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"I miss they way that you saw me or maybe the way I saw myself."
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THE reality of everything that's unfolded in the past few hours is too surreal, too intangible.
Not even the soothing rhythmic sound of the truck roaming on the highway is enough to calm me down, as frankly there's nothing to be calm about. Alaric is hunting for Klaus as we speak with his sole original weapon leaving everyone I care about lives on the line. Not to mention Caroline and Tyler have fled town, courtesy of Alaric who busted the council members for having a vampire as a daughter and hybrid as a son.
I'm jammed, too full of information that I can't process it all. I feel like a paper shredder, trying to diminish all my problems but now I'm stuck, making it impossible to move forward.
In the end after a deep yet quick discussion, Damon and Stefan stayed behind to watch Elena as James and I hull Klaus's coffin to a warehouse. Damon made us bring Bonnie who trails in her car behind us, arguing that she needed to jam the locater spell on Klaus so no one can find him. It's been silent the whole ride, giving me the assumption James's brain is just as jammed as mine is. It's only the ringing of James's phone that disrupts the silence.
"Elijah," James greets, glancing warily at me. I listen closely to Elijah's words on the other line.
"James, I need Klaus's coffin," he demands politely.
"I can't Elijah, you know that," James says calmly.
"I've arranged a deal with Elena that she hands over Klaus in exchange that we scatter leading Alaric to follow us once I am in possession of the stake he holds," Elijah explains.
"So that's it? You're just going to run? Give up your life again? What happened to living? You deserve better Elijah, there has to be another way. There is another way," James compromises.
Elijah hesitates. "I'm sorry James, but it's out of your hands. The deal has been set. Finish bringing him to the warehouse, and I'll send Rebekah. We'll talk later," Elijah says before hanging up.
James and I exchange glances but neither of us say anything. I can't bring myself to imagine why Elijah would want to keep Alaric chasing after them just so Elena could have a long healthy human life, but it's not my choice. I can see the hurt on James's face as his friend chose to give up his life again when he just started living it, but once again, it wasn't our choice.
We arrive at the warehouse and unload the coffin, placing it in a random storage locker, hidden the best we could manage. This place is full of thousands of locker rooms, meaning it'll take Alaric forever to find him, if he even finds this place.
James and I leave Bonnie inside with Klaus while she does her spell, insisting that she needs space. I understand, seeing as Klaus has taken away so many things from her just as he has me.
"Elijah's sending Rebekah to pick up Klaus's body. She'll be here any minute," James says, taking a seat on the couch beside me I found laying about amongst the other junk stored in this place. Bonnie left a few minutes ago, finished with the spell.
"I don't understand why we don't just leave him here," I mutter. It's a perfectly good hiding spot.
"I don't k-"
James is cut off by the ring of the door, signaling that Rebekah is here. We both get up and round the corner to meet Rebekah, when suddenly James is pinned against the wall by none other than Alaric.
"Where is Klaus's body?" Alaric demands, moving James to hold him in a choke hold. James grabs at his hands that closes around his throat, but Alaric is too strong. Esther made him stronger.
"G-gone," James gasps. He then looks at me and mouths the words 'run'.
Alaric notices this and instantly snaps James's neck, but I'm long gone before I see that allowing me to only hear the sound of bone twisting and breaking. I sprint fast with vamp speed around the hallways, hiding around corners letting my ears be my eyes.
My breaths are heavy and quick and my heart is racing but it immediately stops as I hear the ding of the door. Rebekah.
"Hello?" I hear her call.
I take a risk and sprint over to the elevator, whizzing past it, shoving Rebekah along with me out of plain sight so we're hidden.
I take her around the corner and she shoves me back angrily, but I quickly press my finger to my lips whilst making frantic gesticulations. "Alaric," I whisper, making her eyes grow wide.
We hear a sound of a locker room door banging open, making us jump. It's fairly close, meaning we need to move. We need to get to Klaus body, and we need to find James. Rebekah doesn't ask any questions, but rather follows along knowing Alaric is in possession of the only weapon that can kill her. Rebekah and I have never been friends, but that doesn't matter at the moment. We both want Klaus alive.
Together we quietly make our way around the building, hugging the walls and checking each corner. I feel like I'm in a spy movie of some sorts, and I don't like the feeling one bit. I don't like the feeling that Alaric may jump out at us any moment, taking away any chance we have at getting out of here.
As we turn down the corner to the hallway that contains Klaus's coffin, a tall male figure appears in front of us, sending us stumbling a couple feet back in fear. The figure jumps back too, startled by our presence. It's only then do I realize it's James.
He nods at Rebekah and I, nudging his neck down the hallway, motioning us to follow him. Quickly we unlock the locker, pushing Klaus' coffin back down the hallway and into James's truck. We turn the corner and I see the truck, giving me hope that we might actually make it out of this.
Just as the tip of the coffin reaches the truck, I'm thrown backwards, slamming into the hard wall.
