"What the hell did you do?" I asked angrily as I walked into the library to see Damon, Alaric and Andie Star, a news woman that was friends with Jenna.
"Marianaâ" Alaric started as he turned to me but I walked over to Damon and slapped him.
"Hey!" Andie started and I turned to look at her.
"You have no input here." I snapped and quickly turned back to Damon. "You're trying to kill Elijah for your own personal vendetta, Damonâ" I started but he cut me off as he pushed me back toward the wall angrily.
"Elijah was never going to save you from the sacrifice, Mariana. He was going to use your blood and kill you." Damon stated down at me, holding me to the wall by my shoulders.
"You don't think I knew that? He told me he would protect the people I love, Damon. Now the deal is off because you couldn't respect my choice!" I yelled angrily at him, pushing him off of me, making him narrow his eyes. My phone started ringing from my pocket and I grabbed it, turning away from him. "Elena?" I asked, answering it.
"Elijah's here. He's at the Lake House with Stefan and I.. Heâhe will kill us, Mariana. You need to come. NOW." Elena stated in a rushed voice from the phone and I took a deep breath before turning back to Damon.
"You better pray to god that he doesn't touch her, Damon." I whispered angrily before he slowly nodded in agreement.
"Just go. I'll see you there." He reassured after me, him and Alaric nodding in agreement as I walked out of the room.
~~~
I pulled into the driveway of the lake house and saw Elijah standing in front of the porch, the front door knocked down completely from inside. Elena stood in the doorway, knife in hand while Elijah stood in front of her, clearly agitated and not yet invited inside. "Elijah." I stated loudly, getting out of the car. "They shouldn't have done what they did." I stated pleadingly as he met my gaze.
"The deal is off." Elijah stated angrily and I folded my arms over my chest, walking towards him.
"I'm renegotiating." I countered but he scoffed, slowly walking toward me.
"You have nothing to renegotiate." He stated in annoyance. I looked past him at Elena who still held the knife to her stomach, her hands shaking as she did.
"I'd like to lure Klaus into Mystic Falls after the doppelgänger bleeds to death." I pointed out sarcastically and he furrowed his eyebrows at Elena.
"Stefan won't let her die." Elijah doubted and I rose an eyebrow at Elena who took a deep breath.
"No, he won't." Elena agreed and I tilted my head at her. "He'll give me his blood and heal me. Then, I'll kill my self to become a vampire, just like Katherine did." She stated calculatedly and I watched Elijah looked between us, contemplating.
"Unless you want that to happen again, promise me the same as beforeâpromise me.. you won't harm anyone that we love.. That I love. Even if they've harmed you." I stated, narrowing my eyes towards Elijah who tilted his head.
"And what's to stop me from just using your blood like you asked me to do?" Elijah pointed out and I smirked a bit.
"I can easily snap my own neck. And after the little werewolf incident from last nightâthank you for saving us, by the wayâI still have Damon's blood in my system." I answered and watched Elijah's face twist in serious thought before he turned back to Elena.
"I'm sorry, Elena.. I'm going to have to call your bluff." Elijah called out and I looked at Elena who looked back at me. I gave her a reassuring nod before she took a deep breath and plunged the knife into her stomach. "No!" Elijah yelled, vamping to her but he got as far as the doorway. I felt my eyes glaze over as I watched her groan, bleeding out in pain. I slowly walked towards the house, stopping on the steps as Elijah watched the chaos unfold. "YesâYes, you can have your deal. Now, let me heal her." Elijah stated as he looked back at me and I rose an eyebrow.
"Give me your word." I warned, looking past him and down at Elena who groaned, slinking along the doorway.
"I give you my word." Elijah agreed and I slowly nodded as he turned back to Elena who she stumbled out of the house and into his arms. Elijah bit his wrist as he caught her but let out a gasp of air as a dagger with white oak ash, was plunged into his heart. I watched as he desiccated, falling to the porch before Elena groaned and weakly fell beside him. Stefan quickly vamped out of the house and knelt beside her, bitting his wrist and feeding it to her.
"Little tip.. Don't pull the dagger out." Damon's voice warned as he came from inside the house. He lent in the doorway and looked at all three of us and I slowly nodded and sighed in relief before I walked over to him and hugged him tightly.
"Thank you." I said quietly up at him and he slowly nodded back at me.
~~~
Elena and I watched quietly as the boys put Elijah into the downstairs cellar. Damon started checking over Elijah's pockets and rose an eyebrow. "What do we have here?" He asked as he pulled out the moonstone and I slowly nodded. "A little moonstone bar of soap. I'll hold onto this." He added, putting it into his pocket.
"So that's it? As long as we keep the dagger in him, he stays dead?" I asked, looking down at Elijah quietly and guiltily.
"Pretty much." Damon agreed and I slowly nodded in agreement.
"Okay then." I stated, going to walk out of the cellar before I stopped and looked back at the three of them. "You know, if you guys want me to fight, I'll fight. But if we're going to do this, you can't keep anything from me anymore. Like when Tyler skips town and no one bothers to tell me? Or when you two decide to take down an original and not think to share that information with me.âThe girl who made a deal based on trust with him." I stated in annoyance at the three of them.
