"Carol Lockwood always said that togetherness, in times of tragedy, leads to healing. That one community is stronger than a thousand of its members." Sheriff Forbes stated from where she stood behind a podium that was set in the middle of the gym where all of the students sat. I held a small candle that Bonnie lit with hers before I passed the flame to Elena. "But How does a community stay strong after losing its leader?" Sheriff Forbes asked quietly and I slowly nodded in agreement and looked at the picture of Carol that stood beside her. "And Carol was so much more than just a mayor. She was.. an open-minded friend. And a concerned mother.." She added quietly, looking at Tyler as he sat across from her. "Taken from us too soon.. By a terrible accident." Sheriff stayed and I watched Tyler as he sat on the bleachers beside Caroline uncomfortably, shaking his head slowly in defeat.
"Screw this." Tyler stated in annoyance and handed his candle to Caroline who furrowed her eyebrows as Ty got up from the bleachers.
"What? Tylerâ" Caroline started in protest but cut herself off as he walked off of the bleachers and out of the gym.
"Please join me in observing a minute of silence in her memory." Sheriff stayed quietly towards the rest of us and I sighed deeply.
"I'll be back." I stated quietly as I handed my candle to Elena who nodded back at me. I walked off of the bleachers quickly and quietly before out of the gym. "Ty!" I said after him as he walked down the hall in front of me. He heard me behind him, which made him go faster and I furrowed my eyebrows and vamped in front of him to see that his eyes were red. He quickly looked away from me, making me sigh in defeat. "Ty.." I whispered, putting a hand on his arm reassuringly. Tyler cleared his throat and looked back at me before I quickly pulled him into a hug and heard him sob into me. "I'm so sorry.." I added, shaking my head slowly as he cried. "I'm so sorry." I repeated, running a hand gently through his hair.
~~
I walked into the Grill and looked around curiously before my eyes landed on Stefan who sat in the corner by himself with a bottle of bourbon. I sighed in annoyance and walked towards him as he poured himself a shot but I took it easily and downed it. "Sure, Mariana. Why don't you join me?" Stefan asked sarcastically as he sat back in his chair and I rose an eyebrow, putting the shot glass on the table.
"What are you doing here? Is this what you were doing instead of showing up to the mandatory assembly?" I asked in disbelief and he rolled his eyes, drinking from the bottle of whiskey.
"Elena and I aren't speaking." Stefan stated emotionlessly and I furrowed my eyebrows.
"Well, Damon 'set her free'. So things should be fine." I pointed out and gave him a shrug, making him scoff back at me lightly.
"Yeah, well. They're not. Henceâthe drinking." Stefan countered as he tilted the bottle towards me. I sighed back at him as his phone started ringing and he grabbed it and furrowed his eyebrows down at the unknown caller I.D. "What?" Stefan answered in an annoyances voice.
"Guess who." A familiar voice stated from the other side and I rose an eyebrow and slowly folded my arms over my chest as Stefan narrowed his eyes. "I'm back, Dagger freeâno thanks to you, and I'm holding Elena hostage at the high school. Just thought you should know." Rebekah added from the phone and Stefan furrowed his eyebrows.
"Who the hell is dumb enough to pull that dagger out of you?" Stefan countered emotionlessly and I stood before him, totally lost.
"I'll be asking the questions today. See you soon." Rebekah replied in amusement before she hung up and I tilted my head down at Stefan in annoyance.
"So... Did you wanna fill me in now or later?" I asked, shrugging at him in disbelief and he sighed loudly, standing up from the table.
"Just.. Call Caroline." Stefan answered with a heavy sigh and I furrowed my eyebrows as he walked past me and I followed after him.
"Fine. I'll call her. Just as long as you promise to keep my sister safe while I'm busy keeping my brother safe." I countered and Stefan turned towards me once we reached the exit door of the Grill.
"I will always keep her safe." Stefan pointed out emotionlessly and I rose an eyebrow at him before I pulled out my phone and dialed in Caroline's number, letting it ring.
~~~
I parked my car in the driveway of the lake house before I heard indistinct voices coming from the near the doc. I rose an eyebrow and walked towards the side of the house before I saw Matt and Jeremy boxing each other. "Go ahead. Make a move." Jer stated teastingly towards Matt as the two circled each other.
"I drove up here to be your wing-man, not kick your ass." Matt countered in amusement and Jeremy rose an eyebrow back at him, putting a smile on his face before he punched towards Matt aggressively and Matt sighed, shrugging. "Alright." Matt countered and I looked away from them and towards Damon stood near the dock, leaning against a wooden table with his arms crossed over his chest, probably trying to block the two idiots out. I smirked and looked back towards Matt and Jeremy just as Matt swung his ring arm towards Jer who easily blocked him. Jeremy took the advantage and grabbed Matt from under his arms and flipped him over and onto the ground before straining his arm, threatening to pop his shoulder out of its sock. "Ahhh, okay! I get it, I get it. You're a badass now." Matt groaned loudly before tapping out and Jeremy let him go and stood, looking at Damon who payed them no attention.
"You see that?" Jeremy asked, putting his arms up in defeat towards him.
