Rebekah grabbed Josie by the arm and walked her across to the front door, quicker than Josie's arthritis-ridden legs appreciated. Stefan and Damon looked across at each-other, over and over again, hoping that one of them had come up with an idea to save Josie from the horrible fate she was about to endure. Elena groaned and fell forwards into Damon's arms, her face a sickly yellow colour. Damon quickly caught her falling body and lowered her down onto the floor to rest, his hand cupping the gash on her head that had poured blood all over the back of her neck.
Even as Damon placed her gently on the floor, Elena didn't flinch or make any movement to protest. She was loosing consciousness, and loosing it fast. Damon winced at the blood that was pouring out from the back of her head, knowing that his first instinct to protect her and feed her vampire blood, would have no impact.
For the first time since Elena had returned to him, he was angry that the cure was in her system. If it wasn't, he'd be able to save her.
"Please Rebekah, I need to get her to a hospital. She'll die right now, on this floor, if a doctor doesn't see her and stop the bleeding," Damon pleaded with Rebekah with every inch of passion he had, but didn't dare separate his eyes from Elena's fragile body. Rebekah couldn't help but notice that his bright blue eyes were wide and full of fear, but also hope that maybe Rebekah would do the right thing. She had longed for a man to look at her in the way that Damon was looking at Elena right now.
Rebekah quickly shook off her sentimentality, knowing that it would only bring her weakness.
"You're free to take her to a hospital as soon as I've left with Josie and I'm sure that no one is following me," Rebekah weakly smiled in Damon's direction, hoping that he would notice. This time it was Stefan that pleaded for Elena's life, but with more force than Damon had managed.
"Rebekah, stop the games. We need to get her out of here now!" Stefan raised his voice a little louder than he needed to, hoping to cover up the noise from the garden that he had just picked up on.
Klaus was awake.
"I'm sorry Stefan, but I don't trust that you won't come after me, besides..." Rebekah's sentence was cut short when, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Klaus walking in from the garden, dusting himself off.
"Oh bloody hell! Well there is no way I'm letting you go now. Nik's awake," Rebekah sighed, knowing that her exit with Josie had become twice as difficult. Damon immediately looked up from Elena after hearing Klaus' name mentioned, hoping that he would be able to charge in and kick Rebekah's butt so he could take Elena to the hospital ASAP.
Instead, he watched as Klaus walked in from the garden without speaking a word, and then shuffle over to Elijah's body. As he got closer to Elijah, Damon noticed that Elijah was starting to wake up too.
Rebekah cursed to herself, 'Damn it! Make that, three times as difficult,' she thought.
As soon as he was able, Elijah was quickly on his feet, adjusting his cuffs and brushing off the dirt on his now imperfect white shirt. Klaus smirked.
Typical Elijah.
The brothers cast a disapproving look in Rebekah's direction and started to walk over. Rebekah knew that she was no match for the two of them, plus Damon and Stefan at once, and so she resorted to the one of the few moves she knew she had left.
She stood behind Josie and wrapped her arm around her neck in-front, her other hand poised on the side of her head, ready to exert enough force in a second to snap her neck. Josie immediately started to cry, only now coming to the full realisation that this could be her last moment alive. As soon as Rebekah had threatened Josie in this way, Klaus and Elijah stopped in their tracks, knowing that Rebekah would kill her if they took another step.
"I'm leaving with her, Nik. You can't stop me. The same goes for you Elijah. If either of you move, I'll kill her right now." Rebekah's voice was growing more and more wobbly by the second, as if she knew that she didn't have many options left. She started to take a few steps backwards, closer to the door.
Klaus' anger was plastered across his face, but Elijah as always, tried to remain calm and stretched out his hand to Rebekah to try and get her to stop moving.
"Rebekah, it's not too late. You can stop all this right now. We'll leave right away, as a family, and forget all of this happened," Elijah smiled, hoping Rebekah would trust that he was telling the truth.
"Like hell we'll forget this happened!" Damon piped up, his eyes still glued to Elena. As Elena began to cough and splutter, he scooped her up into his arms and stood up, his eyes filled with no hope for Rebekah's humanity, only anger.
