Picture of Althea Saltzman
High School
It's morning. Althea is sitting alone at her desk in her classroom, her feet propped up on the desk. She twirls the white oak stake in her hands and takes her feet off the desk. She leans forward and looks at the stake. She turns to look out the door. She hears Carlisle entering the school.
Carlisle walks into the cafeteria. Richard is alone, cleaning up the mess from the dance. "Where's Macy?"
"She bailed. Got called into work at the last minute" Richard tells him.
"Are you kidding me? So, it's just us?"
"Yes, and you're late. Clean up committee started at eight o'clock" Richard reminds him.
Carlisle checks his phone "It's like 8:02"
"Exactly. I managed to turn up on time and I didn't even get to attend the dance that I organized" Richard says bitterly, walking past Carlisle and empties out the trash.
"I'm sorry about your mom. I mean I know you like, hated her and everything, but still...I'm sorry" Carlisle tells him.
"I'm sorry about your teacher. She seemed like a nice girl" Richard says back.
"Yeah. She was"
"I'm gonna get started on the gym" Richard walks out into the hallway. Althea comes around the corner and Richard stops dead in his tracks. "You're supposed to be dead"
"I am!"
Richard rushes at Althea, but Althea throws him against the lockers. She's about to stab him with the white oak stake when Carlisle rushes out of the cafeteria and pins Althea to the locker. Richard takes the stake and stabs Althea with it.
Carlisle and Richard look at each other as Althea takes the stake out. When she finally gets it out, she realizes that they are both gone.
Outside, Carlisle rushes to his car and pulls out his keys and fumbles with them. He sees Althea's reflection in his car window and drops his keys. Althea snaps Carlisle's neck and he falls to the ground. Althea drags the unconscious Carlisle back towards the school as her flesh starts to smoke and burn off. Richard watches her enter the school.
**********
Gilbert Residence
Benny, Demi and Stella are in the kitchen together. Stella brings Benny a towel for his neck wound. "What do you mean she turned? I thought you were standing guard!"
"Don't blame me. Blame Benny the blood bank. He fed her" Demi tells her.
"I had no idea what was happening. Okay, the witches led me there. They wanted her to feed so she turned" Benny explains.
"So, where's the stake now?" Stella asks.
"Oh, you mean the white oak one? The one that can kill an original and wipe out an entire line of vampires? We don't know" Demi glares at Benny as she spoke the last few words.
"If you are so upset with me, why did you feed me your blood to save my life?" Benny asks her.
"Because I do stupid things, Benny. I do things, like let my friend die with dignity when I should have just killed her"
"Alright, so how do we kill her now?" Stella asks.
"I've been trying to figure that out. A witch can't truly make an immortal creature, there is always a way to undo a spell"
"So, what's the witchy work around?" Demi asks him.
"That's the problem. I don't know"
Eliot is upstairs in Althea's old room. His phone rings. He picks it up and sees that it's Althea calling him. He answers it, "Whoever this is, it's not funny"
"Well, who else would it be?" Althea asks.
"Thea?" Eliot asks shocked to hear her voice.
"Listen closely, I'm at the school, I have Carlisle, and if you want to keep him alive, I need you to get in your car and come down here right away. If you tell anyone where you are going, I will kill him" Althea threatens him before hanging up.
Carlisle is staked down into a desk with pencils in his hands and cloth dipped with vervain in his mouth.
The doorbell rings at the Gilbert house. Jemma answers the door and Colette is outside. "What the hell do you want?"
"Now is that any way to treat a guest?" Colette asks.
Stella comes up behind Jemma "What are you doing here, Stella?"
"Well, for starters, young Jemma here could show some manners and invite me inside"
Demi walks over to the door. Stella moves in front of Jemma "Why don't you go up to your room?" She tells Jemma.
Demi looks at Jemma "Now!" Jemma sighs and walks up the stairs.
"Hm, poor lass. Loses one questionable mother figure only to be replaced by the likes of the two of you" Colette hums.
"Yeah, about that. Something happened" Demi says.
"Oh, I know all about my mother's invulnerable little creation and that's why I'm here. I'm leaving town, just need to pick up a few road trip necessities. Spare tire, flashlight, doppelganger" Colette grins.
