*Skipped  Plan B... a few days before Masquerade*

"Hello?" Christian groggily answers his phone. He rolls from his stomach and onto his back reaching for Jeremy. He wines when he remembers Jeremy wasn't there. 

Jenna was in the hospital because Katherine had compelled her to stab herself. She would be returning home in a few days. Jeremy had been spending a lot of time with her and Elena at his place. While Christian understood why Jeremy wasn't with him he still hated the fact that he was in bed alone.

"Hey, Chris" The voice on the other side of the phone greeted. Christian frowns his eyebrows and tiredly rubs his face. His eyes barely stay open as he glances at the clock. It's 4:27 in the morning. "It's Amanda"

"Amanda?" Christian asks sitting up from his bed.

Amanda Berkeley is a vampire Christian sired in the early 20's. A lesbian that had been abused for years by her family and anybody who knew of her sexuality. Christian gave her the ability to stand up and defend herself through vampirism. She's been running his New York club since she was turned.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?" Christian asks. Amanda hadn't called him in decades. Christian trusts her to run his business and checks in every once and a while but they never really talk. 

"Nothing's wrong... Not with the club at least. Everything's going well, business is good" Amanda tells him.

"Amanda, it's 2:30 in the morning" Christian deadpans. "If business is good, then lock the joint up and go home. Get some sleep, I'm sure you've earned it"

"Just because business is going well doesn't mean there isn't something you need to know" Amanda snips. Christian sighs and rubs his face again.

"Fine, lay it on me, what's so important that you had to wake me up?" He asks her.

"He was here" Amanda tells him. Christian's mind hardly registers what she means.

"He? Who's he?"

"You know, him" Amanda stressed. "He-who-must-not-be-named... You-know-who... it's not Voldemort it's a man with a nose and very stylish suits with beautiful brown eyes and fluffy hair"

Christian's blood runs cold as he suddenly becomes fully awake. A moment of silences passes followed by another silent moment. Christian couldn't tell if his heart is racing in his chest or just finally stops all together.

"When?" Christian asks.

"He came by a few hours ago. I called Valerie from Los Vegas, he was there a few days ago. Then I called Meredith from Salt Lake and he was there last week. Now he's here..." Amanda tells him gently.

"Why didn't Valerie or Meredith call me?" Christian growls.

"They didn't want to say anything... He isn't sticking around. They figured he was just there to revisit some old memories but now it seems like he's visiting every club. He's been asking about you, trying to figure out where you are"

"Has anybody said anything?" Christian asks.

"Chris, none of us know where you are. Last we heard you were in Orlando but you're not there anymore are you? Besides, we know better than to give up your last known location. Everybody knows who he is and once we see him we're instantly taking vervain... We're not going to sell you out unless you want us to tell him.."

"Is he still in New York?" Christian asks.

"I don't know... He was here from open to close... I don't know if he's hanging around or moving on" Amanda tells him honestly.

"Let me know when you find out, give the other managers a heads up. Nobody tells him anything" Christian says sternly.

"You got it" Amanda nods. Christian doesn't bother to say anything else, he simply hangs up. He looks at his phone before throwing it against the wall smashing it to pieces.

"God Dammit!" Christian shouts climbing out of bed. He proceeds to smash everything in his room in complete rage.

"Chris... Christian!" Stefan shouts trying to get his attention. Christian stops demolishing his room and stands in the middle of the debris. His chest heaves as he breathes in anger. "What's going on? What happened?"

"Get... Out..." Christian growls murderously. "NOW!" Christian bellows turning his head to his brother. Christian releases a vicious hiss as his fangs elongate. Wisely, Stefan leaves Christian alone in the room.

"Hey, Sunshine" Christian greets as Elijah reenters the room after being gone all day. "Did your talk with your brother go well?" He asks sitting on the edge of the bed.

Elijah doesn't answer right away. He simply stands a few feet away from Christian. The look in his eyes gives Christian an unsettling feeling. Christian stands up and moves towards him but stops when Elijah moves back.

"What is it?" Christian asks slowly. "Elijah, what's wrong?"

"I'm leaving" Elijah tells him.

"Ok" Christian says slowly. "Where are we going?"

"Not 'we'... Me" Elijah tells him. Christian frowns his eyebrows even more and shifts in his spot. "I'm leaving you, Christian" He says lowly.

"Elijah, you're not making any sense" Christian tells him.

"Stop" Christian whispers shaking his head. He walks over to his destroyed desk hoping the alcohol was still intact. When he finds it smashed on the ground he speeds to the parlor and instantly begins drowning a bottle.

"My brother and I are leaving Germany before our father can find us, you're not coming with us" Elijah tells him sternly.

