BLOODLINE
viii. decisions

SCENES OF A HISTORICAL documentary flashed across Erin's television screen into the late hours of the night. Sleep didn't come easy, or at all, after what she learned from Katherine. And the only thing that brought her comfort had been the retellings of Viking lore.

Good thing the weekend started the next morning. She would've been a useless lump in a classroom setting.

Erin leaned against a mound of pillows propped behind her upper back and head, taking in the runic symbols that were displayed on the thin glass. Her eyes had begun to droop, finally dragging her under, until a thud sounded outside her bedroom door.

An odd occurrence, considering everyone in the house was supposed to be asleep. At least, that's what Erin thought. She tossed her blanket aside and shifted to the edge of the bed. Once she slipped her feet into her house shoes, she threw the door open.

A short scream escaped her lips when Erin nearly ran into another person. She stumbled back, grabbing at her chest as she recognized them. "Alaric," she breathed out, trying to slow her racing heart.

Alaric jumped, nearly dropping the bowl in his hands. "Erin." His eyes went wide, before they fell to his compromised state. He cleared his throat, lowering his bowl to cover his boxer-clad self.

Erin blinked, keeping her gaze on his face. "I, uh, heard a noise," she replied, trying to ignore the fact that he stood in front of her practically naked.

Right then, the door to Elena's room opened and she rushed out. Her stare swiped over them, before it settled on Alaric. She quickly looked away. "Uh, I heard Erin scream," she muttered.

Erin gestured to their aunt's boyfriend. "He scared me."

Footsteps were heard on the stairs, and a second later, Jenna came into view. Hair a mess and adorned in an oversized button-down shirt. Her lips pulled into a sheepish smile when she noticed Erin and Elena. "The noise was us. I'm sorry," she apologized.

"We didn't think anyone else was up," Alaric explained as his face took on a reddish hue.

Jenna glanced between Erin and Elena and added, "but here you guys are."

"We were just..." Alaric trailed off, raising his bowl in the closest twin's direction. "Chunky monkey?"

Erin pressed her lips together in an attempt to not smile and shook her head. "Nope, I'm good."

Alaric lowered the bowl and nodded. An awkward silence fell over the four of them. He gave a halfhearted chuckle and said, "well - I'm naked. So, I'm gonna go." He hurried off into Jenna's room.

Erin resisted the urge to laugh. She didn't want to embarrass Alaric or Jenna more than they probably already were.

Once he was gone, Jenna started after him, but she paused and turned back to Erin and Elena. "I'm really, really sorry."

Elena shook her head with a small smile. "It's okay, Jenna. Don't worry about it."

Erin nodded when the woman looked her way. "Really. It's fine. Just - refrain from giving me a heart-attack next time," she quipped.

Jenna still wore a somewhat guilty expression. "I know he's been staying over a lot. Are you - are you guys sure it's okay?"

Of course it was okay with Erin. She was ecstatic that Jenna found someone who made her happy and treated her right. And she liked Alaric. He was a thousand times better than the tool who had been Logan Fell.

"Seems like things are good," Elena voiced, looking from their aunt to the doorway where Alaric disappeared.

A love-struck smile spread across Jenna's lips. "They're extremely good."

Erin grinned at her aunt's reaction. She and Alaric were so cute.

Elena smiled in return. "Then I'm extremely okay with it," she stated and then headed back into her room.

When Jenna turned to her, Erin said, "same here. I'm happy for you."

Jenna nodded and almost skipped after her boyfriend.

Erin playfully rolled her eyes, spinning around to re-enter her room. With the door shut, she trudged to her bed and collapsed back onto her polyester sheets.

Maybe now she could finally get some sleep.

__________

It took longer than she liked, but Erin eventually drifted off into a dreamless sleep. A reprieve from the horrid images that plagued her for the last few days. But her peaceful morning came to a crashing halt with the arrival of the Salvatore brothers.

