THIRD PERSON POV:
Elena and Amber are sitting on the ground, Amber wass clutching at her head. Finn stood nearby, guarding the two of them.
"Oh, my head. What's wrong with me?" Amber asked and Finn glanced at them..
"Do you remember what happened?" Elena asked and Amber nodded.
"You called me. You were so scared. You said something had happened to my mom. The second I walked out of the house, someone grabbed me." She said.
"Klaus. It was Klaus." Elena said and Finn cleared his throat.
"Actually, Miss Elena, I did that." His eyes bore into her and Elena got the feeling that Finn didn't like her from the slight curl to his lip.
"He made me drink his blood. And I don't...I don't remember anything after that." Amber agreed, pointing at Finn. She then looked around, anxiously.
"Where are we? What happened?" She asked. Elena took Amber's hands into her own.
"We're at the quarry. He brought us here." Elena told her.
"Why don't I remember anything?" Amber asked.
"When someone makes you drink their blood, they're a vampire. If you die with it in your system, you become a vampire as well and you have to drink human blood to complete the transition." Elena explained.
"Okay, if you die with vampire blood in your system, it's..." Amber paused and then looked at Finn in horror.
"Oh, god. He killed me." Amber gasped, looking at Finn who was silently wondering if he had been that dramatic when he was turned.
"Amber, listen to me. Listen to me; everything's going to be okay. I'm going to get you out of here." Elena promised and Finn took his coat off.
"How do you plan to get past me, Miss Elena? You may be my Kjære's niece, but Niklaus is my brother." He reminded her.
"I'm a vampire?" Amber asked and that's when Greta returned.
"And I bet you're hungry." She said, approaching them. Amber and Elena looked up at her from the ground, then Elena saw a sharp rock nearby. She rushed to grab it, but a wave of her hand, Greta sent Elena flying back into the dirt.
"Careful, Miss Greta, she is to remain unharmed until the ritual is over." Finn reminded me the witch, who nodded and put a circle of fire around Elena. Elena stood up and rushed towards the flames, but found out she couldn't escape.
"Don't bother trying to get through. I spelled the circle. You're trapped. No matter what you do." Greta told her.
"Greta...Please, just- just let her go." Elena begged, but was ignored as Greta sliced her wrist open with the sharp rock. Blood dripped from the wound and both Finn and Amber looked at it hungrily before Finn glanced away.
"Klaus chose her. He was originally going to use your Aunt Jenna or Rose-Marie, but changed his mind when Carina requested they live." Greta informed the doppelganger.
"No." Elena gasped, hating that she felt a bit relieved that it wasn't Jenna or Rose in that position. She may not have liked Rose, but she could tell that Damon loves her. Greta lowered her wrist towards Amber.
"Drink it." Greta ordered. Elena shook her head urgently.
"Amber, don't!" She pleaded and Amber shook her head.
"I can't." She said.
"Let her go. Hey!" Elena shouted and Finn rolled his eyes.
"Why are the doppelgangers always so annoying?" He muttered and Elena shot him an offended look. Amber continued to stare at Greta's wrist until she finally sunk her teeth in.
"No! No." Elena shook her head, her eyes glistening with tears. Amber closed her eyes as the warm blood entered her mouth and after a few minutes, Greta pulled her wrist free and Amber fell to the ground.
"That's enough." Greta said, standing up and Finn moved to assist her.
"Rare to find a gentleman these days." She said and he nodded before moving back.
"Amber. It's going to be okay." Elena promised as Greta flicked her wrist and another circle of fire surrounded Amber, who retreated from the flames, looking terrified.
"Look at me. Hey, look at me." Elena instructed and Amber turned towards her, blood still running down her chin.
"It's gonna be okay. It's gonna be okay." Elena promised and Amber silently mouthed the word 'no' as veins crawled under her eyes.
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THIRD PERSON POV:
Jeremy and Bonnie were down in the basement of the old witch house, still flipping through the pages of old grimoires.
"This is useless. All these grimoires. There has to be something in here to keep Elena from becoming a vampire." Jeremy said, frustrated at the lack of results and angry that Stefan had given his sister vampire blood.
"And we'll keep looking. Until the last minute." Bonnie promised.
Outside the witch house, Elijah, Alaric, and Damon arrived and walked across the yard towards the house.
"The sacrifice is completed in stages as the full moon sets. First the werewolf is killed, then the vampire. Finally the doppelgänger. Once Elena dies, the curse will be broken. Klaus will become a hybrid." Elijah instructed and Alaric nodded.
"So when do we attack?" He asked.
"Elena's death will activate his dormant werewolf side. He'll be vulnerable during the transformation. That's when Bonnie comes in." Elijah answered.
"And you're sure Bonnie will survive this?" Damon asked, wanting to at least make sure Elena's friends stayed safe since it was why she was doing this.
"If she can deliver him to the brink of death, I'll finish the job myself." Elijah promised, but Damon couldn't help but feel skeptical. His phone rang and he rolled his eyes when he saw it was Stefan, but walked away to answer it.
"Stefan." He said, shortly.
