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xxiv. homecoming

PLANS WERE NOT THE Salvatore brothers' strong suit. Not that they would ever admit that to anyone. In fact, they neglected to believe it themselves. Neither Stefan or Damon doubted their ability to brainstorm. Their plans always seemed to turn out just fine, so why would they?

     Erin, on the other hand, thought long and hard about any situation at hand. Always on the lookout for holes in their seemingly flawless plans. And in the end, they were typically far from it. They simply got lucky. Every single time. Their plans weren't foolproof. If anything, they were made by fools.

     And their latest one deemed them the biggest fools of them all.

     To their surprise, Mikael finally made his presence known. Katherine Pierce, who had proposed the idea of waking the desiccated Original, didn't fail in her attempt like they previously thought. He arrived, offering to help kill Klaus.

     That was where Stefan and Damon made their first mistake. It actually extended back to waking Mikael in the first place, but no one else seemed to think so. Erin was alone in that belief.

     After she heard the entire story of the Original Family, Erin knew they made a huge mistake. Mikael wasn't someone they should ally with. He was someone they should want to put down. He was nothing but a man who hunted his own children to the ends of the earth.

     And the moment he stepped foot inside of the Boarding House, Erin felt as though all of the warmth had been sucked out of the air. A coldness followed the man, sending an eerie chill down her spine. She made it a point to put as much distance between him and her as possible.

     "Okay, let's say that Mikael follows Elena here," Stefan proposed, leading them into the library. "He tried to grab her so he could use her as bait."

     "And you what?" Elena questioned as they followed him inside. "Vervained he?"

     "No, we vervained him," Damon corrected, stopping a few feet away from his brother to stand beside Elena. "This guy's an Original. To make it realistic."

     Stefan sighed and leaned against the railing of the library upper section. "Okay, fine. We vervained him, and in the process discovered that he had a dagger."

     "Which he planned to use on Rebekah, but instead..."

     "We drive it through his heart," Stefan finished Elena's addition to the plan.

     Erin crossed her arms over the weaved fabric of her sweater and voiced, "and what're you gonna do when Klaus asks to see Mikael's body?" She shifted her gaze between them.

     Stefan glanced her way and said, "well, don't look at me. I'm just I'm charge of getting him back here."

     Erin gave the humanity-less vampire a dull look. "Klaus isn't just gonna believe Mikael's dead because you say he's dead. He's gonna want proof."

     "Then I shall be dead"

     Erin whirled around to where Mikael entered the lower level of the room. She tightened her arms around her chest, eyeing him as he moved toward a table and set a cloth wrapped dagger on its surfaces. A glass bottle of White Oak ash came next.

     Elena and Stefan descended the small set of steps to approach him, but Erin remained place alongside Damon.

     "What if he wants to see you in person?" Elena questioned when she came to a stop near him.

     "Well, that means our plan is working," Mikael stated, turning to face them. "Klaus will absolutely want to see my body. You lure him here, and I will kill him."

     Too simple. Erin hated simple when it came to plans.

     "With what?" Stefan asked and nodded to the weapon next to him. "Those daggers won't work on him."

     Mikael clasped his hands in front of his suit's blazer. "Well, I'm in possession of a stake fashioned from the wood of the ancient White Oak tree. The one that left these ashes when it burned." He indicated to the bottle of ash as he moved to unwrap the dagger.

     "Where is it?" Damon asked from across the room.

     "Not here," Mikael answered, and Damon rolled his eyes. "The knowing of its location is my insurance policy." He lifted the dagger to dip it into the ashes.

     "Against what?" Stefan continued to prod him for information.

     "You leaving this in my heart," Mikael said, lifting the dagger from the table. "You see, a vampire can't dagger an Original without dying. So - it falls to you." He held the weapon out toward Elena.

     Erin snorted at her sister's wide eyes. Who did she think would have to dagger him?

     Elena blinked toward him. "Y - you want me to actually dagger you?"

     Mikael met her stare and said, "Klaus will leave nothing to chance, especially when it comes to trust."

     Erin noticed her sister hesitate, prompting her to speak. "I'll do it, if you want," she offered, drawing all eyes to her.

     "And why would you do such a thing?" Mikael questioned in return.

     Erin lowered her arms and strode across the room to stand at her sister's side. Her eyes narrowed toward the Original. "Because Elena doesn't want to. And if you think it messes up your plan, Klaus knows I'd do anything for her, even dagger you," she shot back.

     Mikael eyed her for a moment, before he held out the dagger hilt first.