"What do you mean I'm not coming?"  Christian asks. "We're getting married, Elijah"

"Not anymore, we're not" Elijah shakes his head. "My brother and I have patched things up between us. I no longer need you. You were a good distraction but I don't need you anymore. I don't want you anymore"

"Don't say that" Christian whispers shaking his head. "You're lying" He growls.

"I'm not" Elijah tells him calmly. "I found you when I was going through a rough patch with my brother. You were a great distraction but now my brother and I have made amends and your distraction is no longer needed nor wanted"

"Shut UP!" Christian hollers throwing the bottle in his hand across the room. "Shut up!" He screams holding his head, pulling at his hair.

"Shut up!" Christian shouts speeding towards Elijah. He shoves the Original across the room. "You're lying! You love me, Elijah Mikaelson! I'm not a distraction, I'm your fiance! We're getting married, stop saying this nonsense!"

"I don't love you" Elijah says moving away from the wall Christian hand pushed him into. "You're weak, you're pathetic, you're not worthy. I am a Mikaelson, I am an Original. You just a boy who wants to prove to everyone you're a man. You're nothing. I don't want to spend my life with you, I don't want to spend another minute with you. We're over, Christian Salvatore. I don't want to see you ever again. You were a good fuck but that's all you'll ever be."

"Elijah, please" Christian begs falling to his knees. "Don't do this, I love you. I will do anything for you. Please, I'm begging you, don't leave me" Christian says as tears pool into his eyes and begin to fall down his face.

"Good bye, Christian. It was fun but it's over" Elijah says moving to the door. "You mean nothing to me, you never did" He says before leaving Christian in the room alone.

Christian continues to kneel on the ground as he stares at the door the love of his life just walked out of. So many emotions ran through his body. Christian couldn't remember a time when he felt like this. He couldn't ever remember feeling so broken. He'd rather be shot by his father a million times than ever feel like this. He felt as if his heart was literally trying to claw its way out of his chest.

Only a moment later, he felt nothing at all. Christian flipped his switch.

"Christian!" Damon shouts. "Stop it! You're hurting yourself" He snaps trying to pull Christian's hands away from himself. His hair is sticking in every which way from Christian trying to pull it out. His arms bleed from his fingers digging into the skin.

"He left me" Christian whispers looking at Damon through his tears. "He left me"

"Who, Jeremy?" Damon asks confused. Christian shakes his head and releases a sob. Damon sighs and pulls him into a tight hug. Christian instantly clings onto him. "It's alright, I've got you now, it's ok" Damon whispers hugging him tightly while discretely pulling his phone out.

'Get here NOW, Chris needs you' Damon sends the message to Jeremy before going back to comforting his brother.

"What's going on, Chris?" Damon asks quietly. Christian couldn't respond as he felt himself simply fall apart.

Before Jeremy could arrive Christian's emotions snap from broken and falling apart to absolute rage. He instantly shoves Damon away from him and stands up. He paces in the parlor, shaking in anger.

"Christian" Damon said sternly but Christian doesn't hear it. Before Damon could stop him, Christian speeds out of the house. Damon tries to follow him but Christian's long gone. "Dammit" Damon snaps before calling Stefan.

"Where'd Chris go?" Stefan asks instantly.

"I don't know, I lost him in the woods" Damon says frustratingly. "But we need to find him, now" Damon tells him. "I don't know what the fuck is going on but it isn't good"

"Alright, I'll go look for him" Stefan says hanging up the phone. He jogs to the door and opens it finding Jeremy looking out of breath.

"Where's... Chris...?" Jeremy heaves.

"Did you run here from the hospital?" Stefan asks him.

"Don't... have a... car" Jeremy says taking deep breaths to calm himself down.

"We don't know where Chris went." Stefan told him. "He just sped off, Damon and I are gonna go look for him"

"I want to help" Jeremy says instantly.

"Look, Christian's really unstable right now. I don't think it's safe. You should go home, I'll let you know when we find him" Stefan says closing the door and walking around Jeremy.

"He wouldn't hurt me" Jeremy says following Stefan. "I want to help find him, he''ll respond better to me" Jeremy says not wanting to sound cocky but simply remembering the conversations with Christian on how Christian prioritizes him before his brothers.

"What if Christian hurts you on accident? Do you think that'd help him or make things worse?" Stefan asks looking at him.

"Stefan, I love him" Jeremy says. "He's hurting, I don't know why but he is and I want to help him"

"Fine," Stefan says walking up to him. "Look, you won't be able to keep up with Damon and I but if you want go into town. Check the Grill, check for anybody walking alone. He might be hunting right now. If you see him, call Damon and me. If you can't find him, come back here, he might come back if he knows the house is empty"

"Ok, I can do that" Jeremy nods.

