"Ugh" Isabella groans, rubbing her neck when it aches.
"Awake so soon?" Damon quips.
"How many times have you snapped my neck?".
"2 or 3 times? I don't know?" Isabella rests her head back, letting out a sigh.
"Where are we even going?".
"To throw your lover into the ocean, I thought you might want to pay your respects".
"Oh yeah, gee thanks".
"No problem" Damon looks back while Stefan drives, injecting her with vervain before she manages to push his hand away.
"Feeling a little weak? I have been giving you vervain since we got in the car".
"All Damon's idea, don't blame me" Stefan speaks up from the front seat, then he parks the car, hopping out and letting Damon go onto the front seat.
"Going back to Elena?" Isabella asks to which she receives a nod before a whoosh is heard and he is gone. The car continues to move, driven by the eldest Salvatore.
A little while later, Damon puts the phone on speaker, placing it in the passenger seat as he drives.
"You know, I do have vamp hearing". Damon makes a motion for her to be quiet.
"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's voice comes through the phone, surprising the brunette.
"And you'll just run?".
"We've done it before. Klaus and Rebekah spent the better part of a thousand years evading my father. 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".
"I give you my word, Elena. I will not revive Klaus within yours nor even within your children's lifetimes. Perhaps that will finally teach him some manners".
"Why should she trust you? All you've done is screw her over".
"And for that, I am deeply ashamed. 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".
Damon lets out an annoyed sigh "Not! Hello? Did that concussion give you brain damage?! His lunatic siblings will kill you the first chance they get!".
"Rebekah and Kol will honor the terms. If you return Klaus' body to us, Elena will come to no harm".
"Do we have a deal?".
"No! No no no no! Did I mention no?".
"I think you did" Isabella mumbles from the back seat.
"Elena, it's up to you".
"Oh come on!".
"Why do you want Klaus' body?".
"He's my brother. We remain together".
"We have a deal". Damon hangs up, throwing the phone on the floor.
Once they reach the warehouse filled with storage units, they meet up with Bonnie
"Hey Bon" The brunette vampire says, smiling weakly at the girl as she moves with them out of the elevator, into the storage unit area.
"Hi, you okay? You look a little weak right now".
"Vervain" She answers, pointing at Damon.
"Yep. You know, I'm not half way out of Virginia and Elena sells our souls to the Originals?".
"It was her call".
"You know what else is her call? Everything bad ever".
"Where's the body? As long as it's unspelled, Alaric is one witch away from finding it".
"Hidden. I was gonna use Unit 666, but figured that would be a little obvious. So...1020. Mini fridge, a couple bird cages, a box of old Playboy. One beef jerkified Original" Damon rolls up the door, revealing the storage unit.
Bonnie and Isabella walk in, both staring at Klaus who is chained and desiccated. His eyes open, looking straight at them.
"Oh creepy" Damon mumbles.
"I need a minute".
"Just jam the witch locator, bat signal or whatever and get on with it, Bonnie".
"Elena and Jeremy lost Jenna and Alaric because of him. Tyler's a hybrid, my mother's a vampire. Could you give me a minute to just appreciate the sight of him like this?". Bonnie glances at Isabella "I'm sorry if this upsets you".
"No it's fine, he wasn't perfect, neither was I and no one is". Damon leaves, followed by the brunette vampire who closes the door, letting Bonnie say what she wants to say.
-
"Bonnie just left. Rebekah should be here soon to pick up the body. Isabella is leaning against the wall, brooding, something you are familiar with" Damon says to Stefan through the phone.
"I've got Caroline and Elijah in place. Jeremy is gonna lead Alaric to us".
"You just had to let her make the choice didn't you?".
"What would you have done Damon?".
"Grabbed her, gagged her, threw her in a well, I don't know, anything other than let her trust Elijah".
"You know she'd just hate you for it right?".
"Yeah but she'd be alive and she'd hate me. Thus, the eternal difference between you and me, brother".
"As soon as we get the stake, hand over the coffin and get out. Alaric's got half the police looking for Klaus' car".
"Will do. Gotta go, the Original sister is here".
Isabella raises her eyebrows at the dig of the elevator, turning around to see Ric coming down the path.
Damon doesn't see him yet "It's about time, sexy Bex".
"It's not Rebekah".
Alaric grabs Damon from behind, holding him against the wall "Where is Klaus?".
"How did you find us?".
"Oh you'd be amazed at how competent law enforcement is when it's not corrupted by vampires. Now where is Klaus?".
"In a storage locker. There's only about a thousand of them, have at it". Alaric looks up before snapping the eldest Salvatore's neck and then Isabella's.
-
"Damon! Isabella! where are you?" Rebekah calls, leaving the elevator. She crosses her arms, frowning. "This isn't funny".
The blonde Original continues to search, walking around when she is grabbed by Damon along with the brunette vampire. The eldest Salvatore covers her mouth so she doesn't let out a scream and then pulls her back. "Rebekah. Shh".
Isabella is the first to grab Klaus's casket, the rest following as they wheel it out to a car but then Alaric appears, grabbing the blonde Original, slamming her against the car and throwing her down. Damon goes for Alaric but gets kicked out of the way, Isabella moves over, protectively guarding the casket.
"No" She says firmly but he shoves her harshly out of the way. Klaus's eyes open once the casket is opened by Ric, who also pulls out the white oak stake.
"No!" Rebekah shouts.
"No don't!".
"No! No! No!".
Alaric ignores them, staking Klaus in the heart and the hybrid lets out a gasp. Damon grabs Rebekah, holding her back whilst Isabella falls to the ground, tears spilling from her eyes and she lets out an ear piercing scream.
Alaric turns to look at them "Next". He beckons for Rebekah to come forward but the brunette vampire uses what strength she has to vamp speed over, blocking him from hurting her but Ric stakes Isabella instead, making her fall to the ground again but this time, veins creep up her skin, soon covering her whole body.
The last thing she sees is Rebekah crying hysterically and then Damon shouting for Rebekah to run whilst his eyes widen at the scene in front of him.
"Klaus" Isabella whispers, seeing the blonde man leaning against a beautiful oak tree. She runs toward him, her long gown flowing in the wind and her arms wrap around him in an embrace which he returns.
"Bella". Klaus says softly before frowning "What happened, love?".
"Alaric staked me".
"No no no" Klaus mumbles, his eyes starting to tear up "This is not how it is supposed to be".
"Don't cry, Niklaus" Bella wipes away a tear that had fallen onto his cheek "You will return and live your life, with me, watching over you and seeing how your life turns out".
"But I need you with me".
"You need your family, you need to be with them, remember always and forever".
Klaus and Isabella sit down, his back against the tree while she lays on his lap, staring up into his blue eyes. "Promise me, you will protect and love your family".
"I promise".
"I love you" Isabella says, a smile on her face which he smiles at.
"I love you" Klaus says, pulling her up for a kiss which is filled with love. Her eyes start to flutter and she takes a deep breath, closing her eyes and laying back down.
"Always have hope, Niklaus".
_________________________________________________
Hello everyone!
This was the last chapter of 'Dark Paradise', I hope you have enjoyed this story and I appreciate every single one of you. Thank you for reading, voting and commenting. Remember to smile, have hope and remember that you are beautiful.
:)
SEQUEL: Gods & Monsters (Please check this out if you have read this book, it continues with Isabella in New Orleans)