The Spare Girl ( The Vampire Diaries)

Chapter 23 - Balance

Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries or any characters.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this story, I hope you enjoy it! A special thank you to Marvel_girl23, Prettylittletalker, I_have_no_life_2020 and elliemay212 for voting on the previous chapter!

Katherine strode into the room locking the door behind her. Rebekah did not look up from the worn armchair she lounged in. Reading a crumbling spell book, she swirled a glass of wine from a bottle she'd found in the cellar. She'd left Stefan with Klaus and Caroline, hoping a few minutes of peace with a bottle of wine would ease the incessant pounding in her skull.

The room, perhaps a former drawing room, was at the back of the house, most of the furniture remaining untouched covered in white sheets. A broken piano stood in one corner; a chess set with pieces scattered across the floor by the boarded window. Only two Queens remained on the board, sat at opposite ends staring at each other.

Dragging the armchair in front of the hearth Rebekah had lit a fire before collapsing back into the chair. The flames of the fire chasing away her shivers, the wine dulling the throbbing pain.

"Can I help you Katherine?"

Katherine placed a finger to her lips, holding a bundle of Esther's sage to the candle in her other hand. Watching from the corner of her eye as eddies of smoke danced off the sage around the room as Katherine wafted it. She then placed it on the mantel piece before dragging a chair of her own to the fireplace. With a twisted smirk she held her hands in front of the fire to warm herself.

"I know Esther's magic is affecting you."

"What do you want a medal?" Rebekah drawled taking a sip of wine, savouring the taste as it coated her tongue. Katherine leaned in,

"I know it is making you sick, but the others don't. How selfless of you not to let them worry over you."

"Actually," She took another sip of wine, "It is completely selfish, because every moment they spend worrying about me is one they don't spend finding a way out of here. If they don't find a way out of here, I die. Why would I give them a reason to be distracted?"

"This is why I always liked you Rebekah," Catherine poured herself a glass of wine, "We always were able to see eye to eye."

Rebekah nodded recalling her brief friendship with Katherine back when she had been Katerina Petrova. In his usual controlling manor, Klaus forbid the pair from leaving his estate, so the two women spent many an afternoon playing chess while Klaus and Elijah were away. Rebekah soon distanced herself from the doppelganger though when she realised the tricks she was playing with her brothers. Rebekah did not tolerate people who played with love.

"Is there a point to this Katherine?"

Katherine paused mid sip.

A devious smile creeped across her apple cheeks, her sharp eyes meeting Rebekah's cold stare she leaned in.

"I know you took the gun."

Rebekah snapped her book shut continuing to meet Katherine's stare.

"What are you going to do about it?"

"Help you."

"Why?"

"Because we both deserve our happy ending."

Rebekah mulled it over. On the one hand including anyone, even Stefan, risked the chance of her plan's failure what with them questioning the ethics of it. But then again Katherine was famed for putting her own self-preservation over anyone else's. Ironically, more people trusted Katherine, so she'd be able to get close to them.