyes. "I only compelled you once, April. When you were stabbed to lure out the vampires at the memorial service. Probably not a memory that you wanted. So get off your high horse and listen to sense."

When the kid winced, my sister carefully hushed me, resting her free hand on my shoulder before focusing her gaze on the girl, "Rebekah isn't who you think she is, April."

"What?" April snorted, raising an eyebrow. "She's not a thousand-year-old Original vampire?"

"Oh, she's that," I smirked, ignoring my sister's efforts to get me to play nice. "But she's also a raging bitch who is now on my shit list."

There was the familiar sound of vampire speed before the Original sister herself appeared in front of us. She smiled sharply at me, crossing her arms, "Alexa, that isn't a nice thing to say."

"If you think that that isn't nice, just you wait until I say that rest of the stuff that is on my mind," I snapped, making sure that Elena was behind me. "Trust me, they'll make your ears burn."

"Lexa, calm down," my sister hissed in my ear, tugging on my hand.

"I'm not going to calm down, Elena," I rolled my eyes. "She compelled you and she snapped my neck! She's lucky that I'm keeping calm on your behalf. Because if you weren't here, then I would be losing my shit."

"Is there any way that I can get you to play nice?" Rebekah sighed, walking forward. Despite my less than sympathetic feelings towards her right now, I grabbed April's arm, pulling her behind me too. I knew that Rebekah got a thrill out of using people. And it wouldn't surprise me if she got rid of the girl once she had fulfilled her usefulness.

"You can let my sister go," I suggested, crossing my arms. I dug my nails into my skin, forcing myself to keep my tone even. Because the blonde didn't respond well to threats.

"Sorry, can't be done," the blonde shrugged, stepping closer to me. She met my gaze and it took me a moment to realise why. But by then, it was too late. The Original was compelling me. And I had to say, I definitely hadn't missed that sick, floaty feeling that came with compulsion. "Now, why don't you take a seat? The rest of the class will be here shortly."

Her words worried me. She clearly had something planned. And I knew that it wouldn't bode well for any of us. But I had to play along. It was the best way to find out what she was up to. Besides, it wasn't like I had much of a choice. The compulsion forced me to move.

Ellie followed close behind me as I approached one of the tables in the middle of the room. It was one of the few that had no books on it. I took a seat, making sure that my sister took the one next to me. Rebekah gave us a satisfied smirk before disappearing from the room. She knew that she could leave us with April, as we couldn't leave. Her compulsion had seen to that.

XXX

I ignored the younger girl that had joined our table in favour of looking at my sister. I had shuffled my chair closer to hers before quietly asking, "How you doing, Els?"

"I've been better," she smiled gently, giving my hand a squeeze. "I feel like I should be asking you that question. From the pounding in my head, I can tell that you aren't doing too good."

"Damn, sorry," I winced, trying to calm myself down. I knew that our proximity would be making the headaches worse. But I just couldn't help it this time. I was too worried about my sister. I knew that Rebekah wouldn't hurt me, not properly. Despite whatever this was about, I was willing to bet that she still wanted to be my friend. Of course, she wasn't doing much to help her chances of keeping my friendship. Since she was threatening my twin. "I'm just worried about you."

"I know you are," Elena nodded, resting her free hand on my knee. "But you don't need to be. I'll be fine. Rebekah won't risk alienating you by hurting me. Not physically, anyway. There might be some mean-girl mental power struggles."

"That isn't good either, Ellie," I rolled my eyes at her. "In an ideal world, you would walk out of here unscathed. But I guess this isn't an ideal world."

"Hey, Lexa," my sister ducked her head, making sure to make eye contact with me. "I'll be fine. I promise. I trust you to protect me. And… I think that this is more than revenge. Rebekah is after something."

"Probably cure related," I sighed, shaking my head. "It always come down to that fucking thing."

"Just think, when you get it, you can shove it down Klaus' throat and forget that it ever existed," my twin teased gently, trying to get a smile out of me. It took a few seconds, but she succeeded.

I rolled my eyes, "Oh hush, you. It's time to be serious."

"Never thought that I would hear you say that," Ellie shook her head, a smile playing at her lips. "But okay, I'll be serious. Before you pop a blood vessel."

"I'm not that bad," I grumbled before glancing over at the other person in the room. April was sat at the opposite end of the table, looking down at the wood. But I could tell that she could hear everything that we were saying in the otherwise silent room. "You took the dagger out of Rebekah, didn't you?" The girl looked up at me with wide eyes before slowing nodding. I sighed and shook my head, "Why?"

"She promised to help me investigate what happened to my dad," she replied, her voice soft. I hoped that she was regretting her actions, but I knew that it wouldn't happen yet. April had to see what Rebekah was really like before that could happen. Not that I wanted to ruin the kid's innocence. But I also didn't want her to manipulated by the older vampire. "What… what did you mean earlier? About me being stabbed?"

I exchanged a glance with Elena before speaking slowly, trying not to be too harsh. I wanted to protect her from that pain. And I really wasn't happy with Rebekah for forcing me to mention it to the kid. So, with a sigh, I said, "I think you were up on the balcony to get yourself ready for the service, to practice what you wanted to say. While you were up there, you were attacked by a man called Connor. He was a special kind of vampire hunter. He stabbed you, before leaving you on the balcony to bleed out, to attract the attention of any vampires were in the room. I think he had some kind of sniper rifle, but I can't say for sure. After he ran away, after shooting Tyler, I found you up there. You were close to death and so scared. I… I took away the memory of your pain and fear. That is the only time that I have compelled you, I promise." I paused before adding, "Of course, I can't speak for others."

"I, uh, I don't know if I should be thanking you for that," April frowned, looking down at the table.

"Don't thank me," I kept my voice soft, hoping that I was getting through to her. "Just know that, sometimes, people have a reason for what they did. So don't assume that it was done for the wrong reasons."

"Okay," the kid nodded, looking like she was deep in thought. While she was distracted, I frowned and leant in close to my sister.

In the quietest voice that I could muster, I whispered, "I haven't compelled her any other times, have I?"

