06. We All Go A Little Mad Sometimes

"What the hell did you do Elena?!" Aria yelled, barging into the Gilbert house, and seeing a dead Jeremy laying on the couch.

"Why did you bring her?" Elena asked Damon, making Damon frown.

Jeremy had come to the Gilbert house to get some of his things, but Elena mistook him for Connor and ended up stabbing him, and instead of calling Stefan, Elena called Damon for help, confusing everyone.

"Oh I don't know, maybe cause you just killed her best friend" Damon snapped.

Aria kneeled beside Jeremy, she glanced at his hand and breathed a sigh of relief, seeing the Gilbert ring still around his hand, "Wake up Jer" Aria whispered, "Please wake up".

"I can't believe this happened, what am I gonna say to him?" Elena panicked.

"Thanks for not ditching the family ring after it drove Ric crazy?" Damon suggested.

"How about you tell us what happened?!" Aria asked, glaring at the doppelganger, "Have you completely lost your mind? Do we need to admit you in a mental institute?".

Before Elena could reply, Kol entered the Gilbert house, followed by Stefan, "Look who I unfortunately found" Kol said.

"What happened?" Stefan asked, "Why didn't you call me?".

"Yeah doppelwitch, why did you call Damon and not your boyfriend?" Kol asked.

"Shut up Kol" Elena snapped.

"Start speaking Elena!" Aria snapped, annoyed that Elena kept dodging all the questions, "Why did you stab him?!".

"Because I thought he was Connor!" Elena yelled.

"You thought Jeremy, your brother, was the hunter you murdered?" Aria asked, having a hard time believing what Elena said.

"Oh dear" Kol mumbled, knowing exactly what was happening to Elena, he had warned Aria and Jeremy to stay away from her, but when have any of them listened to him.

"What?" Damon asked Kol.

"Tell you later" Kol replied.

"I need to go upstairs and shower" Elena said, walking away, "Clean all the blood off my hand".

As soon as Elena left, Jeremy woke up with a gasp.

"Jer" Aria said, hugging the overwhelmed boy, happy that his awake.

"How you feeling mate?" Kol asked.

"What happened?" Jeremy asked confused.

"Long story, buy the e-book" Damon replied.

"Short version, your sister stabbed you, in your neck" Kol informed, shocking Jeremy.

***

"What are you doing?" Damon asked, seeing Aria scrub the floor.

"Cleaning Jeremy's blood off the floor" Aria replied.

"Ria, are you okay?" Damon asked, looking at his girlfriend in worry.

"Did you know, I told Jeremy to take the ring off after Ric died, because I didn't want him to go dark like Ric did" Aria said, still scrubbing the floor, "Imagine if Jeremy had actually listened to me, he would have died today".

"Ria--".

"No Damon" Aria yelled, standing up, "Why is it always us? Why do the good people always lose the people they care about?!".

"Hey, hey, hey" Damon whispered, taking the bloody cloth from Aria and throwing it on the floor, then bringing her into a hug, "Jeremy is okay Ria, his fine, we all are".

"I can't lose anyone else" Aria mumbled, tightening her grip on Damon.

"And you won't" Damon promised, placing a kiss on Aria's head.

Stefan entered the kitchen and frowned seeing Damon and Aria hugging, he coughed to gain their attention, "Where's Jeremy?".

"School" Damon replied, breaking the hug, but still holding on to Aria's hand, "Kol took him saying he needs a distraction".

Before Stefan could ask anymore questions, Aria's phone started ringing, "It's Nik" Aria informed.

"Looks like the big bad wolf is finally back in town" Damon commented, as Aria answered her phone.

"Hey Nik" Aria said, "Before you say anything, just know Stefan is with us", Stefan frowned hearing Aria, "Try not to spill anything".

"Noted" Klaus said, "I called you so we can accentuate the positive, the hunter was one of five, we'll find another, it make take centuries, but we've got nothing but time right?".

"You are way to clam considering your plan failed" Damon said, "So who are you killing today?".

"Not you, if that's what you're worried about" Klaus replied.

"I wasn't, but thanks for the assurance" Damon said.

"But I am concerned about your brother's beloved" Klaus said, "Have the hallucinations started yet?".

