Hello, all! Here is another chapter and we're getting closer to the end of Season 3. Finally! It took me a while, but we're getting there. I appreciate all of you who have stuck to this so far. Imma keep at it.
Now, let's respond to your wonderful reviews:
-xenocanaan: Yes, Gwen has it tough on occasion and it's just a thing for me to keep away from everything going right for her and prevent a Mary Sue situation as much as possible. I love your feedback. Thank you!
-brigitm28: I always love your reviews. It's a joy to read every single time! So, yeah, Klaus is an enigma and it's quite a miracle that he misses someone outside of his family, but yeah. Yeah, it's just an Elena thing to do to throw someone under the bus, be it unconsciously or not. I also enjoy writing Kol showing off his magical knowledge, especially after it was revealed that he was a prodigy back when he was human. Yes, I love that he's hating everyone but her. Kol is the baby brother, so he is there to make things harder for his big brothers. LOL Scooby Doo gang thinking everything is easy and then having others solve things but also making that hard is just hilarious. And then you have Jeremy, the one who is always in over his head. Klaus lashing out is a must, especially when he's scared, angry, or hurt or all of them at once. None of his family is an exception and the one he views as a child should not be an exception. I know becoming a parent can change someone, but habits are hard to break, so have to make it realistic in a way since she's older and no longer a child. Klaus was a completely different person when she was a child. And Juniper is going to be aware. It's going to be a fun moment, not gonna say for who.
-Isobel Bauch: Yes, he most certainly did. It's his thing. LOL
-VampireDiariesFan24: I am unsure as to what you are referring to. Love to hear from you and that you're here.
-Isobel Bauch: Klaus has a unique way of making messes but somehow fixing them in his own way. He's just awkward at it. LOL
Disclaimer: I own nothing from The Vampire Diaries and claim no ownership over anything about it. I only own my characters. I do not permit anyone to copy aspects of this story or publish it as their own.
promises, promises
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Colorado Springs, Colorado
2003
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"Niki!" called out a nine-year-old Gwen as she sped down a hall of their home near Cheyenne Mountain when she heard the front door open and close.
The hour was late, and Gwen had been sleeping, but the need to go to the bathroom woke her. At that time, she found out that Klaus was not at home, so she spent a good amount of time looking for him. There was a moment when she became scared that she had been abandoned, but the thought only lasted for a second in her mind. She was confident that Klaus would never leave her behind. There was also the fact that he tended to sometimes leave at night to either patrol the area or satiate his hunger. He tried to hide this from her for quite some time, but he could never hide something from her for too long. Still, sleep evaporated from her body, so she decided to wait for him to come back and ask him to make the delicious milk tea that only he knew how to make to help her go back to sleep.
The smile on Gwen's face disappeared and her body came to a stop at the entrance of the foyer when her eyes landed on the man she knew only as her father, her eyes tracing the red stains that stained his off-white sweater. She also noticed that his hands and mouth were covered in the same liquid. Her hands fiddled over her stomach as she continued to stare at him in shock. The last thing she had been expecting was this image of him.
"Are you okay, Niki?" her small voice reached his ears, breaking him out of the trance he found himself in when he realized that the little girl wearing a pink nightgown had caught him sneaking back home in such a state.
Klaus cleared his throat as he looked down at his hands. He loathed the fact that Gwen had to see him like this, thinking that he could keep this side of him far away from her for a longer time. It wasn't that she was unaware of what he was. He found it to be a lot easier to explain things to her by slowly making her aware of the situation. She knew that he had a different diet and that he could do things humans couldn't. She also knew that she was also different from others. So far, she was able to maintain their secret when in public and talking to people they met. But this was a different situation, and he had no idea how to navigate it. How on earth was he supposed to explain that he had just massacred a group of witches whom he had met as they searched for a faerie using a tracking spell? This left him no choice but to erase the problem.
"Niki?" she asked, growing nervous with his silence.
"I'm fine, princess," he answered as he took careful steps to approach her. "I just had a bit of trouble on the way back. I had to fight a bear."
Gwen gave him a look of skepticism. "A bear?"
Klaus hummed as he fought to sell his story. "A very big bear," he said as he lifted his arms to imitate what would be a bear bearing its claws at someone. "Had quite the fighting spirit. I was to be the meal, but there was no way I was going to miss our picnic tomorrow."
