Book: Gilbert Twins
Chapter 3: Original Sin
Word Count: 3063
No one's POV
Elena suddenly sat up in bed, scared, as if from a nightmare and took deep breaths.
"Ugh..." Nathan groaned tiredly from beside her. "Lena, you've been tossing and turning all night. You must be exhausted." Elena closed her eyes as she passed her hands through her hair and took more deep breaths. Nathan looked at her and saw she was worried. "Hey. We were up all night. You're exhausted. Come back to sleep."
"I had a dream about Stefan." Elena informed.
"Oh." Nathan frowned.
"It was more than just a pit in my stomach this time, though. It was real. It was like I was there with him." Elena whispered. Noticing Nathan's jealous frown, she sighed. "I'm sorry... I know you're insecure about mine and Stefan's history, I shouldn't be talking about this with you..." Elena lay down on her side, beside Nathan.
"It's fine." Nathan replied. "Go on, you can tell me. I know you're dying to get it off of your chest."
"It was just so vivid." Elena whispered. "I saw Stefan walking out of this bar. It had a red awning and this broken neon sign, and he was screaming in pain."
"Oh, okay. Do you have an address?" Nathan wondered.
"Route 29. Joe's bar." A voice spoke from the doorway. Elena and Nathan rose from the bed to see Katherine standing at the bedroom door. "I think I had the exact same dream."
Elena and Katherine exchanged looks.
---
Downstairs, everyone was crowded in there. Katherine was leaning against the door frame, Elena and Ariana both sat on the couch, Nathan sat in the armchair, Nathan was leaning against the wall by the fireplace, Damon was pouring himself a drink, and Madeline just stood there in the room and stared at the ground in silence.
Elena, Nathan, and Katherine had informed Ariana, Damon, and Madeline about Stefan and about the dream.
"So, I've found 9 bars along Route 29, and none of them are called Joe's." Nathan spoke.
"I had a feeling that there was something wrong all summer, and I ignored it. But I was right! Stefan was in a safe, and probably killed whoever it was that found him... I know it sounds crazy, that I'm following some psychic dream, but it's the only lead that we have." Elena explained.
"It doesn't sound crazy, Lena..." Nathan reassured.
"Shotgun." Katherine cut in. "What? Mads and I get carsick in the back seat. Another charming, human side effect you stuck us with."
"Please tell me that she's not coming?" Ariana sighed. "Madeline, I can now deal with! But not the face of my sister, thanks."
"Trust me, I have no interest in Katherine's well-being, but for some reason, Silas and Nicholas want her and Madeline real bad, and if Silas and Nicholas want them, I want them more." Damon smirked.
"Can't we just stash them in the cellar? Or maybe a deep, dark well with a pair of water wings?" Elena suggested. Without even knowing why, Madeline felt herself flinch at the suggestion. Ariana sent her broken doppelgänger a sympathetic look.
"Do you really think that I wanna take a road trip with you, America's most boring, self-righteous vampire?" Katherine laughed, turning to Elena. "Just remember, Damon wouldn't have to play bodyguard if Ariana hadn't shoved that cure down my throat, or if you hadn't have done the same to my sister!"
"She was trying to kill me!" Elena defended herself.
"But look what you've done to her now!" Katherine yelled, gesturing over to a silent Madeline. "Look what you did to her! She is like this because of you! She never, ever deserved to feel the pain that she is clearly feeling now!"
"I... I never wanted to cause her emotional pain..." Elena whispered.
"Well, you did." Katherine snapped angrily, before managing to calm herself down as a devious smirk appeared on her face. "I will admit, though, I take great pleasure knowing that you both wasted your one shot at a human life on us."
"Guys..." Nathan warned. "Drop it, please."
"Nathan's right. Please stop." Madeline piped up quietly, making everyone in the room turn to her with slightly widened eyes. She dropped her crossed arms to her side. "Stefan was my friend once upon a time. My best friend... back when he was human, and our lives were drama-free. So, I wanna find Stefan just as much as all of you do. I care about him, and I want my friend back."
