I woke to the feeling of something slick and tacky rub against my side, my eyes fluttering open, finding myself lying in a bed that I'd always envisioned myself in, a familiar arm draped over my waist, holding me close. Stefan Salvatore was asleep beside me, his face nestled in the side of my neck, buried in the locks of my hair with his chest pressed against my back ; like a dream.
Waking up with Stefan beside me, warm in his bed was something that I had pictured a million times over. In my dreams, I would pull him closer, but instead I shifted my body, moving to face him. I watched in wonder as he slept, observing the softness in his face, the lamb that hid the lion. Stefan Salvatore was an angel that had fallen from grace.
I ran my fingertips along the side of his face, tracing down his jaw, and for a second I pulled my hand away, my gaze resting on his mouth. All he had to do was kiss me, and my humanity would be back, just like that, I knew. And that made Stefan dangerous.
I didn't want my humanity back, not after all of the people that I'd killed. I didn't want to go back to the girl that was too weak to handle herself, to handle her new life, to handle reality. If I did go back, I wouldn't be able to survive it.
I was just better off this way.
Stefan shifted, and I quickly sat up before he could catch my staring. I glanced over to my side, lifting my left arm to see a strip of plastic wrap taped over my side, a smile forming on my lips as the events of last night replayed in my thoughts ; I had gotten a tattoo.
"Mmmm..." Stefan mumbled, as I hopped up off the bed, striding over to the mirror. "You're up way too early.."
I pulled off the wrap I no longer needed for the tattoo that had already healed - perks of being a vampire - revealing a somewhat large, blooming rose.
"It's half past noon." I replied, turning back around to face the man that had inspired my slightly drunken decision last night. Stefan and I had stumbled upon a tattoo parlor, and the next thing I knew, I was lying on my side, with a needle prodding at my skin, asking for the same rose that was on Stefan's arm. "Besides, what lame vampire gets a hangover?"
"The same lame vampire who's tattoo you copied." He retorted, sitting up in bed, which made me laugh.
"It was loosely inspired by yours."
"Really?" Stefan quipped, as I walked back over to the bed. "Is that why you compelled the guy when he said he wouldn't he remake another artists work?"
My smirk twisted into a smile, as I sat down on the bed. "Maybe I just wanted to have something to always remember you by, Stefan."
That was a lie. I didn't need anything to always remember him by, knew that no matter what Stefan Salvatore wouldn't ever be someone that I'd forget.
He chuckled, looking away from me, while I simply stared, still and inhuman. "You know," I continued, as he lifted his head to look at me, dark lashes contrasting his green eyes that were pulling more blue in that moment. "I don't understand my sister."
His brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"I just.." I trailed off, shaking my head. "I can't understand why she's wasting her time with Damon, when she could have you." Elena had everything with Stefan, everything she could've ever wanted - anyone ever wanted - but Damon would just cause her more pain. "If It were up to me, Stefan, I'd choose you."
I was shaken from my thoughts by the sound of Elena's voice coming from the stairs, accompanied by Damon's. I was torn from Stefan's gaze, listening to Elena calling out for him, and Damon - so obviously knowing Stefan and I had passed out when we got home - telling Elena that he was pretty sure Stefan was still in his room.
I rolled my eyes, lifting myself off of the bed and moving to grab the flannel Stefan had thrown off last night, pulling it on.
"Stefan - " Elena stepped into the room, stopping short when she saw me. "Lyssa," She breathed out. "I didn't know you were here."
"No, but Damon did." I said, glancing past her at the older Salvatore who walked into the room. Elena glanced between Stefan and I, lips pursing before she glanced over at Damon, who had known exactly what he was doing, what picture he was trying to paint in my sister's head. "Don't worry Lena," I told her, as I picked up my heels and purse, strewn along the floor. "I didn't sleep with your boyfriend...at least, not yet."
Her eyes widened, lips parting as if she wanted to say something, but she was speechless. I smirked, throwing her a wink before moving to walk past her.
"Subtle." Damon commented.
"I wasn't trying to be." I stated, nudging his shoulder as I walked by him, stopping at the door for a second to look at Stefan, who was the source of all the tension in the room without having said a word. "See you later, Stef!"
And that was the only thing that had come out of my mouth that I truly knew I wanted ; to see him again. Last night, Stefan and I had fun, drinking and dancing, and just being free of everything that weighed the both of us down, and it hadn't involved blood.
When all I desired was blood, and chaos, I was finding the fun in simple ways, as long as Stefan was with me.
