~ Third person ~
After poisoning Renee, Isaac, Chris, and Allison, meet Deaton back at the old Hale house, using the underground cave to lock Renee inside of. Isaac stares down sympathetically at the unconscious Renee, studying how peaceful she is. Not once has he seen her look like herself since the night of the Nemeton. Isaac has been contemplating what to do about her since that night, when she began acting different. He knew there was something wrong, but he was unsure of what to do about it. He missed being able to hold her late at night and have deep conversations with her. She used to be so open with him and now she cut herself back off from, not only him, but everyone else in the pack that considered her a friend. He knew there was something wrong for some time now and every time he tries to talk to her or help her, she turns her back to him. He doesn't want to lose her and the more he pushes her, the further she distances herself from him. Isaac wanted to believe she was better after the night they saved Malia, like everyone else. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to be the case. The next day she felt more off than usual to him. Like she was completely gone.
Nothing has actually changed. Dead bodies still randomly appear outside, and inside, of town with blood completely drained from them. It didn't take long for Isaac to put two and two together. After catching the smell of blood in the bathroom that one morning and her lying to him about it being the blood bag she had grabbed. He did some investigations of his own and noticed the rate of deaths have been increasing for weeks now. Not only that but she's still hostile. Earlier at school, he had witnessed her interaction with Kira and how she taunted her. She degraded her and interfered in Scott's forming relationship with her. All for the hell of it. She was purposely stirring up unnecessary drama.
In the beginning of the chaos, he had hope that he could bring her back. Now he feels she is further from him than ever. That doesn't mean he is going to give up on her, though.
After last night, Isaac understood that to get Renee back to her old self he is going to need reinforcements. He didn't want to involve anyone else. He wanted to be able to do this on his own. It is his girlfriend after all. He should be able to protect her without help, but he came to the conclusion that this is going to take more than just him to figure out what is going on.
It was Isaac's idea to have Renee go with Allison. It turned out beneficial since Renee knows the language better than anyone else they know. Aside from Lydia who is a hidden genius. Isaac knew not to underestimate Renee's devious side understanding she would most likely kill Borrow if they found him. Not that he would disagree with the serial killers fate.
Another reason for sending her out of the school was because he needed time alone with his confidant, Scott McCall. Long enough to discuss the issues at bay about Renee. Along with his unresolved issues with the twins. Isaac knew Scott would know what to do which led him into involving Deaton.
No one understands more about vampires than the man who has all the knowledge on supernatural creatures. Chris Argent also excels in vampires, however, his knowledge doesn't compare to the veterinarians. His training is more focused on werewolves than anything else. The only reason he agreed to help was because of his daughter, Allison. If it weren't for her he would have found a white oak stake and ended any problems that the original is bound to cause. He didn't like threats and Renee seems to be the biggest one in town.
Allison had brought up her concerns with Isaac for her best friend. She wasn't sure what was happening with her sudden mood swings and urges to kill. She felt she no longer had her friend next door, but a ticking time bomb that is waiting to explode on command.
The four of them had been conducting an ambush all day behind Renee's back. With it being such short notice, the best plan they could come to terms with was vervain and to learn what was going on with her and find a solution. Deaton had ideas he felt was best to share in person and Isaac had been anxious all day to hear them. But when it came down to him having to be the one to inject the poison into her, he had to put on his best face.
When she had told him about always knowing your enemy, he hadn't been thinking about the twins. And even though Renee is not his enemy, she is something. And he had taken that advice to use against her. He needed to distract her long enough to put her under and no better way than seduction. With Allison walking in to give him the signal that her father was there, that gave him the prefect opportunity to prepare the needle. He wasn't fond of what he did or how he did it. The way she reacted and deceiving her altogether broke his heart. He never wanted to do anything like this again. The anger shown on her face and her attacking him from his betrayal had him wishing he could take it all back, but he knew he couldn't. They were on their way to her recovering and he knew it would only get worse from here.
"Now what?" Allison asks the doctor who instructed Isaac to inject Renee with the threatening amount of vervain. Isaac had emptied the whole needle into her, just as he had with Jackson when they were trying to sedate him all those nights ago. He wished he could go back to that day. Surprisingly, those days were easier compared to what they have been dealing with recently.