---
As there was six of them, there weren't seats in Damon's car for all of them. So, they split up into two groups of three. Damon, Nathan, and Madeline went in Damon's car (my fav 1864 love triangle), while Elena, Ariana, and Katherine went in Ariana's car.
Elena wanted to stay with Nathan, but she also refused to leave Ariana in a car alone with Katherine, which was why Elena was in the passenger's seat, Ariana was in the driver's seat, and Katherine was in the back seat (despite her constantly complaining about car sickness).
"You sure you know what you're looking for, E? Last bar had a red awning and a neon sign." Ariana spoke.
"I'll know when I see it." Elena replied. Katherine popped her head out between the front seats.
"Me, too."
"We didn't ask." Elena snapped at her doppelgänger.
"Guys!" Ariana rolled her hazel eyes, focusing them on the road ahead. Damon's car was trailing behind hers. "Can't we at least get through one car ride with no arguments? Please?"
"I'm just trying to make conversation." Katherine shrugged. "Anything to drown out the sound of eggshells breaking. So, Elena, I couldn't help but overhear. You've been dreaming about Stefan all summer? That must be really stressful on a new relationship, especially when you're having those kinds of dreams lying in bed next to his brother."
"They weren't dreams." Elena snapped. "It was just a bad feeling, like something wasn't right with him."
"Oh, no, yeah, sure. I totally get it. There's still a connection between you two." Katherine smirked. "Maybe deep down, you know that he was your one true love, and breaking up with him was a big mistake."
"Ignore her." Ariana advised her twin. "Don't let her get to you..."
"Or maybe Stefan's been trying to reach out to you all summer..." Katherine continued. "But you've been too distracted with Nathan to help him, so he reached out to the person that he trusts: me!"
"Stefan doesn't trust you, Katherine, and deep down, you know that. Having the same dream doesn't mean anything, so knock it off please!" Ariana exclaimed.
"Nah. You're probably right. Elena and I had the exact same dream on the exact same night. Why would that mean something?" Katherine asked sarcastically. Neither Ariana nor Elena responded.
---
Ariana pulled her car into the parking lot at Joe's Bar, and she and Elena quietly got out of the car. Katherine was asleep.
"Are we really just gonna leave her in the car?" Ariana muttered.
"The only time she shuts up is when she's sleeping. I didn't want to disturb our peace and quiet." Elena shrugged, just as Damon's car pulled up beside them. He, Nathan, and Madeline all climbed out.
Elena stared up at the bar.
"It looks exactly like it did in the dream. Isn't that a little freaky?"
"Yeah." Nathan replied. "Let's go see if Stefan's inside."
The lot of them walked in and saw a girl working behind the bar.
"Can I get you something?"
"Yeah, sure. Why don't you tell me what happened to your neck, Jo?" Damon compelled her.
"Some sicko attacked me, bit me, told me to run, so I did, and when I looked back, he was on fire." Jo informed.
"And then what happened?"
"Some woman shoved him into a truck, drove away."
"Did you know this woman?"
"No. She was driving Cam Peterson's truck. He lives about ten miles down that dirt road out back. Here. Look like you could use one of these." Jo poured Damon a shot.
"Hmm. I could. Thank you." Damon threw it back, swallowing. Suddenly, he started gagging and coughing, his mouth and throat sizzling. "Vervain!"
"What did you do?" Ariana demanded angrily at Jo, just as two girls entered from the back room. One girl had light brown hair and hazel eyes similar to Ariana's and Madeline's. The second girl had dark brown hair and the same hazel eyes.
"We told her to pour him a drink or we'd kill her." The light brown haired girl spoke.
"Who the hell are you two?" Damon snapped. The unknown girls exchanged a look, before the first girl sent the second girl a swift nod, causing the second girl to raise a gun at both Ariana and Madeline, which made both doppelgängers gasp in surprise. Just as Katherine entered the bar, quickly spotting what was going on. And just as quickly, Katherine ran with her human speed in front of Madeline.
"STAY AWAY FROM MY SISTER!" Even if Katherine preferred evil Mads, she'd still protect her sister to the day she died, if Madeline was good or evil. They were still sisters, and always would be...
