Dear Diary,
It's me again, your old friend Niki. Sorry I haven't really been good at keeping you up with the events of this past month. Let's just say it's been one hell of a ride. For starters, I found out I have to be sacrificed along with Elena in some dumb ritual to break a curse between the warewolves and vampires. Yes, there's such thing as a warewolf now. Crazy right? Oh! Also I'm kinda maybe sorta dating Damon now. I know! I know! I said I would never do that but I really do love him. He's so smart, and extremely funny...in the worst ways heh. He is a great person to talk to even though I've realized I've been keeping a lot of secrets from him. But he's just so...ugh why does he have to be so hot?! I mean he not only is so freaking good looking but he's an even better kisser. Gosh, I really have to stop fangirling.
Anyways, all feeling set aside we aren't really in the best place right now. I mean, I'm hiding the truth for Stefan, I don't know why it's just I guess I haven't completely unfallen for him. I know that's stupid of me to say but it's true. Oh, and I haven't told Damon how much I love him yet either. I know okay?! I'm such a bad girlfriend. I just don't know how or when to tell him but I have to do it before I die. That's my next mission as long as I don't get killed before then, haha. But it definitely won't be now, today. I'm currently sitting on the Salvatore living room couch. Well originally I was in Damon's room. We got in a small argument last night and he went to go sleep in a spare bedroom leaving me alone in his. I fell asleep in a bad mood, you know how bad that usually gets but either way I just couldn't sleep without him in the bed. I'm so used to his heavy cold yet comforting arm being draped over my waist or occasionally I will lay my head on his slightly cold chest and have my right hand laying on his toned abs. Last night just felt so different, so lonely. I rarely sleep at home now ever since me and Damon started dating but especially since uncle John aka my biological dad came back to town. Bummer right?
Well anyways I gotta get on with my day, Damon will probably wake up any minute so I'm hoping to talk to him...if he doesn't just decide to ignore me. But thanks for listening to my problems once again for the like 384994th time haha.
I'll catch you up soon, hopefully before the next full moon which is when I'm supposedly supposed to die. See ya <3
- -
Meanwhile, upstairs over in Damon's bathroom, he was talking on the phone with Stefan while he finished getting ready ready for the day.
"So, what's going on?"
Damon shrugs looking himself in the mirror. "Well, I showered. I shaved. About to have breakfast. Very relaxed."
Stefan sighs across the phone. "That makes one of us."
"I did hear one piece of good news though. Tyler Lockwood ran away from home last night."
"How do you know?"
"Well, I heard it from Sheriff Forbes, who heard it from a very distraught Carol Lockwood, thus, ending our werewolf chapter, bringing us to..." Damon trails off.
Stefan interrupts. "...killing Elijah."
Damon smirks. "Exactly.""
And how does Niki feel about all of this?"
Damon freezes. "I'm not sure. I, uh, haven't told her anything."
Stefan knew that he wouldn't say anything to her. "Why is that?"
"Because Stefan this is none of her business and I'm definitely not planning on telling her any of this."
"Trouble in paradise." Stefan smirks across the phone.
"I confronted her last night about the whole idea of her and Elena having to die and she flat out admitted she knew that already." Damon shrugs. "We got into an argument and she ran off home, end of story." He partially lied. Damon knew Niki stayed in his room but then went to go sleep downstairs at around 4 o'clock in the morning.
"You know, brother, the whole idea of you trying to get her to like you again is going to become harder if you push at her." Stefan chuckles.
"Oh brother, if only you knew." Damon sighs forgetting for a moment that Stefan had no idea about their relationship. "But anyways, I'm just hoping I can kill Elijah and get this over with."
"Well, it's not going to be easy. He's crafty."
"Well, I've got a crafty little dagger." Damon reminded.
"He's an Original. We don't know what all that encompasses."
"Oh, trust me, Stefan." The older Salvatore smirks. "I'm gonna dot all my t's. I don't want any surprises."
"Wow, Damon, tell me you're actually gonna be careful for once?" Stefan says in a warning tone.