I could sense Elena rolling her eyes, but she replied, just as quietly, "I don't think so."

"Phew, that's a relief," I murmured. "Would have been a bit awkward otherwise."

"Oh Lexa, you're terrible," my sister shook her head at me, a smile tugging at her lips.

"What? A lot of things have happened since then," I pouted at her, quickly dropping it when she coughed to hide a laugh. "Oh stop it."

Fortunately, my sister did stop teasing me. Unfortunately, it just reminded us of the situation that we were in. If my twin wasn't trapped in here with me, I probably would have been more content to just sit here and find out what the Original Sister had planned. But I just didn't feel comfortable leaving my sister in this situation. I knew that Rebekah hated her and that she would take every opportunity that she could to torment her. But I couldn't think of a way to get Elena to safety. I couldn't override the compulsion. And I didn't think that I would be able to get Rebekah to let her go. I just had to hope that backup arrived. Hopefully with a handy little time-out dagger. Not that I wanted to hurt Rebekah like that, I still remembered our friendship, but I had to put my sister first.

XXX

The next time that the door opened, it revealed Rebekah dragging in Caroline. I watched in surprise, wondering how she had managed to grab our blonde friend. The Original forced Care down into a seat next to us before compelling her with the same instructions that she gave me. To sit down. She added the instruction to not leave. Rebekah didn't need to tell me that. As I wouldn't have left without my sister. And the blonde Original had known that.

The moment the door closed behind Rebekah, Ellie and I turned to face Caroline. The blonde looked furious, but she appeared to be unharmed. Still, I had to ask, "You alright, Care?"

"Yeah, she didn't hurt me," our friend groused, crossing her arms as she settled into her chair. She glanced over at April before asking, "What are you all doing here?"

Well, that was a relief. I didn't want anyone to get hurt, especially not my loved ones. Rebekah… well, I knew that she couldn't die without the white oak stake. So if she got hurt, it would just be karma. And I would tell her that. She needed to know that there would be consequences to her actions today. And I would make sure that there were.

"The bitch thought that snapping my neck would be fun," I rolled my eyes, rapping my knuckles on the table. "But she didn't tell us what she wanted. Just that we had to stay here until she was ready. As for April… well, Rebekah has a new little friend who, apparently, knows the entire truth."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the kid wince. But I didn't soften my words. I had to get it through to April that she couldn't trust everything that the Original had to say. And if my words had to be a bit harsh to do that, then so be it. It would be better for her in the long run. And safer for her too.

"How did she grab you?" Elena asked, resting her hand on my bouncing knee. It was only her calming touch that stopped my movement. But that didn't stop me from clenching and unclenching my fists. I was desperate to start pacing, but the compulsion was preventing me. So there wasn't much to release the nervous energy that was coursing through my body.

"Well, I'm guessing that after she took you two, she called Stefan," Caroline answered, resting her hands on the table, taking a deep breath in an attempt to remain calm. "He called me and suggested that we just stake her."

"With the white oak stake?" I raised an eyebrow, surprised that it was Stefan's immediate reaction. She must have said something to piss him off a lot, for him to go straight to murder. "And wipe out an entire sireline of vampires? Seems a bit excessive. I mean, I know that Rebekah can be a bitch, but it does feel like a bit much."

Care winced, probably realising that I was right, "Yeah, I guess it was. But she must have said something that got to him. Because while he was drinking the Grill dry earlier, he wasn't as mad as he was when he called me."

Drinking the Grill dry? Damn, what had driven him to that? It couldn't have been his break up with Elena. It had been a little while and he had had time to get over the immediate pain. And as far as I knew, Ellie hadn't said anything else to him about it.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my sister wince. And I silently cursed. I didn't want my twin to worry about her ex. Stefan wasn't her problem anymore. Not like that. If he didn't handle their breakup well, then it was his problem. Elena had made her mind known and Stefan knew what he had to do to repair that damage. But he hadn't done anything other than mope. And it was getting harder to sympathise with him.

"Remind me not to piss him off," I muttered to Elena, keeping my voice low. "Because he might just go straight to staking me."

"Alexa," Ellie rolled her eyes at me before looking at Caroline. "Where is the white oak stake now?"

"Rebekah has it," the blonde sighed, shaking her head. "I think she's gone after Stefan too. Probably to bring him here for whatever it is that she has planned."

"Well, hopefully, we will soon find out," I tapped on the table, glancing over at the door. "Because the sooner we know, the sooner we can work out a plan to get out of here."

"That's very optimistic of you, Alexa," Care glanced over at me, a teasing look on her face.

"I'm a very optimistic person," I snorted, kicking the leg of her chair. "Honestly, Care, you should know that by now."

"Ignore her," Elena spoke up, shaking her head at me. "She's worrying about me and that means letting her bitchy side come out to play."

"I figured," the blonde laughed, although there was still a tense edge to it. None of us could forget the situation that we were in. And while we could laugh and joke, we couldn't overlook the danger that we were in. Because, while we often forget it, Rebekah could be dangerous. Oh, she probably won't kill us. But she can hurt us in her own way. And I just knew that we weren't getting out of this unscathed.

"Hey, it's either be bitchy or rip this library apart until I soothe the feelings building up inside of me," I rolled my eyes. "Because, for real, I am so close to just breaking a leg off of the table next to us and sticking it through Rebekah's chest the moment she reappears."

Caroline looked at me before turning to face Elena, "Okay, how worried do I need to be?"

"Very," my sister sighed, thumbing rubbing my knee.

XXX

After that, it didn't take long for the final member of Rebekah's hostage group to be shoved through the door. Rebekah followed Stefan, pushing him forward when he paused at the sight of us. I knew that he knew that we were being held hostage. But I think that seeing all of us together just confirmed that it had all gone to shit.

At the sight of her ex, my sister slowly stood up, breathing out Stefan's name. I sighed and shook my head, forcing her to sit back down when the Original snapped, "Did I say that you could move?"

"What makes you think that we care?" I snapped back, making sure that my twin was as close to me as she could be, when Stefan sat down next to her. It was the only seat that he could have taken, but I was itching to swap seats with my sister. But I knew that Rebekah wouldn't approve. And, despite my attitude, I didn't want to push my luck with her too soon.