"You fought a bear?" Gwen asked, chuckling at his exaggerated facial expressions.
"And won," he stated.
The young halfling stared at him for a few seconds before walking toward him and wrapping her arms around his middle, ignoring the possibility that the blood could stain her clothes. "You're really okay?" she asked once more. There was a tension in him that worried her.
"I am," he said as he knelt and held her arms, feeling a bit guilty that he would have to have her bathed and changed before putting her to bed. "Considering that you're the princess of our family, that means that I am your knight. Know that you will never be alone, not if I can help it." He smiled as he poked her nose, which caused a wide smile to erupt on her face. "And you won't lose me."
"Promise?" she asked, her round eyes boring into his, searching for reassurance.
Klaus smiled as he placed his forehead against hers. "I swear."
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A good thing about being used to living on the move was that packing became an easy thing. The focus centers on a few essential things that were always needed or were things that couldn't be left behind. Another few things to pack were clothes and shoes that could be used in any type of situation depending on how they were matched. And, of course, toiletries, hygiene products, and self-care products. Gwen would never need to carry more than four or five bags, and that depended on the situation. A short trip would require no more than three bags of different sizes and a moving trip would need no more than five.
Still, leaving behind what she considered a potential home always left her feeling a bit dejected. There was no place she could call home. The only time that Gwen had come close to having a home was in that warm, cozy home in Colorado. It was a time when happy memories were made. At least, to her knowledge, there were nothing but good times. There weren't any vampires trying to torture her or drain her of her blood. No father hunting down his son. No teenagers plotting the demise of the people she cared about.
Now, she would leave behind a home supposedly constructed for a family. She was supposed to be sent back to her gilded cage, but she refused to return to such a life. No, this time, Gwen was determined to see for herself what life had to offer and if there was a place that she could call home.
Gwen was just about to drop her last bag near the entrance to later have them carried to the car, but the front door was slammed open. She was startled by the sudden movement and frowned when she saw a disheveled Rebekah look around before closing the door behind her. "Bekah, what's wrong?" she asked the blonde.
Rebekah turned to Gwen. "Where's Nik?"
"Packing in the living room, I think," Gwen answered. "Wait," she called after her friend who quickly made her way toward her brother with the halfling following behind her. "Bekah!"
"Sister!" Kol greeted his only sister from where he was leaning against a couch, having been teasing his brother who was trying to pack his belongings in peace. "Are you done with cleanup already?"
"Alaric Saltzman just tried to kill me," Rebekah blurted out, causing her brothers and Gwen to freeze on the spot as they stared at her with wide eyes.
"Impossible," said Kol as he stood from the armrest of the couch.
"Alaric Saltzman is supposed to be dead," Klaus added.
"I thought he wasn't going to complete the transition," Gwen wondered out loud.
"Well, he did," countered Rebekah. "Whatever Mother did, it turned him into a vampire that cannot be killed with a white oak stake."
Kol sighed when he locked eyes with Klaus, recalling their conversation the night before. "There's the mystery weapon."
"He's strong," said Rebekah. "Maybe too strong for us and he is in possession of the one thing that can kill us."
"Wait, she can't make a vampire immortal without fae blood," Kol told his siblings as he glanced at Gwen. "Did she take your blood?"
Gwen shook her head. "No," she responded. "Alaric killed her before she did anything."
"Then she must've used something else to replace it or changed the spell to be more accommodating," said Kol.
"Where is he now?" Klaus asked Rebekah.
"He's stuck at the school without a daylight ring," said Rebekah. "He has Caroline. Maybe he'll use her as bait or torture her to death."
"Poor girl," Klaus sighed with a shrug of his shoulders. "Not the luckiest person in this town."
Gwen looked at Rebekah. "You think he'll kill her?"
"I don't know, but I don't want to find out what he'll do to us as soon as night falls." Rebekah glanced at Gwen and Kol before looking back at Klaus. "We need to leave now."
"I second that notion," said Kol.
"Fine, but we need to know more about this new type of vampire," Klaus said as he looked at Gwen. "Call June and see if she knows anything about this." He sighed when she nodded in response and reached for her phone that was stuffed in one of the back pockets of her skinny jeans. "I'll collect Elena and we'll be on our way." This caused his siblings and Gwen to pause just as they were going to leave the room to gather their things.
"What?" asked Kol.
