Grace sat on the passenger side of a truck Klaus drove, while she stared right out of the window with a cold expression. Rebekah sat beside them and just couldn't shut up. It made a huge pain form in Grace's head, but she didn't let them get a glimpse at her emotions for now. She needed to be more careful with what she showed them or not, because she was in a pretty tricky situation. The young vampire had no idea where they were going and judging by how she knew Klaus, he wouldn't spill the beans.
"Oh come on, Gracie, I know this look. Don't play emotionless, it doesn't suit you."
He interrupted his sister mid sentence, implying that he hadn't listened to any word she said. Maybe he was as annoyed by her chatty nature as Grace was.
"Maybe I'll show you some warmth if you tell me where the hell we're going."
Grace said without sparing a look at him. She tried to distracted herself by watching the nature flying by as they drove, but her mind had particularly changed since she was a vampire. Her brain seemed to have developed many more cells, because she could concentrate on so many things now. Her mind was always racing, calculating, sensing, feeling everything around her. It was exhausting but still it was unbelievable how much vampirism extended her brain function.
"You'll know when you see it."
Klaus smirked to which Grace only rolled her eyes. Him playing mysterious was so damn ridiculous.
"At some point you'll have to tell me your story, Grace. I still can't really understood why you're so important."
Rebekah chirped in with a frown on her face, obviously annoyed by the fact that the attention shifted away from her. Her rude straight-forwardness made Grace chuckle, because she knew that the Original was honestly wondering about that and not meaning it as an insult.
"That's pretty easy. I was a normal college girl until your particularly handsome brother came into town and charmed his way into me to get to my sister, who I found is...or was...the doppelgänger. Then your less handsome brother came here, too, killed me and my sister on a blood altar and stabbed Elijah right in front of me. Afterwards he threatened me and Stefan to find him some bloody dogs. And now I'm here with you."
The blonde laughed slightly and nudged Klaus who threw Grace a grim look. He sighed and drove into an empty and abandoned looking parking lot in the middle of nowhere. Rebekah and Grace walked some steps to stretch their limbs, while Klaus opened the back of the truck to reveal a still knocked out Stefan in the middle of four coffins.
A shiver ran down her spine when she noticed how close to Elijah she had been all the time. She crossed her arms in front of her chest as she watched how the hybrid broke the vampire's neck again.
"Is this really necessary?"
Klaus looked up to her with a smirk on his face. Grace jumped into the truck in one swift motion, her eyes fixed on the coffin that stood in the front. She knew that Elijah was in this one, she felt so drawn to open it. There was this special connection between them that never seemed to fade.
"That's what happens to people that betray me. He's lucky that I still need him. Usually I would've ripped his heart out immediately."
The hybrid spoke, but Grace didn't listen. She knelt in front of the coffin and carefully opened its lid. Klaus watched her warily, but granted her this moment.
She simply needed to see him, having no clue how to survive another second if she didn't have a remembrance for what she kept her humanity. He looked so peaceful, except for the sickly grey skin. His eyes were closed and the memory of how he looked at her lovingly crossed her mind and made her shiver. She missed him so much. He would've known what to do, as Klaus was so close to figuring out that Elena was still alive.
It was silent for this short time. Both Mikaelson siblings stared at what happened right in front of them and both of them realized that there were true feelings involved.
Grace caressed the soft skin of his cheek and placed a faint kiss on his forehead while she whispered.
"I will see you soon."
In that moment she knew she would. She had no idea why she assumed that, but hope rose inside her.
Sometimes even she found it strange how strong their bond was. They didn't really know each other, most of their relationship was built on a lie and they only had shared one short kiss. But for Grace this kiss meant everything. She had forgiven him and he wanted to be there for her in her darkest hour. Never before had she felt something like that.
The soft thud the lid made while closing, shattered Grace's heart into pieces, but she contained herself quickly. Months of training to shut the emotions from coming to surface had its perks. Standing up, she turned around to Klaus and Rebekah. They both showed slightly different emotions. While Rebekah gave the younger vampire a little, warm smile, showing that she had a soft spot for that kind of love, Klaus had something on his features that Grace had never seen before on him: a hint of guilt. She stared into the hybrids eyes meaningfully, before she shrugged and sighed.
"Can we finally continue our way to god knows where?"
...
Grace hadn't noticed that she dozed off until she woke up with a gasp. The blonde beside her had shaken her awake. Quickly, she took a look around and noted that they were still in the truck, but now Grace couldn't recognize in which part of the states they where. The vegetation had gotten a bit greener, but it still could've been nearly anywhere.
"Wake up sleepy head. We're close to our goal."
"...close to home, Gracie."
Just when the hybrid corrected his sister, a town's sign flew by.
Mystic Falls, Virginia.