"Tyler said he loved you before he left, Mariana. He asked me to tell you but not to say anything else." Elena replied apologetically as she looked at me and I scoffed.
"YeahâRight after he tried to have one of his werewolf friends kidnap you over the weekend so they could use you in breaking their curse. Everything is built on this freaking curse and I am about sick of it." I stated in annoyance, watching all of their faces fall. "From now on, we do things my way." I added, folding my arms over my chest and watched the three of them exchange looks between each other.
"Seems fair." Damon pointed out with a shrug and I rose an eyebrow at Stefan and Elena.
"Okay." They both said in unison and I smirked a bit before nodding.
"Great. This'll be fun." I countered in amusement before I walked upstairs, leaving them with their thoughts and concerns.
-Time Skip-
I walked into the Salvatore house to see Damon sitting in the living room looking over some paperwork while Elena came down the hall. "Good morning, Damon." Elena stated in a bright tone as she fixed the scarf hanging around her neck. Once she noticed me she looked me up and down and nodded. "Mariana." She greeted and I rose an eyebrow. Something was off. Damon looked up from the paperwork and looked between us before giving a small smile. I rose an eyebrow as the smile slowly faded before he vamped toward Elena and pushed her into the wall abruptly.
"What are you doing here? I told you to leave." Damon stated through gritted teeth as he held him hands around her throat.
"Damon!" I yelled angrily toward him but he ignored me.
"What is your problem?" Elena asked weakly as she tried to get out of his hold while I furrowed my eyebrows and looked over her slowly.
"You're wearing her clothes? Like that's going to work." Damon scoffed down at her and I slowly shook my head.
"You think she's Katherine? Why would you think thatâKatherine's in the tomb!" I stated angrily at him before I waved my hand over him, pushing him away from from Elena before I stepped in between them.
"Katherine's in the tomb.. Isn't she?" Elena asked heavily, looking at Damon in confusion as well before Stefan came down the hall from the stairs.
"What the hell's going on here?" Stefan asked, looking between the three of us but more so at Elena.
"I don't know, you tell me. Is Katherine in the tomb or not?" Elena asked in confusion as she looked between Stefan and Damon in annoyance. Stefan looked between the three of us slowly before he looked back upstairs and clenched his jaw. He vamped back towards his room and I furrowed my eyebrows as Elena smirked and followed behind him. Katherine. The three of us quickly followed Stefan upstairs and into his room to see him holding Elena against his closet, by the throat.
"How could you do this!" Stefan asked angrily at her.
"Stefan, you're hurting me!" Elena said loudly back at him as he choked her harder.
"Stop it, Katherine!" Stefan warned through gritted teeth and Katherine smirked from beside me, leaning against the doorframe.
"Stop what?" Katherine asked, tilting her head at him and I walked over to Stefan and shoved him off of Elena who narrowed her eyes at Katherine. "It's getting really easy being you." Katherine added in amusement towards Elena who scoffed and rubbed her throat.
~~~~
"What is she doing here?" Elena asked, pacing back and forth in front of Katherine.
"When we killed Elijah, it broke the compulsion he placed on the bitch. Therefore, letting the bitch out of the tomb." Damon pointed out and I smirked at him as Katherine tried to ignore him.
"How's that possible?" Stefan asked in annoyance as he folded his arms over his chest.
"He's an original. They have all sorts of special skills." Katherine answered as she ran her hands over a feather that Stefan had on his desk.
"I don't want you here. Get her out of here." I stated in annoyance and looked between Stefan and Damon.
"You need me, Mariana. You all do." Katherine stated as she put the feather down and Stefan scoffed, placing his hands on his hips.
"Heh, like hell." Stefan countered in annoyance at her.
"We all want the same thingâKlaus dead. Yet here you all are, running around like chickens with their heads cut off." Katherine stated as she folded her arms over her chest and I scoffed.
"I don't need your help. And I don't want it." I stated emotionlessly toward her, making her chuckle.
"Do you even know where Klaus is? When he's coming? What he looks like?" Katherine asked, ignoring me as she looked around the four of us.
"If you know something, say it or get out." Damon stated in annoyance as he narrowed his eyes at her.
"Fine. Then I'll go to the Grill and have some lunch. Maybe Aunt Jenna's free for a bite." Katherine countered and I narrowed my eyes at her. I held out my hand toward her and slowly clenched my fist, watching her start to gasp and struggle to breathe as her throat closed.
"I don't know if you threatening me makes you braveâor incredibly stupid." I informed, tilting my head at her. She chuckled narrowly and smirked at me. I stared back at her, waiting for her to pass out but I gave up and let my first go, making her gasp out for breath.
"You've got that Petrova fire in you. No one can deny that." Katherine stated in some amusement and I scoffed, walking out of Stefan's room and away from her.
~~~
I walked into the house and heard voices coming from the kitchen. I walked down the hall and heard the voices become more clearer the closer that I got. "Since I was last here, I've been doing everything possible to find Klaus. We knew our best chance was to find him before he could find you." A familiar voice stated before I walked into the kitchen to see Stefan, Elena, John and Isobel.
"Best chance at what?" Stefan asked before I came into view and watched them all turn to me.