"Forget Elena!" Rebekah huffed. "You don't need any more stupid hybrids."
"What we all need is protection from Esther's continued assaults against us," countered Klaus.
"We'll protect each other like we always have," Rebekah said as she approached Klaus. "Always and forever, Nik."
"Save me," Kol scoffed under his breath at this, which his siblings ignored.
"I'm not leaving without her," argued Klaus.
Rebekah locked eyes with Klaus, showing him that she was not going to follow along with whatever plan he had to kidnap Elena. "I'm leaving now. You can either walk out that door with me or you are on your own." Klaus remained silent, which was his answer to her threat. "Fine," she scoffed with a listless smile. "Trust your hybrids over your family. Let your spite be the death of you, see if I care." She turned and stomped out of the room, pushing past Tyler as he came into the room with a box for Klaus to use to store his belongings. "Move it, sire boy!"
Tyler frowned at Rebekah's back before turning to Klaus. "What's her deal?"
"None of your business, pup," Kol told Tyler as he grabbed the hybrid and pushed him out of the room.
"Hey!" Tyler protested but left the room grumbling with a shake of his head.
"Nik," Gwen began to protest as she approached Klaus.
"You are supposed to be on the road by now," Klaus told Gwen.
Gwen huffed and left the room without saying a word. She was too tired to argue with him, especially after the words he spat at her the night before. At the moment, there was no way for her to reason with him. It didn't help that now there was a vampire stronger than an Original and with a white oak stake. She recognized that he was going to be as paranoid as he was when Mikael was alive.
Klaus turned to Kol, thinking that he could enlist his brother's help in acquiring Elena. "Care to raise a little hell before leaving?" he asked. "You might even be able to get back at Damon Salvatore."
Kol chuckled at Klaus' poor attempt to get him to his side. "I already did, but I do wonder if your little pet will be fine doing the trip to Chicago."
"She wouldn't dare run off," said Klaus.
"I could tail her," Kol suggested.
With a tilt of his head, Klaus asked, "And why would you do that?"
"I know better than to mess with her, but she's leaving now and going far away from Esther's little experiment. I prefer to keep it that way, lest her blood allows him the ability to be even more of a problem," Kol explained. "It also helps that she has fae magic. It's a good shield against the super vampire. Another good thing is that I can protect her a lot better than any hybrid you might procure in haste."
"I could just send her with Rebekah," countered Klaus.
"You trust our sister after your little spat?" asked Kol.
Klaus had to admit that Kol was a better guard than a newly turned hybrid. The Original Hybrid approached his smirking brother. "You are only to watch over her until this ordeal is over and done with and I meet up with her. If you try anything—"
"Yes, yes," Kol said as he waved away his brother's threats. "Torture, dagger, coffin, and whatnot." He then left the room to find his sister and Gwen but stopped to give his older brother a final warning. "You know better than to take a gamble, so leave right behind us."
"I know," Klaus said as he watched his younger brother leave the room.
Kol focused his hearing and managed to locate both Gwen and Rebekah. Both girls were conversing in the foyer, and he noticed that his sister was quite upset, not that he could blame her. Their brother had the uncanny ability to bring out the worst in others without even trying. Normally, he tried to steer clear of his three remaining siblings, not that it mattered to them since he was an outcast among them. It was why he preferred to keep his distance. They would always look after one another, but everyone else was fair game.
"I can't stand him when he's like that," Rebekah grumbled with her arms folded over her chest.
"I know," Gwen sighed, completely giving up on trying to help Klaus see reason. Many times, it felt like screaming at a wall to move. "Does Elijah know?"
Rebekah shook her head. "I need to call him."
"Well, ladies," Kol said to make his presence known. "Time to skip town."
"I'll take Weny," said Rebekah. "I just need to gather some things."
"Our brother wants her out of town now and has tasked me with the errand," Kol told her, watching her brows furrow. "It helps that I am already packed and loaded."
"And Nik trusts you with her?" Rebekah asked as a challenge, disliking the fact that Klaus placed Gwen in Kol's hands.
Kol shrugged. "Threats were made, but I think it's because I'm not the one he's upset with right now," he explained. "He wants her out of town now."
Rebekah threw a glare at her brother before turning her attention to the young hybrid. "You will call or send me a message the moment you sense he's being off," she warned Gwen, ignoring Kol's indignant scoff to feign his feelings being hurt. "Promise?" she asked as she grabbed Gwen's hands.
