CHAPTER 35: THE SUN ALSO RISES
Unknown
Once Natalie finally regained consciousness, her eyesight was incredibly blurry. The first thing she noticed was someone staring down at her, a smirk on his face.
"Hey there, sleeping beauty." he smirked at her.
Natalie would lie if she said he wasn't at least slightly good-looking. But she didn't really care about that right now as he was probably the person who smashed her head against the wall, and threw her in his trunk. She didn't really know where she was either. She just noticed that it was a really plain room. The only furniture was the couch she was placed on and a chair that the good-looking guy was sitting on.
"Where am I?" she glared at him.
"Did you really think I was going to answer that?" he smirked in a way that reminded Natalie way too much of Damon.
Natalie sat up and shrugged. "Worth a shot."
The man smirked once again, pushing his chair closer to hers as he leaned closer in menacingly. "I want you to listen closely. You're not getting out of here. Klaus wants you here, so you're gonna stay here, okay? In case you think that you can just bash my head against the wall and then you've won, think again. Because I'm a vampire. Older then your little friends, and even if Klaus doesn't want me to kill you, I can still hurt you really, really bad."
Natalie snorted. Before she started full-blown laughing, as if the thought of being able to hurt her was ridiculous. Then she got a straight face. "Oh, you were serious."
"Very serious. Seeing as you have no weapons and you happen to be 100% human." he said, looking at her annoyedly.
"And you really think that's gonna stop me?" Natalie raised an eyebrow at him.
"No reason to think otherwise." he smirked.
Natalie sighed before she slowly moved her hand behind her back so he couldn't sense the movement, seeing as he was too busy glaring at her. And she glared back as she tried to keep his attention with the action before her hand finally found what it was searching for under her shirt, being relieved that her captor didn't check for weapons there. And quicker then he would have ever noticed, she stabbed with the vervain-laced knife, changing their positions so that she threw him on the couch as she stood above him. "You didn't see that one coming."
She then grabbed the chair the vampire was previously sitting on, then she smashed it into a wall. As the chair was no longer a chair, and mostly just wooden stick all over the room, Natalie grabbed the longest one before shoving it into the vampire's chest. After a few seconds in which the wooden stick found his heart his body turned grey as veins started sticking out. "You were saying?"
Natalie wasn't always a very optimistic person, but right now, she had to be. She had to get to the witches' house as she seemed to remember Stefan and Elijah mentioning that it was there they were going to plan their next move towards the person that she supposedly knew 1000 years before her birth. She had to make sure that her sister was going to live, preferably without becoming a vampire, which was something the doppelganger definitely didn't want. So, she tried to push down the feeling that there was more to come. That was an uncharacteristic, dumb thing to do.
Because as soon as she opened the door, there were vampires there. Somewhere between ten and fifteen of them. All of them hissed at her with their faces vamped out. Natalie quickly acted and shut the door, having no plan whatsoever of what she was going to do, and no real weapon that she was guaranteed was going to work against so many. Oh, what she'd do to have her chain whip with her like when she killed those werewolves.
Natalie may not be fearless, but she was no coward. So she grabbed the bloody, wooden stick (she would not call that a stake, seeing as it was basically just a wooden stick that wasn't even whittled) in one hand and her vervain-laced knife in the other, and then she opened the door, and they all just stared at her for a moment.
"Come on!" Natalie yelled loudly, she had no time to wait for them trying to attack her.
And they followed her command.
These weren't as dumb as Natalie first thought, because instead of them going after her one by one, they all did. That may not have been the smartest idea, but they were at least smarter then the werewolves.
Natalie first slid down, making three vampires who were coming at her up there smash into each others' faces and fall down. Then two more vampires slid down after her, and she grabbed her knife tightly and twirled around in a fashion that would cut up both their throats, and with the vervain it wouldn't heal that fast.
Five down, five to go.
By then, they realized the fault in their strategy and one came came at her from each side, one grabbing her from behind as she tried to fight him. She struggled in his grip, but to no avail.
"You're lucky Klaus wants you alive, you bitch." the vampire from behind growled into her ear.
"And you're unlucky that no wants you alive at the moment." she responded harshly.
Just as she was about to turn her hand around to stab her, two of the other vampires grabbed each of her weapons, annoying Natalie immensely.
"Now why don't you be a good little girl and sit and wait for Klaus to come?" the one of the two who didn't hold either her or her weapons asked.