"Keeping Elena as well as Marianaâalive." John stated, nodded at me and I folded my arms over my chest and turned to look at Isobel.
"I don't think you should be talking, John. Not after everything you've done." I pointed out and Elena folded her arms over her chest in agreement.
"Were you able to find Klaus?" Stefan asked Isobel, putting his hands on his hips.
"No. Nobody knows where he is. But there are these rumors flying around that a doppelgänger exists." Isobel answered and I sighed, running a hand over my forehead.
"Which means that any vampire that wants to get in favor with Klaus, will be lining up to capture her." John pointed out as I looked at Elena in defeat.
"Okay, I'm not buying any of this." I stated, shaking my head at the two in disbelief. "The last time that you were here, you made it clear that you didn't give a damn about Elena. Now of all of sudden she's just supposed to believe that you want to help?" I scoffed as I looked specifically at Isobel who sat at the table in front of me.
"Isobel's been helping all along." John countered before Elena tilted her head at him in annoyance and full of doubt. "Klaus has been obsessed with finding Katherine for centuries. All it would take was any one of those 1864 tomb vampires to spread the word around that Katherine was still alive. And it would bring him straight here to Mystic Falls, where you were bound to be discovered. Both of you.. So we killed them." He added and I rolled my eyes.
"And almost killed Stefan and Damon in the process." Elena stated in anger at him and he shrugged as he looked atStefan.
"Yeah." John replied obviously uninterested before Isobel stood up from the chair.
"I have a safe house that I can take you to. The deed is in your name. No vampires can get in without your permission." Isobel stated as she looked at Elena before we both furrowed our eyebrows. "Not even me." She added emotionlessly and I rose an eyebrow. "Let me help you." Isobel pleaded towards Elena who's eyes glazed over slightly and I sighed, standing in front of her.
"You want to help?" I asked, looking at her emotionlessly. "Then get the hell out of our house." I stated in annoyance and John sighed in defeat as I looked at Elena who slowly nodded at me in thanks.
~~~
"Do you really think that Isobel's telling the truth? That words gotten out about the doppelgänger?" Elena asked as her, Damon, Stefan and I all sat in the library.
"Look, I don't trust a word that she says butâI think we'd be stupid to ignore the warning." Stefan replied as he sat in the chair beside her.
"You know, you should just stay here." Damon suggested, sitting down on the other end of the couch I lay on, putting my legs over his lap. "It'd better for us to keep an eye on you." He added in amusement and I scoffed.
"In a house that any vampire can enter? Yeah, no thanks. Our house is safer." I countered, rolling my eyes as I looked at him and he rose an eyebrow, thinking about it.
"Well then, we'll stay there." Damon replied and I smirked a bit as I shook my head at him.
"So is that the plan? That neither of you let us out of your sight again?" Elena asked in annoyance and I scoffed.
"Yeah, no thanks. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself." I pointed out and looked at Damon who rolled his eyes at me.
"Let me know when you come up with a better plan." He stated looking at Elena who sighed in defeat.
"Fine. Then one of you two bodyguards is going to have to come with me to the Lockwood Luncheon." Elena stated, looking between the two before Stefan gave her a smile.
"That'd be me." Stefan reassured her and I rolled my eyes at the two.
"Won't be me. I have witch stuff to attend to with Bonnie." Damon stated sighing and I rose an eyebrow at him.
"Does that mean you're taking her to theâ" Elena started before Damon put his finger to his mouth, gesturing for her to be quiet as the click of heels came into the room.
"Don't stop on my account. If you have a plan to combat the impending vampire doom, please do tell." Katherine stated, looking at Damon as she stood behind the couch behind us while we all remained silent. "Seriously, what is the plan to get us out of this mess, Hmm?" She added and I scoffed in amusement.
"You see, KatherineâThere is no 'us', okay? There's only the people we trust and that doesn't include you. Now, don't mistake the fact that we haven't, mostly meâset you on fire in your sleepâfor trust. Because I'm pretty sure I speak for all of us when I say, no one can trust a manipulative bitch." I informed, looking up at her with a smile on my face and she scoffed, walking out of the library.
"Careful. Katherine's starting to grow on you." Damon stated sarcastically and I rolled my eyes as I sat up and picked my feet up from off of his lap.
"Well, I've managed not to sleep with her leftovers, so I'd say I'm doing just fine." I stated in amusement before I walked out of the room as well.
~~~~
I walked into the living room as Elena held Isobel's necklace in her hand and I sat on the couch beside her. "I never thought I would feel bad about her being dead, and yet.." Elena whispered down at the necklace and I shrugged.
"She was your mother, Lena." I pointed out, shrugging at her. "And right now, after Katherine played a part in helping Isobel kidnap you at the luncheonâI kinda wanna kill my mom, too." I added in annoyance and Elena shook her head. I looked over at John who was laying on the floor, dead at the moment. "At least she didn't actually kill him.." I added, shaking my head.
"Why did thy let me go?" Elena asked, furrowing her eyebrows and I rose mine.
"Well, anything that John told Isobel, we have to assume that Klaus knows, right? He knows that you're not going to turn yourself into a vampire. He knows that you have the three of us keeping you safeâ" I started before Elena cut me off.
