If you recognize it, I don't own it! I own the OCs and a slightly useless BA degree.

Drop a review if you feel so inclined!

TW: Vampires, yo. They do like blood and death.

March 22nd was Miriam's birthday. She was now twenty-three. In her universe she would probably be in college, or maybe working a decent job in her hometown. In her more hopeful day dreams she had a steady boyfriend and lots of friends. Reality was drastically different. She could count the number of friends she had on one hand. The number of creepy men she cleaned for was double that number.

She tried to stay upbeat about her situation. Baahir and Philip had sent her presents (a new phone, jacket, several new scarves, a nicer pair of shoes, and a box full of colorful yarn) and promised to visit her soon. Baahir still called her frequently, but the mess that was New Orleans was getting messier, so the calls were once a week instead of daily. Philip had taken to texting her, and she really enjoyed it. They were becoming very good friends. He was witty and funny, and really good for Baahir. She knew that both of them would be disappointed that she had been keeping how bad her financial and health situation was from them.

Miriam knew it wasn't smart, but she agreed to pick up a co-worker's waitressing job at the upcoming Masquerade Ball at the Lockwood Mansion a couple days after her birthday. Naomi had gotten sick, but she hadn't wanted to tell her boss, so she begged Miriam, who looked like her, to take her place. Naomi promised that Miriam could keep the money, she just needed to keep her job. Miriam didn't want to, but she needed the money. Mr. Boggs was pressuring her to pay rent and had turned off her hot water to incentivize her. She was getting tired of dealing with his advances and constant use of racial slurs. The promised herself that the next time Baahir visited her Miriam was going to ask him to compel Mr. Boggs to be nicer to his tenants.

The day of the Masquerade Ball she woke up slowly, lazily. Her dreams were strange: she had been spread out on a plush couch in a warm room. Her head had been in a man's lap and his fingers had been raking through her curls. Her bare legs had been in another man's lap and he had been stroking the available skin. As per usual, she couldn't see their features. What she could tell was their love for her. Both men were completely devoted to her. Before she woke up, the man playing with her curls had whispered in her ear, "Angel, you need to wake us up."

Miriam pushed the weird dream aside and got dressed in Naomi's work uniform. It consisted of sturdy black shoes, black pants, a long-sleeved, button up shirt, and a black vest. She contained her curls in a tight French braid, and tucked her grandmother's necklace under her shirt. She put on her green hoodie before leaving the apartment building.

She was almost out when her landlord's voice rang out: "Where ya goin', Mary?"

Miriam grimaced at the incorrect name and turned around to face the heavy-set man. "How are you, Mr. Boggs? I'm heading to work right now."

"Rent's due soon," he said casually, but there was a malevolent glint in his eyes. "You gunna have it, or do I need to revoke water privileges?"

She scowled. "I'll have it. Have a nice day."

Fuck you, is what she wanted to say, but she kept her mouth shut and walked out of the building, leaving her mean landlord behind.

The Lockwood mansion was as beautiful in person as it was on screen. It had been cleaned and polished until it gleamed, and then it had been decorated spectacularly. Miriam was almost afraid to step on the shining floors. Even the kitchen, where the caterers and the wait staff had set up base, was as clean as a whistle.

The grounds were just as incredible as the house. Bushes and trees had been pruned and trimmed until they looked perfect and not a leaf was out of place. Tents had been set up on the grass, indicating places to eat, drink, and dance.

The ball was in full swing. There were people in beautiful clothes and intricate masks (Even the wait staff was required to wear them, which Miriam found stupid). The music was loud but tasteful. Entertainers had been hired to wow the crowd. Fire dancers threw fire in the air, exciting the guests.

Miriam was so busy serving drinks and little hors d'oeuvres that she had almost forgotten that the main characters were supposed to be at the masquerade ball. She flinched when she spotted a masked Damon and Stefan surveying the party goers.

