The Other Gilbert
Chapter 14: The Tomb
I wake up suddenly with a gasp. I realize that I'm in a bed, but it's not my own bed. I sit up quickly and look around the room. It's a motel room. The shades are closed tightly and it's very dark. A figure is sitting in a chair at the end of the bed. I can't make out the face, but I know it's a man. I know that this guy is probably a vampire. If I make one mistake he could wake up instantly and I would have no chance of escaping. I got off the bed quietly and passed the vampire in his seat. I started to shake as I unlocked the door. I looked back at the figure sleeping in the chair before reaching for the handle to open the door.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The voice was right above me and I turned around slowly. "Don't try to escape. Don't even move. Do you understand?"
"I understand." I nodded. How stupid was this guy? As he turned his back I started to open the door to run out, but an unfamiliar girl stopped me.
"Ben are you an idiot?" She spoke dragging me back inside. I groaned as she pulled my hair.
"I did that eye thing you taught me!" He replied in defense.
"You forgot the lesson of vervain! She's with the Salvatore brothers, Ben! Think!" She exclaimed pushing me into a wall near the bathroom.
"Who are you? What do you want from me?" I hissed.
"Does it matter?" She asked pushing me into the bathroom, locking it behind me. I rolled my eyes and looked around the small bathroom. I looked at the bath tub and there was Bonnie, unconscious.
"Bonnie! Oh my god!" I exclaimed frantically kneeling to be by her side. I quickly got up and wet a towel and put it to her head. Slowly she began to open her eyes. "Bonnie?"
"Roxanne?" She asked opening her eyes wider. "What's going on? Oh my god, Ben's a.."
"Shhh." I whispered getting up to turn on the water in the sink. "They can hear you Bon."
"Why are we here?" She asked terror filling her brown eyes.
"It has something to do with the tomb and Emily's spell book." I sighed and realized my phone was in my boots from yesterday and they hadn't checked it.
"What does Emily's spell book have to do with anything?" Bonnie asked and I stood up to try and get service on my phone. "Roxanne?"
"Damon thinks there's a spell in it to help open the tomb where Katherine is." I replied getting a bar on my phone.
"Why didn't you tell me!" She exclaimed as I typed a text to Stefan, but it was still having trouble sending.
"Because I didn't want you to get involved Bonnie." I sighed putting my phone back in my boot. "I was just hoping it would never have to come to this..."
"Come to what Roxanne?" She asked as I looked at her nervously.
"They need a witch to do the spell to open the tomb." I sighed. "They don't know about me yet."
"There's no way I'm helping them... You wouldn't either, would you?" She asked as the door burst open and Ben came in and turned off the tap.
"Play times over." He smiled grabbing on to me tightly.
"You're crazy if you think I'm going to help you." Bonnie growled and I smiled a little at her empowerment.
"That's why she's here, for motivation so you'll behave." Ben smiled pushing me out the door. "She wants to talk to you."
"Well, well, if it isn't Roxanne Gilbert. You really are Katherine's Dopplegänger. You must have the Salvatore brothers reeling." She smiled.
"Who are you?" I asked angrily.
"I'm Anna, I thought maybe Jeremy would have mentioned me..." She laughed. "I mean, we're practically dating!"
"Don't you dare touch Jeremy." I growled.
"I think your little brother can handle himself. I mean look what position you put him in, between the Salvatore's." She smiled.
"What's your motive? Why do you want the tomb open?" I asked watching her closely.
"That's none of your business Roxanne." She smiled again. "Now tell me, what's it like watching your sister get the love and affection you want from Stefan Salvatore."
"Shut up!" I yelled angrily. "Bonnie's not opening that tomb for you any time soon."
"Oh I think she will." Anna nodded still having that smile plastered to her face.
"Why do you want Katherine out so badly?" I asked.
"Trust me. No one I know wants to see that girl again. Except Damon, the lovestruck idiot." She rolled her eyes.
"Then what is it? Or who is it?" I asked suspiciously.