"I swear," Gwen reassured the blonde. "We'll see each other very soon."
"Good," Rebekah said before gathering the young halfling in a crushing hug before turning to give Kol a stern gaze. "Keep her and yourself safe, brother."
"You too, sister," Kol responded.
Rebekah nodded before quickly going to gather some essentials. There was no guarantee what life for them would be like now that there was a monster on their tail, but it was nothing new for them. They'd evaded Mikael before for centuries, so they would just have to do as they once did and remain hidden. Their only advantage at the moment was that Alaric had no daylight ring and was unable to endure the sun's light for too long. It was a better situation than what they experienced with their father hunting them.
"Let's be off," Kol told Gwen as he reached for her bags, taking two heavy ones, and leaving the remaining one for her to carry. "I'd rather put as much distance between us and that creature as soon as possible," he said as he stepped out of the mansion with Gwen trailing behind him.
"Nik agreed to let me go with you?" she asked as they made their way to the open garage, heading for the gray Porsche Cayenne she had used when locating the coffins.
"It's not like he has many options," Kol explained as he placed her bags in the trunk of the car. "His instructions were to watch over you until he meets up with us." He then grinned at her as he took her remaining bags. "I will continue to do so until he catches up. We'll be long gone by the time he's finished his business. He made it too easy for me to steal you away." He then closed the trunk and turned to her as he leaned his arm against the car. "Ready to see the world?"
Gwen's hazel-green eyes looked up at him before she smiled.
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Just when things were stabilizing and a new page could be turned, Klaus found himself being thrust back a few chapters. He thought that he could finally move on with his family without having to look over his shoulder, but his parents were never going to let him have any peace. His mother found the worst way possible to punish him, which was by having him on the run from someone who had a white oak stake ready to be plunged into his chest. The fact that his siblings and Gwen failed to understand the need for hybrids shocked him. Having an army to use as a shield was the best way to protect themselves and avoid having to return to a world where they had to restrain themselves and move on at the slightest sign of trouble. His plan was simple, drain Elena Gilbert, create more hybrids, and have them be fodder for the survival of his family.
Klaus cleared his throat and pushed his thoughts away as he drove into the parking lot of Mystic Falls High School with Stefan seated in the passenger's seat. He found a spot to park the car that wasn't too close nor too far from the school's entrance. The last thing he wanted was to have the burning body of a history teacher chasing after them. Once the car was turned off, he and Stefan got out of his car.
After closing the door behind him, Klaus reached for his phone and opened it to find that there were no new notifications. It wasn't like he was expecting any calls or messages, but he hoped that Gwen would at least reach out to him. However, he had to admit that he had been quite harsh, and his words were cruel.
"Abby just showed up," Stefan informed Klaus as they walked to the front of the car to keep watch over the school while Damon and Bonnie acquired the spell needed to incapacitate Alaric.
"Good," Klaus sighed as he leaned against the hood of the car. "Perhaps this plan won't be an epic failure after all." He then glanced at Stefan. "You know, if this does go off and we drop the history teacher in the Atlantic, I'm still leaving with Elena."
"I'll go with you," Stefan said nonchalantly.
Klaus raised an eyebrow at this. "Really?" He hummed as he locked eyes with the youngest Salvatore brother. "What's the catch?"
"There's no catch," said Stefan, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his jacket. "I'd turn my back on everything here to make sure Elena's safe."
Releasing a chuckle, Klaus said, "And that is what makes you her better option." He shrugged, wanting to see how far he could push Stefan's buttons. "It's a shame it's not easier for Elena to see that. I mean," he snickered. "Personally, I think she's wasting her time with Damon."
Stefan gave a mirthless laugh. "You know, all this time and energy you've spent trying to get me and my brother to hate each other," he explained, "it's actually had the opposite effect."
The youngest Salvatore brother struggled to push unwanted thoughts from the forefront of his mind. The thought of Elena and Damon together did bother him, but only because it invoked past feelings from when he first found out about Damon's interest in Elena. It was bad enough that they were bewitched by Katherine, but he didn't think his brother would do the same thing once more by falling in love with Elena. He thought Damon would value their bond by not going after his brother's girl, but that was wishful thinking. Still, he shook these thoughts and focused on Elena. Thinking about the past wasn't going to do him any good and he would rather move forward with his brother instead of being angry or resenting his brother. He would place their brotherhood over Elena by stepping back if she chose Damon.
