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Sempiternal
Chapter Twenty-Three
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Damon and Stefan didn't think up a quick plan. The two argued, blamed each other, threw a few punches, and finally came to an agreement that both girls were in trouble and that was no time to be fighting. Then they brought Alaric in it. When Alaric told Damon where Klaus and Kol was, his anger fueled his mind and the plan was finally born into the world. That's also why Damon and Stefan were both hidden behind the Mystic Grill, waiting for the hybrid to come. "If this plan doesn't work–" Damon glared at his brother, his icy blue eyes cold and stone-like. "It's going to work. We're going to save them. All of them." It wasn't long before the brother's heard Klaus cry out his brother's name.
Alaric kicked open the back door, dragging Kol's daggered body behind him. "Here, grab him!" the teacher slash hunter breathed out heavily. Damon smirked as he and his brother assisted him. "Tell your sexy doctor "Good work"!" Alaric went to retort, but was cut off when he was thrown against the wall. The dagger was pulled out of Kol's chest, Klaus standing there extremely angry. Stefan moved to attack, but Klaus twisted his neck quicker than a blink of an eye. Damon stood in front of the hybrid, his fingers curled into fists. "Where's my girl?" he asked fiercely. Klaus' plump lips quirked into a smirk, his eyes flickering that dangerous ember. "I should have killed you months ago," the hybrid growled.
Damon laughed darkly at his words, his eyebrows drawn. "I believe I asked you a question." Klaus rushed at the vampire, pinning him to the brick wall. "It won't matter where she is if I rip out your heart right now." Damon tried to fight back, but Klaus was much stronger. "She's better off without you, you know?" Klaus was taunting him. He wanted to see the Salvatore man break. "You lot are bad for her; controlling her. She deserves to be wild." The manic glint behind the Original's eyes made Damon's stomach tie in knots. "She'll be safe with me, mate. When she wakes up." Damon let out a harsh grunt, fighting against Klaus' hold. "What did you do to her!" The rage boiling within the raven haired vampire made his skin red hot. His eyes began to change as the familiar veins splayed against his skin.
Klaus was surprised when Damon threw him off of him. The vampire was taken completely over by anger. "Whatever you did– whatever you do– nothing is going to stop your mother from killing you," he hissed. Once dead, Damon knew Carter would be alright. As long as he got to her quick enough. " What did you say about my mother?" The hyrbid's lips curled into a snarl as he stood off with the vampire. "You didn't know I was friends with your mummy? Yeah, we have a lot in common. She hates you as much as I do." Klaus was close to ripping Damon apart until Elijah stepped in, an unimpressed look gracing his features. "Leave him! We still need them, Niklaus," the well dressed vampire spoke sternly, his voice booming.
"What did mother do? What did she do, Elijah?" Klaus was worried beyond explanation, his eyes wild. Elijah simply ignored him, walking down the few steps toward Damon, his phone in hand. "You tell me where the witches are or I'll have my sister kill Elena right now." Damon's jaw loosened, almost falling agape. He held his composure, staring directly at the Original. "You told me we had until after nine," he retorted, his eyes narrowed. "I'm sure Rebekah will be more than happy to start her work early."
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"Are you sure this is where you left her, brother?" Elijah, Klaus, and a now reanimated Kol were walking past the mansion when Elijah spotted the fresh dirt covered pile. "Don't tell Rebekah I used her coffin or else I'll never hear the end of it," Klaus joked dryly, taking the lead. The three Originals walked up the dirt pile, shovels ready. "Just be careful. She's not going to he happy." They began to dig, and below the dirt, Carter began to wake up. Her throat felt extremely dry, and this new found thirst began to take over. As they dug deeper, their ears began to pick up on her harsh breathing. "Quicker, brothers. My new creation is having a panic attack."
Light slowly began to seep through the cracks made into the top of the coffin, blinding the poor girl. She let out a choked cry, her palm slamming against the lid. "Help!" she shouted, her trembling fingers pressing hard against the wood. Klaus and Kol hauled the coffin from the dirt, dusting off the top. Elijah was the one to wrench open the wooden lid, exposing a very confused Carter. Blood stained her fingertips, her face void of any color. The contrast of her hair against her skin was drastic, making her strawberry blonde hair look like a flame. "Elijah," she breathed out, somehow happy to see the Original. She eased herself into a sitting position with a soft smile.
