Homecoming

September 16, 2010

"Aye, let's say that Mikael followed Elena in here. He tried to grab her, so he could use her as bait." Stefan suggested as he lead the gang into the library of the boarding house.

"And you what? Vervained him?" Elena questioned.

Louise had gravitated to Damon's side and now she was standing so close that he couldn't breathe without inhaling her scent. Every nerve in his body was acutely attuned to the places where she brushed against him and it was driving him crazy. If he didn't get a distraction soon he was going to throw her over his shoulder, take her up to his bedroom, and bury himself inside of her until they both forgot about Klaus, Stefan or anybody else in the world existed.

And while that was highly tempting, it didn't solve any of their problems.

"No, we vervained him!" Damon corrected, leaning against the bar. "This guy is an Original. To make it realistic."

Stefan rolled his eyes. "Okay, fine. We vervained him, and in the process discovered that he had a dagger."

"Which he planned to use on Rebekah, but instead-" Elena started.

"We drove it through his heart." Stefan finished off.

"And what happens when he asks to see Mikael's body?" Louise asked, looking at Stefan. "Because you know, if I spent a thousand years running from a guy who wants to kill me and suddenly someone's telling me he's dead, I'd want to see it with my own eyes."

"Good point!" Damon muttered, as he brushed passed Louise on his way to face Stefan on the opposite end of the room. "You my brother have been compelled to do what Klaus says. So the idea is to lure him back here and kill him...last thing we need is you getting tripped up and tongue-tied."

"Well, don't look at me." Stefan said, lifting his gaze from studying the pattern of the antique Persian rug on the floor. "I am just in charge of getting him back here."

"Klaus is smart." Louise reminded them. "If you tell him that Mikael is dead, he'll want proof."

"Then I shall be dead." Mikael said from the doorway. All eyes averted to him as he entered the room ad began to prepare the dagger and white oak ash onto the table.

"What if he wants to see you in person?" Louise asked as she made her way to Damon's side.

Mikael smirked at her. "Well that means our plan is working. Klaus will absolutely want to see my body. You lure him here, and I will kill him."

"Just like that?" Louise asked this was very Deja vu like, it reminded her of the conversation she once had with Elijah. That seemed like eons ago, she thought.

"Just like that." The original nodded.

"With what though?" Stefan questioned as he moved to stand next to Elena. "Those daggers won't work on him."

"Well," Mikael uttered unfolding the napkin. "I'm in possession of a stake fashioned from the wood of the ancient white oak tree. The one that left these ashes when it burned." He unscrewed the cap of the small jar.

"Where is it?"

Mikael dipped the dagger in the jar of the ashes of the white oak tree. "Not here. The knowing of its location is my insurance policy."

"Against what?" Stefan crossed his arms over his chest.

"You leaving this in my heart. You see, a vampire can't dagger an original without dying. So...it falls to," His eyes darted between the female brunettes before they settled on Elena. "You." He handed over the dagger to her.

Elena's eyes widened slightly. "Y...You want me to actually dagger you?"

"Klaus will leave nothing to chance- especially when it comes to trust."

Elena gulped and looked down at the dagger twirling in her hands. She shared an uncomfortable look with her sister before taking a deep breath. Mikael nods at the doppelganger slightly before she thrust her hand forward and the dagger went straight through his chest, piercing his heart. His body stiffened and greyed in colour as he fell to the floor.

"This plan isn't going to work." Louise spoke up. "It's contingent on Klaus believing just Stefan. Klaus is smart. I can't see him not second guessing Stefan or suspecting a trap."

"Louise is right. Klaus will suspect something," A voice called from the doorway and they all turned to see Rebekah leaning against the frame. "I can make him think otherwise."

"Now, brother," Damon drawled. "I think you you've got a phone call to make."

Stefan nodded and pulled his phone out his pocket, pushing a button on his pone to bring it to life. Scrolling through the recent calls, he found Klaus's number and tapped the touch screen. Listening to the ling ring, he met Mikael's eyes head on and held his gaze. "Your father is dead."

"Way to be blunt, Stefan." Louise muttered.