     Erin grasped it in her hand, looking down at the weapon, before her eyes lifted back to him. "So, you wanna do this by the couch or..."

     Mikael reached out and grabbed the blade, lifting the dagger until it sat level with his heart. He placed the tip onto his chest. "Here is fine."

     Erin pressed her lips together and glanced back to Elena then to Damon. When he nodded, she returned her attention to the Original and took a deep breath. She raised her free hand to his shoulder and then stabbed harshly at his chest.

     Mikael barely flinched when the dagger pierced his heart. His body slacked, dropping him to the floor as his skin faded to a grey and dark veins trailed up his neck to consume his entire face.

     Damon hummed from where he stood behind the wooden railing. "Well done, Buffy," he quipped.

     Erin stepped back and sent him a halfhearted roll of her eyes.

__________

     Despite the lack of intricacies of their plan, their phone call to Klaus seemed to work. He was on his way back to Mystic Falls. The promise to see his father's body, or stepfather Erin supposed, piqued his interest.

     There had been no doubt about that portion of the plan. It was what followed that caused worry, at least for Erin. Everyone else seemed to think the killing Klaus would go off without a hitch, but she wasn't so sure.

     Once the first step ended in success, Erin and Elena retreated back to their home to find dresses for the Homecoming Dance that night. Elena plundered through her closet with little luck, while Erin already had her outfit planned out for weeks. All courtesy of Caroline.

     Elena sighed, pulling out a black dress to hold up against her body. "I hate everything in my closet. I have nothing to wear to Homecoming," she stated.

     Erin sat cross-legged on her sister's bed and voiced, "should've gone shopping with me and Caroline when we asked. Then maybe you wouldn't be stuck with one from sophomore year." Elena held a purple dress in her hand, causing her expression to scrunch. "Please, don't wear that thing."

     Elena frowned, glancing down at the ruffled fabric. "Yeah, this was better two years ago," she muttered and hung the thing back up with her other clothes.

     "So, don't go," Bonnie supplied from where she sat across from Erin on the bed. "Let's stay home, order takeout, and over analyze ancient hieroglyphic thingies with Alaric." She held up a few of the cave pictures they had splayed across Elena's bedspread.

     Even though they deciphered part of the story, there were still symbols and images they knew nothing about. There was more to what had been written about the Originals than even Rebekah knew, and they needed to figure it out.

     "We have to go. Caroline will kill us," Elena replied, sifting through the rest of her clothes.

     Bonnie scoffed, turning the pictures around to stare at them. "Caroline actually has a date."

     Erin pressed her lips together and exchanged a look with Elena.

     During the ghost fiasco the previous week, Jeremy had been caught kissing Anna. The dead vampire girlfriend he could still see whenever he wanted. Bonnie learned of what happened, and rightfully broke up with him, leaving her single and heartbroken.

     Erin forced a placid expression to fall over her features and turned to her friend. "You can talk to us about what happened with Jeremy. You know that, right?" she replied as sincerely as she could muster.

     Bonnie set the pictures in her hands down and shook her head. "I don't need to talk about it. He fell in love with his ghost girlfriend and lied about it. What's done is done."

     Elena moved to sit near her on the foot of the bed. "You have to talk about it. He hurt you, Bonnie. I'm mad at him, too. We're mad." She gestured between herself and Erin.

     "You're mad at your little brother," Bonnie countered. "You'll yell at him a little, teach him a life lesson. You can't be mad like I'm mad."

     Erin sighed. "Bonnie..."

     "And you shouldn't have to be," Bonnie interjected, looking from Erin to Elena. "He's your brother. So - no, I can't really talk to you about it."

     Erin simply nodded in return. Bonnie was right. They couldn't be mad at Jeremy like she was mad at Jeremy. Their situations were different. She would just have to hope they reconciled and moved past what happened.

     It might take them a while, but Erin really thought Bonnie and Jeremy were right for each other. They just made sense.

__________

     Their next phase of the plan relied on weapons. Various weapons if they were to succeed in taking down Klaus. Regular stakes, air compressed devices for them, and a combination of vervain and wolfsbane grenades. They knew Klaus wouldn't return to town without the many hybrids he created with Elena's blood. They would need them to go up against the sired creatures.

     Erin departed from Elena and Damon's side m, making her way up to the highest point of the home to Stefan's room. Where Rebekah planned to get ready for the Homecoming Dance. She didn't know why she wanted to visit the Original, but the urge came and she failed to push it away.

