CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR    /    ACT TWO

Doomsday

Angelina's vampiric senses heightened, her eyes flickering open to unfamiliar surroundings. The room was large, dim, broken chandelier hanging above. Though the building seemed old, a place that was once a luxurious estate but now an abandoned warehouse no one had been to for centuries until now. The dust clogged her through, causing her to cough in response.

Despite the rapid pace of her heart beating, she tried her best to remain calm and quiet as she scanned the area. Everything she heard, everything she smelled, everything she saw; she paid close attention as she already began to plan her escape. The first thing she noticed was the vervain-laced ropes tightened around her wrists, though due to the resistance she'd built up, they caused little discomfort.

Her nostrils flared as they inhaled deeply, catching the metallic tang of blood in the air. Her senses heightened once more, pupils dilating. Her head snapped in the direction of the source, only to be met with an unconscious Elena who lay beside her with a blood stain on her arm, indicating she'd been attacked by a vampire specifically.

At least she knew what she was dealing with.

Her eyes darted for any sign of life before she tore apart open the ropes binding her wrists and threw them to the side before rushing to Elena's side, shaking her awake. Startled, Elena woke from her slumber, jolting up once she noticed the unaccustomed environment. Once her eyes met Angelina's, her heart slowed for a moment.

Placing a finger to her lips, the vampire quickly began to undo the ties around her doppelgangers. Elena exhaled heavily once she was free, swallowing hard as she grew more worried.

"Where are we?" She spoke in a hushed tone. Angelina didn't respond, only motioned for her to be quiet once again.

Suddenly, their ears caught the distant rhythm of approaching footsteps, a chill running down their spines, and their heartbeat quickening. The sound drew nearer, each sound echoing as they felt the impending danger upon them.

Once the footsteps finally entered the room, in came a woman, standing atop the grand staircase. As her eyes settled on her figure, Angelina almost felt her heart stop for a moment. Her eyes widened, her palms began to sweat, and felt as if her world was spinning uncontrollably.

"Rose?"

The woman sped down the staircase and in an instant she was met face to face with the woman from her past she thought she'd never see again. One of the people, if not her sister, being the reason she was still alive today.

Rose's eyes traveled from Angelina's head to her toes, then flickered to Elena. "You really look just like each other." She spoke, her accent smooth.

The Gilbert girl swallowed hard as she stared. "Angelina, you know her? Why are we here?"

"Stop talking Elena." Angelina snapped for a moment.

A grin tugged at Rose's lips, meeting her gaze once more. "You've changed since I last saw you. Given that it was centuries ago when you were just a girl."

"Whatever deal you made to bring us here, it's not worth it." She negotiated. "You can still let us go, and this shouldn't have to get messy."

"It's a little late for that," Rose whispered as she began to walk away. "He'll be here soon enough and you'll be out of our hands."

The 'he' Rose spoke of caught her attention, her breath hitching. "Who is he?" She asked cautiously. "..Elijah?"

Rose refused to respond as she descended back up the staircase, leaving the doppelgängers alone with one another. Panic was written all over Angelina's face while Elena held mere confusion. She sat beside Elena, interlocking her fingers and resting her forehead against her knuckles as her anxiety rose with each passing second.

"Angelina, who was that? And who is Elijah?" The Gilbert began to bombard her with questions she was too afraid to answer. "What is going on?"

"Elena, you have to listen to me, okay?" She took Elena's hands in hers, ensuring her attention was fixed on her and her only. "Whatever I say, you have to listen. You're human, you're hurt and you're weak. You don't stand a chance against these people."

"Angelina, answer my question." She spoke up again. "Who is Elijah?"

An eerie feeling ran down throughout her body at her question, nervously shaking.

"He's your worst nightmare. Among many others."