Grace couldn't keep her facial expression from falling apart. Her eyes widened in shock and her hands clenched into fists. No. This couldn't be real. If it wasn't for a stupid coincidental wonder, Elena would dance in front of Klaus' damn hybrid nose any second now. He would kill Elena, and herself probably, too. And Grace had no chance to warn anyone.
"I hoped you would be more cheerful to see your hometown again, Gracie. Your little brother's here, all your friends and I have to admit this place has quite its charm. I also want to test a little theory here..."
Klaus stopped the car in front of the school and before Grace could rush out of the truck and flee, he was in front of her and grabbed her upper arm. She knew that escaping was senseless, so she gave in into her fate. For the first time in two months she was afraid of something.
Of course her sister was right there, walking around the school happily together with Bonnie and Caroline. Alive and well.
"Well, my dear, what do we have here? If my memory services me right, your little darling sister is supposed to be dead."
His voice was dangerously calm. He was so close, invading her personal space heavily. Grace breathed heavily, having no clue what to do. He would kill her sister in cold blood again and there was nothing she could do about it.
"Have at it. Kill me because I betrayed you, what do I care?"
The fear was suddenly pushed out of her and replaced by a terrible anger. She looked the hybrid right in the eyes, to which he only laughed.
"Such harsh words. I'm actually hurt that you lied to me, too, like Stefan did, but I'm a grateful man. I understand why you did. From now on, you do as I say or I will take more drastic measures, that will include setting this whole town on fire with your siblings in the middle of it, understand?"
Grace shot him a confused look, but nodded. How could he give her another chance? Why did he actually trust her?
But before she could think about it more deeply, he ordered Rebekah to stay with Stefan, while he dragged Grace inside the school. They stood inside a dark hallway, waiting for Grace's sister to walk in and it all worked out perfectly. Smiling, Elena came in, but bumped into Klaus' chest.
"There's my girl."
Her smile dropped as she looked at the hybrid in shock.
"Klaus..."
She whispered to which he grinned viciously.
Elena turned on her hell and ran the opposite direction, only to be stopped by her sister. Her dark eyes bore into Elena's, whose only displayed the pure look of betrayal.
"I'm so sorry, Elena."
Before her sister could reply anything, Klaus had grabbed her arm and dragged her with him. Grace walked with some distance behind them, not able to look Elena in the eyes. Pain rose inside her and she wished to simply disappear.
Soon, they stood in the middle of the gym. Klaus had turned Tyler to have leverage on the group, to make Bonnie find a way to save his hybrids. Grace could only sit on the bleachers and watch from afar. Those were all kids she knew since they were babies and now they were dying like flies. Because she was useless. She couldn't protect her own family.
After Rebekah disappeared with Tyler's corpse behind her, Klaus took a seat beside Grace. He said nothing and both of them stared at Elena who stood in the middle of the field, afraid and lonely.
Suddenly, Stefan showed up and situation tensed.
"I'm here to ask for your forgiveness. I don't care about Elena anymore."
The doppelgänger flinched, even tough it was so obvious that Stefan was just bluffing. Grace sighed when Klaus held his hand out for her to lead her down the steps. She ignored his outstretched hand, which seemed to annoy him shortly, but he let her go with it.
"Fair enough. Let's have a drink on it. Grace, why don't you and Stefan help yourself with these two?"
He motioned for Chad and Dana and Grace immediately felt sick. She knew she had no choice to prove to Klaus that she would be loyal to him. But it was also her punishment. The kids were innocent and her already tainted soul would get even darker.
"No, no! Don't do this, please!"
Elena looked pleadingly and Stefan and Grace and then Klaus did something to provoke the matter any further. He slapped Elena right across the face which pushed both vampires over the edge. Rage boiled inside her, but instead of attacking Klaus like Stefan did, she rushed to her sisters side and checked if she was ok. The doppelgänger held her head in pain, but she didn't seemed to be badly hurt.
While the men struggled with each other, the sisters shared a long glance and Elena started to understand. Grace cared. She still had her humanity and she wanted nothing more than to protect her and Jeremy.
"I said kill them."
Klaus compelled Stefan and again fear ran through Grace's veins. She needed to obey know. It couldn't happen that Klaus would start to compel her, too. Her family would be without any protection if he did. In addition to that Grace would rather kill herself than to be Klaus' completely will less slave.
When he looked at her over his shoulder she rose to her feet and shot her sister an apologetic look before she felt her fangs pierce through her gums. She lunged at Dana and killed her quickly, so she won't feel the fear anymore.
Afterwards, it was quite more easy for her to be cold again. No tears wetted her cheeks, she was void of all those emotions to protect herself. Klaus smiled at her satisfied.