"He knows that I'm not going to run." Elena added and I nodded in agreement.
"Which is why we need to take some precautions." Damon stated as he came in with a stack of papers before putting the stack on Elena's lap.
"What's this?" Elena asked, furrowing her eyebrows at the boys.
"It's the deed to our house. It's in Zach's name." Stefan pointed out as he stood beside Damon and I rose an eyebrow at the stack of papers.
"As soon as you sign it, it'll be in your name." I informed, looking down at the papers before back up at Stefan and Damon.
"You're giving me your house?" Elena asked in shock and I smirked a bit at her.
"Isobel had the right idea with the safe house. You'll just stay here until it's all over. Both of you. That way you can control who gets invited in and who doesn't." Stefan replied nodding down at us and I furrowed my eyebrows.
"Although I'll be super pissed if you lock me out." Damon pointed out and I chuckled a bit before a gasp broke the silence and we all turned to see John sit up on the floor in front of. I slowly got up from the couch and folded my arms over my chest as Damon vamped over to him, picking him up.
"I swear I had no idea what she was going to do. I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry." John stated in fear at Damon and I rose an eyebrow.
"I'm not the one you need to convince." Damon pointed out and John furrowed his eyebrows before they both looked at me and I waved a few fingers at John in amusement.
~~~
"I always new that Katherine and Isobel were close. But I never realized that they were working against me. Two of the world most uncaring and selfish vampires. Yet, they were genuinely friends." John stated as he sat on the couch across from Elena and I.
"If that's what you thought of her then why did you ever put your trust in her at all?" Elena asked, folding her arms over her chest in annoyance.
"Because I was there the day she gave birth to you, Elena. I saw how heartbroken she was to give you up." John stated and I felt Elena let out a deep breath and I grabbed her hand reassuringly. "And because she was the first girl I ever loved, and when she said she'd help keep you safe... I believed her." John whispered and I looked at Elena who remained silent. "At this point, I will do whatever you want me to do." He added, staring at her and she furrowed her eyebrows. "If you feel safer with me not around, then I'll go." John whispered and Elena looked away from him. I watched as he slowly nodded and got up from the couch, starting to walk over to the door.
"You screw up everything, John." I stated towards him and he looked back at me quietly while Elena furrowed her eyebrows. "Everything you touch just falls apart." I added with a shrug and John slowly nodded as he folded his arms over his chest. "But you're the only parent that Elena has left." I pointed out, looking at her as she looked down quietly before I looked back at him. "So maybe I can learn not to hate you as I watch you take care of my baby sister." I stated quietly and Elena gave me a thankful smile before I kissed her head gently and got up from the couch.
"Ok." John agreed with a small smile and I gave him a short nod. "Mariana, I hope you know that I look at you as a daughter, too.. I mean, it's hard not to. I watched you both grow up." He added and I scoffed a bit.
"Well, If It's okay with you.. I think I'm gonna stray away from the whole 'parent' thing for awhile." I replied quietly and he gave a small nod before I walked away from him.
-Time Skip-
"Do you really think Bonnie can take on Klaus?" Damon asked as we stood on the porch, waiting for Elena to get done signing the deed.
"She said she could channel enough witches' power to kill 'em." I pointed out as I looked out over the lawn quietly from beside him and Stefan. "Elijah thought that would work and he was an original, so." I added looking at him as he leant against the side of the house.
"We just need to find him." Stefan stated putting his hands on his hips and I nodded in agreement and looked back over the lawn.
"Could she do one of those witch tracking spells?" Damon asked looking at me and I sighed, turning to him and Stefan.
"Nope. Not without something that belongs to Klaus. That's how tracking spells usually work. I mean, technically we could use Elijah's blood to find Klaus since they are both originals, but that would require Elijah to be alive and well.." I pointed out, leading off before the brothers nodded back at me.
"Why are you out here? You can easily walk through that door." Stefan stated, changing the subject as he gestured at the door and I scoffed, folding my arms over my chest.
"I needed to clear my head." I answered as I turned back to the trees surrounding the property. "You think Klaus killed her?" I asked emotionlessly, feeling felt the two eye me.
"Katherine?" Stefan asked and I gave a short not. "Probably." He answered and I sighed looking deeply.
"It's not like she didn't have it coming." Damon stated quietly and I slowly nodded, looking away again.
"Yeah." I whispered quietly before the front door opened from behind me. I turned towards it to see Elena and the man who came over with the paperwork for the deed.
"Thank you, Mr. Henry." Elena stated smiling at him as he shook her hand. He turned and nodded at the three of us as he walked off of the porch and out to his car. I walked into the house and sighed as Elena walked away from the door also but I rose an eyebrow at her and she gasped. "I'm sorry. I completely forgot." She admitted, turning back to Stefan and Damon who waited outside of the door and exchanged an impatient glance. "Stefan? Would you like to come inside my house?" Elena asked with a big smile and he smiled back.
"I would love to. Thank you." Stefan replied before he walked in freely.
"What are we? Twelve?" Damon asked in annoyance and I smirked at him as I leant against the doorframe, tracing a finger over the barrier that separated us.
