Sloan guided Elena to a chair.
"Stay still," Sloan said, holding up a blade.
"Hang on!" Rosalind snapped. "What's the knife for?"
"I need her blood for the spell," said Sloan.
Elena held out her palm, albeit hesitantly. Sloan cut into her hand, letting the blood fall into a round bowl beneath her. She let it flow for a bit, then dipped her hands in, placing her fingertips on Elena's forehead.
The Travelers started to chant in unison. Elena simply looked confused, eyes darting around, wondering what was supposed to be happening.
Sloan released her. "Considering you had no reaction at all, I'd say you're already the last of your line." She snapped her fingers at Stefan. "You next."
They switched spots. "You sure you're okay?" asked Rosalind, taking Elena's face in her hands. "You're not hurting anywhere?"
Elena shook her head. "No, I'm okay."
Sloan repeated the process with Stefan after wiping her hands clean. This time, when the Travelers started to chant, Stefan yelled out in pain.
"Oh, god," said Rosalind, wincing as he started to twitch in his chair.
Caroline looked very worried. "Why is this taking so long?" She asked after several screams left Stefan's mouth.
"Just a little deeper," said Sloan, concentrating. "I see him... he's in a city."
"There's only about a billion cities in the world," muttered Rosalind. "Hey!" She noticed Stefan was starting to tremble far too much. "You're hurting him!"
Stefan croaked out, "He's in Atlanta."
"Stop it!" cried Elena. "You found him already!"
"Keep going!" said Sloan to the other Travelers. "Push harder!"
"What the fuck?" demanded Rosalind. "You just said where he is, why aren't you stopping."
"We're not done," said Sloan. "The link isn't strong enough. We need more information."
"Just because he's a vampire doesn't mean you're not damaging him!" said Elena. "Let him go!"
"We need the doppelgänger dead," said Sloan. "Louder! And—" she faced the girls, "If you hurt me, they'll kill you."
"Wait a second," said Rosalind. "Pause. Are you trying to kill this other doppelgänger through Stefan? Why not just send a hitman when you get the location?"
Sloan released Stefan, motioning for the Travelers to stop. "Congratulations. You just volunteered."
Rosalind stared at her. "That's not what I meant."
"It is, now. As soon as Enzo's back, you will go with him."
"No," said Elena. "I'll go with her."
"Elena, no," said Rosalind. "If we're going to have to kill him... it should be me. You and Caroline shouldn't have this on your conscience. Enzo and I... we've killed a lot. It'll be just another body. Stay with Stefan. Make sure she doesn't try to deep-fry his brain again."
As soon as Enzo returned, Sloan practically shoved her in a car with him, instructing him to drive to Atlanta.
"He's a paramedic," said Sloan before they pulled off. "He's at a car accident, helping someone. Get to it."
Rosalind was in a sour mood the entire drive. "That's so specific," she muttered to herself. "A guy that looks exactly like Stefan, but is a paramedic, at a car accident who-knows-where. So helpful."
While Enzo drove, she tried to see what she could find out online. But, without the man's name, it was pretty hard for them to determine where exactly in Atlanta this man would be. She found some websites with pictures of current paramedics, but none had the same face as Stefan.
Sloan called them as they entered the city and started driving around looking for car accidents.
"Atlanta assassination squad," Enzo answered. "How may we be of service?"
"I take it you haven't located the doppelgänger yet?"
He snorted. "You told us to find a nameless paramedic at the scene of a car accident in a city of freeways, fried green tomatoes and terrible drivers. It's not exactly as easy as it sounds."
"Which is why I'm calling," said Sloan. "The doppelgänger's name is Tom Avery. And I just saw him deliver a patient to Atlanta Metropolitan Hospital."
"I take it you did the deep-fry thing again," said Rosalind once she'd snatched the phone from Enzo. "If you hurt Caroline or Elena in any way—"
"They're fine, albeit annoying and stubborn. Kill Tom, and we'll release all three of them."
Sloan hung up on them, causing Rosalind to scoff. "Fine," she muttered. "Drive to Atlanta Metropolitan Hospital."