"Gracie, be a good girl and look how the witch is doing."
Grace walked towards Klaus and stopped when she was beside him and whispered into his ear.
"If you lie a finger on her, I'll find a way to make your life a living hell."
His smirk grew wider, but Grace ignored it as she went out of the gym, keeping herself busy with using her senses to find Bonnie and Matt. Bonnie wasn't currently in the school, but she was probably just off to get her grimoires. But Matt's quickened heartbeat was close to her in the swimming pool.
Blood still stained Grace's mouth and neck when she walked inside. Matt stepped back with a feared expression on his face. Rightfully so. Grace was a monster now, not just Elena's creepy older sister.
"Why are you doing this?"
He asked, his deep blue his angry.
"I could ask you the same."
With a raised eyebrow, she motioned for the thick belt and weight he carried with him. Matt sighed and placed it all on the ground.
"I...I need the help of Vicky...she can help me figuring this all out, she has a connection to the Original witch or something. For that I need to able to see her...like Jeremy can."
Within the blink of a second, Grace stood close in front of the younger boy, daring him to elaborate.
"Jeremy can see the dead? How, what happened?"
Worry took over her. She had missed so much. Anxiety was prominent, the feeling of not knowing what had happened to her little brother was horrible.
"He...um...when Damon was ill...Sheriff Forbes accidentally shot him...since then he can see ghosts."
It was obvious that he was damn intimidated by Grace. But she didn't care much about that. Her brother had died and Grace hadn't known. For the whole summer she had this strange feeling inside her and now she knew where it came from.
It took her for the moments for the shock to sink in before she could contain again. She looked the quarter back up and down.
"And you're stupid enough to drown yourself so you can see your dead sister."
Matt nodded and turned to the pool.
"Are you helping or not?"
She shook her head violently and pushed him back by his shoulder.
"Matt, I know you since you're a kid. I won't let you drown yourself and stand by."
With disgust in his eyes, he stared at the dried off blood in her face.
"Well, you probably just fed off one of the people you know since they're kids. So let's say we're even."
Guilt pounded in her chest hardly and she instinctively wiped some of the blood away from her face.
"Bonnie will find another way, Matt. You don't have to do this."
He shook his head with a groan of annoyance.
"Bonnie just called me. Klaus gave her a deadline. If we don't figure something out within the next 15 minutes, Klaus will let Stefan kill Elena."
A deep growl rose inside Grace when she heard his words, her hands clenched into fists. A new shade of hatred for Klaus rose inside her. She remembered that she told him that she did not hate him, but today he ruined everything.
"This bastard..."
"We don't have time, Grace. Just get me out and bring me back."
Before Grace could stop him, he jumped into the water and sunk to the ground. The vampire paced up and down the room, waiting until the bubbled of air he produced stopped coming to surface. It was another thing added to the now long list of the most horrible moments in her life.
She threw her phone out of her pocket and dove into the water to release the young man. It was easy with her heightened strength, but still, Matt was dead for now. Quickly, Grace bit into her wrist and fed him her blood.
"Come on, Matt!"
Nervously, she began the CPR, hoping that her vampire blood would heal him quicker with that. At the same time, Bonnie rushed inside, looking at her with shock on her face.
Grace didn't have her strength under control and she felt some of his ribs crushing under her hands, but she couldn't care less.
Relief washed over her when Matt suddenly woke up with a gasp.
"I saw Vicki."
...
The group rushed outside the room and into the hallway, discussing what they should do now.
"She said the doppelgänger prevents Klaus from making more hybrids."
Her hair and clothing clutched to Grace figure. She couldn't freeze anymore, but it still felt quite disgusting.
"Intersting..."
Klaus suddenly stood right in front of Grace, this arrogant smile back on his face. How much she would've loved to rip his head off. Instead, she glared at him and positioned herself protectively in front of Matt and Bonnie.
"Don't you dare touch her!"
Grace hissed and Klaus looked down to her. Sometimes he admired her bravery, but not today.
"You know what, Gracie, you honestly get on my nerves today."
With one swift motion he grabbed Grace's head an broke her neck. She fell to the ground lifelessly.
...
Klaus had carried Grace inside the chemistry room and placed her next to Tyler, who was gasping and sweating. She woke up to Klaus arriving back again, now a vial of blood in his hand. The sweet smell hit her nose and she would've loved to rip it from his hands.
Instead, he offered it Tyler, stating it was Elena's blood with which he wanted to test a theory. They all watched with confused gazes as Tyler swallowed the warm, red liquid. He fell to the ground screaming in pain. That was exactly what happened to the other hybrids they tried to turn, but the aftermath was quite different: The wolf rose to his feet again, his eyes gleaming golden, resembling Klaus.
With that, the second true hybrid was born.