September 17, 2010

Louise sat on Damon's bathroom sink while Elena was checking the empty grenades to see if they actually worked and Damon was making the wolfsbane. "The dagger's gone." Louise announced.

"Hmm." Elena responded nonchalantly. "Rebekah's flaky. I wouldn't put it pass her to switch sides at the last minute."

Louise raised a brow. "So, what? You're gonna dagger her?"

"We can't trust Rebekah not to turn on us."

"Oh really?" Damon muttered sarcastically. "Cause these Original vampires are usually so reliable."

Elena ignored Damon's comment and replied. "Bonnie was right. Rebekah may be mad at Klaus now but - he is her brother."

"Her lying, mama- killing, dagger- happy brother." Damon said. "Wolfsbane is ready."

"There are too many things that can go wrong with this plan. Too many people that can make it go wrong."

Damon smirked knowingly as he filled a grenade. "Well, I am formulating a secret contingency plan."

"Really? What is it?" Elena implored eagerly.

"Wouldn't be a secret if he told you." Louise muttered.

The narrowed her eyes suspiciously at her sister. "What? You know?"

Louise held her hand up in defence. "Hey! Don't look at me. I know nothing about a secret contingency plan." She repeated her boyfriend's words. "Damon wants me to have nothing with it.".

"I need to borrow a tie." Stefan said, his head appearing at the doorframe.

Damon barely gave his brother any attention as he responded. "You have your own ties."

"Hm...I'm a 162 years old and I'm going to a Homecoming Dance. I need better ties." Stefan protested.

"You could not go." Elena suggested snarkily.

Louise snickered. "She's got a point and now that you've mentioned it, you're dangerously over-aged for a high school dance."

Stefan smirked at her. "I'm compelled to protect you both. And if I look at you guy's track record at high school dances - it's pretty tragic. With my luck one of you will go and get yourselves murdered by the Homecoming Queen..." He left to rifle through Damon's drawers.

"Ah- ah!" Damon scowled as he caught Elena messing with one of the vervain grenades out of the corner of his eyes. He smacked her hand lightly and gingerly took it from her. "No!"

Elena glared at him. "I know how to do it! Alaric taught me!"

"Elena! If this thing blows up in our face- just remember: only one of us heals quickly."

Louise turned her head just as Stefan reappeared.

"Ah, please tell me that you have a better plan than wolfsbane grenades?" Stefan asked sceptically.

Damon screwed the top part of the grenade on. "Never your mind, brother. The less you know the better."

"My freedom from Klaus rests entirely upon you two executing your plan perfectly. So, excuse me if I'm a bit cynical." The younger Salvatore commented.

"Your the one that we should be worried about." Elena said defensively. "If Klaus asks you one wrong question- whole thing falls apart."

"You do have reason to worry, but if I look back in our history of epic plan failures, it's usually because one of us let our humanity get in the way." Stefan said. "Upon taking odds on how this thing goes down, it's certainly not gonna be me who screws it up." He turned on his heels and headed towards the door and called over his shoulder. "I'll see you at Homecoming. I can't wait."

"Why aren't you coming to this dance?" Rebekah questioned as she pulled her strappy high heels on. She studied her and hesitantly asked. "Is it because you're going to help Damon and my father with their plan?"

"No, I will have no part in Klaus's demise. Besides, if I wanted in on the plan, Damon wouldn't let me in on it." Louise answered truthfully.

"Damon," the vampire mused, drawing out his name as she thought. "He's very protective of you." Louise nodded. "And he loves you a great deal; it's obvious in the way he moves, watches, and treats you."

Louise shifted in her spot. "Is there a point?"

"I don't understand why," she replied. "He's a vampire and basically immortal. Why should he care about a silly little human who's only going to last for a fleeting moment?"

Louise opened her mouth to respond but was cut off when Elena jointed them, leaning against the doorframe. "Getting a head start, huh?"

"Embarrassing truth? This is my first high school dance." Rebekah looked over her shoulder at the sister. Louise smiled a little, cooing at the embarrassment of the blonde.

"What? Ever?" Louise questioned.

"I never really had time for high school before. Nik and I were always moving around, running." Rebekah paused for a moment. "Anyway- I didn't want to leave anything to chance. Have you heard anymore from him?"