"Now we wait," Deaton answers taking a closer look at Renee through the darkness. "It won't be long till she wakes up." Knowing there would need to be precautions, he steps behind the metal chair she occupies and ties a rope laced with vervain around her wrists tightly. He would have used the chains connected to the metal fencing, but those are mainly for werewolves. They have a better chance at holding her this way.
"So, what is it you couldn't tell us over the phone?" Isaac interjects, eager to understand everything going on in Deaton's head. "Why is she acting strange?"
Deaton takes notice of Isaac's rushed tone and how similar it is to Renee when she had to witness Isaac drowning at the animal clinic. He mentally notes to keep a close eye on Isaac during this process. He could snap just as Renee did with Derek when he intervened in the dangerous process of accessing Isaac's subconscious memories.
"If my insinuations are correct," he answers already knowing his insinuations are in fact correct. "She's somehow flipped the switch on her humanity."
"Flipped the switch?" Allison questions with lowered brows.
"She has no conscience. No emotions. They're the most lethal of all vampires. They're careless and ruthless. They take what they want and kill without blinking an eye. I have heard stories about Renee in her past. Originals aren't able to flip their switch from my knowledge, but shes never needed to. Her emotions never affected what she did. She was diabolical alongside her brother. So, if she's still in Beacon Hills, it's because she wants something. And I'm sorry Isaac, but she isn't staying for you. Whatever she's here for, she's keeping it a secret. With her emotions gone, she has no reason to locate here, so it is in everyone's best interest to keep a close eye on her. With us approaching her like this, there will be consequences."
"She won't kill me," Isaac corrects, but there is doubt laced in his voice. He didn't know if she would or wouldn't. She's been so distant that he can be convinced that she'd slit his throat without blinking. He doesn't want to believe it, though, he knows it is the truth.
"I wouldn't bet on it," Chris speaks for the first time. "It's the same as a rabid animal. An apex predator after its prey. She's rabid now, and she needs to be put down."
"But we can help her!" Isaac argues back, then lower's his voice as he directs his next words to Deaton. "Can't we?"
Deaton studies the pained look on the boys face before saying, "We can help her. But it'll take time. She's the only one that can turn her humanity back on. All we can do is push her in that direction. Give her a reason to flip it back on. You're the one she is closest with. You will have a greater chance pushing through to her than the rest of us. You two have a bond, a strong connection, better than anyone else. Including you, Allison. You both are our best hope."
"No pressure," Allison mumbles.
Chris looks over at his daughter. He wants to protest in her being anywhere near Renee, but he knows how that will play out. She'd do anything for her friends and if he told her no, she would opt to do it behind his back. He wants them to continue to work as a team as they have been doing since the Alpha pack had been defeated and Deucalion fled town. He doesn't want to ruin their new formed bond. They're all they have now.
"So how do we convince her to flip her humanity switch when she doesn't want to?" Isaac asks after feeling the same pressure as Allison. He doesn't believe in himself to bring her back. She hasn't even told him she love's him. And what if she doesn't love him? What if she doesn't even like him? He figured she'd need time to say it, but how much time does she actually need? If she doesn't love him, then how can he bring her back?
"How is confronting her going to change anything?" Isaac continues.
Chris looks at Deaton, "Tell them."
The two teenagers look between the two adults. "What are you talking about?" asks Allison. "Tell us what?"
Deaton keeps his posture as he watches the two, "It's not easy to turn a vampires humanity on. Especially if the vampire is an Original who has never been capable of doing so. We want to reason with her, get into her head and make her understand why she needs to turn her humanity back on. But like I said, it's not easy."
"Which is why we have to torture her," Chris interjects when Deaton takes too long of a pause, avoiding the point of their intervention.
The two had talked on the side, understanding that two kids wouldn't be able to handle a situation such as this because they are too close to her and can potentially destroy the plan altogether. Throwing this onto them last minute isn't beneficial either, but they needed them to get to her so she could be brought here. If they tried injecting her with vervain themselves, she would have caught on and possibly killed them. They didn't want to trick the teenagers into doing their dirty work, but it was the only way they could save them. They believed it was best to tell them the actual plan after Renee was tied up.
