―❅―
𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐈𝐂𝐄
[ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴡᴇɴᴛʏ-ᴛᴡᴏ - 𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶]
"sell my soul don't care what the
price is, won't matter if i go down"
✧✦✧✦✧
A blonde woman stood in a cave, using a knife to carve her name in runic into the wall. The cave was dimly lit, the only light source coming from the burning torch held by a slightly older man with long blonde hair.
"Rebekah, let me have at it," the blonde man insisted as he walked towards the woman in frustration, seemingly annoyed that it was taking her so long to carve her name.
"Quiet, Niklaus! I am to have more concentration if I am not to slice off a finger," Rebekah exclaimed as she continued to carve her name into the stone wall.
"Father will not like you handling the blade," Klaus retorted, a small smirk on his face as she watched his sister falter.
"If I want to wield a blade, I shall wield a blade! Father need not know," the blonde haired woman snapped back stubbornly, continuing to carve her name.
"He will find out. He always does," Klaus warned with a slight fear in his ocean blue eyes causing Rebekah's eyes to narrow at him.
"That is because you always tell him!" she accuses with a frosty glare.
Klaus' face sank in sadness as looked across at his younger sister, fear shining as clear as day upon his face, "I cannot help it...he frightens me."
Rebekah sighed, lowering the knife away from the wall as she noticed the sunken look on her older brother's face. She knew how bad her father's wrath was, and she knew that Klaus always bore the worst of it.
"He frightens us all. That is why we stick together as one, always and forever. Right, traitor?" Rebekah said, offering her brother a kind smile.
Klaus nodded, smiling back at her with a big grin, "right."
"Here, you finish. I am to help mother with the meal," the pretty blonde woman told him as she offered him the blade, causing the man to smirk in amusement.
"Yes, you go tend to dinner and leave the blades to the men, little sister," Klaus retorted, a taunting smile on his face as he turned to place the torch on the ground so he could continue with his sister's carvings.
Rebekah scowled at her brother, not liking his sexist remark, and so, in retaliation, the blonde slammed the knife into Klaus' open hand, slicing it open.
"Agh! Bekah!" Klaus exclaimed in a mix between pain and shock as he grasped his hand, staring at the blood that poured from the open wound.
Rebekah smirked at her brother, "it's just a little blood, be a man about it," she taunted as she retreated out of the cave.
✧✦✧✦✧
Thea groaned as she stretched on the side-lines of the football pitch with Rebekah, her bones cracking and her head spinning after not getting much sleep the night before. After messaging Klaus, the wolf couldn't seem to get to sleep, knowing she had betrayed her friends. Whilst a part of her wanted to be selfish and follow her heart, she couldn't handle losing her friends or her brother as a consequence. It was too high a risk. Thea wanted to be with Klaus more than anything, but he needed to want her enough to change his murderous ways- especially when it came to her friends and she knew that he never would.
"You look rough. Don't tell me you're still hungover from the bonfire," Rebekah stated as she looked towards the wolf in slight disappointment at the thought that the brunette couldn't handle her drink. Thea rolled her eyes, as she bent down to touch her toes, stretching her back muscles as she turned her face to look towards the blonde, "didn't get much sleep last night. I was plagued by the memories of your family, once again," she told the original who stared at her in confusion.
"Stabbing your brother in the hand with a knife, who knew you had it in you Beks," the brunette mused with a small smirk as she stood back up, stretching her arms above her head. Rebekah stared at her in puzzlement, completely unaware of how Thea knew about an incident that happened over a thousand years ago, "what? How do you even know about that?" she questioned as she stood with her hands on her hips. The Lockwood shrugged, "something to do with the soulmate bond. Sometimes we see different memories the other has experienced," she explained before doing the splits, reaching down to grasp the end of her foot as Rebekah nodded at her interest.
"You know, I've been thinking that we should change some of the cheers," the blonde original said absentmindedly as she continued to stretch beside Thea, changing the subject of conversation. The wolf snorted at her statement, "good luck trying to convince Caroline, I've been trying to tell her for years," the brunette replied with a small laugh causing Rebekah to smirk. "See, great minds think alike. Probably has something to do with the fact that we're best friends- practically sister's in law," the original commented with a beaming smile on her face causing Thea to laugh loudly as she stood up from the ground.