"Has it?" Klaus questioned as he noticed the slight discomfort in Stefan, laughing as he straightened up. "Really? Well, then, perhaps I should let Elena decide which Salvatore joins us, being as you and Damon are so close."
"Ah, go for it." Stefan shrugged, feigning his indifference. He couldn't exactly lie to Klaus and say that the thought of Elena choosing Damon didn't affect him, but he wasn't about to let Klaus rattle him. Not when Elena and Caroline were in danger. "Damon and I have been through a hell of a lot worse than you."
"So you say," Klaus hummed as Stefan walked away to scout the area.
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"What do you think Esther's spell did to him?" Gwen asked Juniper from her place in the passenger's seat. Even though Kol could hear the conversation with his enhanced hearing, she still placed the call on speaker.
Currently, the pair were speeding down the road, having left Mystic Falls a good two hours ago. Gwen thought they were to go to the first and closest airport once they were out of town, but Kol opted for an airport further away. His thinking was that they would have more time to get away. If Alaric were to come after them and find out their plans to leave the country, he would have to look through the airports closest to Mystic Falls.
"Not really sure, but I do have a theory," Juniper said from the other end of the line. "You're sure she didn't use your blood and just Elena's?"
"Yes, I'm sure," Gwen answered.
"The old spell required the Petrova blood for binding and transitioning, fae blood for life that resurrected us after being impaled by Mikael, and white oak for immortality," Kol stated, recalling his mother's spell.
Gwen frowned at this. "Rebekah said that the human blood was to represent the life being left behind, fae blood for a new life in immortality, and white oak as a binding essence."
"She's not as knowledgeable in magic as I. Those are the pretty words used to make the spell sound poetic," Kol explained. "The spell's ingredients can't be changed. If she did, then it's a different spell with a different purpose."
"I agree," Juniper began as she tried to figure out the objective of the spell. "A spell is a representation of a witch's purpose or goal. Esther wants to get rid of all vampires, but creating Alaric would defeat that purpose because there wouldn't be a guarantee that he wouldn't turn someone else."
Kol frowned at this. "There's a failsafe."
"Exactly," said Juniper.
"You think his immortality is conditional?" asked Gwen.
"That has to be it," Juniper hummed, her mind processing the clues given by Gwen and Kol.
"Instead of an Original, she made an enhanced vampire," Kol mumbled. If Alaric's immortality was conditional, then Kol believed that the teacher's life was tied to something. "What if he was only as strong for as long as a human life lasted?" he wondered out loud.
Juniper gasped as the idea slowly made sense to her. "Yes!" she exclaimed. "That way, even if he did turn someone into a vampire, they would die along with him."
"Esther tied his life to Elena," Gwen exhaled. "She traded immortality for indestructibility."
"It's genius!" Juniper cheered.
"More like a bother," Kol huffed as his grip on the steering wheel tightened. "Still, it's not an eternity of running."
"Not for you," argued Gwen.
"You can just kill Elena and test the theory," Juniper suggested, causing Gwen to pause.
"Really? Murder?" Gwen questioned her friend. "You're sounding a lot like Nik."
"Shut up," huffed out Juniper. "So, where are you right now?"
Gwen's lips remained sealed as she glanced at Kol, scowling when she saw how he was grinning away. "We're on our way to the airport," she answered, nervous about how her friend would react to her plan to go with Kol.
"Daddy hybrid sending you back to Chicago?" asked Juniper.
"That's what he intended," said Gwen. There was silence on the other end of the line. Gwen almost thought that the call ended with how quiet it was for the next few moments. "June?"
"Where are you going?" asked a Juniper that sounded too calm for Gwen's liking.
"Not where Nik wants me to go," Gwen told her.
"Where?" Juniper reiterated the question.
"Off to lands unknown with a devilishly handsome man," said Kol, receiving a light punch to his arm from Gwen.
"Sure," an unimpressed Juniper drawled. "Gwen?"
"Nik wants to send me away a-and lock me up until I die. I-I just want to experience new things and see the w-world," Gwen ranted as she tried to get Juniper to understand. If Klaus wasn't going to listen and give his blessing, then she would at least like to have Juniper on her side. "I can't keep living like he wants me to. I just can't."