The vague response only heightened Elena's fear, though her thoughts were quickly put to rest at the sound of voices coming from the corridors. The two snapped their heads in the direction of the noise before looking back at each other. Rising from the dusty couch, Angelina motioned for her to follow as they quickly made their way up the staircase and peeked over the walls. The footsteps were as light as a feather, though the sound of their hearts boomed deafeningly.

Once the voices were clearer, the two stood behind a wall and listened in to their conversation.

"So you called him?" A male voice spoke, which she quickly identified to be Rose's lifelong friend, Trevor.

"No, I called one of his contacts," Rose said in a frustrated tone. "You know how this works."

"Did you or did you not get the message to Elijah?" He pressed.

"They say he got it."

"Wonderful, and what?"

"So that's it, Trevor." She rolled her eyes. "He either got it or he didn't. We just have to wait."

Panic surged through Trevor, stammering over his words. "L-Look, it's not too late. We–we can leave her here. We don't have to go through with this!"

"I'm sick of running Trevor." Rose said, emphasizing every word.

"Yeah? Well, running keeps us from dying!"

"Elijah's old school, if he accepts our deal, we're free."

Angelina turned to Elena who was caught up in their conversation. She then took her by the hand and led her to the other side of the hallway to remain hidden. As they crossed the hall stealthily, a creak rattled in the air from the loosened floorboards. The doppelganger cursed under her breath, biting her lip once she realized they were caught.

"Hey!" In the blink of an eye, Rose stood before them. "There's nothing around here for miles. If you two think you're getting out of this house you're tragically wrong, understand?"

Angelina nodded hesitantly, taking a deep breath. "I won't fight you, Rose." She whispered. "But you should listen to Trevor. It's not too late. Elijah could be hours away, we can still leave."

"That's a death wish for us all."

"And you don't think he'll kill you both either way?"

Rose glared for a few more moments before walking away into a room by herself.

"What about Katherine?" She persevered, following her into the room with Elena close behind. "You kidnapped us, why not her?"

"You keep asking these questions like I'm going to answer them." The vampire said as she began to cover up the windows with old, dusted painting's lying around.

"Why won't you?"

"And why would I hand over information to a traitor? Or have you forgotten? I owe you nothing."

The Petrova rolled her eyes, scoffing at her words.

"You got us, okay?" Elena stepped forward after a long period of silence. "It's not like we can go anywhere. Least you can do is explain to us what you want."

"I personally want nothing, I'm just a delivery service."

"Delivery to who?" She asked before turning to her doppelgänger for answers. "Elijah? Who is he? Is he a vampire?"

An uncomfortable silence cast over the room, Angelina's eyes shifting from Rose to Elena before exhaling. "In a way... he is."

"In a way? What's that supposed to mean?"

"He's one of the vampires," Rose answered as she flipped through multiple old books stacked on a desk. "the Originals."

"What do you mean 'the Originals'"?

"Again with the questions. Haven't the Salvatores been teaching you vampire history?"

"How do you know Stefan and Damon?" Angelina's eyebrows drew together, confusion written all over her face.

"I know of them. A hundred years back a friend of mine tried to set me up with Stefan. She said he was one of the good ones. More of a sucker for the bad boys though but I digress."

Angelina snickered, biting her nails as she rolled her eyes once again. "Right, well we're not here to talk about your love life."

"Exactly." The Gilbert cleared her throat. "Who are the Originals?"

She glanced at Angelina once more. "I know you know something. You're hiding it. Why?"

The vampire ran her fingers through her hair before taking one last deep breath, bracing herself as she began to explain. "He's someone Katherine and I have been running from for five hundred years. As far as I can tell, so have they. Hence why we're all here today."

"We're tired," Rose said. "We want it over. We're using you to negotiate ourselves out of an old mess."

"You don't think we're tired too?" Angelina muttered under her breath in a sarcastic tone.

"But why us?" the Gilbert interrupted.

"Because you're a Petrova doppelganger. You're the key to breaking the curse."

"Curse? The sun and the moon curse?"

"You do know your history." Rose chuckled.