"You're not going to like what I'm about to say." Stefan warned and Damon sighed.
"Cut to the chase. Is the sacrifice happening or not?" He asked.
"It's happening. I tried to stop it, but it got...complicated." Stefan said.
"We're sticking with the original plan. We're meeting Bonnie right now." Damon told his brother.
"He's got Jenna, Damon." Stefan told him and Damon frowned in confusion.
"That can't be right, she's at the boarding house with Rose and Carina. Elijah instructed all of them to stay inside." He said.
"What?" Stefan asked, shocked.
"Katherine lied to you. Klaus is using someone else." Damon said.
"Katherine also told me Klaus has another vampire helping with the ritual. Called him his brother." Stefan said and Damon stiffened.
"Which one?" He asked.
"They never said his name, but he's got brown hair and hazel-green eyes." Stefan described and with an internal curse, Damon realized that Klaus had undaggered another original. He then realized that meant Klaus hadn't buried them all at sea or hadn't buried any of them at sea. He glanced at Elijah and Alaric in worry.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Alaric asked and Elijah also looked worried.
"He's got backup." Stefan said and Damon's jaw dropped.
"Oh, my god." He said.
_______________
THIRD PERSON POV (The Quarry):
Elena was pacing back and forth in her circle of fire while Amber was kneeling in hers. Elena stopped to look at Amber. Finn was playing a game on Niklaus's smartphone and found he rather liked them, he would have to guilt Niklaus out of one for himself.
"How are you feeling?" She asked and Amber glanced up at her. Finn also glanced up and his gaze shown with some sympathy for the vampire, but not for the doppelganger.
"I feel like myself...Only not. Everything is brighter. The fire's hotter. Part of me is terrified, but there's another part of me that doesn't want to feel anything." She admitted and Finn tilted his head to the side.
"Vampires can turn off the part that's human. That's the part that hurts." Elena explained and Finn looked confused. He and his siblings had never been able to do that or he would have done it centuries ago.
"I'm gonna die, aren't I?" Amber asked, shakily as her eyes shown with tears.
"No! Amber, I'm not going to let that happen. I don't care what I have to do." Elena promised and Finn scoffed, turning to Elena with a sharp look in his eyes.
"Don't make a promise you can't keep, Ms Elena. This ritual will proceed and there isn't a thing you can do about it." He said, his tone icy. In the distance, the sounds of snapping twigs and pained groaning could be heard by all three and Amber's head snapped towards the sounds.
"Who's that?" Amber asked.
"That must be the werewolf." Elena realized and sure enough, Greta arrived with Jules and pushed her to the ground. Jules clutched her stomach, moaning in pain.
"What's happening to me?" She gasped and Finn glanced at Greta with narrowed eyes.
"I cast a spell to slow down your transformation. Your insides are trying to tear themselves free." Greta said and Finn made a noise of realization.
"Sounds like a torture method they used while I was human." He mused as Greta moved away from Jules and flicked her wrist, a third ring of fire appearing around Jules.
"Greta, witches are supposed to maintain the balance in nature. It's your duty to them to keep this curse sealed." Elena tried.
"My duty is to Klaus! The new order." Greta stated and Finn glared at Elena.
"If my brother was not supposed to become a hybrid, then his wolf side would have disappeared when he was turned into a vampire. This is not nature, this is my and Niklaus's mother's attempt to cover up her lies again." Finn snapped. That's when Klaus arrived and smiled at Greta and Finn.
"Glad to know I still have a dance partner and a loyal brother." Klaus said, clapping his brother on the shoulder before turning to Elena, Amber, and Jules.
"Hello, my lovelies. Are we ready?" He asked, pleasantly..
________________
THIRD PERSON POV (The Quarry):
Jules, Elena, and Amber were still contained in the rings of fire, while Jules continued to moan in pain. Up on a nearby hill, Klaus retrieved the moonstone from his pocket and Finn stood next to him.
"I've got the moonstone. I spent 500 years looking for this. I hate to part with it." He said and Finn rolled his eyes.
"Must be nice to have actually spent 500 years doing something." He said and Klaus rolled his own eyes at that. He had vowed to not dagger Finn again and Finn had vowed to not attempt to end his own life again. After an argument and a destroyed area of the forest, they had settled things. It surprised Klaus that Finn was more angry at Elijah than he was at Klaus, but after he remembered how close they had been, he understood why. Finn had still considered Elijah his closest brother and leaving him in the coffin felt more like a betrayal.
Finn knew now that they had never intended for the daggering to negatively affect him and it had been a way to protect him in the only way they thought they could. Now, that he had talked with Carina and Klaus, Finn realized how he had scared his younger siblings and he vowed to himself to never do so again. Carina had also put into perspective how his mother had isolated him to protect her secret about Freya and how Klaus had only been cursed so Esther could protect herself from yet more lies and secrets and the consequences of their discovery. He watched Klaus hand the moonstone to Greta who took it and looked up to the sky.
"The moon has passed its apex. Remember everything you need to do?" Greta asked and Klaus nodded.