"One of us is." I countered in amusement and he rolled his eyes at me.
"If I let you in, do you promise to obey the owner of this house?" Elena asked and I sighed at her.
"No." Damon scoffed in annoyance and I rolled my eyes.
"Come on, Damon. My way. You promised, remember? No lies, no secret agendas and now Elena, is part of that deal. Just listen to her, Hmm?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him as I folded my arms over my chest. Damon narrowed his eyes back at me before he looked at Elena again.
"Yes, Elena. Sure." Damon answered and she gave him a smile.
"Then you can come in." Elena nodded toward him before he stepped into the house and I walked into the living room in amusement.
"Shut up." Damon sighed at me as he walked over to the bourbon. Bonnie came in from the hall with Elena's jacket and bag in hand and Elena grabbed them.
"Thanks." Elena smiled at her and Stefan furrowed his eyebrows.
"Wait, where are you going?" Stefan asked as she put her jacket on.
"To school." Elena answered and I watched as both brothers had a caution sign appear above their heads.
"No, no, no, no. We didn't create a safe house for you to leave it." Damon argued and I rolled my eyes at them.
"Yeah. Klaus is out there. We know that." Stefan added and I sighed at them.
"Yeah, but where? No one knows." I countered, raising an eyebrow and Stefan sighed.
"Look, I really appreciate what you guys are doing, and I'll be able to sleep at night knowing that I'll be safe here.. But I'm not going to be a prisoner." Elena stated shaking her head at the two and I nodded in agreement.
"Don't worry, I'm ready. If he shows his face, I can take him. I know how." Bonnie agreed and I slowly nodded as Elena smiled.
"The way I see it, next to Bonnie is the safest place that I can be. Come on." Elena replied grabbing Bonnie's hand before walking out the door and I sighed, looking at the bourbon as Stefan scoffed. Damon and I gave him a look before we gestured after the girls and Stefan nodded.
"Wait. I'm right behind you." Stefan sighed and walked out of the house behind the girls.
"You're not going with them?" Damon asked, tilting his head at me as he poured himself bourbon and I shrugged sitting on the couch.
"Well, I'm sure Elena will be safe. She has Stefan and Bonnie now.. I'm not sure how much of a help I'd be." I replied quietly and Damon sighed, walking behind the couch I was on before he put a glass of bourbon in front of me and I smirked, taking it.
"Trust me. You're a bigger help than you think you are, Mariana." Damon stated quietly from behind me and I smiled a bit before I drank the bourbon.
~~~
"Look, we'll just go to the dance and find him." Damon pointed out with a shrug as he paced the floor between the two couches and Stefan scoffed.
"How do we do that? We don't even know what he looks like." Stefan countered and I sighed a bit as I stood up.
"Something tells me he's not going to be sixteen and pimply.. Ew." I stated jokingly and Damon smirked at me.
"He could be anywhere at anytime. He compelled somebody at the school." Stefan stated looking between all of us with his hands on his hips. "I guess it's not as safe as you guys thought, huh?" He added in annoyance at the two girls who remained quiet. There was a knock on the door before it opened, revealing Alaric and I felt something about him shift from inside the house.
"There you are." Damon stated towards him from beside me as Alaric closed the door.
"Sorry I'm late." Alaric chuckled, coming into the living room.
"Hey, I need you to put me down as a chaperone at the dance tonight. Klaus made his first move." Damon stated and Alaric furrowed his eyebrows.
"Ok, so we find him and then what, Hmm? What's our plan of attack?" Elena asked and I watched as Alaric stared at her before his eyes shifted to me and I quickly looked away.
"Me." Bonnie stated and Elena furrowed her eyebrows. "I'm the plan. He has no idea how much power I can channel. If you can find him, I can kill him." She added reassuringly as Alaric eyed her carefully and I slowly folded my arms over my chest.
"That's not going to be that easy. I mean, he's the biggest, baddest vampire around." Alaric protested with a small chuckle.
"Alaric has a point. I mean, what if heâ" Damon started before he vamped at Bonnie who lifted a hand towards him. I watched as Damon flew back and over the table of books that sat behind the couch, knocking it over. I rose an eyebrow at Bonnie as Damon looked over the couch at her, obviously amused.
"Well, I was impressed." Stefan pointed out as he folded his arms over his chest.
"It doesn't matter if he's an original. I can take down anyone who comes at me." Bonnie stated as she walked closer to Elena. "I can kill him, Elena. I know I can." She added, nodding reassuringly at her and Elena gave her a small smile.
~~~
Elena, Stefan, Bonnie, Jeremy, Damon and I walked into the cafeteria and I looked at all of the 70's decorations surrounding us. A slow song was playing around the dance before Dana, the party coordinator went up into the stage. "Thanks for being here, everybody!" Dana said happily into the microphone before the crowd of students on the floor erupted into applause. Dana laughed over the mic as the group and I made our way through the crowd. I grabbed onto Damon's arm tightly, making him grab my hand tightly in reassurance. "We have a special shout-out tonight. This is for Elena." Dana added from the stage and I quickly flicked my eyes up at her, as did the group. "From Klaus." She stated with a smile and I felt my skin crawl as cheers and applause erupted around us again and I looked at Elena who stood beside Stefan completely frozen.