"No." Elena replied.

"But I'm sure that when he does return he'll do it with flair." Louise added.

"And Damon and my father are all set with their plan?"

Elena's eyes flickered toward Louise briefly before returning to Rebekah. "Yes."

Rebekah shook her head, holding her hands up. "Don't tell me. I don't want to know, I just- I want to go to the dance and leave the rest to Mikael."

Elena entered the room, moving toward the vampire. "I know it's really hard. So thank you for helping us get Klaus back into town."

Rebekah stared at her. "Just be careful. I've been running for a thousand years for a reason. Mikael is not a good person and he definitely can't be trusted." Elena blinked and nodded. "No one in my family can."

Elena noticed the tears in Rebekah's eyes. "Are you okay?"

"I've spent my whole life loving and hating my brother with equal measure. I never thought that I'd be the one to help drive a stake through his heart." Rebekah blinked back the tears. "No tears- I don't want to ruin my makeup." She turned back to face the mirror. "How do I look?"

Louise smile, still remaining in her spot at the door. "Like a true homecoming queen."

"You look amazing!" Elena agreed. "But you're missing one thing." She pulled her vervain necklace out of her pocket and held it up.

Rebekah breathed. "My mother's necklace."

"You should wear it tonight. May I?"

Rebekah nodded and the doppelganger placed the necklace around the vampire's throat and fastened the clasp on it. "Thank you."

Without warning, Elena got out the dagger with white oak ash layering the tip and forced it through the original's heart. "I'm so sorry." she whispered as the girl stumbled down into her arms. "I can't leave anything to chance either."

"Elena! Why did you do that?" Louise shrieked.

Elena turned to her sister. "Don't tell me you all of a sudden trust her?"

"No, but..." Louise trailed out trying to find her words. She stared down at the daggered blonde.

Suddenly, Damon was entering the room and covering Rebekah's body with a blanket. "In the back! Harsh!" he commented.

"It had to be done." Elena said, shooting him a look. She looked a her sister a moment. "Rebekah was never gonna be completely on our side."

"Hey, I'm not judging you. It's very- "Katherine" of you."

Elena's eyes went ice cold and mouth a straight line. Not the way to make me feel better about myself, Damon.

"It was a compliment." He laughed. "Sort of..."

"Stefan's right." Elena shook her head. "Someone's gonna let their humanity get in the way and screw this whole thing up. It's probably gonna be me."

"Elena, you just daggered somebody. You will be fine." Damon told her.

"Yeah- but I feel bad about it."

"You should feel bad." Louise finally spoke. "She just wanted to go to the homecoming and be a teenager. You took that away from her."

Elena bowed her head. "I'm the weak link." she muttered

"If it makes you feel any better, she's not really dead." Damon chimed in.

Elena shook her head and without another word she excused herself from the room. Louise scoffed in disbelief and her boyfriend turned to look at her. He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by her phone ringing. The brunette pulled it out her back pocket.

Louise grimaced as when she looked down at the caller ID, before answering. "What?"

"Where are you? You're missing the celebration." Klaus told her over pounding music.

"Not sure I'm feeling up to it now. Bad things happens at school dances. I mean, I thought you killed my best friend at the last one, remember?" she said harshly.

Klaus hummed, remembering. "Homecoming was cancelled. Gym flooded. Tragic. Lucky for everyone Tyler managed to throw together a fantastic wake for my father."

A sense of dread settled in Louise's stomach. She had no idea what Damon was planning but she doubted he had planned on this. "You're throwing a wake before you've even gotten to dance on your father's grave?" she mused. "That's the first thing I'd thought you'd do, especially considering you won't be on the run anymore."

Louise could almost hear his wicked grin. "Oh, I've sent Stefan to fetch him so I can do just that."

"Klaus, what is you want?"

"What scheming is going on?" Klaus demanded.

Louise exhaled long and loudly. "I have no idea."

"Louise," Klaus began seriously. He must have moved somewhere quiet as she couldn't hear any background noise. "I trust that you're not stupid. Much can't be said about your friends. Whatever it is they are planning, they won't succeed. And, love, I can assure you that you don't want them to succeed. There happen to be a few dozen of my hybrids friends here tonight and even in death they will follow my orders. I'm giving you the opportunity to stop them, Louise."