"Couldn't miss it. It was in slow motion." Damon answered sarcastically and I smirked, folding my arms over my chest as I slowly walked towards them while Matt got off of the ground.
"The teach me something useful. We've been here for days and so far, all you've done is bark orders." Jeremy countered in annoyance and Damon rose an eyebrow towards Jeremy.
"Ok." Damon replied with a small shrug and I rose an eyebrow and stopped, not being noticed yet, as Damon picked up a stake from the table he leant on. "Take a seat at the bench, quarterback. Karate kid wants a shot at the title." Damon pointed out and walked towards the two, making me walk towards them and make myself known.
"Jer, you're not ready for this." I wanted from behind him and watched as the three of them gave me a look. Jeremy smirked at me before he looked back at Damon who threw him the stake as Matt sighed in defeat and walked away from them. Jeremy twirled the stake in his hand and positioned himself as Damon shrugged back at him.
"Well?" Damon asked tauntingly towards Jeremy with a smirk. I rolled my eyes at him but watched as Jeremy quickly charged towards him and went to plunge the Shane into him but Damon dodged easily. Damon grabbed Jeremy by the jaw as he breathed heavily from under him. "Now, all I have to do is apply a little bit of pressure under your jawâ" Damon started, doing as he said before Jeremy groaned in pain while Matt and I watched in some amusement. A truck pulled up from beside us and I scoffed in annoyance at the pizza emblem on the side of it.
"Really? Again?" I asked in annoyance towards Jeremy before I looked at Matt as well but he just shrugged at me in amusement. Jeremy groaned from within Damon's arms before tapping out. Damon rolled his eyes and let Jeremy go as a woman got out of the truck with a pizza while Jeremy stood beside Matt, breathing heavily.
"Double pepperoni three days in a row. You guys eat anything else?" The delivery girl asked in amusement towards Matt and Jer who smiled back at her.
"Why, you offering?" Damon asked, camping behind her and she furrowed her eyebrows and looked at him in confusion as her heartbeat raced before handing him the pizza as Damon gave her cash. "It's a little something extra to cut off the pizza pipeline for a few days. No matter how much they beg, don't come back." He added quietly, tilting his head down at her as she took the cash.
"Sorry, guys." The delivery girl stayed with a smile towards Matt and Jer before she walked back towards the truck and got in.
"What, you're gonna starve us now?" Jeremy asked in disbelief and I rolled my eyes and took the pizza from Damon.
"If that's what it takes to make you a hunter." I answered with a sigh and Jeremy rolled his eyes back at me.
"Now run around the lake, twice." Damon added, giving Jeremy a fake smile who sighed in defeat before he started jogging away from us.
"Matt, keep him company." I stated, gesturing at Matt who furrowed his eyebrows back at me. "Please? I mean, you wanted pizza, right?" I asked in amusement and watched as he sighed in annoyance and jogged after Jeremy. I looked back at Damon and smiled, giving him a soft kiss before I went over towards the table and opened the pizza.
"Not you, too." Damon stated in annoyance as he came and at beside me, making me smirk a bit and shrug.
"I'm hungry." I pointed out innocently and he rolled his eyes in amusement as I grabbed a piece of pizza.
~~~
Damon and I stood in front of Jeremy who sat at the table outside, putting wooden bullets into the clip. He grabbed the gun and loaded it, inserting the clip before handing it to Damon who slowly nodded down at it. "Good." Damon stated before he took the gun apart and started emptying out the clip, letting some of the bullets fall onto the table top. "Now, Do it like your life depends on itâcause it does." He pointed out, turning away from Jeremy who scoffed and got up from the table.
"Don't pretend like you care about my life. You care about the hunter's mark and curing Elena so she's not sired to your ass." Jeremy countered in annoyance and I sighed in defeat as Damon turned back towards him.
"Both require you to be alive, Jeremy." I warned, stepping in front of Damon who narrowed his eyes towards him.
"I'm sorry. Did I interrupt playtime?" A voice asked from near us before the three of us looked towards Klaus who walked over with a smirk on his face.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Jeremy asked, looking a Klaus from over his shoulder.
"I'm simply appreciating the sights and smells of nature, neither of which presently include rotting vampire flesh, so I'm a bit concerned." Klaus replied, standing in front of the table and I sighed, tilting my head at him. "How many vampires has he killed?" He added, looking between Damon and I.
"If we throw Jeremy out into the world right now, he's chum." Damon countered, standing beside me and Klaus slowly nodded.
"Yeah, see, that's not a number. Twelveâthat's a number. That's how many of my hybrids I slaughtered with my sword. Threeâthat's how many days it took to quell the urge to kill your brother after he knowingly watched as I walked into a death trap. One... that's the number of purposes you serve." Klaus replied, narrowing his eyes at Damon and I rose an eyebrow in amusement as he walked towards Damon and Jeremy stepped out of the way. "You are here to grow Jeremy's mark.. So I ask again.. How many vampires has he killed since he's been here?" Klaus asked, looking at Damon emotionlessly.
"Zero." I answered, letting a smirk play on my lips as I answered and Klaus slowly nodded at me.