"Class is in session," the Original Sister smirked, ignoring my words. "You've all been compelled; you know the rules. Answer my questions honestly, no disobedience, no one leaves. April, my sweet, take notes." The younger girl nodded, immediately looking inside her bag for a notebook and a pen. "This is how you get answers in this town. Let's start with a quiz." The older vampire paced around the table, looking at each of us in turn. "In the year 1114, my brother learnt, thanks to yours truly, about a brotherhood of vampire hunters with tattoos that grew with each kill. These tattoos revealed what, Elena?"

Ellie glared at up Rebekah as she ground out, "A map."

The blonde smirked back at her before turning to Caroline, "Which led to…? Caroline?"

"A cure for vampirism," my friend sighed, slumping back in her seat.

"Perfect, so we're all caught up," Rebekah turned her attention to Stefan. "Stefan Salvatore, the last time that we saw each other, you had a vampire hunter. But in order to decode the map, you needed the location of the hunter's sword, which you got out of me using some very dirty tricks. Assuming you found the sword, you also found the cure, and yet, you're all still vampires, which means that something went wrong." She was about to say something when she paused, glancing over at April, who was scribbling down everything that she had heard. "What are you doing?"

"Oh," the younger girl paused, glancing up at the blonde with wide eyes as her pen hovered over the paper. "You asked me to take notes."

The smile on Rebekah's face had a mocking hint to it as she looked down at the girl, "I wasn't being literal, darling. But now that you mention it, a flow chart would be nice, which means index cards and push-pins. Go, fetch."

The kid immediately nodded, the legs of her chair scraping against the floor as she stood up. April left her bag behind as she scooted from the room, clearly desperate to please her new friend. I just sighed and shook my head, watching her leave. I knew that the girl had problems with wanting to please people. I just wished that it wasn't the Original Sister that she wanted to please so much.

After April left, things were silent for a moment. Despite the bravado from the Original, it seemed as though no one wanted to break the uneasy silence. Because everyone knew that the words spoken in this room today could never be taken back. And a lot of people would be hurt.

But eventually, someone had to speak. And it just so happened to be Stefan. With a sigh, he said, "You're wasting your time. We don't know anything."

"So, you just gave up?" Rebekah scoffed, shaking her head. "I thought that you would do anything to save your precious Elena's twin sister? So you could be together. Even if it meant taking the cure yourself, so you could grow old and die with her?"

I saw Ellie stare at her ex with a shocked expression. I knew that she had never considered that option. She had just thought that Stefan wanted the cure for me. She never thought that he would take it himself. But that was the only reason why I was searching for it, even if it was reluctantly. It was so that our loved ones could take it if they wanted to.

"Why do you look so surprised?" the Original frowned, glancing between the two. She didn't look pleased at being left out the loop like this, at not knowing everything. Especially when no one answered her. There was an awkward silence, which only grew more awkward when she narrowed her eyes. "I'm missing something. What is it?"

I wondered who would break first. The Original with her desperate need for answers. Caroline, who loathed awkward silences with a passion. Elena who just wanted the truth to be out there. Stefan, who probably wanted to hurt Rebekah for something, considering he was willing to actually kill her. Or me, who just wanted all of this over.

And the answer ended up being Caroline, who snapped, sounding incredibly exasperated, "They broke up, okay?" Rebekah's smile looked evil as she looked between Elena and Stefan. And it was incredibly fucking unnerving. "Now let us go."

"Broke up?" the Original repeated, sounding gleeful. "Wait, I'm confused. I thought that Elena was your epic love, Stefan?" She said the words 'epic love' mockingly. Tauntingly. Like she wanted to cause as much pain as possible. And when she didn't get the answer that she wanted, her smile grew sharper, "I asked you what happened. You have to tell me."

"She broke up with me because I couldn't accept Alexa as a vampire," Stefan answered, his voice quiet. I winced, looking away from the younger Salvatore brother. I hated that I was the reason why their relationship ended. And I just couldn't get away from it.

XXX

"So," Rebekah stood up, still looking gleeful. "Alexa being a vampire is ruining everything, including her twin's relationship, which explains why Stefan reeks of alcohol. But what it doesn't explain is why sweet, loving, innocent Elena could be so heartless towards Stefan." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my sister wince. I reached out and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. I knew that this wouldn't be easy for her. The Original was getting far too much enjoyment out of this and I knew that it wouldn't be stopped. "How could she hurt you like that? Answer, please."

"She thinks that I want to fix Alexa, that I don't accept her as a vampire," Stefan answer slowly, looking like he didn't want to speak the words that were coming from his mouth. "I just don't want the darkness to take over again, like it did when she was human."

"Oh, now, that is fascinating," Rebekah smirked, turning her gaze to Ellie, looking like a predator examining its prey. "And what do you think about that, Elena?"

My sister glared at her and snapped, "I think that you're sad and bored and in desperate need of a hobby and a friend. Because I will not let you be friends with my sister anymore."

The Original narrowed her eyes slightly before making eye contact. She used her compulsion to force an answer from my twin, "You're hiding something. Fess up. Before I start breaking bones." It was only the hand squeezing mine that kept me in my seat. Otherwise I would have attacked the older vampire, even if it was a fight that I never would have won.

"I only got back together with Stefan after his humanity returned because it was what was expected of me," Elena answered, the compulsion taking over. I winced at her words, unable to look at the pained look on Stefan's face. "I didn't even know if I wanted to, but it was what almost everyone else wanted. So I put my feelings aside and did what was expected."

Oh ouch. That could not have been easy for the younger Salvatore to hear. But I think my sister needed to say it. Because, up until this point, I don't think that she realised it herself. I knew that she wasn't sure about her feelings for Stefan after he became 'good' again. But everyone, including our wincing blonde friend, were pushing her to get back with Stefan. And while I felt bad for him, I was completely on Elena's side here. Her happiness was important to me. And if that meant not being with Stefan, then so be it.