"What do you mean we're the key? The moonstone is what breaks the curse."

"No, the moonstone binds it. Sacrifice is what breaks it." Angelina spoke up.

"Sacrifice?" Elena's head spun in her direction. "How much do you know that you haven't told us?"

"Everything."

"..What do you mean by sacrifice?"

"The blood of the doppelganger. You and I are the doppelgangers. It's a very long complicated and gruesome story ending in our death, which we were doing so good at avoiding until she came along." She said, shooting a glare in the direction of her kidnapper.

"Death?" Elena's breath hitched. "Tell me more. I wanna know more."

"Captivity's made em' pushy, eh?" A voice entered the room, prompting all to turn their heads in the direction of her friend, Trevor. "What do you wanna know, doppelganger?" He inquired as he began to help cover the windows.

"Who are you running from?" Elena asked again.

"The Originals."

"Yeah, they said that. What does that mean?"

"The first family." He began. "The old world. Rose and I pissed em' off."

"Mmm mm." Rose hummed as she shook her head.

"Correction. I pissed them off. Rose had my back and for over half a millennium they wanted us dead."

The doppelganger nodded. "What did you do?"

"He made the same mistake countless others did," Rose interjected. "He trusted Annelise and Katerina Petrova. The first Petrova doppelgangers."

The Petrova girl scowled, grinding her teeth. "To be fair, you would've done the same thing if you were in our position."

"No, I wouldn't."

"You're doing it now, aren't you? Sacrificing others for your own benefit? I may have screwed you over centuries ago but Elena didn't, did she?"

"Shut up." Trevor complained as he dragged his feet, continuing his story. "I helped them escape their fate, and now I've–sorry–we've been marked ever since."

"Which is why we're not going to make the same mistake again." Rose quipped as she made her way to the door with Trevor following close behind.

"This makes no sense." Elena muttered under her breath, rubbing her forehead as she paced back and forth.

"And we're not here to relive old memories, Elena." Angelina uttered quietly as the other two left, pulling her closely by the wrist. "We need to get out of here. Look, this isn't the first time you and I have been kidnapped and we got out last time. We still have time."

"Last time we had the help of Bonnie and Stefan." She argued.

"I don't need a witch and a vampire to save me again. We can get out of here ourselves."

"You heard Rose. There isn't anything for miles, we'd be lost either way."

"I'd rather be lost than in the hands of Elijah. And so would you."

"Maybe if you told us about whatever is going on here we wouldn't be in this situation." Elena snapped.

Angelina opened her mouth to speak, a sarcastic reply revving up before she noticed something appear on the table in the middle of the room. Ignoring Elena, she walked over to the desk to find a crinkled-up white note. Much different than the other discolored paper on the desk.

"What is it?" The Gilbert peered over her shoulder as Angelina unfolded the note.

                 Stefan and Damon are coming for you.
                                              – B

Reading the words, Angelina's heart skipped a beat. Relief flooded over her at the realization that 'B' could only mean Bonnie Bennett. Finally, they knew where they were, and help was on the way. With a prayer on her lips, she hoped for the best.

Back on the couch where they awoke, Angelina and Elena sat beside each other as they awaited Salvatore's arrival. Rose patrolled the room, checking up on them every now and then but it was written on her face she was just as scared as them. That fact alone only heightened their fear.

"Gosh, when will they be here?" The Petrova buried her face in the palms of her hands, growing more anxious by the second. "This is killing me. I should be finding my own way out."

"They'll be here. I'm sure they're not far." Elena reassured her.

Suddenly, Trevor burst into the room as if he'd seen a ghost. Running down the stairs he yelled, "He's here!"

At his words, the three jolted up and the atmosphere shifted immediately.

"This was a mistake!" He frantically paced back and forth.

"No, I told you I would get us out of this. You have to trust me." Rose attempted to reason with him.

"No! He wants me dead, Rose!"

"He wants them more!"