"Hmm.. That's a pity." Klaus replied and I gave Jeremy an uninterested look as Klaus walked a few feet away from us. "I'm going to need that cure sooner rather than later, hybrid shortage and all." He pointed out, tilting his head at me and I slowly nodded. "How can I help?" Klaus asked, smirking towards Damon and I as I looked down at the table where the half of a clip and gun rested.
"You know.. now that you mention it." I stated, shrugging towards Klaus before I picked up the gun and clip. "Jeremy, watch and learn." I added, looking up at him as I loaded the gun and cocked it before I pointed it towards Klaus and pulled the trigger twice. Klaus groaned in annoyance and clenched his jaw, leaning against a tree for support as two wooden bullets shot not his chest. I slowly nodded, taking the clip out of the gun before putting it back on the table. "That's for Carol Lockwood.. And for pissing me off." I pointed out in annoyance before I looked at Jeremy who smirked, tilting his head at Klaus.
~~~
Damon and I sat around a fire outside of the lake house once it became dark. I watched Damon carve out a stake, tentatively and carefully with his knife that he brought with him. "If you're here for payback, go for it. 'Cause the you'll be stuck babysitting my little hunter that could." I pointed out as Klaus joined us while Damon examined his stake carefully.
"You know.. if you adjust your angle a little bit, you'll find a sharper edge." Klaus pointed out, sitting on the other side of Damon and gesturing down at the stake he was carving. Damon furrowed his eyebrows and looked away from the stake towards the side of him in annoyance.
"I know how to whittle. Thanks." Damon replied, looking away from him and back down at his stake as I smirked. "Now I know why those hybrids hated you. You are annoying." He added with a sigh and I looked at Klaus who narrowed his eyes.
"Actually, I'm just perplexed as to why Jeremy hasn't killed any vampires." Klaus countered with a fake smile as he looked between Damon and I.
"Darwinism, Klaus. He needs to be able to protect himself before we hunt down his first vampire nest." I stated in annoyance and Klaus slowly nodded in agreement.
"And here was I, thinking you were the fun sister.. Like you were supposed to be the fun brother." Klaus replied, gesturing towards Damon and I, making me scoff. "Well, let's play a little game, shall we? Jeremy needs more bitcoins, and there's a whole town of people down the road, just waiting to be turned into vampires for the slaughter." He added with a shrug and Damon sighed in annoyance.
"You don't think that occurred to me, Klaus?" Damon asked emotionlessly, not looking away from the stake that he carved.
"The tragedy is, Damon, it did occur to you, yet you chose to ignore it. And my guess is you did it to impress Mariana, here." Klaus stated in amusement and Damon rose an eyebrow and looked at him quietly as I furrowed my eyebrows. "Somehow, to honor her, you'll find a way to spare innocent lives and walk Jeremy down the moral high road." He stated wot a shrug and I rolled my eyes at him. "That's why I've already made the necessary corrections." Klaus reassured and I furrowed my eyebrows as him as did Damon.
"What did you do?" I asked quietly and watched as a smirk was slowly plastered across his face. Damon and I exchanged a worried glance before we looked back at Klaus in confusion. A yell came from inside of the Lake house and I furrowed my eyebrows before I quickly vamped away from the two. I ran into the house and up the stairs where heavy breathing came from. I vamped into the room that Matt was staying in, to see Matt and Jeremy breathing heavily with furrowed brows as they both stared down at the desiccated pizza girl who lay below them. I sighed in defeat and looked up at Jeremy who was staring down at his right arm, probably watching his tattoo grow. I felt Damon arrive and stand behind me before heavy a sigh of annoyance.
"I'll take care of the body." Damon stated emotionlessly and I gave him a nod of agreement while I still stared at Jeremy.
~~
Jeremy, Damon, Matt and I cautiously walked towards a bar that was down the road from the lake house. We walked in and all furrowed our eyebrows as people laid on the floor, pool tables or the bar, completely motionless as blood stained them. "I was beginning to think you lot wouldn't find the place." Klaus stated in amusement as he sat at the bar, in between two men who lay on the bar top.
"What the hell?.." Jeremy asked quietly towards Klaus who smirked and drank tequila from his glass.
"Did you kill all these people?" Matt asked in disbelief as he gestured around the bar while old music played around us.
"Not exactly." Klaus answered once the four of us stood beside the bar and he turned around on the stool he sat on. "They're in transition.. Killing them is your job." He pointed out and stood from the bar and gestured towards Jeremy with his glass. Jeremy widened his eyes in disbelief before him and Matt both looked between Damon and I.
"You said you were going to convince Klaus to do this another way." Jeremy stated in anger towards Damon and I. I looked at Damon in confusion as Klaus smirked towards us and I scoffed lightly and looked away from him.
"Well, I thought about it.. And then I realized his idea was better." Damon replied, staring at Klaus emotionlessly who chuckled and raised his glass before downing the rest of it. I slowly shook my head and looked around the bar at all of the people to see some of them stirring lightly. I looked at Jeremy whose breath hitches in his throat as he looked around the bar also.
"No way. I'm not doing this." Jeremy protested as he looked back at Klaus in anger.
