CHAPTER SEVEN

Elena walks down the stairs in the early morning and looks at her sister. Nyx is sitting on the couch in the living room with a cup of hot tea in her hand. She's hoping that it'll help her relax so she can get some rest. So far, no such luck.

"Did you get any sleep last night?"

"No. Did you?" Nyx asks as the younger girl sits down next to her.

"Nope." She sighs. Her eyebrows furrow as she starts looking around the room. "Where are Dean and Sam?"

"I sent them to a motel. They haven't slept much, and they wanted beds to be in, not on the couches."

"Why aren't you with them? I mean, I know you're still mad at me."

"Because I'm tired of being mad at you, Elena — it's exhausting. And I am so tired of avoiding you. Everything is so complicated already, and I don't want things with us to be screwed up between us too. I mean, I have two babies on the way, and I'm gonna be a mother." Nyx says; her eyebrows furrow as tears fill her eyes. "Oh my God... Elena, I'm going to be a mom."

The younger girl nods. "Yeah, that comes after the pregnancy."

"No, I know that, I just... I've never said it like that before. I mean, I'm going to be a freaking mom. Do you know how terrifying that is?" She asks, and Elena wraps her arm around her sister's shoulders and pulls her closer to her. "I'm gonna be a mother, and I have no idea what the hell I'm doing."

"I don't think any of us have any idea what we're doing anymore, Nycole." She tells her, and Nyx lays her head on Elena's shoulder as she sinks lower into the couch.

"Do you think I'm crazy for bringing kids into this?" She asks. "I mean, with Klaus and the yellow-eyed demon, and everything else that our lives have become..."

"It's not like you planned to get pregnant and have twins."

"That's not the point, Elena." She sighs.

"I think they'll be a good thing." Elena says, and her sister's eyebrows furrow.

"You what?"

"Babies are innocent and good. They make you look at things differently." She says, and Nyx lifts her head and looks at her. "I think we could all use a little change in perspective. These babies will be a good thing for this family — Gilberts and Winchesters... Because yes, I know what Dean and Sam mean to you. I know they're your family, Nyx, and that makes them my family too."

"You really believe all that?" Nyx asks, and she nods.

"Your babies are gonna see all the good that you and Dean do, and they're gonna be all the best parts of us." She says. "We'll fight harder for them, survive all of this for them. And we'll be stronger because of them... They will be everything that's right and good in you and Dean. And I think we'll learn a thing or two from them one day."

She smiles as she looks at her sister. "Thanks, Elena."

—

"Shut up." Nyx narrows her dark eyes at Sam, and he starts laughing at her; the pair are getting a late lunch at the grill while picking up some food for his brother. Her phone starts ringing then and she pulls it out of her pocket. "Yeah?"

"Hey, how are you doing?" Elena asks.

"Sam's being mean and making me want to punch him." She tells her. "But don't let that stop you from telling me whatever you called for." She says, and her sister sighs.

"Stefan's back at school, and Rebekah enrolled too."

Nyx sighs as she looks down; she puts her hand over her face as she shakes her head. Things are an even bigger mess than they were before because Klaus compelled Stefan to shut off his emotions. Then said hybrid skipped town, and left his bitchy sister in Mystic Falls to terrorize its residents.

"You still there?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm here." Nyx says. "Have they done anything yet?"

"Stefan threatened Ric, and Rebekah's keeping an eye on Tyler. He showed up to school today with blood on his shirt from someone​ that he fed on."

"Well, I can't do anything to Stefan or Rebekah, but I can kick Tyler's ass."

"I'm sorry to dump all of this on you, I know you have a lot going on." Elena says, and she shrugs.

"Yeah, well, what are sisters for?"

"It's not just that." She takes a deep breath. "I just don't want you out of the loop with everything that's happened. Klaus is still..."

"A loose cannon?"

"I was thinking something more along the lines of a wild card, but yeah, that works too." Elena nods.

"I understand, Elena, and I appreciate it. Thank you."

"I gotta go, I'm gonna run a few laps on the track." The younger girl tells her.

"Okay." Nyx then hangs up.

"You know you love me." Sam smirks, and she ignores him as she gets up and then walks over to the bar to get a refill on her water.

The brunette turns around as she waits for the bartender and jumps when she sees Stefan standing there. "Jesus. What the hell is your problem?" She questions.

"I don't have one." He shakes his head. "It's one of the perks of not having any emotions."

"Get away from me, Stefan." She turns around, not wanting to be anywhere near him, and he grabs her arm​.

"I can't let you out of my sight. I have to protect Klaus' blood bags." He says, and she turns back and looks at him.

"What did you just call me?" She questions.

"No offense or anything​."

She swings her fist and hits him across his face. "Offense taken, jackass." She says, and he stands up straight as he fixes his jaw.

"Don't do that again." He says angrily, taking a step toward her.

"Or what?" She questions. "You've been compelled to obey Klaus. You have to protect me, you can't hurt me." She turns around and walks away from him, no longer caring about her drink.

"Are you okay?" Sam asks as he quickly makes his way over to her, his brother's carryout in hand.