Chris has experienced things such as this. He knows when there is a threat and when certain lines are to be crossed. He doesn't care how angry his daughter will be at him. He knows what he is doing is right and he knows Allison soon will too.
As for Deaton, he knows what he is agreeing to when Chris approached him with the plan. He knows of Kol Mikaelson. He knows what Renee is capable of and after asking around from others with experience of vampires without their humanity, he learned pain is a huge factor in bringing them back to themselves if loved ones are unable to break through to them.
Deaton promised himself years ago to protect this town and he is going to keep that promise. He knows about Renee's late night outings, just as Isaac figured it out. He had been watching her closely since he helped her contact her brother. He noticed when she came to how she wasn't cheerful or woeful about seeing the infamous Kol Mikaelson. Her emotions were stoic, and that threw up enough red flags for him to spy on her.
"Wait, what?" Isaac asks flabbergasted by their hidden agenda.
"When did we agree to this?" Allison adds accusingly. The emotions were more directed to her father than Deaton, though, as she stares him down like she had been betrayed.
Chris steps forward, attaining their attention, "It's what's best. You don't know what you're dealing with-"
"And you do?" She laughs out of frustration.
"We don't have the weapon to kill her," Deaton speaks up, like those words would calm the two frustrated teenagers down. "But it is our best solution of getting through to her emotions."
"How is that our best option?" Isaac questions Deatons logic distastefully. "You're only going to anger her. And then what? Keep her locked in here until you somehow manage to make her listen to you? You said that I'm her best hope. So let me try to talk to her? Let me try something? I already hate myself for betraying her once. Just let me do something."
"That's touching," a new voice says, entering the conversation. All eyes go to the source of the sound, finding it belonging to the girl that has been the topic of the night. They take in her groggy look from the vervain weakening her. Even though she's weak, she still remains to hold a strong demeanor.
"I was wondering when this moment would come," Renee says with a smirk, confusing them as to how she can find any of this amusing. She just awoke from the vervain her boyfriend injected her with and to them plotting against her. They believed she would have woken up angered by their actions, but this is a twist. Talking to her would be impossible if this is the reaction they receive from everything they've done thus far.
Her eyes shine with wickedness, more so than Isaac had seen from her in the past month. She'd been hiding herself from him, but now she can be as open as she wishes. She no longer has to fool anyone. She only needs enough time to conduct a plan. This ambush may have tampered with her ploy, but as she had stated, she has been waiting for them to intervene in her life.
Renee looks at Isaac, "I'm only surprised you didn't go to your Alpha sooner."
"This isn't you, Renee," Isaac responds ignoring her jabs at him. He isn't going to let her words get to him. He now knows what is going on with her. Anything she says he knows isn't her saying them. He just needs to keep reminding himself of that.
"Oh, but it is," she smiles adjusting herself in the chair. She is unaffected by the vervain ropes wrapped around each of her wrists. "This is who I have been for over a thousand years."
"We're trying to help you," Allison reasons with her. "Let us help you."
Renee scoffs, "If you want to help me, then leave me be."
Chris steps in front of his daughter, a gun in clear view, "We can't do that."
Renee hums with a smug smile at him, "I do like a man with toys."
"You might not like mine," He threatens cocking his gun, but that only amuses her further. Without her emotions, her humor is more sickening than ever. Seeing this side of her worries them all for different reasons.
"Renee," Deaton speaks up to take her focus from everyone. "What happened during your visit with your brother?"
She groans dramatically at his question, throwing her head back in annoyance, "Why must we discuss such boring topics. I'd much rather be shot with Chris's gun."
"I can make that happen."
"Promise?" She smiles.
She takes in Chris' expression, living for the anger she's creating around her. She isn't going to give them what they want. Besides, she knows they wouldn't hurt her. Except for maybe Allison's father. Isaac may not have voiced it, but she knows he would rather die than let them hurt her. She thought he was pathetic for allowing himself to get injured for someone that didn't give a damn about him, but better him than her.