"What makes you think you have a choice?" Klaus countered, tilting his head back at Jer as I sighed.
"You have to kill vampires to complete the mark, Jeremy.. Mark equals cure. You're in a bar full of almost vampires, so get your hunt on." Damon stated in amusement and I narrowed my eyes at him as I heard groans from around the bar as people started waking.
"Screw you. You said I wouldn't have to kill any innocent people." Jeremy countered in annoyance and I sighed in defeat.
"Jeremy. They're not people." Damon replied and I scoffed back at him.
"Enough. Have at it, or else." Klaus warned from in front of us and I furrowed my eyebrows as the two people on the bar counter groggily got off.
"I don't take orders from you, dick." Jeremy replied, throwing the stake that he held in his hands to the floor. "Hunter's can't be compelled." He pointed out emotionlessly and I smirked at him. Klaus chuckled a bit and walked closer to Jeremy, closing the space between them and I felt my body go tense.
"You're right. I can't compel you, but if your conscious is getting in the way, then allow me to make this easier for you because I can compel them." Klaus stated, gesturing around the bar and I furrowed my eyebrows as a few people went around the bar, feeding the new vampires that were waking up. "I'm going to give you a two-minute head start. Then I'm gonna send every vampire in here after you. You kill them or they kill your friend.. Matt." Klaus warned and smirked at Matt as I widened my eyes.
"Whoa, wait a second." Matt countered in protest and looked towards me in disbelief.
"No, no, no. You turn them, he kills them. You just said that was the deal, Klaus." I stated, standing in front of Matt in defense as Klaus shrugged.
"I'm taking an artistic license." Klaus replied in amusement and I scoffed, folding my arms over my chest and looked at Damon for help.
"You know he can't take them all in at the same time." Damon pointed out in annoyance and Klaus sighed.
"With you as his coach and Mariana as his sister, he'll be fine. It's Matt I'm worried about." Klaus replied with a smirk as he looked behind me towards Matt who scoffed. Silence fell over all of us and I looked at Damon who sighed in defeat and exchanged a glance with me before he narrowed his eyes at Klaus.
"Jeremy, go get the weapons from the car, we'll be right behind you." Damon finally stated emotionlessly, not looking away from Klaus who smirked. Jeremy turned and walked away from us as I looked over my shoulder at Matt.
"Both of you." I added gesturing at him and he slowly nodded before quickly walking after Jeremy.
"If I hear an engine start, I'll kill Matt myself!" Klaus yelled in warning after the two before they left the bar. I sighed in annoyance and looked around us as the new vampires fed on the people going around and giving them blood, completing their transitions.
~~
I ran through the woods as Damon ran behind me before I heard indistinct voices talking from up ahead. I furrowed my eyebrows and vamped towards them before stopping behind Jeremy who whipped around and pointed his crossbow at me but I easily took it from him. "Don't hesitate. You're lucky it was me otherwise you two would be dead." I pointed out and looked between him and Matt who leant against a tree behind Jer, holding a hand to his bleeding neck. Damon arrived beside me as Jeremy took his crossbow back and scoffed.
"You set us up." Jeremy stated angrily towards Damon who rolled his eyes.
"I was trying to get this thing over with. You're the one who pissed off Klaus. Now you have to fight your way out of it." Damon countered with a sigh and I shook my head and looked behind us warily.
"Alright, where are the other vampires?" Matt asked, standing up from against the three as he looked through the woods around us also.
"They're newbies, they're still figuring out how to track. Which means you have two seconds to get ready to fight." Damon warned as he looked at Jeremy before looking behind him towards the woods in front of us.
"The Lake house is this way, if we can get there they won't be able to get inside." Jeremy pointed out as he looked at Matt before turning towards Damon and I.
"Wait. You want to run?" Damon asked Jeremy in confusion and I slowly shook my head and looked at him.
"Damon, they're going to kill Matt." I warned, narrowing my eyes at him. Damon stared at me before a few seconds before looking at Jeremy and Matt.
"Fine. Get him out of here. Mariana and I will slow them down." Damon reassured Jeremy emotionlessly. Jeremy nodded back at him before the two walked towards the direction of the lake house, leaving Damon and I. I heard heavy pants come from around us and I rose an eyebrow before one of the newbie vampires came into my vision. I rose an eyebrow at Damon who shrugged and gestured at me, making me smirk. I vamped towards the vampire before I plunged my hand into his chest and ripped it back out. The vampire gasped and widened his eyes before he fell to the ground and I let his heart drop beside him. "Nice work." Damon stated somewhat sarcastically as he came up beside me and I rolled my eyes back at him. "Go after the two idiots. I'll be right behind you." He added nodding at me and I sighed I response before I vamped in the direction Matt and Jeremy ran off to. I furrowed my eyes and listened for their heavy breathing before I heard it from up ahead.
"Jeremy, where are you?" Matt yelled breathlessly from up ahead of me as he ran.