"Yes, Stefan, I've become you. How tragic for both of us." Damon sarcastically smiles forgetting that Stefan can't see him. "Got to run. I've a murder to plan. Busy day."
Damon hangs up having had enough of listen to Stefan remind him of everything he doesn't want to care for. He passes through his bedroom door and tries to listen and see what Niki is doing. Nothing came from downstairs leaving him curious as to whether she's sleeping or gone.
- -
I had just finished writing today's entry in my diary and Damon walks into the living room holding two mugs. Without saying anything he hands me one then sits at the opposite end of the couch. I purse my lips. "Still mad?"
"Depends." He sighs pulling my legs on top of him. "Did you change your mind?"
I let out a breath not wanting to deal with this again. "Damon, I have no choice."
"Then yup, I'm still mad." He sends me a sarcastic smile.
I clench my eyes shut for a second holding in my anger before opening them back up once I feel more calm. "We have a difference of opinion, Damon. We're not always gonna agree on everything."
"Niki, you've agreed to sacrifice yourself to Klaus. To say that we have a difference of opinion is the understatement of the century."
I roll my eyes taking a sip from the mug. "You would know."
"Yes, Niki. In fact I would!" He raises his voice. "God, could you be anymore immature?"
I let out a scoff. "Says the one who thinks killing people is the answer to everything."
"And says the one who thinks dying is the answer to all of their problems!"
Ouch.
I clench my teeth pushing my legs off of him and standing up. "Unlike you, I'd do anything for the people I love." I try to hold back my angry tears. "You're just a selfish asshole who loves anyone but himself."
I give him one last look trying to refrain from hurting him. I know I was being a real bitch to him but he knows all my issues...I don't take shit like that lightly and he knows that. I head straight for the door not even thinking twice. I'm just done.
- -
An hour or so later, Damon found himself with Alaric and Andie at a table in the Grill. After Niki had stormed off he had tried to call and text her multiple times but she would never pick up. According to Ric, Niki went to go meet up with Jenna and Elijah as they finished their tour on the history of Mystic Falls. Damon knew that Niki doesn't take things lightly but he didn't think she'd lash out the way she did and he honestly feels really bad. But as per usual, he had to call over one of his girl toys and the girl who currently seemed most interested in him was Andie....as for Ric, he just happened to have walked in at that moment and joined them.
"Other than your lecture in the history of Mystic Falls, did you get anything out of Elijah?" Damon takes a sip from his glass of whiskey.
"No, it was boring." Alaric sarcastically smiles. "Of course, Jenna thinks he's charming."
"You sounded jealous." Damon turns to Andie. "Did he sound a bit jealous?"
"Kinda do." Andie nods.
"Okay this isn't any different to when you'd come blabbing to me anytime Niki and Stefan would hang out." Alaric defends himself. "You knw what, maybe we shouldn't talk about this here." Alaric glances over at Andie.
Damon furrows his brows. "Andie? She's been compelled not to divulge my secrets. Haven't you?"
"Uh-huh." Andie goes to peck Damon on the cheek. He obviously wasn't expecting that but he didn't mind much. "My lips are sealed."
Alaric stares at them in disgust especially since he knows Damon has a girlfriend. "This is too weird."
"I just need the right opportunity." Damon shrugs.
Alaric turns his head to the door and sees Elijah Niki and Jenna enter the Grill. "To kill him or to explain to your girlfriend that you're here with another woman? If it's the second one I suggest you come up with a good excuse."
Damon furrows his brows in confusion before also looking over at the door. There was the three of them looking around for a place to sit immediately making him tense up.
Over to Jenna, Niki and Elijah:
Niki looks from one corner of the room to the next before locking eyes with Damon. She froze as she saw him there sat next to Andie who looked hungry for him.
Oh God. She thought.
"Niki, look let's go say hi to our friends." Jenna grins as she starts to make her way towards Damon's table assuming that her and Elijah would follow.
"Hey, guys." Andie had a sheepish grin on her face.
"Hey." Jenna smiled standing next to Niki who was standing between her and Elijah.
Niki glances down at Damon who had his eyes locked on Elijah. It seemed like they had a stare down before Damon snapped out of it and shot his eyes to Jenna. "So I hear you and Elijah here had quite a meeting of historical minds today."