"Easy there," said Enzo, rolling his eyes at her. "You don't get to boss me around."
"Do either of us want to be here?" she snapped. "I take it the answer on both ends is no. The sooner we get this done, the better."
Enzo parked as close to the main entrance as he could. Rosalind stepped out before he had even brought the car to a full stop, going inside and compelling one of the nurses to bring her Tom Avery, or someone who knew where Tom Avery was. In the meantime, she and Enzo had to wait amongst the people who had actual loved ones in the hospital.
"You're a bit too eager to do this," noticed Enzo when he saw she didn't look bothered by the idea that she was going to have to kill someone with the same face as Stefan.
"In case you're not in-the-loop about our friend group dynamic, I really don't like Stefan. I just tolerate him. This is the closest I'll ever get to being able to kill him, so I'm actually enjoying the opportunity."
"And you enjoy that you're not saddling your girl with the guilt of killing someone."
Rosalind shrugged. "It's a bonus. I don't want Elena to have that trauma of killing anyone, especially not someone who looks just like her friend. It doesn't matter. Are you sure Jesse and Damon got the antidotes?"
"Yes," said Enzo. "Only problem is that both were spelled in by your friend Bonnie. The other hybrid—"
"My cousin, Tyler," she interrupted.
"Yeah, that bloke, he contacted her after I gave them the antidote. Should be free and roaming around once we get back." He nudged her. "You know, Damon's not as fun as he used to be. I think we need a third murder buddy to make things fun. I hear I'm your type when it comes to best friends. Dodgy morals, charming accent, that's what Damon said. Think you'd want to join us?"
Rosalind cast him a cheeky smile. "Not looking for another best friend at the moment. I don't suppose Damon mentioned that my best friend is Niklaus Mikaelson, the Original Hybrid?"
Enzo pursed his lips. "Well, he said his name was Klaus but I didn't think it was that Klaus. You've got to remember I've been in captivity for decades, and I'm only just learning about the Originals. Hadn't heard much about them when I first became a vampire. Thought they were a myth."
"They're not. Klaus and Kol, two of the Original brothers, really like me, so... no one in their right mind crosses me unless they have a death wish."
He smirked. "Sounds like an empty threat. They're in New Orleans, aren't they?"
"They are. But one call and they'd be here, defending me. Rebekah once liked me a lot too. And Finn Mikaelson may be dead, but he and I had a moment where we were nice to each other."
"Understood," said Enzo, rolling his eyes and laughing lightly. "What about your friend, the blonde?"
"She's dating my cousin Tyler," said Rosalind. "Off-limits to you."
"Bummer. Though, she does remind me of someone I knew. She worked for the Augustines."
"So... one of the people who tortured you?"
He shook his head. "Maggie was only there to observe my behavior in captivity. I quite liked her, actually. She just reminded me that I was good all along."
"Well, you should go find her, then," said Rosalind, getting to her feet as a doctor approached them.
"You were asking about Tom Avery?" he inquired.
"Yep," said Rosalind, looking into his eyes. "Tell us where he is."
"I wish I could help with that, but I don't know," said the doctor. "Tom Avery was a pain in my ass, but he was also the best paramedic I ever met. Problem is, he disappeared four months ago. No one knows where he is."
Rosalind dragged Enzo out of the hospital, and forced him to call Sloan. "I hope you're calling me to tell me the doppelgänger is dead," replied Sloan.
"No," said Rosalind. "I'm calling to tell you the doppelgänger has been missing for four months. Your visions of him weren't from today. So how about you use Stefan's blood and do a Locator Spell since all of your buddies are there to help? Tell us where he is, exactly, and then we'll kill him."
"Doesn't work like that," said Sloan. "The link connects us to the doppelgänger's mind. If we're seeing old memories, that means we have to go deeper."
"Stop deep-frying his brain! How is it going to help you if he dies temporarily from it?"
Sloan didn't care to listen. They heard Stefan screaming on the other line. In the background, Rosalind could hear Caroline and Elena's protests, begging Sloan to stop hurting him.