"And you trust the devil sitting right next to you?" asked Juniper.
"Hey!" Kol protested.
"Life is about taking risks, right?" Gwen released a sheepish chuckle. She could imagine the look of incredulity on Juniper's face. The halfling herself believed that her trusting the Original vampire was nothing short of dumb, but she was determined to follow him, even if it meant that she would be putting her life in danger.
"Hey, wild one," Juniper addressed Kol.
Kol raised an eyebrow at this. "Yes?"
"Anything happens to her, and you'll be subjected to experimental spells. Trust me, I'm cooking up a few things that will make what you imagine is the worst possible spell look like child's play," Juniper threatened, causing Kol to smirk. "I am not above making you do things that will make you want to be in the Human Centipede."
"Ew, June!" Gwen almost gagged as she recalled the movie she barely looked at.
"Okay, one, you are terrifying," Kol complimented her. He had to admit that he was more fearful of this witch than any of his siblings, but that was a thought he would keep to himself. "Two, you're actually starting to sound like Nik. And three, what's a human centipede?"
"You don't want to know," Gwen told him.
Juniper released a heavy sigh. "Okay, so I have rules. I need you to send me a message every two or three days telling me that you're fine. I also think it's better I don't know where you're going just in case Klaus comes around asking about you." She cleared her throat. "Lastly, I want pictures!"
Gwen smiled at her phone. "Thank you, June."
"Just enjoy life and come back in one piece," said Juniper. "I'll look after the grumpy hybrid."
"Thanks," Gwen said before hanging up.
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Out of every possibility or situation that could have resulted in her death, Elena thought that having her blood drained wasn't too surprising when she was surrounded by supernatural beings who needed to drink blood to survive. She expected fangs to sink deep into her throat to suck out every liter of her blood, but she didn't expect to have it drained with the assistance of a compelled nurse while being tied down to a chair. All because of the murderous Original hybrid standing in front of her with his arms behind his back, keeping watch of the progress being made as her life is being taken away. She no longer had any strength to even move her limbs against the restraints. It was as if a heavy blanket had been thrown over her body.
"What about your hybrids?" Elena asked Klaus with a grunt as the nurse switched out a blood bag that was already full for a fresh one. "You'll need more than this to create your army."
Klaus stopped the blonde nurse who was about to walk by him and took one of the blood bags from her hands. "These last few liters will have to suffice," he sighed as his hands became warm due to the fresh blood in the bag. The sensation of holding the liquid made him thirsty. "You see, by attempting to kill us, Esther strengthened the bond between my siblings and I. I don't really need hybrids."
"If you believe that, then why take my blood at all?" Elena challenged him. If she was going to die, she wasn't going to be a pleasant prisoner. "You want a backup family. You know that your siblings will never trust you again. Something tells me that Gwen no longer trusts you either."
"True, but you misunderstand my intentions," he began as he gave the blood bag for the nurse to put away. "I could care less about having hybrids, but I need them to protect what remains of my family. While we run, the hybrids will serve as the perfect pawns to keep that abomination of my mother's away from us."
Elena scoffed at this. "In other words, you still want to control everything under your terms without caring about what they think."
"You know, Stefan blames me for trying to tear him from his brother, but I think we both know who really came between them," Klaus shot back at her, watching as her defiant gaze lowered. "You." He chuckled at how pathetic and idiotic her reasoning was after figuring out why she had yet to settle for one Salvatore. "That's why you won't choose. You know once you pick a Salvatore, you'll destroy their bond. Yet, I can't help but feel that there's another reason." She looked up at him with a scowl. "Admit it, you just enjoy having the two brothers worship the ground you walk and wait on you hand and foot. Reminds me of someone else."
"Shut up," Elena hissed at him.
Klaus suddenly moved closer to her by placing his hands on top of Elena's, causing her to gasp in surprise. "Consider this me doing you a favor. Once you're dead, you won't have to choose. No broken hearts. Their family stays intact." He grinned as he leaned closer "But just between us girls, who would you have picked?" he had to ask to see if she dared to answer.
"Rot in hell," she growled at him, prompting him to laugh.
"You're welcome," he said as he straightened up, watching her eyes droop. "Sweet dreams, Elena. It's been fun." He walked past her, grazing her neck with his fingers before leaving the room.