Jenna chuckles. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."
"Well, as much as I'd like to continue this, I've got papers to grade." Alaric sighs throwing a ten dollar bill onto the table for his meal and stands up.
"You know what, Jenna? I'm actually not hungry anymore." Niki gives her a tight lipped smile before looking up at her history teacher. "Ric, do you mind taking me home?"
He gives Niki a confused look but quickly understood why she was as desperate as him to leave. "Um, yeah, sure."
Just as Niki and Alaric go to leave, Andie speaks up. "Wait! You know what?" She smiles at Damon. "We should continue this. Let's have a dinner party."
"Ooh, great idea. I'll be happy to host." Damon raises his hand. "Say tonight." He looks over at Niki. "Maybe?"
"It's good for me." Andie nods. "Jenna?"
"Um...no..." Niki says.
"I don't know if tonight works..." Ric says overtop of Niki.
"Yeah, we're all free." Jenna stops the other two's protests. Elijah waits for everyone to go silent before nodding. "It'd be a pleasure."
"Great." Damon gives him a fake smile.
"Nicole." Elijah turns over to the younger twin. "Would you actually care to accompany me to the dinner?"
Niki slightly widened her eyes at that question, everyone's eyes on her. "I..." She glanced over at Damon. Seeing the way he quickly tensed up somehow made her happy. A cheeky grin plasters her face as she turns back to Elijah. "I would love to."
Jenna smiled, Alaric knew that things would get ugly with Niki and Damon's relationship the more and more they get divided, Andie was glad since she would get Damon all to herself and Damon...oh he was livid.
- -
After everyone left the Grill Damon went somewhere he never thought he'd go again. The tomb under Fell's church to go see Katherine.
Damon swishes the open bottle of blood in front of Katherine's nose as her body was sat there desiccated. "Drink up. Good girl."
Just then, She takes the bottle out of his hands and continues to drink.
Damon gets up. "I've come bearing gifts. I didn't have time to properly shop, but I did get a couple of things." He takes some clothes out of the shopping bag he brought and hangs it on a rusty old iron gating. "Hmm?"
Katherine looks normal again and crushes the empty blood bottle in her hands. Damon looks down at her. "Wow, that blood did the trick. You're almost pretty again."
Katherine wasn't having it. "What is it you want, Damon?"
"Guess who's back in town?" Katherine tilts her head pretending she wasn't known of anything. "Your old friend, John Gilbert."
"Really." She raises her eyebrows. "Why?"
Damon shrugs. "Says he loves his daughters, wants to protect them from Elijah and big, bad Klaus."
"Touching." Katherine pulls herself up from the ground.
"Yeah, right." Damon does the weird eye thing. "He told me this old wives tale about how to kill an Original."
"And you want to know if it's true." Katherine nods already knowing the Salvatore all too well. "If it was, I wouldn't tell you."
Katherine goes over to the clothes Damon has hung up and grabs a jacket off the hanger. "Now, why not? I mean, you want Elijah and Klaus dead as much as I do."
"Klaus, yes. Elijah, no." She sighs. "He's compelled me to stay in here. If he dies, I'm stuck forever."
"Sucks for you." Damon smirks.
"Forget it, Damon." Katherine tries to convince him. "Killing Elijah would be a suicide mission. You can't do it."
"Can so." Damon pushes.
Katherine shakes her head. "Can't."
Damon crosses his arms. "Even with a dagger and a little white oak ash?"
She turns and looks at him with an expression of surprise. "No. Damon, if you kill Elijah, then I'm stuck in here forever."
Damon found pride in her fearful reaction. "You're really scared."
"Just get me out of here first and then I'll help you." She panics. "I'll...I'll help you kill Elijah or...or protect Niki. Whatever you want."
"I get you out of here and your ass is sipping Klaus-free margaritas on some unknown island somewhere." Damon was too smart for her. "No way."
Katherine furiously shakes her head. "That's not true. I'll stay. Damon, please just don't do it." She pleads.
Damon smirks. "Well, thank you, you've told me everything I need to know."