"Shit," she whispered, and high-tailed it back to the kitchen. She was not ready to jump into the plot. She also knew that Katherine was desperate for the moonstone, and would do anything to get it. There was no way that Miriam was getting involved with that volatile mess.

Miriam was stopped several times by guests who wanted the drinks she had on her tray. By the time she made it back into the mansion she was freaking out. She had almost made it to the kitchen when someone called her name.

"Miriam? Is that you?" Caroline, clothed in a vibrant red dress and her golden hair curled, lowered her mask to get a better look. "It is you! What are you doing here?"

"I'm working," Miriam pulled her mask up. "Ignore me, please. I'm not here to mess with your plans."

Caroline peered at her, judging her intentions. "Fine. But can you answer a question?"

"Depends on the question," Miriam hedged.

"Do I actually get away with tricking… her?" Caroline looked nervous.

Miriam grinned. "Yes. You do a great job. She'll never see it coming."

"Awesome! Thanks!" Caroline flashed Miriam a stunning smile before walking away. Miriam needed to get into the kitchen, but she paused. She watched Caroline trade a look with Matt, before he, Tyler, and Sarah went upstairs. Miriam wondered if she should intervene with that, but remembered that both Matt and Sarah were currently compelled to provoke Tyler into triggering his werewolf curse. She didn't want to get hurt in the crossfire, or worse, be the death that triggered Tyler's curse.

So with a guilty conscience, Miriam pulled down her mask and hid like a coward in the kitchen.

The Masquerade Ball was finally over, but that didn't mean the staff's jobs were done. Miriam helped with the cleanup by sweeping and washing dishes. After a while the supervisor let half the staff, including Miriam, go home.

She jumped at the opportunity. Though it was beautiful, she wanted to get as far away from the mansion and the main characters that were still wandering around.

Hoodie zipped up tight over her work clothes, she walked down a line of parked cars. The walk to her apartment was long, but she figured she was relatively safe with Katherine now entombed.

Miriam wasn't watching where she was going. It had been a long, hard day. She was tired. She faintly heard a woman talking, but didn't realize she was so close until she knocked into her. The girl stumbled to her knees.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Miriam gasped, and helped the girl up.

"It's okay, I'm okay," the girl said, and smiled weakly at Miriam.

Miriam's eyes widened. Elena. Pre-kidnapped Elena. Elena, who was looking at her like she was a freak, before gasping at something behind Miriam.

Hands grabbed Miriam, and something sharp was pressed against her throat. She struggled instinctively, but the hands tightened and the sharp thing pushed harder against her skin.

"Run or scream and I kill her then kill you," the man holding her rasped through the mask he wore.

Elena, frightened of the newest threat to her life, stilled.

Miriam's brain short-circuited. She wasn't supposed to be here. She wasn't supposed to be here. She wasn't supposed to be here…

Limbs heavy with fear, she didn't put up any protest as the man pushed her forward, into Elena. The thin girl stumbled for the second time that night, but managed to catch Miriam and keep the both of them upright. The man prodded them forward until they reached a small dark car. He popped the trunk and pushed Miriam in without any hesitation. She hit her head, but before she could even process the pain the trunk slammed shut.

Miriam was all alone in the dark. She rolled over onto her back and kicked at the trunk, but it didn't budge. "Help!" she screamed. "Help!"

Outside the trunk she heard Elena scream and the man curse. They seemed to fight for a couple of moments, but then everything went quiet.

The trunk opened again and Miriam shrieked at the suddenness of it. The masked man was back with Elena, who was slumped in his arms. During their scuffle she must have lost her jacket, because it wasn't on her now. Miriam could plainly see the blood on her pink long-sleeved shirt from her earlier incident with being linked to Katherine.

Their captor tipped Elena carelessly into the trunk beside Miriam.

"Why isn't she moving?! What did you do to her?" Miriam demanded.

The masked man held up a needle, then slammed the trunk shut.

And for a second time Miriam was shrouded in darkness, though this time it was with a drugged Doppelganger.