"Keep going. We're almost there!" Jeremy yelled back at him in reassurance. The sound of their footsteps came into my ears before I heard Matt grunt before a snarl came soon after. I clenched my jaw and ran fast as a vampire standing over Matt as he lay on the ground, came into my vision. The vampire hovered over Matt, trying to bite into his neck as Matt yelled out, trying to get the vampire off of him. I vamped towards the vampire before someone beat me to it and easily snapped his neck before flinging him off of Matt.
"Are you okay?" Elena asked worriedly down at Matt who breathed heavily in fear from below her. Elena helped him up and moved his letterman jacket away from his blood neck as I stopped beside them. "Oh, my god." She added in concern as she looked at the bite mark on Matt's neck.
"Get to the house! Hurry!" Jeremy said breathlessly as he ran towards us. I grabbed Matt by his arm and ran towards the house that was showing through the trees in front of us. Matt ran out to the house before opening the back door and running in but Jeremy and I stopped outside of the door and looked out into the woods.
"Mariana, what's going on?" Elena asked in complete confusion towards me and I slowly shook my head back at her.
"They're coming." I answered emotionlessly as Jeremy. I stared out into the woods as many footsteps came into my ears before ten or more vampires came into mine and Elena's vision. I backed into the house as did Elena before she quickly shut the door behind her, locking it.
~~
I looked out the window from inside the living room as the sun was now up. "Suns up. They're long gone." Jeremy pointed out as he stood beside me and put the gun that he held, down on the windowsill in front of us. I looked over my shoulder at Elena who sat on the coffee table in front of Matt as she cleaned the bite on his neck before Damon came into the room and walked towards the liquor table.
"What the hell were you thinking?" Elena asked in annoyance towards Damon, making me raise an eyebrow and fold my arms over my chest as she got up from the coffee table. "All we asked you to do was to teach him out to fight." She added and Damon shrugged, picking up a bottle of bourbon.
"He's not the best student in the world." Damon countered with a sigh as he poured himself a glass and Jeremy furrowed his eyebrows.
"Wait, now this is my fault?" Jeremy asked in disbelief and Damon rolled his eyes back at him.
"Stop talking." Damon replied in annoyance and I rolled my eyes as Elena folded her arms over her chest. "Look, I know you're angry. But my way was the easiest, fastest and safest way to complete his mark and get you the cure." He added with a shrug before he drank his glass of bourbon.
"I don't care about the cure, Damon. Not if it means putting the people that I love in danger." Elena countered in anger as she gestured towards Matt, Jeremy and I.
"Hey, there would have been no danger if he hadn't gone all bleeding heart." Damon replied in annoyance as he gestured at Jeremy who narrowed his eyes.
"He killed someone, Damon. These were innocent people." I stated, walking and standing in front of him.
"The mark grew, didn't it?" Damon asked emotionlessly down at me and I sighed back at him and shook my head.
"Okay, look.. We need a plan. There's a group of compelled vampires out there and as soon as the sun goes down, they're going to come after Matt so we have to find a way to protect them." I warned, looking between Damon, Jeremy and Elena as Matt still sat on the couch.
"Yes, I know. But there will be no problem when big Jer and I, here.. Go on a hunting expedition." Damon replied, walking towards Jeremy and putting an arm around his shoulder. I rose an eyebrow and exchanged a look with Elena as Damon sighed. "Girls, I know it's tragic, I get it.. But we also agreed that he had to kill them. Now we have added incentive. So you two take the least most valuable player homeâ" Damon started as he gestured towards Matt and I scoffed lightly. "And Jeremy and I will finish this." He added reassuringly and I slowly shook my head.
"I'm sorry, are you saying we should leave him here with you?" Elena countered in disbelief, making Damon sigh.
"Trust me." Damon replied, walking towards her as she stared up at him quietly. "I will keep him safe.. Okay?" He asked softly before looking past Elena and towards me, making me sigh lightly.
~~~
Elena, Matt and I walked into the house and sighed, shaking my head. "I'm so sorry. Listen, when we asked you to stay with Jeremy, we never thoughtâ" Elena started as she closed the door behind us and Matt cut her off.
"What did you expect, Elena? It's Damon." Matt countered and I furrowed my eyes at him as he stood in front of Elena and I.
"We never wanted anyone to get hurt." I pointed out in defense and he rolled his eyes at me.
"Well, then you shouldn't have left him in charge." Matt stated in frustration and I looked away from him as Elena and I became silent. "I'm sorry.. I know that you didn't have a choice. Sire bond and all." He added gesturing towards Elena who sighed, shaking her head and folding her arms over her chest.
"The sire bond doesn't work like that." Elena replied quietly and Matt slowly shook his head and looked between us.
"Look, all I know is.. that the old Elena and Mariana, would have never left Jeremy with Damon, especially after what happened last night." Matt stated in defeat and I stared at him silently before my phone started ringing and I sighed, grabbing it from my back pocket.
"Jeremy?" I asked in confusion after I looked at the Caller I.D and answered.
"Mariana, were in trouble." Jeremy stated breathlessly through the phone and I furrowed my eyebrows and exchanged a look of concern with Elena.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Just slow down. Where's Damon?" I asked, shaking my head and looking at Matt who sighed in annoyance down at me.