"I've told you nothing." Katherine clenches her teeth.
"You have." He chuckles. "You have indeed confirmed that it is possible to kill an Original, which I will do tonight. Guess who's coming to dinner?"
- -
Later on, Damon and Alaric are in the library while Jenna and Andie are in the kitchen setting the table, Niki and Elijah haven't arrived yet.
"This is a bad idea." Alaric sighs after hearing Damon's plan for tonight.
"There's no such thing as a bad idea. Just poorly executed awesome ones. Here." He hands Alaric a glass of scotch, but he refuses it.
"No." Alaric grows irritated. "I don't like the idea of Elijah being in the same house with Jenna."
"And I don' like the fact that my girlfriend is coming over here with another man." Damon shrugs.
Ric leans against the bar table. "Yet you're also here with another person."
"Okay well...that's besides the point." Damon avoids anymore talk on this subject. "Point is, Jenna's perfectly safe. Besides, it's just a fact-finding mission. It's totally harmless."
Alaric raises his eyebrows. "Just a fact-finding mission?"
"Yeah." Damon shrugs taking a sip of bourbon.
"Listen, no sneak attacks." Alaric orders. "No surprise plans. Nothing that's gonna put Jenna in harm's way. Okay?"
"Scout's honor." Damon puts up his hand and grabs Alaric's shoulder. Alaric looks at him, still suspicious.
Andie walks in. "Hey, Jenna needs help with the wine."
Damon looks at him, smiles, and pats his arm reassuringly. Alaric walks up the stairs.
"Thanks." Andie sends him a tight lipped smile.
"Yeah."
He leaves the room and closes the door. Damon waits until he is sure he is gone before he walks over to a small trunk and opens it. He pulls out the silver dagger and white oak ash from inside. Andie walks down to him. "What's that?"
"Dessert." He smirks, dipping the dagger in the ash.
"Elijah's stronger than me. Faster than me." He admires the dagger. "It's all about the element of surprise."
Andie fake pouts. "Ah, it's too bad. I like him. He's very old-school. Classy."
"And also trying to take my girlfriend which gives me every right to take away his heart." Damon points the dagger an inch away from Andie's chest playfully. "Which is why you should encourage the gentlemen to take their after dinner drinks in here while you do coffee in the kitchen with the girls." Damon places the dagger with the glasses and the scotch, hiding it from view.
"Hmm. That is a little too sexist for me." Andie smirks.
Damon turns around and looks at her. "Stop talking."
Andie smiles at him.
The door bell rings. Jenna answers the door. John is outside on the porch and walks into the house. Damon walks out of the library and into the front hall.
"Who invited him?" Jenna clenches her teeth as John walks in.
"John." Damon fake smiles. "Surprise." His face drops. "Leave."
"When Jenna told me she was coming to a dinner party for Elijah, I decided I couldn't miss out on all the fun and games."
Alaric walks in. Damon and John look at him. "There are not going to be any games tonight, John. It's just a friendly dinner party."
John looks back at Damon. "What he said."
- -
Elijah and I have arrived at the Boarding house. He picked me up at my house around 15 minutes ago and drove us up here. He kept making comments on how good my jeans and tube top looked on me. Could be the fact that my chest is literally almost completely exposed. I didn't want to wear this but it was the only thing I found in Elena's closet that was actually not too formal and not too plain. I tried looking in my closet but...all my clothes are too boring.
Anyways, we walked up the couple of stairs at the front of the Boarding house before Elijah rang the doorbell. He sent me a sweet smile before to my disadvantage, Damon opened the door.
Elijah looked forward at my boyfriend. "Good evening."
"Thank you guys for coming." Damon glanced over at me before moving to the side. "Please, come in."
"Just one moment." Elijah looks over at me before turning to Damon. "Can I just say that if you have less than honorable intentions about how this evening is going to proceed, I suggest you reconsider."
"No, nothing, nothing dishonorable." Damon sends him a fake smile. "Just getting to know you."
"Hmm. Well, that's good." Elijah nods before turning back to me and motioning inside. "Ladies first."