"That was a lame, cheap shot. He's just trying to bait us." Damon stated in reassurance to Elena as we all looked around the crowd of people.
"I know everyone here." I pointed out in defeat and Stefan slowly nodded.
"Maybe he's not here. He just wants us to believe that he is." Stefan suggested and I furrowed my eyebrows at him.
"It's a party, people. Blend. Let him come to us." Damon suggested and I sighed, nodding in agreement.
"Good idea." Bonnie stated before grabbing Jeremy by the hand and leading him through the crowd.
"No, no. I really don't feel like dancing." Jer protested but Bonnie rolled her eyes.
"Too bad." Bonnie stated as they walked away and I sighed, shaking my head.
"There's Ric." Damon stated nodding toward Alaric who stood across from us. "I'll be back." He added reassuringly towards me and I slowly nodded as he let my hand go and walked away. I sighed, walking over to a table before I looked over at the entrance of the dance and saw Caroline and Matt arrive, dressed as JFK and Jackie. I walked over to them before I saw Stefan and Elena beat me to it. I went forwards until someone grabbed my hand and spun me toward them and I gasped but quickly calmed down. "How you doin'?" Damon asked as he held me in his grasp and started dancing us around.
"Well, aside from you just freaking me outâI'm a little freaked out." I pointed out jokingly and he nodded in agreement as we pulled away and he started doing his own little dance moves. "You?" I asked, watching him curiously.
"Cool as a cucumber." Damon replied in amusement and I furrowed my eyebrows at him. "Come on, remember the last decades dance? The vampires were all 'Ahh!' And you were all 'Ahhh!'." Damon said growling before he screamed lightly and I chuckled in annoyance.
"Right. And we won." I sighed, shaking my head and rubbing the back of my neck with my my hands before Damon grabbed them.
"Yes, we did." He agreed with a smile before he twirled me away from him before back in and I laughed.
"You're good at this." I stated, observing him and he smirked.
"I've got moves you've never seen." Damon whispered into my ear before he twirled me back out and I laughed as he pulled me back toward his chest. Stefan walked over to us with an angry expression and I pulled away from Damon as I saw Elena and Bonnie walk out of the dance behind him.
"Please tell me that you didn't know that Bonnie was on a suicide mission." Stefan stated toward Damon and I furrowed my eyebrows.
"Oh, great. Jeremy told you and of course you told Elena." Damon replied in annoyance, making me fold my arms over my chest.
"Yeah, I told her. You promised no more secrets, Damon." Stefan stated angrily and I looked between the both of them completely confused.
"I changed my mind." Damon countered in annoyance and I groaned, standing in between them.
"What the hell do I not know?" I asked, looking between the brothers before Damon looked down at me but he didn't speak.
"If Bonnie uses the power she got from the witches, against Klausâshe will die, Mariana." Stefan stated and I furrowed my eyebrows and looked at him.
"There's only so much power a witch can control.." I whispered as I thought about it over in my head. I shook my head and looked around the party before I saw Jeremy walk out into the hallway. Damon, Stefan and I walked toward the entrance after him. Once we walked out, I heard grunts and looked down the hall to see Jeremy laying on the floor as three guys stood above him, beating him.
"Hey, idiots!" Damon yelled, running over to them before one of the guys pulled out a crossbow and shot a stake at him, hitting him in the shoulder. Damon groaned in pain as I noticed the two other guys also pull out weapons. "Let me guessâKlaus says hi." Damon stated in annoyance before Stefan vamped toward two of the guys who stood in front of him, knocking them out cold. Damon pulled the stake from his shoulder before he vamped towards the guy that shot him, about to plunge the stake into him before I widened my eyes.
"Damon, don't! He's been compelled!" I said loudly but Damon scoffed.
"So?" Damon asked, hesitating as he held the stake above the guy.
"So the whole things a distraction! You and Mariana need to go find Elena and Bonnie. I got this. Go." Stefan warned us as Damon dropped the stake and pushed the guy into the lockers across from him, knocking him out.
~~~
Damon and I ran down the hall before a loud bang echoed from around us. "This way." Damon stated gesturing in front of us before we ran into the next hall and saw Bonnie and Elena breathing heavily, running in our direction as we met half way.
"What happened?" I asked worriedly as I looked over them concerned.
"Klaus is in Alaric's body." Elena stated as she breathed breathlessly and I furrowed my eyebrows.
"What?" Damon asked in confusion at the two of them.
"He's possessing it or something." Bonnie pointed out before Damon narrowed his eyes at Elena.
"Go find Stefan. Now." Damon warned and Elena nodded back at him, not moving as she looked at Bonnie in worry.
"Okay." Elena stated shaking her head at Bonnie, waiting for her to go with her but Bonnie stayed still.
"Now, Elena." I warned and she looked at me, nodding again before running past us and down the hall that Damon and I just came from. "Can you kill him?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows at Bonnie.
"He's got some sort of protection spell on him." Bonnie stated, shaking her head at me in fear.
"You have the power of a hundred witches. Break it." Damon countered angrily at her.