"Aw, Beks! And you didn't even have to compel me," Thea exclaimed as she placed a hand over her heart, wiping away a fake tear with the other causing Rebekah to roll her eyes, pushing Thea's shoulder lightly. The pair laughed with each other, stopping when their eyes suddenly landed on Elena walking towards them. "You! Goody!" Rebekah smiled sarcastically with fake enthusiasm, causing the wolf to snort quietly in amusement.
"I was hoping we could talk," Elena stated sternly, causing Rebekah to roll her eyes, "about what? Stefan? Don't worry. I'm off him until he starts treating me better. In fact, you should probably take a page out of my book, if I'm being honest," Rebekah said with boredom. "Actually, I'd rather talk about this," the doppelganger replied as she help up a picture of Rebekah's name carved into a cave wall in runic. The same carved name that she had found yesterday in the cave with her uncle yesterday, and last night in her dream.
"I'm curious as to why you and Klaus have spent a thousand years running from your father," Elena taunted causing Thea to stare at her with a warning glare as she felt Rebekah tense at the side of her. Thea knew just how bad their father was, having seen and felt the fear he instilled in the siblings within her dreams. "I should get back to the girls. Homecoming is right around the corner," Rebekah growled, turning away from Elena as Thea stared at her friend in apprehension, not knowing why she was pushing the original when she hadn't done anything to her. "Well then, maybe I'll ask Mikael when we wake him," the doppelganger threatened, stopping Rebekah in her tracks.
"You're bluffing! You don't know where he is! No one does," the blonde original spat as she looked upon the brunette with a frosty glare as Elena simply smirked back at her. "So then who's rotting in that old Cemetery in Charlotte?" Elena asked mockingly as she placed her hands on her hips. Thea glared at her friend, warning her to back off as she felt the fear and anger radiating off the blonde next to her, "if you wake Mikael, we are all doomed," Rebekah pleaded, attempting to control her anger.
"Then tell me," Elena insisted causing Rebekah to narrow her green eyes at her, "why do you want to know?" the blonde shot back angrily as she threw up her arms in exasperation. "Why don't you want to wake him?" the brunette asked, firmly standing her ground making the original's face fall in frustration and sadness, "Elena, back off," the wolf said in defence of her blonde friend causing Elena to frown at her.
"I need to get back to the girls," Rebekah sighed, turning around and re-joining the squad, leaving the two brunette friends alone. "Why are you doing this, E?" Thea asked her friend as she sighed sadly, watching Rebekah walk away dejectedly. The doppelganger stared at her dark haired friend in disbelief, "why are you on their side? They're the enemy, Thea. They need to go," the brunette spat back, not understanding why she was suddenly pro- team original.
The Lockwood wolf shook her head in disappointment at her friend, "Rebekah hasn't done anything. She doesn't deserve to be killed as a result of her brother's actions. If you do this, then you're just as bad as Klaus," Thea told her friend, not giving her a chance to reply as she walked away from her, going back to Rebekah. "Come on Beks, we're going shopping," Thea stated as she stopped in front of the blonde original causing her to frown at her in confusion, "what? Why? We've got practice," the vampire stated as she glanced towards the group of cheerleaders to her right.
The young Lockwood rolled her eyes, "like you said, homecoming's coming up and we both need dresses," she smiled at her friend before turning to face the other girls, "practice is over for today, girls. Go have fun," she told them, making Rebekah smile at her new friend. "Thank you. For this, and for standing up to Elena for me," the original said sincerely causing Thea to beam back at her, a twinkle in her eyes, "what are best friends for, right?" she said as she looped her arm with Rebekah's, the two making their way towards Thea's car. The blonde original smiled down at the brunette in awe, utterly grateful that Thea Lockwood had waltzed her way into her life.
✧✦✧✦✧
"Did you really have to compel yourself your own runway?" The asked in disbelief as she stared at the girls from the cheerleading squad, each stood in one of the dresses Rebekah had bought earlier on their shopping trip. After they're little expedition, Thea and Rebekah made their way back to the Salvatore Boarding House as the original claimed she needed to see what all the dresses looked like on. Hence why there were currently six compelled cheerleaders stood in the Salvatore's living room in homecoming dresses.