"I strongly advise you not to approach him alone, he's extremely unpredictable right now" Stefan warns him.

"I'll be safe" Jeremy promises. Stefan nods hesitantly before leaving. Jeremy sighs and makes his way towards the town. He searches everywhere for Christian while keeping an eye on his phone hoping Damon or Stefan would let him know if they find him but they never do.

After a few hours Jeremy decides to head back to the boarding house. He checks the rooms but still doesn't find anybody. He checks his phone only to see no notification. Taking Stefan's advice, Jeremy sits in the parlor and waits.

Without realizing it, Jeremy falls asleep. He doesn't know how long he's out but when he wakes up it's still dark outside and the house is still silent. However, he feels as if he isn't alone. Reaching for the lamp beside him, he turns it on.

"Jesus Christ!" Jeremy jumps out of his skin as his eyes noticed Christian, covered in blood, sitting in a chair staring at him with a distant look on his face. While Christian was physically in the room, the look in his eyes made it seem as if he were somewhere else. "Chris?" Jeremy says slowly standing up.

Christian's eyes don't follow him. He simply continues to stare at some random spot. He's completely still. Jeremy can't even tell if his chest is moving, if he's breathing. The only movement from him is every now and then he'll blink.

Jeremy moves to get his phone to text Stefan. He pulls it out slowly and opens it up. Before he could tap on Stefan's name his phone chimes with a text from Stefan. Jeremy winces at the loud ding. His eyes dart to Christian noticing his eyes are now on him.

Slowly, Jeremy sets the phone down. He keeps eye contact with Christian. They seem lifeless, dead. He looks broken.

Jeremy goes to leave the room with the intention of getting a washcloth to clean Christian's bloody face. Apparently, Christian didn't like Jeremy trying to leave. Before the teenage boy could even make it around the couch Christian speeds in front of him. Jeremy gasps as Christian gabs him and slams him roughly against the wall.

"Easy, I'm right here" Jeremy whispers pressing his hands on Christian's chest. He tries not to cringe at the feel of blood soaked in his shirt nor the smell wafting off of him. "Chris, what happened?" Jeremy asks gently.

"He's looking for me" Christian mutters. Jeremy looks at him curiously. "Elijah" Christian whispers. Jeremy tenses at the name. "After all these years, after what he did... He's looking for me..."

"What are you going to do?" Jeremy asks hesitantly. Christian's distant look begins to disappear as he focuses on Jeremy.

"Don't leave me" Christian pleads. "Tell me that you love me, that you actually love me" Christian's breathing begins to rise, his grip on Jeremy tightens. "Tell me this is all real, that I mean something and I'm not just a good fuck"

"Hey, hey, hey" Jeremy says no longer caring about the blood. He presses his hands on either side of Christian's face. The simple touch anchors Christian, keeps him focused on Jeremy. "I love you." He says sternly. "What we have is real. You mean everything. You are much more than just a good fuck"

Christian holds his gaze. His eyes pour into Jeremy's, searching for any signs of him lying. The longer the silence between the two of them continues, the more Jeremy notices Christian failing to keep it together.

"It's ok" Jeremy whispers. "It's ok to fall apart, I'm right here to put you back together. I'm not going anywhere. Please trust me" Jeremy pleads him. "It's ok to cry, I've got you" Christian closes his eyes and buries his head in Jeremy's neck. "I've got you, I promise. I'm not going anywhere, I love you" Christian clings onto him tightly as if Jeremy's the only thing keeping him from flipping his switch.

Jeremy doesn't know how long they stayed like that, he would stand there all night hugging Christian if he needed it. At some point, Stefan returns. He instantly finds Jeremy and Christian in the parlor. Jeremy subtly waves him off and Stefan nods leaving to contact Damon.

"Why don't we get you cleaned up?" Jeremy suggests. Christian clings to him even tighter not wanting to let go of him. "I said 'we' didn't I?" Jeremy lightly jokes. Jeremy's eyes widened slightly when Christian picks him up forcing Jeremy to wrap his legs around Christian. "This works too" Jeremy mutters not loosening his grip from Christian as he carries him to the bathroom.

Once they're inside, Christian hesitantly allows Jeremy to stand on the ground. After a few minutes of coaxing, Jeremy steps back. He pulls Christian's bloody clothes off of him before taking his own clothes off. The two of them step into the shower.

Christian stands there and lets Jeremy do what he wants. He moves when Jeremy pulls him somewhere and he hands the bottles to him when Jeremy needed them. Other than that Jeremy did most of the work. He washed all of the blood away from Christian while reminding him that he isn't alone and he wouldn't be again.