-ˏˋ𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙏𝙀𝙍 𝙁𝙄𝙁𝙏𝙀𝙀𝙉 ˎˊ˗
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Burying a body that wasn't there was harder than Rory thought, but thanks to her powers of compulsion, finding space to put Jeremy's tombstone within the family plot was easy enough. She had ended up doing it alone -- it wasn't fair for her to ask Elena for help (not that she would've helped anyway, now that she had her emotions off) and she preferred to do it alone. Because she cried. A lot. She hadn't remembered the last time she felt this lonely. Sure, she had Klaus and she had her sister and she had her friends, but she didn't have Jeremy. She didn't have her brat little brother that loved her unconditionally and was always there for her.
"I know you hate roses and they might be on the cheesy side, but I don't care," Rory spoke up, wiping a stray tear from her eye. She sniffled as she placed the rose over the freshly buried grave, knowing that she wasn't talking to anyone in particular. Jeremy's spirit was probably with his body that was burned to ash alongside their house. "But, hey. I balanced it out by bringing the one thing you hate the most -- books."
Rory placed the Sleeping Beauty book right beside the rose, a bitter smile forming on her face. I like Princess Aurora from the Sleeping Beauty the most, baby Jeremy's voice filled her head. Because you're named Aurora too, and that means that you're both princesses.
"I miss you so much, Jeremy," Rory sputtered out. "I'm so sorry that I wasn't there to protect you. I feel like I didn't do my job as a sister. You were in so much danger and I just... I didn't see it. And I feel so terrible for it. I wish that I could go back in time and make everything right. You deserved better. You deserved a family and kids and everything you want in life. You didn't ask for this. You never did. I hated Elena for compelling you away, but... but I think that's the one thing she did right. You should've stayed in Denver. I'll hate myself forever for not seeing that."
She leaned forward, placing a kiss over Jeremy's name engraved into the tombstone. She stood up on shaky legs, brushing the dried leaves off her dress. She refrained the urge to sob as she pressed her hand over her mouth, turning away to walk out of the cemetery.
"Hey, princess," a voice spoke out from behind her. Rory turned around to see Damon, standing behind her in a tuxedo. Rory raised an inquisitive eyebrow, wondering why he was so dressed up. "I heard you were hosting a funeral. Why wasn't I invited?"
"It's a private event," Rory responded with dryness.
"A private event hints to at least 10 people. You're the only one here," Damon gave her an amused smile as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You managed to find a place for Jeremy, huh?"
"It's easy when there's not really a body to bury," Rory shrugged. "How's Elena?"
"Unravelling," Damon sighed.
"That's on you. You never should've taken that choice away from her," Rory shook her head, prepared to turn the other direction. Damon wrapped his hand around Rory's wrist, tugging her to a stop. She gave him a slightly annoyed look. "Damon, just because I'm not outright yelling at you right now doesn't mean that I got over the fact that you tortured me for seven days."
"I know that. But I also never had the chance to apologise. Properly, I mean," Damon said. Rory took a step back, letting her hand fall to her side. Damon shoved his hands into his pockets, letting out a sigh. "I'm... sorry for what I did to you. It wasn't right. I was just thinking about all the times I've let my own brother go on his benders and I've seen him regret it over and over. The aftermath of Stefan's ripper binges wasn't pretty -- I didn't want you to suffer with that. But I should've realised that our methods didn't have to work on you just because they did for Stefan. And, you know what? You were right. Stefan's a hundred-year-old vampire. You're just a teenage girl that was trying to accommodate herself to vampirism. I should've seen that."
"Yeah. You should've," Rory smoothed a hand over the skirt of her dress. "And I'm probably not going to forgive you anytime soon but thank you for that apology. I'll... work on it," Rory gave him a grimace. "Because as nice as you're trying to be... nice doesn't cut what you and Stefan did to me. I couldn't feed, Damon. I was so scared that even a taste of blood would set me on fire. That's something I never want to feel again. The fact that I felt it in the first place is just..." Rory trailed off. "It's terrifying. And I don't think I can ever forgive that."
"I understand," Damon nodded.
"Okay," Rory gave him a small smile. "Thank you for understanding."