"Shit," she moaned.

Miriam had a long time to reflect on the drive. Well, not so much reflecting as cursing. She cursed whatever deity thought to bring her to this damned universe. She cursed Mr. Boggs and his ridiculously high rent for a crappy apartment. She cursed the masked man, who should have just hit her over the head and left her at the Lockwood Mansion. But mostly she cursed herself for getting herself into this mess.

Elena was breathing steadily next to her. Miriam was grateful for that. She had no medical training, and didn't know what she would have done if Elena had been seriously injured. Despite the fact that Miriam had never been overly fond of Elena's character, Miriam was the adult in this kidnapping situation and Elena was the seventeen-year-old girl. Miriam cringed when she thought of herself at seventeen (young Miriam hadn't known how to match clothes to her changing body and had instead defaulted to jeans and a hoodie) so she was determined to give Elena the benefit of the doubt.

Miriam was less worried about Elena's safety- she knew how this was going to end for Elena, after all- and more worried about her own. She had survived interacting with Damon and Caroline, but she didn't know how Trevor and Rose would react to her presence. Trevor might kill her before even getting back to the old house they were hiding out in. If Trevor didn't kill her Rose might after seeing an additional, useless hostage. In their eyes, Miriam was expendable, collateral damage. Miriam couldn't let herself be collateral damage, but she also didn't want to reveal her only trump card.

I'll do it if I have to, she thought grimly. If it looked like they were going to kill her, she would admit to having knowledge of the future. She would beg them to let her live long enough to see Elijah, and then she would bargain her freedom from the Original.

The thought of meeting an actual villain from the show made her shake. There was no telling how Elijah would react to her. Would he kill her outright to make sure her knowledge didn't fall into someone else's hands? Would he find her more useful than Elena? Would she find herself trapped somewhere like a pet, only brought out when she was needed? That wouldn't be the worst situation she could find herself in, though she wanted to avoid that outcome if at all possible.

At some point Miriam fell asleep. Her day had been long and her night had been traumatic. She had a headache from when she hit her head after being shoved into the trunk. The small space smelled of blood and kitchen cleaner, but somehow Miriam dozed.

She woke up when the car slowed. It turned, then came to a stop. They waited there for over an hour before Miriam heard another car park next to them. She heard the masked man get out of the car, but she couldn't hear what was exchanged between him and Trevor.

The trunk opened and the early morning light felt like knives to Miriam's eyes. The masked man, now no longer masked, yanked her from the trunk. He didn't give her any time to regain feeling to her cramped legs and dragged her carelessly to the other car. The driver's side window was cracked, but Miriam could see a pair of sunglasses peering at her.

"And you brought another girl why?" Trevor asked the kidnapper.

"She made controlling the girl easier," the man said in monotone. Miriam realized that he probably had been compelled to kidnap Elena.

Trevor sighed. "Tie her up and put her in my trunk. She can be dessert. Put the girl in the back too."

The man did what Trevor said, and soon Miriam found herself with her hands and legs tied and in the back of another car. Elena was placed next to her. The poor girl was still out cold. Miriam thought that it was probably a good thing; she didn't want the teenager to have a freak-out in the back of the SUV.

They drove for another hour before stopping.

Trevor turned off the car and Miriam's heart started to beat faster. This was it- the test to see whether or not she would actually survive. She half-expected him to kill her the moment he could actually touch her.

The back of the SUV opened, and a heavily covered Trevor stood there. Without a word he grabbed Miriam and vamp-sped into the decrepit old house. She was roughly deposited onto a moldy chair before he vamped out of the room again.

Miriam took a moment to breathe. The room she was in was full of dust, which made her nose twitch. The windows were half boarded up, letting in little light. Despite how broken down the room was now, it was clear to see that it was once a beautiful, grand space. Miriam wanted it to be grand again. It would need new plaster, floorboards, waterproofing, and a multitude of other fixes, but Miriam thought it could be restored.