Erin should've expected as much from them. After all, Elena told Stefan everything they learned from Katherine. Every terrible and shocking detail. Truths that Stefan and Damon weren't so inclined to believe. Understandable. The woman quite literally ruined their lives, but Erin didn't get the luxury of doubt. And until she was proven wrong, Katherine's story would be her guide when it came to Klaus.

In less shocking news, the brothers went to see the entombed vampire. They wanted to know what she wanted in exchange for the moonstone. The mystical item they so ignorantly left behind when they tossed her into the tomb. Katherine claimed to want one thing, as far away from Mystic Falls as she could get.

"You don't believe her, do you?" Elena questioned when she heard the seemingly outrageous vow.

"No, of course not. We just want the moonstone," Damon replied, tossing an orange from the fruit bowl between his hands.

Stefan stood beside him at the island counter and said, "according to Rose's friend, Slater, there's a way to destroy the spell that Klaus wants to break."

"No spell, no doppelgänger sacrifice. Ergo, you both live," Damon added, glancing from Erin to Elena.

That sounded incredibly convenient to Erin. They just learned about the true nature of the Sun and the Moon Cure, and there happened to be a way to end it so soon afterward? Something didn't seem right.

Elena leaned against the open door-frame of the kitchen and asked, "how do you destroy it?"

Stefan moved forward to lean onto the counter. "By releasing it from the moonstone."

Erin rested in one of the barstools across from the brothers, arms crossed over her green sweater. "Do you guys even know if this is going to work? Sounds too good to be true," she voiced.

Damon looked at her and tossed the orange up to catch it. "We have a crafty witch on our side."

Elena sighed and pushed away from the frame, approaching Erin's side at the counter. "You discussed it with Bonnie."

"She agreed to do anything she could to help us," Stefan stated.

Erin nodded lightly. She didn't doubt that for a second.

Elena set her hands into the countertop and retorted, "it's Katherine who has the moonstone. She's not gonna give it to you."

"We're gonna get it from her," Stefan assured them.

"Well, what he means to say is, we will pry it from her cold, dead hands if we have to," Damon supplied.

Stefan ignored the comment and continued, "Bonnie just needs to find a way to release the seal long enough for us to get in, get the moonstone, and get out in time for her to return it."

Erin hummed. They were quick with their plans, she'll give them that. "You guys came up with this overnight? I'm kind of impressed."

"Yep. We're awesome," Damon exclaimed, pointing at himself with his thumbs.

"Except for one thing," Elena spoke and drew all eyes to her. "We don't want you to do it."

Erin blinked at that, snapping to her sister as she claimed the stool at her side. "I'm sorry, who's this we? I know you're not including me," she retorted.

Elena turned to her with furrowed brows. "I thought you'd agree. Klaus will kill everyone we care about."

Erin huffed, uncrossing her arms to lean forward and set them on the counter. "I'm not saying we do it. Let's, I don't know, come up with a few more ideas before we commit to anything."

They couldn't just rely on one thing. Not when it came to something as important as their lives and the lives of their friends. They needed more information. About Klaus, about the curse, about de-spelling the moonstone.

Erin knew that Stefan and Damon were impulsive, but she thought they would at least think their plan through a little better than just basically hoping for the best.

"Elena, if we can de-spell the moonstone, we can save yours and Erin's lives," Stefan tried to calm her worries.

Instead, it appeared to do the opposite. Elena shook her head and stood to her feet. "I know. Everybody keeps saying that." She turned and strode out of the room without another word.

Erin sighed, dropping her chin into her open palm. Oh, Elena, ever the dramatic.

Stefan pushed off the counter and shifted his attention her way. "You have to talk to her, Erin. You're probably the only one that'll get her to listen," he stated.

Erin lifted her head and scoffed. "You've met Elena. When she has something in mind, no one or nothing is gonna change it."

And as irritated as Erin was that her sister tried to come to a decision for her, Elena made a lot of sense. If what Katherine said about Klaus's vengeance could be believed, he slaughtered her entire family for the simple fact that she ruined his chance to break the Sun and the Moon Curse. What would stop him from doing the same to theirs?