Rosalind and Enzo waited until suddenly, there was silence. "Hello?" said Rosalind. "Still there?"
"I'm here," they heard Stefan say weakly. "6643 Peachtree Drive. There was, uh, a redheaded woman. Her name was Hazel."
"Great," said Rosalind. "Time to go."
"Wait," said Stefan. "Rosalind, he's a good person. Don't do it."
There was a scuffling noise, and then Sloan added, "Clock's ticking," before hanging up.
Finding the house wasn't easy. Perhaps a description of the exterior might have helped, because there were a lot of houses numbered '6643,' and half the streets in the city were named 'Peachtree,' with variations of 'Street,' 'Drive,' 'Avenue,' and 'Circle' after them. The GPS hadn't been very helpful.
"It's a miracle we found this place," said Enzo as they walked up the front porch. "Every other street in this blasted city is Peachtree."
"Look," said Rosalind, seeing some dusty newspapers in the mailbox. "Nobody's been getting these. They're old."
"Four months old," noted Enzo. He tugged at the door handle, but it wasn't unlocked. He chuckled lightly, "Seventy years in a cage... You'd think I'd learn to pick a lock by now."
He crushed the nob, pushing the door open. Down the hall, they could see a woman with red hair, kneeling in a circle of candles, herbs, and sand. Her eyes were milky white, and she appeared to have a spell in progress.
"So, Hazel is a witch," said Rosalind. She tried to walk inside. "A mortal witch, obviously. I assume she owns the house—?"
"Not for long," said Enzo. He threw the doorknob at the woman, striking her head and killing her. She flopped on the ground, and he was able to step inside.
"Not what I had in mind," said Rosalind. "I could have mind-searched her."
"She would have mind-melted us first," noted Enzo, wiggling his eyebrows. He led the way through the house.
"Wait," said Rosalind, receiving a text from Tyler. "Tyler has some information. According to Liv... wait, Liv? Uh—" she read the whole message then explained, "So, Liv is not a newbie witch, she's from some Coven that's trying to stop the Travelers from whatever they're doing. Travelers aren't witches, they have a grudge toward regular witches... so we shouldn't let them get Stefan and Elena's blood."
"My guess is that would mean we shouldn't kill Tom Avery," said Enzo. "Lucky for the Travelers, I don't give a damn."
"Hang on," said Rosalind, getting another text. "Caroline's still at the stockyard, but Elena had to go to a parent-teacher conference with Jeremy. She's okay."
Enzo suddenly went very still. "Do you hear that?"
She went silent. "A heartbeat," she noticed. "Downstairs."
Enzo led them to a doorway, which opened to a platform where a staircase was attached. They followed it down to the basement and found Tom Avery, appearing comatose and laying in a small cot.
"This is totally not weird," said Rosalind. "Why did the witch have him here?"
"No idea," said Enzo. "She was off the grid for four months herself. Why go through such lengths to keep him alive and hidden?"
"I doubt we'll find that out in his mind," said Rosalind. "But let me try, before I snap his neck..." she grabbed his head, entering his mind and zipping through it. She emerged and shook her head. "Nothing. She lured him in under the guise that they were going on a date of some sort. He doesn't know anything."
She snapped Tom's neck. "Come on," she motioned for Enzo to pick up the body. "Let's take him upstairs and go home."
Sloan was pleased to hear that Tom was dead. Enzo and Rosalind made their way back to Mystic Falls. When they were just outside the city borders, Rosalind received a call from Jeremy.
"Hey there," she said. "What's up?"
"You have to get to the school," he said worriedly. "Elena's gone. I think Liv has her."
"Wait a—" Enzo tried to stop her, but she leapt out of the car and sped the rest of the way to the high school.
When she arrived in one of the storage rooms, Damon had already knocked Liv out.
"Damon?" said Rosalind, surprised to see him. "What are you doing here?"
"Jeremy made me his primary contact," said Damon with a shrug. "He called me first."