She was cut from her daydream of becoming Joanna Gaines by the arrival of Trevor, this time holding a weak, barely awake Elena.

Trevor set the teenager onto the sofa, then began to take off his hat, glasses, and jacket. Miriam saw the wary look Elena gave him, and heard how her breathing started to pick up as he started to undo her bindings.

"What do you want?" she asked, panicked.

"Shhh," Trevor hushed as he continued to release her from the ropes.

"Please, I'm hurt," Elena whimpered.

"I know," he sounded excited. Ignoring Elena's frightened whines, he leaned down. "Just a taste."

Rose vamp sped into the room. "Trevor! Control yourself."

Trevor reluctantly pulled away from a terrified Elena. "Buzzkill."

"Hm. What's with the extra girl?" Rose asked, jabbing a thumb in Miriam's direction. Miriam could see Elena realizing that she was in the room.

"Stupid compelled human couldn't follow directions. Figured she could be a snack for later, or a gift for Elijah," Trevor knelt down and began to undo the ropes from Miriam's feet.

"Whatever. We will find a use for her," Rose turned away from Miriam and walked closer to Elena.

"What do you want with me?" the teen demanded with more boldness than sense.

"Oh my god, you look just like her," Rose said in wonder.

"But I'm not. Please, whatever you-"

"Be quiet!" Rose snapped.

"But I'm not Katherine," Elena insisted. She got to her feet and stepped closer to Rose. Even if she didn't know what was going to happen, Miriam could tell that Rose didn't appreciate Elena's back talk. "My name is Elena Gilbert; you don't have to do this."

"I know who you are, I said be quiet," Rose's voice was irritated.

Trevor had finished undoing the ropes around Miriam, who instantly stood up. "Elena, stop."

Elena ignored her. She got even closer to Roses, and narrowed her eyes at the vampire. "What do you want?"

Rose's hand struck out like a viper. Miriam couldn't track the movement, but the end result was Elena flying back into the couch, unconscious.

"I want you to be quiet," Rose marched out of the room, a chuckling Trevor following her.

Miriam ran to Elena. Even though she knew the girl was okay, it had been difficult to see violence done to another person. Miriam realized that most of the violence in her new life had been done to her. She wasn't used to watching. She didn't like it. With clammy hands she felt for a pulse on Elena's neck. She was stupidly relieved when she found it. Feeling like she should do something to help Elena, she rearranged the girl into a more comfortable position on the couch. After a moment of hesitation, she shrugged out of her hoodie and draped the green fabric over Elena.

Five minutes later Trevor came back. He sped up to Miriam and snatched her from her place kneeling next to Elena. Before she could even gasp she was pinned to one of the walls. He covered her mouth with one of his hands.

"Shhh! We don't want to wake Sleeping Beauty, now do we?" he grinned evilly before sinking his teeth into her neck.

Miriam hated that she had enough experience with unwanted bites from vampires that she could rank them. Ashley Williamson was first. She might be inexperienced, but she had no intention of hurting or killing Miriam. She just wanted a meal. Third was Damon, who primarily bit Miriam to punish her for interfering. She hated to say it, but Trevor ranked higher than Damon. His bite, while painful, wasn't the tearing, vicious bite that Damon had given her. It still hurt - they all still hurt- but it wasn't the worst.

Trevor fed from her until her limbs started to go cold. He released her neck but kept a firm hold on her. He walked her over to the chair she had previously been in and pushed her into it.

"You taste strange," he whispered, "but thanks for the drink."

He left. Miriam shivered and pulled her legs up so she could wrap her arms around them. She curled into a tight ball and tried to not cry.

A couple of minutes later Elena woke up. She saw Miriam and started to speak, but Miriam held a finger to her lips and pointed to the door.

Elena took the warning as an invitation. She set Miriam's hoodie back on the couch and got up to snoop. Miriam didn't. She knew the information that Elena was going to get. Besides, she didn't know if she could make it to the door. Her limbs felt shaky, like they did when she had been sick for a long time.