"My mother's in there." She sighed walking closer towards me. "Katherine couldn't help herself. She just had to toy around with both of the Salvatore brothers. And when she got caught, so did my mother. I watched Jonathan Gilbert take her away."
"I'm so sorry." I replied sincerely knowing what it was like to have my mother token away from me.
"You really mean that, don't you?" She chuckled. "Yeah, I think we'll skip the dead mom bonding so you can start serving a purpose."
"Which is what exactly?" I asked.
"Leverage." She smiled holding up my cell phone that was just in my boot. "This belong to you?"
Anna walked across the room, dialing a number on my phone. I watched her wait for someone to answer. She perked up when someone came over the speaker. That's when I'd realized she had called Stefan. I tried putting the pieces of the conversation together just by listening to Anna's side. She started to talk about Emily's spell book and that she wants it. Stefan doesn't have it anymore, Damon does and we all know that Damon doesn't feel anything right now. He would rather jump off a cliff then hand over the grimoire to Stefan. I groaned quietly as Anna hung up the phone telling Stefan repeatedly to get it from Damon. Is she really that stupid? Has she not learned a thing about what Damon is cable and in cable of doing?
"I'm leaving." Anna knocked on the bathroom door and Ben brought Bonnie out. "Don't let them leave. They can't be compelled so just use violence if things get out of hand."
"So you're literally the key to opening the tomb." Ben laughed at Bonnie once Anna had left. "So how long have you been a witch?"
"Long enough." I replied in place for Bonnie because she was still afraid of Ben.
"Do you have anything to drink?" Bonnie asked.
"Are you offering?" Ben asked evilly getting out of his chair, but quickly sat back down. "It's on the night stand."
"Can I have a sip?" I asked. Bonnie nodded handing it to me slowly. I threw it at Ben and lit him on fire. Bonnie and I made a run for it, but before I could get out Ben grabbed me angrily pulling me back inside.
"Come back in and shut the door!" Ben demanded.
"Don't hurt her." Bonnie said quietly.
"Don't make me." He replied angrily as Bonnie shut the door. "Lock it and sit back down."
"Let me go." I growled trying to get out of his grip. He let me go and I fell back into Bonnie. "You're such a dick."
"Shut up before I rip your throat out and ruin all of Anna's plans." He growled slamming the mini fridge door.
"So witches don't have eternal life right? So you can die?" Ben asked pacing the room.
"Yes, we can die." Bonnie nodded frightened, but keeping calm.
"Awe, well that sucks." Ben smiled, but before he could say anything else the door was rammed in and Stefan was inside the room. Ben screamed at the interaction of sunlight and Stefan went over and opened the window shades.
"Stefan!" I yelled. Bonnie and I got off the beds and ran towards the door.
"Get outside!" He called and we ran out of the motel room. Stefan came shortly behind.
"Thank god Stefan came." Bonnie breathed in heavily.
"Are you alright?" Stefan asked walking out of the motel room. I sighed walking over to where he stood to wrap my arms around him.
"How did you find us?" Bonnie asked as we all started to walk to the car.
"Bonnie's grandmother did a locator spell. I had to do something, Damon's not going to hand over the stupid book." Stefan shrugged.
"I tried texting you, but the message wouldn't send." I sighed.
"I got your message later when I was leaving the house." Stefan nodded and I looked at him in surprise.
"Where are we going now?" Bonnie asked, I could tell she was still upset.
"To you're grams house. We need to talk about what's going down tonight." He said helping Bonnie into the back seat of the car.
"We have to stop this from happening Stefan." I said quietly.
"I'm trying." He nodded and I walked over to get into the passenger side of Stefan's car.
-----
"Where's Elena?" I asked sitting across from Stefan at Bonnie's grandmother's house while Bonnie talked to her grandma.
"At home, I texted her to stay inside with Jeremy." He nodded.
"And Damon?" I sighed.
"Damon is Damon, not really sure where he is and what he's doing." He shrugged as I took a sip of my coffee.
"So what do we do now?" I asked patiently as Bonnie and her grandmother entered the room.