     The knowledge of what truly happened to her mother changed Rebekah. Erin knew it would. Her flamboyant attitude and quick temper had been snuffed out when she learned Klaus ripped out their mother's heart. And Erin felt terrible.

     Rebekah blew into town with her brother and pushed the heartless Original persona, but Erin discovered it was just a front for the wounded girl buried beneath. Elena might not care about what happened to Rebekah, no matter how much she tried to claim she did, but Erin actually wanted to make sure she was alright.

     After all, they were about to kill her brother. And even though Rebekah claimed to hate him now, Erin wasn't quite sure she would follow through with the plan. Not that she would blame her if she didn't.

     Erin stopped in the open doorway to Stefan's room to see Rebekah standing in front of the full length mirror. A red dress held up against her body. "I see you're getting a headstart," she voiced to gain the Original's attention.

     Rebekah turned, keeping her grip on the hanger holding the sleeveless dress. "Embarrassing truth? This is my first high school dance," she stated in a sheepish tone.

     Erin's brows creased as she stepped further into the room. "Really?" Then Rebekah's past popped into her mind. "Right? The whole - dagger thing."

     "Not just that," Rebekah replied, moving to lay the dress onto Stefan's bed. "I never really had time for high school before. Nik and I were always moving around, running. Anyway - I didn't want to leave anything to chance." She released a short breath and looked her way. "Have you heard anymore from him?"

     Erin shook her head. "No, but I'm sure he'll make some dramatic entrance. He doesn't seem like the subtle type," she quipped, but Rebekah's expression remained placid. Her own features dropped.

     "And Damon and my father are all set with their plan?" Rebekah questioned, turning back to the mirror.

     Erin nodded. "Yeah."

     "Don't tell me. I don't want to know, I just - I want to go to the dance and leave the rest to Mikael." Rebekah reached up to run a finger beneath her eyeshadow covered eye.

     Erin pressed her lips together and stepped forward. "I know this can't be easy. I can't even imagine how hard it must be."

     And in truth, she really couldn't. Erin never wanted to even think about the possibility of turning in her own brother. Where she hated him so much that she would help strangers kill him. She would never let that happen.

     "Just be careful. I've been running for a thousand years for a reason. Mikael is not a good person and he definitely can't be trusted. No one in my family can."

     Erin noticed the tears build in Rebekah's eyes through their reflection on the mirror. She stopped a few feet from her and asked, "are you okay?" Even though she already knew the answer.

     Rebekah turned away from the mirror and said, "I've spent my whole life loving and hating my brother with equal measure. I never thought that I'd be the one to help drive a stake through his heart." She sniffled and whirled back around, blinking wildly. "No tears - I don't want to ruin my makeup."

     Erin nodded and moved away to head for the door. "I really am sorry about what's happened. I'm just - I'm gonna leave you to get ready." She made it to the doorway until Rebekah called out.

     "Erin."

     Erin turned to see Rebekah looking back, meeting her gaze.

     "Thank you."

     Erin gave her a small smile and nodded in return, before she hurried down the stairs to get ready for the night.

__________

     "Well, I never thought this day would come," Katherine Pierce voiced as she stood at the edge of the Lockwood property in one of Elena's dark blue dresses.

     In a predictable change of events, something went wrong and forced the Homecoming Dance to morph into a Homecoming party. A kegger out at the Lockwood Mansion. Not that anyone seemed disappointed with the shift. Alcohol and a lack of chaperones were preferred over a crowded gym and regulated music.

     Erin just didn't think the sudden change included partnering up with Katherine.

     Damon came up with the brilliant idea to have their vampiric ancestor take Elena's place. Since her blood was valuable to Klaus, making her bartering tactic for Mikael if he deviated from the plan, she would've been in danger. So, Katherine surprisingly agreed to help.

     However, she had wanted Klaus dead for the past five hundred years. Maybe it wasn't that much of a surprise that she would want to be included.

     If only Erin had her own doppelgänger to trade places with. Sadly, she did not, making her presence mandatory. Elena would never attend a party without Erin, and vice versa.

     Erin sighed, straightening out her violet dress from where it bunched up in Matt's truck. She and Elena, really Katherine, were his dates instead of Rebekah, since her sister wanted to go rogue and dagger the Original.

     "What day would that be?" Erin questioned in return.

     "The day I see Klaus meet his end," Katherine replied with a bright smile on her lips. She glanced her way and added, "cheer up, Little Twin. The fun is just beginning."

     Erin scoffed, adjusting the shawl across her shoulders. The cool early fall air already blanketed the town. Not much of a shock for the start of October. "Your idea of fun, and my idea of fun, are two very different things."