Damon and Aria looked at each other in confusion, "Nik, do you know something we don't?" Aria asked.

"I'll tell you, where are you?" Klaus asked.

"At Elena's" Aria replied.

"How convenient, so am I" Klaus informed, knocking on the door.

"How can we help you Nik?" Aria asked, stepping outside with Damon.

"You know this would all be a lot more civilised if I was just invited inside" Klaus said.

"I can't invite you in, the only person who can is Jeremy, and his not here, sorry" Aria said.

"So, what do you know?" Damon asked.

"I killed the original five hunters, remember?" Klaus reminded, "When one kills a hunter, there's a bit of a consequence".

"What kind of consequence?" Aria asked curiously.

"The hunters were spelled by witches to kill vampires" Klaus replied, "If you prevent one from fulfilling his destiny, then he'll take you down with him".

"But Connor's dead" Damon reminded.

"Connor's death won't prevent him from making Elena his final vampire kill" Klaus revealed, "She'll need to come with me now, I'll lock her up, keep her away from any sharp wooden objects".

"Take her then" Damon said, really not caring about the doppelganger.

"While I lock her up, you two need to figure out how to cure her, she can't die without giving me my hybrids first" Klaus said.

"Of course we do" Damon mumbled.

"Just take her, we will figure something out" Aria assured.

"She's not going anywhere with you" Stefan snapped, stepping out of the house, indicating that he has been listening to the whole conversation.

"We leave her alone, she'll take her own life before the day is out" Klaus snapped.

"She's stronger then that" Stefan snapped.

"Is she?" Klaus asked, not believing the younger Salvatore, "Believe me, it's for her own good".

Suddenly, a panicked Elena ran out the door, taking the opportunity, Klaus grabbed her and speeded away.

***

Jeremy stood in the school cafeteria, staring at his hand.

"You know, you forced me to help you set up for this exhibition, and I don't even go to school here, the least you can do is help me and not stare at your bloody hand" Kol snapped.

"Sorry" Jeremy mumbled.

"What's going on with you anyway?" Kol asked confused, "You keep staring at your hand".

"Tell me something, do you see anything on my hand?" Jeremy asked.

"All I see is the death ring, why?" Kol asked.

"What if I told you I saw the beginning of a mark like Connor's?" Jeremy said, shocking Kol.

"You can't be serious" Kol said.

"It showed up after he died" Jeremy informed, "He told me that I was a potential, that that's why I could see his mark".

"Jeremy do you realise what this means" Kol whisper-yelled.

"No not really" Jeremy replied, "Do you?".

"Jer, your the next hunter, you're whose Nik is looking for" Kol revealed.

Jeremy looked at Kol in shock, before he could ask anymore questions, April walked over to them.

"Hey, guys" April said, after the whole Connor incident, both Jeremy and Kol had sat and talked to April and told her everything about the supernatural world, it didn't feel right to them to compel her, and April promised to keep it all a secret.

"Hey, April", "Hello, darling" Jeremy and Kol said simultaneously.

"Don't let her do the heavy lifting, found her wandering the hallways with this" Professor Shane said, holding a huge rock.

"She's a lot strong then people give her credit for" Kol said, giving the professor a mock smile, for some reason the professor gave him a bad vibe.

"I know you" Shane told Kol.

"How unfortunate for you" Kol said, making both Jeremy and April laugh.

"You and two of your friends sneaked into my class at Whitmore" Shane realised.

"We wanted to experience collage before actually going to collage" Kol lied.

Shane laughed, "Fair enough, I'm Atticus Shane, please call me Shane".

"I'm Kol, Kol Mikaelson" Kol introduced.

"Mikaelson?" Shane asked shocked.

"Yeah, that's my last name, don't wear it out" Kol replied, walking away from the Professor.

"Uh, don't mind him, he woke up on the wrong side of the bed" Jeremy said, in an attempt to defend his friend.

"It's all good" Shane said, "I should leave, see you guys later?".

"Definitely" Jeremy replied, as Shane walked away.

"Why does he look so familiar?" April wondered.

"No idea" Jeremy replied, "But come on, we need to find Kol before he ends up killing someone in his anger".

"He wouldn't do that" April defended, "Would he?".