But that didn't mean that Erin wanted to sit back, waiting for the ancient vampire to descend on their town. Something had to be done, and for that to happen, they needed more information.

And Erin knew where to get it.

Erin leaned back from the island counter and stood from her chosen barstool. "You guys just worry about getting the moonstone. I'll keep Elena occupied," she told them, moving to leave the kitchen.

"By doing what?" Damon questioned, bringing Erin to spin around and walk out the door backward.

"You don't need to know everything about our lives." Erin rounded a corner into the rest of the home and hurried to find Elena.

While Stefan and Damon dealt with Katherine and the moonstone, it gave Erin and Elena the perfect opportunity to learn more about the mythical Klaus. And she knew the perfect person who could help them do just that.

__________

"It's a bad idea," Rose stated when she heard exactly what Erin wanted to do.

In hindsight, it might've been. But did they really have a choice? Probably, but Erin had never been the patient type.

Erin shrugged, perching on the arm of a couch in the parlor. "Maybe, but from what I've heard, your friend Slater obviously knows more about Klaus. You and Damon just didn't get it."

Rose gave her a flat look. "Because someone blew up a coffee shop with us in it."

The day before, Damon and Rose took a trip to Richmond to meet with a vampire named Slater, who had information on Klaus. While there, someone attacked the coffee shop where they convened. The place was practically blown apart, and Rose suffered burns from the midday sun because of the damage.

Erin understood why Rose was apprehensive, possibly even scared, but they needed Slater's information.

"There's more to learn," Elena spoke from where she sat beside Erin. "We just have to find a way to learn it."

Rose scoffed, turning away for a moment, before she faced them again. "Why are you coming to me with this?"

Erin and Elena exchanged a glance. Because she was their only option. Not that she needed to know that.

"Because you owe us." Elena met the vampire's stare and continued, "one word from us, and Damon and Stefan - could've killed you for kidnapping us."

Rose's eyes narrowed between them. "Or maybe it's because you know they wouldn't want either of you doing this. And their moonstone caper gives you both a chance to sneak away."

Erin pressed her lips together and said, "we're not exactly on the same page, right now. They're willing to risk the lives of everyone we care about by acting without thinking. We're being smart about it."

Rose sighed. "They're just trying to protect you both."

"And you've proven that you couldn't care less whether we're protected or not," Elena shot back. "So, we're back to you taking us to Slater."

Rose rolled her eyes and stepped around the coffee table to drop next to them on the couch. "What exactly do you hope to achieve by this?"

Erin's lips parted to reply, but Elena beat her to it.

"How would you like to be able to walk during the daylight?"

Erin's brows furrowed at her sister's words. Was she trying to bribe Rose?

Rose's interest piqued. "I've been a slave to the shadows for five hundred years, what did you think?"

"I think I know a witch who's willing to do whatever it takes to help, if you're willing to make a deal," Elena replied.

Erin watched Rose's hesitation melt away as she nodded, promptly agreeing to the offer without another complaint.

__________

A short few hours put them in the middle of the bustling city of Richmond. Not a place where Erin expected a centuries old vampire to take up residence, but her newfound experience made her realize that may have been the point. Rose parked within a covered garage and led her and Elena up into an apartment complex.

On the highest level of the building, they came to a stop in front of a paint-chipped set of double doors. Rose raised her hand, knocking on the surface as she called out, "Slater? Slater, it's Rose. Open up!"

They waited, but no one answered. The doors remained closed.

Rose looked at them and said, "he's not home. Sorry."

Erin shook her head. "We didn't just come all the way out here for nothing. You're a vampire." She gestured to the doors. "Do your thing."

Rose sighed heavily, but she turned back and set her hands on the handles. Without much effort, she pushed inward and the doors popped open. She stepped aside and swung her arm out. "After you."

Erin looked toward Elena and then stepped across the threshold. Inside, a surprisingly modern-styled living space greeted them. Sleek hardwood floors, compete with metallic accents and angled furnishings. A metal, spiral staircase even led to what could've only been a loft. The place appeared as though it came straight out of an IKEA showroom.