"I'm trying! But if I kill Alaric, he'll just possess someone else. He knows I have my powers, Damon. He's trying to kill me." Bonnie warned and I furrowed my eyebrows at her.
"No. Klaus does not get to win tonight. No way." I warned and Bonnie furrowed her eyebrows at me. "Are you still willing to do whatever it takes to kill him?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows at Bonnie who slowly nodded in agreement and I looked at Damon.
~~~
Bonnie and I walked through the doors down another hall to see it empty, all except glass that was spilt and shattered all across the floor from a broken trophy case. I rose an eyebrow at Bonnie and gestured toward the teacher lounge. Once we walked through the doors, we saw Alaric sitting on a chair as his feet were propped up on a table as he held a knife in hand.. But it wasn't Alaric. "What took you so long?" Klaus asked in amusement before he looked at me. "Mariana, is it? Elena's doppeltwin." He added, smirking at me as Bonnie and I stood across from him. "Now, do you wanna do this the easy way or the hard way?" Klaus asked, smirking towards Bonnie as he twirled the knife in his hand. Bonnie twisted her hand towards him, breaking his hand easily and he groaned out in pain before he snapped the bones back into place. "The hard way. Got it." Klaus said breathing heavily as he slowly stood from the chair. I raised my hand towards him again before his shoulder popped out of place and he groaned, he chucked at us. "What? You'd kill your favorite history teacher?" Klaus asked, shaking his head as he popped his shoulder back into place.
"It's what Alaric would want." I pointed out emotionlessly as Bonnie and I slowly walked towards him.
"And he'd want you to suffer first." Bonnie added as she started bleeding from her nose and Klaus chuckled at her.
"Look at you.. Is that all you got?" Klaus asked emotionlessly as Bonnie wiped her nose slowly.
"Let's find out." Bonnie stated, tilting her head at him. The lights above us started flickering before Bonnie broke Alaric's legs and Klaus groaned as he fell to the floor. The flyers that hung up from around the teachers lounge started flying off of the walls as Bonnie created a whirlwind from inside. I looked at Bonnie who bled more vigorously from her nose nose as Klaus slowly stood from the floor before she surged another amount of power towards him and he groaned loudly, falling back down. I heard footsteps come from behind us and saw Elena and Stefan standing outside of the teacher's lounge. I looked at Bonnie who nodded back at me before I ran out of the lounge, waving my hands at the doors as they shut and locked behind me.
"Bonnie!! Mariana, No!" Elena screamed at me as her and Stefan pounded against the doors angrily and I stood behind them, watching the scene. I looked at Klaus who crawled toward Bonnie from on the floor before she surged more power towards him and he groaned loudly as sparks from the lights above them, started raining down.
"Bonnie." I whispered towards her in warning, but I knew she couldn't hear me..
"Bonnie!" Elena yelled angrily pounding on the door as she watched the scene in fear, from the windows on the doors. Stefan tried to ram himself into the door, hoping it would budge but it didn't. "Mariana, open them!?" Elena yelled at me but I ignored her, I couldn't.
"Bonnie." I whispered, holding myself tightly, looking past Elena and watched her, noticing how weak she looked.. So, so weak. Klaus slowly got up in front of her, kneeling on the floor and smirking up at Bonnie, waiting for the grand finale. I watched as he stood slowly and I clenched my jaw.. Bonnie and Klaus stared at each other for a few moments before she arched her back in pain before falling to the floor in front of him. The lights above them went out and the sparks died, leaving darkness to encompass them. I unlocked and opened the doors before the three of us ran toward Bonnie who lay unconscious with her eyes open, on the floor.
"Bonnie! Bonnie!" Elena yelled down at her as she grabbed Bonnie and put her in her arms. "Stefan, she's not breathing!" Elena sobbed and I looked around us and saw Klaus/Alaric gone. I knelt beside Bonnie and grabbed her wrist while Stefan grabbed the other one, checking for a pulse. "StefanâStefan, I can't find her pulse!" Elena said worriedly as she put Bonnie back on the floor. "Stefan, do something, please!" Elena yelled at him as her eyes glazed over and she rocked her and Bonnie back and forth. "Stefan, give her your blood, please." She added, shaking her head and I looked away from them as Stefan's eyes glazed over also.
"It's too late, Elena." I whispered emotionlessly as I looked back down at Bonnie.
"I'm sorry, Elena." Stefan stated and Elena shook her head vigorously back at him.
"No!" Elena countered angrily as tears fell down her cheeks. "No, no, no, no. Bonnie! Bonnie! Please, Bon! No!" She added clutching onto Bonnie tightly. I looked away again, slowly standing as Damon came in and looked between me and Bonnie before clenching his jaw.
"Stefan, get Elena out of here. I'll deal with the body." Damon stated as he walked towards Bonnie and Stefan stood from the floor.
"What do you mean 'deal with it'?" Elena asked angrily toward him.
"The Sheriff can't know about this. Last thing we need is another mysterious death." Damon pointed out and Elena scoffed at him as my eyes glazed over at the sight of him trying to grab her from Elena.
"This is Bonnie!" Elena yelled angrily at him and he sighed looking at her emotionlessly before he looked at Stefan.