"You know, now that you're basically defenseless, with no one there to save you." the other one who wasn't holding anything smirked.
"Okay, first of all, I don't need anyone to save me. Second of all, I do not need weapons to kick your ass." was what Natalie said before she jumped high and kicked the vampires holding her weapons in the face. The surprise of what she did was enough to make the vampire holding her let go and she elbowed him in the face as she grabbed the two weapons that were now on the ground, and used the knife to twirl and slash their throats as she did before, and the wooden stick to stick into the heart of the one who was standing closest to her. Luckily, there were more wooden sticks left from when she smashed the chair, and she was able to grab one by one, and stick them into the vampires, one by one.
She was soon finished with her defense/killing spree, and was so ready to go to where she knew she would be of actual help. I mean, since when hasn't the Mystic Falls gang desperately needed Natalie Saltzman's services?
She dropped her weapons, trying to brush off the dirt on her clothes and getting the blood off. That didn't really work. But she walked out the door, only to realize how dumb these vampires really were.
She was literally a few yards away from her apartment building, meaning she knew how she'd get to the witches' house. Even though she'd get a few weird looks as she was covered in blood and dirt.
Luckily, Natalie didn't give a crap.
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The Witches' House
You were probably expecting Natalie to be walking up to the centuries old house in a dramatic manner, walking up gracefully, as if she was the queen of the world.
That never happens for Natalie.
At total, she tripped at least ten times (but she only fell on her face twice so she felt victorious). And she was actually able to change once, but she wasn't able to get the dry blood off of her face without taking a shower, which she obviously didn't have time for.
But the first thing that struck her was the silence. There was no loud argument going on, meaning that Damon was not there. She opened the creaking door and saw no one. It was completely silent. And it's not like they didn't go there. She noticed her dad's favorite jacket over a chair. He'd never lose that jacket.
And, for once, she was caught off guard when she felt something pushed against the side of her head as she was being held around the throat from behind. She immediately knew that it was Alaric. "Love you too, Dad." she got out hoarsely.
Alaric's eyes widened as he realized that it was just his daughter and not some evil spy. "Sorry, Nat. You can never be too careful." he defended himself sheepishly as he released her from his grip.
Natalie rubbed her throat. "I beg to differ."
Alaric smiled at her, even though he kinda just tried to strangle/shoot her. But he didn't know it was her, to his defense.
"Now, where is everyone?" she asked with her hands on her hips.
"Well, John and Jeremy are downstairs, they're looking at a spell Bonnie cast so Elena will come back to life with the help of John." Alaric said, as if trying to avoid what she was really asking.
Natalie's eyes brightened at that statement. "Elena will come back? As a human?"
Alaric nodded in response, happy to see that his daughter loved her sister, since he could remember her always nagging him and Isobel about wanting one.
"And the others?"
Alaric sighed, reluctant to tell her, knowing that she'd be heartbroken to hear the people that might die during the span of the next hour. "I don't know if I should tell you."
Natalie glared at him. "Where are they?"
"Bonnie, Damon and Elijah are getting ready to kill Klaus." Alaric said, telling her more, but not what he didn't want her to know.
Natalie swallowed, trying to suppress the urge she had to find out more about what he had to do with Natalia (she was really hoping it wasn't romantic). "Good. And the others?"
Alaric didn't answer. His silence was definitely a warning sign for something terrible having happened.
"Dad... where are they?" Natalie asked nervously, not really wanting to hear this, her mother's death still being on her mind, not wanting to be plagued by another.
Alaric sighed once again. "After you and Damon freed Caroline and Tyler, Klaus got angry. He needed another vampire, so he did something he thought was enough revenge. He turned Jenna."
Natalie's eyes widened as her jaw dropped, trying to suppress the sadness from someone she really cared about ending up dead in a matter of time. Maybe it even happened already. "What?"
"But Natalie, there's more. Stefan didn't want Jenna to die. So he left, to give Klaus another offer for someone to sacrifice. Himself." Alaric explained sadly, not wanting either of the vampires dead.
That statement struck a cord with Natalie. Her eyes finally watered, as her hand flew up to over her mouth to muffle a soundless gasp. And she realized that the next time she'd see him. He might be gray and veiny and either with a missing heart or a stake through it. She might never hear his voice, his laugh, the way he brightened up when he saw her, knowing that she'd say something to cheer him up. She'd never see his smile, or his eyes, or even his signature frown. She'd never get to tell him how she felt, she'd never get to tell him about her struggles. But most importantly... she'd never get to lose her mind with him.
