THESE VIOLENT DESIRES

Chapter twenty-two | The sacrifices we make

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TODAY WAS THE DAY OF THE SACRIFICE. The moment they've been dreading for months now. The moon will be full tonight. The stars were aligned. Niklaus Mikealson was going to break his hybrid curse in a handful of hours and the tension within the group was insurmountable.

Kalliope felt it in the tightening of her bones. The clenching of her muscles. The hyper palpitations of her heart as she walked along the gravel in front of the Salvatore Boarding House. There was never enough breath circulating in her lungs. Time was up and any prior preparations they had in mind needed to step up and show out tremendously. For all their sakes.

Of course, Kalliope had bigger sharks to fend off. Darker demons were waiting just on the other side of the Salvatore's front door and she didn't have anything on her person to scare them off.

Nevertheless, Kalliope was only once in her life a woman on the run. A time when death and grief had been too much. Now wasn't that time. She wanted to prove to herself that she was indeed as strong, opinionated, and vibrant as ever. Time had not eroded her, it only bolstered her resolve.

Elijah neared her, towering over her frame as she raised her hand to knock. He was like her shadow, but in the sense that shadows looked after you, and cared for you instead of following you around in mock imitation. He had a purpose. Elijah always seemed to and the essence of his character was aspiring.

"How are you this morning?" Kalliope paused in her pursuit of the door at Elijah's question.

It was the first time he uttered a full sentence to her since last night. They stayed at the same residence. Jenna spent the night after their chat and most of their time was dedicated to the room Kalliope stayed in. Elijah's presence was felt on the other side of the door, but they mostly ignored it for a false sense of privacy. Now it seems that notion was incorrect. Elijah had heard their chat and his concern for her in the aftermath was evidence enough of his eavesdropping. It would make sense to have some semblance of conversation with him by now and yet, he was hesitant to bring up old wounds.

Kalli glanced at him over her shoulder. Tilting her head back to get a better view. She didn't like his desire to handle her with child's gloves. Of course, Kalliope was much- much shorter than him. Her appearance could be compared to a porcelain doll. She was more than a little naive to others' intentions. Then there was the fact that she wore bows more often than not. She was slightly volatile, yes - but that wasn't the point!

She had survived life longer than his existence ever thought to be. Her brow furrowed subtly. An adorable wrinkle in her nose.

"You don't have to coddle me, Elijah, please. I'd prefer you wouldn't. I may be naive to this new world but I am also, in my opinion, entirely competent."

"One can inquire about your well-being and still understand you're perfectly capable of taking care of yourself." His tone was even despite the argumentative nature of his response. He brushed the debris from the air off his lapels and fixed her with a stare that made her insides melt. Kalliope willed her heart to slow down and beat evenly. It felt like molten lava was inching up her delicate throat. However, the smoldering saturation of his attention seemed to control her body more than compulsion ever could. "Unfortunately... It has become a habit of mine to consider you."

"I have noticed," Kalliope murmured breathlessly in the seemingly unending pause that surrounded them alone.

She somehow got swept up in his almond-brown gaze. A heat returned to her cheeks as her head tilted curiously. "But you don't need to worry yourself. I've gotten the hang of it so far." Her plight was unconvincing.

"I'm afraid it's involuntary."

Another pregnant pause settled between them like someone had control of the remote. Did he understand the gravity of the words he just spoke? To what he was admitting? Elijah hardly said anything he didn't think through. He was entirely too rehearsed.

The silence was heavy with unspeakable emotions. Kalliope nearly felt her breath was stolen from her. The gravity of Elijah's inconspicuous words hit her straight in the chest. They gazed at one another for a beat too long. What the expressions flitting across those irises meant, is something they did not truly understand. But it was major. Too fragile and course alternating for them to analyze at the moment.

"Oh." Kalliope wet her lips, lashes brushing the tops of her cheeks as she averted has eyes. Her face was comparable to a scarlet rose during midday. "Well, I cannot stop you. So, thank you, I am well but tiresome this morning."