The second girl aimed the gun just at Madeline and Katherine.
"Which pair of twins are you? Gilbert or Petrova?"
"Gilbert! We're Gilbert!" Katherine lied.
"Kat!" Madeline hissed shakily, before turning to the two mysterious girls with a determined look in her distant eyes. "We've not been Petrovas for a long time. It's Pierce!"
"I admire your courage." The first girl chuckled. "Madeline Pierce."
"You're lucky we need you two alive." The second girl added, before turning her gun to face Ariana and Elena instead.
"You get the talker, I'll get the gun maniac?" Ariana whispered to Elena, who nodded.
"Sounds like a plan."
Elena then vamp sped at the first girl, throwing her against a table, while Ariana vamp sped at the second girl, snatching the gun from her hands. Ariana used the gun to swing it at the girl, but the girl ducked in time.
"Guys, run!" Elena yelled at the Pierce twins, still holding the first girl against the table. Katherine grabbed Madeline's hand and dragged her quickly out of there.
"You really do look exactly alike." The second girl sneered, before grabbing her gun back from Ariana's hands and swinging it at the young Petrova doppelgänger, hitting her across the head, causing Ariana to stumble back.
The first girl threw Elena against the wall with vampire strength, then grabbed the second girl's hand, and the two sped off.
"Wonderful. Now we've got two vampire bounty hunters to deal with." Damon rolled his eyes.
"I'm guessing those two were not part of the dream?" Nathan asked Elena, who shook her head.
"I've never seen them before."
"Yeah. Well, whoever they were, they want Katherine and Madeline, which means they're probably Silas and Nicholas spies." Nathan stated.
"I'll go chase after them." Ariana volunteered. "You guys find Stefan."
"You're not going after them alone! For all we know, they could be as old as Katherine and Madeline. Maybe older, we don't know." Elena pointed out. "I'll come with you. Nathan and Damon can look for Stefan."
So, the Gilbert twins quickly dashed out of the bar together.
---
After unable to find Katherine, Madeline, or the two unknown girls, Ariana and Elena went back to find Damon and Nathan, toward the Cabin Jo told them about.
When they got there, they saw Stefan and Nathan both tied to two chairs with blood falling from their eyes, passed out with blank expressions on their faces. Damon lay unconscious beside the chair.
"Nathan! Stefan!" Elena rushed up to her boyfriend and ex boyfriend. "Guys! Hey! Oh, no. Stefan, hey. Nathan, can you hear me? Nathan! Wake up. Oh, god."
"Damon!" Ariana ran up to the her boyfriend on the floor, who started to wake up. Ariana pulled Damon into her arms, hugging him tightly. "You scared me!"
---
It was nighttime. Katherine was rifling through the girls' bag, while Madeline sat on one of the two beds in the room.
"I don't think we should be going through their stuff, Kat... they could walk in at any moment..." Madeline whispered, but it was too late. The two unknown girls were already entering.
Katherine clumsily turned around, backing away from the bag and sat down beside Madeline on the bed.
"Fine. I was snooping. Trying to find a passport, or a business card, or maybe even a parking ticket, because you won't tell us who you are."
"I'm Natalia." The second girl introduced herself. "This is my twin sister, Nadia."
(A/N: You will see what Natalia looks like at the end of the chapter)
"A last name would be nice." Katherine snapped.
"It would, wouldn't it?" Natalia smirked. Nadia walked closer, then shoved a bag of chips each into Katherine's and Madeline's hands.
"You said you were hungry."
"For food, not packaged poison." Katherine gagged dramatically.
"Suit yourself." Nadia shrugged, just as Natalia's phone started ringing. She answered it after seeing who it was.
"Nicholas the Betrayer. Someone lived up to his reputation today."
"Where are you?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?"
"You know, my brother and I may not be able to read your minds anymore--"
"It's too bad you lost the one thing that made you two interesting."
"But that won't stop both of us from killing you and your sister if you don't hold up your end of the deal. Now, whatever twisted fantasy you're playing out with, Katherine and Madeline are your issues, but they stay alive."
