It's early in the morning. I stand beside Stefan and Alaric as Damon waits for Elena at the door. We heard her coming a few seconds ago. Outside the door, Elena knocks. Damon takes a second before opening it. "Morning sunshine," he greets her.
"Hey, how's Alaric?" Elena asks. From my quiet position, I can hear Elena's feet shift as she tries to enter the apartment, but Damon blocks her way. She can't know what we're doing yet.
"Indecent, but fine," Damon excuses his actions.
"So then, does that mean there were no issues last night?"
"Nope. Slept like a baby, woke up Alaric. No head minds about dead Council members."
"Then why do I feel like you're hiding something from me?" She questions, making me smirk. Stefan shoots me a glance but I shake my head. Maybe the Doppelganger is smarter than I thought.
"Well, maybe because you're being all paranoid and control freaky. What'd you bring me?" There's a rustling of what sounds of a bag. "Ooo, chocolate muffins. You know what they say; a way to a psycho killer's heart is through his stomach." Another rustle, as Elena steals the bag back from him.
"They're not for you."
"Fine. Keep convincing yourself you're still mad at me. But sadly, Ric's gonna have to miss Elena time today. You know lock down and all."
Elena huffs, "Just take it and give it to him and tell him that I miss him, okay?" She hands him the bag.
"With pleasure."
"Please," Elena begs. But Damon begins to shut the door on her.
"Have a great day, thanks for coming by," he calls.
"Dam..." Elena starts but the door is already shut. Damon walks over to Ric, Stefan , and I, where we stand by a saw with the Wickery Bridge sign, cutting it into stakes to kill the Originals with. Damon pauses as he listens for Elena. "Walking down the stairs, opening the front door, and she's gone," he announces and Ric starts the saw again.
I move to sit on Alaric's counter as I begin to whittle one of the stakes. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Stefan approach Damon. "This needs to have a sharper point," he hands the stake back to Damon with a grunt.
Damon takes it from his hand, a grin on his face as he mumbles, "I got it."
"We finally have our own stakes to kill an Original. I'm not gonna miss because you can't whittle," Stefan states, sending our older brother a stern look.
Damon raises his eyebrows at him, "I said I got it. Stop micromanaging." Damon then begins to sharpen the point of the stake. I continue to whittle myself but Alaric pulls my focus as he begins putting on his jacket.
"Looks like you guys have got this under control. I'm gonna call the Sheriff," he tells us. We all stop and look at him. "I want to turn myself in," he clarifies.
"No you don't," Damon shrugs off his comments from his seat in Ric's armchair.
"I have a homicidal alter ego. Unlike some people in this room, I would like to take responsibility for the people I've killed," Alaric argues.
"If you wanted to turn yourself in, you wouldn't be saying it out loud. Just saying," Damon comments as he focuses on sharpening the stake again.
"Hey, listen, out of all the people you cannot psychoanalyze me. I killed Caroline's father; I nearly killed Meredith. Everything's changed," Ric reasons. Stefan steps closer to him.
"Look, you're not turning yourself in. Bonnie's herbs are working and we have Originals to kill."
"His morals get very questionable when he has revenge on the brain," Damon jokes to Alaric about Stefan. I roll my eyes.
"Klaus needs to die," Stefan growls at Damon. "We finally have the chance to kill him, so you are not turning yourself in," he tells Alaric, walking back to grab another stake.
"He's right," I mutter, catching their attention. I jump down from the kitchen counter, walking closer to the trio. "If we're going to take the Originals down, we'll need all hands on deck. Something that won't happen if you're behind bars." I cross my arms as I stare at Alaric. Damon stands up, walking up to Alaric, handing him his ring.
"Here's your ring, Ric. Put it on."
Alaric is hesitant, "That ring is the reason I've killed people."
"It's also the reason you're alive. You're going vampire hunting, Ric. Wear it." After a second of contemplation, Alaric takes the ring, slipping it onto his finger.
...
I walk in the woods beside my brothers. We sent a message for the whole gang to meet us so we can tell them about the stakes. A few feet ahead I spot Elena, Caroline, and Matt. Listening in I hear Matt speak, "Hey. What's with the cryptic secret meeting text?"
"I don't know," Elena shrugs. "Stefan just said to meet here."
"Where's Bonnie?" Stefan asks, his voice alerting them to our presence. They turn to face us. "I texted her too."