"I remember." He stated and Greta dropped the moonstone into a stone bowl filled with fire. Sparks flew as the moonstone was destroyed and Greta began chanting a spell in Latin. Klaus approached the rings of fire, going to Jules first. Jules was still on the ground, but glanced up at Elena.
"Everything I did...I was just trying to help Tyler." She managed.
"Are you Jules?" Elena asked, remembering the name and what she had heard about the werewolf.
"I didn't want him to be alone!" Jules admitted as Klaus looked down at her.
"Shall we?" He asked as the ring of fire around Jules disperses. Jules' eyes turned yellow and she used her werewolf speed to rush at Klaus, but Klaus got the upper hand, plunging his hand into her chest and ripping out her heart. She took a final breath, tears streaming down her face as she died. Klaus breathed heavily as he held her bloody heart in his hands and Elena and Amber looked on in horror.
________________
THIRD PERSON POV (The Old Witch House):
Jeremy was looking through a grimoire as Bonnie looked over his shoulder.
"Which one are you reading?" She asked and Jeremy kept his eyes on the grimoire as he told her.
"Emily Bennett's, there's a section on spells she did for my ancestor, Johnathan Gilbert." He said.
"Yeah, I think she had a thing for him." Bonnie joked and he looked up at her then she smiled at him.
"There's something on a resuscitative spell she was working on." He said, seeing it and Bonnie nodded.
"I saw that, too. She just didn't explain what it did, exactly." She admitted and then an idea dawned on Jeremy.
"Well, maybe Johnathan wrote about it in his journals. You know, I can have Stefan bring them." He said, knowing that Stefan would to fix what he had done. That's when the basement door creaked open and Bonnie heard the noise, glancing up at the sound.
"Someone's here." She whispered. They were relieved when Alaric walked down into the basement.
"Hey, what are you doing here?" Jeremy asked, confused. Alaric was supposed to be guarding Aunt Jenna and Aunt Jade..
"Elijah and Stefan are upstairs." He said and then he turned to Bonnie.
"You mind if I have a second with Jeremy?" He asked and she nodded.
"Sure, yeah. Of course." Bonnie agreed, getting up and leaving the basement. Jeremy looked at Alaric in concern.
"What's the matter?" Jeremy asked. Alaric hesitated, but finding no other way of putting it, exhaled and steeled his courage.
"Jeremy...Something may have happened to Jenna." He finally said and Jeremy looked at him blankly.
Outside, Bonnie was talking to Stefan, Damon, and Elijah.
"Why did he take Jenna?" She asked. Elijah sighed.
"A punishment for meddling." He said, giving stern looks at both Damon and Stefan.
"Klaus was going to use Tyler and Caroline. But Damon and I rescued them." Stefan admitted.
"I went along to make sure you didn't die, not because I wanted to meddle with Elijah's plan." Damon corrected.
"Then we need to go. Now. Before Jenna's been sacrificed. I can kill Klaus myself." Bonnie stated and they all looked at her.
"Bonnie...If you use that much power, you'll be dead. We've already been through this. It's not an option." Stefan told her and she shook her head, defiantly.
"Neither is letting Jenna die." She stated and Elijah looked at her.
"Well, Stefan would agree with you." He admitted and Bonnie looked confused as Stefan walked closer to her.
"We're going to offer another vampire. One that he'll want more. Me." He said.
________________
THIRD PERSON POV (The Quarry):
Greta continued chanting a spell while Klaus held Jules' heart over the ceremonial bowl, squeezing the blood into the flames.
"Does that mean it's working?" He asked, hopefully.
"It's working." Greta confirmed. Over in the rings of fire, Elena watched Klaus and Greta while Amber looked at her, tears in her eyes. Finn guarded them, but stayed a bit in the shadows.
"The day my dad called to tell me that my mom had died, you know what my first thought was?" She asked and Elena looked down at her and shook her head.
"Why couldn't it have been me? Why couldn't it have happened to someone else's mother?" She asked, tearfully.
"Amber, there was nothing you could do." Elena assured.
"It's just the thought that I wished death on someone else and that I wasn't there to protect her." Amber admitted.
"But you didn't mean it." Elena assured, kneeling down.
"You were grieving, it's normal." She continued.
"Look around, Elena. I failed as a daughter and as a teammate. We weren't friends and I bullied her mercilessly, but Carina was my teammate at one point and I should have tried to rush you out of here." Amber sniffled.
"No. You didn't. I failed you. I'm so sorry. Listen. Being a vampire, it intensifies your guilt. But it also makes you stronger and faster. You can fight back. I'm gonna get through this. I'll be okay. I need you to believe that. Promise me, when you get the chance..." Elena said, putting a finger to her lips as she remembered Finn was there.
"Run." She whispered to Amber.
"Okay." Amber whispered, nodding.
_______________
THIRD PERSON POV (The Old Witch House):
Stefan was standing outside the house when Elijah approached him.
"Bonnie did the locator spell. They're at Steven's Quarry." Elijah told him.
"I'll head over there first and you'll follow with Bonnie when it's time." Stefan stated and Elijah nodded.