"His Kol, never under estimate his killing tendencies" Jeremy replied.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" April asked, grabbing Jeremy's hand and dragging him along, "We need to find him, quickly".

***

"You're looking at what people believe to be the world's first tombstone" Shane explained, "This item was donated to Whitmore Collage last month".

"Oh I just remembered how I know him, through my dad" April informed Kol and Jeremy.

"The creepy professor knew your dad?" Kol asked.

"Yeah, he taught a theology seminar at Whitmore last year" April replied.

"Hmm" Kol said, his eyes then landing on Aria and Damon who had just entered the room, "I'll be right back", Kol walked over to the couple, "What are you two doing here?".

"Bonnie called us, she said that Professor Shane has answers on how to cure Elena, but before that he wants to meet me" Aria revealed.

Kol frowned, "Why does the creepy professor want to meet you?".

"That's what I want to know" Damon said, glaring at the professor.

"It belonged to a very powerful witch" Shane said, "A witch so powerful, in fact, that Silas, that was his name, and Damien, his brother, created a spell that would grant them immortality, legend says that both Silas and Damien did the spell so they could be with the women they both loved, her name was Adriana".

Hearing Shane, Aria suddenly froze, she remembers this story, she remembers Gloria telling her about Adriana, Silas and Damien, she remembers finding out that she is Adriana's doppelganger, now more then ever Aria wanted to talk to the creepy professor, she wanted to know how he knew about Adriana.

"Both Damien and Silas wanted Adriana, but she only had her heart for one, Damien, in his anger, Silas alongside his helper Amara, ended up brainwashing Damien against Adriana, to the point where Damien ended up murdering the love of his life, when Qetiyah, the women who helped Damien and Silas make the immorality spell, found out about what happened to Adriana, her best friend, her soul sister, Qetiyah killed Amara, and buried Silas and Damien alive, leaving them powerless, immortal and alone, historians never found Damien's headstone, it is believed that if or when Silas rises, Damien will also rise with him, people say that Damien, Silas and Adriana started a never ending chain, that their story, is repeated every few centuries with their descendents, every few years there's two brother and a girl, every few years a poor girl is killed feuding between two brothers".

A chill ran down Aria's spine, when she saw Shane look at her, it was almost like he was warning her about something, warning her about what her future held.

"Aria, there you are" Bonnie said.

"Here I am" Aria said, things between the two witches were still very tense.

"Shane wants to meet you alone, without your bodyguards" Bonnie said, looking at Kol and Damon.

"Not happening" Kol and Damon said.

Aria sighed, "Guys, I'll be fine".

"Ria--".

"Damon, his a creepy professor, there's not a lot he can do to me" Aria said.

"If he does anything, scream your banshee scream and we will come, okay?" Kol asked.

"Okay" Aria assured, shaking her head at the two protective vampires.

***

Bonnie led Aria into an empty classroom, where Shane was waiting for them.

"This is not creepy at all" Aria mumbled.

"Oh my god" Shane said, looking at Aria in amazement, "I thought when I saw you in my class, I was delusional, but I'm not, you really are her descendent".

"Who?" Aria asked, pretending to be oblivious.

"Adriana" Shane revealed, "You look exactly like her".

"Adriana?" Aria asked, "The girl from your make believe story?".

"It wasn't make believe, it's a true story" Shane replied, "And their story is already repeating itself, through you".

"How are you so sure Damien killed Adriana?" Aria asked, remembering Gloria told her it was Silas, "What if it was Silas?".

"That's the thing, no one really knows how Adriana died, they just know she did, but even if Damien didn't kill her, I'll still be careful when it comes to your boyfriend and his brother, wouldn't want history to repeat itself" Shane replied.

"How do you know about Stefan and Damon?" Aria asked confused.

"I have my sources" Shane replied.

"Okay, screw your sources" Aria snapped, slamming a piece of paper infront Shane, "Tell me what you know about this, and I'd hurry cause I'm really close to losing my cool, and trust me you don't want to see me angry, ask your student, she knows all about my anger, right Bonnie?".

Bonnie looked at Shane, a uncomfortable look on her face, "Please help us".

Shane sighed, but nonetheless, looked at the drawing Jeremy had done of Connor's tattoo, "This is the hunter's mark, where did you get this?".