"Can't help you there" Demi claps Stella on the shoulder, pulls her back, and shuts the door on Colette. Demi moves into the living room and Stella goes towards the stairs.
"Eliot!"
Outside, Colette paces the front porch. She stops and picks up the newspaper by the front door. Inside, Stella walks up the stairs and into Althea's old room. Jemma is there continuing to pain, but Eliot is nowhere in sight. "Where is he?"
"I don't know, he was just here a few minutes ago" Jemma tells her.
Stella walks out of the room and down the stairs where she meets up with Demi. "Where is he?"
"He's not here" Stella tells her, worried.
"What do you mean he's not here? Where did he go?" Demi asks confused.
Benny walks into the living room "What's going on?"
Demi looks out the blinds and sees Colette pacing with newspaper still in her hands. "Colette wants in, we have to keep her out" Demi sees Colette pull back her arm and throw the newspaper at the window with vampire strength. "Ah, duck!"
The newspaper smashes through the window and flies into the living room. Demi ducks down. Stella grabs Benny and they both duck.
**********
High School
Althea is sitting at her desk with Carlisle still staked down to the chair. She hears Eliot enter the school, "Right on time"
Eliot walks down the hallway, looking around. He hears Carlisle crying and runs towards the noise. He enters Althea's classroom and sees Carlisle. "Carlisle" He turns to Althea, "Let him go, Althea!"
Althea points towards Carlisle "Free him yourself" Eliot and Althea stare at each other.
Then, Eliot cautiously walks over to Carlisle. He gets down and strokes Carlisle's arm soothingly. He starts to gently pull the pencil out of one of Carlisle's hands, but Althea comes up and slams the pencil back down into his hand. Carlisle screams in pain and Eliot gets up.
"You said that you would let him go!"
"How many times do I have to tell you, Eliot? Stop trusting vampires!"
**********
Gilbert Residence
Colette is still outside, waiting. "I think you're probably gonna want to let me in!" She shouts.
She walks over to a neighbor's house with a white picket fence. She places her hands on the fence and looks around. She sees a soccer ball and smiles.
Back in the house, Benny, Jemma, Stella and Demi are standing in the kitchen. "Eliot's car is gone" Stella tells them.
"Why wouldn't he tell anyone where he was going?" Benny asks.
Suddenly, the front door bursts open and the soccer ball flies in. Colette walks up the porch with two fence pickets in her hands. She hurls one of the pickets into the house and it narrowly misses Demi's head and gets stuck in the wall behind her. Stella grabs Jemma and Benny and pulls them down. "Get down!"
"Missed me!" Demi pulls the picket out of the wall and throws it back at Colette. The picket just grazes over her shoulder. Colette breaks the other picket in two and throws half of it at Demi again, but instead she hits a picture and it breaks.
"Missed me again!"
Colette aims the last picket into the house. Stella's phone rings and she answers it "Althea"
**********
Later, Colette comes back up to the house with a propane tank and a newspaper on fire. Stella comes up to the front door. "Put it out"
"Come outside and make me" Colette smirks.
Stella steps outside "Eliot's not here. Althea has him and Carlisle and she's gonna kill them both unless you turn yourself over to her"
Colette throws down the newspaper and drops the tank. "Now, I know you're not asking me to walk into a certain death"
"I really wish we could. But unfortunately, if Althea kills you there's a one in four chance that we die too"
Demi walks out with a picket over her shoulder "I'll take those odds"
Stella looks at Demi, "And a hundred percent chance that Taylor dies"
"I'm good with that too"
"Why don't we just figure out a way to put Althea down?"
Stella and Colette are pacing outside, and Demi is leaning against the picket. Colette stops and turns around "Okay, how about Demi sneaks in and distracts Althea, while Stella grabs Eliot and carries him to safety?"
"Huh, that's a great idea. What's to stop me from getting killed instantly?" Demi asks her.
"Nothing"
"Carlisle's in there. Don't you have a thing for him? Or did he just reject you too many times?" Demi asks her.
"This isn't really helping too much" Stella complains.
Benny walks out of the house, "I might have an idea. My mom used a desiccation spell on Mikael that immobilized him for over 15 years. If I can get it, I might be able to use it on Althea"
"If and might? Your words inspire such confidence" Colette scoffs.
