GOAL: 15 COMMENTS THAT DO NOT SAY "UPDATE!"
FORTY-SEVEN; GONER (S3E22)
~
Estella always found herself in a hospital lately. Whether it be for Alaric, Caroline, Elena, or even herself...it was the hospital where Estella was frequently visiting. Something about hospitals turned her off. The smell, most likely, for her senses were heightened thus making the smell of cleaning products more apparent. Or maybe hospitals were the harbinger of death. Death floated around the walls of hospitals like a ghost haunting the halls. It could've been the false hope in the air, the families believing their loved ones could make it through whatever pain they were going through, the friends praying that some miracle would happen, and the doctors trying to keep the person alive for just one more second.
Estella didn't know why, but she hated hospitals. Yet, there she stood, pacing the halls like many before her, worrying about Elena Gilbert.
Elena Gilbert. The name sounded plain, boring. Yet whenever Estella heard the name, she grew tense. The name Elena Gilbert brought an array of emotions, most of them bad. For Estella, Elena Gilbert was a name she wouldn't mind never hearing again. Estella liked the girl, but the name Elena Gilbert seemed to bring a little too much drama than what she could handle.
Jeremy grabbed Estella, making her stand still. He looked at her pointedly, silently telling her to calm down. She sighed and faced the window, looking at Elena's sleeping figure.
"She's gonna be fine. She got a little banged up today, hit her head, but it was just a slight concussion, nothing to worry about," Meredith told the two.
"But she collapsed, there was blood," Jeremy said to her with a frown.
"Honestly, Jeremy, she's okay. She's just...she's been through a lot," Meredith stated. "Is there anyone you want to call?"
Estella sighed, taking out her cellphone. She clicked on Damon's contact, bringing the phone up to her ear so she could talk.
She explained the situation to her brother's, trying her best to keep the anger from her voice. She was still upset about them snapping her neck.
"You did what?" Damon asked incredulously once she finished talking.
"I took her to the hospital," Estella replied, her voice holding some annoyance. "When you find someone unconscious, you call 911."
"Not when you have a parade of vampires at your disposal!" Damon exclaimed.
"Every remaining Original is gonna want Elena dead to stop Alaric," Stefan explained to his sister. "She's a sitting duck in there."
"Well, Meredith wants to keep her here for observation," Estella said to them.
"Estella, get Elena home, we're on our way," Damon told her before hanging up.
Estella scowled at her phone, shoving it back in her pocket. The blonde marched over to Meredith, a false smile on her face. Meredith muttered something to the doctors she was talking to before walking up to Estella.
"I'm going to have to check Elena out," Estella stated. "Damon says that she needs to leave before any Originals show up to kill her."
"Estella, I really don't think I can do that. I could get fired if I don't, at least, keep her here overnight," Meredith informed the vampire with a worried expression.
"I don't care. I'll compel the board if I have to. Just get Elena's release papers signed," Estella demanded.
Meredith reluctantly nodded and left, walking over to the desk to fill out the applications. Estella huffed and turned to Jeremy, sitting next to him.
"Did Damon say we had to take her home?" He asked the blonde.
"Yup. And whatever Damon says, goes. Right?" Estella sarcastically said. With a roll of her eyes, she grabbed a magazine to begin reading while she waited for Meredith. The blonde scanned the magazine, yet her eyes peaked over the article when she saw Alaric walk in. Her eyes widened, putting the magazine in front of her face.
"Alaric's here," Estella mouthed at Jeremy.
The youngest Gilbert's eyebrows shot up as he subtly looked around to spot Alaric. When he did, he immediately straightened.
"What do we do?" Jeremy asked her quietly. Estella brought her finger to her mouth, signaling for him to be quiet. Jeremy nodded and sat back, pretending to look causal.
When Alaric walked away, Estella stood up and walked towards Elena's room. She saw the doppelgänger waking up, making her rush over. Estella placed her hand over Elena's, shushing her.
"Change of plans. We're heading home," Estella whispered. She motioned for Jeremy to come over and lift Elena up. While Jeremy did that, Estella called Caroline to inform her of what was happening. The bubbly blonde vampire promised to meet her at the Gilbert residence.