"Um, Bonnie's mom bailed on her. Again. So, I think we should leave her out of this one," Caroline mumbles in response. We nod our heads in understanding. I had Stefan fill me in on what's been happening with Bonnie last night.
"What are we doing here?" Matt asks, before glancing in my direction. "And who are you?"
I smirk, reaching out my hand for him to shake, he does so hesitantly. "The name's Lily, Lily Salvatore, and might I say it is a pleasure to meet you." I wink at him as our hands pull away, causing a faint pink to tinge his cheeks. "And you as well Caroline. I am sorry to hear what happened to your dad." I reach my hand out in Caroline's direction, she takes it, eyeing me up in the process, before we separate.
"We found some more white oak," Damon announces. "Long story, wait for the movie," he tells them in anticipation to their endless questions.
"Hang on. White oak? You have a weapon that can kill Klaus?" Elena asks, her eyes wide.
"Nope. We all have a weapon," Stefan replies, dropping the duffle bag full of white oak stakes. Their eyes fly to it. "Klaus has always been one step ahead of us, but now we have the advantage. We're all armed and they are all linked, meaning we only need to kill one of them. We need to seize the best opportunity, which means we need to prepare for every opportunity," Stefan informs everyone.
"Scenario number one," Damon speaks. "You get to play Klaus," Damon says moving Elena. She mumbles a 'Okay', stepping into place.
"Rebekah is our target so we distract her and catch her off guard. To do that we need to keep Klaus separate and occupied." Stefan turns to shoot me a look, "Lily."
I roll my eyes, "Why do I have to be Klaus bait?" I groan.
"Because you two have some weird relationship thing and he's obsessed with you," Damon quips at me, "but for right now we need you to play Rebekah and we'll use the quarterback to distract her."
"How?" Matt questions.
"Just keep her talking. Act interested. She's lonely, desperate."
"Clearly," Caroline scoffs. "She slept with you." I laugh at this comment and I watch as Elena bites her lip to keep from smiling. I glance at Caroline. I like her, maybe we might just yet be friends. Damon ignores her comment.
"Hm. Beefcake holds bombshell. I come up from behind her." Damon walks up behind Caroline. "Grab her arms like this," he pulls her arms back forcefully, probably in revenge for her comment.
"Ow!" Caroline yelps.
Stefan walks up to her with the stake in his hand, imitating stabbing her in the chest. "Gives me time for one shot." Damon lets go of Caroline as Stefan glances at all of us. "Got it? Good. So we all have one stake, we keep it hidden and we look out for any opportunity we have."
"No last minute attacks of pity for any of them," he shoots a look at Elena, all of us knowing that she would be the one to try and save them.
"Don't worry about me," Elena tells him. "Not after what happened to Bonnie's mom."
"Barbie?" Damon asks Caroline.
"Oh, I'm ready. Anything that will free Tyler from his sire bond to Klaus."
"Busboy?" Damon glances at Matt.
"Do I have a choice?" He replies, crossing his arm.
"Good point," Damon nods his head at them before shooting me a look. "Little Sis?" I glare at him, following Matt's move of crossing my arms.
"Of course." I state, not liking that he's implying that I might mess this up.
"We have 12 stakes, 12 shots at killing one Original. We can do this," Stefan address the group. "Alright, let's try another scenario. Elena grab a crossbow." Stefan hands one to her. "Matt, you play Klaus." Elena raises the crossbow, aiming it.
...
I step into the Boarding House next to Stefan when his phone begins to ring. He answers it, it's Elena. I listen in on their conversation. "Hey. Where are you?" Elena asks.
"I just got home. Why?" Stef replies.
"Klaus' brother, Finn is in the town square and he's with some ex-girlfriend or something."
"Ex-girlfriend? Guy's been in a coffin for the last 900 years." He pauses as I slap his arm, causing him to look at me as we continue to walk through the halls.
"Sage," I say. "It's sage."
"We have an opportunity. So how do we do this?"
"Listen to me, Elena, do not do anything, okay? Sage is very old and very strong. You don't stand a chance against her."
"Then get Damon and Lily, and get down here."
Stefan and I turn the corner, finding Alaric groaning on our staircase. "What the hell happened to you?" I ask him as I help him sit up.
