Flashback, 1224
Days after and numerous shared glances later, Mallory locked eyes on Kol once more during a celebration in the ballroom before gesturing for him to follow her out of the room.
Kol told his brothers that he would be right back before walking down the hallway, only to find Mallory standing in the empty ballroom, clearly waiting for Kol to arrive. Once locking eyes on Kol, Mallory began to quickly walk down the hallway once more, Kol trying his best to keep up without using his vampire speed. He didn't want to reveal himself as a vampire.
Mallory lifted up the skirt of her dress off the ground so she wouldn't trip as she ran through the doorway on the opposite side of the room that she entered through.
Kol turned the corner, only to find Mallory standing there, leaning against the wall. He walked closer to her and Mallory kept her eyes locked on him.
"What is your name?" Mallory asked, her French accent thick.
"Kol," He informed her, a smile on his face, "Kol Mikaelson."
"Mallory Montague," She introduced herself, "But I have a feeling you already know that, don't you?" She questioned and Kol nodded.
Kol grabbed Mallory by the hand, pulling her closer to him. She broke the gap between them and Kol placed his hand on the side of her neck as he pulled her in for a kiss. Mallory allowed this to happen and their lips began to move in sync until she heard voices nearby.
Mallory quickly pulled away from Kol, "I have to go." She told him quickly, not wanting to be caught.
"Later!" Kol called out after her as Mallory stormed off.
Once making it to her room, Mallory closed her bedroom door. She smiled slightly, pressing her back against the door as she touched her lips with the tips of her fingers.
___
Present Day, 2010
After Tyler ended up having to leave, Mallory got dressed and went to Damon's room, where he was removing all the notes, maps, and newspaper cuttings from his closet while listening to the TV news, which happened to be all about Andie's death.
"How was your little sleepover?" Damon asked his sister sarcastically when he heard her enter the room.
"Fantastic, actually. We almost spent the whole night--" She began to explain the story to Damon, wanting to annoy him.
Damon cringed in disgust, "Spare me the details," He cut her off, "I'd like to stick with my usual happy dreams at night, not nightmares about what you and Tyler Lockwolf spent the night doing in your room."
Mallory smirked, letting out a large, amused laugh just before Elena entered, "Just can't stay away, can you?" Damon commented, clearly unamused that Elena had decided to pay a visit.
"You've been dodging my calls," Elena informed Damon as she walked over to where he and Mallory stood in front of the closet door.
"Yeah, well, busy dating a dead fake girlfriend and all," Damon replied and Elena gave him a sympathetic look, which was clearly the last thing he wanted.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Elena asked him quietly.
"Happy Birthday, Elena.," Damon began to mimic a scenario out loud in a sarcastic tone, "Stefan killed Andie. Cake?"
Damon bumped shoulders with Elena as he walked over to the fireplace so that he could burn the papers that were in his hands.
"He called me, Damon." Elena suddenly revealed, causing both vampires to turn to her with a shocked expression on their faces.
"What did you just say?" Mallory asked Elena concerned, feeling as though she might have been just hearing something that wasn't what Elena actually said.
"Stefan called me last night," Elena repeated herself as she turned to face Damon, who was now facing her.
"Well, what'd he say?" Damon asked curiously.
"He didn't say anything--" She began to tell them until she was cut off by Mallory.
Mallory frowned in confusion, "Then how do you know that it was actually Stefan?" She questioned, giving Elena a skeptical look.
"It was him," Elena argued, "I asked Sheriff Forbes if she would trace the call's origin. It came from Tennessee."
"Where he's binge drinking on the country folk," Damon responded as he threw the documents into the fireplace. "We went through this, Elena. Stefan's gone. And I don't mean geographically." He told Elena, picking up a box of matches before turning to her once more.
"If he was gone, he wouldn't have called," Elena argued, watching as Damon lit the match in his hand.
Elena sighed in defeat, just before leaving Stefan's bedroom. Mallory watched as Damon tossed the match into the fireplace, the pile of documents igniting into flames. Before it was too late, Mallory quickly chased after Elena, who was just arriving at the stairs, "Elena!" She called out, causing Mallory to turn to her, "I want to help get Stefan back. Let me help you."
Elena nodded her head, "Text Tyler. Tell him to meet us at the Grill." She insisted and Mallory immediately obeyed, pulling out her phone.
____
Meanwhile later, after Elena recruited the help of Alaric, Alaric sat at the bar while Elena and Mallory sat with Tyler at a booth, talking about wolf packs, "A lot of us like to keep to ourselves for the full moon, chain ourselves up," Tyler informed Elena and also Mallory, but she technically already knew, "But there are some wolves that like to gather in places where they don't have to do that, where they can enjoy it. "
"What kinds of places?" Elena asked Tyler curiously.
"Mountains, state parks, deserts, that kind of stuff," He informed her.
"Is there anywhere in Tennessee?" Mallory questioned, finally taking part in the conversation.