"I'll handle Elena," Damon promised. "Maybe I can work the sire bond--"
"Do what you have to do. I can't..." Rory ran a hand through her hair. "I can't think of anything else right now. I'm sorry. Does that make me selfish?" Rory let out a quiet laugh. "I mean, even thinking about Elena makes me feel so exhausted. Everything that's happened these past few days for a cure that there's only one dose of, and Katherine has it. Katherine, out of everyone."
"It's not selfish, Rory," Damon gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm... I'm glad you're taking some time for yourself. You've been the doormat for a while now--" Rory rolled her eyes so hard they almost popped out of her skull. "--And you should be thinking about yourself for now. I'll watch over your sister."
"Thank you, Damon," Rory patted his shoulder.
"I'm sorry about Jeremy," Damon said quietly. "No one really said that to you while you were at the house, and I figured that you lost a brother too."
"Yeah," Rory pursed her lips together. "Yeah, I did."
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Rory was nursing her third glass of scotch when her phone began ringing, buzzing insistently in her pocket. She picked the mobile phone out of her pocket, seeing an unknown number flash across the screen. She slid to answer, pressing the device against her ear.
"Hello?" Rory asked.
"Rory?" a strangely familiar voice spoke up to her. "It's me. It's Hayley."
"I don't know any Hayleys," Rory muttered, resting her head in her hand. "I think you have the wrong Rory."
"No, no," Hayley seemed frustrated. "It's Hayley Marshall. I was the one that told you about Klaus' hybrids, remember?"
"Oh, you mean the one that betrayed Tyler and her friends?" Rory snorted. "What do you even want? Why are you calling me? How did you even get my number?"
"Because I heard you're looking for Katherine," Hayley responded. At her doppelganger's name, Rory's back straightened. "I got your number from Ty. Listen, I know Katherine killed your brother and she has the cure. You need to tell your boyfriend that I'm being followed. If I die, you'll never know where she is."
"What makes you certain that I don't already know where she is?" Rory inquired.
"Because you would've killed her by now. You want to know about Katherine? I'll tell you everything you need," it was as if Hayley could sense the fact that Rory was coming onto the idea. Rory could practically feel the smirk on the werewolf's lips. "I'll text you the details."
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The 'details' that Hayley mentioned led her and Klaus to a truck stop. It was easy to sniff Hayley out -- the smell of wet fur, followed by the sound of a steady, beating heart. Just as both Rory and Klaus rounded a corner, they spotted the werewolf being cornered. She was slammed against a truck, a vampire's hand wrapped around her neck.
Klaus immediately sped into action, yanking the vampire off her and sinking his fangs into his neck. "Have a care, mate. That's no way to treat a lady," Klaus stated, tossing the vampire onto the ground. The vampire let out a shout of pain as he clutched his bleeding neck, speeding away.
"You came," Hayley said, giving Rory a pointed look.
"You told me you knew about Katherine. Don't keep me waiting," Rory crossed her arms over her chest, watching as Hayley pushed past her.
"Eh. Maybe," Hayley turned to face her. "Maybe I'll tell you when you give me a change of clothes and let me take an actual shower. Being on the run isn't exactly clean business, you know?"
"Whether you take a shower or not you'll still smell like wet dog. Wouldn't exactly make a difference," Rory gave her a bitter smile. "Why don't you tell me what the hell it is I need to know about Katherine before I rip your head off right here and right now?"
Hayley cocked her head, giving Rory an interested once over. "And here I thought every doppelganger after Katherine was a bore," she commented, laughing lightly. "I'm sorry, but I don't think you want to do that. Katherine doesn't like loose ends. I'm just lucky I had the contacts to protect me. If you kill me, Katherine's trail goes cold. So, tell me -- you want to risk killing me and never finding your nemesis, or are you going to let me use your shower?"
Rory clenched her jaw in slight annoyance. "I'm afraid that my shower is out of the question. My sister burned down my house," Rory exhaled thickly, turning to Klaus. "Guess you'll be unclogging the drain of wolf hairs."
Hayley snorted. "Charming,"
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Rory sat in her bedroom in Klaus' manor, sitting on the edge of the bed. A few moments later, the shower shut off, signalling that Hayley was done. The werewolf stepped out, smelling vaguely of Rory's shampoo and body wash. She stood in a towel in front of her, raising an eyebrow. Rory gave her a questioning look.