Several minutes later Trevor came back with Elena.

"Stay here like a good human," he teased before leaving again.

Elena huffed and sat down on the couch. After cooling down, she looked over at Miriam.

"Are you okay?"

"Kinda. He bit me and took a lot of blood."

Elena grimaced. "I'm sorry you're here because of me."

"I'm sorry I bumped into you at the Lockwood mansion," Miriam said, a teasing hint to her voice. Elena smiled slightly, then frowned as she moved her arm. The old blood was making the shirt stiff and uncomfortable for the girl. Miriam pointed at her hoodie and said, "If you want to change you can use that. It's mine, not theirs."

"Oh, I couldn't," Elena looked longingly at the hoodie.

"You need it more than I," Miriam pointed out. "Go for it. You'll feel less like a hostage with clothes that aren't as bloody."

"Thank you," Elena said gratefully, and quickly shed her long-sleeved shirt and tank top. She donned the green hoodie and zipped it up firmly. "I'm Elena, though you seemed to know that already."

"I know Damon and Caroline. It's… a long story. My name is Miriam Sanchez."

"It's nice to meet you," Elena looked around in distaste, "though I wish our meeting was in a better place."

"It was once beautiful," Miriam noted.

Elena hummed politely. "Maybe. What do you think they want with me?"

"I'm not sure," Miriam lied, "just don't provoke her into slapping you again. How are you feeling?"

"Bruised," Elena admitted. "I'm definitely going to feel it tomorrow."

Elena was beginning to get antsy, Miriam could tell. It was going to be a long couple of hours before Elijah arrived. Elena wanted to snoop, but Miriam didn't need to. She was fearfully anticipating Elijah's grand entrance. She didn't know if her shaking fingers were the lack of blood or the knowledge that one of the most powerful creatures was going to walk into the room soon.

ELIJAH

Elijah had gotten an interesting message from Rose-Marie. The poor thing believed she had something valuable enough to bargain for her freedom, and the freedom of her wormy friend Trevor. He highly doubted it. However, he wanted an excuse to get close enough to kill the pair of them, and this was it.

He left the Martins to their magical schemes and drove to Virginia. The place Rose-Marie wanted to meet was a scant three hours from Mystic Falls, which gave her validity to her claim of having something of value. He doubted she had Katerina- his past lover was too wily to be contained by the likes of Rose- but he assumed the valuable mystery item had to do with her. He was morbidly curious to see what it was, if it even was an object. Maybe Rose-Marie had a piece of information that was valuable.

Elijah parked in front of the decrepit, once-majestic mansion. He could see the remains of beautiful architecture. Windows were broken, wood had termites and rot, and the house had a foundation that had shifted sometime over the last hundred years or so. The building was struggling to remain upright, just like Rose-Marie and Trevor were struggling to survive. Elijah enjoyed the poetic symmetry between the mansion and the two vampires.

He exited his car and climbed the sagging stairs to the front door. He knocked. When the door wasn't promptly answered, he pushed it open, enjoying the theatrical creaking noise it made as it fully opened. Rose-Marie vamp sped to the top of the grand staircase, but walked down it at a human speed, obviously frightened. Elijah knew it made him wicked, but he enjoyed her fear. She and her friend had made his life very difficult over the past 500 years.

"Rose-Marie," he greeted. "Is there somewhere we can talk?"

"Yes, in here," she motioned to a room that must have been a library at some point. "You'll have to forgive the house."

From her tone it was obvious she had lived there for quite some time. "Oh, no, what's a little dirt? I completely understand."

Elijah led the way into the room, effortlessly taking command of the space. Rose followed him at a sedated pace, nervous.

"So tell me, what is it that gives you the courage to call me?" He walked around the room, observing every object and defect in the space.

"I want my freedom. I'm tired of running. Are you in a position to grant me that?"