"Just as the moon hits its final phase. She's to stay hidden until then. He cannot know that she's alive." Elijah reminded him. Stefan nodded and began to walk away.
"You can be very honorable." Elijah noticed and Stefan turned back around, looked at Elijah, and walked back towards him.
"Are you? Because this whole plan is, um, it's contingent upon your honor, Elijah." Stefan reminded him.
"I won't fail you." Elijah promised.
"Klaus is your brother. I know I've wanted to kill my brother a thousand times. I've never been able to." Stefan said and Elijah tried not to scoff. He knew about how Stefan forced Damon to turn.
"Well, Klaus was not my only brother. I had siblings; parents. I had a family. Over the centuries, Klaus hunted them down one by one and he took them from me. He scattered them across the seas where their bodies could not be found. My elder brother has been in a coffin for almost 900 years." He explained and realization dawned on Stefan.
"You want revenge." He said and Elijah nodded.
"Sometimes there's honor in revenge, Stefan. I won't fail you." Elijah stressed and finally, Stefan believed him.
"Please end this." Stefan requested before leaving.
In the house, John walked down into the basement, holding a cardboard box. Jeremy and Bonnie approached him as he put the box down on a table.
"I brought the Gilbert journals. I think I know the spell you're talking about." He said and Bonnie looked around.
"Where's Damon?" She asked and John looked at her.
"Upstairs. Alaric wanted to talk to him." He told them. They began to take the journals out and flip through them.
Upstairs Alaric had just explained to Damon that Stefan was willing to sacrifice himself.
"He did what?!" Damon shouted, furiously.
"He wasn't going to let Jenna die." Alaric tried.
"We have a witch. She kills Klaus. No one has to die!" Damon shouted, wincing at the pain in his werewolf bite. Why was he so confused? He had known this was the plan before.
"Except for Bonnie." Alaric reminded him and Damon groaned.
"God, Stefan, damn it!" Damon punched a wall, using his vamp speed, which caused his whole arm to go into the wall. He winced as he took it out.
"Hey, are you okay?" Alaric asked, concerned.
"I'm fine." Damon said, taking a deep breath to calm down and then he looked at Alaric.
"Well, that's my brother for you. Always cleaning up messes for me." He said, exiting the house as he did so. Alaric watched him exit, concerned.
________________
THIRD PERSON POV (The Quarry):
Klaus approached the ring of fire containing Jenna.
"Hello, Amber." He greeted and both Amber and Elena got up and looked at him.
"Let her go. I understand that I have to die, but she doesn't!" Elena pleaded, walking closer to the flames which caused them to flare up. She retreated.
"Careful. I did promise my crimson flower that you'd be back in one piece." Klaus warned.
"Elena, don't." Amber said and Elena turned to her.
"No, Amber! You can't do this to your dad." Elena protested before turning back to Klaus.
"I followed your rules; I did everything that you asked. I didn't run. Please. You said that you wouldn't harm anyone Carina asked you not to, she used to be Carina's teammate." Elena tried pleading again. Klaus ignored her.
"Well, well." He said, looking to the top of the quarry.
"I don't recall you being on the guest list." He commented, and Amber and Elena looked up at well. Elena gasped when she saw it was Stefan at the top of the cliff.
"I'm here to talk." Stefan called down.
"Very well, then." Klaus agreed. He looked at Amber briefly then looked into the shadows where could make out the form of his brother, signaling to Finn to guard them before vamp-speeding to the top of the cliff and walking calmly towards Stefan.
"What can I do for you, Mr. Salvatore?" Klaus asked.
________________
THIRD PERSON POV (The Old Witch House):
In the basement, John, Bonnie, and Jeremy spoke with Damon about what they had found.
"We found something in the Gilbert journals." Bonnie said and John stepped forward to explain.
"Johnathan journaled the story of a mother who called on Emily's services. The woman's baby was sick; dying. Emily cast a spell that would bind the woman's life force with her child." He said and Damon waved forward.
"Skip to how this is supposed to save Elena?" He requested, wanting to make sure that Carina's faith was not misplaced in him or Elijah.
"Well, the child died, but the mother's life force flowed through her, restoring her to life." John continued.
"We already know Elena's going to come back to life. But she'll be a vampire." Jeremy frowned, confused.
"Not if her soul remains intact." John argued.
"Her soul, really? You're going to put your faith in some act of god mumbo jumbo?" Damon asked, skeptically. John walked forward, closing the gap between him and Damon.
"I refuse to let Elena become the thing I've spent my life protecting her against. And you can call that God or mystical energy, whatever you want, but yes...I'm putting my faith in it." John said, before turning around and walking back towards Bonnie.
________________
THIRD PERSON POV (The Quarry):
Stefan and Klaus were still conversing on the cliff top, Elena and Amber continued to look up at the them, patiently waiting to figure out what's happening.
"What's going on?" Amber asked and Elena shrugged.
"I-I don't know." Elena said before it dawned on her and she looked at Amber.
"You can hear them." She said and Amber looked at her in confusion.
"You can hear anything. Jus-Just focus on them." Elena tried to explain. At the top, Stefan was trying to bargain.