"You all need to stay here, so you can be protected." Stefan nodded. "You all are wanted for something involving that tomb."
"A prisoner, in my own home? I don't think so." Sheila laughed.
"I can't protect you if you leave the house." Stefan replied.
"We'll protect ourselves." She nodded looking at Bonnie and I with a smile.
"We need to help him get Katherine. If we do that maybe the Damon problem will go away." I replied.
"No!" Bonnie yelled angrily. "He doesn't deserve to get what he wants."
"What other choice do we have?" I shrugged looking up at Stefan.
"As much as we tried to do to stay out of vampire problems, they just keep coming back." Sheila sighed. "I'll open the tomb. You get your brother's girl and destroy the rest with fire. Then this will be all over."
"We still have to get Damon to agree." Stefan replied.
"He already agreed once." I nodded.
"Yeah, and then we double crossed him. So now he's angry." Stefan shrugged.
"He's hurt. There's a difference. I think I know what I have to do." I nodded as Stefan and I exchanged looks.
"You're seriously not going to help them are you?" Bonnie asked grabbing on to my shoulder.
"I have to Bonnie, I'd be doing this whole town a favor." I sighed.
"She's right Bonnie, the only way we can get back to our lives is if Damon is out of them." Stefan nodded backing me up.
"Get going kids, we don't have all day." Sheila said shooing me and Stefan out the door. "Bonnie and I will meet you there when the moon is full."
"I'll talk to Damon." I nodded to Stefan as we walked to his car.
"Be careful." He nodded getting into his car and I followed and sat in the passenger side.
Once we were both in the car Stefan drove me home so I could take my own car to talk to Damon alone. He warned me that Damon wasn't thinking straight right now. I knew that he was hurt by me betraying him. I walked inside my house, walking up to my room. I got inside the shower, and it felt really good. I had to go to talk to Damon sooner or later so I got out of the shower and changed into some ripped dark blue skinny jeans with a plain brown belt, a plain light pink hoodie, and some matching light pink Nike sneakers. I put in some pearl studs and then I was out the door on my way to talk to Damon. When I got to the boarding house I quickly ran inside. I walked into the study to see Damon putting on his jacket preparing to leave.
"I'm gonna have to change the locks." He sighed looking up at me. "You stage a jailbreak?"
"Unlike you, Stefan actually cares." I hissed.
"Ah, brother." Damon smiled picking up the grimoire. "Ever the white knight."
"Bonnie and her Grams agreed to help you Damon." I sighed following him around the edge of the study towards the stairs.
"I doubt that." He replied.
"If you're looking for an apology Damon, you're not going to get one, because I'm not sorry that I went behind your back to get the grimoire." I shrugged.
"Well, at least you're honest." He nodded irritatedly.
"I'm trying to protect the people I love, Damon. I know you are too in your own twisted way, but we're all on the same page now and we want the same thing." I nodded.
"Not interested." Damon shrugged starting to leave.
"Yes you are, because you were willing to work with me yesterday." I nodded.
"Fool me once, shame on you." He said turning to face me.
"Okay, when we were in Atlanta, why didn't you compel me?" I asked watching Damon set the grimoire on the table and start walking towards me crossing his arms.
"Who's to say I didn't?" He asked.
"You didn't. I know you didn't. But you could have. You and I... we have something." I responded and watched as he hung on to every word I was saying. "An understanding. And I know that my betrayal hurt you, different from how it is with you and Stefan, but I'm promising you this now, I will help you get Katherine back. I promised from the beginning Damon, you just have to trust me."
"I wish I could believe you." He replied unconvinced, so I unclasped my necklace and held it in my hand showing it to Damon.
"Ask me if I'm lying now." I nodded placing my necklace down on the table. "You've done it before..."
"You know Anna won't stop until she gets what she wants Roxanne." He shrugged changing the subject.
"Then we'll deal with it." I nodded watching as Damon picked up my necklace and came over to me and clasped it back around my neck.
"I didn't compel you in Atlanta because we were having fun and you saved me. I wanted it to be real. I'm trusting you Roxanne. Don't make me regret it." He sighed and I smiled a little watching him start to walk away.