Elijah wanted to chuckle. He was in a position to grant her a small country if he felt so inclined. She truly did not understand the vastness of wealth, possessions, and power he had accumulated over the last millennia. "I have complete authority to grant pardon to you and your little pet. What is his name these days?" he pretended to think about it. "Trevor. If I so see fit."

"Katerina Petrova."

Not surprised, Elijah nevertheless afforded her more attention. "I'm listening."

"She didn't burn in the church in 1864," Rose shared.

Elijah sat down in what appeared to be the sturdiest, if not dustiest, chair in the room. "Continue."

"She survived."

"Where is she?"

"You don't seem surprised by this," Rose seemed put-out by his lack of reaction.

"Oh, when you called and invited me into this armpit of civilization, which is a mere three hours from the town we know as Mystic Falls, I surmised it had everything to do with Katerina. Do you have her in your possession?"

"No, but I have better. I have her doppelganger," Rose stepped forward with more confidence than she had shown thus far.

"That's impossible, her family line ended with her. I know that for a fact." A doppelganger was a pipe dream, a fantasy.

"The facts are wrong," Rose-Marie's eyes held a tentative triumph.

"Well, show her to me," Elijah challenged.

Rose hesitated. "Elijah, you are a man of honor, you should be trusted… but I want to hear you say it again."

Ah, the simple thing wanted to be reassured that she wouldn't die. Elijah leaned forward in his chair and said, "You have my word that I will pardon you."

She searched his face for a moment before saying, "Follow me."

Elijah smirked. She hadn't caught his loophole: 'I will pardon you'. If she produced the miracle doppelganger, he would stay true to his word and pardon her. He was still unsure if he wanted to let Trevor live. His survival depended on how well he groveled.

Elijah followed Rose through more run-down sections of the mansion. She led him to a large room that had perhaps been a living room. Inside was the weasel, Trevor, a young girl pacing, and a second girl curled up on the worn couch.

At his entrance, the pacing girl whirled around. Katerina. She looked just like Katerina. Rose-Marie had been telling the truth: this girl was a doppelganger. Excitement rose within him, and then her scent hit him.

Mate.

He sped down the stairs. The girl flinched, and he felt remorse. He never wanted to scare his mate, especially if she was this young. He regretted the fear in her eyes, he would kill Rose and Trevor and- oh. He took another breath, and the scent he was so attracted to began to dispel as her actual scent rose in response to her fear. He leaned in close and sniffed. Yes, she smelled of his mate, but she was not his mate. The item of clothing she wore, that was the source of the scent. He had to find the owner of the jacket.

The girl on the couch lifted her head, releasing a burst of scent. Elijah understood, now. She had given the doppelganger her jacket.

Elijah brushed past the doppelganger and knelt before the second girl. She was older than the doppelganger by several years. He would place her age in her early twenties. Her curly hair was slowly becoming unraveled from the braid it had been in. She had darker skin, which suggested African ancestry, or even perhaps Hispanic ancestry. His best guess was that she was mixed. Her eyes were a dark brown, large and liquid. She wore an outfit that would not have been out of place in a restaurant. He surmised that she had been at work when she had been taken. She smelled of cleaner, food, and champagne. Her scent was a mixture of fear, pain, and exhaustion. He could do nothing for the last, but he could try to fix the first two. As she slowly uncurled from her position, he could see dried blood on her neck. She had been bitten. The monster behind the red door howled. Elijah's powerful eyes swept over her, taking stock. She was thin, but in a way that indicated malnutrition. He would need to feed her. There were dark bags under her eyes. She needed sleep. He met her eyes again and could clearly read the fear and confusion in them. He could change that.

"Hello there," he said softly.

"Hi?" she whispered.

She did not seem to balk at him, and the creature behind the red door broke free just a little bit.

"I need to do something, and I need you to stay calm, alright?" before she could respond, he bit his wrist and shoved it into her mouth. He nudged her forward until he could sit in the place she had just occupied. He settled her against him and encouraged her to drink. She struggled, understandably, but he was stronger and more stubborn.