"Can I borrow something?" Hayley ended up asking.
"What's wrong with your old clothes?"
"Besides the fact that they smell of truck stops and blood?" Hayley snorted. "Everything. I mopped it from a thrift store -- got the first thing I could find before I was discovered and kicked out."
"Hm," Rory responded, standing up. She made her way towards her wardrobe, pulling out a few garments for Hayley to wear. She tossed it on the bed, gesturing for Hayley to put it on. She averted her gaze as Hayley dropped her towel, changing into the clothes without a care in the world. "Not exactly subtle, are you?"
"We're both girls. Nothing to hide," Hayley shrugged.
"I'd disagree. I think you have a lot to hide -- starting with your relationship with Katherine," Rory turned her gaze back to Hayley when she was fully dressed. "You're showered, you're dressed. That was our deal. What are you waiting for, an open buffet?"
"Some food would be nice,"
"Hayley, you're moderately bitchy and I think I can grow to like you. But don't think that for a moment that your usefulness would outweigh the fact that I'm just dying to kill someone right about now," Rory strode towards her, staring her dead in the eyes. "Katherine drained my brother and snapped his neck. Jeremy was a kid. If you don't tell me where she is, I'll do the same to you."
Hayley sucked in a stuttered breath, taking a step back. "I don't know much about Katherine," Hayley confessed. "What people say about her -- it's real. She's slippery, and she's good at hiding. She doesn't like loose ends, which I'm sure you know about already. I was looking for my family when she came to see me."
"Your family?" Rory furrowed her eyebrows.
"Yeah. She said she knew some stuff about my clan. It was why I made the deal with her in the first place... you know, the hybrid thing,"
"Oh," Rory blinked. "What happened to them?"
"I don't... I don't know. I was trying to find some answers. I was orphaned since I was a kid," Hayley confessed. "I was desperate. I would've done anything to find them."
"And Katherine knew that. It was why she took advantage of your desperation and used it against you," Rory sighed. "I'm sorry that she lied to you and used you -- you're not the only person she's done that to. I won't hurt you. But you have to let me know whatever it is you can tell me about Katherine."
"She's got 500 years on you, Rory. Even as a vampire, don't you think that's a suicide mission?" Hayley frowned. "I understand Klaus, but you? I mean, I never pegged you as the vengeful type."
"I guess it's just the Petrova in me," Rory shrugged. "Katherine may be determined to stay alive, but I'm easily as determined to see her dead. I want justice for what she did to my brother -- if I have to risk my own head, then whatever. But Jeremy will not die just because some tired old vampire wanted to strike a bargain with Klaus."
Hayley gnawed on her bottom lip, letting out a breath. "The vampire she sent to... finish me. His name is Will,"
"Was Will," Rory corrected.
"Right. His name was Will. He lived in New York. Maybe you can start there," Hayley shrugged. "I was in New Orleans before I got chased out. I never saw her after the night of the massacre."
"New York," Rory let out a slightly irritated breath. "Of course it's New York."
Hayley shifted in slight discomfort as Rory prepared to leave the room. "Hey, Rory?" Hayley called out. Rory turned to face her, raising an eyebrow. "Listen... don't... don't get too deep in your revenge, okay? I know a lot of people that spend most of their lives angry and searching and just... never really finding what they're looking for. They break down. It becomes them. You seem like a really nice person and I don't want that to happen to you."
Rory poked her tongue against her cheek, sparing Hayley a smile. "Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately, your words don't mean anything to me. I'll catch you on the flip side," Rory rapped her knuckles against the doorway, turning to leave.
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Once Upon A Dream was one of Jeremy's favourite songs in the world, so it was a little bittersweet to be dancing to it. Rory found that thrusting herself into everything that reminded her of Jeremy probably wasn't the best thing to do whilst she was grieving, but it was the only thing she could do for now. She was so close to tipping over the edge. The temptation to switch off her humanity was getting to her, but she knew she couldn't. It wouldn't help with anything. Her mental health would get even worse, that much she was sure of. She couldn't handle the grief, imagine what would happen to her if she switched it back on and had to deal with the guilt too.