After waiting for his footsteps to recede, Elena gasped as she straightened herself against the back of the chair to find a way to gain some leverage to either pull or push against the tight ropes holding her down. She grunted in frustration at how weak her body was. She had seen quite a good amount of blood bags being taken away, which meant that she no longer had the strength to even try to move the chair. Even her eyesight was darkening, but not enough to miss the figure entering the room.
"Tyler?" she asked as he knelt beside her to start undoing the ropes. "What are you doing?"
Tyler hushed her as he continued to work on quickly freeing her from the ropes. Elena remained quiet as she watched him take out the needles from both of her arms. The act of taking the needle out would have had her hissing at the pain the action caused, but she didn't even have the energy to do that. Just as Tyler was finishing up freeing her, Elena noticed the person who appeared in the room with horror.
"Tyler," she said through the lump in her throat, which had him following her line of sight to find Klaus glaring at them both.
"So much for that sire bond," Klaus sighed.
Tyler stood up and faced Klaus. "I'm not your little bitch anymore."
Klaus chuckled under his breath as he walked toward the young hybrid. "I'm curious," he said. "How did you break the sire bond?"
"By breaking every bone in my body, a hundred times for the girl I love," Tyler threw back at Klaus.
Frowning, Klaus mumbled, "That's impossible."
"Is it?" Tyler questioned as he approached Klaus. "Or maybe real love is stronger than fake loyalty. But what would you know about that?"
"No, what you and that girl have is a passing fancy, little boy," Klaus said with a roll of his eyes. "There's no shame in admitting that you did it for yourself. You should be thanking me. I took away your misery."
"You didn't give a crap about me!" Tyler was enraged as he released his pent-up rage and resentment toward Klaus. "You just didn't want to be alone!"
Confident in himself, Tyler turned his back on Klaus and walked back toward Elena to help her up. Klaus took the opportunity to rush toward the pair, pushing Elena down, which caused her to hit her head on a ledge that knocked her unconscious. Klaus then grabbed Tyler by the throat before pushing him against the wall with ease.
"What idiot turns his back on someone stronger than them?" Klaus huffed as he raised his free hand to plunge it deep inside Tyler's chest, which caused the younger hybrid to grunt and gurgle. "Goodbye, Tyler," the older hybrid laughed as he went to pull out Tyler's heart, but a stinging sensation in his neck had him stumbling back into someone who held him in place with a vice grip.
"A cocktail full of enhanced wolfsbane and vervain," Damon's voice whispered in Klaus' ear. "A recipe from our resident witch. Not effective for long, but we only need just enough time."
Klaus screamed as he struggled to get out of Damon's grip, but his body was barely responding to him as a burning sensation spread throughout his body. It felt like being doused with vervain or wolfsbane, but he had long ago become immune to both through years of consumption, but this felt different. Just as he was about to free himself, Tyler appeared to help Damon hold Klaus in place just as Stefan stabbed his fingers into the Original's chest.
Suddenly, Klaus gasped when all sound was muted except for his beating heart which struggled to keep its rhythm. He could then hear the unintelligible whispers of what he deduced was the chanting of a spell. His eyes widened as he realized that the plan meant for Alaric was now being used on him. His body weakened as his skin began to turn gray with veins protruding from his drying skin the longer Stefan kept his hand on his chest. It was an odd feeling for the Original as the unbearably cold feeling began to take hold of his entire being.
Klaus was assaulted with images of his family. They ranged from memories of him and Elijah having a drink. There was another one of him and Rebekah shopping. There was also one of him and Kol going to the bar to have a drink. Memories of his three remaining siblings were more prominent than ones from his parents and Finn. There was even one of Henrik asking him to help him train with the sword. But there was a face that remained in the forefront of his mind. Moments with Gwen overshadowed his other memories, from the moment he first held her in his arms to the moment he last saw her walk out of the mansion. He then realized that his life was flashing before his eyes as fear gripped his heart at the thought of not being able to see his family.
Just when Klaus thought that darkness would engulf him, he noticed that his eyes were still wide awake, and he was very much aware of everything that was happening around him. After being placed on the floor, he watched as the Salvatore brothers and Tyler helped Elena to her feet.
As Damon and Tyler walked out of the room with Elena, Stefan took a moment to stare down at Klaus' decrepit-looking body a moment longer before a corner of his lips lifted.
End of chapter!
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