"You don't need to kill Jenna. I'll take her place." Stefan suggested and Klaus looked slightly annoyed, but also slightly amused with the younger vampire's daring.
"Oh, I don't know. I rather appreciate the symmetry of three women--" Klaus mused, starting to circle Stefan like a predator. "-- Three goddesses-- Sacrificed at nature's altar." Finn rolled his eyes at his brother's drama and theatrics.
"What are they saying?" Elena whispered from the bottom and Amber frowned.
"I can't-I can't make it out." She admitted.
"You can do this. Just relax. Focus." Elena instructed.
"Don't play games with me. You'll get what you want either way." Stefan said, turning around to face Klaus.
"I can hear him. I hear Stefan." Amber whispered and Elena leaned closer to her.
"What are they saying?" She asked and Amber strained to listen.
"You're quite the hero, aren't you? I've heard that about you." Klaus commented.
"Just make the trade. Me for the other vampire." Stefan snapped and Amber, having heard the last bits of the conversation with her vampire hearing, gasped.
"Oh, my god." Her jaw dropped.
"What is it?" Elena asked, worried.
"He wants to take my place." Amber admitted and Elena looked at her horrified, before turning to look up at Stefan.
________________
THIRD PERSON POV (The Old Witch House):
Down in the basement, Bonnie had her hands placed on either side of John's head and was chanting a spell. Jeremy and Damon stood by, watching and Damon, becoming impatient, snapped his fingers.
"Come on, Bonnie, we got a hybrid to kill." He reminded her and Jeremy looked at him, signalling to be patient. Not long after that, Bonnie opened her eyes.
"It's done." She stated and Damon looked eager.
"That's it? Let's go." He said, walking out of the room. John opened his eyes as Bonnie walked past him. She turned to Jeremy and gently touched his arm.
"I'll be back soon." She promised and he reached out for her.
"Wait, what do you mean? No, I'm coming. I need to be there. I need to make sure you guys are okay." Jeremy said and Bonnie shook her head.
"And who's going to make sure you're okay?" She asked, gently.
"I've got my own ring. Look, I'm not taking no for an answer." Jeremy stated and Bonnie kissed him goodbye. After she pulled away, Jeremy smiled at her. Suddenly, he looked at her confused and started to fall to the floor. John grabbed him and lead him to a chair.
"Easy, easy." John said before turning to Bonnie.
"Just go. I'll stay with him." He told her and she looked at Jeremy one more time before exiting the basement with Damon. Upstairs, Alaric and Elijah waited until they heard Bonnie and Damon walk up the stairs.
"It's time." Elijah said and Damon and Bonnie walked out of the house with glancing at either Elijah or Alaric, who followed them.
"All right. I got the weapons in the car." Alaric stated.
"Bonnie's the only weapon we need." Elijah stated, walking out the doorway. Alaric followed behind him, but when he tried to exit the house, he found a barrier blocking him.
"Bonnie! What is this?" He asked and she stopped to turn around and look back at him.
"I can't put anyone else at risk." She said.
"I can't stay here with it possibly being Jenna out there!" Alaric protested.
"I'm sorry." Bonnie apologized and Alaric looked furious.
"You can't do this! Damon?" Alaric asked and Damon stopped as well, feeling guilty.
"Sorry, buddy. She's right." He apologized as well before he, Elijah, and Bonnie started to walk away.
"No! You can't do this. Bonnie! Bonnie!" Alaric protested, angrily hitting the doorframe.
_______________
THIRD PERSON POV (The Quarry):
"Elena..." Amber asked, frightened.
"I have to do something. This can't happen. None of it." Elena said and Finn rolled his eyes in annoyance. God, these doppelgangers. Stefan and Klaus came down from the cliff top and approached Amber and Elena.
"Quite the predicament. You know, it's funny, all this talk about preserving innocent life, and here's Stefan, granting your wish." Klaus smiled.
"Stefan..." Elena said and Stefan gave her a reassuring look.
"It's okay." He said as Klaus grabbed the stake.
"Well. Who's it going to be, Elena?" Klaus asked, pointing the stake between Amber and Stefan. Elena looked horrified by this.
"No." She shook her head, quickly, not wanting to choose which one would die.
"Oh, don't worry. There's actually no choice. Finn, if you would kindly...." Klaus said and Finn vamp-sped out of the shadows and broke Stefan's neck before staking him in the back.
"No! Stefan! No!" Elena cried. Finn broke off the stake, leaving a sizeable chunk of wood in Stefan's back.
"I have other plans for your boyfriend. I want him alive. But for now..." Klaus said, looking at Stefan as Finn sped back into the shadows.
"Whenever you're ready, Greta." He said, turning to the witch and Greta began chanting the next part of the spell and the ring of fire around Amber dispelled. Amber looked on in fear while Elena looked tearful.
"No." Elena whimpered and Klaus looked at Amber.
"Your turn." He said.
"No, Amber, no!" Elena cried, attempting to get to her, but the fire around her flared up. Amber looked over at her.