"I'm fine." She tells him. "Come on, we're leaving." She leaves money on the table to pay for their food and then pulls him out of the grill.

"Nycole, I know you. I know when you're lying. I also know you wouldn't punch Stefan — of all people — for no good reason." He says as he makes her stop walking. "What's going on?"

"I'm a blood bag." She says. "Once I have these kids, there's nothing stopping Klaus from draining me just like he did to Elena. The original witch called us both doppelgangers. Which means our blood is exactly the same. If my blood turns hybrids, so does hers."

"So, he wants to use you both to turn werewolves into hybrids?" He asks, eyebrows furrowed, and she nods.

"And Stefan's his emotionless puppet who's been ordered to protect me and my sister." She tells him and then takes a deep breath, trying to regain her composure. "But right now, I have to go — I promised Caroline​ I'd go to the bonfire before we leave town. I have to get ready."

—

"So, this is a Mystic Falls bonfire?" Dean asks as he walks over to Nyx with Sam right behind him.

"What are you doing here?" She asks as she looks up at him.

"Sam told me about the party." He tells her, pulling her into his side. "He also told me about the blood bag thing at the grill earlier."

"Yeah, my bodyguard's around here somewhere. I'm avoiding the asshole." Her gaze travels over the faces of the people at the party in the middle of the woods

"I also heard that you broke his jaw." He says, and she nods.

"Punching​ a vampire — it felt pretty damn good." She says, and he chuckles as he rubs her back.

"That's my girl." He leans down and kisses the top of her head, and she smiles.

Her phone rings then, and she takes a deep breath as she answers it. "I screwed up, Nyx." Matt's voice immediately comes through the phone.

Her eyebrows furrow. "What are you talking about?"

"I called Bonnie, and she's gonna fix it, just...be careful." He tells her.

"Matt, what did you do?" She questions, but he doesn't answer, which tells her everything that she needs to know. "Oh my God. Matt, you didn't​. Tell me that you didn't do it."

He found a way to be able to talk to Vicki, and she told him about a witch that she's been talking to on the Other Side. She promised Vicki a foothold on this side so that she could interact with the living if she helps her in return.

"She's my sister, Nyx." Matt says. "I just wanted to have her back."

"She's​..." She shakes her head. "What did you mean when you said be careful?"

"She said she has to restore the balance." He says, and her jaw drops slightly.

"She's gonna kill me." Nyx says, and Dean's hold on her tightens. "She's back so she has to restore the balance by killing​ me."

"You and Elena. She told me that the witch she was working with wants both of the doppelgangers dead so Klaus can't create any more hybrids." He tells her.

"What's going on?" Dean asks again, and this time she looks up at him.

"But she won't just be killing me, Matt." Nyx says, and Dean's other hand moves over her bump.

"She knows about the twins, I tried to tell her — she said it doesn't matter. The witch wants your bloodline to end with you and Elena. I'm so sorry, Nyx. I had no idea." He says, and she hangs up.

"We need to leave. Now." Nycole says as she looks between the boys.

"Why, what's going on?" Sam asks.

"Remember my complicated dead vampire best friend?" She asks, and he nods. "Well, she's alive enough, and she wants to kill me."

"And we're leaving." Dean grabs her hand, and they immediately start away from the party.

The hunters make it to the parking lot, and when Nyx turns to say something to Sam, he isn't there. "Dean." She pulls him to a stop, and they turn around to look for his brother.

Dean's suddenly pushed away from her, and he hits his head on the pavement. He's knocked unconscious, and Nycole starts to panic.

"Vicki..." Nyx looks around at the seemingly empty parking lot. "Vicki, please don't do this." She begs. "What about my babies?"

Vicki grabs the back of her head and slams it down on a parked car, causing her to immediately black out. Nycole wakes up coughing a few minutes later, confused and surrounded by smoke.

"Nyx." Elena helps her sit up, and she looks at her sister.

"Where are we?" Nyx is holding her head as she tries to look around.

"Ric's car — it's on fire, and he can't get us out."

"Vicki." She pushes herself up more. "Vic, I know you can hear me. Please! Don't​ do this!" She begs, and both of the girls start coughing even more.

"Stefan." Elena looks in the trunk of Ric's car. "Stefan!"

Nyx crawls over the seat, mindful of her bump, to get to him, and she shakes his shoulder. He looks up at her groggily as the girls yell his name, and they hear him mumble something when he sees what's going on. He then kicks the door to the trunk as hard as he can in his weakened state, and it flies off the car. Nyx then grabs her sister and pulls her to where they are.

"Nycole!" Dean runs over to them and he pulls her out of the car.

Sam quickly pulls Elena out as Ric runs over to them. Dean gets Nyx away from the car, and the others follow behind them after they get Stefan out as well. It explodes, and Dean pulls Nyx to him, wrapping his arms around her as he turns his back to the flames.

The Winchester boys then take Nyx to the hospital to see Meredith, and she tells them that everything's​ fine — Nyx and the babies are all still perfectly​ healthy. The three of them go back to her house shortly after, and they say quick goodbyes to her siblings and to Ric.

Nyx can't stay in Mystic Falls with everything that's going on.