Rose moved ahead of them, peering into a small hallway that must have led to the bedroom. But instead of entering, she paused and stared with wide eyes. "I don't think he's gonna be much help."

Erin hurried over to her side, jolting back at the sight of a body laid across the floor. Grey veiny skin covered his hands and face, while a wooden stake protruded from his chest.

After a moment, Rose moved to where Slater had fallen and grabbed his arms, dragging him out of view.

Erin turned away, trying to force the images of his body from her mind. Her attention soon fell to Elena, who stride across the room to where a desk sat against the wall. Six computer screens were placed atop the long surface, their keyboards obscured by various papers.

"Looks like whoever blew up the coffee shop found him and killed him for his information," Elena voiced, grabbing a clipped bundle of papers from the desk.

"Yeah, probably to stop him from helping people like us," Rose agreed as she stepped back into the room and over to them. "The guy was a vampire almanac. Knowing too much information just bit him in the ass."

Erin approached her sister, picking up more papers from the desk. "Ignorance is bliss. Might've saved his life," she quipped, skimming the typed words in her grasp. Nothing caught her attention. Just something on a random vampire she didn't know.

When light flooded the room, Erin snapped up to see Rose stood before a wall of windows that stretched from floor to ceiling. Her eyes widened. Did the woman have a death wish?

"What are you..." Elena started to call out, but she trailed off when the vampire failed to burst into flames.

Rose simply started out at the busy streets of Richmond below and relayed, "tempered glass. U.V. rays can't penetrate. I used to come here and watch the day."

Pity filled Erin's chest. She couldn't imagine the life Rose had lived over the last five hundred years. On the run from the oldest vampires in the world, forced to hide in the shadows without the aid of a daylight ring, and now two of her longtime friends were dead in the span of a few days.

Her eyes fell to Slater's forgotten desk, finding a framed picture of him and a dark haired woman. With a breath, Erin lifted her gaze back to Rose and said, "I'm sorry." She turned to like her way. "About Slater."

Rose turned from the windows and ignored the comment. "Any luck?"

Erin shook her head, setting the papers onto the desk. "Nothing here. Just a bunch of stuff on some random vampire."

Elena set her own bundle down and hit a key on the keyboard. The middle screen went black and a password box appeared. "It's password protected. I can't get in."

Rose sighed. "No, this is fine. Let's just go."

Erin jumped when a noise sounded from the far side of the apartment. Her heart lurched as she spun to a set of doors where it originated.

Rose moved toward them, sending them a pointed look. "Stay here." She headed for the doors, taking hold of the handles to pull them open. After a moment, her brows creased. "Alice?"

A dark haired woman sprinted from the room, launching herself into Rose's arms. Alice sobbed into her shoulder, clutching her for dear life. "He's dead!"

Erin glanced from Alice to the photo on Slater's desk. It was the same woman.

__________

The loud cries of Alice calmed once Rose led her over to a nearby couch. While she took the time to comfort the woman, Erin and Elena moved into the kitchen to brew some tea. The drink always seemed to make others feel better, and there weren't very many options in a home that belonged to a vampire.

Erin found four white mugs in the cabinets and brought them to a small table within the room. Elena already claimed it, setting a steaming kettle onto the surface.

As they poured the tea, Rose entered and dropped onto one of the chairs beside them. "She found him a few minutes before we did," she stated.

"How is she?" Erin questioned, despite knowing that the woman must've been destroyed. She did just find her boyfriend's body desiccated on the floor.

"Overreacting. Big time," Rose quipped in return.

Erin snapped to her with narrowed eyes, as did Elena. "Her boyfriend just died. There's no such thing as overreacting," her sister shot back.

"Those tears are for her," Rose clarified, bringing Erin to stare at her in confusion. "She didn't care about Slater. She was only dating him long enough to see if he'd turn her."

Erin blinked. Why would anyone ever think to do something like that? From the picture on his desk, it seemed like Slater actually cared for Alice, and all she wanted was for him to turn her into a vampire. How selfish could a person be?