"It's alright, Elena. I know what I have to do. Tell Carina I'm sorry for what's happened between us." Amber said and after a moment of shared silence, Amber sped over to Greta and brutally bit her in the neck, causing Greta to scream and Klaus vamp-sped over to Amber and staked her in the back, pulling her off Greta. Amber gasped and Klaus released her, causing her to fall to the ground. Elena started to cry.
"Amber, no!" Elena wept and Amber looked at Elena with tears in her eyes.
"Just turn it off. Amber. Turn it off. You won't be scared anymore." Elena instructed as Klaus flipped Amber over onto her back and hunched over her. Klaus watched the emotions shut off in her eyes before he staked her in the heart.
"No! Amber! No! Amber!" Elena began to completely breakdown as Amber's body started to become grey and dessicated. Klaus released the stake from his grasp and stood up as Amber lied lifelessly on the stone with the stake in her heart.
Greta began chanting the next part of the spell while Klaus was by her side. Stefan woke up and felt the piece of wood in his back. He tried to reach it but was not flexible enough to do so. Stefan looked up at Elena and saw her tear streaked cheeks. He looked over towards Greta and saw Amber's dead body with the stake in her chest.
"No." He muttered as Greta poured Amber's blood into the ceremonial bowl. He looked back at Elena.
"I'm so sorry." Stefan apologized and she placed a finger to her lips and shushed him.
"Are they going to kill him?" Elena whispered, but Finn heard her and his eyes sharpened as he looked around.
"Yes." Stefan whispered back and Finn vowed to kill Stefan one day. He wouldn't do it immediately, he needed to make sure the ritual happened to make sure his mother knew he wasn't her puppet any more. He watched as Klaus approached Elena.
"It's time." He said as the circle of fire disappeared from around Elena and she looked up at him. Klaus extended his hand towards her and she got up, ignoring him and walking to the altar. She glanced at Amber's body and Klaus followed her up there and grabbed her face with his hand. Below them, Stefan struggled to get up as Finn observed. Klaus turned Elena's face so she was looking at him.
"Thank you, Elena." He said, genuinely. He had wanted this for so long and he was finally going to be able to do it. Despite the fact that she had promised to try and accept the fact her aunt Carina was his mate, she couldn't help but hate him.
"Go to hell." She snapped as Stefan continued to struggle up, but fell back to the ground, too weak to move. Klaus brushed her hair off her neck and keeping in line with his promise to his crimson flower, gently bit down and started to drain Elena of her blood.
Stefan watched on, helplessly as Klaus held Elena tightly as his eyes starts to sprout more veins. Elena's eyelids fluttered and her eyes rolled into the back of her head and finally, she dies.
Klaus gently released her and laid her body down on the altar. Blood dripped from Klaus' mouth and the flames in the bowl were extinguished. Elena's body laid lifeless and Stefan stared at her, sadly, lowering his head to the ground. Klaus breathed heavily and walked down the stone steps, turning to his brother in excitement.
"I can feel it. It's happening." He said as he looked up to the full moon.
"I hope we don't all end up werewolf bit." Finn muttered as he watched, but he was happy for his brother. He did, however, wince when all Klaus's bones began to crack and he started to transform. His eyes were yellow like a werewolf's, but he still had the veins like a vampire.
"Yes, yes!" Klaus began to celebrate, but he was suddenly thrown through the air and the flames in the bowl reignited, startling both Finn and Greta. Finn then heard the tell-tale sounds of Latin coming towards them and he started moving closer. Greta saw Bonnie coming down the hillside, chanting a spell. Before she could react, Damon snapped her neck. He knelt down and grabbed Elena's body, hoping that the spell John had done worked.
"Phasmatos Infero Eseri Gratas, Disasustos Vom, Mas Pro Je Ta Sue Te. Victamas Veras. Phasmatos Tribum, Niha Sue Exilum, Disasustos Vom, Mas Pro Je Ta Sue Te. Levam, Mina Sue Te, Disasustos Vom, Mas Pro Je Ta Sue Te. Phasmatos Veras. Fes Matos Tribum, Mas Pro Tes Unum. Victas Ex Melam, Phasmatos Vanem. Mas Pro Je Ta Sue Te." Bonnie chanted and Klaus looked at her in disbelief.
"No! You were dead!" He protested and she continued her spell as his body contorts into painful shapes and he screamed in pain. Meanwhile, Damon carried Elena's body towards Stefan and laid her down next to him. Stefan gently grabbed her arm.
"Elena." He said, brokenly, and Damon kneeled down and ripped out the remainder of the stake out of Stefan's back. Stefan grunted in pain and Damon grabbed his shoulder as if to help him up, but Stefan turned and looked at him, grabbing a hold of his jacket.
"I need you to get her out of here!" Stefan ordered and Damon raised an eyebrow.
"What about you?" Damon asked, more worried about his brother.
"I'm not leaving until he's dead. Go!" Stefan shouted so Damon picked Elena up again and carried her away. Stefan sat up and watched as Bonnie continued. Both he and Bonnie forgot to check for Finn who was slowly creeping up behind Bonnie. The spell was so powerful, it was causing trees to fall and Klaus screamed in agony as he laid against the rocks. Elijah approached and Bonnie stopped chanting. That was when Finn struck, grabbing her from behind and knocking her out. She dropped and Stefan turned, but also found his neck snapped. Finn stared at Elijah in shock and some disgust as he watched him stand over their brother.