"Stefan?" Elena questions from the other line, but we ignore her as we wait for Ric's answer.
"Rebekah happened," Ric grumbles.
"I think we have a problem," Stefan tells Elena through the phone.
...
Stefan decided that we should continue with our plans, claiming that that's what Damon would want but I can't help but feel a little hesitant. No matter how much Damon can piss me off sometimes, it doesn't mean I feel comfortable with him being in trouble and us ignoring it. But deciding to follow Stefan this time we head to the Grill to attempt to kill Finn.
I take a seat across from Stefan, our backs to Finn and Sage, who sit in a booth drinking. We listen in on their conversation as we wait for a perfect time to strike.
"Hey Sage."A man's voice greets her.
"Hey Troy," Sage replies. The man walks off and it's Sage and Finn alone again.
"You know him?" Finn asks.
"I turned him." She answers.
"You turned him? Why?"
"Because I'm in enemy territory. When your brother and sister called, I thought I might need a little back up. You can't trust anyone here." I hear Matt's footsteps approach their table, he reaches down to grab their drinks, but Sage grabs his wrist. I sit up straight at the sound, ready for danger. "Two more tequilas?" She asks, allowing me to relax.
"Yeah, cool, I'll let your waitress know," Matt tells them, leaving their table and heading toward ours. Stefan pushes a tiny bottle of vervain across the table, which Matt grabs along with a coffee cup to hide it.
"How many people have you turned?" Finn continues their conversation.
"I don't know. A lot. Don't judge me, Finn, you turned me."
"Exactly Sage, I turned you. My passion overtook my morals."
"My passions overtake my morals on a daily basis. It's called living life to the fullest." As she says this I watch as Stefan sends out the 'Get Ready' Text.
As their waitress comes back with two new shots, filled with vervain, Stefan and I stand up, ready to be bait. "Finally," Sage mutters, grabbing her drink. "Oh, thanks." She tells the waitress before raising her shot glass, glancing at Finn.
"To living life to the fullest."
Finn raises his shot glass as well, echoing her words, "To living life." Sage laughs and they drink their shots. But suddenly they spit them back up and start choking.
"Oh, what the hell?" Sage coughs.
"Vervain," Finn exclaims. Stopping in our steps, Stefan and I turn to stare at them over our shoulders, letting them know that we were the ones to poison their drinks, before we walk out the door. I can hear they're footsteps following us.
Outside the Grill, Stefan and I hide around the corner, stakes in hand, as we wait for the two to come out. When Finn steps out, Stefan lunges for him, but Sage quickly steps in knocking Stefan down. His stake falls down the stairs. Finn runs to get it but I chase after him, pushing him to the ground, trying to stake him with my own stake, but he overpowers me, throwing me to the side. I hit the wall, a sharp pain shooting through my side.
But before Finn could grab the stake, Elena and Matt come through the back entrance. Elena shoots Finn in the stomach with a crossbow and while he's distracted, Matt takes one of his stakes and stabs Finn directly in the heart.
"No!" Sage screams. She stumbles to Finn's side. Elena and Matt slip back through the door, locking it. Sage cries over Finn, stroking his face. Stefan quietly rushes to my side, helping me up before we speed away. Knowing the dangerous rage Sage would explode with if we stayed.
...
Stefan, Elena, and I enter the Boarding House, meeting up with Caroline. "Hey. How's Alaric?" Elena asks her.
"He'll be okay. I gave him a bottle of Bonnie's herbs and he went home," Care answers. "Oh, did you guys kill Finn, did it work?"
"Nothing worked until I see Klaus's dead body myself," Stefan grumbles, causing me to shoot him a look. I know that after everything that has happened with Klaus this past summer he's changed. But...it's not so much that he changed, just that he's off. I don't know, I can't put my finger on it.
Suddenly Elena's phone starts to ring. She answers it, "Bonnie. Where have you been?" I decide to listen in on the phone conversation, my gut telling me that something is very wrong.
"Klaus has Damon." My eyes widen at her words as I look at Stefan. He avoids my gaze.
"Klaus should be dead. They should all be dead, we just killed Finn."
"No, Elena, he forced me to do a spell that unlinked all the siblings. He's still alive." I turn away at her words, grabbing a book that sits on the table in the hallway and throwing it. Caroline looks at me like I'm crazy, but I ignore her. After all of our planning and work, all we managed to do was kill one of them. Something that will only piss them off and want to kill us more than they already do. Ugh!