Louise ran a trembling hand through her hair. "Klaus, I have no idea what they're planning or even if they're planning anything at all."

"If they're planning nothing then you have no concerns." And with that he hung up.

Louise let out a loud and exhausted sigh as she plopped down on the edge of the bed.

"What the hell was that?" Damon asked.

"That was a death threat." she muttered.

The vampire shook his head. "No, I mean, why did Klaus call you?"

She rolled her eyes. "You heard both ends of the conversation."

Sighing in frustration, he muttered. "I guess I just thought his obsession with you would have been over after this summer."

"And that's why you want him dead? Because of his obsession?"

Damon merely shrugged as he took a seat next to her. "I, well, yes. He's a threat to you. It's one of the many reason he needs to be taken out."

Louise stared at him. She shook her head and whispered. "You're going to get killed."

"I'm going to be fine."

"Look at who you're trusting. Look at who you're trying to kill. One way or another, you'll end up dead. You need a better plan."

"I know what to do. Your just not gonna like it."

"Why not?"

"It's dangerous. When this all goes down, I don't want you to having any part of it." he told her. "And you're not going to have any part of it, just like you told Klaus." Louise's eyes brows furrowed as she stared at him. Cupping her cheek, he brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Do you trust me?"

With no hesitation, Louise responded immediately. "Always."

"Then you have nothing to worry about." Damon assured her.

So, Damon's secret back up plan involved Vivienne and Katherine filling in for Louise and Elena.

Pulling a section of Vivienne's long curly hair through the clamps of the straightener, Louise rebelled against her conscience. According to Stefan, Klaus would be at the homecoming party which meant 'Louise' had to be there. The vampire sat before the vanity mirror and outlined her eyes with black liner.

"Ow." Vivienne cried as Louise yanked her hair hair free from the straightener with unnecessary viciousness. Casting a dark look at her reflection in the mirror, she muttered. "You know, you don't have to help me."

Louise bit the inside of her cheek and said nothing, grabbing another two-inch section of hair and methodically placing it between the clamps.

What the hell am I doing here? Vivienne wondered, as Louise created yet another straight piece. As Louise began working on another piece of hair, Vivienne realised the predicament that she now found herself in.

For five hundred years, she'd been running from Klaus, venturing down one avenue after another in an attempt to finally shake free of the menacing threat. She hadn't had time to think about eternity or what she would do with her when she'd finally secured it.

"Why are you doing this?" Louise asked, surprising them both with the unexpected question. Vivienne lifted her gaze to Louise's in the mirror, eyeing her suspiciously as she continued. "I mean, why are you risking your life? Is it for Stefan? Damon? I know it's not for me."

"That's true." Vivienne replied, putting the cap back on her eye liner and digging through the draw for the mascara.

"Well?" Louise prompted.

"Why do I have to be doing it for anybody?" Vivienne asked. "Can't I just be doing it because it's the right thing to do?"

Louise bit back the snide retort on the tip of her tongue as she worked her way through the last section of her to be straightened. She snickered and Vivienne glared at her.

"Okay." Vivienne said, carefully applying the mascara to her curled lashes. "I just want Klaus dead like everybody else."

The location of the Homecoming Dance had changed and now being held at the Lockwood Mansion. Matt Donovan stepped in with the Pierce sisters on each arm disguised as the Gilbert sisters. The vampires scanned the crowd of people and Vivienne muttered. "So much for Homecoming..."

"This is weird! Us being here together..." Matt admitted.

Katherine spotted Caroline and turned to the human boy. "There's Caroline. She doesn't know anything. Act normal."

"Hey...Klaus is here." Caroline spoke in a hushed tone as she approached the trio with an irritated look on her face.

"What?" Matt questioned.

"Yeah! Apparently our sired hybrid-friend Tyler thought it would be okay to let his master throw a party!" Caroline's eyes darted between the trio who all were silent. "I expected more surprise!"