Estella grabbed Jeremy's arm, rushing the three of them out of the hospital in a flash. They stood outside the Gilbert house, which is when Caroline, Matt, and Tyler showed up to help Elena into the house.
"Couch," Caroline demanded.
"I'm fine. I just...I want something to eat first," Elena said to them, limping inside.
"We're on it, as soon as we make sure no one is lurking in the closets," Tyler replied with a smile. He and Matt walked up the stairs to check around the house.
"All right, couch, now!" Caroline ordered, leading Elena to the sofa.
"I told you I'm fine," Elena complained, landing on the soft furniture.
Estella grabbed a blanket off a chair and stepped over to Elena, looking at her pointedly.
"If the doctor says rest, you rest," Estella told her simply, opening the blanket and laying it on her gently.
"Now, what can I get you? Do you want some tea, maybe some vodka?" Caroline asked jokingly, a smile on her face. "Both will help you sleep."
Elena stared at Caroline, irritated with her coddling. Estella snickered and sat down next to Elena. She looked at Caroline, a smirk on her face. Caroline noticed the look and huffed, joining the two girls on the couch.
"I know, I'm being smothering. It's what I do," Caroline grumbled.
"No, it's-it's nice," Elena said with a kind smile.
"I'm thinking--maybe tea with vodka," Caroline suggested.
The two laughed. Caroline stood up and walked to the kitchen, preparing the drink for Elena. Estella sat still on the couch, watching as Elena stared at a picture. It was of a younger version of Elena, with her arms wrapped around her two adults.
"Those were your parents," Estella realized softly.
"Yeah," Elena replied, swallowing thickly. "They were...they were great. Really supportive. They always wanted the best for Jer and I. I loved them a lot."
"I get it," Estella responded with a nod of her head, eyes never leaving the picture. "You miss them, don't you?"
"Yeah." Elena sniffled and looked down. "With Alaric dying and nearly killing me, I'm feeling a little nostalgic of how it used to be. How simple everything was. Cheer, school, Matt. My biggest problem was what homecoming dress I was going to wear."
"Now you're mixed up in all this stupid drama," Estella muttered. She looked at the brunette sympathetically. "I'm sorry. I know you love them, but my brothers did bring you into this. If you didn't meet Stefan in the first place, then none of this would've happened and you'd still be normal."
"I'm a doppelgänger. I wasn't really normal to begin with," Elena stated with a shrug.
Estella smiled at her. The blonde blinked and stood up, pushing the blanket over her.
"Get some sleep, Elena," Estella said to her softly.
~
Stefan had shown up, much to Estella's disliking. She ignored him, focusing on cooking while Matt and Stefan helped with a few things.
"I'm being over coddled. I feel completely fine," Elena said to the three, sighing in annoyance.
"You're on house arrest. You're supposed to be coddled," Stefan remarked, glancing up at the doppelgänger. Elena continued to playfully glare at him.
"Wouldn't it be smarter if we just got you the hell out of town?" Matt questioned, looking around for someone to agree with him.
"And do what? Go on the run for the rest of my life? No thank you." Elena stood up from the couch, pointing at the three. "And I'm not an invalid. I'm done with the couch."
Estella sighed and looked at the two guys, rolling her eyes at them.
"Way to go. You sure did help her feel better," Estella sardonically said.
"So, you're just gonna let her call the shots?" Matt asked them incredulously.
Stefan nodded, saying to Matt, "Letting her make her own decisions."
"Even if they're wrong?" Matt asked him. He didn't seem to understand Stefan's point of view. The human leaned against the counter to watch Stefan, wondering why Stefan wasn't protecting her more.
"Nothing wrong with free will, Matt," Stefan remarked with a shrug. He stopped chopping to look at Matt seriously. "Trust me, you don't realize that till you lose it."
"Stefan," Elena called out, her tone slightly frightened. Estella looked up from stirring to see what Elena was worried about. Her eyes wide, looking at the figure in the doorway.