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I got to the mansion, silently opening up the door and letting myself in, bare feet padding along the cold floors into the foyer. The house was still, feeling empty, though I could sense someone familiar inside ; my sire. As I stepped across the foyer to get to the staircase, I was halted by the sound of Kol's voice.
"Oh look," He spoke up from the next room over, lounging on a couch with his feet propped up on the coffee table. "the second walk of shame for the day. Tell me, darling, who was last night's lucky man?"
"No man," I responded, walking into the room. "but I did get a tattoo." I proudly said, tossing my heels to the floor, before walking around the table to show him.
"A tattoo?" Kol inquired, moving his legs. "Nothing too scandalous, I hope."
I pushed Stefan's flannel off my shoulder, lifting my arm to show him the tattoo. He leaned closer to me, gently swiping his thumb along my skin. "You like?" I questioned, glancing down at him.
"Where the hell have you been?" Klaus interrupted, storming into the room. "I called you - "
"Like one too many times," I finished, turning to face him as he walked over, his eyes moving down to my side.
"What's this?" He roughly pulled my arm, observing the ink that was now part of my skin.
"A tattoo." I replied, tugging free of his hold. "I got it last night.."
"And you weren't able find the time to call me back?" Isn't that what he wanted, though? For me to stay away from him? Wasn't that the whole point in shutting off my humanity? But, the second that I did just that, it was like he was ready to rip apart the whole town to find me. His brows furrowed, his anger growing into confusion as he observed me. "You reek of cheap booze, and.."
Klaus's eyes flickered down to my shirt, a smirk forming on my lips as I put my arm through it's sleeve, pulling it up to my shoulder.
"Stefan." I finished, a low chuckle coming from Kol. Klaus's gaze hardened, his jaw clenching, which made me giggle. "Don't worry, he was a perfect gentleman all night."
It was fun, screwing with his emotions, kind of like he had done to me ever since we met.
"Lyssa," I looked away from Klaus over to my left to see Elijah, standing at the entryway to the room, his dark eyes hard on me.
"Elijah." I spoke up, turning away from Klaus and his little brother.
"Join me for a walk?" He offered, and I was more than willing to go absolutely anywhere that would lead me away from Klaus and his absurd amount of questions, his judgement. Why was he - of all people - judging me?
I looked back over at Klaus who glared at me, before stepping aside to let me move out from around the table. As Elijah and I stepped into the foyer to the doors, I heard Kol snicker.
"How lovely," The younger brother said. "we have another Tatia on our hands, along with two lovestruck fools."
"Shut up," Klaus snapped. "before I tear out your liver."
___________________________
"You've abandoned your emotions," Elijah began as we walked, strolling through the expanse of the large surrounding land, a laugh escaping me.
"What gave you that idea?" I questioned, feigning innocence, a smirk forming on my lips as I looked over at him. "I know - was it because I killed the waiter last night?"
He slowed, stopping in front of me, noticeably concerned by what was coming out of my mouth, and when he looked at me, it was like he was staring at a ghost, and he was, because the girl that he'd known, the girl that I was when we met, and last spoke to one another was dead.
"Why would you do such a thing to yourself?"
"Klaus didn't tell you?" I asked, brows furrowing as I looked up at the confused expression on his face. "Of course he didn't.." I sighed, before walking past Elijah.
"I understand that you and my brother met months before the sacrifice, that you're sired to him.."
"And do you understand that the only way to break the bond was for me to shut off my humanity?" I asked, spinning around to face him. "Your brother made me turn it off. I never wanted to."
I could see genuine regret in his eyes, could see that my words hurt him, and it was almost funny because for the longest time he was so stoic. I'd succeeded in breaking past the mask just a little bit more. "I'm so sorry.."
"I was sorry too." I spoke up over him. "For a long time, I was sorry that I put my trust into someone that never really as a man of his word."
I didn't want him to feel guilty, because as much as it had hurt me when I had found out he hadn't killed Klaus, I understood why he didn't, but it had still hurt me nonetheless.
"Lyssa.."
"I kept your note." I admitted, thinking back to the last summer, to the worst time of my life, or perhaps, death. "I brought it with me that night, and I held onto it as your psychotic brother drained me of every last drop of blood, thinking that when I came back he'd be dead, and you'd be waiting for me - "
"And what would've happened after, Lyssa?" He spoke up over me, anger and angst in his voice. But, how could he be angry at me for what I was saying? It was the truth. "You would've came back a vampire, and Klaus would be dead - "
"And I wouldn't have been sired to him." I interrupted.