"Elijah?" Klaus asked, looking betrayed. Was this a common theme with Elijah? Betraying the brothers that he was the favorite of?
"Hello, brother." Elijah greeted as Finn moved closer. Elijah punched his arm into Klaus's chest, grabbing a hold of his heart.
"Oh, hell no." Finn said.
"In the name of our family, Niklaus..." Elijah began and Finn seriously questioned Elijah's sense of logic. How did he plan on finding them if he killed Niklaus? He immediately moved closer as Elijah twisted Klaus's heart.
"I didn't bury them at sea!" Klaus choked out and Elijah stopped in shock. That was when Stefan came around and woke up Bonnie.
"What?" Elijah asked, releasing Klaus's heart withdrawing his hand in shock
"Their bodies are safe. If you kill me, you'll never find them." Klaus coughed and Elijah looked contemplative.
"Elijah! Don't listen to him." Stefan shouted and then Finn grabbed Elijah's wrist. Elijah gawked at his older brother who merely glared and then snapped Elijah's neck.
"Thank you, Finn, brother." Klaus said and Finn helped him up before grabbing Elijah's body.
"Do it and I'll take you all out." Bonnie threatened and Finn raised his eyebrows.
"You'll die." He commented.
"I don't care." Bonnie spat. Finn eyed both of them before glancing at Klaus and Elijah.
"Måtte gudene forbanne deg og dine forfedre. (1)" He said and Stefan and Bonnie ran towards them.
"No!" They both shouted, but before they could reach them, Finn had sped off with his younger brothers in tow.
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THIRD PERSON POV (The Old Witch House):
Down in the basement, John was busy writing a letter. Alaric was leaning against the doorframe, patiently waiting for the others to come back. It was daylight outside, indicating that much time has passed.
"We should have heard from them by now." Alaric sighed. Jeremy was sitting in the corner, reading one if the journals. He looked at John.
"Did you read all this?" He asked John. John glanced up at him.
"I did." He confirmed.
"So you understand what happened to the child's mother after the baby was brought back to life?" Jeremy asked and John nodded.
"She saved her daughter. She found peace." John stated.
"John..." Jeremy tried. John got up and folded the letter in his hands. Jeremy stood up as well and handed the letter to him.
"I need you to give this to Elena for me. And also this." He said, handing him John's ring as well. Alaric stood back, looking confused.
"Oh, hey, what's going on?" He asked and John looked at him.
"Take care of each other. Make sure Carina and Jenna are safe as well." John sighed before he turned back to Jeremy.
"Please." He finished and then they heard the door open upstairs.
"I think they're here!" Alaric rushed upstairs and Jeremy looked at John a moment longer and then followed Alaric. John turned back into the basement. Upstairs, Damon was carrying Elena's body into the parlor room.
"If you come back as a vampire, I'll stake you myself. So don't." Damon sighed, putting her body on the sofa and he glanced at her before pulling his phone out to text Rose.
"Because Stefan couldn't stand the idea of you hating him forever." He finished. Alaric and Jeremy rushed into the room and stood in the doorway.
"How is she?" Jeremy asked and Damon looked up at him.
"I don't know yet." Damon admitted and Alaric moved on to the next question.
"What about Jenna? Was it Jenna?" He asked and Damon shook his head no.
"Some blonde chick Carina went to school with." He said and Jeremy wondered if it had been Aimee Bradley's cousin, Amber.
"Oh." Alaric said, trying to rationalize his relief at the fact a 22 year old had died instead of his girlfriend. Behind them, John came up from the basement and walked out the front door into the yard. Alaric walked away from the doorway and into a secluded area of the house. Outside, John looked back in the house. Suddenly, Elena gasped back to life.
"Elena!" Damon gasped and Jeremy huddled closer.
"What happened?" She asked and Damon shrugged.
"How do you feel?" He asked and Elena exhaled.
"I feel fine." She said and both Damon and Jeremy breathed a sigh of relief. John watched the scene unfold from outside, seeming to be at peace, as he looked out into the woods. He shut his eyes, and fell to the ground, dead.
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Carina POV:
I came downstairs and saw both Jenna and Rose looking anxious.
"Do you think they did it?" Jenna asked, looking concerned for me and Elena.
"No, I don't. I didn't think Elijah would be able to do it. All Klaus has to do is tell him he didn't destroy their family and he'd immediately side with him. I sort of understand that. For over a thousand years, all they had was each other. Maybe there were brief lovers or friends, but those would always end. The bonds between the Mikaelson siblings won't." I sighed and Rose winced.
"I had that same concern and I think you're right." She admitted. I heard something scratch at the back door and I went to look. There stood a black wolf with golden yellow eyes.
"Klaus?" I asked and it's tail wagged. I could see Elijah in the trees and recognized Finn standing next to him. They both seemed wary of Klaus being near me in his wolf form. I bent down and ran my hand over his head, his fur was soft to the touch and I snorted as he leaned his head into my hand like a cat.