I give him a tight lipped smile before heading inside. As I did so, mine and Damon's eyes locked for a second but I quickly looked away once I felt Elijah snake a hand onto the middle of my back. "Because, you know, although Niki, Elena and I have this deal, if you so much as make a move to cross me, I'll kill you and I'll kill everyone in this house." He says to Damon. "Are we clear?"
I could tell Damon was lying. He wants no peace. Not until everything goes his way. I just hope my instincts are wrong...
"Crystal." Damon gives him a tight lipped smile as he shuts the front door.
- -
All of us are siting around the dining table. Damon sat at one head of the table while John...who of course invited himself here, sat at the opposite head. I sat next to Elijah since, he's my "date" and Ric sat on my other side closest to John. Opposite to me sat aunt Jenna who was between Andie and Damon.
My aunt pours some wine for Damon. "I hate to break it to you, Damon, but according to Elijah, your family is so not a founder of this town."
He raises his eyebrows looking at Elijah. "Hmm, do tell."
The original glances at me before going on with the story. "Well, as I mentioned to Jenna earlier, a faction of settlers migrated from Salem after the witch trials in the 1690s. Over the next hundred years they developed this community where they could feel safe from persecution."
"Hmm." Jenna nods giggling. "Because they were witches."
"Yeah, but there's no tangible proof there were witches in Salem." Andie tries to burst Elijah's bubble making me really irritated for some reason.
"Andie's a journalist." Damon smirks. "Big on facts."
Okay, that's it.
"Just because she's a journalist doesn't mean she's a know it all." I sass towards Damon. "I'd much rather trust Elijah with his facts since he's an actual historian."
"Niki." Jenna turns to me with a warning look.
"What?" I shrug shoving a piece of carrot in my mouth. "We all know you'd do the same."
"Now, Nicole." Elijah places a hand on my arm chuckling. "It's all right." He gives me a reassuring look before turning back to the rest of the people here. "Well, the lore says that there was this wave of anti-witch hysteria. It broke out in the neighboring settlement, so these witches were rounded up. They were tied to stakes in a field together and, uh, burned. Some say you could hear the screams from miles around us. They were consumed by the fire." He didn't even try to sugar coat his words...he even got me shocked by his possibly true story. Elijah looks at me pointing to the salad bowl. "Could you pass the..."
I hand it to him and Jenna nervously laughs. "I wouldn't repeat this to the Historical Society."
"It's starting to sound a little like a ghost story to me." John looks over at Elijah with no expression not believing any of this one bit.
Damon next asks the same thing I was thinking. "So, why do you want to know the location of these alleged massacres?"
Elijah was obviously hiding something. He looked up at the ceiling and bit his lip trying to find some form of an answer. "You know...a healthy historian's curiosity, of course."
"Of course." He glances at Damon and smiles, nervously.
- -
After a few more minutes of everyone talking...besides me obviously, we finished our food and we were all full.
"Would anyone care for some cognac?" Damon looks around, offering. "I have a bottle that I've been saving for ages."
Damon gets up from the table.
Everyone protests and soon enough we're all getting up from the table.
The others start to get up. Thinking that I wouldn't notice, Damon looks at Andie in a...certain way as if telling her to do something. She nodded and looked around at us. "The gentlemen should take their drinks in the study."
"I have to say the food was almost as wonderful as the company." Elijah smiles.
"I like you."
Jenna hands some plates to John. "Here you are, gentleman, make yourself useful. Hmm?"
John takes the plates and walks off. Alaric comes up behind Jenna. "Here, here. Put me to work."
"Um, I got it." Jenna picks up the plates and starts to walk out of the room.
Alaric stops her. "Hey, Jenna, are you...are you okay?"
"Yeah, fine, Ric." Jenna says sarcastically before leaving the room.
John looks at Alaric and walks towards him. "I suspect this is my fault."
Alaric huffs. "What did you do now?"
"I merely mentioned that you haven't been completely honest with her about your dead wife." John smirks with a shrug.
"You son of a bitch!" Alaric grabs John by his shirt collar.
John grabs his wrists and pulls his hands off of him. "I think I've been very clear with you, Ric. I want my ring back."
