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Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this story, I hope you enjoy it! A special thank you to Marvel_girl23, Prettylittletalker, I_have_no_life_2020 and elliemay212 for voting on the previous chapter!
Katherine strode into the room locking the door behind her. Rebekah did not look up from the worn armchair she lounged in. Reading a crumbling spell book, she swirled a glass of wine from a bottle she'd found in the cellar. She'd left Stefan with Klaus and Caroline, hoping a few minutes of peace with a bottle of wine would ease the incessant pounding in her skull.
The room, perhaps a former drawing room, was at the back of the house, most of the furniture remaining untouched covered in white sheets. A broken piano stood in one corner; a chess set with pieces scattered across the floor by the boarded window. Only two Queens remained on the board, sat at opposite ends staring at each other.
Dragging the armchair in front of the hearth Rebekah had lit a fire before collapsing back into the chair. The flames of the fire chasing away her shivers, the wine dulling the throbbing pain.
"Can I help you Katherine?"
Katherine placed a finger to her lips, holding a bundle of Esther's sage to the candle in her other hand. Watching from the corner of her eye as eddies of smoke danced off the sage around the room as Katherine wafted it. She then placed it on the mantel piece before dragging a chair of her own to the fireplace. With a twisted smirk she held her hands in front of the fire to warm herself.
"I know Esther's magic is affecting you."
"What do you want a medal?" Rebekah drawled taking a sip of wine, savouring the taste as it coated her tongue. Katherine leaned in,
"I know it is making you sick, but the others don't. How selfless of you not to let them worry over you."
"Actually," She took another sip of wine, "It is completely selfish, because every moment they spend worrying about me is one they don't spend finding a way out of here. If they don't find a way out of here, I die. Why would I give them a reason to be distracted?"
"This is why I always liked you Rebekah," Catherine poured herself a glass of wine, "We always were able to see eye to eye."
Rebekah nodded recalling her brief friendship with Katherine back when she had been Katerina Petrova. In his usual controlling manor, Klaus forbid the pair from leaving his estate, so the two women spent many an afternoon playing chess while Klaus and Elijah were away. Rebekah soon distanced herself from the doppelganger though when she realised the tricks she was playing with her brothers. Rebekah did not tolerate people who played with love.
"Is there a point to this Katherine?"
Katherine paused mid sip.
A devious smile creeped across her apple cheeks, her sharp eyes meeting Rebekah's cold stare she leaned in.
"I know you took the gun."
Rebekah snapped her book shut continuing to meet Katherine's stare.
"What are you going to do about it?"
"Help you."
"Why?"
"Because we both deserve our happy ending."
Rebekah mulled it over. On the one hand including anyone, even Stefan, risked the chance of her plan's failure what with them questioning the ethics of it. But then again Katherine was famed for putting her own self-preservation over anyone else's. Ironically, more people trusted Katherine, so she'd be able to get close to them.
"Fine," Rebekah conceded, grabbing a second bottle of wine by the foot of her chair. In a swift motion she uncorked it refilling Katherine and her glasses, the liquid sloshing as her hand trembled. "Cheers."
"Cheers." The glasses clinked together.
Rebekah took a sip before placing hers on the floor. Then her eyes cracking black she bit into the pale flesh under her wrist, blood splodging onto her black jeans.
"What are you doing?" Rebekah ignored her, lifting the neck of the wine bottle to her wrist she let the blood dribble in until the wound clotted. Sticking her thumb over the top she shook the bottle then held it out to Katherine.
"Make sure everyone drinks from this."
~~~
Rebekah set her jaw banishing the dancing stars from her vision she opened the door to the living room hanging onto the doorframe for a second to keep her balance. Stefan sat in the armchair by the fire staring at Damon and Elena who were huddled by one of the boarded windows. Klaus lounged on the sofa one arm around Caroline the other holding a book, Kol sprawled out beside them his head falling off the back of the sofa arm as he rambled about nonsense. Finn rested one arm on the mantle examining them all, Bonnie, Katherine, and Elijah sat rigidly on the sofa opposite, Bonnie studying her Grimoire, Katherine fiddling with her hair while Elijah turned to greet Rebekah.