"You won't." I called after him and he turned back to face me a last time before leaving the room.
------
"The Duke party. I forgot. I hope they stay clear of the church." I gasped when Damon and I walked through the woods to get to the church.
"Your hope, not mine." Damon smiled and I hit him in the chest with my elbow making him chuckle quietly. Suddenly Matt and Caroline walked up to us.
"Hey Rox." Matt smiled at me.
"Roxanne! Oh my God, where have you been?" Caroline asked intertwining her fingers with Matt.
"Long story, no time to tell it." Damon replied before I could respond and I gave him a glare.
"I wasn't talking to you, Damon." Caroline rolled her eyes irritated by him.
"Sure you were." Damon nodded.
"We haven't met. I'm Matt." Matt said to Damon holding his hand out for Damon to shake it.
"Matt, there's a reason we haven't met." Damon smiled and then grabbed on to my arm. "You and I are going that way.
"I'm sorry, guys." I said as Damon dragged me away. "What the hell was that?"
"We're on a schedule, so we need to move." He said letting me go so I could walk behind him.
"Roxanne!" Tyler's voice was in front of us. I sighed as he started to approach Damon and I.
"Ty, I can't talk." I said watching Damon give me a death glare.
"It's important... It's about your mom." He said as Damon and I exchanged looks.
"Oh come on. You told him too?" Damon said irritatedly.
"Just go Damon, I'll catch up with you." I nodded, but he just stood there. "Or not.. So what's this about Tyler?"
"I talked to her at The Grill today. She really wants to talk to you." Tyler sighed and I groaned.
"Next time you talk to her, don't include me in the conversation." I growled and proceeded to go to the church.
"Stay away from her Lockwood. She's got enough on her mind." I heard Damon say before running to catch up with me.
"Thanks." I smiled keeping my eyes on the path.
"He's getting so close to me just snapping his neck so I never have to hear that voice again." He replied.
"Can you be nice for once?" I asked.
"Nice isn't in my vocabulary." He replied and I rolled my eyes.
"It's there, you just don't use it." I shrugged walking ahead of him when we got to the tomb. Damon whistled and they all turned there heads.
"Brother. Witches.... Elena." Damon smiled at my sister and I rolled my eyes walking over to her.
"Are you ok?" Elena asked walking the rest of the way over to hug me.
"I'm fine." I nodded hugging her a little tighter. Damon strode past us with the grimoire and descended down the stairs. Everyone followed except for Stefan.
"Everything okay?" Stefan asked.
"I just want to get this over with." I nodded.
"We don't have to." Stefan replied and I looked at him shaking my head immediately.
"I'm finally on good terms with Damon. We have to do this for him Stefan. It's not about me anymore." I sighed.
"You're so brave." He said and I looked at him and smiled half way.
"If anything, I'm the most scared person here Stefan." I sighed and he grabbed on to me, pulling me into a hug.
"You'll be safe, I promise after all this is over, you'll never see Damon again." He replied placing his chin on top of my head.
"Come on, let's go." I said as we let go of each other.
"Are you helping with the spell?" Stefan asked following me to the stairs.
"I'm not strong enough." I shook my head.
"But I am." A voice came from the shadows and as she stepped into the light I saw her face. "Hello again Roxanne."
"What are you doing here Charlotte?" Stefan asked pushing me behind him.
"What have you gotten yourself into?" Charlotte asked me and I just couldn't find the words to say.
"You should go." Stefan replied and Charlotte looked at him and he started to go down.
"Stefan!" I yelled kneeling to the ground, not knowing what to do.
"Get up and go down to the tomb. I have to talk to Stefan." Charlotte said and I didn't move. "Go now or I won't stop doing this."
"Fine! Just stop hurting him." I said standing up slowly before going down to the tomb with the others.
"Where's Stefan?" Damon asked when I got to the bottom.
"Dealing with a problem." I sighed and he looked at me in confusion. "My mother."