John walks out of the room. Alaric's phone starts to ring. He answers it.
"Hello." He sighs before hearing fast talking. "Slow down. Slow down. Stefan?"
- -
Meanwhile, Damon and Elijah are in the library. Damon is pouring drinks for the men. "So, let me guess. In addition to the moonstone, the doppelgänger, the lion, the witch and the wardrobe, you need to find this witch burial ground."
"Because I feel as though we've grown so close, Damon, I'll tell you yes. Do you know where it is?" He turns around from looking at all the books.
"Maybe. Tell me why it's so important." Damon hands Elijah a glass of scotch.
He takes it. "We're not that close." Elijah turns back around and continues to look around at the books. "It's quite a collection you have here."
"Hmm." Damon hums. As Elijah has his back turned, Damon slowly and carefully grabs the silver dagger from the tray of glasses.
"It's a funny thing about books. Before they existed, people actually had memories." Elijah stated.
Just then, Alaric and Andie burst through the study doors. Damon quickly puts the dagger back down.
"Gentlemen, we forgot about dessert." Alaric forces a smile.
"Elijah." Andie holds her hand out for him.
"Miss Star..." Elijah hands his glass to Damon, who drains it, and takes Andie's hand. He twirls her around and they walk out of the room together.
As soon as they leave, Damon smacks Alaric angrily. Alaric points down at the dagger. Damon doesn't understand what he means. Alaric walks over to a desk and writes something down on a piece of paper. He hands it to Damon who reads it. The paper says "The dagger will kill you if you use it." Damon angrily throws the paper at Alaric and they walk out of the room.
Back in the dining room, Niki pours coffee into a cup for John. Elijah and Andie enter the room.
"Sorry, guys, dessert is taking longer than I thought." Jenna nervously chuckles. "I usually just unwrap food."
"So...I know this is a social thing, but I...I would really love to ask you some more questions about the work that you're doing here." Andie turns to Elijah with excitement.
"I'd love to answer." He smiles.
"Great, that's so great."
Damon and Alaric enter the room. As they do so, Niki and Jenna turn to each other and walk out the room not wanting to face their significant others but instead get the dessert ready. Damon sits down and glares across the table at John.
Andie calls out to Alaric. "Ric, would you do me a favor and grab the notebook out of my bag?"
Alaric walks over to her bag.
"Elijah, did John tell you he's Niki and Elena's uncle-slash-father?" Damon send John a smirk.
"Yes, I'm well aware of that." The Original nods.
Damon takes a sip of bourbon. "Of course, she hates him, so there's absolutely no need to keep him on the endangered species list." Damon looks back at him.
"No Ric, it's in the front pocket." Andie directs at she watches him from afar. "On the...you know what? Excuse me, guys. Sorry." She gets up to help Ric find her notebook.
"What I'd like to know, Elijah, is how do you intend on killing Klaus?" John turns to him.
Elijah looks back and forth to each edge of the table at Damon and John. "Gentlemen, there's a few things we should probably get clear right now. I allow you to live solely to keep an eye on Elena and Nicole. I allow the girls to remain in her house living their life with their friends as they do as a courtesy. If you become a liability, I'll take them away from you and you'll never see thm again."
Andie comes back with her notebook and sits down. "Okay. My first question is when you got here to Mystic..."
Suddenly, Alaric comes up behind Elijah and stabs the dagger through his heart through the back of his chair. Elijah screams and slowly gets veiny and purple leading to him being dead. Everyone at the table gets up in shock.
Alaric pulls the dagger out and places it on the table. He looks at Damon. "Now, get rid of him before Jenna and Niki come back with dessert."
Damon nods, eyes still wide in shock. "All right."
- -
Alaric and Damon have moved Elijah's body down to the cellar. "You said there wasn't going to be any violence."
"Says the guy that did all the killing." Damon starts to walk out, but Alaric grabs him.
"Hey, I took the shot because I saw an opening, not because I planned to do this with Jenna in the house." He says angrily. "Now, you can't lie to me like that."