A sickening crunch sounded, and a horrible pain shot up her leg. Rory let out a gasp as she fell to the floor, gritting her teeth as she hurriedly slipped off her pointe slippers. Her nail had split into half as she was doing a spin, bleeding profusely. But it wasn't her nail breaking that caused her to cry -- it was the fact that it healed right after that did.
She was a vampire. She was cursed to live forever, unable to die. All her human friends, she'd outgrow all of them and watch them grow old and be able to have kids and have families, and she wouldn't. She'd be stuck in the body of a teenager forever, never aging. Everything that damages her, heals. Jeremy was gone. She'd have to live an eternity without Jeremy.
She'd grow, and grow, and love, and love... and then one by one they'd all die and leave her. Everything that she loves dies. It was a curse, she thinks. Just like how she was cursed to be born with a face that matched her ancestors, dating back to thousands of years. Just like how she was cursed to love too much and to feel too much and to lose too much.
"Lovely," Klaus spoke up from the doorway. Rory hurriedly wiped the tears away from her cheeks as he entered the dance studio. "You're bleeding."
"Not anymore. It healed," Rory muttered.
"What happened?"
"Broke a nail. Turns out being a ballerina isn't as glamourous as TV makes it out to be," Rory let out a quiet breath. "It's fine. I'll be fine."
"You're not fine," Klaus brushed a hair from her face. "Talk to me."
"There's nothing to talk about,"
"Yes, there is. You're hurting. You're hurting alone," Klaus frowned. "Look at me, Rory."
"I don't want to do this anymore," Rory suddenly said. Klaus cocked his head in confusion as Rory lifted her gaze to meet his.
"What do you mean?"
"I don't want to do this anymore," Rory gestured between her and him. "I can't."
"Rory, I understand that you're hurt--"
"You don't get it," Rory pushed herself into a standing position, collecting her pointe slippers from the ground. "I can't. It's not just a matter of whether I'm able to or not. I mean that I can't love someone and have them taken away from me again."
Klaus let out a quiet laugh. "Rory, I'm an Original. Nothing can kill me,"
"Yeah, that's what Kol said too," Rory retorted. "You know, I'm so tired of you Originals being so confident that nothing can kill you, then out comes a hunter that stabs them in the heart with a white oak stake. I can't do this anymore. I don't want... I don't want to watch another person I love burn to ash."
"Rory, don't do this," Klaus said as Rory shoved past him, wrapping his hand around her wrist.
"Don't make this difficult," Rory sucked in a sharp breath. "Don't make this any harder than it has to be, okay? Because... because I need to be selfish for once. I can't handle all of... this," Rory's lip trembled as she attempted to hold back tears. "I've tried so hard to keep it together, despite Elena, despite Damon and Stefan, despite Kol... but I can't anymore. My brother died, Klaus. And all I can think about is killing Katherine. There's just no room..." Rory trailed off. "There's just no room left for you and I."
"Then I'll bear the burden," Klaus insisted. "Rory, you don't have to worry about me. I'll be okay. I want to be with you. I love you."
"I know. And I love you too. But that's just the problem," Rory licked her lips, shaking her head. "I've lost every single person I love and care about. My entire family is dead -- the only one I have left is Elena, and she's running around with her humanity switch off. I think if anything ever happened to you..." Rory closed her eyes. "God, I feel nauseous just thinking about it. I don't... I don't want to be there to see it. Because I can't handle it."
"Rory, please--"
"I'm sorry," Rory interjected. "This is my decision. Please... please respect it," Rory placed her hand over his, intertwining their fingers. "I love you, Nik. I love you so much -- too much, I think. And that's dangerous, knowing my history."
"I can't just be your friend," Klaus whispered. "You know this. We can't just be friends, Rory. It won't work."
"Then we just won't," Rory cupped his face in her hand, giving him a sad smile. "I'm sorry. We had a good run. But I need to heal on my own. I need to be alone. I need to find Katherine."
"How will you know where to find her?" Klaus demanded. "You can't just leave--"
"Hayley gave me the lead," Rory said. "I'll be fine."
"Rory, wait," Klaus pleaded as Rory attempted to pull away. "Don't go."
"I'm sorry," Rory leaned forward, pressing a kiss against his cheek. "But I don't want to do this anymore, Klaus."