Alaric noticed her reaction. Seeing how her face suddenly looked so in pain when he mentioned what might be Stefan's fate. It was similar to the way he reacted when he found out about Jenna being taken for the sacrifice. It was heartbreak for someone you had romantic feelings for. "Do you have feelings for? For Stefan?"
Natalie's eyes widened once again at the question, thinking that she was very good at hiding it (but everyone noticed). "No. I don't know. Maybe. It's complicated."
"Natalie..." Alaric trailed off, not knowing what to do in this situation, definitely not having experienced this before.
As Natalie closed her eyes for a moment, one of the tears building up, finally ran down her cheek. "I know this wrong, and I'm not supposed to feel this way. And even though I want to have him return the feelings, I never want him to. He's Elena's boyfriend and I don't want her to get hurt. But I'm scared that it'll happen. I'm just scared."
"You do not have to be scared. You, of all people, do not have to be scared. You are the most fearless person I've ever had the pleasure of knowing." Alaric assured his daughter, wanting to comfort her, not knowing that these words did not help for her at all.
"I'm not... fearless," she whispered sadly, another tear running down her cheek. "I'm terrified. I'm always terrified. I... I act like I know what I'm doing, but I don't. I don't know if Elena will be coming back. I don't know who will be alive at the end of the day. I don't know what to do about Stefan. I don't know if we should trust Elijah. I don't know... I don't know anything."
"You know what? You sound just like your mother back when I met her," Alaric smiled sadly at her. Natalie looked up as she heard this, her red-rimmed eyes looking at him with curiosity. "She was so scared of what she was going to do with you... being the mother of a kid. She had no idea."
As the thought of her mother, and her similarities to herself, Natalie let a few more tears roll down her cheek. "And we all know how she ended up."
"Natalie... you're gonna be okay. I promise." Alaric told her, putting his hands on her shoulder, squeezing them comfortingly.
Natalie wanted a different type of comfort, however, so she walked closer to him, and he realized what she wanted, so he wrapped his arms around her, as he had done so many times before and she returned the gesture, letting a teary smile grace her face.
And oddly enough, it was then Damon returned to the witches' house, carrying Elena bridal style in his arms. He was quick, so no one was able to catch up with him and Natalie and Alaric reached the room only after Damon had a few chosen words that he told her, involving the words "stake" "hate" "forever" "vampire" "can't".
Jeremy ran up the stairs, coming only seconds after Alaric and Natalie.
"How is she?" Jeremy asked worriedly as he glanced down at his sister, who was looking lifeless, which she actually was for a while.
Damon didn't even look up at them as he kept stroking Elena's hair lovingly. "I don't know yet."
"Stefan?" Natalie asked, trying to keep Jeremy from seeing the tear streaks on her cheeks, not wanting to seem so weak in front of who she thought of not as her biological cousin who was her twin sister's little brother, she thought of him as her own little brother.
"He didn't want to leave until he knew Klaus was dead." Damon replied, just stroking Elena's hair.
"What about Jenna?" Alaric broke in, as he heard that Stefan was alive, he knew what that meant for Jenna. He just didn't want to accept it. Because he loved her. He loved her so much. And the thought of losing her broke him. And he might have to go through that nightmare now, and he didn't know if he could handle it.
Damon finally looked up at the three people standing behind him, although he didn't say a word, his saddened facial expression said enough for them.
"No." Alaric shook her head, not wanting to believe that she was dead. He wanted to live in the world of denial, so he could try to picture her there. In her favorite dress, with her favorite wine, her favorite perfume and her favorite man.
"I'm sorry, Jeremy." Damon told the teenage boy, knowing that he lost his parents, was about to lose his uncle, they didn't know if he would lose his sister or not, and now he lost his aunt.
Jeremy, Alaric and Natalie stared blankly at him, trying to digest the news. Or they were more of trying to forget the news, wanting the strawberry blonde that meant much to all of them to still be there with them.
Alaric couldn't handle it and he walked out of the room, needing to be by himself for a moment, to come to terms with the woman that he loved was never going to be with him again.
And as that sad moment happened, Elena gasped as she came back to life, although she was not a vampire. She was the same old Elena, and she was just as human as she was before.
"What happened?" Elena groaned out.
"How do you feel?" Damon asked instead of answering her question.
"I feel fine." she told the elder Salvatore brother.