A hum sounded from Elijah's throat. She deciphered it as satisfied with her response. Their posture turned back to the front door as they resumed their quest. A blush still lingers on her rounded cheeks. It was then that Elijah's cadence reminded her of another time, another life, another lover. The thought lit her nerves sensationally.

Brushing away the wave of familiarity, Kalliope finally knocked.

Elena opened the door. Her hair was slightly frizzy. The bags under her eyes were more prominent in the natural light. The Doppelganger was exhausted, Kalliope concluded, which made sense given the situation. A heavy cloud of concern moved in overhead.

She didn't know much about Elena but her heart ached for the teen. She was so young and the world had decided to turn against her for simply being born.

It was entirely unfair, as was the world in which they lived.

"Morning, Elena," The Genie greeted.

"Morning Kalliope, Elijah. Please-um, come in."

Elijah allowed Kalliope to enter first before he stepped over the threshold. Now that Elena owned the rights to the Salvatore Boarding House, Elijah needed to be re-invited. Kalli never got used to the vampire laws. Nevertheless, they demanded to be followed.

"I'll save you the irritation and not ask 'how you are' today." Kalliope clasped her hands together, walking with lightness-afoot as she entered the foyer to the living room.

"Thanks, I've been getting a lot of that this morning."

The warmth of the dark colors in the Boarding House welcomed her with a mystical ire. The parisan rug, adorned with paisley stared her in the eye. The deep, rich reds and concerning browns. As if the furniture itself were warning Kalliope of impending doom. Her stomach rolled with unease and only when she stood behind the couch beside the fireplace did she look up and meet the eyes of her greatest advisory.

The one who successfully stole her heart in eighteen-sixty-four and left it bruised and battered for the vultures to pick at the remains. She had dealt with horrible men before but she never expected it would come from one she knew so tenderly as a devoted lover.

Damon Salvatore.

He stood with a slight slouch by the bar cart, somewhere she longed to be to forget the past, pouring himself a hefty drink at eight in the morning. An addiction for the man who was her addiction for the longest time.

It was like poetry.

"Kalliope... Hey," Damon spoke first. It was hesitant and uncharacteristically soft. His crystal blue eyes glanced over her face like he didn't know where to start.

His use of her given name instead of the shortened Florence stood out to her more than anything. He did it to throw her off. It was intentional but all it served to do was remind her of their sudden distance. There was a weighted silence that permeated the space between them. Kalli swallowed shallowly, staring into the eyes that brought her sorrow and love. Once upon a time, she thought Damon would only get the latter into her life and now she was stewing in the aftermath of his dishonesty.

She wanted to hate him. At the moment, she thought she definitely could.

"Damon," Kalliope muttered in short. She averted her gaze first, brushing her hands down the sides of her light-washed jeans. Her heart didn't flutter at the sight of him, which was new. After being used to the instinctual feeling for so long, it also surprised her. Presently, she just felt the hollow echo of his loss.

When she raised her eyes to him again, his fixation was on the Original behind her. The resentment was clear on his face. "What are you a permanent fixture to him now?" His jaw clenched with barely restrained irritation. Why Damon disliked Elijah so, Kalli failed to put it together. Nevertheless, his appearance was necessary.

The Original opened the middle button of his suit, sinking his large hand into his pant pocket. The childish tantrums of the younger vampire did not affect Elijah in the least. "Tonight is the full moon. We should assume that Klaus is prepared to break the curse."

Damon scoffed, abruptly turning to Kalliope again. "Can we talk?"

"There are other pressing matters at the moment. None of which are you." Kalliope clarified, igniting a fire within his crystal eyes. Now he knew what it was like to have your wants pushed aside, She thought bitterly. Her resolve to be stubborn for once had never been stronger.

Stefan came down just as the tension grew taunt, accompanying Elena as they gathered around the living area. The younger Salvatore sent Kalliope a veiled smile. It said many things that made her stomach turn. Stefan was hard to shun, harder than Damon. She could feel her fiery anger towards him cooling. The effects of his betrayal hovering over her heart like an apparition. At least his offenses were assuaged by his apology.

Although, she would need more.

Stefan cleared his throat, glancing between his brother and Kalli. "So, Elena told me you said the Sun and Moon curse is fake? That it's actually just a curse placed on Klaus."