"I sort of imagined that you'd be blonde in your wolf form." I admitted and he huffed something through his nose.
"Thank you for not killing Jenna, Rose, or Damon." I said and his tail wagged again. He licked my face suddenly before taking off and then I could hear why. Damon, Jeremy, Alaric, and Elena had come back in. I could hear Rose greeting Damon and asking if Klaus was dead. Then I heard Bonnie and Stefan enter, and knew that their planned killing of Klaus hadn't gone to plan. I went back into the room and Elena bounced over to hug me.
"I don't know if Klaus lived or not." She admitted and Bonnie scoffed.
"He did. They had another original vampire there. Don't know his name. He took Elijah and Klaus and ran." Bonnie informed Elena.
"Finn. The other original is Finn." Both Stefan and Elena told us.
"Klaus and Elijah's older brother." Damon told Jeremy who looked confused.
"I thought Klaus was the oldest." He said and Damon shook his head.
"Finn is the oldest surviving brother." He corrected.
"So Klaus undaggered him?" Jenna asked, giving me a pointed look.
"Yeah, now get the popcorn. The fallout is about to happen." Elena said, being the only other person who knew about me being mate to all four Mikaelson brothers. That's when I saw John's body, on the couch.
"He needs a good funeral." I said, even though I had hated John's attitude and prejudices against vampires, he had died for his child and that was worth respect.
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Carina POV
A few days later, we were all preparing for John's funeral and I was adding Klaus's and Finn's phone numbers to my own. So far, only Rose, Damon, Jenna, and Elena knew that I was mate to Klaus, Elijah, and Finn while only Elena and Jenna knew I was mate to Kol as well. I glanced down at my outfit and brushed it off before going into Elena's room.
Elena was placing her earrings in and I watched from the doorway. She looked at the pictures surrounding the frame of her mirror, which included one of her parents and one of the whole family. Jeremy walked into the doorway and rapped his knuckles against the wall. We entered the room as Elena finished putting her earrings in.
"I'm almost ready." She said, turning to look at me and Jeremy.
"Yeah, take your time." Jeremy agreed and she exhaled.
"John wanted me to give you this." Jeremy said, handing her a letter and she took it.
"And this." He said, getting the magic ring out of his pocket and handing it to her. Elena took it, hesitantly, and then looked at me and Jeremy as Jeremy started to leave the room.
"Jeremy..." She began and he turned back to look at her.
"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry that you've lost so many people." She admitted and Jeremy tried for a smile.
"I still have you and Aunt Jade and Aunt Jenna." He said and Elena smiled at him, going and placing her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her in a warm hug. They pulled apart and looked at each other before Jeremy and Iet Elena have a moment alone to read John's letter.
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THIRD PERSON POV:
After the funeral, Damon was standing some distance away from the rest of the group as Stefan approached him.
"We're going to head back to the house." He said and Damon heaved out a sigh.
"I think I'll skip the coffee and tea cakes." He commented.
"Damon, she needs us right now. All of us." Stefan reminded his brother and Damon scoffed internally. To be honest, he was kind of glad that Klaus had lived because Carina wouldn't feel the pain of losing a mate.
"And then what's the plan, Stefan? The curse is broken. How does one go about killing an all-powerful wolf vamp and his two older brothers? I wouldn't try it if I were you." Damon warned.
"I have no idea and we need to, they have to pay." Stefan admitted and Damon turned to face him.
"You need to get over this revenge kick . Fast." He ordered and Stefan ignored him.
"I'm not going to let Elena lose anybody else." He said.
"I wouldn't make any promises, brother." Damon said, not wanting Stefan to know about Carina's blood being the cure and he didn't want Carina to feel like she had to hand blood over to him.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Stefan asked.
"When we did that little rescue mission, Tyler Lockwood bit me." Damon said, pulling up his sleeve and showing Stefan the bite. Stefan walked closer with a look of anguish on his face. If he had left alone, maybe Damon wouldn't have been bit.
"It's actually more of a nip, really, but there it is." Damon said, wincing as Stefan took his arm and examined it.
"We'll find something. A cure." Stefan said, his tone full of grief and guilt.
"There's no cure, Stefan. Elijah was the one who had it before and I don't think him or his brothers are going to hand it over." Damon sighed, both brothers looked towards where Rose, Elena, Jenna, and Carina stood. Carina glanced up and she seemed to realize what her happened since her skin took on a paler hue. Stefan then looked back at Damon.
"We kept Elena human, right? We found the way when there was no way." Stefan pressed and Damon looked away.
"Hey." Stefan said, getting Damon to look back at him.
"I will do this." Stefan promised and Damon scoffed.
"You want to do something for me? Keep this from Carina and Rose. Last thing they need is another grave to mourn." He said before gripping Stefan's shoulder, gingerly and walking off. Stefan watched him leave, Damon's left arm fidgeting, and the look on Stefan's face was full of torment.
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(1): Måtte gudene forbanne deg og dine forfedre. - May the gods curse you and your ancestors.