"Alexa," the Original turned to me.

"Ah fuck," I muttered, rolling my eyes before looking at her.

"How do you feel, being the reason for the loving couple that was Stefan and Elena breaking up?" the blonde smirked at me, looking like she was enjoying herself far too much. That was probably what made me answer a bit too honestly. Because I did not watch what I was saying at all.

"Frantically, I don't give a shit," I shrugged, narrowing my eyes. "All I care about is my sister's happiness. And, considering the torment that Stefan put her through for so long when he had his humanity off, I'm kind of glad that she isn't with him. He hasn't apologised for any of it, not properly. And I don't want my twin to be with someone like that."

There was a moment of silence following my words. I could just tell that the pained look on Stefan's face had grown worse. And I did hate that I had caused that. But, at the same time, I think that he needed to hear those words. That way, he could work to make up for what he had done. He could earn the forgiveness that he craved. Because until then, it would always be false.

Elena looked at me in shock. She definitely wasn't expecting me to say all of that. Especially not to Stefan. Oh, I would rant all of that in private, when it was just us. And maybe Jenna too. But with the others present? I knew that she definitely didn't think I would say it. I was surprised myself. But damn, it felt kind of good to say it. To get it all off my chest like that.

It was Caroline who broke the silence next as she sighed, sounding incredibly exasperated, "What does any of this have to do with the stupid cure?"

"You're right," Rebekah nodded, surprising everyone when she backed off. Maybe I had shocked even her with my words. I mean, they were pretty shocking. And even I didn't realise that I had felt like that. I mean, I knew most of it. But some of the words surprised even me. "We got off the point. Stefan, how do I find the cure? Unless, you'd rather talk about Alexa's feelings about you all day."

Stefan, poor Stefan, glared at her before grounding out, "There's a professor. He knows where the cure is."

"Thank you," she nodded, pulling out her phone. "And, uh, where do I find this professor?"

"How about you don't?" I muttered, slumping back in my chair, making sure to keep a hold of my sister's hand. "After your little stunt today, why should you get what you want?"

"You know, you're being very rude to me, Alexa," Rebekah pouted, moving the empty chair around to sit next to me. "It's very hurtful."

"Gee, I wonder why that's happened," I rolled my eyes, giving her a dirty look. "It couldn't possibly have anything to do with you compelling my sister and keeping her hostage. Along with myself and my friends. Nah, that would be crazy."

Okay, maybe I was laying on the sarcasm a bit thick. But I was seriously annoyed. She dared to be hurt by my words? After what she had done? Nah, I wasn't having that. If she really did want to be my friend, as she so often claimed, then she was not going about it the right way.

XXX

After forcing out Shane's location from Stefan, Rebekah decided that tormenting us wasn't enough. No, she wanted to hurt more people. And that person just so ended up being Tyler. She took Caroline's phone from her, ignoring everyone's protests to leave Tyler along. He didn't need to be dragged into this. Not so soon after his mother's murder.

But the Original just smirked at us before calling Tyler using my friend's phone. She leant against the bookshelves, watching us all as she waited for the hybrid to pick up. It took longer than she was happier with but, eventually, she got her way.

"I told you, I don't wanna talk," Tyler snapped when he answered the call. I winced at the raw sound of his voice. I just knew that he had been downing the whiskey. He had been indulging quite often since that horrible night when he lost his pack and his mom. Not that I could blame him. Sometimes, being numb just helped. And I would know. When you were overwhelmed with grief, numbness was your friend.

"I heard," Rebekah mock-pouted, not even bothering to sound sympathetic. "And you're keeping all that rage bottled up inside. Caroline and Alexa are worried sick about you. Tell me, does your girlfriend get jealous that you talk to Alexa more than her?"

There was silence from the other end of the phone before Ty cautiously asked, "Rebekah?"

"Hello Tyler," the blonde smirked, looking pleased with herself. "I heard that my brother made a real mess of your life. Believe me, I can relate. You have my condolences. In fact, why don't you come down to the high school so that you can accept them in person?"

"And why would I do that?" the hybrid scoffed, sounding like he was getting impatient with this call. Not that I could blame him. He definitely wasn't in the frame of mind to be dealing with Rebekah's taunting. He wouldn't be for a while. Not until he had started to heal from losing so many people in just one night.

"Because I have your girlfriend and honorary sister," the Original's lip curled as she played her card. "Maybe you'll have a better shot at saving them then you did your mother. Bye now!"

She hung up the call before Tyler could say anything. But that didn't stop me, "Hey! That was uncalled for you and you know it, Rebekah."

"If it gets me what I need, then I don't care," the blonde shrugged, throwing Caroline's phone back to her.

"God, do you become bitchier every time that you are daggered? Because you are fucking unbearable right now," I glared at her, digging my nails into my skin as I struggled to deal with the anger building up inside of me.

Rebekah narrowed her eyes at me, "Are you really going to talk to me like that? I thought we were friends."

"Yeah, so did I," I retorted, shaking my head. "But friends wouldn't do this. And you know that. Is the cure really that important to you? That you are willing to alienate everyone that showed you kindness?"

"This isn't just about the cure," the Original stepped away from the bookshelf and approached me. She sat down next to me again before hissing, "This is about the repeated betrayals that I have faced. Stefan lied to my face, he manipulated me, before allowing my brother to stab me in the chest. He used me and that hurt."

"So why are we involved in that?" I crossed my arms, my voice hard. "Elena and I weren't even in town when that happened. Caroline wouldn't have been there. So why are we being punished for Stefan's indiscretions?"

"Because I can hurt him by hurting you," Rebekah snapped, loosing her cool for a moment. "Because I hate your sister and Caroline. And you are an easy way of getting to all three of them. And because you always managed to get yourself involved in stuff, no matter how much pain it causes you. Using you all to get the cure was just the right thing to do."

"Right," I scoffed, shaking my head. "Rebekah, you wouldn't know the right thing to do if it bit you on the ass. You repeatedly look for the easy way out and refuse to do the right thing. That's why I don't know if our friendship can continue. You betrayed me, today. And I want you to remember that."