Damon tries to leave again, but Alaric grabs him. "Hey, I am your friend, damn it. And you don't have any friends. So, no more lying."
Damon thinks about it for a second before nodding and leaves. Alaric looks down at Elijah's body, walks out, and closes the cell door behind him.
- -
I walk into Damon's room where I'd assume he'd be since he was no where to be seen in the house...nor anyone else. Everyone had just disappeared when me and Jenna returned from the kitchen with the desserts. We were both extremely confused.
"Hey." I slowly pace towards him as he stands at his window, bringing deja vu from last night.
"Hi." He replies lowly with crossed arms, not caring to look at me.
I look back at the door as if I felt someone watching me. "Have you seen Elijah? He's supposed to take me home."
"Oh." Damon chuckled turning to me. "You won't be seeing him for a long time."
I furrow my brows as my heart starts racing in my chest. "What do you mean?"
"The dick's dead." Damon shrugs off happily.
"What?!" Anger swarms through my body. "Damon, when are you going to stop lying to me?! If you don't like my decisions, that's fine. There's nothing I can do about that but if you ever go behind my back again, I'll..."
He just tilts his head raising an eyebrow. "You're gonna what? Hmm? What are you gonna do, Niki?"
"It's my life!"
He nods. "Yeah, exactly. It's your life and I'm gonna do everything I can to make sure that you live it."
"Then what?" I shrug my shoulders. "This...this...this whole "I'll never go behind your back" thing. The whole boyfriend act. Was there any truth to that or is this all just a big distraction?"
"None of it was fake, Niki! I love you more than I thought I could love anyone!" He states full of rage. "Seeing you with Elijah just pushed all of my buttons, and knowing that in less than a month you're going to be dead without even trying to fight back...I just had to."
I sigh shaking my head. "That is not what..."
"Yes, it is!" He interrupts me. "Even if you don't want to admit it. You are giving up!"
"I don't care, It's my choice!"
"And you think I care if it's you're choice?!" He growls. "Niki, have you thought for one second that doing this will affect everyone around you?" Damon looks me straight in the eyes. "You may have once been a nobody who is always in Elena's shadow, who was always the second choice for everything or the loner girl with depression, but now, you mean something." I sniff up my tears trying not to show emotion besides anger as he continues. "You have a brother who clearly favors you, you have a twin sister and aunt who loves you. Caroline, and Bonnie and Stefan. But most importantly...me."
I bite my lip looking down at the ground. I knew he was right but I didn't want to admit it. Deep down I know how much it'll break the ones who love me but it's either them or me, and Damon just doesn't understand.
Breaking the silence, Damon's phone started ringing. When he pulled his phone out from his back pocket. I caught a glimpse of the name, it was Stefan. We both furrowed our brows as he answered.
A few words were said back and forth between them before Damon hung up and ran downstairs, I follow behind in panic.
We run down to the basement and he busts open the cellar door. "No. No. No. No. No!"
"What's going on?" I pant looking up at him.
"The dagger was supposed to stay inside Elijah. Damn it!" He screams punching into the wall.
Oh no.
- -
Elijah walks up to the Gilbert lodge where Stefan and Elena were staying. He kneels down and grabs some rocks. Elena starts to walk towards the front door, but Stefan grabs her by the arm. Elijah has gotten up outside and tosses the rocks from hand to hand. Stefan hears him.
"He's here." Stefan whispers.
Elijah throws the rocks at the door, breaking it off its hinges.
Elena looks up at Stefan. "You have to go. I need to talk to him alone.""Elena..." Stefan says cautiously. "Stefan, I'm okay." She nods. "He can't come in the house."
Elijah walks closer towards the house. "You know, I might not be able to enter this house...But I'm a very patient man. I'll wait you out."
Elena slowly walks out from behind the wall. Stefan stays hidden there. She walks towards the front door but stays inside the house. "They shouldn't have done what they did."
Elijah shakes his head. "The deal is off.""I'm renegotiating.""You have nothing left to negotiate with." Elijah clenches his teeth.
There is a moment's silence. Just then, Niki comes out from behind Elena, a knife in her hand. "I'd like to see you lure Klaus into Mystic Falls after one of the doppelgängers bleeds to death."