"Lovely," said Rosalind, going to Elena, who was breathing heavily. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she promised. "Are you?"
"Fine." She used her foot to prop Liv into a sitting position, leaning down to give her some blood and wake her up. "Come on, get up."
Liv opened her eyes, and Rosalind put her in a chokehold. "Tell me why you came after Elena, and maybe, I won't tear your tongue out and shove it back down your throat. I'm in a more murderous mood today."
"Rosalind," said Elena carefully. "Don't get carried away. You won't forgive yourself."
She let up her grip on Liv slightly. "Talk. Now."
"Elena's the last female doppelgänger," Liv panted. "Did you kill—?"
"Yes. Stefan is now the last male doppelgänger."
Liv closed her eyes, disappointed. "The Travelers are going to come for them. To use them. The witches can't let that happen."
"Well, we will protect them as best as we can," said Rosalind, releasing her. The door opened behind them, and Jeremy came in.
"She's gonna help keep Elena safe," Jeremy announced. "I will make sure of that."
"How?" asked Damon. "You can't even get a passing grade in penmanship!"
Jeremy ignored him, looking at his sister. "Trust me, I won't let anyone hurt you."
Elena sighed. Clearly, whatever she'd heard at the parent-teacher conference hadn't been very comforting. "Jer, I'm supposed to be the one protecting you. Your teachers claim you've been making bad decisions. You're going to be in more danger trying to keep me safe. We'll figure something else out, something that isn't going to pull you away from your classes."
Jeremy shook his head. "I know what I'm doing, Elena. Please. Liv knows more about the Travelers than she's letting on. She will help us. I'm going to be involved in this, whether you like it or not. Please, just trust me."
Elena decided to do so. "I trust you," she said, rubbing his arms. "What's the plan?"
"Right now, we get Liv back to her twin brother, Luke," said Jeremy. "He's another witch. Then... we'll figure it all out. One piece at a time."
Jeremy took Liv to see Luke. Damon told them about how Bonnie had freed him and Jesse from their cells. Jesse had gone to Whitmore immediately, and seemed to be unsure whether he wanted to stay, or go to college elsewhere.
"Well, we can talk to Jesse and help him once we get back," said Rosalind. "But we should see if Caroline and Stefan are okay, first." She dialed Caroline's number.
Caroline did not have good news for them. She and Stefan had just left the Traveler camp after watching them all drink the doppelgänger blood and light themselves on fire. Nobody knew what to make of that. They collectively decided to have the night off from investigating, and reconvene in the morning with theories.
"Hey, Jesse," said Rosalind, stopping by the man's room to see if he was alright. "How are you?"
"Better, now that I'm cured," said Jesse. "But still... a vampire. Which wasn't what I wanted, ever. Though, I guess it's nice that I get to live forever. I just never asked for this."
"I know," said Rosalind. "And I'm sorry about that. Listen, you are... totally free to do whatever you'd like from now on. You don't have to be friends with any of us if you don't want to. Our lives are crazy and from the looks of it, they are about to get crazier while we figure out what drove the Travelers to off themselves so suddenly..."
Jesse raised his brows. "Well, I don't know how much fun I'm gonna have in Applied Microbiology with a new professor while you guys are dealing with that. If you need help... I can try to do something."
Rosalind half-smiled. "We just want you to be safe. You're a young vampire, there's a lot you need to learn before—"
"You said you'd train me, right?"
"Well, yes, I could train you, if you'd like."
He nodded. "I would like it. I want to learn to defend myself."
Rosalind smiled. "Tomorrow, then. Meet me at the gym behind the track. Six AM."
She made her way to her apartment, and found Elena waiting for her, already in pajamas and laying on Rosalind's bed.
"You look comfortable," said Rosalind while she got dressed. "Are you sure you're okay, after what happened today?"
"I'm fine," promised Elena. "Are you okay? You did have to kill someone. And you hadn't, not since..."
"I know," said Rosalind. "But it's okay. Tom Avery was comatose. He didn't feel a thing. And I knew that if I didn't do it, the Travelers might hurt you, or Caroline. Stefan, I don't care about, but I know you would feel awful if he died, so... it was a selfish reason, I assure you. I'm not going to fly into a rage."