Him, Jeremy and Natalie all sighed in relief as they heard it, knowing inside their hearts that Elena would be just fine.
And then Natalie remembered what Alaric told her about John having something to do with Elena's revival. So she turned towards where he stood outside the door.
Thank you, she mouthed, a large smile on her face as she looked towards him.
You're welcome, he mouthed back, smiling at the so large smile that he knew that he helped cause.
Natalie smiled one last time at him, although not knowing it would be the last time, before turning towards her sister happily.
And with that, John was at peace. Neither of his daughters hated him. One might even say that Natalie was beginning to like him. And he couldn't ask for more. And that left him at peace as he collapsed.
And with that, the life of John Gilbert quickly ended with an act of heroism to save the life of someone he loved.
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The Gilbert House
It wasn't long until a funeral was planned. It was only a day or so later and that was where we was now. Natalie was putting the finishing touches on her hair in the guest room that had become her room.
And then Jeremy walked in. "Hey, Natalie."
Natalie didn't even turn around, looking at his reflection in the mirror in front of her. "Hi, Jer."
Jeremy tapped something he had in his hand against his other hand, making the huntress glance down at it, noticing that it was a letter, and she guessed it was for her.
"Is that for me?" she asked, finally turning around.
"John wanted me to give it to you. I already gave one to Elena, so I thought-" he was cut off by Natalie spontaneously wrapping her arms around him in a familial gesture.
"I'm so sorry that you've lost so many people." Natalie told him sadly as he wrapped his arms around her in return.
"I still have you and Elena." he retorted, just as sadly before he pulled away, letting the female take a breath before he handed her the letter.
"I don't know what's in it. But I think you should read it." he advised her.
Natalie nodded accepting the letter, and as Jeremy walked out of the room, she opened the envelope and pulled out a paper with words written by John Gilbert himself before his death.
Dear Natalie,
I should start off by saying that I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what I did to Stefan and Damon, whilst conspiring with Isobel. You are extraordinary, and it's no easy task to be the parent of an extraordinary child. There I failed. But just because I failed doesn't mean that someone else did. Because you turned out as such an amazing girl, something I knew the moment I first saw you, as I held you in my arms, only a few hours old. You may be wondering about your ties to Klaus and Elijah, as you must have figured that out by now. I don't have the answers. That is a long history that I know nothing about, seeing as I was more concerned with the present. As Isobel was keeping you close, I was keeping Elena close, and that is not something I regret. Because I love Elena very much, but just because I wasn't there during your childhood doesn't mean that I love you any less then her. And I know you love her, and you do not want to hurt her, and I want you to take these last words I have for you as a bit of fatherly advice. Let it go. Don't push it down, don't act on it, just accept it and then move on, as I know that you are strong enough to know what you want. And what you want is for no one to get hurt because of this. This letter may be full of nonsense that you'll forget in the future, but remember this; I love you, Natalie. You are my daughter, no matter what happens. And I needed say goodbye, even if I did not have the strength to do it face to face. I just hope you'll forgive me.
Much love, John Gilbert.
Let's just say Natalie had to fix her mascara, and switch to waterproof.
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The Graveyard
The funeral was incredibly sad, as John and Jenna were already buried, but they wanted to say goodbye in a little memorial. Natalie, Elena, Jeremy, Alaric, Stefan, Damon, Caroline and Bonnie were all there. Either to say goodbye or to be there for their friends.
Natalie couldn't bear to put roses on their graves, so Elena had not only two, but four roses in her hands. Two of them were out on Jenna and John's graves. She was teary eyed as she walked over to another grave, a grave that belonged to her parents. She put the last two roses there, and now she couldn't hold the tears back and she openly cried about her losses, about her heartbreak, about her family.
Natalie let a tear fall too, and as soon as she noticed, Caroline grabbed her best friends' hand squeezing it comfortingly as she knew that she needed someone there with her to assure her that they weren't going anywhere. And that was what Caroline was doing for the older brunette at the moment.
Not saying comforting words, or trying to make her talk. She just was there.
And that was all Natalie needed.
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A/N: So, you may or may not (probably not) have noticed that this chapter was heavily inspired by the song Don't You Worry Child by Swedish House Mafia. If you did then you are correct seeing as it is the sad Natalie song of all sad Natalie songs.
So, do you guys remember back in the days of the season 1 finale when I told you that there would be a Statalie kiss this season? Because it hasn't happened yet, and next episode is the season finale *wink, wink*
Votes and comments are greatly appreciated.