"Get the hell out of my way, before I kick your ass, all whilst carrying my dying girlfriend in my arms," Damon started to walk forwards towards Rebekah, which only made her tighten her grip on Josie's neck. Josie gasped for breath, Rebekah's arm clearly crushing her throat enough to choke her. Stefan rushed to Damon, standing in-front to stop him from moving forward.
"Damon, stop! We'll get Elena out of this, and Josie. But brute force is not the way this is going to work," Stefan tried his best to stay calm, but he couldn't help notice Elena's lifeless body in Damon's arms. He was taken aback at how quickly all of his old feelings for her had resurfaced. Stefan knew that he would always love Elena, but being IN love with Elena was something he thought had changed many years ago.
"We don't have time for this Stefan! I will not loose her now! Not like this!" Damon's voice was strained and angry, but his eyes and tears said otherwise. As Stefan and Damon had been talking, Rebekah had moved closer to the door, finally ready to run with Josie as soon as she opened it.
Only, she couldn't run or leave the house.
Something was in her way that she could never have anticipated.
Caroline Forbes.
Caroline was stood on the other side of the door, her hands placed firmly on her hips. Her eyes were more savagely angry than Damon's ever were. Rebekah also noticed that a few feet behind her, Lizzie was stood, crying at the sight of her sister being held by the throat.
"Take your GOD DAMN ARM off my daughters neck RIGHT NOW!" she screamed at Rebekah. Josie smiled through her tears. She had only heard Caroline call her and Lizzie her daughters once before. At Ric's funeral. Rebekah, along with everyone else in the house, was stunned.
Stefan watched Caroline with such admiration. She was the most strong willed, fearless person he'd ever had the privilege of meeting. His heart could have exploded with pride if it wasn't confined within his chest.
Klaus, however, looked at Caroline in a different way. He was in awe of her power. She was a forceful, fiery beauty that had the power of captivating everyone within her path. He too, was captivated. For years, he'd wished that she would join him, for the life full of adventure and passion that she clearly longed for. He was the king of the chess board, and she was his queen. She held more power over him that he would ever let anyone know.
"Not a chance," Rebekah replied, defiant, yet scared. Josie might not be biologically Caroline's, but Rebekah knew better than to stand between a mother and her children.
"Fine, you've brought this on yourself," Caroline spoke though gritted teeth before looking behind at Lizzie. Lizzie stepped forwards and placed her hand on Caroline's shoulder, her palm glowing red as the siphoning of Caroline's vampirism began to kick in. Caroline's fingers and arms started to desiccate, and Lizzie quickly let go of her shoulder before she removed Caroline's magic completely.
Caroline smirked as her skin returned to normal, knowing that Lizzie now had enough power to do some real damage. Lizzie raised her hand to Rebekah, her palm facing her.
Josie, realising what was about to happen, grabbed Rebekah's arm and started to siphon off some of her vampirism too. Just enough to weaken her a little bit.
"Motus," Lizzie whispered, her voice surging with power.
Rebekah let out a scream as she was catapulted backwards through the air, straight through the house and out of the door into the garden, before smashing her head into a brick wall which knocked her out cold.
The siphoning had clearly left Lizzie and Josie exhausted. Josie struggled to gasp for breath after Rebekah had been crushing her throat for so long. Caroline ran forwards and huddled Josie into her arms, breathing slowly and deeply to try and get Josie to take nice deep breaths with her.
Once Caroline had got Josie's breathing to settle down, she gestured towards Lizzie to join them in a hug. Lizzie however, didn't look too great. Her cheeks were flushed and a small trickle of blood was making its way down her face from her nose. She went to take a step towards Caroline, but collapsed. Stefan and Elijah both rushed forwards and caught her before she hit the stone floor.
As Elijah checked her pulse and Stefan tried to wake her up, Damon let out a horrifying scream from the living room,
"STEFAN!! GET IN HERE NOW!!"
"What's wrong?!" he shouted, running back into the house. Damon was on the floor, hovering over Elena's body, one hand on the side of her face and the other on her chest above her heart. Stefan was confused, but also frantic with worry. Elena's legs had started to turn a blotchy red colour and her face was pale and motionless.
"She's not breathing Stefan. I can't feel her heartbeat anymore," Damon sniffed, tears streaming down his face.