"I'll deal with her." He said a little anger in his tone, but I grabbed him before he could walk up there.
"Damon, just stop." I said. "You've got Katherine to deal with, leave Stefan to it."
"I just don't want her getting involved with you..." Damon replied as Stefan came down with Charlotte behind him and I watched as Grams and her started to talk.
"Stefan?" I asked with wide eyes.
"I tried Roxanne." He sighed.
"Not hard enough, brother." Damon said glaring at him and I just looked back and forth at both of them.
"She's here to help and there's nothing we can do, so let's just pretend I'm not related to her for tonight." I sighed putting my hands on both their chests so the would stop glaring at each other.
"Fine." Damon said pulling out a blood bag and unraveling it.
"What's that?" Stefan asked and we both looked at Damon curiously.
"It's for Katherine. She's been desiccating in there for years. Unless your girl's offering a vein to tap." Damon smiled looking at Elena who looked at him unamused. "Admit it - you can't wait to get rid of me."
"I can't wait to get rid of you." Stefan chuckled and I looked at Damon one last time.
"We're ready." Bonnie announced and all of us looked at her. Bonnie, Sheila, and Charlotte closed there eyes and started to recite the spell.
"What are they saying?" Damon asked.
"Sounds Latin." Stefan shrugged.
"It's not Latin." I replied and after a few seconds the torches start to flare up and Elena grabbed on to Stefan's arm.
"What's happening?" Elena asked.
"The spell's working." I smiled watching as the door began to creak open.
"We have some fires to build." Damon looked at Stefan.
"I'm gonna go get the gasoline, I'll be right back." Stefan said and Elena followed him ascending the stairs. Damon looked from The Bennett witches to me.
"You ready?" Damon asked and I looked at him confused.
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
"You think I'm gonna go in there by myself so you can seal me in?" Damon said to Sheila and Charlotte grabbing my arm.
"Don't take her in. I'll bring the walls down." Charlotte warned.
"You'll bring the walls down if I don't. You think I trust you?" Damon asked angrily.
"As much as I trust you." She replied.
"Enough. Both of you. Look, he needs leverage." I nodded. "He needs to know that you're not going to shut the door when he gets inside. You don't get to make those decisions for me."
"Let's go." Damon nodded at the door grabbing a torch before going inside dragging me behind.
"What is that noise?" I asked listening to all the whispering noises around us.
"They can sense you. Now, where is she?" Damon said walking away leaving me behind.
"Damon!" I yelled, but he was gone.
I started to walk around trying to find Damon. I called his name several times, but he never answered. The whispering around me continued and it was freaking me out. Startled, I fell but quickly got back up. My flashlight beam landed on one of the mummified vampires. As I walked around the room, I saw more and more vampires. Panicked, I fell down again and my beam landed on a mummified vampire and I gasped in shock. The vampire's eyes open and were bloodshot with hunger. I screamed loudly and got up quickly looking around for an exit. My beam of light landed on Anna who was standing right behind me. Anna stepped towards me, shining her flashlight right at me.
"You must have a taste for it. You scream and shriek and even bother to escape, but then you just come right back to it." Anna said and I walk backwards bumping into another vampire. "Mother! Mother. Your boyfriend did this, you know."
"Stefan's not my boyfriend." I replied and she stood up to face me.
"But you want him to be." She smiled.
"Stop." I said.
"Anyway, I had Jeremy all ready to go but...." She said.
I gasped turning around to run but Anna was to fast and she was in front of me before I could escape. She grabbed me by the wrist and bit down really hard. I screamed so loud from the pain knowing Stefan would hopefully hear me. Anna pushed me down on the ground, across her mothers lap, and held my wrist up to her mouth. I tried so hard to get out of her grasp but her mother could smell my blood and she began to drink it.
"No, please don't!" I yelled my wrist hurting so badly.
"I'm gonna get you out." Anna said to her mom.
"Let her go!" Stefan's voice yelled and I looked up at him as he pushed Anna aside.
"No!" Anna yelled as Stefan grabbed me and pulled me up. He started pushing me towards the exit.
