Happy Pancake day!

It's literally Tuesday and this week has already been a heckin stress. My laptop has committed the highest treason and is deserving of the death penalty so just spent I think the most money I've ever spent in one go getting a new one.

Here is new chapter so you can be happy while I am sad.

Emma xox

26th August 2010

Stefan would be the first to admit that he had spent the night skulking round the city. It wasn't for any particular reason - he was brooding and that was nothing new. A trail of bodies would be the wrong expression but he had certainly had plenty to drink that night.

The sun was now high in the sky and he had found himself drawn back to Gloria's bar. His annoyance the night before hand been for a multitude of different reasons - the chief of these being the terrifying realisation that the necklace that the original siblings were hellbent on retrieving hung round the neck of the one and only Elena Gilbert.

The more Gloria dug, the more likely it was that she would stumble upon that realisation - if she hadn't already. And if Nik found out it would mean right back to Mystic Falls to find it.

If they did that there would be no more hiding from him that Elena was very alive. Everything would come crashing down, it would put her life in jeaprody again not to mention his own neck for lying about her and not coming clean about the necklace. It would have disastrous consequences. Stefan didn't even want to think about what would happen if Klaus found out that Grace knew that Elena was alive this entire time.

His mind was made up. He hand to convict Gloria not to divulge what she knew - or if she hadn't found out yet, prevent her from doing so.

"There you are," said Gloria as he walked in.

"Thought you were resting."

"Well, now we both have a secret."

"What did you see?"

"It's what I heard that's interesting." She smiled. "You know, the girls with the necklace, they were talking about you."

"Yet you didn't tell Klaus. Why?"

"Cause I wouldn't help that hybrid half-breed with anything." She snapped, insulted that he would ever assume otherwise. But there was more, something else that she was quick to divulge. "The necklace is a talisman from the original witch herself. I want it."

"Well, I'm sorry." He shook his head. "I can't help you."

"Don't be difficult. You know, I'd hate to have to tell Klaus what a liar his sidekick is." If he were a wolf he would have bared his teeth but she wasn't done yet. "Or about Grace - I sure there is plenty he would be shocked to learn about her, those girls certainly talk."

His plan was to finish her off clean and simple. Be over and done with it quickly but she had other ideas. With a slight tilt of her head he was haunted in his tracks, grabbing his head in pain.

"Guess I've got to get it out of you the hard way, huh?" He could only half understand what she was saying as he clutch his head still writhing in plain. It wasn't long before he fell to the floor and his mind went blank.

When he woke he was unsure about how much time had past. His shirt was gone and he was laying on a table, candles scattered the floor but they were the least of his concern. Out the corner of his eye he could make out Gloria, ready and waiting knife in hand, yet as he squirmed and tried to move nothing happened.

"What is this? Why can't I move?"

"Relax. It's just a little paralysis spell. Nothing major."

Despite her useless reassurance he stilled tried to move to nothing seemed to work - he could even wiggle his toes. From the neck down he had no control and so as she loomed over him with a knife all he could do was narrow his eyes and glare her down.

Undeterred by his death stare she cut two lines into him, one down each forearm.

"Just got to get the information out of your pretty little head. You know, witches nowadays, they're into that new age stuff, but..." Lifting up a set of iron hooks she marched back over. "I'm a little more old school voodoo."

She plunged the hooks into his fresh wounds eliciting a scream of pain from him.

"This will stop that pesky healing." She tutted.

"I won't tell you anything," Stefan growled at her, clenching his teeth in pain and anger.

"You don't have to," Gloria smiled. Below Stefan on either side lay glass receptacles on the floor under his wrists. As the blood left his body it fell into them, clouds of vapour whipping up with every drop.

"You feel that? That's your essence. Your spirit. It lets me make a connection. Herbs help, too. Diviners, sage, witch hazel."

She picked up something, presumably one of those herbs she had listed.

"But my personal favourite..." Rubbing it together in her hands a wicked smiled flashed across her face. "Vervain."

Placing her hands on his chest, his skin began to burn and yet another scream was ripped from his lips. Writhing on the table he tried to hold it in but she was breaking him.

She takes some red powder and rub her hands with it.

"I'm impressed." Gloria remarked, mixing a new red power set between the tips of her fingers. "You've got discipline, Stefan. It's not going to do you much good, but...Just let go, honey."

Laying her hands again on his chest the pain grew as his skin burn and the toxins mixed with his very being. The pain increased as a great pressure in his chest until it burst out from him in a roar of anguish and pain.

"There you go, there you go." She soothed but there was little comfort to be found in her voice.

"There's the girl with the necklace." She echoed the images that flashed before her eye before wicked smile wrapped around her lips warping her face into a wicked grin. "You love her. You'd do anything for her. And you have. A lot of darkness, a lot of guilt. All to keep her away from Klaus. Why would he be interested in one girl?"

"Don't do this. Don't do this." If this was any other situation he would have been disgusted at his tone - the pleading and simpering was pitiable.

"She's the doppelgänger." Gloria whispered in realisation before laughing. "She's supposed to be dead, and that's why Klaus can't make hybrids, isn't it?"

***

Grace awoke to a hastily written note and a stiff back. Zeus was cured in her lap and her head now rested on the arm of the sofa instead of the chest of Nik.

Sitting up her spine clicked with a satisfying crack as the pressure eased from her back.

Gone to find Rebekah. Be back soon.

She scanned the warehouse and to her dismay she was the only on there. As she contemplated what do she tickled Zeus' ear before realising he had something in his mouth.  He was hesitant to realise but with a gentle tug and some stern words he let it go.  The now slightly soggy ad hoc dog chew was the Sanguinem Knot that Gloria had given her.