Elijah stood in front of the house regally, looking more at Elena than anyone else. He did, however, do a quick sweep with his eyes to look at everyone in the house before landing back on Elena. Estella placed her spoon down to walk over to Elena, watching Elijah carefully.
"Elijah," Estella greeted shortly.
"Hello again."
~
Elena let the Original inside, deciding to trust him. Estella went back to her cooking, listening to Elijah inform them his plan to get Alaric away from them. The blonde listened, not saying anything until Elijah was fully over with talking.
"All we need is to take that stake away from him. Once he's been disarmed, the weapon's in my possession, my family will scatter to the ends of the Earth and Alaric will follow us," Elijah explained to the four.
"And you'll just run?" Stefan questioned, looking at Elijah confusedly.
"We've done it before. Klaus and Rebekah spent the better part of a thousand years evading my father," Elijah told them nonchalantly. "What's another half century while Elena is able to live out the rest of her natural life?"
"We've finally stopped him, Elijah. After everything that he's done to us, I can't just let you bring him back," Elena stated. She didn't want Klaus to come back to life, not after what they did. Not only would Klaus come after her, he would come after Stefan and Damon for temporarily killing him.
"I give you my word, Elena. I will not revive Klaus within yours nor even within your children's lifetimes," Elijah declared. He looked of at Estella. "Perhaps that will finally teach him some manners."
Estella smirked at that, yet stayed silent. She stirred the stew in the pot before turning the burner off.
"Why should she trust you?" Matt asked the Original boldly. "All you've done is screw her over."
"And for that, I am deeply ashamed," Elijah replied guilty. "But know this, she could have been dead the instant I walked through that door tonight, so Elena, I leave it to you to make the decision whether to trust me or not."
Estella looked down at the phone on the table, wondering what her brother on the road was thinking.
"Not! Hello? Did that concussion give you brain damage? His lunatic siblings will kill you the first chance they get!" Damon exclaimed over the phone.
"Rebekah and Kol will honor the terms. If you return Klaus' body to us, Elena will come to no harm," Elijah stated truthfully. He looked annoyed with Damon, yet kept it at bay as he looked at the four present. "Do we have a deal?"
"No! No, no, no, no! Did I mention no?" Damon yelled out.
"Elena, it's up to you," Stefan said, looking at the brunette.
"Oh, come on!" Damon complained.
"Why do you want Klaus' body?" Elena asked Elijah, ignoring Damon's advice.
"He's my brother. We remain together," Elijah told the doppelgänger.
Elena sighed, thinking about it. She looked at Estella, wondering what she was thinking. The blonde stayed emotionless, pouring stew in Elena's bowl in front of her.
"We have a deal."
~
Jeremy came inside the house a little later, telling them all what happened between him and Alaric. How Alaric wanted him to let loose on where Damon was taking Klaus. They all formed a plan to trick Alaric and decided to trust Jeremy to do the work. The youngest Gilbert called Alaric as everyone held their breaths, wondering what would happen.
"I know where Klaus' body is," Jeremy told Alaric over the phone.
"Good. Tell me," Alaric demanded coldly, yet sounding shocked that Jeremy willingly told him.
"Damon's on his way to bury him in the woods off Route 12," Jeremy informed his previous guardian. "I'll text you with the specifics."
"Thank you, Jeremy. You're doing the right thing for your sister," Alaric said sickly sweet.
"I know," Jeremy replied. He swallowed thickly and hung up the phone, placing it on the table. He took a deep breath and looked at Stefan, Matt, Elena, Estella, and Elijah. "He bought it."
~
Estella left without Stefan, making her way to the storage unit. She was a fast runner, and her vampire speed only helped her. She was able to arrive within an hour, standing in front of the storage unit. She caught her breath and stood there for a moment, listening around for something. She tensed when she heard something crack in the woods. Estella jumped and slammed the thing against the wall, glaring at it.
"Oi! Loosen up, will you?" The familiar British voice snapped.
Estella let out a breath, dropping Rebekah's body. She stepped back, crossing her arms over her chest to look at her more closely.
"You here to get Klaus' desiccated body?" Estella asked her.
"Yes. No thanks to you," Rebekah spat. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be helping Elena?"