"Okay, Bonnie, where's Damon?" Elena asks her, squeezing the phone to her ear.
"At Klaus' mansion. It's bad, Elena, he threatened Jeremy. And my mom." Bonnie starts to cry from the other end.
"Are – are you okay?" I roll my eyes at Elena's stupid question.
"I don't know. I'm sorry, I have to go. I just – I have to – I have to go," Bonnie mutters.
"No, Bonnie just.... " But Bonnie has already hung up the phone, causing Elena to sigh.
"Stay with Caroline. I'll call you when it's over," Stefan growls, nodding his head at me. I nod back and we begin to head toward the door but Elena's voice stops us.
"Stefan, Lily, stop. Klaus is stronger than you two, we need another plan."
"What we need is for Klaus to be dead!" Stefan exclaims angrily. Elena reaches for him, turning him around.
"Stefan, stop it! You're acting on anger!"
"Anger gets things done, Elena!" He yells back.
"Or it'll get you killed! Both of you," She glances at me, causing me to eye roll at her 'concern' for my life. "It'll get Damon killed along with you two."
"Klaus does not get to survive this. Not after everything he took from me," Stefan tells her in a threatening low tone.
"He's right Elena. Klaus deserves to die," I spit at her. "Stay out of this!" At my last comment, Stefan and I exit the Boarding House, slamming the door behind us.
But just as we take a step out I'm shoved back in and onto the ground by Sage. "Ding dong!" She calls in anger. She knocks Stefan down beside me. I groan from the impact. Caroline goes to attack her but Sage shoves her into the wall. "I'm not here for you. I'm here for them," she growls at Caroline, referring to Stefan and I. Elena runs toward the door but Sage's friend from the Grill, Troy, blocks her path.
"I don't think so," he pushes Elena back inside. Shakily I make it to my feet as Sage approaches Stefan and I.
"I had to kill him, Sage," Stefan moans to her.
"Oh, you remember me," She quips, kicking him so he flies into a chair. "Good. Then you know I like to go all ten rounds." I step closer to Sage, about to punch her when she begins to cough, her nose bleeding. I stare at her incredulously.
"Sage?" Troy questions, still holding onto Elena. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Stefan get to his feet. Seeing this Sage tries to throw a punch at him, but Stefan catches it, pushing her to the ground. She begins to cough up blood.
"Troy, help me!" She calls. Troy releases Elena, rushing over to Sage. But as he gets to her, he bends over, coughing up blood as well. "What is happening to me?" Sage cries before her and Troy fall onto their backs. Their faces become gray as they die. We all gape at them in confusion.
"She just died!" Elena exclaims in shock.
...
After getting rid of the bodies, we meet in the living room, trying to figure out what just happened. "So, Sage and this Troy guy die within an hour of Finn," Caroline states, trying to make sense of this.
"But why? Were they bitten by a hybrid or..?" Elena questions from her seat on the stairs. Stefan paces beside me as Caroline continues to theorize.
"Hybrid bites don't look like that. Maybe Sage was so in love with Finn she just died of sadness," Caroline suggests, her voice quieting as she realizes herself how stupid it sounds.
"No," I mumble. "Think about it, Finn turned Sage and Sage turned Troy, what if they died because Finn died."
"It's the blood. The bloodline," Stefan says, picking up on where I am going with this.
"They're all part of the same vampire bloodline that originated with Finn," I explain to Elena and Caroline's confused face.
"Wait, so when an Original dies every vampire turned from their bloodline dies along with them?" Caroline concludes. "Because that would mean..."
"If the Originals die, so do all of you," Elena finishes glancing at Stefan, Caroline, and me. "The entire vampire species would...it'd just be dead." Stefan and I share a nervous glance at this revelation.
...
I walk into a room seeing Damon hung from the ceiling with some kind of animal traps. He's covered and blood and still continues to bleed. Stefan carries the duffle bag of white oak stakes. Damon squints at us as we take in his appearance. "This was much different in my head," he mutters quietly.
"Klaus!" Stefan calls out. "We're here! Let's do this." From where we entered, Rebekah and Klaus walk in.
"Oh good a hero," Klaus says glancing at Stefan before looking at me. "And a heroine," he adds, a smile on his face as he looks me over. I glare at him. "What do you want?" He asks us, throwing his hands up.