"Aw, don't forget about us, love!" The sound of Kol's voice sent uneasy shivers down the girl's spine. Her battered fingertips ran through her hair painfully, her gem like eyes squeezing closed. "Is this a dream? It is, right?" she spoke mainly to herself, clenching her fingers around the roots of her hair. Klaus chuckled, his palm running over the girl's shoulder. "'Fraid not, love. Let's go." He gripped her arm tight, jerking her from her sitting position. Kol swiped the restraints from her ankles, ripping it with ease. She was unsteady on her feet. "You can't just expect me to walk like I wasn't buried alive!" she spat angrily, shoving the Original off of her with ease. Klaus' eyes widened at her strength. She could push him off with no effort, yet she was hardly able to stand on her own in that very moment. Elijah caught her before she tumbled to the grass, his grip much lighter than his brother's.
"You're burning up," he commented, pressing his cool palm to her forehead. She flinched away, shielding her eyes from the powerful sun rays beating against her body. "I'm really hungry. Like, my insides are turning inside out and my tongue could literally fall out of my mouth hungry." She gasped at the new found pain residing in her gums, holding tighter onto Elijah. His eyes widened at the symptoms Carter was clearly suffering from, focusing his gaze onto his brother. "What did you do?" he asked sternly. Klaus looked to his little brother, fighting back his smirk. Kol smiled at the strawberry blonde devilishly. "I may have slipped her a little blood. No big deal. A weapon like her should be on the right side."
A low growl rumbled within the girl's chest, her eyes landing on the hybrid. "You what!?" Her grip left Elijah's arms as she turned herself around to face the cocky man smirking back at her. "So, you're trying to kill me?!" Klaus chuckled, shaking his head. "Not kill you, darling. Once you get some Petrova blood in your system, you'll be one of the most dangerous weapons in the world. My weapon." He reached forward, brushing his fingertips against her face. Anger began to pulsate within the girl. The heat of the sun and the pain in her gums were fueling the hatred bubbling deep within her toward Klaus. "What makes you think I'll drink the blood?" she questioned with a fierce glare. Her once torn fingertips began to curl into her palms, completely healed.
"If you don't drink the blood, you die. Would you really want to put your beloved through that again?" His full lips fell into a playful pout, Kol snickering from behind her. In a flash, she had the youngest Mikaelson's throat within her grasp, his feet dangling from the ground only slightly due to her short height. He gasped in shock, eyes wide as they planted themselves on her angered expression. "I suggest you shut it," she hissed before releasing him. Kol's face began to redden as he settled on his feet, his eyebrows drawn in frustration. Klaus laughed from his place, Elijah staring at him in confusion. With heightened senses, Carter found herself even more angry than before. She wanted to rip the hybrid apart.
"I'm leaving. I have to find Damon." She began to move, her eyes landing on the mansion ahead of her. Her mind began to wander. Where was Damon? She turned on her heels, looking back at the trio. "You know what," she knew she was going to regret this, "no I'm not." Elijah slowly smiled at the strawberry blonde. "I couldn't let you go, anyway, Carter. You're sort of leverage over the Salvatores." Her eyebrows raised in surprise. "Leverage for what?" He straightened his posture, striding to her side. "Our mother is planning on killing us all off. Stefan and Damon are the only ones to help, but I'm afraid they failed." Klaus snorted, his eyes rolling skyward. "They daggered Kol!" Carter whirled around, pointing at the hybrid. "You've daggered him plenty times before!"
Kol nodded at the girl before turning to his brother. "She's got a point, Nik. You've daggered me plenty times before." His arms crossed over his chest, dramatically glaring at his older brother. "For your own good, brother! Not to destroy all of us." Klaus truly thought he had a good reason for the things he had done within his lifetime. He thought his actions toward his siblings was justified. Carter began to succumb to the new found pain within her gums and the pestering thirst. She ran her fingers over her mouth, grunting softly in pain. The three brothers turned to face the girl, noticing the look of pain etching across her features. "Get her in the car." Elijah was quick to sweep the girl off of her feet and rush her into their vehicle.
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Carter didn't recognize the house Klaus pulled up to. The three brothers exited the car, Kol being the one to assist the strawberry blonde. "Sorry, love," he murmured, his eyes showing some small piece of sympathy Carter didn't want. "Yeah, whatever," she grumbled, following after the three Originals into the house. The inside was illuminated by flickering flames, casting a red glow over the two bodies centered within a pentagram. "My sons. Come forward." Carter assumed the woman was Esther. The look she was receiving only made her more nervous about the situation currently happening. "Stay beside me, mother." Finn stood protectively beside his mother.
"It's okay. They can't enter." Kol dropped Carter's arm, approaching the pentagram. As he neared, the torches began to flare, sending him stumbling back in surprise. "That's lovely. We're stuck out here, while the favorite son plays sacrificial lamb. How pathetic you are, Finn," he spat angrily. "Be quiet, Kol. Your brother knows virtue you cannot even imagine," Esther scolded her son with a harsh glare. Her eyes met Carter's. The glare chilled the girl's bones, her own eyes dropping to the ground before her. "She is a prime example of your impious views." Elijah stepped forward, breaking Esther's line of sight on the girl. "Whatever you think of us, killing your own children will be an atrocity." Esther cackled at his words. "My only regret is that I did not let you die a thousand years ago."