Rebekah smirked with false innocence as she glanced at her brunette friend, "which one do you think I should wear?" the original asked her as she walked closer to the compelled girls, examining each of the dresses thoroughly. Thea leaned back against the Salvatore's sofa as she narrowed her eyes at the girls in front of her in concentration, "well, I'm wearing grey so that one's out," the wolf started causing Rebekah to nod, "either the green or the red, both would look amazing," she finished.
Rebekah smiled at the dark haired teen brightly in gratitude before turning back to the compelled girls, "okay, you can leave for now." The compelled girls nodded, leaving as the blonde original walked towards Thea with two glasses and a champagne bottle in her hand, "alright, so what's the latest with you and my brother?" the vampire grinned wickedly as she sat across from the wolf. Thea groaned in frustration, closing her eyes as she burrowed herself further into the sofa, "can't we talk about something else? Like that guy that gave you his number in the coffee shop?" she pleaded causing Rebekah to snort in amusement.
"Nuh-uh, I wanna know what's happening between you and Nik," Rebekah stated stubbornly as she poured the champagne into the two glasses, causing Thea to roll her eyes, "there is nothing happening between Klaus and I. He's the enemy, Beks, that's it," she insisted causing the original to look at her boredly as she handed her a glass of champagne. "Sounds a little rehearsed if you ask me," the green eyed vampire replied as took a sip from her glass, "what do you want me to say, Bekah? He killed my brother, how am I supposed to just move passed that?" Thea sighed in frustration, not knowing what more Rebekah wanted from her.
"He helped your brother," the original corrected, "Tyler hated being a wolf. He hated the pain during every transition. Klaus freed him of that," Rebekah explained as she noticed her friends exasperated stare. "Yeah, and now he's some freaky hybrid slave minion that does whatever Klaus tells him to do," the Lockwood teen replied causing Rebekah to roll her eyes. "If you ask him to, I'm certain he will let Tyler go. Just give him a chance, Tia," the original told her pleadingly causing the brunette to narrow her eyes.
Sensing that the wolf was about to disagree with her, Rebekah cut her off before she could, grasping her hands in hers and looking at her sincerely. "Look, I know my brother has done some terrible things, but he's not a bad guy. Underneath all the murderous glares and smirks is a broken man whose greatest fear is being left on his own," she told Thea with tears pooled in her eyes as she thought about the pain her brother had faced at the hands of their parents.
"What has he done that's so different to Stefan, or even Damon? I mean, Damon killed your Uncle for the hell of it and you were able to forgive him. All I am asking is that you do the same for Nik, give him the chance to prove to you that he's capable of being saved," Rebekah said as Thea stared at her with a troubled expression upon her face. Everything that Rebekah had just said was true, she couldn't deny that. But there was still the factor that she could lose her friends if she were to decide to be with the hybrid.
"I can't, Beks. Everyone would hate me for it, it's too much of a risk," Thea said as she shook her head causing Rebekah to scoff, standing up from the couch and pacing in front of it. "Well then your friends are hypocrites and you need to find some better ones," the original told her bluntly, as a beaming smile made its way onto her face, "like me," she stated causing the wolf to laugh.
Thea checked the time on her phone, sighing as she remembered she told Caroline she'd meet her, "speaking of her friends, I gotta go meet Care," the wolf told the blonde vampire in front of her as she stood up. Rebekah frowned, not wanting the girl to leave just yet as she was having so much fun spending time with her, but nodded nonetheless, knowing the brunette had other commitments. "Just promise me you'll think about what I said? Okay? It's okay to be selfish every once in a while," the blonde said as she hugged her friend goodbye causing Thea to nod her head in reply before leaving the Boarding House.
✧✦✧✦✧
"and it was the most beautiful gold I'd ever seen, and then Theresa opened her fat mouth and told me Sarah had already bought it," Caroline chatted animatedly as the two girls sat at a table near the window in the Mystic Grill, "that wench stole my dress!" she exclaimed with a scowl on her face, suddenly frowning as she noticed her brunette best friend wasn't paying any attention to her. "T, are you even listening?" the blonde snapped causing Thea to snap out of her daze, her brown eyes fluttering away from the swaying trees outside to meet the harsh glare of her blue eyed best friend.