Before she could reply, Erin noticed a familiar look fall onto her sister. She was up to something. "What are you thinking?"

Elena picked up one of the filled mugs and glanced toward Alice, still hunched over on the couch. "I have an idea."

Erin followed her line of sight. "Is this idea gonna get you slapped?" she asked with a quirked brow.

"Maybe." Elena pivoted on her heel and strode off into the living room. She offered the mig to Alice, sitting beside her to put her plan into motion.

Erin rolled her eyes and took a mug of her own. "I hope Alice isn't the sensitive type," she muttered to the vampire beside her, taking a sip of her tea. The bitter taste of chamomile coated her tongue. She cringed. There was a reason she liked coffee more.

Rose's brows furrowed, shifting her gaze between her and Elena. "What is she up to?"

Elena's voice filtered through the room in a reply. "What if I could convince Rose to turn you?"

Rose's eyes widened as she snapped to the eldest twin then to the youngest.

Erin simply shrugged and set her mug back into the table.

__________

"Someone's been here," Alice voiced as she logged into Slater's computer. "The harddrive's completely wiped."

After Elena offered up Rose to turn her, it didn't take long for Alice to agree to access Slater's files. The woman quickly dropped onto the desk chair and typed the first password to bring up the Home Screen. There, a warning appeared and read that there was no data found. Everything they came for before they even arrived.

"Yeah, probably whoever killed him," Rose retorted.

"Lucky for you, Slater was paranoid," Alice replied and shifted to a different screen. "Everything's backed up on a remote server."

Erin hummed. If the man truly was paranoid, maybe he should've invested in a better home security system.

While the woman was occupied, Rose turned to Erin and Elena and muttered low enough for only them to hear, "you know that she's not going anywhere near my blood, right?"

Elena nodded. "I know. She doesn't," she stated lowly in response, before she moved to stand behind the oblivious woman.

Erin noticed the slight smirk that spread across Rose's lips. She scoffed lightly, capturing her attention. "So little faith," she quipped with a small grin and then stepped up to her sister's side.

Alice typed on another password, bringing up dozens of hidden files. "Kristen Stewart. God, he was obvious."

Erin took in the various names that were listed, each connected to more within their labeled slot. "Are all of these vampires?" she questioned.

Alice continued to scroll through the files. More and more were seen. "Slater was obsessed, almost as much as me."

"What about that one?" Rose spoke, leaning around them to point at one of the names listed. "Cody Webber. They exchanged dozens of emails about Elijah."

Finally, they were getting somewhere.

"I could - call him," Alice offered.

Elena snatched a phone off the desk and handed it to the woman. "Tell him we're trying to get a message to Klaus. The doppelgänger is alive, and she's ready to surrender."

Erin's eyes nearly bulged out of her skull. "What?" she exclaimed, whirling toward her sister. What in the hell was she doing?

Alice spun to them then and breathed, "oh, my God. I knew I recognized you two."

Elena ignored them and continued, "only one of them, okay?. Get him the message." She then turned and hurried off through the apartment.

Erin stared after her as anger bubbled in the out of stomach. "Oh, no you don't." She rushed after her sister, snatching at her arm to force her to stop. "What are you doing? Are you insane?" she nearly shouted.

Elena yanked out of her grip and said, "I'm getting Klaus's attention."

"Attention? If he knows about us, we're dead, Elena!" Erin exclaimed, trying to knock some sense into her sister.

Elena shook her head. "Not us. Me."

Erin froze at that. Her? What was she talking about? If he only knew about her, that would mean...

"You're planning on sacrificing yourself," Erin breathed out when her sister's intentions registered.

Elena pressed her lips together and avoided her eyes. "It's the only way to keep our family safe. Keep you safe."

Erin gapped at her as if she'd grown a second head. In truth, she believed that would've been something she could accept more. "You're just gonna - what? Hand yourself over? Leave us all behind so you can be killed for some stupid curse?"