In reply Stefan throws down the bags of stakes. "We're here to make a deal."
"Stefan, what are you doing?" Damon mumbles weakly from behind us but we just ignore him.
"Eight stakes made of white oak. The part of Wickery Bridge that you forgot to burn," Stefan continues. Klaus turns and glares at Rebekah. She shakes her head.
"That's impossible," she whispers.
"Actually it's not," I speak up. "Finn's dead."
"You killed my brother?" Rebekah growls at me. I smirk at her anger.
The tension in the room is strong. Stefan steps forward, "Damon in exchange for the last eight weapons that can kill you."
"And how do I know that aren't anymore left?" Klaus questions, stepping forward to meet my brother.
"Because there aren't," Stefan states. Klaus glares at him.
"Let's be certain should we," Klaus mutters walking over to Damon. "Leave."
"No," Damon spits.
"Go on. Leave," Klaus tells him.
"Nik, he's my plaything not yours," Rebekah whines from behind me, causing me to roll my eyes.
Klaus's hand shoots out, grabbing Damon's throat, forcing him to look Klaus in the eyes as he compels him. "I said, go home."
Following the compulsion, Damon groans as he begins trying to tear his hands out of the traps they're in. His flesh tears, causing him to scream with pain. Stefan closes his eyes, looking away briefly. But I keep my gaze on Klaus as he smirks at me, refusing to come off as weak. Damon continues to groan in pain when Klaus turns back to face him, "Alright, stop, stop, stop, before you hurt yourself. Well, seeing that he can finally be compelled. Now," Klaus grabs Damon's face, compelling him again, "Minus the stake that's in my brother, how many more stakes are out there that can kill me?"
I can feel Stefan tense up beside me as Damon mumbles, "Eleven."
"Eleven!" Klaus calls out, facing us. "Really? So, not eight then."
"You really shouldn't have lied," Rebekah taunts from behind us.
"I'll get you the other 3," Stefan says.
"Yeah, that'll be nice. Or since you lied, maybe I'll just compel your brother to chew out his own tongue," Klaus says, gesturing to Damon.
"What is wrong with you?" Stefan mumbles.
"What is wrong with you?," Klaus shoots back, anger dancing across his face. "Do you really have no appreciation for me? I have given you someone to hate, to loathe, a target for all of your anger; so you don't have to turn it on yourself. I have given your life purpose, as your friend," Klaus chuckles darkly. "I really think you should be thanking me," he smiles. Stefan lunges at him, pulling a stake out as he pins him against a wall. Klaus grabs his wrist, preventing Stefan from stabbing him. "Step down, or you all die," Klaus threatens.
Stefan's grip loosens, allowing Klaus to easily steal the stake from him. "There now you only have to get me the other two."
"You're a dick," I growl, catching Klaus's attention as Stefan stumbles away. Klaus vamp speeds over to me, grabbing my wrist, forbidding to let me go, as he stares in to my eyes.
"Why is it that you hang around with the likes of these two? Why do you always end up helping them in their stupid schemes that only prove to fail?" He asks, squeezing my wrist. "You're better than this Liliana, so why stand with them?"
I smirk at his question, throwing him off. "Because they're my brothers."
Shock blanking his mind, Klaus let's go of me before stepping back. His eyes look me over before jutting to Stefan, Damon, and back to me. He's fumbling to say something but Rebekah interrupts.
"This is ridiculous," She says before walking over to Damon and releasing him from his traps. Damon falls to his knees. Klaus walks over to her.
"What are you doing?"
"I brought him here. I get to release him. My rules now. Bring us the stakes and you all live," She addresses Stefan and I. "Take your brother as a sign of good faith." Rebekah says before walking out of the room, picking up the duffle bag on her way out.
"Bring us the stakes," Klaus tells Stefan, ignoring my gaze, as he walks closer to us. "All of them. Or I will wage a war against everyone you love. I hope I'm being clear," he whispers in Stefan's ear before walking past us to leave, Stefan's stake in hand. As soon as their gone, I walk over to Damon, helping him up. Stefan follows suit as we walk Damon out of the manor, leaning on both of us with his hands around our shoulders.
We may piss each other off, but we'll always be there for each other in the end. Because we're siblings, because we're Salvatores.