Thea winced slightly before nodding, "yeah, of course, Theresa stole your dress," she replied firmly, hoping her friend believed her despite not listening fully to a single thing the vampire had told her since she met with her an hour ago. In truth, her mind had drifted elsewhere, specifically to the smirking hybrid dick that made her heart beat a million beats per second. Caroline looked at her friend in incredulity, causing Thea to wince once again as she realised she'd been caught in a lie, "Thea," the blonde deadpanned as the Lockwood wolf smiled innocently.
"I know you better than anyone. Don't try and play dumb with me," Caroline told her best friend sternly as she folded her arms on the table, glaring across the table at the brunette with a subtle glare, challenging her friend to lie to her again. Thea sighed, knowing there was no way of hiding anything from the blonde vampire, "you can tell me anything T, you know that," the blue-eyed teen told her best friend as she smiled up at her comfortingly. "Okay so, hypothetically speaking," the wolf started, attempting to figure out the best way to phrase what she wanted to say without revealing the truth knowing her friend wouldn't approve, "what would you do if you began to develop feelings for someone you knew that you shouldn't? Someone your friends would never approve of you being with?"
Caroline looked at the brunette girl deeply, trying to find the hidden secret laced within her question but not being able to, "I'd follow my heart and hope that my friends trusted me enough to make my own mistakes, and wanted me to be happy, no matter the person it's with," she told Thea honestly, causing the brunette to nod with a small smile on her face. "Besides, nobody could be worse than Klaus so I don't think they'd be that bothered," the blonde laughed causing Thea to wince from her seat across from her.
The teen vampire's eyes narrowed at the brunette as a sudden realisation hit her, "you have feelings for Klaus?" Caroline screeched as she glared at her best friend icily, causing the young wolf's head to whip around frantically, making sure nobody had heard her. "Will you calm down?!" Thea demanded as she glared back at the vampire causing Caroline to scoff in exasperation, "you just told me you had feelings for the immortal hybrid dick, how do you want me to react?"
The dark haired Lockwood sighed in frustration as anger coursed through her, "it's not like I've just told you I'm marrying the guy, all I said was that I had begun to develop feelings for him. And, in case you've forgotten we're literally two halves of the same soul, this was going to happen eventually," Thea replied as she rolled her eyes at her friend in incredulity. Caroline looked at her friend in disbelief, "he killed your brother, he killed Jenna, he's using your best friend as a human blood bag for god sake," she hissed as she looked disappointedly at her friend, causing Thea to scoff.
"What, and the Salvatore's haven't ever done anything like that? Or you?" Thea asked causing Caroline to look down at the table in remorse as she thought of the man she had killed when she first turned, "look, Care. I'm not trying to justify what he's done or the pain he's caused, but nor can I deny the feelings I have for him," she told her friend honestly causing Caroline to look back at her with a curious stare. "He's a monster, a ruthless killer with little emotion. But he's also my soulmate and I can't help falling for him. I don't know what to do, Care," Thea said desperately as tears began to gather in her eyes.
Caroline sighed as she glanced at her best friend, dropping her harsh façade as she came to realise everything Thea had spoken was the truth. Letting out a small sigh, the blonde smiled towards her friend, "I think you should do what your heart is telling you. You're a good person, Thea Lockwood, you see the best in everyone- even those that don't always deserve it," the vampire spoke, grasping Thea's hand across the table. "And whilst I don't necessarily approve of the feelings you have, I trust you to make your own decisions, and I will stand by them because you are my best friend," Caroline promised, causing tears to fall from the young wolf's eyes.
"You have a kind heart, Thea. I think if anyone can change Klaus, it's you," she said honestly as she smiled at her friend, "you deserve to be happy T, even if it is with that psychotic dick," Caroline stated bluntly with an amused smile on her face that caused Thea to laugh loudly. The young wolf smiled at her friend warmly with a grateful look in her eyes knowing that whilst her friend may not like the fact that she had feelings for the hybrid, she was willing to look passed her hatred to see her best friend happy.