"I came here to talk to my brother, believe it or not," Estella argued. She started walking away. "It's eerily quiet in there. Let's go check it out."
The two blonde's walked inside, calling out for Damon. Estella was getting fed up with her brother, her voice growing strained from the yelling. She let out a groan.
"Damon, this isn't funny!" Estella yelled out, a look of irritation on her face.
Someone grabbed the two blondes, pushing them in the dark and wrapping their hands over their mouths. Estella tensed.
"Shh," Damon's voice cooed in their ears. Estella huffed, knowing it wasn't some attacker but her brother instead. He let go of them, looking around to check for Alaric. "Alaric's here. We need to get Klaus' coffin and go."
Estella's eyes were wide, but she obeyed and followed Damon to the storage unit. She helped him push it out and roll it away from Alaric. They tried to keep quiet, moving but not talking. They made it outside and started wheeling it towards a car. Yet, Alaric appeared out of nowhere. He slammed Rebekah's head against the car, successfully knocking her out. Estella acted quickly, rushing over to Alaric and landing a punch in the nose. Alaric growled at her and kicked the blonde in the stomach, making her groan and fall down. Damon tried attacking Alaric, yet failed and joined his sister on the ground. Alaric made his way to the coffin, opening up the casket to reveal Klaus' gray body.
"No! Don't!" Estella cried out, standing up.
"No!" Rebekah yelled, her eyes wide with fear. She tried running towards Alaric. "No! No! No!"
Alaric ignored their pleads, taking the white oak stake and pushing it through Klaus' heart. Estella heard herself yell out, looking at Klaus in shock. His eyes met hers, the two sharing one look before his body started to flare up. Estella felt a small tear drip down her eyes as she clutched Rebekah. The two girls let out a sob.
Estella's life was over. She was going to die all because of Mystic Falls.
Yet, she pushed that thought away. She heard Alaric mutter, "You next." Estella pushed Rebekah, yelling at her to run. The blonde Original ran away, speeding off to safety. Estella stood with her brother, standing up to glare at Alaric through her tears. She rushed towards Alaric, but he stopped the blonde and cracked her neck. Estella fell to the ground, her eyes falling shut.
~
When Estella woke up, she was confused. She was still on the ground, next to Klaus' (now) empty coffin. She sat up, looking around. She had to be in a dream--there was no other option. She couldn't have The blonde rubbed her head, slowly standing up. She remembered reading an article that if she was dreaming, she wouldn't be able to count her fingers.
Estella held her hand in front of her, counting one, two, three, four, and five fingers. She frowned--she wasn't dreaming.
Estella made her way back to Mystic Falls, walking inside the Gilbert Residence. She spotted Caroline inside, looking sad. When she heard Estella walk in, her head snapped up. The vampire looked confused but happy her friend was alive, rushing over to embrace Estella in a hug.
"Oh, you're okay!" Caroline breathed out, squeezing Estella. "I thought you were dead! Why aren't you?"
Estella pulled back from Caroline with a frown, shaking her head.
"I don't--I don't know, Care. I was turned directly by Klaus. I saw him pour his blood in my wine...it was definitely him who turned me," Estella rambled, her eyes wide as she continued to talk. "I don't know why I'm still alive. I should be dead."
Caroline listened intently, nodding. Estella stopped talking for a moment, her mouth open as she began to realize something.
"Caroline, when's the last time you talked to Tyler?" Estella asked her friend.
Caroline gasped, running out the door. Estella blinked for a moment, letting her hands drop to her sides. The blonde ran a hand through her messy hair, letting out a shaky breath. Estella was confused--she should've died. She had to die.
The blonde didn't care, though. She was only happy that she was alive (for some unknown reason). She walked up the stairs, falling down on the guest bed. She stared up at the ceiling for a minute, thinking about how she left her brother at the storage unit. Estella didn't want to be like her brother--ditching their family to save their own skin. So, Estella sped over to the storage unit. She heard Damon and Alaric beginning to fight, making Estella rush in. She grabbed a stray piece of wood and swung it against Alaric's head, making him fall to the ground. Damon's eyes were wide, surprised at the sudden takedown.