"Klaus is a vampire born of a werewolf bloodline. The curse has kept his werewolf aspect from manifesting. But if he breaks it...He'll be a true hybrid," Elijah explained.

The smack of a glass slamming on the bar cart made Kalliope jump. She sighed, touching her forehead in annoyance.

"Then why are we letting him break the curse? We can kill him today. With Bonnie," Damon objected.

Kalliope tilted her head, eyes narrowing. "The extensive use of magic would kill Bonnie."

He turned to her, eyes widening in exasperation. "I'll write her a great eulogy."

"It's not an option, Damon." Elena deadpanned.

Sighing, Stefan placed a calming hand on his girlfriend's shoulder. "All right, how do we break this curse?"

Kalliope glanced over her shoulder at Elijah, his eyes were briefly already on her. She fought to keep her heated cheeks at bay. Straightening her shoulders, Kalli shook off the feeling of her fluttering stomach as his lingering gaze left. Their previous conversations about what was to take place for the elixir to work returned to her mind. "Well, the ritual itself is relatively straightforward. The ingredients, so to speak, you already know."

"The moonstone," Stefan murmured to which Elijah nodded.

"A witch will channel the power of the full moon to release the spell that's bound within the stone. After that, Klaus, being both werewolf and vampire, will sacrifice one of each. Then... the final part of the ritual." Elijah procured the wooden box with the elixir in it. Opening it for everyone to see, he picked up the vial within. "This is an elixir that I acquired some five hundred years ago for Katerina. It possesses mystical properties of resuscitation."

Kalliope turned to the Salvatore brothers, knowing they were the ones hearing all the information for the first time. She parted her lips, voice soft. "Elena will partake of the vial before the ritual and then she will pass."

"And then she will rise," Elijah added, observing the reactions within the group.

Damon scoffed, "That's your plan? A magical witch potion with no expiration date?" He suddenly faces Elena, his expression at face value appears angry. However, Kalliope saw through it. She saw past the surface-level facade. The clenching of his hand. The subtly heaving of his chest.

Elijah waved one hand dismissively. "Those rings only work on humans. The doppelganger is a supernatural occurrence. Odds are, the ring won't work."

Kalli knew that Stefan was upset about the whole thing. He was Elena's lover. Such devastation plagued his entire posture as he caressed his heart's shoulder and smoothed her hand. Yet, Kalliope took notice that Damon's mannerisms replicated that of Stefan. You could not tell them to apart they were so in sync, drenched with heartbreak.

The eldest brother should not have such deeply attached ties to that of his brother's love.

But then... only then, was she seeing it all.

The full picture.

"I'll take those odds over your elixir. What if it doesn't work, Elena?"

As Damon argued back and forth with everyone, the puzzle pieces were slotting into place. Her burning anger bridled into a consistent ember of resentment. Kalli had not only been manipulated and lied to centuries past, but she was amid another betrayal. The waves of anguish just kept thrusting upon her heart, caving in her chest.

The allure of the doppelganger was omnipresent. The grip it held over Damon's life was an unyielding addiction he didn't wish to break any time soon. An addiction that left those in his wake, constantly seeking to be validated by a love that would always be compared to that of a reoccurring phenomenon. She would no longer try to measure up to a toxic lover who sabotaged his own unhappiness to sate his ego.

Elena warily looked around the room, taking in the gravity of her next words before she could even utter them. A melancholy resolve solidifies in her brown eyes. Kalli felt unwavering compassion settle in her bones. Her righteous rage didn't soil her opinion of Elena. Damon's demons had nothing to do with her situation. Kalliope unfortunately, knew a victim when she saw one. "Then... I guess I'll be dead."

The Eldest Salvatore would not take Elena's claim at face value. Like a heartbroken man on a rageful path, he stormed out, leaving them to ponder about his forbidden feelings for his brother's love.

...

It was not much later in the day when Elijah and Kalliope found themselves in the library. It was probably Elijah's favorite room in the house. In any house, truthfully. Kalliope avoided the inevitable conversation with Damon as long as she could. She didn't want to speak to him and end up coddling his broken heart when he didn't care whether hers thrived or singed.