"I've learned not to be surprised by anything Klaus does." Vivienne muttered. "I'm gonna go find Bonnie. You coming, Elena?" she raised an eyebrow to her sister, who nodded and wandered through the party at her side.

The adrenaline was pumping through Louise's veins like tidal waves, her eyes flickering to the grandfather clock every few minutes. The warmth of the flames from the fireplace illuminated her worried expression, her brown eyes glistening with unshed anxiety. Her palms were sweaty and her heart was racing, her fingers ran through her hair nervously every five minutes or so.

She tried to slow her breathing by taking deep breaths, but then she would forget how to exhale. Her mind kept racing, running over everything possible that could go wrong. Her stomach was in knots, and her heart was aching with fear.

"You're gonna give yourself a heart attack." Damon's velvet smooth voice said. She looked up to meet his gaze, his ocean blue eyes blazing with conviction as he smirked at her before sitting down beside her on the couch. She calmed down slightly, offering him the smallest of smiles before she began wringing her hands on her lap.

The vampire rolled his eyes and acted instinctively, his hands imprisoning her soft ones beneath his. A warm smile on his face as he looked her in the eye. Her already uneven breath hitched in her throat as she gazed at him, unwilling and unable to look away.

Their eyes were dancing as they looked at one another. His heart ached inside of his chest with the way that she looked at him.

"Louise," he said tentatively, his voice low and full of concern. She doesn't say anything, she simply nodded. Her eyes were stinging with hot tears of anxiety that threatened to spill over, so she just continued to stare at him. "What are you gonna do while I'm gone?" he asked suddenly, his voice teasing as he tried lighten the mood for her.

Those eight words that fell from his lips were enough to turn her inside out. The question itself made her think back to a night that she was both scared to remember but absolutely paralysed with fear to forgetting - the night that she almost lost half of her heart. The night that the man that turned her world upside down threatened to leave her forever.

Louise shot up from her seat and began pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace, anxiety evident in every step that she took. She was hanging by a thread, his presence being the only thing keeping her sane.

"I'm sorry," he retracted.

She folded her arms across her chest and nodded in acknowledgement, her long brown hair falling haphazardly across her shoulders as she took a deep breath, a weak smile on her face. "I know." she said. "I'm just sacred, you know? There are so many things that could go wrong with this plan. And I don't like the idea of getting Katherine and Vivienne involved." she spat out bitterly.

He listened intently as she voiced her concerned and fought the urge to laugh at the sheer foolishness of the latter mentioned. "It's for your own safety." he told her for the umpteenth time. "I don't like the idea anymore than you do but I like it better than having you in the line of fire. You're right, there are too many things that could go wrong with this plan and thankfully, but bringing those bitches in, your safety isn't one of them."

"I can take care of myself, Damon." she argued bitterly, a scowl forming on her features. He chuckled and nodded in agreement, a smirk on his face. "Don't laugh at me." she warned him.

"I already told you - I don't want you to have any part of this when it all goes down. I can't have you near Vivienne or Katherine or Mikael or..."

"Klaus." she finished, her expression void of emotion. "You don't have to protect me, I can handle myself."

"I thought you would've gotten it by now." he teased, although the emotion in his voice was borderline fearful. "I'll always protect you." he told her earnestly. "I can't have you anywhere near any of this because I'll be too distracted by you. I can't have you around, not because you'll screw things up, but because..." he paused, vulnerability reflecting in his eyes.

"Because..." she prompted, her eyes wide with curiosity. Louise watched as a silent war raged behind his eyes. She knew that he was trying to decipher the right choice of words - the words that would sting the least, but have the most impact.

She let out a light gasp of surprise when he was suddenly in front of her. His fingers gently thread themselves through her hair until his palms were cradling her face gently, their eyes dancing once again. He took in a deep breath as he leaned forward, his forehead resting against hers. She was tempted to close her eyes and inhale his musky scent, but she was afraid that if she closed them for a second, he would disappear.

So Louise's gaze locked with his as he looked at her, silently pleading with her.

"Because, he said tentatively. "You're my weakness," Damon admitted. She swallowed. "But I need to be strong, Louise. I need to be strong enough to fight a losing battle, okay? So I need you to stay here, out of harms way."