"We'll see."
"It wasn't a question. As you mentioned earlier, Katherine and Madeline are still mine and Silas' priority, and since we lost our psychic abilities, that can only mean one thing. Our ex-fiancées are alive again, and they are on their way to Mystic Falls."
"Well, maybe you and yours will get back together."
"Reconciliation isn't really her thing. She hates me as much as I hate her, and if you think that I don't play fair, wait till you see what she's capable of! Because Autumn and I have some common ground: neither one of us will stop until we get what we want, and both of us want the cures, and so does Silas and Qetsiyah."
Katherine then grabbed the phone from Natalia.
"Enough with the games, Nicholas. What do you want with me and my sister?"
"You know, it's funny. The love of my life looked exactly like Madeline, and yet, the mere thought of your sister's face makes me want to vomit."
"I don't know what you're talking about, but if Maddie is nothing but a gag reflex to you, why not cut her loose, along with me, and then we could call it a day?"
"Because the cures still exist, and I still want them. It's just running through yours and Madeline's veins right now. Your blood is the cure, Katherine. Yours and hers. Does that clear things up for you?"
Katherine smirked looked horrified as she looked worriedly over at Madeline, who was confused as she wasn't able to hear the phone conversation.
---
Stefan and Nathan both lay unconscious on the sofa. Elena sat at their side, holding Nathan's hand, worried for her boyfriend. Damon and Ariana were also in the room, waiting for them to awaken.
"Can I have a quick word?" Damon whispered to Ariana, who smiled and nodded.
"Yeah, of course." So, Damon led her out of the room. "What's up? You've been suspiciously quiet."
"Qetsiyah and Autumn said something to me back at the cabin before you arrived... since then, I can't seem to forget about it." Damon informed.
"Okay..." Ariana frowned slightly in confusion. "What was it?"
"They told me that we don't stand a chance."
That caught Ariana off-guard.
"And what do they know about us?" She scoffed.
"Well, they told me a very interesting little story about the history of doppelgängers. How they're fated to fall in love with each other. And, I know that Elena and Stefan were together first, but she then fell so quickly in love with Nathan, and he's still a doppelgänger! And that can only mean one thing: the universe programmed you to fall in love with the one brother who you've yet to fall for: Stefan! Not me, which means... we're a lost cause no matter what we do. I'm paraphrasing." Damon explained.
"Look. I know I spent the last couple days focusing on trying to find Stefan, but that is only because he's one of my best friends! A best friend, Damon. Nothing more, ever. I'm not gonna let Silas and Nicholas' two thousand year old ex-girlfriends screw things up between us." Ariana stated.
"What, you think I am? I mean, no one tells me how I live my life, no one tells me who I love, especially not some vindictive prehistoric witches, and definitely not the universe." Damon said. "And I'm not gonna let someone else's idea of destiny stop me from loving you, or being with you, or building a future with you! Because you are my life."
Ariana, touched deeply by his speech, leant in to kiss him. But the moment was ruined by Elena calling for them quickly.
"Guys! Get in here, now!"
Sighing, Ariana and Damon headed back into the room, seeing Stefan and Nathan now both awake, sat on the couch.
"Welcome back, brothers." Damon murmured.
"Uh, I'm sorry... I... I have no idea who you people are." Stefan told.
"Yeah, um... if you're, like, kidnapping us, I'd think twice about doing it." Nathan added, looking confused at who everyone was. Except for Stefan, who he seemed to know.
Damon, Ariana, and Elena all exchanged confused and concerned looks.
---
What Natalia looks like:
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Please don't forget to leave your opinions, tips/advice and all that stuff in the comments, I'll definitely take tips and advice into consideration!
Damiana? Stariana? Klariana? Others?
Don't forget to vote, share and comment please! Xxxxx
Love you guys!
-L
Next chapter: While Mystic Falls observes its traditional Remembrance Day to honor the dead, Damon, Ariana, and Elena all try to help Stefan and Nathan through a confusing time.