Rebekah was saved from answering, from confronting my harsh words, by the door opening. We all turned around to see who the newcomer was. And I couldn't stop the groan when I saw another familiar face, "Oh come on, why him?"

"Pleasure to see you too, Alexa," Kol smirked at me before looking at the other Original. "Sister, look at this! You're even worse than Niklaus."

I mean, he definitely had a point there. This was Klaus level shit. Rebekah was a lot like her brother than she liked to admit. This was definitely something that the Original Hybrid would do. Although he would play nicer and would put on an elaborate dinner spread. He would put on the airs and graces of being someone that was reasonable, before stabbing you in the hand with a fork. Rebekah just went for the compelling and threatening route. It was, admittedly, an easier option.

The Original Sister used her brother's appearance to calm herself down. She plastered a smirk on her face as she stood up and approached him, "Kol, finally. Did you bring what I asked for?"

Kol gave his sister a smirk and damn, you could see the family resemblance. With a dramatic flourish, he reached past the doorframe and dragged Professor Shane into the room. The older man stumbled, a bloody cut on his head. It was probably from when Kol abducted him. The Original wasn't known for being gentle.

"Ah, you must be Shane," Rebekah purred, looking satisfied as she looked him over. "We have a lot to talk about."

Fuck.

XXX

After Rebekah left with Shane and Kol, the room remained silent. After the words that had been spoken, no one could look each other in the eye. Elena had shuffled closer to me, hand gripping my knee tightly. Not that I could blame her. It had been harder on her and Stefan that the rest of us. Rebekah had enjoyed tormenting them about their new relationship status.

I could tell that Stefan couldn't even look at me and I did kind of feel bad about that. In hindsight, my words may have been a little harsh. But that was how I felt. And I had to be on my sister's side. Especially since Caroline was still straddling both sides. Elena needed to know that someone supported how she felt. And I was always going to do that.

It remained silent until Rebekah came back. She didn't quite have that smug satisfaction when she returned and, in fact, looked rather annoyed. Which made me feel a bit better. After everything that she had done today, she deserved to be annoyed. Although, I did hope that she didn't take it out on us.

"Still glued to your seats?" she forced a smirk as she strode over to us. "Ahh, it's thick with tension in here. Let's spice things up a bit." She took the seat next to Elena, glancing between her and Stefan. "Elena, truth or dare?"

"We're done playing your stupid games, Rebekah," Stefan narrowed his eyes at the Original, a weary look on his face. Today had been exhausting for us all, being forced to confront uncomfortable feelings. I was definitely ready for it to be over. But I knew that it wouldn't happen for a while.

Rebekah's voice turned hard as she repeated, "Truth or dare, Elena. You're compelled. Answer."

I gave my twin's knee a reassuring pat, letting her know that it would be alright. She glanced over at me before sighing, "Dare."

"I dare you to tell Stefan how you really feel about his refusal to accept Alexa as a vampire," the Original smirked cruelly, enjoying the pain that she was inflicting upon Elena and Stefan. And I kind of hated her for it. Even if we did, somehow, miraculously, remain friends, I would never forgive her for this. It would always be a blackmark against her.

"Seriously?!" Caroline exclaimed, slamming her hand down on the table. She was just as fed up as I was. Which was amusing, considering the fact that she just had to watch it all. She wasn't being dragged through the mud like the rest of us.

Rebekah just rolled her eyes at her, "Hush. Elena, start talking."

"Stefan's refusal to accept Alexa as a vampire hurt," Elena replied dully, looking completely fed up with the situation. I gave her a worried look, giving her knee a gentle squeeze.

"It hurt?" Rebekah raised an eyebrow, looking unimpressed. "Plucking your eyebrows hurts, Elena. Dig a little deeper."

"Stefan has always respected my choices, but… he won't respect the choice of the person that matters most to me in the world," my sister tried not to speak one of her darkest truths. But the compulsion forced the words from her lips. She looked pained as she spoke and I hated Rebekah a little more. "He even put our brother in danger, trying to find a cure that Alexa doesn't want. It makes me wonder if he will stop respecting my choices."

The Original nodded, a mock-sympathetic look on her face, "And how do you feel when you're with Stefan?"

"Stop," Caroline begged, looking at my twin. But despite Ellie's best efforts, she couldn't. Which was something that Rebekah gleefully confirmed.

"She can't," the older blonde smirked, looking satisfied. "She's compelled."

"Lately, I feel like I'm a project, like I'm a problem that needs to be fixed, because I won't just agree with him and… because I've changed so much since he left with Klaus last summer," my twin closed her eyes as she spoke, desperately trying to hide from the reactions to her words. "I think I make him sad and I can't be with someone like that, because when he looks at me, all he sees is a stranger."

I winced at the hurt look on Stefan's face, even as Rebekah smiled, "Do you still love Stefan?"

"Yes," Elena whispered, opening her eyes. But she carefully avoided her ex's face, not wanting to see his expression. The heartbreak in his eyes.

"Are you still in love with Stefan?" even Rebekah's voice was soft. It was like someone had put a muffler on the world, everything was silent. Until it wasn't.

"No," my twin breathed out, tears filling her eyes. Satisfied by the anguished look on Ellie's face, Rebekah turned to face Stefan, a hard look in her eyes.

"Did that hurt?" she asked, her eyes narrowed as she stared at the pained expression on his face. "Having someone you love drive a dagger through your heart?"

"Go to hell," the younger Salvatore ground out, glaring fiercely at the Original vampire.

"Did. That. Hurt?" Rebekah repeated, spitting out each word. At Stefan's muttered 'yes', she smirked, hurt swirling in her blue depths even as she crossed her arms. "Welcome to the last 900 years of my life."

Before anyone else could say anything, Tyler burst through the doors. Even from where I was sitting, I could smell the booze on him. He had clearly been drowning his sorrows before Rebekah had called him.

"Ah, good, you're here," the Original cleared her throat before standing up and approaching him. "It was just getting depressing."

Ty looked over at us, glancing each of us in turn before demanding, "What the hell is going on?"

