As Gran exclaimed, "You two look so adorable!" she quickly snapped a picture of us.
It was the night of the school's Decades dance, and Rosalie and I had put extra effort into our outfits. Rosalie looked stunning in a red sequin flapper dress, elegant red pumps, a black necklace, and matching earrings.
Her ensemble immediately brought to mind the elegant style of Daisy Buchanan from The Great Gatsby.
As for myself, I was dressed similarly to Rosalie but in a striking blue attire.
'I'm so glad Rosalie talked you into finally going to a dance!'
'Me too.' Rosalie added as she nudged me with her elbow. 'I've been trying to get her to go to one of these for the longest.'
'What can I say?' I shrugged as the doorbell rang. 'I've been-'
'Hello?' Jeremy's voice called from the window.
'Jeremy?' I exclaimed as Rosalie and I exchanged glances.
As Tyler held Caroline in his arms, she couldn't help but feel a warm sense of familiarity and comfort.
However, she couldn't shake the nagging feeling that their reunion would be short-lived once Klaus learned about Tyler's return.
His expression changed as Tyler leaned in for a kiss, revealing a hint of concern.
Startled, Caroline turned to see Klaus approaching them with a sly grin, causing her to jump in surprise.
"Where've you been, mate?" Klaus's voice cut through the air, interrupting their moment.
"I just got back in town," Tyler replied, drawing Caroline's attention to Klaus.
"That's funny; I don't recall permitting you to leave in the first place," Klaus remarked before turning to Caroline. "You don't mind if I cut in, do you?"
Firmly, Caroline asserted, "Yes, actually, we do."
Tyler, however, diffused the tension by saying, "No, it's fine."
Caroline couldn't contain her frustration. "Why do you always have to prove you're the alpha male?!"
"I don't have to prove anything, love. I am the alpha male. Come on, one dance, I won't bite," Klaus insisted.
Though the mention of 'bite' sent a shiver down Caroline's spine, she hesitantly accepted Klaus's hand and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor.
"The 1920s were an era you would've loved, Caroline," Klaus remarked as they danced. "The girls were reckless, sexy, and fun. They used to dance until they dropped."
Unimpressed, Caroline retorted, "I don't suppose that ever happened to their dance partners."
Klaus's tone softened as he said, "You should be nicer to me. I'm leaving town tomorrow. I'd invite you to accompany me, but we both know you're not ready to accept my offer. Perhaps one day, in a year, or even in a century, you'll turn up at my door and let me show you what the world has to offer."
As Klaus looked into her eyes, Caroline blushed and looked away, feeling discomfort and intrigue.
"Hmpf!" she huffed in response.
"Mark my words. It won't be enough for you, a small-town boy, a small-town life," Klaus stated cryptically before leaving Caroline confused.
'Bella, you came.'
I turned to see Bonnie and a strikingly handsome young man standing behind me. He had piercing emerald eyes that complemented his jet-black, precisely styled hair. His athletic physique and tall stature added to his captivating presence.
"Yeah," I motioned towards Rosalie, who was gracefully dancing with Rj, "Rosalie and Jeremy-"
"You're here with Jeremy?" Bonnie interrupted.
I turned to the guy and said, "I'm Bella Swan."
"Jamie," he replied.
"Have you seen Jeremy?"
"Elena is missing," Bonnie interjected.
"What?!"
As Damon and Stefan approached us, Damon questioned, "What are you doing here?"
"I was invited," I replied.
"By Jeremy?" Stefan inquired.
"Where is Elena?"
"Esther," Damon said.
Esther.
"You say that name like it's supposed to mean something to me."
Stefan explained, "She's Klaus' mother. We can't leave because she put a binding on the Supernatural beings."
"What does she want with Elena?"
"Let's talk somewhere quiet," Damon said as he reached for me.
"Don't touch me," I jerked away, nearly losing my balance.
"Damon," Stefan said.
"Is she with your buddy Ric?"
"Elena didn't tell you?" Bonnie asked.
"Tell me what?"
Esther and I were walking towards the Salvatore tomb. 'You'll forgive me for taking you from the evening dance.' She said. 'That's the burden of being the doppelgänger, I'm afraid. Your blood is a potent binding agent for a witch's spell.'