"Kol attacked usâI barely got away. But he's got Damon, Mariana." Jeremy replied in warning and I looked at Elena in defeat as my body became tense.
~~~
"A bit ironic, you coming to me for help." Klaus stated as Elena sat across from him inside the living room of the Mikaelson mansion while I leant against the living room doorway, behind the couch that Elena sat on. "Weren't your friends just trying to bury me in a cement tomb?" He added in amusement and tilted his head towards her and Elena sighed, shaking her head.
"This is your fault. You started this when you forced Jeremy to kill those vampires." Elena countered in annoyance towards him.
"And now my little brat of a brother has gone and made things worse. Well, he never did like Damon." Klaus stated and I scoffed lightly in agreement and looked at the fireplace that sat in between the two. "I suppose I should do something, shouldn't I?" He added with a sigh and I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Call him off, Klaus." Elena stated emotionlessly and Klaus narrowing his eyes back at her.
"You are in no position to make demands, love." Klaus warned her in a serious tone and Elena became silent, making me sigh in annoyance and walk up behind the couch she sat on and leant against it. Klaus looked between Elena and I quietly before he sighed and looked away from us. "Whilst is like to cure you to make more hybrids, I do have other reasons for finding the cure, not the least of which is destroying it so you lot can't use it against me." He added and I sighed, folding my arms over my chest down at him.
"Whatever our differences, we're family, whether we like it or notâand we want the same thing." I pointed out, tilting my head at Klaus who looked up at me quietly. "And as familyâif that means just the smallest amount of anything to you, Klaus... I am begging you.." I added emotionlessly and watched as he smirked up at me. He sighed and slowly shook his head before taking out his phone from inside of his jacket. He looked down at it and pressed the instant dial button before he put it to his ear, listening as it rang before the ringing stopped.
"Little brother. Just two days home and I've heard you've already gone and made a mess." Klaus stated with a smirk and I rose an eyebrow, listening in.
"Come on, Nik. I was only having some fun." Kol replied with a defeated sigh from the other side.
"Those vampires were for my hunter." Klaus pointed out in a voice of warning as he looked up at me and I tilted my head.
"So I'll make some more. There's no shortage of people." Kol countered in annoyance and I watched Klaus' smirk falter as he looked away from me.
"Where's Damon Salvatore?" Klaus asked in a serious tone and I narrowed my eyes as Kol became silent for a moment.
"I gave him a good and proper beating. Just for old time's sake." Kol replied, obviously amused and I rolled my eyes.
"Yes, well, you've had your fun. Now let him go and come home. Avoid anymore trouble or you'll find yourself back in a box." Klaus threatened with a fake smile as he looked between Elena and I.
"Hey, Hey. You don't need to be nasty about it." Kol stages in annoyance and Klaus sighed back at him.
"On the contrary, I find nastiness to be essential whenever my siblings try to sabotage me." Klaus pointed out, narrowing his eyes at Elena who sat across from him. "Listen closely, Kol.. Stay away from the Gilbert boy. You understand?" He asked emotionlessly, a small smirk appearing on his face.
"Fine. I won't hurt him. You have my word." Kol replied in annoyance and I sighed, looking down at Elena who looked at me in relief. Kol hung up and I furrowed my eyebrows at Klaus who shrugged back at me as he looked between Elena and I.
~~
"Jeremy, it's over. You can put all of this away." I reassured him as I leant against the island counter and gestured towards all of the weapons he was putting out in the table.
"Klaus still wants me to finish the mark." Jeremy countered, putting more stakes and guns out on the table. "He's not going to stop." He added in a serious tone before cocking one of the guns and making me sigh. I looked at Elena in defeat as she stood at the table, leaning against the back of a chair.
"Ok, well, Damon's going to be back soon and the we can figure something out." Elena suggested, nodding at him and Jeremy furrowed his eyebrows.
"Seriously, you still trust Damon?" Jeremy asked in disbelief and I pushed myself away from the counter before I stood in front of Jeremy.
"He saved your life." I pointed out in annoyance and Jeremy scoffed lightly, shaking his head.
"He saved the map to the cure. He couldn't care less about me." Jeremy countered and I sighed in annoyance as Elena stepped towards him.
"I care about you. We both do." Elena reassured him as she placed a hand on his shoulder gently, only for Jeremy to push it off.
"Don't." Jeremy stated in anger and I furrowed my eyebrows at him. "Whatever's inside me that makes me want to hunt, right now it's in overdrive." He warmed and I looked down at his hands to see a stake in one as he held it towards Elena.
"Jeremy." I warned emotionlessly before I put Elena behind me and Jeremy looked down at the stake. Elena and I slowly stepped away from him as he took deep breaths and out the shake on the table away from him.
"I'm sorry." Jeremy stated looking between Elena and I innocently. "I know what I have to do.. I really want to get that cure for you, Elena. I justâ" He started before he cut himself off and I sighed in defeat. "I just don't know how I'm going to do this." He stated and I slowly reassuringly before I exchanged a look with Elena.
~~
I opened the front door after I heard someone knock before I saw Damon standing out on the porch and I sighed in relief. "What happened? Are you okay?" I asked in confusion and stepped out onto the porch in front of him, putting his face in my hands gently as he sighed.