     Matt moved around the front of his truck to approach them. "Are you guys ready to do this?" he offered.

     Katherine released a long breath, slipping back into her Elena façade. "Ready as we'll ever be."

     The three of them headed for the entrance of the Lockwood Mansion, which already swarmed with people. Many of them were their classmates, but a large portion were strangers Erin had never seen before in her life. Must have been Klaus's hybrids.

     Erin's gaze drifted across the foyer of the home, so packed with bodies she couldn't turn without bumping into someone. The stench of cheap beer wafted into her nose from the various red cups held in hands, sloshing the liquid inside as they swayed.

     "This is certainly - different for Homecoming," Erin spoke loud enough to be heard. Mostly for Matt's sake, seeing as how Katherine could hear her just fine.

     Matt shifted on his feet and glanced toward Katherine. "This is weird!" he called out above the loud music that thumped from the back lawn of the home. "Us being here together..."

     "There's Caroline," Katherine cut him off, staring in the distance.

     Erin followed her line of sight to where Caroline weaved through the masses, striding in their direction. She didn't know anything about their plan against Klaus. Everyone thought it was for the best. If she let something slip to Tyler, the entire thing would've gone up in flames.

     And while Erin knew Caroline wouldn't jeopardize the plan on purpose, it was better safe than sorry.

     "She doesn't know anything," Katherine hissed under her breath. "Act normal."

     Matt wasn't supposed to know anything either, but they needed to tell him something as to why Rebekah couldn't be his date.

     Caroline hurried up to them and exclaimed, "hey - Klaus is here."

     "What?" Matt replied, failing too seem remotely shocked.

     "Yeah! Apparently our sired, hybrid friend Tyler thought it would be okay to let his master throw a party." Caroline paused in her slight rant to look between them. Her stare narrowed when their expressions didn't waver. "I expected more surprise."

     Erin exchanged a look with Katherine. They weren't being very convincing with their 'act normal' front.

     Katherine turned back to Caroline and said, "I've learned not to be surprised by anything Klaus does." She reached out and grabbed Erin's arm. "We're gonna go find Bonnie."

     Erin let Katherine drag her away and through the crowd of classmates and strangers alike, until they made it to the back patio. She yanked her arm back and massaged at the skin, grunting from her harsh grip. "Easy. I'm not as durable as you," she muttered lowly.

     Katherine started down the stone steps to the back lawn. Erin followed. "Then keep up. I didn't sign up for babysitting duty."

     Erin rolled her eyes as they made their way toward a collection of tables set up across the grassy stretch of land. Bottles of liquor and beer were placed onto the surface, along with bowls of chips and other snacks to keep guests satisfied.

     Across the property, a stage had been erected. The band atop it jumped and strummed and hit their instruments as they played a loud rock song. Their backdrop flashed with light when the bass sounded.

     Erin didn't think her words from earlier could ring truer. Klaus certainly knew how to make a dramatic entrance.

     Speak of the devil.

     Erin tensed when Klaus emerged from the crowd and moved in their direction. He wore a loose fitting suit and held a bottle of beer in his hand. An odd sight. The look didn't flatter him.

     Klaus grinned lightly, appraising them for a moment and then taking notice of Matt's absence."Where's your date?" he asked in an offhand manner.

     Katherine's posture straightened, maintaining her appearance as Elena. "Getting us a drink," she replied stiffly.

     Klaus held his beer out toward them. Erin and Katherine gave him a flat look. He shrugged and pulled it back, letting his attention settle in Erin. "Well, it seems I have you to thank for Mikael's demise."

     Erin met his pointed stare and said, "he came after my sister. I did what I had to do."

     Klaus's lips pursed. "Still, I'm impressed. It's not easy for a human to dagger an Original."

     "Elena's done it before," Erin countered, thinking back to when her sister daggered Elijah at their lake house. She caught him by surprise, but she still managed to stab him in the heart.

     Klaus chuckled a bit. "Right. Elijah." His eyes narrowed when Katherine fidgeted, casting her gaze across the party. "You seem nervous."

     Katherine returned her eyes to him. She glared his way. "I'm not nervous. I just don't like you."

     Klaus huffed, stepping closer until they were a mere foot apart.

     Erin's heart rate skyrocketed, pounding harshly inside her chest.

     "Let's get straight to the point then, shall I?" Klaus uttered low enough for only them to hear. "People have been after me for a thousand years. And I am always one step ahead. So whatever it is you're thinking of trying, go for it. Give it your best shot. You won't succeed."