"Promise me you'll come back to me." she said quietly, her eyes wide with desperation.

He nodded, silently accepting her promise. Suddenly, her hands were on either side of his neck, holding his forehead against her. They stayed like that for a few minutes, standing toe to toe, emotionally naked as they tried to offer each other the slightest bit of comfort.

The clock behind Louise chimed 11:00pm, signalling Damon's departure. Much to her chagrin, a small whimper fell from her lips as he pulled away, leaving Louise immediately reeling from the loss of contact.

"You promise me that you won't do anything stupid." he warned.

She fought the urge to roll her eyes and she nodded. She watched him throw her one last look of goodbye before leaving. "Be safe." she whispered to the empty room.

"Louise! Glad you could make it." Klaus beamed.

She donned the Louise Gilbert personality like an old dress she hadn't worn for a while but it fit as well as it ever did. It felt almost comfortable now, after all this time. Where Vivienne's self-preservation instincts would make her run, Louise stubbornly held her ground, and her brow furrowed into a disapproving frown that would make her wrinkle prematurely if she wasn't a vampire.

"Klaus." she breathed his name with judgement in her voice because that was what Louise would do. Being Louise Gilbert meant trading her survival instincts for morals.

The corners of Klaus's mouth twitched in delight, making her instantly wary. "You seem nervous."

"I'm not nervous. I just don't like you." Vivienne told him primly, pursing her lips. There was not much of a difference between channelling Louise Gilbert and Vivienne Pierce.

It was not that easy, of course. She didn't expect it to be. Klaus might not have the same kind of destructive interest in Louise that he had in her, but the girl was a challenge to him, and Klaus revelled in that. Playing like a cat with a mouse until he got tired and killed it.

She had to be careful, toeing the line between pushing him away and keeping his interest. It was a game she knew how to play.

Klaus stepped forward. "People have been after me for a thousand years and I'm always one step ahead: So whatever it is you're thinking of trying, go for it. Give it your best shot. You won't succeed."

Vivienne narrowed her eyes. "It won't be for lack of trying."

"Let me remind you of her earlier conversation that you'd be smart to tell Damon to mind his manners tonight, because if I die, I've already ensured that he'll die along with me! Even in death my hybrids have their orders. So, you kill me you're killing him too." Klaus told her.

Vivienne doesn't respond, she just swallowed thickly.

Klaus' demeaner changed once again and he smiled. "So, love. Anything interesting happened whilst I was away? I hope Rebekah behaved." He looked into her chocolate brown eyes. "I know she had quite a temper on her, can be fairly hard to get along with her sometimes.

"Hmm." Vivienne muttered.

Klaus smirked to herself. "You know, I'm a little surprised." Vivienne raised a brow curiously. "How your sister, Elena, managed to dagger Mikael."

"She's a strong girl." Vivienne replied. Relief washed over her when she noticed her sister walking towards them. "You can thank her yourself."

"Well, seems I have you to thank for Mikael's demise."

"He came at me." Katherine lied. "I didn't have a choice."

"Still I'm impressed." Klaus noted. "It's not easy for a human to dagger an Original."

Katherine shrugged slightly. "It wasn't the first time."

"Right. Elijah." Klaus nodded.

Klaus had moved to the back of the party and was now enjoying a game of beer bong with everyone cheering around him. Once of his hybrid's Mindy came over to him and announced. "You have a visitor."

"Well, tell my visitor I'm on the brink of victory here." Klaus replied with a smirk.

"He said his name is Mikael."

Disappointment spread across Klaus' face and he threw the ping pong ball into a cup. "Then we mustn't keep him waiting. Move everyone out back. I'm gonna have a little chat with my dad." He turned to another one of his hybrids. "Tony, you know what to do." With that he moved to the front door to see Mikael Mikaelson in the doorway.

"Hello, Niklaus." Mikeal looked up at his on.

"Hello, Mikael. Why don't you come in? Oh, that's right. I forgot you can't." Klaus smirked, obviously the mansion belonged to Carol Lockwood, a him so he would need to be invited in by her.

"Or you can come outside if you want." Mikael offered.

"Or I could watch my hybrids tear you limb from limb." The hybrid mused with a small careless shrug.