All of them were had an empty wine glass near them. Rebekah smiled.
"Don't hang in the doorway Rebekah," Elijah wiped some imaginary dust off his trousers, "It's rather rude."
Rebekah nodded making her way to Stefan, resisting the temptation to reach out and grab the wall for support. Her leg gave out for a second and she pitched forwards, Finn grasping her forearm the only thing stopping her from bashing her head on the mantle.
"Easy Rebekah, watch the rug."
Rebekah offered him a weak smile, pleased she could blame the little slip on the rotting rug. Reaching Stefan, she collapsed into his lap he caught her with a smile pressing a kiss to her forehead and wrapping an arm around her waist. If he noticed anything wrong with her, he didn't say.
"Shame on you Rebekah," Klaus turned a page in his book, "Not able to keep up with Elijah's impeccably high standards."
"Don not start Nik." Rebekah ran a hand through her hair leaning her head against Stefan's shoulder.
"I think it's a bloody good time, say how we really feel before we die."
"In that case Niklaus," Elijah rose to his feet, Finn stepping forwards as well, "I have some choice words for you-"
"See!" Klaus jabbed a finger at him, "What kind of person talks like that! He always must be so overly polite, chivalrous, a gentleman. Well guess what Elijah your little morals aren't going to stop mother from killing you."
"Well at least I won't be known as the man no one ever loved. The man who killed everyone whoever tried to care about him. I'd watch out Caroline he'll kill you too soon enough."
"How dare you?"
"You've had that coming for a long time, Niklaus." Finn stated standing shoulder to shoulder with Elijah, "You cannot blame us for your little tantrums anymore. It is you people cannot stand to be around."
"Says you, I've not seen you smile in over a thousand years." Kol slurred from the sofa, he must be too drunk to stand Rebekah thought.
"That's because Niklaus kept me daggered for nine hundred years of them."
"Oh, here we go again," Klaus threw his book aside and stood up opposite Elijah and Finn, "Always blaming me for everything wrong with your lives. You're the one who betrayed me Finn, that's why I daggered you. That's why I daggered all of you to stop you from leaving me, so I could keep you safe."
"We are not your property." Elijah spat his cool tone replaced with a burning in his eyes, "We didn't just live in fear of father for a thousand years we lived in fear of you too!"
"Enough!" Rebekah pushed herself upright grasping the arm of the chair to keep her balance, "Is this really how you want to spend our last few hours together, squabbling like a bunch of children? We didn't even fight like this when we were children."
"Things have changed since then Bekah," Kol stumbled to stand as well, "We're not kids anymore, we know better not to trust each other now."
"But don't you see how absurd this is, stood here squabbling with each other when it is mother and father who are the enemies. They are the ones who turned us into this, they are the ones who hunted us for a thousand years, they are the ones who drove a stake between us."
"Says the girl who mourned mother for a thousand years, crying herself to sleep, acting out in anyway to get our attention. You can't pretend you hate mother; you loved her the most out of all of us." Kol dropped back onto the sofa glaring at her through half lidded eyes.
"He's right," Klaus stepped forward, "Why should we listen to anything you have to say? You probably let mother use you as a magical vessel falling for another one of her lies about being her daughter again."
"You know what Nik," Rebekah strode towards him, the weakness temporarily leaving her bones, "I'm done. I'm done trying to put this family back together when your all so intent on tearing me down, making me regret every possible decision I have ever made, making me think I am worthless. Every time I think we are on the road to recovery one of you blows your top and I am forced to bring us all back together. Not this time."
Rebekah turned trudging away her head weighing her down like led ballon, she looked down through blurry eyes to notice her nails embedded in her hands blood dribbling onto the floor. She slumped into the wall near the door pushing herself along it to keep going, a hand supported the small of her back the hot breath on her neck belonged to Stefan.
"Rebekah, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" He took her by the arm helping to guide her from the room as her knees knocked together.
"What does it matter? We'll all be dead by morning anyway."
Thank you for reading the Spare Girl!
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