"Yeah," Tyler replied, nodding his head, "Here. Give me your phone. I'll try to pull up a map."
Elena sighed, handing Tyler her phone, "Thanks for this." She told him and Tyler glanced up at her, "I know it's asking a lot."
"As Mallory here likes to remind me without meaning to, Stefan's in this mess because I bit Damon. I figured I owed you both one." He explained to Elena, who sent him a small smile.
A smirk grew on Mallory's lips, "Don't worry, love," She spoke up as she looked straight at Tyler, "I think last night was payment enough."
Tyler tried his hardest not to start laughing when he saw Elena's horrified face. He knew Mallory had done it on purpose, causing him to smile and shake his head as he continued to try and pull up the map on Elena's phone.
"Here," Tyler told Elena, handing her back her phone, "That's your best bet."
"Thanks again," Elena said to Tyler, getting up from her seat before walking over to Alaric.
Mallory was about to stand up, but before she could, Tyler grabbed her hand, causing her to turn to him, "Be careful," He warned her, "It's a full moon tonight and as much as I don't want you to because you're at risk of getting bitten, I know I can't tell you otherwise, so please, just be careful."
"I'll try," Mallory sarcastically replied, leaning over the table as she pressed a kiss to Tyler's lips. They pulled away after the kiss before kissing once more.
Finally, Mallory stood up and made her way just in time for the start of Alaric and Elena's conversation, "Did you get anything?" Alaric asked the two girls as he turned in his bar stool to face them.
"How do you feel about a little hike through the smoky mountains with me and Mallory?" Elena asked Alaric curiously.
Alaric turned to glance at Mallory, shocked as to how she agreed to something stupid. Usually, if she ever took part in a plan, she was smart about and almost always effective, "The two of you want to hunt down a pack of werewolves on a full moon?" He asked them, a concerned look on his face.
"We'll be out of there before the moon is full," Elena assured him, acting as if it weren't a crazy idea.
Alaric sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, remaining silent, "If you don't come with us, we're going by myself." Elena informed Alaric as she stood up, "Let's go, Mal."
Alaric looked up at Elena, staring at her in disbelief. Elena noticed this and turned to face him once more, "What? You're the one who told me that I could handle things on my own." She reminded Alaric.
"Yeah, I meant like frozen dinner and SATs," He retorted, causing Elena to tilt her head as she gave him a pleading look.
Alaric looked away from Elena, letting out a deep sigh, "A-All right, fine," He hesitantly agreed, "Let's just--Let's just go."
"But, uh, one of you are driving," Alaric told them and Mallory couldn't help but laugh as she lifted her hands up in surrender.
"Not me. I still don't know how to," She told them and Alaric gave her a scolding look.
"You still don't know how to drive a car?" He asked her annoyed and Mallory looked down at the ground, ashamed as she nodded her head, "You really need to learn."
"And you really need to stop letting teenagers rope you into life-threatening situations," Mallory retorted and Elena quietly laughed.
While Elena headed toward the exit, Mallory stopped walking and grabbed Alaric by the arm, stopping him also, "Do you really think I'm okay with this plan of hers?" Mallory asked Alaric, who turned to her with a concerned look on his face, "It's a plan made without really thinking everything through. There are at least two dozen things that could go wrong and I'm not okay with that."
"So what's your plan?" Alaric asked her curiously.
Mallory's lips curled upwards, "When we're just passing the 'Entering Tennessee' sigh, I'm going to call some reinforcements in," She informed him and Alaric raised a brow at her vagueness, "I'm going to call Damon, dumbass, who else would I be talking about?" She sighed out dramatically, "Let's just go."
____
In the mountains, Mallory, Alaric, and Elena walked together along a river, "In a couple hours, the full moon's gonna rise just above that ridge," Alaric informed the two, pointing toward the ridge that was about a mile away, "If Tyler's right, that's where the pack'll be."
"You were a boy scout, weren't you?" Elena asked with a smile on her face, "A boy scout, slash vampire slayer?"
"Slash whiskey-drinking all-around lost cause," Alaric added in and Mallory couldn't help but laugh.
The three of them stopped and Alaric opened up his bag, revealing numerous weapons, "Wow," Mallory spoke up, her eyes wide, "Someone definitely came stocked."
Alaric wiped a bit of sweat from his face with his hand, "Well, we aren't exactly bird-watching," He commented before turning to Elena, handing her a grenade filled with wolfsbane, "Here. Put that in your bag."
Elena grabbed it from his hands and looked down at the device, examining it closely, "Vervain grenade?" She questioned him curiously.
"Wolfsbane," He corrected Elena as he stood up.
Elena nodded his head in understanding, placing the wolfsbane grenade in her hand before pulling John Gilbert's hand out of her bag, "Well, since we're exchanging gifts..." She trailed off, holding out the ring to Alaric.
"That's John Gilbert's ring." Alaric pointed out, glancing at the ring before looking at Elena directly in the eyes.
