The last thing Talia remembered from the previous night was going to work and working an extremely long shift, avoiding many drunken men. When she left the Grill and walked home, she was grabbed by a masked figure and tried to escape. She was apprehended pretty quickly, making the blonde feel pretty weak.
She and Elena were taken from the trunk one at a time, Talia being first, by a vampire into what looked to be the broken remains of what used to be a fancy mansion.
Talia stirred on the couch, the binds extremely tight, as Elena was plopped down next to her.
"What do you want?" Elena asked weakly.
The man shushed her.
"Please. I'm hurt."
"I know." Then his fangs popped out from his gums. "Just a taste."
A woman with short hair sped over and stopped him from feeding on the girl, scolding, "Trevor! Control yourself!"
So he backed up murmuring, "Buzzkill."
"Who the fuck are you?" Talia murmured, a little more alert.
The woman bent down to look at the blonde and grinned. "My God," she murmured. "He painted you well."
"What?"
"What do you want with me?" Elena asked.
"And you look just like her," the woman said to Elena referring to Katherine.
"But I'm not. Please, whatever you do-"
"Be quiet!"
"But I'm not Katherine!" she said, standing up. "My name is Elena Gilbert. You don't have to do this."
"I know who you are. I said be quiet."
"What do you want?"
Then the woman slapped Elena pretty hard, causing the latter to fall to the couch unconscious, telling her, "I want you to be quiet. God, I never did like doppelgangers."
"I'll be quiet if you help me connect some dots," Talia murmured quietly to the vampire.
"You can take instructions. Admirable."
"Thanks? So, I'm so confused. She's the doppelganger and I'm...?"
"The Empath."
"My weird and kinda weak powers are important...why?"
"Not the powers, Talia Sullivan."
"And you know my name. Cool."
"You are very important to a specific someone."
"Okay, but who is this specific someone?"
"I'd have figured the woman you call Katherine would've told you by now."
"She's tried to negotiate it with me or something. I don't know. Nothing she says can be true."
"If she thinks you can help her, she will tell you the truth as well as she's able. That's what I know."
"History?"
"I don't know a single vampire alive that doesn't have a history with Katherine Pierce."
"Oh, so you can be chatty, but I can't?" said the guy named Trevor, reentering the room.
"Shut up, Trevor. She's not a bad conversationalist."
"And I am?"
"I'm trying to make sure she doesn't freak out and hopelessly try to escape like an idiot."
"Fine, then. Girl talk." Then he left the room.
"Sorry about him."
"It's okay, I guess," Talia murmured. "Still confused, but I'd rather not be backhanded into unconsciousness, so I'll pretend I'm up to speed."
"Smart girl."
"Thanks," she muttered. "So, what do you have against Katherine?"
"500 years of running is what I have against her."
"And no daylight ring?"
"None."
"I mean if you let us go, I could get a witchy friend of mine to make two daylight rings, one for you and one for Travis."
"Trevor."
"Right. Sorry. Names aren't my thing. Speaking of, what do they call you?"
"Rose, and I'm afraid I value my freedom more than the sun. It's called a bargain, darling, but don't worry. You'll love Elijah."
"Please don't tell me that I'm being sold into sex slavery. It's a real problem."
"No."
"Could you please just enlighten me for a second? Tell me what's happening?"
"You're starting to piss me off, Blondie."
"It's my specialty."
Rose rolled her eyes and then backhanded the woman in the same fashion as she slapped Elena, feeling a little guiltier about it.
***
"Talia, wake up," someone said quietly, shaking the girl away.
"Fuck o-" she began.
"It's Elena," the girl responded. "We're gonna get out of here."
"I'm in," she said groggily. "Let's do it."
Elena helped the older woman up and led the way as she heard Rose and Trevor conversing amongst themselves.
"So you called him?" Trevor asked.
"No," Rose responded. "I called one of his contacts. You know how this works."
"Did you or did you not get the message to Elijah?"
"They say he got it."
"Wonderful. And what?"
"So that's it, Trevor. He either got it or he didn't. We just have to wait."
"Look, it's not too late. We can leave them here. We don't have to go through with this!"
"I'm sick of running!"
"Yeah? Well, running keeps us from dying."
Elena and Talia slowly and surely crept down the stairs as Rose huffed. "Elijah's old school. If he accepts our deal, we're free."
Then Elena stepped on a squeaky floorboard, causing Rose to turn swiftly and harshly grab the two.
"There's nothing around here for miles," she threatened the girls. "If you think you're getting out of this house, you're tragically wrong. Understand?"
"Who's Elijah?" Elena asked.
"He's your worst nightmare."
"How so?" Talia asked.
"You act like I will answer your questions."
"Won't you?"
"You may not be a doppelganger, but you have the allure of one. Frankly, any man would fall on their heads at any wink you shoot, but neither Trevor or I would risk anything for you."
"I thought I was special, but if I'm not, what do you want with me? Why do you want Elena?"
"Must I repeat myself?" Rose asked, blocking the sunlight in the windows. "You keep asking me these questions like I'm gonna answer them."