That was her addiction; caring for others when her arms were already withered.

She was tired of repeating the same habits. Kalliope sought freedom from her chains and being with the Salvatore while he was sulking like an impudent child would only tighten the reigns.

Kalli could not hear the conversation the Salvatores were having. Or, the argument that was ensuing, but she could tell by the way Elijah's eyes brushed over her figure frequently that it was nothing good.

The Original leaned against a desk within the room while Kalliope traced a pattern on the couch. Her nail scratched against the fabric. She glanced up at Elijah from under her lashes, sharing a conversation without words. His dark brown eyes softened for only a second, but she saw it nonetheless. He glanced down to the chair beside him and back to her; a silent invitation to be near him.

Kalliope worried her bottom lip, subtly shaking her head in defiance. His eyes narrowed. It was not often his requests were denied. For a brief flash, she saw heat there. It was fleeting, so much so, she thought it was all in her head. Her breath stalled for one heartbeat but then she smiled coyly, finding his annoyance amusing.

She thought, if even for a moment, that his eyes smiled. The corners crinkling with equal hilarity to her own. Kalliope grew grateful, that the Noble Original could garner a whisper of contentment in such a grueling time. If you told Kalli that she would make friends with a man she was so incredibly opposed to upon first sight, she wouldn't believe a word.

Frankly, she was having a hard time believing it now.

Elena padded into the room, ending the silent conversation between the ancient beings. Kalliope's attention was stolen as her almond-brown eyes softened. The doppelganger sighed. "You'd think he'd understand why I'm willing to do this."

"Why are you?" Elijah pointedly asked.

Kalliope knew the answer before Elena could speak it. "I'm the key to breaking the curse. Klaus is here because of me. If I don't stop him, then he's going to hurt people. It's that simple."

Elijah eyed the Gilbert girl, fondling the elixir in his hand. "You know, there's a possibility this elixir won't work. I don't want to mislead you." Kalliope smiled small, her heart warming at the sincerity in his gaze.

"I know the chance I'm taking," Elena replied, shoulders lifting in a noncommittal shrug.

"I think..." Kalliope started, drawing their attention. The Genie rounds the settee with sure steps, coming to stand before the doppelganger. Her almond eyes washed over Elena in kind. A maternal smile curled her lips. "No, I'm for certain. You are incredibly brave, Elena Gilbert. In my many years on this Earth, your heart is one of the most valiant. Fighting for those you love is... lonely, but I don't think it's any less beautiful because of such a burden. The burden makes it beautiful."

The genie didn't wish for her words to sound mournful, but she was always a woman of instinct. Her heart led her here. Although she felt very real, visceral pain, it didn't stop her from outpouring a maternal nature when necessary. Elena, who lost two mothers in this life, needed to hear such endearing words. She needs bolstering. A confirmation that what she was doing was okay.

Elena's previous apprehension of the Genie shifted away then. Her heart-shaped face softened as her eyes watered but tears did not fall. Kalli momentarily cupped Elena's cheek. A suitable exchange in place of an embrace. "Thank you," Elena sniffed, smiling genuinely.

A sudden commotion startled the peaceful pause. A shout and a clatter drew the house's occupants out of their resting places. The three of them quickly walked towards the front door to witness Jenna and Alaric, who Stefan apprehended, enter the door. The vampire hunter was pushed up against the wall by the young Salvatore's hand, causing the human to choke.

"Stefan wait, wait! He's himself again!" Jenna called out as Kalliope neared.

"Klaus let me go. I swear h-he let me go," Ric wheezed out as Stefan dropped him. Alaric rubbed at his neck with a grimace, coughing out.

Damon meandered to the front with everyone else, squinting his eyes. "Prove it."

Alaric cautiously glanced at Jenna, "Okay, uh, the first night you and I spent together, Jeremy walked in right when I was about to..."

"Okay, it's him. We proved it, alright?" Jenna rushed to cut him off, blushing profusely. Kalliope puckered her lips in a shocked pout, eyebrows raised as she glanced between her friends. She felt like she had intruded on something intimate. Her cheeks heated as she averted brief eye contact with Elijah.