"What was that question you asked, Deaton?" Chris asks, leaning down to eye level with Renee. "What happened between Renee and her brother?"
Chris excels in interrogations. And when Deaton had asked Renee about her brother, he received all the signs he needed to know that her brother is a touchy subject. The first sign being how she tried to change the subject, but he wasn't going to allow that. The whole point of this is to get her to flip her switch and he is going to do just that by getting a rise out of her. And he doesn't care if he has to go through a teenage werewolf to get to her.
She looks at him unamused now, "I don't have a brother. Kol is dead and I've moved on."
"And somehow I find it hard to believe that," he replies then stands back up, never taking his eyes off her as they stare into one another. Her eyes no longer shine with amusement, but hatred. And that is a good sign for Chris. "Leave."
"Dad-"
"Go," He orders his daughter with a look then brings his gaze back to Renee. He doesn't want anyone here to see what is to come.
Allison doesn't argue, knowing deep down that this is what needs to happen to get her best friend back. She knows her father knows what he is doing, including Deaton. They haven't failed her or the pack and they know more about her than her friends.
The three of them leave, Isaac needing some convincing before he had agreed, and Chris is left alone to do what is needed. If they don't flip her switch, more murders will be in the near future. And if he can stop that from happening, he is going to jump to the opportunity.
✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵
~Renee POV~
A laugh escapes my lips after Chris stabs his vervain laced knife into my leg for a fifth time. He has been at this for a few hours now, believing any of it will help me to my humanity. Countless of times I have proven him wrong.
"You're pathetic," I insult. "Five year-olds torture more sufficiently than you. I thought this was to be fun?"
He pulls the knife back out, "You can heal from a stab wound, but personally I'd like to see how you can heal from a chopped off arm."
"Don't tease," I smirk with a huff. He wouldn't dare try it knowing that I'd retaliate in some way. I should give him a personal lesson on how to really torture someone.
Chris jabs the knife back into me, "What kind of game are you playing?"
"I've never really liked games," I answer honestly with a hiss. "I always cheat, anyway."
"Like your brother," he insinuates taking the knife back out and walks over to the table with his other weapons laid out on top of it. Placing his knife down with a metallic clinging sound reverberating from it, he picks up one of the few plucked vervain plants. Coming back to me, he presses it against my cheek and slides it down towards my jaw line. The sound of my skin sizzling masks over the sound of me hissing. "I never had the pleasure of meeting him. It's too bad he's dead."
"Please," I seeth. "He would have been just as bored with you as I am and the rest of this town. Besides, if he were here, your daughter would be dead because of you. I would know. Him and I are a lot alike."
His face hardens at my threat to his daughter and the plant in his hand is shoved into my mouth. I cough from the burning sensation running down my throat in attempt to rid myself from the poison, "You think this is going to work? You believe I'm going to flip my switch from a few meaningless torture exercises. With or without my humanity, I am the same person. You're simply wasting your time."
Without replying, he moves back over to his desk and reaches into a bowl of water for a cloth. Striding back to me, water drips onto my head as he places it over my mouth. My cheeks and lips feel like they are on fire from his main choice of weapon and breathing only tortures me further as I inhale the toxin into my lungs. And I would prefer to avoid that at all costs.
"I'm only getting started," he says in my ear then pulls on the cloth around my head before removing it and going back to the bowl to dip it back in.
I've been in here for hours, and he is just now getting started? I mentally roll my eyes at him. I will make sure he regrets ever pursuing me. I have a tight schedule and being locked in here is not apart of it.
He circles around me, towering over my body to try and intimidate me, "What are you still here for?"
"Well," I grumble. "I am tied up."
Not being pleased by my answer, he shoves the rag into my mouth. I hiss from my skin feeling the continuous burning sensation and he smirks devilishly enjoying my 'suffering.'
"What is your endgame?" He asks again, his eyes staring intently into my own, but I stay silent. I don't care how much vervain he threatens my body with. I'm stronger than he is and when I want something, I stick to it. "I can do this all night, Renee."