"You almost did, with Liv."
"She went after you, directly. For a moment, I just felt the need to hurt someone. I was fine, though. You talked me down from it. Reminded me I won't be too happy with myself if I hurt anyone." She half-smiled, "I can't ever forget all those awful things I did. Whenever I see my aunt— which is so rare, nowadays— I'm haunted by how rude I was being when Tyler brought her to see me while I was kept in the Salvatore cell. Every day, there's some reminder that there's a dark side to me, one I didn't like when I let it emerge and take control. But I can't shy away from it, either. I'm desensitized to killing, especially when it's people I don't know. I still get mad, I still get... overly protective. Especially when it comes to you, Tyler, and my aunt. You guys are my family. The others in the group are, too, don't get me wrong, but you three are the most important people in my life. Knowing anyone would hurt you... it fills me with rage."
Elena beckoned her closer. Rosalind sat next to her, cupping her face. "My beautiful, beautiful angel," the hybrid whispered, taking a moment to brush her fingers around her forehead, cheeks, and then over her mouth. "I just want you to be okay."
"I am okay, Rosalind," promised Elena. "You don't need to worry about me."
"Every day, I worry about you. You were born with this face, this blood... everything that makes you a target for all sorts of supernaturals and their sadistic agendas. I just want to keep you safe and every day, I fear that I won't be able to. That there will come a threat just too dangerous and I won't be able to protect you. I know you can protect yourself, but sometimes, I just... I get so scared."
"Hold me," beckoned Elena. "Hold me, feel me, so you can see that I'm right here... in one piece. Safe in your arms."
Rosalind kissed her, pulling Elena onto her lap. "My love," she whispered, dragging her lips over Elena's jaw. "My angel..." she moved her mouth to her clavicle. "My darling." Over her heart. "My princess."
Elena let out a breathy moan. "Is Tyler coming home tonight?"
"No," said Rosalind against her skin. "Are you thinking what I believe you're thinking?"
"Maybe..." she pulled herself out of Rosalind's grip to lay herself on the bed, tugging Rosalind's shoulders to bring her hovering on top. "I want this. I want you."
Rosalind looked down at her, smirking as Elena batted her doe eyes innocently. She put her hand on the girl's throat, squeezing lightly. "I know damn well you aren't giving me that gaze while asking me to fuck you."
"Maybe I am," said Elena sweetly. "What are you thinking, Rosalind?"
"That I want to leave you looking a complete mess."
"Then do it."
Rosalind had pictured the scene a bit differently. She would have decorated the room, lit some candles, made it as comfortable as possible for Elena, to maximize her enjoyment. She might have had a radio playing gentle music in the background. Elena didn't mind that it played out differently. It was just as good, either way.
"You're doing so good for me," Rosalind praised once Elena was laying on her stomach, clutching the sheets so tightly, her knuckles were turning white. Rosalind snaked her hand down her back, raking her fingers into her hair and giving a tug to lift Elena's head off of the pillow. "Such a good girl. Use your words, angel, what do you want?"
"You," Elena whimpered. "You, forever."
"Your wish is my command."
Early the following morning, Rosalind got out of bed and hopped into the shower. Elena was still curled up, naked under the sheets and hugging Rosalind's pillow while she slept. She awoke while Rosalind was lacing up her sneakers, whining and rubbing her eyes.
"Where are you going?" she asked sleepily, once again gazing at her innocently as if she hadn't let Rosalind do the most sinful things to her just a few hours prior.
"To train Jesse," she said. "You're welcome to stay, I left you some eggs and toast. How are you feeling?"
Elena cast her a lazy and shy smile. "Feeling good. You?"
Rosalind winked. "Better, now that I've gotten to see how adorable you look in the morning."
"Have a good day," said Elena, laying back down as if she intended to go to sleep for another short while. "I'll see you later."
"See you later," said Rosalind, blowing her a kiss as she left.