"Get her home. Now. So I can clean this up." Damon warned gesturing down at Bonnie and Stefan slowly nodded, grabbing Elena from behind while she sobbed.
"Hey, Hey, Heyâ" Stefan started before she cut him off.
"No.. Jeremy." Elena whispered as she came to realization as Stefan stood her up. "Oh, my god! What about Jeremy! Where's Jeremy!" Elena stated looking around us worriedly.
"I'll find him." I reassured her as I held myself tightly.
"No! You've done enough, Mariana!?" Elena yelled angrily at me as Stefan dragged her out of the room and I sighed, looking down at Bonnie before I shook my head and walked away.
"Hey." Damon whispered and I furrowed my eyebrows at looked back at him as he closed Bonnie's eyes with his hand, gently.. "I'll find Jeremy. You should go home." He added and I slowly nodded, giving him a weak smile before I walked after Stefan and Elena.
~~~
I stared at Elena as she sat in the living room, quietly crying to herself. Stefan came down the hall and stopped once he saw her, holding a mug in his hand. "Hey." Stefan whispered going over to her as she sat in the chair across from me. "Here, drink this." He added, gesturing the mug to her but she shook her head slowly.
"I can't." Elena whispered in a shaky voice and Stefan knelt in front of her.
"Yeah. Yeah, you can. Please drink this." Stefan reassured her in a small voice as he stared up at her. Elena slowly took the mug from him and put it towards her lips before she started sobbing again.
"This is my fault." Elena stated and I sighed, walking over to her and sitting on the coffee table.
"No, no, no. This was Klaus, Elena." I argued but she shook her head back at me in protest. "Listen to me. Klaus did this." I whispered and Elena looked at me in silence before the door opened and Damon came in. "What did you do with her." Elena stated, standing from the chair angrily.
"Will you please calm her down?" Damon asked and I slowly stood from the coffee table and watched as Elena stood in front of Damon.
"Don't talk like I'm not standing right in front of you." Elena demanded as he came into the living room and I sighed, standing beside Damon.
"Please calm down, Elena." I whispered, shaking my head at her before she looked between Damon and I, sobbing again.
"You knew, didn't you? You knew that if she harnessed all the power, that she would die. Didn't you!" Elena stated angrily at Damon and I before I sighed, looking away from her.
"Don't put this on Mariana. I knew, Elena. Yes." Damon admitted, defending me and I shook my head back at him before Elena scoffed angrily and slapped him. I quickly grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her away from him.
"You need to listen to me, Elena.. And prepare yourself for what I am about to say." I warned her, letting her breaths calm down before I went further. "Bonnie had to die. Klaus using Alaric's body was a total surprise. She wasn't prepared for that. He wasn't going to stop, Elenaâand we weren't going to be able to stop him until he knew she was dead." I stated, shaking my head at her and I watched as the tears stopped. "He had to believe it." I added quietly before Elena looked back at Stefan who gave her a confused look as well. "I casted a spell, Elena.. Bonnie's okay." I whispered reassuringly and watched as she let out a sigh of relief before she looked at Stefan and let a small smile form.
~~~
I walked into Damon's room as he came from his bathroom, fully changed and I watched hun throw his previous shirt on his bed. "Elena can get real talkative when she wants, huh?" Damon asked in annoyance and I smirked, sitting on his bed in front of him.
"I can handle her yelling at me. I'm a little worried about you, though. How's the pretty face?" I asked in amusement and Damon rolled him eyes.
"Still as drop dead handsome as ever." He replied sarcastically and I chuckled. "You're just jealous that she actually managed to get a hit in." Damon pointed out and I scoffed, walking over to his dresser.
"Are you a mind reader now?" I asked sarcastically before I opened one of his drawers and took out a T-shirt. "Do you mind?" I asked, looking over my shoulder at him and he shrugged before I nodded and closed the dresser. I turned to him before I waved my hand over his door, closing it so we were officially alone and he rose an eyebrow. "You know when it comes down to it, Elena would never put her life above Bonnie's. Stefan knows that." I stated, pulling my shirt over my head and throwing it on the bed next to his. I started putting Damon's shirt over my head but he vamped over to me and grabbed the bottom of the T-shirt, slowly guided it down my stomach and grazing his knuckles against my skin, letting them linger for a moment.
"Klaus needed to believe she was dead. You know that. We need to kill him, Mariana. And now that he thinks Bonnie is dead, he'll be paying Elena a visit soon. Bonnie's the only one that can kill him." Damon stated down at me and I slowly nodded back at him.
"We'll find another way. I will do it, if I have to. I can't do the sacrifice. Klaus wants ElenaâElena specifically. I can talk to Bonnie, I can have her lend me the ancestorsâ" I started but Damon quickly cut me off.
"Let's get one thing straightâIf it ever comes down to you and Bonnie, I would gladly let her die, Mariana." Damon stated emotionlessly and I furrowed my eyebrows at him. "I will always choose you." He whispered before pulling my shirt all the way down, covering me and I stared at him silently before I cleared my throat.
"Good night, Damon." I whispered looking over his face before I grabbed my shirt and walked past him and over to the door.
"Good night." Damon replied from behind me and I felt a small smile spread across my face as I walked out of his room.