"Kol happened." Damon answered, furrowing his eyebrows as he remembered the details and I slowly nodded.
"Thank god you both got away. If Kol had taken Jeremy.." I stated in defeat and pulled away from him, running a hand over my forehead.
"Is he here? I just want to talk to him really fast." Damon replied, raising an eyebrow and looking through the front door in confusion before looking back at me.
"He's at the Grill. He wanted to check on Matt." I answered, tilting my head up at him and he slowly nodded.
"Well, I should go apologize to him. I wasâI was pretty tough on him today." Damon admitted quietly, looking down at me and I sighed, nodding back at him.
"I'll go with you." I stated with a smile before I shut the front door and the two of us walked down the porch.
~~
Damon and I walked into the Grill before I gestured my head towards Matt who was bussing tables across from us. The two of us walked towards him and I furrowed my eyebrows as Jeremy was nowhere to be found. "Do you ever take a night off?" Damon asked sarcastically once we got close enough to Matt who furrowed his eyebrows at him
"I took two days off to help you out at the lake house, remember? I almost got killed?" Matt asked in annoyance towards him and I rose an eyebrows at Damon who looked around us, uninterested.
"Where's Jeremy?" Damon asked, tilting his head as he looked back at Matt who sighed.
"He's in the back I think." Matt answered, gesturing his head in the direction of the bar and Damon nodded.
"Hm." Damon replied emotionlessly, looking between Matt and I before walking away and I sighed, looking back at Matt.
"Are you doing okay?" I asked in defeat and Matt sighed deeply, slowly nodded back at me.
"Yeah. All things considered." Matt answered and I nodded in defeat and looked past Matt towards Damon who was standing in the middle of the Grill, narrowing his eyes at something. I furrowed my eyebrows and followed his gaze to land on Jeremy who looked at Damon in confusion. Damon started moving quickly towards Jeremy, bumping into people as he went and I slowly shook my head.
"I'll be right back." I stated quietly in confusion towards Matt but not looking at him as I walked after Damon as Jeremy's face turned from some relief to instant fear. "Damon." I stated emotionlessly, furrowing my eyebrows from behind him and watched him stop in his tracks in front of me. Damon looked at me in confusion from over his shoulder and I walked closer to him, placing a hand on his arm. "Are you okay? What going on?" I asked in concern, shaking my head slowly at him before looking away from him and in the direction of Jeremy. Damon looked away from me and towards at where Jeremy was also, only to see no sign of him. I furrowed my eyebrows Jeremy disappeared but the door leading back into the storage room, swayed back and forth on its hinges, indicating where Jeremy ran off to. I looked at Damon again who clenched his jaw in the direction of the storage room before he looked back at me and his face softened. "Damon?" I asked quietly, slowly shaking my head at him and watched as his face hardened and became emotionless before he moved away from me quickly and towards the storage room after Jeremy. "Damon, what is wrong with you?" I asked in confusion as we both walked into the storage room but it was empty and there was no sign of Jeremy.
"It was Kol. He must have compelled me." Damon answered, breathing heavily as he turned towards me in defeat after he looked around the empty room. "If I find Jeremy... I'm gonna kill him." He stated warningly before his eyes fell on something behind me and he vamped away from me.
"Damon?!" I asked loudly as concern washed over me. I looked towards where he disappeared to, to see a large space in the wall of the storage room, leading down into tunnels and I sighed deeply in defeat.
~~~
I walked through the tunnels, holding my phone to my ear as it rang before he answered and I sighed in relief. "Hello, Mariana." A familiar voice stated and I furrowed my eyebrows and stopped in the middle of the tunnels.
"Rebekah? Where have you been?" I asked in confusion before I quickly shook my head and sighed. "No, there's no time. Where's Stefan?" I asked in annoyance and Rebekah sighed.
"Sorry, love.. I don't think Stefan's in the mood to talk right now. You know, sister of the girl who crushed his heart and soul.. and all." Rebekah stated in some amusement and I scoffed lightly and slowly nodded.
"Fine, then I guess he can listen. I know you might not care about Elena right now, Stefan, but it's me. And Kol compelled Damon to kill Jeremy. They're somewhere in the tunnels right now, and Iâ" I started in defeat and looked around me at all of the forks. "It's just one giant maze down here, and I can't find them. So if you still care about the cure, or about me and Jeremyâthe. Maybe you can come help." I finished, heaving a sigh and listened onto the phone as silence fell over us for a few moments before I gave a short nod. "Ok." I added emotionlessly before I hung up quickly, shaking my head in disbelief. I scoffed in disappointment before the sound of gunshots rang from around me. I furrowed my eyebrows and ran down a tunnel towards them before stopping in confusion as I was at a fork. Another gunshot erupted through the tunnels and I vamped into the right tunnel, following the sound. The smell of blood came into my nose and I widened my eyes as I realized I was now in the Lockwood cellar. I sighed in some relief and vamped out of it and up the steps, into the woods to see Damon. He walked away from me and angrily towards Jeremy who leant yards away from us, against the bottom of a tree breathing heavily while his left arm bled from a bite mark, probably caused by Damon. "Damon, stop!" I yelled out towards him and watched him stop quickly from in front of me. "Please.. I know that you don't want to hurt Jeremy, so please stop." I stated quietly towards him before he turned towards me with furrowed eyebrows.