"I can't do this! You give them to him, he'll have mercy on you but I need to get out of here." Rose took him by the hands, forcing him to look into her eyes. "Hey! What are we?"

"..We're family." He muttered, his heart rate slowing down as he took slow breaths. "Forever."

"Always and forever." Angelina chuckled bitterly under her breath.

Like a shot, an ear piercing crash echoed through the house, indicating Elijah's presence. Angelina shot up from the couch with Elena mirroring her actions.

Trevor and Rose took one last glance at the doppelgangers before exiting the room together with a slight reluctance.

It suddenly felt cold in the room. Elena shivered from the fear while Angelina paced. "This can't be happening." She murmured. "Where the hell are they?"

"Listen, Angelina." Elena attempted to calm her. "They will be here and we will get out of this. Don't doubt them, okay?"

"Elena, you don't know Elijah or what he's capable of!" She berated. "I know it's in your nature to be all optimistic and positive, but this is far different than anything you've ever dealt with. The tomb vampires? They were never gonna get what they wanted. John? He was an idiot. Even Katherine couldn't stand a chance."

"Angelina, you're scaring me!"

"Good! You should be scared."

The way Angelina panicked was a side of her Elena never thought she'd see. From her perspective, she seemed like a far more fearless person than she ever was. But the way she paced back and forth, biting her nails and bottom lip, Elena couldn't help but brace for the worst.

Minutes crept by like they were hours until the sound of footsteps filled the room. Angelina sucked in a breath, realizing the three sets of strides belonged to one of the men she feared most, she slowly twisted on her heel until her eye's locked with him.

Elijah Mikaelson.

The second his eyes laid on her, he knew her identity. Dashing in front of her without a word, Angelina flinched. His deafening silence only made the tension thicker. He studied her from head to toe, a sly grin playing on his lips. When she refused to look him in the eye, he took her by the chin and gently tilted her head up to meet his eyes with the tip of his finger.

"Hello there." He voiced and she let out the breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

His eyes flickered to Elena, walking away from Angelina until he came face to face with the Gilbert girl. Closing the distance, he leaned in until he was practically nose-to-nose with her, almost like he was sniffing her scent, before straightening up.

"Human." He declared. "It's impossible."

Angelina frowned, her lips parting as she turned to him. "Elijah–"

Cutting her off, Elijah spoke once again. "Well, we have a long journey ahead of us. We should be going."

"No, wait–"

"One last piece of business then we're done." He continued before turning to Rose and Trevor.

"..I've waited so long for this day, Elijah." Trevor expressed in a shaky voice as the Original circled him. "Truly very sorry."

"Well, no, your apology is not necessary." He replied.

"Yes. Yes, it is. You trusted me with the Petrova's, and I failed you."

"Well, yes. You are the guilty one. And Rose aided you because she was loyal to you. That I honor." Elijah said as he stopped in front of him. "Where was your loyalty?"

"..I beg your forgiveness."

Tilting his head, Elijah smiled. "So granted."

In an instant, Elijah raised his hand and used his force to slice the head off Trevor's shoulders, his body tumbling to the floor.

At the sight of Trevor's decapitated head rolling across the room with his body on the other side, Angelina and Elena gasped in shock, their mouths agape as Rose let out a deafening wail. Her knees fell weak, her palm covering her mouth as she cried for her dead loved one.

"You–" She began to threaten.

"Don't, Rose." He warned, reaching into the pocket of his suit and retrieving a handkerchief, cleaning off his hands. "Now that you're free." He said before turning to the others.

"Come." Taking Angelina by the arm, Elena rushed over to them.

"No! What about the moonstone?"

Dropping her arm, he turned to the Gilbert. "What do you know about the moonstone?"

"I know that you need it." She stammered through her words. "And–and I know where it is."

"Yes?"

"And I can help you get it."

"Tell me where it is."

"It doesn't work that way."

"Are you negotiating with me?" He grinned before glancing at Angelina.