"Me, too," I agree spitting out the left over water and breathing heavily to catch my breath. "In fact, I can do this for an eternity."
His eyes glaze over with hatred and a smirk forms back on my lips. He knows he can't beat me. And I know he won't stop trying until he does. I can't rely on him to let me go, meaning I will have to escape, and I know I will. I've been through worse than this. Especially, with my brother Niklaus.
Chris stands behind the counter, contemplating his next move when suddenly his phone rings. "What?" he answers once the phone connects with his ear.
"Dad," I listen to Allison's voice say through the device. "Something happened to Isaac. He was attacked."
"What happened?" Chris asks turning towards the wall. I too am wondering the same thing. I don't know if this is apart of one of his schemes to make me flip my switch or not, but from the sound of her tone, it seems real.
"I don't know," she answers worried. "He says there were five of them and they wore black and had masks with glowing greenish-yellow eyes. Like a firefly. None of the alarms were triggered, Dad. He says they came out of the shadows."
Firefly? Those were in her families bestiary and from the expression on Chris' face, the word had triggered something in him, too. He knows something.
"Have you told anyone else about this?" He questions her quickly.
"No," she tells him.
He breaths, "Listen, I need you to keep this quiet for a few hours."
"From everyone?"
"Just for twenty-four hours," he demands.
There is a slight pause before she whispers, "They could have killed him, dad."
"But they didn't," he corrects. And what a shame it is they didn't. "And I think there was a reason why. I'll see you soon and explain everything then."
"Leaving so soon?" I ask him as he hangs up the call from his daughter. The look on his face during that interesting conversation tells me he knows something that everyone else doesn't. Why would he need twenty-four hours before consoling anyone else of the brawl that went down between Isaac and five mythical fireflies?
He ignores my heart-felt question as he grabs a very familiar needle and walks back over to me. Placing the sharp end against my neck, but not penetrating me, he says, "We'll finish this later."
"Awe," I feign with a pouty face. "I have to miss out on poor, defenseless, Isaac? I take it you and Allison are my replacement now."
Without another word, he stabs the metal into my neck and injects the poison into me effortlessly. With vervain already in my system, it affects me quicker than the last and I am out before he leaves the room.
✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵
"Renee," a voice calls out with a caress of my cheek. "Renee, wake up."
I moan groggily from the weak feeling the vervain has caused my body to endure, along with not having fed over the past few hours of being locked in here. Opening my eyes, I find the voice belonging to Isaac. Last I remember he was attacked by some shadow creatures with illuminated eyes. He must not have been badly injured if he is here with me. Or I've been out for a long time.
"Let me guess," I groan, sitting up from my uncomfortable slouching position, "Chris wants you to talk some feelings into me."
"Not exactly," he answers, standing tall as he watches me. "I'm actually not supposed to be in here."
"Then why are you?" I interrogate with a raised eyebrow.
His eyes shine as he stares at me, "Because I wanted to make sure you were okay."
"Oh," I feign pout with sarcasm dripping from my lips. "How awful it must be for you to see me in such conditions."
"Renee-"
"You put me here," I cut him off, my voice sterner than before. "If you're planning some lame excuse of an apology, I wouldn't hold your breath."
"Are you angry?"
I roll my eyes and huff out, "You're pathetic." I know what he is trying to accomplish. He didn't just show up to see if I was okay, he wanted to persuade me in his own ways to turn my humanity back on and I'm not going to fall for it.
"I figured you would be in a corner crying somewhere," I state truthfully. He was just cornered by five scary shadows. They must have triggered some sort of fear of his. He has so many, I can't keep up.
Isaac moves in front of me, taking a knee to move down to my level, "What made you like this?"
"That's not relevant," I answer and lean closer until the burning ropes forbade me from moving any closer. "What you should be asking is how much time do you have left before you lose me forever?"
His eyes go soft, taking in my words. He is too emotional. Ever since he joined Scott's pack he has gone soft and the only hope of making him like he used to be when he was in Derek's pack is using the twins as motivation. Nothing makes his blood boil like those two. I don't want to deal with a soppy teenager who shakes at his very core from a shadow. I want someone who can give into his darkest desires and feel no remorse from their actions.