"Why won't you?" Elena asked.
"There's another one."
"You got us, okay? We can't run, but the least you can do is tell us what you want."
"I personally want nothing. I'm just a delivery service."
"Delivery to who? Elijah?"
"Two points to the eavesdropper."
"Who is he? Is he a vampire?"
"He's one of the vampires. The Originals."
"What do you mean 'The Originals?'"
"Again with the questions. Haven't the Salvatore's been teaching you your vampire history? And you, Talia, haven't you learned anything?"
"I'm a little insulted, but it's not like I can tell you," Talia murmured.
"Ah. Katerina was a natural-born compelling vampiric bitch."
"Wait, you know Stefan and Damon?" Elena asked.
"I know of them. A hundred years back, a friend of mine tried to set me up with Stefan. She said he was one of the good ones. I'm more of a sucker for the bad boys, though, but I digress."
"Who are The Originals?" Elena asked again.
"Ask Talia. Wait, she can't tell you anything. I guess it's my job. Well, Trevor and I have been running for 500 years. We're tired. We want it over. We're using you to negotiate ourselves out of an old mess."
"But why me?"
"Because you're a Petrova doppelganger. You're the key to breaking the curse."
"The curse? The sun and moon curse?"
"Oh. You do know your history."
"What do you mean I'm the key? The moonstone is what breaks the curse."
"No. The moonstone is what binds the curse. The sacrifice will break it."
"The sacrifice?"
"Honey, get a dictionary," Talia murmured with a groan.
"What sacrifice?" Elena repeated, ignoring the snarky comment.
"The blood of the doppelganger. You're the doppelganger, which means, in order to break the curse, you are the one that has to die."
"Okay, not trying to sound like a selfish bitch, but why am I here?" Talia asked.
"Oh, I thought Katherine would've tried to tell you."
"I don't believe much that comes out of her mouth," she said.
"A good philosophy, I suppose, but you mean a lot to a certain someone."
"Bring cryptic is stupid."
"It's also a good philosophy as well. Keeps people on their toes."
Talia willingly sat down on a chair, wishing for both a bottle of alcohol and an escape exit, neither that seemed available.
Trevor walked in and started to board up the windows to keep out the rays of sunlight, murmuring, "Captivity's made 'em pushy, uh? What do you want to know, doppelicious?"
Elena asked, "Who were you running from?"
"The Originals," Trevor replied.
"Yeah, she said that. What does it mean?"
"The first family. The old world. Rose and I pissed them off."
Rose cleared her throat loudly.
"Correction, I pissed them off, Rose had my back, and for over half a millennium, they've wanted us dead."
"What did you do?"
"He made the same mistakes as others did," Ruse said. "He trusted Katerina Petrova."
"Katherine."
"The one and only. The first Petrova doppelganger."
"I helped her escape her fate and now I've—sorry we've—been locked ever since."
"Which is why we're not gonna make the same mistake again."
Elena sat down next to the blonde after Trevor left and huffed, wondering what on Earth could possibly get them out of the sticky situation until Elena uncrumpled a note, silently beckoning Talia to read it, too:
T + E,
Stefan and Damon are coming for you.
-B
They smiled at each other knowingly, but Talia hated that she'd have to wait instead of doing something...anything.
Knowing that neither of the vampires should see the note, Talia grabbed it and stuffed it in her bra causing Elena to look at her weirdly.
'Inconspicuous,' Talia mouthed.
"He's here!" Trevor shouted moments later, startling Rose. "This was a mistake."
"No," Rose said. "I told you I would get us out of this. You have to trust me."
"No! He wants me dead, Rose!"
"He wants them more."
"I-I can't do this. You give them to him, he'll have mercy on you, but I need to get out of here!"
She grabbed his arm. "Hey. What are we?"
"We're family. Forever."
Someone knocked on the door rather loudly three times in a rhythmic pattern, causing the vampires to practically turn their heads a hundred and eighty degrees.
"You're scared," Elena observed.
Rose ignored her and held Trevor's hands, instructing him, "Stay here with them and don't make a sound."
He did as he was told and moments later, a dapper man in a suit entered the room, causing both Elena and Talia to jump in surprise. He quickly rushed to Elena and sniffed her neck. You didn't have to be a vampire to hear Elena's heart spastically beating in fear.
"Human," the man muttered. "Impossible."
Elena was practically trembling out of her shoes.
"Hello there," he greeted.
"Elijah, right?" Talia asked nonchalantly, breaking all the tension in the room. "By the way they feared you, I suspected you were a primal heathen covered head-to-toe in blood."
"I take pride in my appearance, if you must know," he countered, walking over to the girl. Then he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and shock. "What is your name?"
"Talia," she answered. "Short for Natalia. Loveable blonde. Any concern as to why that is?"
"The way you speak to me could result in your heart being torn from your chest, you know. I've killed for less."
"What's stopping you?"
"You are rather valuable to me, as is the doppelganger." He turned to Elena. "We have a long journey ahead of us. We should be going."
"Going where?"
"Nowhere that concerns you."