'Just please don't hurt Alaric.'
'She's not hurting me.'
'Ric!' I called as I moved towards him but stopped; something was different about him. 'What's going on? What are you doing with him?'
'I'm going to remake him.' She proclaimed.
'Remake him?'
'Make him strong, fast, like my children.' Esther turned to him. 'Indestructible. For one final time, I will tap into the dark magic I used a thousand years ago. Like my husband Mikael, before him, I will make Alaric into a true hunter and a vampire to end all vampires.'
'You can't create another Original.' I cried. 'What if he turns out to be an even bigger monster than your children?'
'He won't. Now that he has embraced his darkest aspect, his hatred for them will become more pure and uncompromising. In death, that hatred will be magnified.'
'You don't know that,' I cried, 'you don't know anything about him.'
'That is where you're wrong. Each time he died with that ring during his brief journey into death, I was there on The Other Side. I spoke to him, I nurtured him, knowing that every death.'
'Bella,' Caroline overheard Jeremy mutter.
'Jeremy,' Bella responded quietly.
'How have you been?'
'Lonely,' she deadpanned.
'I heard that you and Elena were growing close.'
'Not close enough, apparently.' Bella walked to the other side of the room.
'Bella,' Jeremy rushed after her; Caroline noticed Stefan and Bonnie watching them intently, 'I'm sorry.' He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her towards him. 'I wasn't thinking.'
'You're one of my only friends, Jeremy,' Bella murmured, 'you should have said goodbye.'
I wonder if she still considers me a friend, Caroline wondered.
'I'm sorry,' Jeremy apologized.
'I forgive you,' Bella sighed, and they hugged.
Bonnie looked annoyed, Stefan looked wounded, and Caroline thought about Tyler and Klaus and was angry that she would miss Klaus.
'Do you have any idea where Esther would take Elena?' Stefan asked.
'Where would an old witch take someone?' Bella turned to him, letting go of Jeremy, which Caroline figured was Stefan's reasoning for asking. 'Why not ask Klaus? He knows Esther better than us and wants Elena alive almost as much, right?'
Bella looked around. 'Where's Rebekah?'
'Damon?' Stefan called.
Damon turned to him as Jeremy took Bella's arm, 'we need to talk in private.'
"Ric, this isn't what you want," I pleaded, my voice trembling with emotion. "It's not who you are."
"You don't know who I am, Elena," he scoffed, his tone filled with bitterness. "You only know the weakest parts of me, the man who lost his way befriending vampires instead of killing them."
Tears welled up in my eyes, reflecting the pain and disbelief in my heart.
"You don't mean that," I whispered, barely able to hold back the flood of emotions threatening to overflow.
'They're all monsters. The blood of their victims is on my hands.' He looked away and muttered, 'Jenna's blood is on my hands.'
Esther turned to him. 'When you are ready.'
'No, Ric, please don't.' I begged. 'Don't do this. I won't help you; I'm not going to give you my blood; you're going to have to kill me!'
'That won't be necessary.' Esther said as she gestured towards me. She cut open my hand, grabbed my wrist, and held it above the bowl as blood poured into it.
'Drink.' Commanded Esther. 'And let it be done.'
'No, Ric, please, don't.. No!'
Alaric didn't listen; he drank the blood in the bowl and put it down. 'Is it finished?'
'Not just yet.' Esther answered before she staked him with the white oak stake.
'No!' A scream tore from my body.
The sudden, urgent rap on the door caused her heart to skip a beat, and in her haste, she fumbled and dropped her favorite mug. It was clear that Isabella had inherited her mother's propensity for clumsiness.
"Coming," the old woman called out as she made her way to the door, the steady click of her cane echoing through the hallway.
Mrs. Higginbotham swung the door open to find Alaric, his mouth bloodied, standing on her doorstep.
"Oh my god!" she exclaimed as Alaric collapsed. "Are you alright?"
"Isabella is in danger," he murmured.
"What?!"
"May I come in?"
"Yes, yes, of course." She helped him to his feet and guided him to the sofa.
"I need a drink."
"What?" she gasped as his features transformed. "Oh my god."
"It's done."