"I don't want to lose you," he replies. "And I know you don't want to lose yourself, either."
I stare at him confused as to what he is getting at.
"You told me you've become a better person since you came here," he continues. "I know that deep down you don't want to hurt people like you have been. You worked for something for months because you wanted to become better and you did. Renee, come back to me and I can help you through it. I will never leave your side. No matter what you say or do."
"Don't waste your time searching for any redeeming qualities in me," I inform him as I lean back again. "They no longer exist."
"I don't believe that," He argues with a shake of his head. His eyes stare into mine, like he still sees that girl he once loved, but she is gone. And it is hopeless to think he can get her back.
"Then you're incredibly stupid," I tell him. "Have you not been listening to anything I have been saying? I don't want your help, and I don't need it. So let me go."
"So you can go back to killing people?" He nods viciously and stands up, throwing his hands in the air in defeat. "Renee, I know deep down you don't want to be like this. So, tell me what I can do."
"Let me go," I negotiate loudly. "And you have my word I won't hurt you."
He stares at me, quizzical on taking up my offer. I relax further in my chair, "You don't trust me?"
"Is that a trick question?" He squints his eyes at me. That's fair.
"I may not have my humanity," I start. "But if there is one thing I have, it's my word. I never break it."
"Didn't you promise your brother you would protect him?" He throws in my face nonchalantly. "That you would bring him back?"
I am stunned at first by him being the one to bring that up, but I quickly recover with a sharp smile, "Aren't you a bit short in family members to be throwing that around?"
"Chris was right," he patronizes me. "You're deflecting. Is it because you feel responsible for his death? Because you couldn't bring him back?"
"The movement of your tongue has been proven pleasurable in the past," I sharply retaliate. "But I do suggest to watch how you use it or I will be tempted to rip it from your mouth."
"Say whatever you want," he fires back pointing at me. "I know the true you, and this isn't her."
Of all people, he is the last person I want here. I would prefer Chris stabbing my eyes out then be forced here to listen to prejudice Isaac speak his words of wisdom. The only reason I'm not asking him to leave is because he is the only one I know how to manipulate into releasing me.
"Why would you want me to turn my emotions back on?" I ask with furrowed eyebrows. "You know I will never forgive you for allowing them to torture me. Forgive you for betraying me. And you know I can hold a grudge for a very long time."
"I know you're trying to manipulate me into releasing you," he says with a straight face.
"I guess you are more than just a pretty face," I smirk, slightly fazed by his awareness of me.
"Like I said," he states, inching closer to me as he places both hands on either sides of my wrists. His breath causes parts of my hair to tickle my face. "I know you."
I glare at him for a split second before arching my back from the creaky chair, my lips only a few centimeters from his own. I will not back down from him. No matter how much he fights his insatiable love for me.
"Not as much as you would like to," I say pointedly. "I let you know what I allow you to."
"Right," he nods uninterested in my words now.
"Then let's cut to the chase," I demand then pull at my restraints the best I can with his fingers gripping around my bony wrists. "Untie me."
With slight hesitation, he pulls back from my burning flesh and kneels completely before me. He doesn't touch the ropes again though, his eyes questioning as he stares at them. Within seconds, he releases a sigh and I know his decision is made. He moves his hands up to my restraints and grips onto the soaked material to rip them from the metal chairs arms.
I wrap my fingers around my free wrists, taking in the feeling of them healing from the burns, "Finally."
"I didn't do it for you," he informs me when he stands erect, unable to look at me.
I stand to my feet, raising my eyebrows at him, "A good deed doesn't rid a guilty conscience, you know."
"You're welcome," he tosses over his shoulder when he moves for the sliding metal door and I watch as he walks away.
What's gotten into him? One second he's on his knees begging, then the next he's flipping his own nonexistent switch and pretending to not give a damn about anything. I'm not sure what he's up to, but I do know that I'll enjoy every second of it. Just as I am enjoying the view of him walking away. Maybe Isaac is the type of man that has a backbone. He just needs a little shove.
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Edited before finally sleeping after some wine with the roommates lol. So I may re-edit in the future.
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