"It was yours once," Elena replied, gesturing for him to take it, "Go ahead. Take it. It'll protect you from whatever supernatural danger we're about to get ourselves into."
"He gave it to you," Alaric reminded her.
"Yeah, but I'm a doppelgänger. It's not gonna work on me," Elena pointed it out, "He left it for if I ever have kids."
"Yeah, well, then why don't you save it for future generations of stubborn, relentless baby Gilberts?" Alaric commented and Mallory couldn't help but let out a scoff.
"If anything like her or Jeremy, they're definitely going to need them," Mallory remarked and Alaric nodded his head in agreement.
Alaric turned back to look at Elena, pointing his index finger at Mallory, "She's got a point." He pointed out.
"Okay, and how 'bout you borrow it until after we survive this?" Elena proposed, "I'd feel bad if I got you killed before happy hour."
The group of three couldn't help but smile at Elena's comment before Alaric finally took the ring from Elena's hands. Elena nodded her head at Alaric before they walked in two different directions.
Alaric walked over to his bag and Mallory followed while Elena walked closer to the water, taking off the button-down shirt she was wearing over her tank top. Hearing something rustling in the leaves and footsteps, Mallory smirked, already knowing that it was Damon. Alaric turned to Mallory, who nodded, knowing that he had heard it too, "I don't know why you think that you're a lost cause--" Elena began to tell Alaric, only to be cut off as Damon sped over to her and pushed her into the water.
Elena was thrown up into the air, causing her to scream out until she finally landed in the water. Mallory couldn't help but crack a smile, quietly laughing whole Alaric lifted up his crossbow and pointed it at Damon.
Elena rose from being under the water, only to Damon standing there, leaning against the tree that was next to him, "Damon!" She exclaimed loudly, "How are you even here?"
Damon turned his head to quickly glance at Mallory, "Thanks for the tip, little sister." He spoke up and Mallory turned to Mallory, who quickly averted her eyes over to her.
"You sold me out!" Elena asked her in disbelief, feeling a bit betrayed.
"I'm sorry, Elena, but do you think that I would be dumb enough to take you into a mountain range of werewolves on a full moon without backup?" Mallory asked Elena with an attitude, crossing her arm over her chest, "And not to mention, a bite from a werewolf is toxic to someone like me and Klaus could be nearby. Last time I checked, he didn't know you're alive and it needs to stay that way or we'll all be dead."
Meanwhile later, Elena was still in the water, refusing to get out, which annoyed Damon more than anything, to say the least, "Get out of the water, Elena." Damon told her in an annoyed tone.
"If I get out of the water, you're gonna make me go home," Elena reminded him.
"Yes," Damon agreed with her, giving Elena a glare, "Because I'm not an idiot like you."
"Right now, you're both acting like idiots." Alaric pointed out and Mallory couldn't help but agree.
"Alaric's got a point," Mallory agreed with the human man, but both Elena and Damon continued, just as they always do.
Elena shook her head, looking away from Damon, "You gave up on him, Damon."
Damon pushed himself off of leaning on the tree and walked closer to the water, "I didn't give up on him, Elena. I faced reality," He told her with an attitude, "Now get out of the water."
"No!" Elena argued in protest, crossing her arms over her chest.
"What's your big plan, Elena? Huh?" Damon questioned her as he jumped down the miniature version of a cliff before walking into the water, "You gonna walk through a campsite full of werewolves, roast a marshmallow, and wait for Stefan to stop by?"
"My plan is to find him and help him," Elena informed him confidently, "Damon, this is the closest that we've been to him since he left. I'm not going home."
"Mallory's right, Klaus thinks you died when he broke the curse. That makes you safe," He reminded her before gesturing around where they stood, "This, this is not safe."
"I'm not leaving before we find him," Elena argued in a stern tone.
"It's a full moon tonight, Elena," Mallory spoke up, walking closer to the two without going in the actual water, "In a few hours, there will be werewolves running around all these woods, looking for prey."
Elena and Damon turned to Mallory, "Then we'll find him before then," Elena suggested in a pleading tone before turning to Damon once more, "Damon, please."
Damon was silent for a long moment, thinking the plan over. Mallory turned to Alaric, whose eyes were on Elena, "Twenty bucks says that within twenty seconds, Damon's going to agree to plan, just because Elena's the one who proposed."
"I'm not going to bet with you because I know you're right," Alaric reminded her and Mallory couldn't help but smile proudly when Damon spoke up, clearly about to say yes to Elena's plan.
"Okay. Okay," Damon finally agreed, nodding his head slightly, "But we are out of here before the moon is full and Mallory and I are werewolf bait."
Elena nodded her head in agreement, "I promise." She replied without hesitation.
"Unless you wanna relive that whole deathbed kissy thing," Damon continued on.
"I said I promise," Elena repeated herself.
"Fine," Damon responded before turning away from Elena, getting out of the water with the human doppelganger following close behind.
AN:
Question: Do you like Mallory's sibling relationship better between her and Damon or her and Stefan?