Elena turned to her and sighed. "I'm not gonna let something happen to anyone else if I can help it." She shook her head. "I can't - I'm not gonna let you die, Erin."

Tears began to fill Erin's eyes as she squeezed her hands into fists at her sides. "You don't get to make that choice for me, Elena." She was angry. Actually, she was beyond angry. She was furious.

How dare Elena decide something so final? So life changing? Something that would destroy not only her life but Jeremy's. Jenna's and Stefan's and Damon's. All of their friend's. Hers. Erin would never be able to live with herself if Elena died for her. If Elena died and she lived, knowing that she could've taken her place.

No. That wouldn't happen. Erin wouldn't let that happen.

Their conversation was halted when Alice appeared. "Cody is on his way, and he really wants to meet you," she informed them.

Erin scoffed, storming out of the room to a less crowded spot in the living room. That was, until Rose joined her.

"You're not going to let her do this, are you?" Rose questioned, seemingly jarred by the sudden turn of events.

"Of course not." Erin tore into jacket pocket and pulled out her phone. She clicked on a recent text message and began to type another.

We have a problem.

__________

Hours passed and Erin began to grow antsy. Another race against time. Another bought of hoping that Damon Salvatore arrived before a would-be kidnapper.

Erin couldn't believe she had found herself in a similar position only days later, willing her friends to appear before she and her sister were taken by some unknown vampire. Because even if Elena only wanted to put herself in danger, Erin would inevitably dragged along when they noticed her presence.

Her anger continued to simmer under the surface as they waited. Elena, for the vampire contact who would take her to Klaus, and Erin, for Damon to hail her sister out of there and back to Mystic Falls. She knew Elena was impulsive, self-deprecatingly so, but she never thought her sister would do something so stupid. So unbelievably dumb that Erin began to wonder if the various times she'd been knocked out over the last few months had given her brain damage.

Erin kept her distance from Elena, staying near the tinted windows as if to see Damon's bright blue car speed down the street. She didn't know what took him so long. After her texts, she knew that he would've climbed into his car and practically flew the entire way there. So where was he?

With that in mind, Erin grasped her phone and started to send Damon another message, but something in the darkened glass caught her eye. She looked up and gasped, nearly dropping her phone when a figure flashed before her.

Erin whirled around, making sure that no one had snuck up behind her to reflect in the window, but the space remained vacant. Her gaze flicked back to the glass and saw that the image was no longer there.

Leave it to Erin to start seeing things.

As her heart rate began to slow, Erin turned away from the window in time to see Damon stride through the front door of the apartments. She released a long sigh of relief.

Oblivious to his appearance, Elena walked out of the kitchen with a glass of water in hand. She took a sip and turned, gasping when she spotted the eldest Salvatore. "What're you doing here?" she exclaimed, holding the glass at her side.

Damon's expression fell placid as he shot back, "what're you doing here?"

Rose walked into the room then, capturing Elena's attention. "You called him?"

"Texted, actually," Erin called out, drawing all eyes to her as she stepped toward them.

Elena's jaw slacked, and she stared at her with a look of betrayal. "I thought you understood."

"She lied," Damon answered for Erin, pulling Elena's gaze back to him.

Right then, Alice joined them with an awestruck grin. "Damon Salvatore."

Damon nodded at Rose. "Get rid of her."

In no mood to object, Rose took hold of Alice's arm and dragged her from the room, ignoring the woman's amazed demeanor.

Damon glanced between Erin and Elena and said, "come on. We're leaving."

Erin took a step, but paused when Elena argued.

"No."

Erin rolled her eyes. Elena was well on her way to royally pissing her off.

Damon glared down at her sister. "I said, we're leaving."

"I'm not going with you," Elena retorted, standing her ground.

Erin sighed, raising a hand to run at her face. "Come on, Elena. We don't have time for this. We have to go."

Elena shook her head. "No. You can go, but I'm staying here."

"You don't get to make decisions, anymore," Damon replied, pulling her hardened stare back to him.

"When have I ever made a decision? You and Stefan do that for me. Now this - this is my decision."