"What are sister's for?" Estella breathed out, looking at Damon with a smirk.
Yet, Alaric stood back up. He rushed over to Estella, punching her in the face. Estella let out a groan, yet swung the wood again so it could push him away from her. Alaric landed in Damon's arms, and the raven-haired vampire kicked the back of Alaric's knees down. The hunter hit the ground face first.
Estella kicked him in the stomach, yet Alaric gripped Estella's leg to make her fall to the ground. Estella let out a yelp, hitting the metal surface. Alaric stood up, lifting his foot to kick her like she did to him. Estella rolled over on her stomach, letting out a groan.
"Hey, I'm the only person who can hurt her," Damon snapped, punching Alaric.
The hunter, unfortunately, gripped Damon's fist and bended it away from him. Throwing Damon to the ground, he approached the two Salvatore's slowly. They had given up, deciding to lay on the ground in pain.
"You're not gonna fight back?" Alaric asked them angrily.
"You're kind of invincible, Ric," Damon remarked sourly.
"Don't call me that." Alaric kicked Damon in the face, landing another bruise on his face. He did the same to Estella, making her move backwards on the ground. "We're not friends."
"We were," Damon said, his voice pained from the many kicks and punches from Alaric.
"Well, our friendship was part of the problem. It's what kept me weak," Alaric growled out. "It's also why it took so long for the real me to break through and now I'm gonna break you."
He hit Damon in the face, making the vampire fly backwards. Estella stood up quickly, eyes wide. She turned towards Alaric, yet was met with a punch in the nose. Estella fell back down, landing next to her brother. The two siblings were slumped against the wall, blood dripping from the scratches and punches.
"Is that all you got?" Estella mocked up at him, looking at Alaric through her bruised eye.
"Not quite." He got down, picking up the wood, and attempted to stake Estella. Her eyes widened, grabbing the stake and pushing Alaric off of her with all the strength she could muster. Damon got up, punching him in the face.
The fighting continued. Punches were thrown, kicks making the vampires fly everywhere. Estella and Damon were doing well considering the odds. She didn't look too bad, a couple bruises and blood only seeping from wounds in her leg and forehead.
Estella grabbed Alaric's wrist, squeezing hard. Her eyebrows furrowed when Alaric started to sink to the ground, growing weaker by the second. Estella looked over to Damon, the two realizing what was going on.
"What's happening?" Alaric questioned, confused.
"Oh no," Estella murmured, shaking her head. She was in denial, not wanting to face the truth. Alaric fell to his knees, making the blonde fall down too. "No. No, no, no, no. Alaric, Ric! You are not dead. You are not dead."
Alaric's body started to turn gray, beginning to desiccate and die. Estella's throat closed, letting out a sob. She looked up at Damon, them both finally knowing what is to come. Not only did Alaric die, but so did Elena.
~
And so, Estella stood in the middle of a street, bloody and bruised. She stared up at the stars, her eyes glistening from unshed tears. Blood dripped off her and onto the pavement. Estella didn't cry though, instead she was on an unknown street that led to somewhere.
Elena Gilbert. The name sounded plain, boring. Yet whenever Estella heard the name, she grew tense. The name Elena Gilbert brought an array of emotions, most of them bad. For Estella, Elena Gilbert was a name she wouldn't mind never hearing again. Estella liked the girl, but the name Elena Gilbert seemed to bring a little too much drama than what she could handle.
Klaus Mikaelson. He was dead. Or at least, to Estella's knowledge. Estella loved him and her loved ones went up in flames just like everything she ever touched. Klaus was her first and only love, and he was dead. Lying in some ditch or wherever he was buried. Estella didn't know how she felt about that. She was glad that he was finally gone. Yet, she was also affected by his death. Klaus was a part in her life, and somehow when he died, that part of her was lost forever. Estella didn't know what she was feeling, but she knew for sure that some part of her wanted Klaus, her almost lover, dead. She wasn't sure how, but the thought of enjoying Klaus' death made her feel twisted.
~
and that's a wrap on season three.
what did you think of the ending?
-holly