"It's true." She muttered. "We know where it is."

Turning back to Elena, his eyes fell upon the jewelry hanging dangling upon her neck. "What is this vervain doing around your neck?" He seethed, snatching the necklace and throwing it to the side. "Tell me where the moonstone is."

"In the tomb underneath the church ruins."

"What is it doing there?"

"It's with Katherine."

Cursing under her breath, Angelina sighed deeply.

Abruptly, the sound of shattered glass interrupted their conversation.

"What is that?" Elijah stepped away.

"I don't know." Rose croaked, wiping her tears.

"Who else is in this house?"

"I don't know."

"Move!" Taking both doppelgängers in each hand, he led them up the staircase and into the main foyer. As they stood in the middle of the room, a black figure spun around them.

"Rose?" He mumbled.

"I don't know who it is!"

The figure circled around them again. "Up here." A vague voice taunted.

Elijah sped up the staircase in the foyer.

"Down here." Said another.

A small wooden stake sailed through the air, catching Elijah off guard as it pierced his palm. With a frustrated grimace, he yanked the wood from his hand, scanning the room for the three elusive girls, who had vanished into thin air.

"Excuse me!" he called out, his voice echoing through the empty space, "To whom it may concern, you're making a grave mistake if you think you can beat me." He warned, raising his arms as if daring them to attack him.

"You can't. You hear that? I repeat, you cannot beat me." he declared, his words dripping with confidence as he fashioned a makeshift weapon from a nearby coat rack. "So I want the doppelgängers on the count of three. Or heads will roll."

"Do we understand?"

Suddenly, Angelina emerged from the shadows at the top of the staircase, her expression steely. "Drop the stake, Elijah. Let's not make this any messier than it needs to be."

"Where is the girl?" Elijah demanded, his tone commanding.

With a steadying breath, the brunette pulled out a vervain grenade and hurled it towards him, sending him reeling in agony. She then vanished back into the shadows, where Stefan awaited her. He stood beside her, armed with vampire weapons, ready for whatever came next.

As Elijah regained his strength, he pressed on up the steps, only to be greeted by Salvatore brandishing a gun loaded with wooden bullets. With each shot, Elijah shrugged off the impact, closing the distance between them until they collided and tumbled down the staircase.

With a swift recovery, Elijah prepared to strike back, but before he could, a wooden stake plunged into his chest, wielded by Damon. He then used the stake to pin Elijah against the imposing grand doors, watching with satisfaction as Elijah's skin began to wither and he fell into unconsciousness.

A smirk danced on Damon's lips as he glanced back at Stefan, Angelina, and Elena emerging from the shadows, a silent grin at their victory.

Angelina stood silently as everyone checked up on one another, too shaken to move. Her heart raced as she stared at Elijah's body, her mind swirling with the realization that the danger was far from over.

Suddenly, Stefan's arms enveloped her, jolting her from her trance. "You alright?" he murmured, concern etched in his voice, but Angelina couldn't find the words to respond, her thoughts in disarray.

Noticing her silence, Stefan turned to Damon and Elena. "We've got to get out of here."

"Where's Rose?" The Gilbert scanned the room anxiously.

"The other girl? She ran," Damon replied.

With a heavy sigh, Stefan took Angelina's hand and led her out into the welcoming embrace of sunlight, the others trailing behind, leaving the shadows of the past behind them, at least for the moment.

The three hour car ride back was silent as ever. Not because anyone wanted it that way, but because every attempt to start a conversation with Angelina was met with mumbles or cold silence. Tension hung heavy in the air, wrapping around the car like a suffocating fog, yet no one dared to break it.

As the miles passed by, Angelina found herself consumed by anger. Anger at the events of the day, of yesterday, of the past few months. From the attack of the tomb vampires to Katherine's manipulations, from Damon's betrayal to Elijah's sudden appearance, and the looming threat of Klaus's arrival—every twist and turn in her life fueled the flames of her fury, despite her efforts to suppress it.