Carter's mind flittered back toward her own mother. How she felt as if she had been banished from her family because of all of this. A world without vampires appealed to her. "Enough. All this talk is boring me. End this now, Mother, or I'll send you back to Hell," Klaus spoke sternly, his jaw set. Esther stared at her son. "For a thousand years, I've been forced to watch you. Felt the pain of every victim, suffered while you shed blood. Even you, Elijah, with your claim to nobility, you're no better. All of you. You're a curse on this Earth. Stretched out over generations. If you've come to plead for your life, I'm sorry, you've wasted your time." Carter's heightened hearing began to kick in, and she could have sworn she had heard Bonnie's voice.
Something wasn't right. Carter felt the brothers begin to cower around her as the flames flared wildly. She let out a sharp gasp as Esther shouted, her tone desperate. Once the torches extinguished, the brothers stood around in complete shock. Finn and Esther were no longer there. "Your boys did it," Kol commented, turning toward the strawberry blonde. A proud smile graced her features, her eyes darting all across the room. "My boys. I have to find them." She began to move, stopped suddenly by Elijah. "I'm sorry, Carter. About Klaus and what he did to you." Klaus pouted at his brother, a furrow set deep in his brow. "Thank you." She was quiet, and quick to press a chaste kiss to his cheek. "Thank you."
She jogged away from the trio, calling out to her lover. Damon was shocked upon hearing Carter's voice, but he followed it until he came across her. He could tell there was something different about her. Not only from looking at her, but from Klaus' words. He rushed toward her, lifting her into his arms. "I'm so sorry," he whispered against her hair, holding onto her tight. She smoothed down his hair with a gently chuckle, pressing a kiss to the side of his head. "I'm sorry, too. So, so sorry." He let her go momentarily, nuzzling his nose against hers. "You're okay, right? He didn't hurt you, did he?" Carter didn't want to lie to him, but she didn't want to tell him the truth. She bit down on her bottom lip, looking up at the blue eyed beauty. "Damon... I'm in transition."
Her words felt like a million shards of glass cutting into him. The girl before him became a distant reminder. There was no way he could save her. "Carter..." She shushed him, pressing her palms against his cheeks. "Don't.. Let's just enjoy our last moments together, okay?" Tears sparkled within her emerald green eyes. Damon slowly began to shake his head, his forehead eventually resting against her own. "I'm not losing you again. We'll fix this." She let out a soft sigh, her lip quivering. "I can't be like him, Damon.. I can't..." She didn't want to cry. She hated when she cried, but standing in front of Damon, knowing this was it, made her feel weak. Tears began to spill down her rosy cheeks, her eyebrows knitted painfully.
"I don't want to be a monster. Please... don't make me be a monster." Her voice became breathy as her cries worsened. Damon pulled her into his arms, her own wrapped loosely around his neck. "You could never be a monster. You're Carter Harmon; the girl with a golden heart," he whispered, interweaving his fingers within her fiery hair. "There is no darkness that could diminish your light." His lips pressed gently against her head, tears trickling down his own cheeks. "And I love you. I wouldn't let anything happen to you." She bit back a sob, tightening her fingers around his shirt. "Stefan went off the deep end. And we could barely bring him back. I'll be stronger. There's no guarantee you could save me."
He pulled away from her, his arms moving to cup her tear stricken face. "The love we have can defeat anything life throws at us. Even death." He wouldn't let her argue. Before she could speak, Damon pulled out his phone and dialed a number Carter would frown at. "You okay?" His eyes met Carter's, her irises flooded with confusion. "I know you just went through a lot, but Carter needs your help. It's important– life or death." He hummed in response before pulling the device from his ear and hanging up the phone. She looked up the vampire, full of confusion. "You're not going to like this, but I need you to comply, okay?" Her lips fell into a frown. "What did you do, Damon?" he asked genuinely worriedly. He smiled at the girl in front of him, locking his hand around her own. "You trust me?"
"Of course I do, but..." He shushed the girl, dragging her toward the exit. They had long been alone within the old witch house. "Then let me help you, okay?" Her head slowly tilted to the side in confusion, her eyes locked on the back of the vampire's head. She had that dark feeling stirring within the pit of her stomach, but she willed it away. She was going to trust Damon, and she prayed it was the right thing to do.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE;
i'm sure you all can guess what happens next.
within the next chapter, carter spends more time with a new friend and an old friend, and secrets are spilled.
hope you lot enjoyed. xo