"I have my sources" Aria said, "Just tell me about the hunter's curse".

"Why, you got a dead hunter in the trunk of your car or something?" Shane joked.

"Actually, I do" Aria replied, a serious expression on her face, "Now can you please just tell me".

Shane sighed, "Legend says that if a hunter is killed by that which it hunts then that person will be cursed to walk the earth in torment until--".

"Until?" Bonnie urged.

"Until a new hunter is awakened and their legacy is passed on" Shane continued, "They're called potentials".

"Oh boy" Aria mumbled, she had a feeling who the next potential hunter is, "I have to go".

"Hey, wait" Shane said, stopping the witch, "You know, I've noticed your emotions are everywhere, and since your Adriana's doppelganger, it means your a witch, and for a witch to not have control of her emotions can prove very dangerous, I've been helping Bonnie with a new kind of magic, it's called expression, it helps witches keep their magic in control, if you want, I can teach you as well".

"Expression?" Aria asked confused, she's read about that type of magic in one of Grams's grimoires, but she doesn't remember what she read, it was something bad, that's all she remembers.

"Yeah" Shane replied, looking at Aria with a hopeful expression.

"I'll pass" Aria said, opening the door, making Shane's hopeful expression fall, before leaving, Aria turned to Bonnie, "I'll be very careful with what his teaching you, something tells me, it's not right".

***

"Finally" Kol said, seeing Aria enter the room where Kol, Jeremy and Damon were waiting for her.

"So?" Damon asked.

"Well, I learnt two things, first thing Shane knows things he shouldn't know, second thing, to save Elena, Jeremy has to kill a vampire" Aria replied.

"Great, give me a stake, and tell me where Stefan is, I'll kill him right now" Jeremy said, making the trio chuckle.

"Easy, Van Heling, as much as I would enjoy that, I don't where Stefan is" Damon said.

"Jeremy, listen to me, you don't have to do this, you saw Connor, you saw how much his rage blinded him, I don't want that to happen to you" Aria said, as Damon's phone started ringing, he went to the corner to answer it, "We can find another way to save Elena".

"I'm not doing this for Elena, I'm doing this for you" Jeremy clarified.

"Me?" Aria asked confused.

"If I find complete the hunter's tattoo, that will lead us to the cure, I know you like being a vampire but I also know how much you want children, and I know your scared that being vampire has changed the prophecy, I want to find the cure for you, I want you to have an option, all I want is for you to be happy Aria, and I'll go do anything to make sure your happy" Jeremy replied.

"Jeremy, you can't do this, not for me" Aria said, slightly overwhelmed.

"Of course I can, we're family" Jeremy said.

Kol put his arms around the hunter and witch, "You guys just make my heart melt, I think I'm gonna cry".

Both Jeremy and Aria laughed at the Original.

"You're awful" Aria said.

"Well thank you" Kol said smiling, "I take complete pride in that".

"Dick" Jeremy mumbled.

"Jerk" Kol retorted, making Aria laugh.

Damon walked back to the group, "Everything okay?" Aria asked, seeing his worried expression.

"Stefan called, he went to rescue Elena from Klaus but ended up losing her, he thinks I can somehow talk her down, that she'll listen to me" Damon replied.

Damon, Jeremy and Kol both looked at Aria, waiting for her reaction, they knew she didn't like Elena's sudden interest in Damon but she just gave Damon a small smile.

"Go" Aria said.

"Ria are you sure?" Damon asked, "Just say the word and I'll let Elena die".

"Nik will murder all of us" Aria reminded, "Go Damon".

Damon nodded, he turned to leave, but then turned around and pulled Aria into a kiss.

"Wait for me?" Damon whispered.

"Always" Aria replied.

Damon gave Aria one last look before speeding away.

***

"Hey" Kol said, sitting next to Aria in Ric's apartment, "I made you some hot chocolate".

"Thanks" Aria said, taking the cup from Kol's hand.

"So Jeremy is now officially a hunter, he killed one of Nik's hybrids" Kol informed.

Aria looked Kol in shock, "What was Nik's reaction to that?".

"Funny enough, he was the one who offered the hybrid to Jeremy" Kol replied.

"Why?" Aria asked confused, "Nik hates when anyone kills his hybrids, according to him, they are a dying breed".