Elijah wanted his blood in her systems for several reasons. The first was in case she was injured. There was no doubt in his mind that Rose-Marie and Trevor realized she was his mate. If they tried to kill her, she would just transition into a vampire. The second reason was to replenish her own blood supply. He could see that she was weak from blood-loss, and his blood in her system would help with that. The third and final reason was to fill up her stomach. Rose and Trevor probably hadn't thought to feed their human captives. Elijah had heard both girls' stomachs growling. Blood wasn't filling in the way real food was to humans, but it was nutritious, and his mate needed to ingest healthy things.

After she had swallowed enough to satisfy him, he helped her to her feet. The fear had left her scent as she had drank from him, and the thought that she wasn't as scared of him anymore pleased him and the beast that resided in him.

The others in the room looked flabbergasted. Rose-Marie was starting to understand, Elijah could tell. However, Trevor and the young doppelganger were oblivious.

Elijah was pleased with himself. He had found his mate and the doppelganger in one day. He tucked his mate's arm in his, then turned to address both her and the doppelganger. "We have a long journey ahead of us. We should be going."

"Please don't let him take me," the doppelganger begged a guilty looking Rose.

It was cute that she thought Rose could, or would, intervene. He looked down at his mate, and noticed that her blood had stained her white shirt. Elijah wasn't happy. "One last piece of business, and we're done."

He reluctantly let go of his mate and stalked towards Trevor.

The worm looked up at him with pleading eyes. "I've waited so long for this day, Elijah. I'm truly, very sorry."

"Oh, no, your apology's not necessary," he began to circle the younger vampire, mulling over ways to kill him.

"Yes, yes it is. You trusted me with Katerina and I failed you."

"Oh, yes, you are the guilty one and Rose aided you because she was loyal to you, and that I honor. Where was your loyalty?" Elijah demanded, and came to a stop in front of Trevor.

"I beg your forgiveness," Trevor said.

"So granted," Elijah smiled slightly. Trevor looked relieved, as did Rose. "But, there is the second offense that we need to address."

Trevor looked back at Rose, unsure.

"You see, you delivered something much more important to me today. And had she been unharmed, I would have let you leave this pitiful house unmolested. But you bit her, you bit my mate, and that charge I cannot forgive," and without giving Trevor a chance to defend himself Elijah smacked his head clean off his body.

Rose cried out. She stumbled down the stairs on grief-stricken legs. "You-!"

"Don't, Rose, now that you are free," he casually brought out a handkerchief and wiped Trevor's blood off his hand. He looked at his mate, who had gone pale and the fear was back in her scent. Elijah regretted frightening her, but he needed to remove any threat to her, past, present, and future. She didn't run as he moved closer, so he assumed she wasn't terrified of him. He focused on the doppelganger, who was terrified. "Come."

"No, what about the moonstone?" she choked out.

"What do you know about the moonstone?" he demanded, very serious.

"I know you need it and I know where it is," she was positively shaking with fear.

"Yes?" Elijah prodded.

"I can help you get it."

"Tell me where it is."

"It doesn't work that way," she seemed to pull courage out of nowhere.

It was like watching a child try to haggle a later bedtime. "Are you negotiating with me?" he was slightly amused, slightly annoyed. He looked back at Rose, thinking maybe she had kept something from him.

"It's the first I've heard of it," her voice was heavy with sorrow, and Elijah believed her. He was relieved; he would have hated to have gone back on his word and killed Rose for lying.

Fed up with the girl's attempts at being an adult, Elijah tried to compel her. When it didn't work, he searched her person for vervain, and found it in the necklace around her pretty throat. The necklace looked like his mother's, but he was in too much of a hurry to wonder about that. "What is this vervain doing around your neck?" He ripped the necklace off her neck and threw it somewhere behind him. He grabbed her head, much stronger than her feeble struggles, and compelled her. "Tell me where the moonstone is."