"I love you, Care bear," the Lockwood teen said appreciatively as she smiled a toothy smile at her best friend, "I love me too," the vampire replied jokingly as she smiled her own beaming smile. Thea shook her head, laughing slightly as Caroline once again turned serious, "so, about my homecoming dress. Do I threaten to kick Sarah off the team unless she gives me the dress, or do I just find a better one?"
✧✦✧✦✧
"Rebekah! I'm back," Thea shouted as she waltzed into the Salvatore Boarding House, closing the door behind her before strutting into the living room and finding a confused Elena and a very pissed blonde original. The Lockwood wolf looked across at her doppelganger friend in puzzlement, wondering why she was here as Elena looked at her with the exact same expression before shaking her head and turning back to Rebekah. "How do you know that Mikael killed your mother?" the brunette asked causing Rebekah to turn her head towards her, the wolf's frown deepening more in confusion.
"Nik was there. He told me," the blonde replied as if it was obvious causing Elena to sigh as she looked at the vampire with a pitiful glance, "he lied to you." Thea narrowed her eyes at her friend, trying to figure out what the doppelganger was up to as Rebekah smiled at her sarcastically, "and how do you know that?", the original asked in a bored tone though she must admit, she was slightly curious.
"The cave where you carved your family's names is covered in symbols," Elena started as she pulled out various pictures, showing them to Rebekah, "the story of your family, how your parents arrived, how they made peace, the spell that turned you into vampires, and this," the brunette said as she placed down a picture that showed the hybrid symbol. "This is the symbol for hybrid. It's a combination of the werewolf and the vampire symbol," she told her before placing down another picture, this one showing the familiar pattern of the necklace that Stefan had given Elena, "and this one for your mother,"
Rebekah's breath hitched in her throat as she held a hand up to her neck, feeling the area where her necklace used to sit, "her necklace," she whispered sadly, causing Elena to nod her head. "And this is the story of her death," the brunette stated as she placed down the last picture in her hands, "the hybrid killed the Original Witch. Not Mikael. Klaus," Elena stated firmly causing Rebekah to shake her head.
"No. No, he wouldn't," the original insisted though anyone could see the heartbreak that washed over her face at the belief that Elena was potentially telling the truth. Thea watched them both with a worried expression, knowing the blonde would snap if the doppelganger continued to push her, "she put the curse on hum, made it so that he would be the only one of his kind and then she rejected him," Elena continued causing the wolf to sigh in frustration.
"With the werewolf gene comes aggression and violence, when he turned all of that was heightened. He killed her, Rebekah. And then he made up this entire lie about your father so that he wouldn't lose you," the doppelganger finished causing Rebekah and Thea to glare at her. "These mean nothing! They're just stupid drawings, done by stupid people who had no idea who my family was!" Rebekah shouted as she gathered up the pictures, throwing them into the fireplace.
"Then why are you so upset?" Elena questioned causing Thea to narrow her eyes at her friend, "why are you doing this?" she asked with a disappointed tone as she glared at the doppelganger, not understanding what game she was playing. Elena looked across at the wolf in disbelief, her eyes hardening as she began to question where her friends true loyalty's lied before moving them back across to Rebekah. "Klaus killed your mother. He had a hold on you, on me, on Thea, on everyone. He has for a thousand years. We have to make it stop!" the brunette stated, ignoring her dark haired friend.
Before anyone had a chance to move, Rebekah sped towards the doppelganger, grabbing her by the throat as she pinned her against the wall, "shut up! Shut up! Don't talk anymore," she hissed. Thea rushed towards the pair in concern, placing a hand on the blonde's arm in an attempt to calm her down. Rebekah stilled, dropping Elena as she walked to the other side of the living room with a heartbroken expression, her lips trembling as she drops to the floor completely broken.
Thea rushed towards her, ignoring her brunette friend who stood rubbing her neck in pain, "you need to leave," the wolf said sternly, not offering the doppelganger a single glance as she hugged Rebekah to her chest in comfort. Elena sighed in exasperation, not understanding why the brunette wasn't on her side, "T," she started, causing the wolf to snap her head towards her sharply, "just go, Elena," she spat causing the brunette to shake her head in disbelief before walking out of the Boarding House in slight anger.