Stefan cleared his throat to stifle the awkwardness. "Why did he let you go?"

"He wanted me to deliver a message..." Alaric turned to Elena, lips downturned. "The sacrifice happens tonight."

Jenna's expression grew incredibly melancholy. She grabbed her niece's hand, squeezing it with a desperation that rivaled a mother to her own babe. "We're prepared for anything now. Right, Elena?"

"Yeah," Elena confirmed with a sad smile. As if to relieve Jenna of her fears.

"Here, come in." Stefan ushered everyone back to the main sitting area. "So you don't remember anything that happened?"

"No. It's like I blacked out and woke up three days later. Katherine... I saw Katherine there," Alaric recalled with a disgruntled expression as if it was a pain to pull the memories out. Kalliope leaned against the couch armrest. She was more nervous as the time ticked by. The hairs on her arm and neck rose with trepidation as the sun waned. Kalli just felt something incredibly wrong was going to happen. Something outside of their original plans.

"Klaus put her under compulsion. His intentions were one step away from murderous when I was there." The Genie sighed internally at the memory. Remembering how her friends had completely abandoned her with a tyrant still stung.

"Damon snuck her some vervain, but she can't leave until Klaus tells her she can." At the mention of the eldest Salvatore, she began to pick at her fingernails as she spoke.

"Where is Damon?" Elena asked aloud, drawing Kalliope's attention.

"I saw him go upstairs," Jenna answered. Kalli had noticed he slipped away a little earlier but didn't speak on it. She always noticed him, which wasn't great for her psyche. Old habits died tragically and unbelievably slow.

The Genie watched as Elena followed Damon's trail. Her heart syncopates with the implications of the doppelganger's affections. She cared about Damon, whether she wished to admit it or not. Kalliope didn't want to sit there and wistfully await what was going on up there and yet, her ears were atune to the happenings above. A brutal war between her mind and heart.

When she suddenly heard a troubling commotion, Stefan ran up there first. A shout was called out and a crash that could only be suspected as fighting. Kalliope let her weeping heart win and ran upstairs after the younger Salvatore.

Her breathing picked up as she went up the rug-covered steps. The eyes of the group were on her as she disappeared behind Damon's bedroom door.

Kalliope pushed the door open with a sense of urgency. What her almond-brown eyes laid upon had stolen her breath, nailing her to the floor with a reckless slam.

Elena sat on the floor, disgruntled and in tears. Her lips were covered in blood. Eyes blown wide like a shivering child whose innocence was stolen. Damon stood above her, lips flattened as he eyed her in reproach. And then there was Stefan, who was impaled through the abdomen by a wooden chair. His face strewn up in pain.

"What have you done!?" Kalliope gasped, facing the Eldest Salvatore. She suddenly shoved at his chest with her eyebrows drawn deep. An offense sharpened her tongue as the sounds of Elena's tears became the atmosphere.

"Stefan," Elena called for him as she shakily attended to him.

"I saved her life," Damon spat. "You're so bent on dying, at least this way I know you'll come back."

"Her life, Damon. Her life. And saved? You sealed her fate. That's not heroism but selfishness in its truest form."

"Give it a rest, Flore." Damon stormed out of the room, leaving the three alone. Kalli looked at Stefan and Elena, at a loss for words. Her lips parted and the fiery rage she had been keeping at bay finally roared through her body like a spark igniting and then abruptly combusting.

"A rest?" She muttered to no one in particular, her jaw clenching. "A REST?" Kalli blinked, indignate.

"Kalli, just leave him. He's unstable right now," Stefan struggled to say as he pulls the makeshift stake out of his stomach.

The Genie furrowed her brow, turning to Stefan with a glare. "I wish everyone would stop telling me what to do. I'm not a child! I know who Damon is, I bloody well married him, Stefan."

"I'm just looking out for you-"

"And I don't need you to so kindly bugger off." Kalliope slammed the door behind her as she followed where Damon had stalked away. Alaric, Jenna and Elijah all stood to observe to chaos ensuing. The concern was clear on Jenna's face but Kalliope was on a war path at the moment.