"In the tomb, underneath the church ruins."

"What is it doing there?"

"It's with Katherine."

"Interesting," someone had managed to pin Katerina down. That feat alone was impressive, but they also managed to get ahold of the moonstone.

The sound of glass breaking upstairs broke Elijah from his thoughts.

"What is that?" he asked Rose.

"I don't know."

"Who else is in this house?" Was this a trap from Niklaus? He couldn't allow his brother to get his hands on his mate.

"I don't know," Rose insisted.

Elijah needed to leave. He had previously had the upper hand, but now there were too many variables, and his mate was still human. If there was an attack she could be seriously injured. He grabbed a struggling Elena with one hand and his docile mate with the other. Rose tried to resist him, but he growled, "Move!" and she led the way back to the front door.

They were almost at the front door when several vampires moved around them at their superior speed. They were fast, but Elijah was older and stronger. He threw Elena into Rose's arms, but hesitated with his mate.

She was a tiny thing. She looked like one strong wind could blow her over. The beast inside of him wanted to flee with her, damn the consequences. But he needed the doppelganger, and he needed the moonstone. Reluctantly, he nudged her to Rose. She looked at him with her big brown eyes, and he almost snatched her back.

"Rose!" he snapped.

"I don't know who it is!" she pleaded.

"Up here!" one voice said from the top of the stairs. Elijah vamped up the stairs, but the other vampire was already gone.

"Down here," a second voice said from the first floor. Elijah turned, but received a stake in his hand for his trouble. Properly angry now, Elijah removed the stake from his hand. He looked at the bottom of the stairs, but Rose, his mate, and the doppelganger were gone. He tossed the stake to the side before thundering down the stairs.

"Excuse me. To whom it may concern, you're making a great mistake if you think you can beat me. You can't. Do you hear that?" He spied a wooden coat rack, and began to fashion it into a stake. The beast inside was begging to be let loose. Elijah was hesitant to, just in case the beast couldn't recognize his mate. "I repeat, you cannot beat me. So I want both girls, and I'm going to count to three or heads will roll. Do we understand each other?"

"I'll come with you," the doppelganger was at the top of the stairs, her arms hugging her body, "just please don't hurt my friends, they just wanted to help me out."

He went up the stairs at super speed, enjoying the way she flinched at the quick movement. "What game are you playing with me?" he demanded.

Her innocent expression faded, and she revealed a grenade. She pulled the pin and tossed it at him.

He expected flames and an explosion, but instead received a face full of vervain. It burned, and he screamed in pain. His superior healing kicked in, and the pain faded. He glared up at the doppelganger, who was cowering in the corner, looking at him in fear and awe. Before he could reach her, he was suddenly hit with what must have been a nail gun. It didn't hurt as much as the vervain grenade did, and he continued to move up the stairs.

The vampire, seeing that his weapon was ineffective, tackled Elijah. They fell down the stairs. Elijah got to his feet immediately, but the other vampire was more affected by the fall, and stayed on the ground. Angry that this vampire thought to keep him from his mate, Elijah moved toward him, intent on ending him.

Before he could reach him, another vampire appeared and drove Elijah's coat rack stake into Elijah's chest. He felt the wood pierce his heart. His skin began to turn grey.

He knew this stake wouldn't keep him down for too long. It wasn't a silver dagger, so he could recover. Once he did, he was going to get his revenge on these two vampires who dared to think they could challenge him.

Elijah's last thought before he succumbed to his temporary death was that he had neglected to get his mate's name.

AN: ELIJAH. We finally reached Mikaelson content! I'm excited, are you excited?!

Let me know how I did with Elena and Elijah!

A lot of the dialog was taken from the episode, with a few changes made here or there.

IMPORTANT QUESTION: When should ratings go up? Because coming up is a chapter that is going to have some harder subject matter (nothing too graphic), but I'm unsure whether or not to up the rating. Up until now the story has been rated T. Let me know what you think!