"Go Now. I'm right behind you." Stefan said and I started to run out of the tomb towards the exit.
"Roxanne, Stefan..." Bonnie said and I looked over at Elena who was crying.
"He's right behind me." I nodded looking back at the tomb to see Stefan standing in the doorway.
"Stefan, what are you doing?" I asked walking over to the door worriedly.
"It's gonna be okay. We'll fix it." Bonnie nodded.
"Fix what? Why can't he get out Bonnie?" I asked.
"The spell's still up. We can't get them out yet." She said and I looked back at him.
"You went in there not knowing if you could come back out?" I asked widening my eyes and he looked down not answering. "Stefan!"
"I heard you scream." He sighed.
"We can't leave him in there." I shook my head wiping a tear away from my eye. "We promised him. Both of us."
"I know." Stefan nodded.
"When we break the spell, we don't know how long we can hold it. You need to hurry." Sheila said behind me and Stefan went back to go find Damon.
"I think it's working." Elena said coming up behind me as the torches started to flare up again and Anna and her mother exited the tomb.
"I just wanted my mother back. Jeremy's fine. He's outside. I won't touch him. " Anna nodded and they left. The torches started to begin to falter.
"Bonnie, keep going!" Sheila yelled.
"Roxanne we need you." Charlotte said and I nodded understandingly looking at the spell before joining in. Elena started to run into the tomb.
"Come on Damon." I whispered and then I saw Damon come out with Elena and Stefan who exit just in time before the door closed and the torches died.
"Is everyone ok?" Stefan asked holding Elena tightly into a hug and we all nodded.
"Are you an idiot?" I asked walking over to Damon, hugging him tightly.
"She wasn't there." He said plainly.
"Damon stop. She wasn't worth it." I said and he pushed me away and ran up the stairs at vampire speed.
"Roxanne will you please come here?" Sheila asked and I nodded walking to the three witches. "You're a very strong witch, just like your mother, never forget that."
"I.. Thank you Ms. Sheila." I nodded watching her and Bonnie go and Elena followed behind them so it was just Charlotte, Stefan, and I. "What did you tell Stefan?"
"To keep you safe." Stefan said behind me.
"I'm just looking out for you Roxanne." Charlotte nodded and wrapped me into a hug.
"I just need to know one thing." I said letting go of her and she nodded for me to proceed. "How did you know I lived here?"
"Damon called me up." She sighed and I looked back at Stefan who was confused. "He said if I ever told you I'd end up dead, but I thought you'd want to know."
"Why did he?" I asked.
"He's looking out for you." She smiled picking up her bag on the ground. "When you're ready to talk you have my number."
"Thank you for helping." I said before she started to walk up the stairs.
"You don't have to thank me sweetheart, I did it because it's what you wanted." She smiled.
"Can you believe Damon?" I asked still shocked by it.
"He's always cared about you." Stefan nodded. "Even if he just doesn't show it."
"I know, he's not all bad." I smiled as we both started to head back to the car to go to the boarding house to talk to Damon.
"He's not Damon right now, be careful." Stefan said before we walked into the house.
"When is he ever Damon?" I asked and he smiled a little before opening the door. We walked over to the library where Damon was sitting on the couch staring into the fire.
"I don't get it. I did everything. I got a witch, she protected the tomb, I got another witch, they opened the tomb again and she's not there." Damon said blankly.
"She lied to you Damon. She faked her own death. She didn't love you." I said sitting next to him.
"Katherine did love me!" He said madly getting up to leave the room.
"What are we going to do now?" I asked Stefan tiredly.
"Sleep it off." He replied and I laughed a little. "I think we all need it after everything that's happened."
"I just feel like sleeping and never waking up." I sighed putting my head on his shoulder. "Because in the end, we always have one problem or another."
"I don't think you'd ever say that your life has ever been so interesting." He smiled and I did too.
"Because I'm just finding out that my life is never going to be normal again. But that's ok because I got one hell of a friend out of all of it." I replied and grabbed onto his hand reassuringly.