"I'll get it. But even with the spell, we'll need a lot of vampire muscle to take her down. Including yours" Benny tells her.
Colette turns around, "Just so we're clear, the sun sets in about eight hours. If we don't succeed before then, Eliot will be dead, I'll be gone, and the rest of you will be left to fend for yourselves"
**********
High School
Stella and Colette pull up to the school's parking lot in Colette's car. They get out and Stella receives a text. "Abby just showed up"
"Good. Perhaps this plan won't be an epic failure after all. You know, if this does go off and we drop the history teacher in Atlantic, I'm still leaving with Eliot" Colette reminds her.
"I'll go with you" Stella shrugs.
"Really? what's the catch?"
"There's no catch. I'd turn my back on everything here to make sure Eliot's safe" Stella tells her the truth.
"And that is what makes you his better option. It's a shame it's not easier for Eliot to see that, I mean, personally, I think he's wasting his time with Demi"
"You know, all this time and energy you've spent trying to get me and my sister to hate each other. It's actually had the opposite effect"
Colette laughs, "Has it? Has it really? Well then, perhaps I should let Eliot decide which Salvatore joins us, being as you and Demi are so close"
"Ah, go for it. Demi and I have been through a hell of a lot worse than you" Stella walks away.
**********
Althea grabs Eliot's arm and pulls him out of his seat. She places him in front of Carlisle and forces the stake into his hand. She pulls away. Eliot stands there with the stake in his hand for a moment, then turns around and tries to stab Althea. She grabs his wrist before he can "I thought I taught you better than that"
"You did" Eliot breaks the beaker filled with vervain over Althea's head. She screams in pain as her flesh starts to burn. Eliot releases Carlisle and urges him to leave. "Get help!"
Carlisle rushes out of the room, Eliot right behind him. Carlisle manages to get out, but Althea blocks Eliot from leaving "Not so fast"
Carlisle gets out into the hallway, turns around, and realizes Eliot is not with him. He continues to walk backwards when suddenly Colette grabs him from behind. She covers his mouth, so no one can hear his scream. "Shh. It's okay, it's okay. It's me" Colette whispers.
She takes her hand off his mouth "It's okay, you're safe. We'll save Eliot. You go straight home. You stay inside, do you understand?" She turns Carlisle around so that he is facing her. "Do you understand me?"
Carlisle nods "Thank you" they look at each other for a moment, then Colette rushes away. Carlisle stands in the hallway for a second before rushing out.
In the hallway, Althea throws Eliot into a locker and grabs him by the throat, holding him up against it. "I should kill you. I should gut you like Bria Walters, Bill Forbes, and all the other cowards I plan on ripping apart. You're the worst offender of them all, Eliot. You don't deserve to live"
"So then, why am I still alive? There's obviously no humanity left in you, so what's stopping you, Althea? If you want me dead, then kill me" Althea's eyes start to become red and veiny. "Do it! Kill me!"
Althea's eyes become normal again and she releases Eliot from her grasp. Suddenly, Stella and Demi rush up to her and grab her by her arms. "Do it now!" Demi shouts.
Althea pushes them off and breaks Stella's back. Stella falls to the ground, temporarily dead. Demi rushes towards Althea, but Althea snaps her neck, temporarily killing her as well. Colette rushes towards Althea and places her hand into Althea's chest.
Althea manages to pull Colette's hand out of her chest and throws her to the ground. Althea grabs Colette and throws her against the lockers. She flips her over and is about to stake her with the white oak stake, but Colette fights back. A struggle ensues where Althea continues to try to push the stake towards her heart and Colette tries to push it away.
Suddenly, Eliot yells at them "Stop!" Althea looks up at Eliot, who has a knife to his throat. "Let her go or I'll kill myself"
"Put it down, Eliot" Althea tells him.
"Why? Because you still need me alive? There's a reason why Esther used me to make you, isn't there? She didn't want you to be immortal, so she tied your life to a human one. Mine. That way you have only one life span to kill all vampires and then you'll be gone. So, when I die, you die too. That's it, it has to be!" Eliot explains.
"You're wrong" Althea lies.