"No you wouldn't have," Elijah continued, stepping towards me. "but you would've been left with fragments of Niklaus only in your memories - "
"And what a tragedy that would've been." I sarcastically respond, rolling my eyes.
"You would've never gotten to know him, Lyssa." Elijah stated, as if that meant something to me. Maybe I would've been better off if I never got to know Klaus - no, I knew I would've been better off. "You would be without the man you love."
I glanced away from him, finding something familiar about his words, and then I remembered that their father Mikael had said the same thing to Klaus when he had a sharpened stake pressed against my back.
I remembered how sure I had been that he wouldn't let Mikael hurt me, that he had my back, and I had his, forever.
"He killed my aunt, Elijah." I reminded. "There's no way that I actually loved him, it was just the sire bond."
But, even I didn't believe that. I wondered how that must've felt for Elijah ; to know that his brother and I had feelings for one another.
Elijah's brows furrowed, looking past me for a moment. "I find it hard to believe that he killed Jenna."
"Are you serious?" I scoffed, crossing my arms over my chest. "I watched him rip her heart out right in front of my sister and I."
He nodded. "It's just that, Niklaus is very protective of the people that he loves and everyone they care for."
"What are you saying?"
"What I'm saying Lyssa, is that I believe there was someone else pulling the strings when Niklaus killed your Aunt Jenna."
"Who?"
"How about we continue this elsewhere?" He asked, looking past me at the mansion. "Too many eavesdroppers."
___________________________
"So, you think that your mother was behind Klaus killing Jenna?" I asked, walking down the street of my neighborhood beside Elijah, having cut through the cemetery.
"My mothers had a thousand years on the other side to see the chaos my siblings and I have caused." Elijah explained to me, and for a moment I thought of what it must have been like to have lived that long, if it had ever gotten boring. "She says she's had time to forgive us, but.."
"But you think she's lying." I finished, as we turned the corner onto Maple street. We were headed to my house to see Elena - who I didn't care to see - to ask if she knew of any plans Esther had, since she was the one that invited Elena to the ball last night to talk.
Klaus and I had never talked about why he killed Jenna, never had any sort of explanation for it. It was something that had been too hard for me to talk about. Elijah thought that maybe his mother had something to do with Jenna's death, that she and the other witches somehow got Klaus to kill her in order to ruin whatever chance he ever had to be with me.
"If you're right and..." I trailed off, thinking of what that meant for me, for my future with the hybrid. "it wasn't Klaus's fault then.."
"Then you and my brother could be finally be together." Elijah finished for me, and I couldn't gauge his tone, how he felt about it all, whether he was being smug or serious - I didn't know.
But, I knew that if it was true, if Klaus hadn't meant to hurt Jenna, then I wouldn't have to feel so guilty, that I could just flip my switch and be with him.
But, what if I flipped my switch and I didn't feel the same anymore?
"There were a lot of other issues that Klaus and I had besides Jenna," I briefly said, before swiftly walking up to my house, noticing that the driveway was empty.
We got up to the front door, stopping to shuffle through my purse for my keys, and while I did so, I could feel Elijah's heavy gaze on me. I retrieved my keys, unlocking the door and as I moved to step inside, I was suddenly stopped unable to enter.
"What the hell?" I muttered, eyes scanning the door frame, before glancing back at Elijah who looked confused. "I can't get in - why can't I get in?"
His brows furrowed, staring into the house before moving past me to step inside with ease, which only left me with one conclusion ; Elena took me off the deed. Elijah had already been invited in as a vampire, but I never had been, I was always on the deed to the house so I hadn't needed to be invited in, until now.
"When's the last time you were here?" Elijah asked, and then it all began to make sense.
"Last night after the ball..." I trailed off, thinking back to the last day.
Stefan had taken me out all night, long enough for Damon and Elena to get me off the deed, to discuss their plan to kill the Mikaelson's, so that I wouldn't find out, so that Elena had a safe place to be from me.
"Go find Klaus, tell him what's going on." I told Elijah, this strange overwhelming desire to keep him safe - why? I wasn't to supposed want anything, I wasn't supposed to care - I didn't care.
___________________________
"Join me for a little victory drink?" I heard Damon say from the library, as I stepped into the boarding house, silently shutting the door behind me, catching them at just the right moment.
"Should wait until Klaus is dead." Stefan replied, before I walked down the hall and into the library, joining the brothers.
"You know Stefan's right," I spoke up, grabbing the glass of blood I found sitting on one of the side tables by the couch. "wouldn't wanna jinx yourselves."