A group of hybrids gathered behind Mikael on the lawn.

"They can't kill me." Mikael replied firmly.

"True. But it'll make a hell of a party game." Klaus grinned. "All I have to do is rub these two fingers together and they'll pounce." He smirked holding his middle finger and his thumb together.

"The big bad wolf." Mikael shook his head. "You haven't changed. Still hiding behind your playthings like a coward. You only forget. They may be sired by you, but they're still part vampire. And they can be compelled by me." A grin spread across his lips as Mindy, one of the hybrids pushed Vivienne into Mikael. "Come out and face me, Niklaus. Or she dies."

Klaus reacted nonchalantly. "Go ahead. Kill her."

"No, Klaus. He'll do it." Katherine called, Klaus hadn't noticed that she stood in one of the hybrid arms, struggling against them.

"If she dies, this lot will be last of your abominations." Mikael added.

Klaus braced his hand on the door frame, a small growl escaped his lips. "I don't need them. I just need to be rid of you."

"To what end, Niklaus? So you can live forever, with no one at your side? Nobody cares about you any more, boy! What do you have other than those whose loyalty you forced? No one. No one."

Klaus' eyes began to pool with water and he hissed. "I'm calling your bluff, father. Kill her."

"Come outside and face me, you little coward. And I won't have to." Mikael growled menacingly.

"My whole life you've underestimated me. If you kill her you lose your leverage. So go ahead. Go on. Kill her." Klaus dared. "Come on, old man. Kill her. Kill her!"

Mikael laughed darkly. "Your impulse, Niklaus. It has and will forever be the one thing that keeps you from truly being great." He stabbed Vivienne with a dagger and pulled out. She fell to the floor.

Mikael continued to laugh as Klaus looked on shocked. Damon took this opportunity to rush up behind Klaus, twisting him around and stabbing the white oak tree dagger into his stomach. Vivienne got up from the floor.

"Vivienne..."

"Kaboom." Vivienne smirked, holding up two wolfsbane grenades in her hands and threw them at the hybrids.

"Damon!" Louise yelled, bursting through the front door of the Lockwood mansion, completely ignoring the growls of infuriated hybrids she just ran past.

It all happened so fast - one minute, Damon was a millimetre away from ending Klaus' life and the next, Stefan had tackled his older brother to the ground.

Klaus took the opportunity to take the stake that had rolled onto the floor as he drove it through his father's heart. Everyone watched with shocked eyes as the original father burst into flames.

Louise's breath was shaky and ragged as her eyes swam with hot tears. She acted instinctively, rushing forward to Stefan and Damon. Immediately both boys were on their feet.

"Well this is interesting; I've never seen this before..." Klaus voice echoed from behind her shaking frame as she stood there, unable to move any bone in her body. She could feel his hand on her shoulder and she wanted to crawl out of her skin. "I never thought I'd see the day where the doppelganger would save the big bad wolf. I'm assuming Viviana got to you?" he questioned, his voice low as his lips were next to her ear.

As if every puzzle piece fell into place, Damon's eyes widened with realisation as he looked between Klaus and Louise, his tight grip on her skin as she whimpered softly.

"Louise?" he barely choked out. He didn't know whether to be angry with her or thankful that she was even alive. He was torn between ripping Klaus' head off for laying a finger on her and ripping her head off for saving Klaus' life.

"Thank you, Viviana. For delivering my message - you are now free to go." Klaus announced. Damon's eyes flickered to the figure that loomed in the shadows as she blinked back the compulsion. His thoughts and anger were interrupted by Klaus' hand as he stroked the long brown hair that belonged to Louise. "I knew you wouldn't let me down, Louise." he cooed in her ear, a smirk on his lips.

"What's going on?" Stefan questioned, his hands extended as he cautiously put himself between his raging brother and the original vampire who had the girl he loved in his hands.

"Hybrids," Klaus began in a sing song voice. "Are very loyal creatures, did you know?" Louise watched as Damon's eyes narrowed in confusion, although the anger never faded from his features. "And if you give them an order - to kill someone if they try to harm you, they will rip your body into shreds without thinking twice about it."