Elena looked at Rose and pleaded, "Please don't let him take me."
"One last piece of business and we're done." He approached Trevor.
"I've waited so long for this day, Elijah," Trevor said. "I'm truly, very sorry."
"Oh, no. Your apologies are not necessary."
"Yes, yes it is. You trusted me with Katerina and I failed you."
"Oh, yes, you are the guilty one and Rose aided you because she was loyal to you. That, I honor. Where was your loyalty?"
"I beg your forgiveness."
"So granted."
And in one fatal second, Elijah chopped off Trevor's head with his hand, causing Rose to immediately collapse, Elena to cover her mouth, and Talia to release a scream of surprise.
Rose cried and stumbled around, cursing Elijah, but his response was simply, "Don't, Rose, now that you are free."
He looked at Elena and moved closer as she moved back and shouted, "What about the moonstone?"
"What do you know about the moonstone?"
"I know that you need it and I know where it is."
"Yes?"
"I can help you get it."
"Tell me where it is."
"It doesn't work that way."
"Atta girl," Talia cheered, back in her chair. "Sorry."
"Are you negotiating with me?" Elijah asked Elena, turning to Rose.
"It's the first I heard of it," Rose responded.
Elijah attempted to compel Elena, but noticed the vervain necklace and ripped it off, beginning to successfully compel her. "Tell me where the moonstone is."
"In the tomb," Elena responded unwillingly. "Under the church ruins."
"What is it doing there?"
"It's with Katherine."
"Interesting."
"Elena, you gotta ingest the vervain, too," Talia groaned, standing up. Then there was the sound of something breaking.
"What is that?" Elijah asked Rose.
"I don't know," she responded.
"Who else is in this house?"
"I don't know."
He grabbed both Elena and Talia and brought them into the foyer, throwing Elena into Rose's arms. He held a tight grasp on Talia until Stefan started taunting the Original, throwing her, too, into Rose's arms.
Damon and Stefan taunted the man in the suit over and over until he eventually got a stake arrow lodged in his hand, removing it like no big deal and tossing it aside.
Damon had sped over and grabbed both Rose and Talia, Rose standing aside quietly as Damon held his hand over Talia's mouth. Stefan held Elena in a similar fashion.
"Excuse me, to who it may concern, you're making a great mistake if you think you can beat me," Elijah threatened. "You can't."
Then he broke a wooden coat rack into a giant stake.
"I repeat, you cannot beat me. I want them both. I'm gonna count to three or heads will roll. Do we understand each other?"
Elena and Talia appeared at the top of the steps, both secretly holding vervain grenades as the man sped up to meet them.
"I'll come with you," Elena said. "Please don't hurt my friends. They just wanted to help me out."
"I just happened to be the sister of one of her friends, so they deemed me kinda important," Talia added. "And I kinda reciprocate that. So, I second whatever she said."
"What game are you playing?" he asked.
Then both girls unleashed their vervain grenades, causing Talia to shout, "I'm sorry!"
Elijah screamed in pain and anger, but his face healed seconds later, heading straight for the girls. Over and over was he shot by Stefan and Damon's crossbows of stakes, unfazed by all of them until Stefan tackled him down the stairs.
When it seemed like Stefan was about to lose, Damon appeared with Elijah's stake and stabbed him through the heart, nailing him to the door and watching as the man in the suit turned gray and lifeless.
Rose sped off and Stefan, Elena, and Damon had an awkward moment, but Talia met up with Elijah, touching his face.
"I'm sorry," she said sincerely, walking out of that house to wait for the Salvatores and Elena to leave, too, so they could drive her home.
***
The three-hour drive was longer than she anticipated and she had fallen asleep during it, but when she came to, she was at the Forbes residence.
"Get out, Princess," Damon shouted from the wheel. "You're home."
"Cool," she muttered, sliding out of her seat as she opened the door, closed it, then tapped on Damon's window.
"What?" he asked after rolling it down.
"Thanks," she said. "I know you wouldn't have gone if Elena wasn't there, but thanks."
"You're growing on me," he admitted. "I might have gone. You don't know."
"You're right. I don't know, but I wanted to thank you anyway." She turned to leave.
"Wait," he murmured. "Tomorrow night, drinks at the Grill?"
"I'll be working, but I'll sneak a drink or two."
"What a criminal."
"I'll pay for it, stupid. Good night."
"Good night."
Then she went inside to catch Tyler Lockwood and Caroline embracing in the living room.
"Oh, hey, Tal," Caroline said, embracing her sister.
"Hey, Care," she responded. "Long day."
"Where were you?"
"You didn't know?"
"Didn't know what?"
"Big rescue mission for Elena also meant for me," she murmured.
"I'm confused," Tyler said from the living room.
"I-"
"She knows, Ty," Caroline said. "She knows you're a werewolf, I'm a vampire, and she's an Empath."
"Empath?" he asked.
"Weird supernatural species that can manipulate emotions. She's the only one I know of."
"Cool."
"And we continue to dig our own graves," Talia murmured, grabbing the alcohol on the table and drinking.