Rebekah ignored his question, instead raising her voice so that she was speaking to all of us, "Listen to the rules carefully. Stay in the building, no vamp-running in the hallways."

"Vamp-running from what?" Caroline frowned, exchanging a glance with me. I shrugged as I slowly stood up, keeping a hand on my sister's shoulder. I knew that it wouldn't be good, especially with the way that the Original was smirking, and I wanted to make sure that I could get my twin to safety as quickly as possible.

Rebekah just looked smug before turning and looking Tyler in the eye, before giving him one very dangerous command, "Turn."

"What?" Ellie gasped, quickly shooting to her feet. I switched my grip to her hand, getting myself ready to run. Even if I couldn't use my vampire speed, I could still be quite speedy.

"He can't, he'll lose control!" Care immediately protested, joining my side. I exchanged a glance with her before we put Elena in the middle. As a human, she was the most vulnerable. And so, she was the one that needed protecting.

"That's the whole point," Rebekah rolled her eyes. "I've exhausted all your knowledge. Now I have the professor to help me find the cure, you're just competition. Whoever find it first get to decide what to do with it. Use it, destroy it, save it. I want that to be me."

"But if I turn, I'll kill them," Ty ground out, his fists clenched tightly as he tried to resist the compulsion. As he tried to fight the urge to turn. But his efforts were for nothing when the Original looked him in the eye again.

"Yes, you will," she nodded before commanding again. "Turn."

With that said, and as Tyler's pants filled the room, she turned on her hell and walked out of the door.

XXX

It didn't take long for the compulsion to take over, despite Tyler's best efforts. He slammed himself against the bookshelf behind him, ignoring the books that fell to the floor. His eyes were screwed shut, nails digging into the palms of his hands. He had gone so long without having to endure this pain, but now, because of Rebekah's desire for the cure, he was forced to turn.

"Agh! I can fight this!" my adopted brother grunted as he fell to the floor, breathing heavily. I could hear his bones cracking out of place before cracking back into place. It was a horrible noise, one that had me wincing as I ushered my sister closer to the door. While I would do everything that I could to get Ty to resist the compulsion, I knew that only a miracle would get my brother through this without actually turning. Which was why I had to get my sister to run to safety.

I could see the bones moving beneath his skin, a truly nauseating sight, as Tyler crawled over to a nearby table. He dug his nails into the wood, pulling himself up. But it was obvious that he was losing this battle. His bones began to break and this time, they weren't going back. We all watch in horror as our friend was forced to endure this agony. I knew that we should be running, but it was impossible to tear my eyes away from it. And… I didn't want to leave Ty to go through this alone.

With a pained groan, Tyler slammed his arms onto the table, breaking the wood in two. The legs collapsed, taking Tyler with them. He curled up on the floor, desperately pulling off his jacket as he shouted, "Get out of here!"

It was that command that jolted Stefan into action. He grabbed at mine and Caroline's arms, forcing us towards the door as he shouted, "Go. Go!"

I shoved my sister through the door first, dodging to the right with her. I watched, a hand on her arm, as Stefan shut the door. But the wood didn't block out the sounds of Tyler's screams as his body gave into the compulsion. The cracking of bones grew louder as he turned, his body giving way into the wolf that lurked underneath. There was no lock on this side and it didn't take a fool to realise that the wolf would break through this with no effort at all. But that didn't stop my twin from gasping, "That door's not gonna hold him!"

"I know!" I agreed, already shoving her down the hallway. "Which is why we need to move!"

I heard footsteps behind me as we ran, me urging Ellie to run in front of me, but only one set. I glanced over my shoulder to see Stefan running behind me, watching my back. But Caroline was nowhere to be seen. Worry for my friend had my heart clenching in my chest and I couldn't stop myself from shouting, "Where's Caroline?"

"She went the other way!" Stefan replied, urging us through the doors at the end. "She'll be fine."

"She better be," I muttered as I made sure that Elena was behind me. I had heard the sound of claws on the floor at the same time as shattering wood. I knew that Tyler had broken free from the library and would go after the target that he could see. Which just so happened to be us.

With Stefan by my side, we spun around and closed the doors behind us. I held them shut, resting all my weight against the doors, using my vampire strength, as Stefan broke the protective glass covering the fire axe. He grabbed the weapon and for a moment, I was worried that he was going to use it on Tyler. But the older vampire just forced it through the door handles. And not a moment too soon, as the wolf on the other side threw himself against the wood. The doors rattled wildly as the wolf continued to throw himself against them. I couldn't stop myself from gasping as I noticed the wood warping, forcing the doors to start to open. Through the gap, I could see the amber eyes of Tyler and the dark fur on his snout.

It was a struggle to keep the door closed, even with the combined strength of me and Stefan. I ordered Elena to run, yelling the command at her until I heard her footsteps echo down the corridor. We struggled to keep the doors closed until Stefan looked at me, a desperate look in his eyes, "Think you can hold this for a moment?"

"Do what you need to," I nodded, adjusting my position so that I was holding both doors. I knew that he wouldn't abandon me and that he was searching for something to keep the doors closed. But that didn't mean that I couldn't try something else. Over the sounds of Tyler's growls, I shouted, "Turn back, Ty! You obeyed the compulsion, you turned! Just turn back now!"

I didn't even know if he could hear me. But I had to try. Even if it just gave Stefan a bit more time to find something stronger than the axe. Fortunately, it did. I heard the creak of metal before the older vampire appeared next to me. He had the door to a locker in his hands, and I moved my arms up the door, giving him access to the handles. He nodded in gratitude as he forced the metal through. It forced the doors back into a closed position, even as Tyler through himself at it one final time.

I panted as I stepped away from the doors, wondering if we had actually escaped yet another threat. But it seemed as though we had. Because everything went silent. Tyler had gone. And now I needed to find my twin and get her the hell out of here.

XXX

It was a combination of Bonnie's cries for help and the overwhelming smell of blood that led us into one of the science labs. It hadn't taken long to find Elena, but since we couldn't leave the school thanks to Rebekah's compulsion, we had to find someone safe to hide out. That was what we were doing before Stefan heard Bonnie's voice.