Rory slipped out of his grasp, turning to walk away. She grabbed her bag off the ground, leaving the dance studio. She pretended that she didn't hear the thunderous yell that left the room, followed by the shattering of the glass from the mirror.
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Late at night, it was time for Rory to start packing. Returning back to Klaus' mansion to grab most of her stuff wasn't something that she preferred to be doing, especially given the rocky somewhat breakup they had, but she figured they were two mature adults that would probably have been able to talk things out if anything got too awkward.
Turns out, there wouldn't be a lot of talking at all.
First thing's first -- no one lived in Klaus' mansion beside Klaus. Not even his siblings. It was easy to spot the sound of moans, followed by the harsh panting of breath. It was also easy to smell sex. It was also easy to see the sex, considering Klaus and Hayley were going at it in the parlour. Rory blinked in slight surprise, not realising that Klaus was remotely interested in the werewolf to begin with. If anything, she thought he hated her.
Well, there goes hoping that she made a friend.
Hayley's bare back was turned to her, but Klaus' eyes met hers. It was easy to hear her enter the home -- he had a thousand years' worth of supernatural hearing, obviously. The fact that Rory was standing there didn't deter him in the slightest. In fact, she thought it spurred him on. The pang of hurt in her chest forced her to clench her jaw, but she didn't say anything.
Fuck this, she thought, turning on her heel. Whatever. She could get new clothes when she was in New York. Fuck Klaus. Fuck men.
If Hayley didn't hear her when she entered, then she surely heard when Rory left. The vampire slammed the door loud enough to rattle the hinges of the door, signalling her departure. Rory felt sick to her stomach. Actually, Rory was going to be sick, period.
Bile crawled up her throat as she threw up a pitiful amount of blood, unable to get the sight of Klaus with another woman out of her mind. She staggered a little, wiping the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. Her hand, wrapped around the pillar, squeezed tight enough for it to splinter at the edges. Rory knew he was an ass when he wanted to be. She just didn't realise how much. Sleeping with another girl merely hours after their breakup? He had taken a page out of her handbook, it seemed, considering she slept with Damon the first time she broke up with him.
"Asshole," Rory spit the last of the blood from her mouth on the ground, storming past the driveway.
"That's not a happy face," a familiar voice spoke up from behind her. Rory whirled around to see none other than Rebekah Mikaelson standing across her, arms crossed over her chest. The blonde gave her a smirk, cocking her head to the side. "Pleased to see me, Rory?"
"Not exactly," Rory bit out. "What do you want?"
"A little birdie told me that you were off hunting Katherine. Taking after my brother, I see," Rebekah slipped her hands into her pockets. "Have you got a lead?"
"Maybe. Why?"
"I'm looking for the cure. I want in," Rebekah shrugged.
"Yeah, no thanks," Rory turned on her heel, prepared to walk away. Rebekah rushed in front of her, preventing her from walking any further. "Listen, Rebekah. I don't hate you - that one night we spent together? Great stuff. But that doesn't make us friends, and I sure as hell don't want to spend any more time with you. I want to find Katherine, kill her, and get out."
"Perfect. So do I," Rebekah stated. "You don't have to like me to reach your goal, you know. But here's the thing: don't you think having a thousand-year-old Original vampire at your side would make a little easier? I mean, you're talking about Katerina Petrova after all. She has many people waiting to kill themselves for her. What's a baby vampire got against them?" Rebekah leaned forward, tracing a fingernail past Rory's cheek. "Trust me, Aurora. You need me."
Rory swallowed thickly, finding that Rebekah was right. Who knew how many henchmen Katherine had at her beck and call? Hayley was chased down simply for being a loose end. Now that Katherine knows Rory is actively trying to kill her, who knows what could go down?
"Fine," Rory ended up saying. "I've got a lead -- and you're going to love this; it's in New York."
Rebekah let out a merry laugh, tossing her arm over Rory's shoulder. "Brilliant," Rebekah practically purred. "I won't tell if you won't."
A/N: i can already tell the comments on rory and klaus' breakup and the hayley scene omfg pls dont crucify me.... but also i do nawt care if u hate me u can just stop reading if ure unhappy pls dont send me paragraphs in my dms thank u
on a side note: rebekah and rory in new york???? again???? can yall TASTE the trouble?!?!?!?!!