They both turned to face me, staring in surprise that I was there. "What are you doing here, Lys?" Damon spoke up, as I took a sip of blood, pursing my lips as I swallowed, disgusted by the taste, recognizing it as B positive type. I much rather liked O negative.
"Well you see, I had a very interesting conversation earlier today with Elijah." I stated, sitting down on the couch in front of them, slinking one leg over the other. "He thinks his mother wants to kill him and his siblings, and that you two and Elena are gonna help." I explained, setting the glass down beside me. "I thought maybe he was just a little paranoid at first, but then I tried to walk into my house today, and found that I can't. You boys wouldn't know anything about that?"
"Didn't want your sire bond getting in the way of things."
"The sire bonds broken, Damon - "
"Really?" He spoke up, nearing me. "Then why are you here? You flipped your humanity switch, and yet here you are - "
"And how convenient it is for you two to kill him now," I raised my voice, standing up from the couch. "when I don't care." They were always doing what they thought was best for Elena and I, without ever actually asking Elena or myself what we wanted. And now, I was going to take that away from them. No more listening to them, no more letting them make decisions for me. I could do whatever I wanted, and that was exactly what I was going to do. "I promise you both, humanity or not, if you kill him, Mystic Falls will rain blood for as long as I walk this earth."
I kept telling myself that this wasn't because I cared - I don't care. I told myself it was because I wanted to show them they couldn't go around making decisions for me, that they weren't in charge of who got to live and die. But, I wasn't so sure.
They exchanged a glance, before Damon looked at me. "No can do Lys," He said, lifting his glass to his mouth. "Klaus dies tonight."
I nodded, shrugging my shoulders. "I expected you'd say that," I admitted. "which is exactly why I have Rebekah with Elena, waiting for my okay to kill her." Before I so much as got the last word out, the glass in Damon's hand dropped to the floor, shattering, before he had me pinned up against the wall with his hand wrapped around my throat.
There was so much anger in his face, so much hatred. In that moment, Damon hated me.
Stefan was over to us in a second, tugging his brother away, a breathy laugh escaping me as I got to my feet. "I had a feeling that would get a reaction," I said, a smirk tugging at the corners of my lips. "you know, it's your faults for being stupid enough to believe that Elena would actually stay in a safe house."
"Lyssa, where is Elena?" Stefan pressed, worry written in his wide eyes.
"What's Esther's plan and how can I stop it?" I responded.
"How are you still defending him!?" Damon hissed at me, my gaze moving back to his. "He killed Jenna - "
"At least he never used and abused my best friend." I spoke up, knowing that would strike a chord, that it would shut them both up. "At least when Caroline looks at Klaus she's not reminded of all of the times you compelled her for sex. You know, I never really understood the gravity of what it was that you did to her, not until I became a vampire." I admitted, shaking my head as another laugh escaped me, knowing the guilt was just eating away at him. "You're the worst type of person, Damon."
"Lyssa - "
"Esther's plan, Stefan." I demanded. "Or Elena's dead within the next minute."
___________________________
Esther's plan was a really simple one. She had linked the family the other night at the ball with Elena's blood, that way if she killed one of them, she'd kill all of them, including Klaus. And she could do that tonight, by channeling more power from both Bonnie and her mother, and all of the witches that were long dead, though their energies were still around.
So, I left for the old abandoned witch house in the middle of nowhere in the woods, and found myself walking in on Bonnie and Abby getting ready to start the spell.
"Lyssa?" Bonnie questioned as I stepped inside, her mother's back to me. "What are you doing here?"
The only way to stop Esther from channeling enough power was to break the line, though that wouldn't work even if I killed Bonnie or her mother. The only way was to turn one of them into a vampire, because a witch couldn't be both witch and vampire.
"Saving my sire's ungrateful afterlife," I simply replied, before reaching out and grabbing Abby, biting into my wrist.
I pressed it up to her mouth, blood flowing past her lips, before I snapped her neck, turning my best friend's mother into a vampire.
And it was all to save Klaus. I had turned my back on everyone, again.
A/N - Hey guys, sorry for not updating in a while...for a long time I didn't know how to end this chapter, but I hope you guys enjoyed it! Let me know what you thought! Thanks for reading! Also I know I might be wrong about the whole house invitation thing for vampires, but I wanted my own twist on the rules! Oh and ignore any errors or typos, didn't proof read before updating! Almost forgot - Everything about Jenna discussed in this chapter will be further explained in the next chapters!