He led us down the corridor, as I kept a eye on the hallway behind us. We hadn't seen Tyler since the door by the library, but I wasn't going to take any risks with my sister's safety. So I was the last one to enter the room that Stefan led us into.

"Bonnie, what's going on?" Elena asked as she skidded to a stop by the desks. I walked past her and crouched down by the witch. April was on her back on the floor, eyes closed. She was laying in a pool of blood, her white top soaked through. I had absolutely no idea as to what had happened, since the girl was no where near the wolf. But she was hurt and I had to help her.

While Bonnie replied to my sister, her voice filled with panic, I carefully examined the unconscious girl's wounds, "She needs help."

"Don't worry, Bon, I'll help her," I muttered as I carefully eased April's body into my lap. Stefan crouched down next to me, resting a reassuring hand on my shoulder as I took a deep breath. Even though I was able to control my hunger, the smell of blood was still hard to deal with. But I knew that the older vampire wouldn't let me lose control.

"What happened?" he asked the witch as I bit into my wrist. I held it against April's mouth and encouraged her to drink. Even though I was focusing on healing the girl, I made sure to listen to what happened. Just to make sure that there wasn't another threat to deal with.

"I did a protection spell," Bonnie frowned, sounding distraught as she watched me heal April. "But it accidentally linked Shane to April."

"And you couldn't control it?" Ellie asked, resting a reassuring hand on Bonnie's shoulder. She looked like she didn't know how else to comfort her. And I couldn't blame her. This was yet another difficult situation at the end of an already difficult day.

"I didn't know that I was doing it!" our witchy friend shook her head. "Usually I feel pain or I bleed, but this time, I just felt more power."

Before anyone could say anything else, April gasped awake in my arms. She had a petrified look on her face as her hand shot down to her stomach. I quickly rested a gentle hand on her cheek, encouraging her to look at me, "Hey, it's okay, April. You're alright, kiddo. Look at me, it's okay. You're not hurt anymore. It's all over."

The girl let out a sob as she nodded before she shot up. April wrapped her arms around my neck, holding onto me with a tight grip as she buried her face in my neck. I felt tears against my skin as she shook in my arms. I just rubbed her back, giving her all the comfort that I could.

Beside me, Stefan looked over at Bonnie, "Bonnie, you both need to get out of the school. Just be careful. Tyler was forced to turn and he is still out there."

While Stefan gave Bonnie some advice on the best way to get out of the building without being detected by the turned hybrid, I whispered into April's hair, "Hey kiddo, Bonnie is going to help you out of here, okay? And after she does, I want you to go home and get cleaned up. I'll let you know when I'm out and you can call me if you need to. I know that this will be hard but you have to be strong. Just for a little while, okay?"

When I felt the kid nod against my neck, I carefully stood up. For a little while longer, I held her against me, letting the girl soak up all the comfort that she could. I remembered how the pain haunted you. How you didn't feel safe after being hurt like that. The only consolation in this situation is that Bonnie didn't mean to hurt her. At least she wouldn't be haunted by that.

"What about you?" the witch asked as I carefully transferred April into the arms. Bonnie wrapped her arm around her shoulders as she glanced over at us.

"We can't leave," my sister answered her, resting a gentle hand on April's back, giving her a bit more comfort before she left. "Rebekah's compelled us."

"Go on, get yourselves to safety," I nodded, giving Bonnie's shoulder a squeeze. "I'll let you know when we're out of here. And I'll speak to April later and make sure that she is okay."

Bon nodded, although she didn't look too happy at having to leave us behind. But she knew that she had to look after the young girl. And that was why she helped her from the room. The witch only glanced back once before closing the door behind her. Stefan locked it behind them, watching the two girls through the window until they got out of sight.

"God, I hope they get out okay," I sighed, sitting down on one of the desks, running my hands through my hair. I wrinkled my nose in annoyance as my fingers got caught in a few tangles. But I ripped my fingers through them, the pain helping ease the tension in my body.

While my mind was on our friends, Elena's was on Stefan. She stared at him with sad eyes before breathing out his name. But the older vampire wasn't having it. He shook his head, refusing to turn around to look at her. I winced and glanced around the room, wondering if there was anywhere that I could go and hide. The last thing that I wanted was to witness this difficult conversation. But there was nowhere for me to go.

"Stefan, we have to talk about this," my sister pushed, a desperation in her voice. "Please."

Stefan turned to face her, expression carefully blank, "Talk about what, huh? How many more ways are there for you to rip my heart out?"

I mean, that was a bit harsh. Ellie had her reasons for ending their relationship. And Stefan wasn't exactly blameless in this. Yes, my sister's words had hurt, but Rebekah had forced them out of her. He shouldn't be taking his pain out on Elena.

"I'm sorry," my twin whispered, looking down. I sighed and reached out to rest a hand on her shoulder. While I wouldn't get involved, because this wasn't my battle to fight, even if I did hate the pain in my sister's expression, I would give her all the support that she needed. "I didn't mean to hurt you, not like that. I tried to protect you from my feelings. I never wanted you to find all of that out."

Before Stefan could say anything else, and I knew that whatever it was wouldn't be pretty, the door slammed open. I immediately slid off the desk and stood in front of my sister. But when I saw who it was, I just rolled my eyes.

Rebekah strode in and glanced between Stefan and Elena, before rolling her eyes, "Why are my least favourite people always the most durable?"

XXX

I had to give Stefan his dues, the moment he saw Rebekah, he moved to stand in front of me and Elena, protecting us from the Original. He narrowed his eyes at her before shaking his head, "Leave them out of this, Rebekah. This is between me and you."

"You're still protecting them? Protecting Elena?" the Original rolled her eyes. "Must I rip your bleeding heart from your chest and show you the scar tissue that is Elena Gilbert?" Her blue eyes flickered over Stefan's shoulder to my sister. I carefully shuffled further in front of her. But that didn't stop the blonde's next words. "There's a solution to all your problems, you know. I could compel him. Erase every memory that he has of you, every day that you spent together, every kiss, every lie, every ounce of pain. I could take away every bit of love that he has for you. Give you both a clean slate. Just say the word and I'll make you and all that misery that you caused him disappear."