"What the hell does that have to do with-" Damon began angrily, before his gaze locked with hers and suddenly it all made sense. He titled his head to the side, the expression in his eyes and on his face contorting from anger to sadness and regret. "Louise, you didn't..." he said quietly, his voice barely a whisper.

"If there was any question about her loyalty before, it should be cleared up now." Klaus said before thrusting Louise's frame into the hard body of Damon. He instinctively wrapped his arms around her.

"I should let my hybrid know I won't be needing their hit man services." Klaus deadpanned. "Oh and one more thing." He turned to the younger Salvatore. "Thank you my friend. You no longer have to do as I say. You're free." He uncompelled the young vampire.

Silence enveloped Louise and Damon as they drove home. There was tension that tainted the air they breathed as Damon sped down the familiar roads back to the boarding house, the night breeze blowing on her face as she stared up at the moon as it hung in the night sky,

If it wasn't for the fact that Damon slammed the car door, Louise probably wouldn't have even noticed that they were in the safety of the driveway. She took a deep breath and unbuckled her seatbelt, reluctantly freeing herself from the safe confinements of the car.

Her movements were mechanical as she walked up the familiar walk way. Her eyes lids drooped with exhaustion and her lips tainted with unspoken apologies. She could feel the heat of the house envelope her once she shut the front door behind her. She let out a shaky breath as she folded her arms across her chest, gingerly stepping into the living room.

Louise watched as Damon angrily poured himself a tumbler of bourbon, downing it without even wincing. Apparently he needed a stronger buzz as he there the glass into the fireplace, his hand gripping the liquor bottle tightly.

Her heart was racing inside of her chest as they stood in uncomfortable silence. Naturally, she was the on to break the barrier of sound as she took a step forward. She nervously ran her fingers through her hair and her voice was low. "We'll survive this."

She quickly regret her words because now the liquor bottle was thrown into the fireplace. The vampire blurred both of them across the room. Her back was against the wall, her breathing laboured as he looked down at her, his eyes blazing with anger. He had her trapped, his palms on both sides of her head while her body was imprisoned between his own and the wall.

"Didn't your parent ever teach you that lying is a sin?" he questioned, voice low and bitter. She swallowed back the tears that she had been fighting since she left the house in the first place.

"We'll survive this." she repeated. "We always survive."

"This could've been over tonight, Louise. I had him right where I wanted him and everything would've been fine." he nearly shouted.

"You would have been dead." she said evenly.

"It would've been over, Louise. Klaus would've been dead! I had him! I had Klaus!" Damon shouted angrily, relinquishing his palms from the wall as she stood a foot away from her.

"You would have been dead." Louise repeated.

"I've been dead before, I got over it!" he said sarcastically. She tilted her head, eyebrows knitted together in confusion as she glared at him angrily. "What?" he spat out.

"You don't get it do you?" she questioned, her voice growing stronger as the anger boiled inside of her.

"Get what, Louise? That for the first time, this was in my control and it could've been over but, what? You just love being the damsel in distress?" he questioned. He immediately regret his words once he realised the impact.

Her mouth gaped open, obviously hurt by his words but did not back down.

She never backs down.

It was the thing he both loved and hated about her in equal measure.

Louise stepped forward, her hands now on his chest as she shoved at him furiously.

"If you had of killed Klaus, his hybrid would have ripped you to shreds." she emphasized angrily. "You can be mad at me all you want, but if having Klaus alive means that you're here too? Then I hope he lives forever. And you know what?" she spat out. "Don't expect an apology, because I'm not sorry. I'd make the same choice again if I had to."

"Why?" Damon choked out.

"Because you're my weakness." she whispered, the softest of smiles on her lips. "Because as much as I hate Klaus, I love you more." Louise shrugged her shoulders, exhaustion on her face. "I can't lose you."

Damon smiled before he wrapped his arms around her. Her face buried into his t-shirt clad chest and her arms wormed around his waist. He placed a kiss on her forehead before he murmured. "You promised you wouldn't do anything stupid." he reminded her.

"You promised you'd come back to me." she challenged.

"I'll always come back to you."

A/N: So, here's another chapter. Thanks for reading! Review?