     "It won't be for lack of trying," Katherine shot back.

     Erin's stomach rolled. Did the vampire have a death wish? If Klaus picked up on the slightest indication that she wasn't Elena, Katherine would find herself without a heart before she could even blink.

     But Klaus didn't even acknowledge the comment. Instead, he relayed a tidbit of information that flipped their entire plan on its head.

     "Ah, you'd be smart to tell Damon to mind his manners tonight. Because if I die, I've already ensured that he'll die along with me. Even in death, my hybrids have their orders. So, you kill me - you're killing him, too."

     As Klaus pivoted on his heel and integrated back into the party, Erin remained frozen in place. If they let Mikael go ahead and kill his son, Damon would die along with him. The hybrids left behind would tear him apart, even as their sire met his end.

     No. They couldn't let that happen. Erin wouldn't allow Damon to die for some poorly devised revenge fantasy. Klaus's death wasn't worth Damon's life.

     Erin snapped to Katherine at her side. Her eyes wide as she stared upon the vampire's placid expression. "We're doing something about that, right?" she exclaimed in a rush, but Katherine didn't even twitch. "Please, tell me you're not gonna let Damon die."

     Katherine sighed heavily and turned to face her. "That isn't up to me. That's a choice for someone else."

     Erin's brows furrowed at that and continued to do so as Katherine snatched ahold of her arm, proceeding to drag her away from the party. She had something in mind. But whether or not it ended with Damon alive, that was the question.

__________

     They arrived at the Boarding House not long after Klaus's life-altering declaration. Katherine kept a firm grip on Erin and sped them all the way there from the Lockwood Mansion. The action nearly caused Erin to lose all of her stomach contents, but she desperately held the feeling at bay as they hurried into the home.

     Stefan laid across the floor of the parlor, unconscious with dried blood on the side of his neck. Damon's way to keep his humanity-less compelled brother from interfering with their plan.

     Too bad the whole thing was about to go up in flames.

     Erin ran down to the cellar and returned with a blood bag. She held it out to Katherine, watching her kick Stefan in the side to wake him.

     "Stefan," Katherine called out, nudging him another time.

     Stefan's eyes fluttered open, squinting up at them in confusion. "Elena? Erin?"

     "Not exactly," Katherine replied and tossed the blood bag beside him on the floor. "Pep up. I only got a minute before they realize that I'm not at the party."

     Stefan pushed himself up to sit, swiping the bag off the hardwood to down the contents in a few gulps.

     Erin's heeled foot tapped beneath her as her anxiety spiked. They needed to hurry. As Stefan moved to stand, she exclaimed, "if they kill Klaus, Damon dies along with him. You have to stop them."

     Stefan faced her when he rose to his feet. "So, pull a plug on the plan."

     "And face the wrath of Mikael?" Katherine countered in return. "We'll all be dead." She sighed. "Okay, look, I know that you've turned off your humanity and that you don't care, so there's only one solution."

     "What?" Stefan asked.

     "Care, Stefan," Katherine stated, taking a step toward him. "Care enough to save Damon's life. Because I'm going back to that party, and I'm seeing this plan through. Klaus will be killed. We'll have our freedom. But then, Damon will be dead. Your brother will be dead, Stefan. Unless you care enough to do something about it."

     "You're the only one who can do this, Stefan," Erin added, drawing his blank stare her way. "Damon won't care that his life's on the line. Mikael will still kill Klaus, and then he'll kill all of us for trying to cross him."

     They could deal with Klaus later, or maybe even learn to coexist with him down the line. But at that moment, his life didn't matter to Erin. Damon's did, and she wasn't about to let him die just to be rid of Klaus.

     Stefan stared between them for a long moment, before his attention settled on Erin. "Fine. But just remember, Damon will hate me for this. I don't care, but you will."

     Erin nodded in response. "I can deal with that."

    "And the fact that this stays between us," Katherine voiced, gesturing between the three of them. "Can you deal with that?"

     If it meant keeping Damon alive, Erin could manage to withhold such a monumental secret. So without a hint of hesitation, she nodded and their plan to save Damon's life was underway.

<April 17, 2022>

Happy Easter!

Who doesn't love an unlikely team up? I didn't plan on Erin being involved in destroying their plan to kill Klaus, but here we are.

Also that scene with Rebekah! Let's just say their friendship is going to be interesting.

Don't forget to vote and comment.

- Jordan

P.S. Unedited chapter.