Alaric marches towards the coffin, but James quickly intervenes and shoves him back. The forces sends Alaric surprisingly a few steps back, but he quickly regains himself only to throw James beside me against the wall. Rebekah turns to run but Alaric smashes her head against the truck before shoving her out of the way. By now Alaric has made a clear path for himself to the coffin, and it's crystal clear how everything will play out.
Alaric opens the coffin, revealing a desiccated Klaus wrapped in chains. He raises the magical stake, giving us no chance to argue as the stake is plunged into Klaus's heart, instantly igniting his body in flames.
"NO!" James roars.
"Niklaus no!" Rebekah cries, sobbing hard as she watches her brother go up in flames.
I just stand there, watching as it all plays out. I feel like an audience member, along for the show. I feel every emotion, but all I can do is watch. There's nothing I can do. Nothing I can do to stop Alaric from killing Klaus. I know what it all means. I know that James and Joel will now die. Possible my brothers too, possibly Caroline, and most certainty Tyler. A million birds, instantly killed with one stone.
It feels weird watching Klaus burn. It should feel better seeing as the bastard deserved it, but even after everything he's done I don't wish anyone death. Putting aside the fact Klaus needed to be alive in order for James and Joel to live, I can't shake the feeling that I wanted him alive. It's a feeling deep inside me that I can't shake, that I don't understand.
Alaric smirks at Klaus's burning body before turning to Rebekah who has already taken off, leading him to chase after her.
James stares wide-eyed at the coffin, before grabbing my hand and leading me to the truck. He's in shock, and I'm a statue, frozen in my place. He starts the truck and drives away before Alaric can find us, assuming he hasn't killed Rebekah already.
"James, we, we..." I trail off, panic taking over. I can't even think. These are James's last moments. There's so many things we never got to talk about, so many things we never got to explore. "Where are you going?" I manage to ask.
"I need to get to Joel," he whispers, gripping the steering wheel tightly.
"James, there won't be enough time!" I say, anxiety rushing through me. "Stop the car!"
James ignores me as he focuses on driving, thinking of all the things he has to do before he dies. It didn't take long for Sage to die once Finn died, and I can only imagine the time we're wasting with each other right now.
"Dammit James stop the car!" I say louder, wishing to face this head on. He finally slams on the brakes and pulls to the side.
"Klaus is dead! He's dead and now Joel is going to die!" James yells. James never yells, and as his voice speaks of panic and fear I can understand now that he fears more for his brother's life than his own.
"You're going to die!" I say. "I don't want you to die! Not when I haven't fully gotten to know you. I- I still don't have the memories..," I trail off. The memories.
James holds his head in his hands, trying to think of what to do while I try and fit the pieces together. "James, my memories. They haven't come back. They should've all come back the second Klaus was killed," I whisper.
"What are you saying Blair?" James asks, defeated.
"Think about it James, what if he's not really dead?" I wonder, trying to make sense of it all.
"That's impossible. We saw him burn to death," James says.
"Yeah, and I saw Elena die the night of the sacrifice two months ago. Nothing's impossible James. There's only one way to find out. We drive home to everyone else, and if all else fails and we don't make it, at least we'll be together," I say sincerely, covering his hand with mine.
He purses his lips and nods, shifting the truck into drive and speeding down the road.
I call Joel and explain everything that's happened. I put him on speaker and let him and James talk for a bit, the conversation filled with laughter and tears as they say their goodbyes. If I'm right however, this won't be a goodbye. I can't shake the feeling that Klaus is alive. My memories would've proven that.
All we can do is speed down the road in hopes of making it back in time to Mystic Falls before anything happens. If Klaus really is both my brother's sire, than I want to be there to say goodbye. I want to say goodbye to Caroline too, but I trust James to get us there before the clock ticks down.
"I never got to properly thank you, Blair," James begins.
"James, please don't," I beg. I don't want to jump to conclusions. I don't want to say goodbye.
"No Blair, I have to say this, for me," he protests, and I nod motioning for him to continue. "You saved me from myself, from a life full of hate and anger towards a person I used to call a friend. A person who has torn us apart and brought us together only to tear us apart again. I don't know what we are, but I'm glad you're in my life. Even if you don't know yourself how you feel, I want you to know that I love you. I always have. Even if you don't feel the same way, I hope you still consider me your friend," James sighs, struggling to keep himself together.
I clasp my hand over his and conjure up the courage to speak my mind, as I've always regretted not saying how I felt sooner, and now it's too late.
"James, I-"
The car suddenly swerves violently to the left under James's control, but not so much to avoid the oncoming car that swerved to avoid a single deer crossing the road.
The impact of the head on collision is enough to send the front part of the truck folding forwards, like squeezing a can in your hands.
The truck flips on it's side, rolling over the ditch, rolling until it lands upside down, our seatbelts being the only things keeping us from falling down.
As the air bags deflate and my eyelids begin to shut, I watch the deer safely cross the road and makes it into the forest, out of sight. It disappears as my words have, my eyes closing and my hand letting go of James's for what might be the last time.
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[completed & edited: 08/29/2021]