"I can't." Damon replied in defeat as blood ran down his forehead, indicating where Jeremy shot him in the head.
"Yes, you can." I reassured him, slowly walking away from the cellar and towards him. "You're strong enough to resist the compulsion, I know that you are." I added, shaking my head at him as he looked slowly away from me.
"Why, because Stefan did for Elena?" Damon asked in annoyance and I furrowed my eyebrows at him.
"Because I love you." I answered emotionlessly and watched as he slowly looked back at me. "And because you love me." I added, walking closer towards him as my eyes glazed over. "You would do anything for me, Damonâso please.. do this for me." I stated, looking over his face slowly as he stared back at me. Damon opened his mouth to speak before the sound of a single drop of blood, falling off of a nearby leaf, came into both of our ears.. Cutting through the air like a knife. I looked past Damon and towards Jeremy who winced in pain and looked down at his arm that bled more as beads of sweat now covered him. My eyes fell back on Damon who gave me a look of defeat, sighing down at me.
"I'm sorry, Mariana." Damon whispered in disappointment as his eyes shifted in front of me before he vamped towards Jeremy and I widened my eyes.
"Damon, please don't make me do something I will regret!" I yelled in warning after him as he stood in front of Jeremy, fully shifted.
"You're gonna have to shoot me, Jeremy." Damon warned towards Jer who weakly pushed himself up off of the ground, holding a wooden bullet gun in his hand. "Shoot now." He added quietly, breathing heavily and getting ready to attack Jeremy. I narrowed my eyes as Damon vamped towards Jeremy and I held my hand towards the gun, creating a fist before letting it go. The gun went off and shot a bullet towards Damon who was quickly pushed back against a tree and away from Jer.
"Hey, brother. Long time no see." Stefan stated, breathing heavily towards Damon who furrowed his eyebrows back at him. Stefan easily snapped Damon's neck and I gasped, watching him fall to the ground. Stefan looked at me in some amusement and I sighed, giving him a questionable look. "You're welcome." He added with a short nod and I slowly shook my head back at him in some amusement.
-Elena-
I walked into the Salvatore house and shut the door behind me. I put my phone in my back pocket before I walked down the hall towards the cellar as Stefan came down it. We looked at each other awkwardly and stopped, letting silence fall over us. "Going to see Damon?" Stefan asked emotionlessly, twirling the knife that he held in his handâprobably the one he was using to bleed Damon out.
"I need to talk to him." I answered warily, feeling my breath hitch in my throat and Stefan slowly nodded.
"Well, you can't. He'll just ask you to let him out." Stefan replied, folding his hands in front of him and I furrowed my eyebrows.
"I won't let him out." I pointed out in confusion and Stefan shrugged back at me.
"You won't have a choice. You're sired." Stefan replied emotionlessly, tilting his head and I sighed, looking away from him in defeat. "That all?" He added in some annoyance and I scoffed, shaking my head back at him.
"Stefan, Mariana told me you were with Rebekah. What are you doing with her? She tried to kill me." I stated in disbelief and watched as he slowly nodded.
"And this would be the second time that Damon tried to kill Jeremy.. So I guess no one's perfect, right?" Stefan countered with a shrug and I scoffed lightly back at him.
"Are you trying to punish me? I don't know how many times I can apologize." I stated in defeat as I slowly shook my head at him.
"I never asked you to." Stefan replied in annoyance and I furrowed my eyebrows at him. "You can do whatever you want, Elena. I really don't care. I mean, why don't you sleep with Damon while you're at it. The Mariana will be in the same boat I'm in." He added and I felt my breath hitch in my throat as I looked him over silently.
"You're hurt." I stated and watched as he stared back at me quietly. "You're hurt, so you're acting out, Stefan.. This isn't you." I pointed out in defeat and he shrugged, shaking his head back at me.
"Sure it is. You've just never seen me like this." Stefan replied and I tilted my head at him doubtfully, making him step closer towards me. "You don't know what I look like when I'm not in love with you." He added emotionlessly and I furrowed my eyebrows at him in shock. Stefan stared at me for a few seconds before looking down and sighing. "I'll let Damon and Mariana know you stopped by." Stefan stated quietly, looking back up at me and I looked away from him, completely taken aback. I sighed and slowly nodded my head in defeat, looking back at him before walking back towards the door.
-Mariana-
Elena walked out of the house and I took a deep breath and stood from where I sat on the steps. I looked over the railing, towards Stefan who stood in the hall and looked down at the knife he held in his hands. "I get that you're hurting.." I stated quietly and watched as he looked towards me in confusion. "But so is she.. Now, more than ever." I pointed out in defeat. Stefan stared up at me silently before I let out a heavy breath. "Thanks for letting me stay the night.. I'll see you tomorrow." I added with a short nod before I walked upstairs, leaving him standing in the hall.