With everything that had happened she hadn't even thought to revise what Gloria had been trying to teach her - no salt fire or knot untying, such problems had been the least of her worries.  Playing the the knotted robe she began to think more about what both Gloria and Nik had told her. There was no denying something was wrong, there was something certainly magical going on but it seemed Nik's explanation made far more sense.

It wasn't as if her so called magic was reactionary, it sometime reared its head when she was under threat but there seemed to be no rhyme nor reason to it and she certainly had no control over it.

Holding the Sanguinem Knot before her she closed her eyes taking a moment to gather her thoughts, when she opened them she stared that knot down with all her might - if will was all that was required the knot would have unraveled instantly, but it appeared that wasn't the case.

It just sat there in her hands, taunting her.

In anger at her inability she threw it across the room and it hit the wall with a thud before dropping to the floor. Zeus raised his head inquisitively, it seems he even contemplated chasing after it but with a huff he lay his head down again.

Grace realised the only way she was going to get any answers was go to the person that had planted this magic nonsense in her head in the first place.

Gloria had a lot to answer for.

***

Zeus neglected to join her, the couch was far too comfortable to abandon - she had some trouble getting past the goons, but in the end they seemed more than content dog sitting and they let her go free.  Nik probably wouldn't take it to well but he couldn't try to keep her caged up and not expect her to leave.

Thankfully the to and fro between Gloria's and the warehouse meant that she had a pretty good idea of how to get there.  After a couple of missteps including getting off a stop too early she managed to find the bar. The backdoor seemed her best choice, it was still business hours and Gloria was likely busy with Nik related and so not tending the bar.

As she reached the back door their was a slight scuffle bringing her to a halt.  Cautiously she pressed her ear to the door but the noise had subsided. Gently she pushed the door open, unsure of what she would find on the other side, thankfully this backdoor only led to a small entrance way - the disruption was evidently from further within.

Clutching the hefty knot to her side some part of her rationalised that a thwack to the skull with the substantial clump of rope would still do some damage, so long as they were not a vampire that was. Treading softly she made her way further still but nothing in the back seemed to be amiss.  It was then she realised that the silence was actually more concerning then the lack of noise - Gloria normally ran a bustling venue packed with patrons yet she couldn't hear anyone.

As she pushed open the door to the front of house she almost dropped the knot at the sight that lay before her. Tied down to the table was Stefan, large metal hooks protruding from his skin, glass collecting his falling blood, the image was ripped straight forma horror movie or perhaps her worst nightmares.

"Ahh welcome Grace," said Gloria as she turned to face her. As Grace looked closer she realised that Stefan wasn't comatose on the table as he first appeared to be but rather was he face was contort in the pain that he was very awake for. She was surprised to see that his body wasn't writhing in pain but had little time to dwell on that as Gloria stalked towards her. "I wasn't expecting you here."

She had no words to answer with, merely held the knot up.

"I see it's still tied, no luck then." Gloria clapped her hands, not in sarcastic congratulations but more like she was dusting something from her hands. "Well perhaps we can give the magic another go. I could use a hand cracking this one open."

The feel of disgust must have translated to the look on her face because Gloria laughed at Grace's expression.

"Or perhaps not," said Gloria and with a flick of her hand Grace was sent hurtling back. "You know I really did think you had some power in you...I guess not."

As she went back to what she was doing Grace realised that the sound she had heard before was Stefan, as Gloria tortured him, his screams had become more animalistic and twisted. Between his low and guttural cries Grace could make out the small words, his plea for freedom was almost lost but she could make out two names - hers and Elena's.

Perhaps you call out for the one you love when you were in pain but then that wouldn't explain why her name kept passing through his lips - maybe then he was worried for her safety but then why would he be voicing concern for someone who was hundreds of miles away in Mystic Falls. In fact, none of this made much sense to her - why was Gloria inflicting such pain on him, hadn't they be friends one hundred years ago?

She didn't want to wait to find out what had gone wrong.

Her hand tightened around the Sanguinem Knot - perhaps her bludgeoning plan had gone out the window, but she had to try something. Digging her fingers into the knot she focused, funnelling all her anger, hatred and pain into it. Really all she was trying to do was psyche herself up for throwing it at the back of Gloria's skull but the tighter she gripped the deeper her fingers seemed to go until her hand was holding not a spherical note but instead a bundle of rope.

Holding it before her she almost gasped in surprise - it had untangled itself. Remembering what Gloria had taught her she began to whisper the Latin curse over there rope, her eyes raising to meet their target. The end of the rope began to twitch and shake as it took on sentience until it was slithering through the air like a serpent.

Gloria didn't notice what was happening until the first foot of rope began to coil round her neck as it it were a boa constrictor coming to life, as Grace's fist tightened so too did the rope.

Wildly Gloria's hands scratched at the rope round her neck but it was no use, she couldn't choke out any words of magic and Grace was in no mood to stop. Stefan's injured moans only egged her on - he had no idea what was occurring, if he thought Gloria had stepped away to retrieve more vervain the blood loss and pain had sent him into a delirium that was void of any sense of reality.

As one first tightened the other waved, beckoning Gloria forward. At first she didn't move but then as the rope pulled her closer her feet began to scrape across the floor until she tripped and stumbled but the rope did not stop moving and so suspended by the coiling rope snake Gloria's feet dragged across the floor towards Grace until they were face to face.

Just as Grace moved to open her hand and release her Gloria's eyes narrowed - she croaked out something, an insult or some other less imaginative form of verbal abuse but it was no more than a constricted squeal. Instead of releasing her Grace loosened the rope slightly, tipping her head to the side she smiled.

"What was that?"

"Vampiric slut." Gloria screamed before spitting at Grace.

"Phasmatus..." Grace whispered. Gloria's eyes widened as she realised what was happening.