"Who's gonna save your life while you're out making decisions?"

"You're not listening to me, Damon. I don't want to be saved," Elena stated, causing Damon's expression to falter, if even for a moment. "Not if it means that Klaus is gonna kill every single person that I love."

Damon's heated glare returned tenfold. "Get your ass out that door, before I throw you over my shoulder and carry you out myself." When she didn't move, he reached out and yanked on her arm.

Elena fought against him, failing to escape his grip. "No!"

In a blink, Elena's arm shot up with herhand balled into a fist. It never got a chance to connect when Damon reached up, stopping her fist inches from his cheek.

Erin's eyes went wide. Was Elena seriously about to punch Damon in the face?

Damon's jaw clenched, tightening his hold on Elena's hand as he brought it down and leaned close. "Don't ever do that again." He roughly let her go, storming off into the room where Rose and Alice disappeared.

Erin gapped at her sister, ignoring the shocked look on her face. "What is wrong with you?"

Elena looked at her and sighed heavily. "You have to understand why I'm doing this, Erin."

Erin nodded. "Oh, I understand, but all you're gonna do is get Klaus's attention and actually bring him here. We didn't even know if he knew about us, let alone where we were, and now, you've basically sent up a freaking homing beacon." She huffed and began to step away. "I hope you're happy."

Ten minutes later, Damon emerged from the other room and declared, "time to go. Alice is soundly sleeping and won't remember a moment of this horribly stupid day."

Erin rose from the chair she claimed, but she jumped when the front door of the apartment and three men strode inside. Elena and Rose followed her movements, now on high alert.

The first man voiced, "we're here to meet the doppelgänger."

Elena moved forward. "Thank you for coming," she replied, before Damon intercepted her path and held her in place.

"I will break your arm," Damon muttered lowly, but Erin could clearly hear him. He turned back to the men and stared, "there's nothing for you here."

When a pain-filled gasp erupted from the front entrance, Erin turned and nearly collapsed when someone new materialized on the threshold.

The recently dead Elijah stood before them as if he hadn't been stabbed directly in the heart days prior. He held a heart in his hand, dropping it beside the dead body splayed across the floor.

Erin's blood ran cold as Elijah sped toward the remaining men. Rose didn't waste a second, vanishing from the apartment in a blur. And honestly, Erin didn't blame her. She wanted nothing more than to do the same.

"I killed you," Damon voiced to the ancient vampire. "You were dead."

Elijah glanced toward him and said, "for centuries now." He looked back to the two remaining men. "Who are you?"

"Who are you?" the one who spoke earlier questioned.

"Elijah."

The vampire blinked in shock and replied, "we were gonna bring them to you. For Klaus. They're doppelgängers. We thought there was only one, but they're two. I don't know how they exist, but they do. Klaus will want to see them."

Elijah's stare drifted from the men to them.

Erin squirmed beneath his dark eyes, wanting nothing more than to take a page out of Rose and Katherine's books and hightail it out of there. But there was no way she would make it past the centuries old vampire. She, Elena, and Damon were trapped.

"Does anyone else know that you're here?" Elijah asked, his gaze unwavering from Erin.

"No."

At that, Elijah tore his eyes away and set them on the men. "Well, then - you have been incredibly helpful." Without another word, both of his hands shot out and ripped through their chests.

Erin ran for Elena's side as Elijah yanked back, holding two hearts in his hands.

When the bloody organs plopped onto the hardwood, Damon positioned himself in front of Erin and Elena. Ready to face off with the vampire.

But in a shocking turn, Elijah gave them one last glance and sped from the apartment empty handed.

Not a sound was made in his absence. Erin couldn't move. She couldn't breathe. She could only stare at the place where Elijah had been, trying her hardest to withhold the bile that climbed into her throat.

Did that really just happen?

<March 22, 2022>

Another long chapter. Didn't expect it to be so long, but here it is.

Hope you guys are ready for the next one, because there's a scene between a few people that you don't want to miss!

Don't forget to vote and comment.

- Jordan

P.S. Unedited chapter.