"He loves his hybrids but he fancies Caroline more" Kol replied, confusing Aria, "Klaus agreed to sacrifice one of his hybrids in return for Caroline to take him as her date to the Miss Mystic Falls pageant".

"Doesn't he realise she would have taken him anyways?" Aria asked, amused with Klaus's actions.

"According to him, his making sure" Kol replied, making Aria laugh, "Anyways, you tell me where's Damon?".

Aria sighed, "Still not home".

"Is that why your here waiting for him, instead of sleeping?" Kol asked.

"I promised I'll wait for him" Aria replied.

"He will come, he always comes" Kol reminded.

"I'm scared Kol" Aria admitted.

"Of what?" Kol asked confused.

"Elena's been showing interest in Damon, I know Damon loves me but I don't trust Elena around him, and then there's the creepy Professor Shane, and his story about my doppelganger, it's just becoming too much, you know we can't even have one normal day, just one that's all I ask for" Aria said, "All of us in this apartment, in our pajamas, having a movie night, eating a lot of junk food, just being normal teenagers for one night, is that too much to ask for?".

"In this town, it is" Kol replied.

Aria sighed and put her head on Kol's shoulder, "I'm getting tired Kol".

"You can't get tired just yet, the fight has just started" Kol said.

"I hate fighting" Aria complained.

"But you have to fight if you want to survive" Kol said.

After that, Aria and Kol sat in silence, both drinking their respective hot chocolates, and lost in their thoughts, when suddenly a soaked Damon entered the apartment.

"Damon" Aria said.

"Hey Ria" Damon said.

"So how did it go?" Kol asked.

"Elena's fine, is that hot chocolate?" Damon asked, gesturing to the cups Aria and Kol were holding.

Aria chuckled, "Yeah, you go dry off I'll make you some".

"You're the best" Damon said, kissing Aria's cheek and going to change his clothes.

Kol nudged Aria, "Told you he will come back".

"Yeah, yeah" Aria mumbled, "Now help make hot chocolate".

"I could do with another cup actually" Kol said, following Aria into the kitchen.

***

"Cure?" Elena asked shocked, sitting with Stefan on her porch.

"Yeah, Professor Shane told Bonnie that the tattoo leads to the cure for vampirisim, that's why Klaus, Damon and Aria wanted Connor to stay alive" Stefan replied.

"What do we do now?" Elena asked.

"They obviously have a advantage with Jeremy on their side, but if you, me, Bonnie and Tyler work together, we might be able to get to the cure before them" Stefan replied.

Elena nodded, "Stefan, can I ask you something?", Stefan nodded, "Why did you send Damon to come look for me instead of you?".

"I sent him because, lately, it seems like he's able to get through to you in ways that I can't" Stefan replied, "You listen to him, you trust him", Stefan looked at Elena, "You can admit it".

"You've been so strong for me" Elena said, "Helping me, fighting for that girl that chose you, the girl that I was when I died on the bridge, and I love you so much for wanting to find this cure, because I'd like nothing more than to get her back, because the girl that she's become, that I've become, is different, somehow darker, who I am, what I want".

"What you want, or who you want?" Stefan asked.

"I can ask you the same thing Stefan, if Aria came to you right now, saying she loves, she wants you, you will gladly go to her, because she is the girl you really want, not me" Elena replied.

"Just like you want my brother, and not me" Stefan retorted.

Elena sighed, "I never thought I would fall for someone like Damon, but I did, when I see the way he cares for Aria, the way he protects her, they way he would die for her, his possessiveness, but most importantly his love, I always wished I could somehow replace myself with Aria, because I want what she has, I want their love".

"I can't do this Elena, we can't do this" Stefan said, "We both want different people, so why are we in this relationship? It's bringing us nothing but pain, we have to stop".

"I know" Elena whispered.

***

Presenting 4x06 of The Vampire Diaries . . .

How was the chapter?

Thoughts on Kol and Jeremy telling April everything instead of compelling her? I'm thinking since Jeremy and Bonnie aren't happening, what about April and Jeremy?

Thoughts on Shane and Aria's interaction? I swear Shane has always creeped me out so much >.<

Thoughts on Aria and Kol's conversation?

Thoughts on Stefan and Elena's break up?