When the car finally rolled to a stop in front of the Gilbert residence, Elena said her goodbyes and hurried inside, as Angelina to storm after. But just as she reached the porch, a hand gripped her wrist, halting her in her tracks.

She spun around to meet Stefan's pleading gaze. "Please, we need to talk about this."

"I don't want to talk about anything."

"You don't have anything to say? About today? About yesterday? You haven't said a word since we left."

Angelina scoffed, her anger feuling. "You want me to say something? Fine." Her fists clenched as she stepped closer. "If your brother ever attempts to kill my sister, or matter of fact even touch's her again, I will kill him and anyone who helps him myself."

"Angelina—"

"No stop, please just stop!" Angelina backed away, running her fingers through her brown hair. "I don't think you understand what's happening, Stefan. Things are changing and I don't have time to deal with your murderous brother."

"Enough about Damon, Lina. Please just—"

"Please stop, I can't. I know you just want to help, but please just stop, I don't wanna talk."

Tears welled in her eyes as he reached out, but she recoiled, rejecting his touch. Without a word, she bolted into the house, making a beeline for her bedroom.

With a resounding slam, she shut the door behind her, the sound echoing her racing heart. Inside, the world seemed to slow down, every breath heavy with intensity. She paced the room, a sense of manic energy consuming her.

Tears blurred her vision as she stared at her reflection in the mirror above her desk, her disappointment in herself overwhelming. With a sudden surge of frustration, she smashed the mirror, the sound shattering the silence. Frantically, she swept items from her desk, hurling them around the room until she collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath between sobs that wracked her body.

Unable to contain the storm of emotions raging inside her, she tore through her room, overturning chairs, tossing clothes from her closet, and ripping out the pages to the family book Damon had given her just days before, a symbol of her humanity crushing before her. Each crash and thud punctuated her anguish, a physical manifestation of the turmoil within.

Finally, spent from the frenzy, she sank to her knees amidst the wreckage, her chest heaving with each sob as she clung to the remnants of her shattered world.

She curled into a tight knot of sorrow, her body folding in on itself as if seeking comfort from the storm of emotions crashing around her.

She barely even noticed the light seeping in from the hallway as her bedroom door opened. In walked Stefan, shutting the door behind him as he watched her drown in her sorrows.

Without a word, he settled beside her, drawing her into his arms with a gentle embrace. He held her close, offering a safe haven for her tears and fears to spill out unchecked, understanding that sometimes showing vulnerability is the bravest thing she could do.

"I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry," she whispered between sobs, her voice muffled against his chest.

Stefan tenderly hushed her, planting gentle kisses on her forehead, each one a silent promise of comfort and understanding as he held her even closer, enveloping her in his warmth and love.

As the night stretched on, their embrace remained unbroken, the only sound in the room the soft rhythm of her tears and his reassuring whispers. Eventually, exhaustion overtook her, and she drifted into a fitful sleep in his arms, finding peace in his presence amidst the chaos of her emotions. And as the first light of dawn painted the sky outside her window, she found a glimmer of hope, knowing that even in her darkest moments when she feared there was no room for hope, she wasn't alone.

AUTHORS NOTE

angelina has been kidnapped three times in this entire book (four if you count damon bringing her to mystic falls). you'd think she'd learn by now

finally an update!! isnt that crazy!!

the title of this chapter has a hidden meaning that i'm not willing to share at the moment bc its a spoiler... anyways i hope u enjoyed lol cuz i had fun writing this chapter

also this it the qr to the playlist i made for this book, if u screenshot it u can scan it in the app in the search bar

or here is the link lol

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2dRde6GO17QKb31h5VvGAa?si=GFWKp-CpS32nLeSRN3yNxg&pi=u-jSE7WYqxQJm-

i love this playlist sm, and any song suggestions r welcomeeee

OK BYE!!'

also if you see any typos or weird sentences pls tell me so i can fix it