"Am I?" Eliot begins to cut his throat open.
"Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop!" Althea panics. In her moment of panic, Colette seizes the chance and throws Althea off of her. She rushes towards Eliot, grabs him and leaves. Althea gets up and realizes that they're both gone.
**********
Mikaelson Mansion
Eliot wakes up. He feels a prick in his arm and gasps. He looks down to see a nurse inserting a needle into his arm.
"Be careful. Moving only makes it hurt more" Eliot's blood starts to run through a tube out of his body.
"What are you doing?" Eliot asks.
"Draining you of all your blood" Colette answers him. Eliot realizes he's tied down in a chair. The blood bag begins to fill up.
Taylor walks into the room with a box of Colette's stuff and stops dead in her tracks when she sees Eliot. "Eliot?" Taylor puts the box down and walks towards him.
"Taylor, help me!"
Taylor stops halfway as Colette speaks, "She can't. she needs to go fetch me more empty blood bags. About three liters' worth, please Taylor"
"Taylor, please. Get Stella, please" Eliot pleads.
"No, Taylor, get the bags"
Taylor stands there for a moment, then rushes towards Eliot. Colette intercepts her "Forget the boy and get the bags. Now"
Taylor looks at Eliot, then walks out of the room. Colette walks behind Eliot and grasps the back of the chair. "So, that's it? You're just gonna bleed me dry" Eliot asks.
"Yes, but don't worry, it'll be completely painless. As the last drop is drawn, you'll simply fall asleep"
**********
The nurse switches out the filled blood bag for a fresh one. Eliot is becoming weaker. "What about your hybrids? You'll need more than this to create your army"
Colette takes one of the blood bags from the nurse, "These last few liters will have to suffice. You see, by attempting to kill us, my mother strengthened the bond between my siblings and me. I don't need hybrids. I have my family"
"If you believe that, then why take my blood at all? You want a backup family. You know that your siblings will never trust you again"
"You know Stella blames me for trying to tear her from her sister, but I think we both know who really came between them. You. That's why you won't choose. You know once you pick a Salvatore, you'll destroy their bond" Colette moves closer towards Eliot, "Consider this me doing you a favor. Once you're dead, you won't have to choose. No broken hearts. Their family stays intact. But just between us guys, who would you have picked?"
"Rot in hell"
"You're welcome. Sweet dreams, Eliot. It's been fun" Colette walks past Eliot, grazing his neck with her fingers and leaves the room.
Eliot struggles to get out of the chair as he grows weaker and weaker form the loss of blood. Eliot is starting to fade away when Taylor quietly comes into the room and undoes the ropes. "What are you doing?"
"Shh" Taylor shushes him, continuing to untie him. Eliot sees Colette standing in the doorway "Taylor"
Taylor turns around and stands up. "So much for that sire bond" Colette comments.
"I'm not your little bitch anymore"
Colette smiles and walks towards her, "How did you break the sire bond?"
"By breaking every bone in my body for a hundred times for the guy I love"
"That's impossible"
"Is it?" Taylor walks up to Colette, "Or maybe real love is stronger than fake loyalty. But what would you know about that?"
"You know, you should be thanking me. I gave you a gift. I took away your misery"
"You didn't give a crap about me! You just didn't want to be alone!" Taylor walks back towards Eliot and helps him up "Come on"
Colette rushes towards Eliot and pushes him down. His head hits a ledge and knocks him unconscious. Colette then grabs Taylor by the throat and pushes her against a wall "Goodbye, Taylor"
Colette attempts to grab Taylor's heart out of her chest, but Taylor twists her arm around. Stella and Demi come into the room. Demi grabs Colette's other arm and Stella puts her hand into Colette's chest. Benny starts to do the desiccation spell.
Colette's heartbeat begins slowing down and she begins to desiccate. Demi moves away from her and goes towards Eliot, who is waking up. She grabs him gently "Hey, are you okay?" Eliot nods "Come on" Demi helps Eliot up.
Colette continues to become more decrepit looking. Colette has been completely neutralized. Stella take her hand out of her chest and Taylor lays Colette down on the ground.
"We should get him home before the sun sets" Stella says.
Demi takes Eliot's hand and walks him out of the house. Taylor follows. Stella stares at Colette's body for a moment then walks out as well.