Elijah was shocked to see her here but kept his proper posture. "Your Salvatore boyfriends won't let you die."
"No, they won't." Niki nods. "one of them, my bet is on Damon, would feed me his blood to heal me, and then I'll kill myself and become a vampire, just like Katherine did." Niki smirks. "So unless you want that to happen again, promise me the same as before...promise me...You won't harm anyone that we love. Even if they've harmed you."
"I'm sorry, Nicole." Elijah smirked back. "I'm going to have to call your bluff."
Niki glances at her sister and they exchanged a look. She breathes out and points the knife to her stomach. Elijah watches her, unsure of what she will do. Niki looks up at him and stabs herself in the stomach. She screams in pain and falls to the floor. Elena bends down right away to aid her sister, there is blood gushing everywhere. Elijah rushes towards the door, but stops at the threshold because he has not been invited in. Niki drops the knife on the floor and clutches her stomach.
"No!" He screams in panic. "Yes. Yes, you can have your deal. Let me heal you."
Niki shakes her head trying not to scream in excruciating pain. "Give me your word!"
Elijah looks over at Elena who also looks worried for her sister. "Okay, I give you my word."
Niki moves away from Elena and limps outside, into Elijah's arms. Suddenly, she stabs Elijah with the silver dagger and Elijah falls to the ground, dead. Niki, weak, falls to the ground as well from the blood loss. Damon, Stefan and Elena rush out of the house, Damon bites his wrist, and feeds Niki his blood. Elena places her chin on the top of Niki's head as Damon stands back up staring at Elijah's body. and stands in the doorway. Elena cradles Niki's face in her hands as Stefan rubs Niki's arm up and down and they all look at Damon.
"Little tip. Don't pull the dagger out."
- -
Damon and Stefan carry Elijah's body down into the cellar. Elena and Niki are with them. Stefan wraps his arm around Elena. Damon kneels down and searches through Elijah's jacket. "Uhh! What do we have here?" He pulls out the moonstone. "A little moonstone bar of soap. I'll hold on to this."
"So, that's it." Elena shrugs. "I mean, as long as we keep the dagger in there, then he stays dead."
Damon clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth as he stands back up. "Pretty much."
Niki nods with crossed arms. "Okay, then...Good night." She starts to walk out, but turns around. Damon, Elena and Stefan look at her.
"You know, you guys want me and Elena to fight, fine, we'll fight." She glances at her sister, Elena nods assuring her that it was time for the brothers to listen to them. "But if we're gonna do this, you can't keep anything from either of us anymore. From this moment on, we're doing it our way." Niki motions to her and Elena.
"That seems fair." Damon shrugs.
She looks at Stefan who hesitates but nods. "Okay."
"Okay." Niki sends them a quick tight lipped smile before walking out of the basement. Stefan and Damon look at each other.
"Seems like you two have had a change of attitude." Damon looks down at Elena. "How did you get through to Niki?"
"On our way back to here in my car, I told her the same story Stefan told me about when he was making the wrong decisions and somebody showed him there was a better way." Elena glanced up at her boyfriend.
Damon furrowed his brows. "Lexi?"
"Yeah." Stefan tilts his head sliding his hand into Elena's. "You remember her?"
Stefan and Elena walk out of the room.
- -
Damon enters his bedroom and hears the shower running.
"Niki?" He furrows his brows. "I thought you said you were staying in the guest room since Stefan's back?"
He walks into the bathroom. Katherine is in the shower, she walks out and stands in front of Damon, completely naked. Damon looks at her, surprised.
"Sorry, wrong doppelganger. Hey, do you have a robe?"
Damon clenched his teeth. "How did you get out?"
"I knew that if I begged you not to kill Elijah, that's exactly what you'd do." She explains, still completely nude. "Little known fact...Originals can compel vampires. But as soon as they die, the compulsion wears off."
Damon nodded letting out a scoff. "And you knew."
"And I'm still here. I didn't run. I meant what I said, Damon. I'm going to help you." Katherine looks down at her naked body. "So...How about that robe?"
~