I was surprised that she didn't drag me into this. But I hadn't really hurt Stefan. While I was the reason for their breakup, I hadn't actually made it happen. So she couldn't really involve me in this. And Rebekah didn't seem to want to hurt me like she did the other two.

Everything was silent for a moment. I knew that Elena would never accept it. Despite the situation that they were in now, Ellie cared for Stefan. And she would never take those memories away him. Nor would she do that to herself.

So it was shock when Stefan said, "Do it."

We all turned to look at him, expressions full of shock. But my sister was more than shocked. She was hurt too. Because he wanted to forget his love for her, forget everything that they went through together. It was… it was cruel move. And one that I didn't appreciate. It was the cowards way out. And I never thought that Stefan was a coward.

"Excuse me?" Rebekah scoffed, raising an eyebrow as she looked at the younger Salvatore brother. She probably wasn't expecting him to accept her offer. A part of me wondered if it was even a legitimate one or just another way to mess with the pair. It wouldn't surprise me either way.

"Erase it all of it," Stefan added, keeping his gaze on the Original. He refused to turn around to look at us. Whether it was because of his guilt because of his decision, I didn't know. But I kind of hated him for it. If he was going to make this choice, then he needed to have the balls to look my sister in the eye. "Every memory."

"Stefan?" my twin managed to gasp out, grabbing my hand and squeezing it tightly. "No!"

But her ex just shook his head, "I said do it."

Rebekah stared at him and I fully expected her to step forward and compel him. She seemed to thrive on hurting my sister and this would be one way of doing it. Of course, I had forgotten her recent hatred of Stefan. Which was why it was surprise when she stared laughing.

"No," she scoffed, shaking her head. "That's be far too easy. I refuse to make you forget her the way that Klaus made you forget me." Her gaze flickered over to my sister, full of satisfaction at the pain that she had caused, "But at least you know how he really feels." She returned her gaze to Stefan as she smirked, "Consider your eternity of pain my revenge, Stefan. I've used you for all you're worth, so now, you're free to go."

With that said, the Original turned and walked out. She had caused so much damage in such a short amount of time. She had completely destroyed what was left between Stefan and Elena. I knew that it would take a long time before either of them came back from this. And if they did, I didn't know if it would be the same.

I glanced behind me and sighed. It was obvious that my sister was upset and who could blame her? Her heart had just been ripped out in the cruellest of ways. Stefan wanted to forget their entire relationship. He wanted to forget his love for her. And that was worse than breaking up. I rested a hand on her shoulder but my twin only had eyes for her ex.

Stefan glanced over his shoulder at us, eyes blank before he turned and walked out of the door. I sighed as my sister gave chase. I shook my head, staying where I was. I knew that he wouldn't hang around and talk to her. No, after that revelation, Stefan Salvatore would not want to talk to my sister.

I guessed that I was right when I heard Ellie call out his name, quickly followed by the sound of vampire speed. When my sister didn't return, I sighed and left the room. She was stood in the middle of the corridor, staring forward, probably in the direction that Stefan had disappeared in. Tears slid down her face as she looked at me, her beautiful brown eyes so full of pain.

"He wants to forget our love," she whispered as I gathered her into my arms. She clung onto me, burying her wet face in my neck. I sighed, fingers running through her hair, holding her close, giving her all the comfort that I could.

"I know, Els," I murmured into her hair. "He's just hurt. He was lashing out. I promise you; he doesn't really feel that way. Stefan has been through a lot and he doesn't know how to handle it. So he's doing the unhealthy thing and is running away from it all."

My twin was silent for a moment before she asked, her voice so small and sounding so young, "Can you take me home?"

"Of course."

XXX

Once I had gotten Ellie settled in her bed with Jenna, I went and sat on the porch swing. After a really shitty day, all that I wanted to do was speak to my boyfriend. It didn't take long for Damon to answer the call, with a gentle laugh, "I hope that your day's going a lot better than mine. Gotta say, I'm liking the odds."

"Sorry, baby, I don't think so," I huffed out a weak laugh. "I just spent the day as Rebekah's plaything with Elena, Stefan and Caroline. And it was… brutal. She properly dove into why their broke up while dragging me into it."

"Fuck," my boyfriend cursed and I heard him throw something to the ground. "Are you okay? She didn't hurt you, did she?"

"Just mentally," I sighed, quirking my lips up into a smile. "But I can't see Stefan and Elena coming back from this. After what was said, I think they might be over for good."

"Well, for the first time all week, I think I'm happy to be at camp nowhere."

"And I'm jealous. How is Jeremy's training going?"

I could practically sense Damon's wince, "That depends on how much you trust me."

"Day, I trust you with everything," I smiled gently. "I promise."

"Then I think that he's going to get through this just fine."

"Of course he will, he's got you."

"Yeah, well, I told them that if they were good, I'd buy them both ice cream."

"Now I'm really jealous," I laughed, shaking my head. "I, uh, I don't suppose you fancy some company up there for a while? As much as I want to look after Elena, I just need to get out of town for a bit. After today, my head is killing me and I know that distance will help both of us with that."

Damon was silent for a moment before sighing, "Look, Ally. I'm going to get this cure for you, so you can do what you want with it, and to do that, I'm going to have to do things that others won't approve of. And I want you here, so that I know that you are comfortable with it."

"I'm on my way," I promised, glancing back at the house behind me. "I love you, baby. I'll see you soon."

XXX

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! This was a tricky one to write (a common theme apparently!) :( But thank you for the reviews, please keep them coming! They are motivating me to get through the tricky parts of season 4, because I will soon be coming to my favourite part... Friendly reminder that the poll is still open and probably will be for a few more weeks. I only have 1 chapter left in my backlog, due to the football season ending, my husband wants to do stuff with me, great for my relationship, not so great for writing haha! So depending on how much writing I get done during the week, the next update will either be next week or the week after (keep your fingers crossed for next week!) Until next time, I hope you enjoyed xoxo