**********
Gilbert Residence
Eliot walks inside. When he enters the kitchen, he hears laughter and sees Jemma, Carlisle, Macy, Taylor and Benny. "What are you guys doing here?"
"Welcome to our victory party!" Carlisle cheers.
"What victory? We failed. Althea's still out there"
"We know, but we've been trying to get rid of Colette forever and Carlisle convinces us to enjoy it for a night" Benny explains.
"You know, to be honest, I'm a little pissed none of you let me help you take down original sister number two" Macy puts her arm around Taylor.
"Yeah, she would have taken you right down to the hospital" Taylor scoffs playfully.
"Yeah, you wish" Jemma comments.
Carlisle comes up to Eliot and hands him a shot of tequila "Here. You need this"
Eliot takes the shot and looks at the Carlisle quizzically. "I heard. And you know that sooner or later, you're gonna have to choose, right?" Carlisle elaborates.
"I know" Carlisle rubs Eliot's arm.
Taylor walks over to them, "Hey, give me your hand" Taylor pours salt on Eliot's hand.
"Thank you for standing up to Colette like that" Eliot thanks her.
"Let's just say it's been a long time coming"
"Way too long" Carlisle wraps his arm around Taylor, "All right, let's drink!"
"I do not condone this, by the way" Eliot comments.
"You survived Colette. All right, make an exception, you can go back to being responsible tomorrow" Jemma tells him.
"Okay" he raises his shot glass to his mouth but stops.
"Hang on. Do you guys hear that?" Taylor asks. They all remain silent for a moment, listening for something. Taylor slowly smiles "That is the sound of a Colette-free life"
They all laugh. Eliot raises his shot glass, "To a Colette free life" The others raise their glasses too "And to all of you. My family" they all clink their glasses together, saying cheers and drink.
**********
Road
Stella and Demi are driving to drop off Colette's body. Demi pats the casket "Yeah..."
"What?" Stella asks.
"How many desiccated hybrids does it take to screw in a lightbulb?" Demi jokes.
"You're in a good mood"
"Yeah, I'm in a good mood. Colette is dead, my sister's half way sane, again. Give or take an immortal hunter who wants to kill us, we won, Stella. Come on say it. Say it"
"We won" Stella repeats her.
"Once more with feeling"
"We. Won."
"Thank you" Demi nods.
"Nah, you know what, thank you. Turns out we make a pretty good team, huh?"
"It only took a century and a half" Demi comments.
"What happens when uh – Eliot makes a decision?" Stella asks her.
"You know how these things pan out, Stella. He'll probably make a list of pros and cons and then at the end of the day dump both of our asses"
"What if he doesn't?"
"Then he'll pick one of us" Demi shrugs.
"Well, if he chooses you, I'll leave town and let you two be happy and not be bothered by me" Stella tells her.
"And in sixty years, we'll go back to being sister and none of this will have mattered. Right?" Demi asks her.
"Yeah"
"Fine, if he chooses you, I'll leave town too. All this over one guy" Demi says.
"He's a pretty special guy" Stella points out.
"Yeah, he is" Demi agrees.
**********
Gilbert Residence
Jemma is painting the window frame in Althea's old room. Eliot comes in. "Hey. Everyone gone?" Jemma asks him.
"It's just us"
"I hate this room" Jemma tells him.
"Me too. Mom and dad were right. Althea should just kill all the vampires and put an end to all of this. But then that means that Carlisle dies, and Benny loses his mom, the mayor loses her daughter, and I lose Stella and Demi. So, if it makes me the bad guy for wanting to keep those people alive, then fine, I'll be the bad guy"
"You forget that Althea never wanted any of this. Once she carries out her plans, what if she decides she doesn't want to live anymore and she kills her human connection to end her life? That would mean I would lose you. I'm not gonna let that happen" Eliot smiles, "I'm gonna shower and get some sleep. Good night, Eliot"
"Good night"
Jemma touches his face and leaves the room. Eliot stays in the room and grabs a paintbrush. He continues to paint the window frame and bends down to dip the paintbrush into the paint. Suddenly, Eliot grabs his head in pain and falls to the ground unconscious. His nose starts bleeding profusely.