She stopped before them, impatient. "Where did he go?"

"Kalli-"

"Where is he, Ric?" She pressed and for the first time since he met her, Elijah recognized the wicked, reckless fire in Kalliope's eyes again. His eyebrows only moved a miniscule amount, lips posed in a firm line.

"He went out back," Alaric warily nodded towards the backyard as Kalliope pushed open the doors aggressively.

The outside moggy air hit Kalliope in the face as soon as she stepped out. Her heart sped up, constricting her chest. She had to work to breathe through her anger. Damon stood a little ways away from the boarding house, sulking like a child.

"Go back inside," Damon sighed in annoyance.

"You have a habit of disrespecting me by thinking I'll do everything you say when you say it like some common dog."

"I've already apologized to you, I don't know what you want from me." He muttered as he sipped from a bottle of bourbon.

A frustration built in Kalliope as she suddenly snatched the alcoholic bottle and threw in the yard, watching the gladd shatter against a tree.

"What the hell," Damon exclaimed, eyes widening in a glare.

The Genie stepped up to Damon with a menacing glare. Her cheeks and nose heated with a red hue, consumed with her contempt. "I've been silent for DAYS and all you've done is prattle on and on in messages about your atonements. Wishing to be forgiven but not knowing what you're even apologizing for. Well, I don't want your weak interpretation of empathy."

"You were gone, and now that you're back I'm suddenly supposed to get back on board like nothing happened?"

"I wanted you to be honest with me," Kalliope shouted, throat becoming raw.

Damon shook his head, nearly at his breaking point. "You want honesty, fine. I slept with Katherine in 1864. Every time I went back home, I was going to her bed, happy now? That what you wanted to hear?"

"And Elena Gilbert?" Kalliope shot back. His words were hurtful. His tone spiteful, causing Kalliope to suck in a breath.

"What about her," He deflected.

Smiling without humor, Kalli nodded to herself. Her eyes unconsciously watering but she tried to keep them at bay. Her throat tightened from overemotion. She didn't know this man, not really, not anymore. "Hear me... clearly this time and for the final time. You are by far the most selfish man I have ever met."

Damon scoffed to interrupt her. He had heard this time and time again. It was nothing new but Kalli stopped him with a raise of her hand, shaking her head. "There have been men harsher than you, ruthless - evil men... but you? You're cruel. You promise love and fantasy, persuading me with beautiful futures. Then you twist and omit and lie with no awareness, with no accountability. Giving false pretenses of unconditional love when all you can satisfy is your ego. I would've burn the world to the ground for you and it still wouldn't be enough. You don't want me, not the true me. You want what my love gives you. A comfort... but no longer. Learn something from this, if their smart, the next one won't put up with your shite like I have."

She didn't shed a tear until she had passed Damon, wiping at her face with rough, frustrated slaps. When she came back in the boarding house the only one left down stairs was Elijah.

He stood with his hands fisted into his pockets. His eyes were trained on her in kind but he didn't utter a word. Kalliope appreciated it for she didn't want to talk. Her throat hurt from holding back tears. Her heart heart from being unable to hold back heart break.

"I need to find an alternative way to save Elena's life," Kalliope croaked, sighing as she ran a hand through her hair. "Will you take me to the Old Witches House, perhaps they know something I do not."

"Are you able to contact the witches?" Elijah was unsure.

"I... I believe I do."

"Seeing as the vial has been proven useless now, it seems my schedule is free." Elijah offered Kalliope her jacket and led her with his hand by the lower back towards the car they arrived in.

She was leaving her past behind and journeying into the new. Perhaps it was meant to be this way. It hurt like hell but Kalliope had a feeling it would be a good pain in the long run. Some sacrifices were worth making.

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Unedited. 07/03/24

Writing conflicts is so hard for me but I genuinely hate and avoid them like the plague, but I finally got this done. It took many many many edits, but here we are! Bonds are blooming and relationships are ending.

Let me know what you thought of this chapter! Feedback builds my inspiration to write more.
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