CHAPTER TEN | THE SACRIFICE

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THE MOONSTONE WAS THE ONE THING THEY NEEDED TO STOP THE SACRIFICE. Damon and Stefan headed to the tomb underneath the church, where Katherine currently was. The Pierce woman had the moonstone in her possession, and she knew that needed it so she wanted to make a deal: In exchange for her freedom, Katherine would give them the moonstone and disappear from Mystic Falls forever.

After Stefan and Damon had finished explaining Katherine's demands to Riley and Elena, who stood in the Gilbert kitchen, Elena sighed. "You don't believe her, do you?"

"Of course not," Damon answered back immediately as he tossed an Orange in between his hands. "We just want the moonstone."

Stefan nodded in agreement with his brother. "According to Rose's friend, Slater. There's a way to destroy the spell that Klaus wants to break."

"No spell. No doppelganger sacrifice. Ergo, you live." Damon gestured with a smirk whilst Riley irritably grabbed the Orange within his grip and placed it back in Elena's fruit bowl.

Elena furrowed her brows whilst she leaned against the doorway. "How do you destroy it?"

"You have to release the spell from the moonstone," The strawberry-blonde witch explained in the simplistic way she could so that Elena would understand. "Bonnie and I are gonna do anything we can to make sure this sacrifice can't happen."

"It's Katherine who has the moonstone." Elena scoffed in disbelief. "She's not gonna give it to you."

"We're gonna get it from her," Stefan told his girlfriend, whose eyes widened fearfully.

"Well, what he means to say, is that we will pry it from her cold, dead hand if we have to."

"Bonnie and Riley just need to find a way to release the seal long enough for us to get in, get the moonstone, and get out in time for her to return it."

"Wow." A heavy sigh escaped Elena's lips. "I mean, it sounds like you guys already have it all planned out."

"Yep. We're awesome." Damon held his hand up towards Riley, who high-fived him whilst a chuckle escaped her lips.

"Except for one thing." Elena's sudden answer caused the laughing and joking to come to a halt. "I don't want you to do it."

Riley's eyes widened as she exchanged confused looks with the two vampires. Then, she glanced back to her best friend. "What? Elena, don't be stupid. We don't have a choice."

"What about Klaus?"

Stefan shrugged simply. "We'll find him right after we get the moonstone."

"Is that before or after he kills everyone that I care about, including the three of you." Elena pointed out to the three with a look of sadness on her face.

"Elena, if we can de-spell the moonstone, we can save your life." Stefan tried to explain to the girl who appeared not to care.

"I know. Everybody keeps saying that." Elena stood up from her position and left the three alone in the kitchen.

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"Riley and I should be able to lower the tomb spell long enough for you to get in there and grab the moonstone from Katherine," Bonnie explained to the Salvatores as they all stood in the parlor, formulating a plan of attack against Katherine Pierce.

"How?" Jeremy furrowed his brows with a pointed look. "It took you two, and your Grams last time, and look what happened to her."

Riley's face fell as she remembered back to what happened when she, Bonnie, and her Grams attempted to lower the tomb spell— Bonnie's grandmother died.

"It's not gonna be like that this time, Jeremy. Bonnie and I were barely capable of magic at that point." Riley tried her best to convince the Gilbert that nothing would happen, but even sure wasn't entirely sure.

The Bennett witch nodded and turned to Stefan. "How will you get it?"

"She hasn't been feeding. She's weaker. We're not." Stefan simply stated with his arms folded across his chest.

"You wouldn't underestimating her, would you?"

"It's a plan. Is it perfect? What plan is?" Damon's voice called out to the witch, who rolled her eyes.

"Let me do it." Jeremy suddenly spoke up as all eyes averted to him in disbelief. "I've got my ring. I could get in, get out. No spells necessary."

"Hm." Riley raised an eyebrow."Perhaps Bonnie and I might be able to help. We need something that belongs to Katherine."

After a few moments, Stefan appeared back in the room with the picture of Katherine he used to treasure. "This belonged to Katherine. I found it with her things after I thought she was dead, but it was hers."

"I'll do it, Riley," Bonnie told the strawberry-blonde just as took hold of the picture and placed it in a bowl. She dipped her fingers into a cup of water and then the picture caught flames in the bowl.

"What will this do?" Damon turned his attention to Riley, whilst Bonnie was busy performing the spell.

"The metal is gonna become ash. And, that ash will be able to keep Katherine incapacitated for a couple of minutes once they're blown onto her." Riley told the vampires. "Long enough for you to get the moonstone, and get out without getting hurt."

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"Sorry, I'm late," Bonnie called out to Damon, Stefan, and Riley who all stood outside of the tomb entrance, awaiting her arrival. "I had to grab the grimoire from home."

"What? Where's Jeremy?" Riley furrowed her brows the minute she noticed the Bennett girl had arrived without Jeremy.

"He said he'd be here." Bonnie shrugged. She and Stefan headed down to the entrance of the tomb but before Damon could follow, his phone rang.

"Not a good time, Rose," Damon spoke up from behind Riley, who suddenly turned around with a skeptical look. After a few moments, Damon ended the call and slid his phone into his pocket. "I've gotta go. I'll be back. I promise."

Once Damon disappeared, Riley wandered down the staircase to the entrance of the tomb. Stefan dropped the duffle bag of weapons to the floor, but something caught his attention on the ground beside him. "What the hell?"

"Is that the moonstone?" Bonnie raised an eyebrow.

Riley rushed over to it and picking it up. She showed it to Stefan and Bonnie. Just as she did, Katherine moved into view with fresh blood covering her lips. "I hate to interrupt, but today has been full of surprises."

Katherine pulled Jeremy out into view with her. There was a bite mark on his neck that was dipped with blood whilst his eyes began to flutter open and closed as if it was a task to even remain conscious. "I'm sorry. I took some powder." He weakly apologized.

"Oh, Jeremy," Riley muttered quietly as she saw the state the boy was in.

"Don't worry. I know that he's wearing his ring so no matter how many times I kill him, he'll just keep coming back for more. So, I'm gonna be in the back playing with my new little toy." She shoved Jeremy back further into the tomb. "And, you guys just give me a holler when you've got the tomb open."

Stefan frantically started to pace up and down at the entrance of the tomb whilst Riley and Bonnie began to prepare for the spell. "Where the hell is Damon?"

"I—I don't know." Riley stuttered. She was worried about so many things right now. "He just said he had to go and that he'd be back."

"We can't wait. We have to get him out of there." Bonnie looked at the two best friends who were exchanging looks among themselves.

"She's fed. She has her strength back." Stefan exasperatedly sighed.

"Right, okay. But, we still of whatever's left of this ash." Riley told Stefan as she pulled out the remainder of the ash Bonnie had made. "Do you think you can do this?"

Stefan sighed heavily as he took hold of the ash. "I don't have a choice."

"It's gonna take us some time."

"How long?"

"Just get me in there as soon as you can."

Riley nodded. She and Bonnie grabbed hold of each other's hands and softly began to chant as the lanterns immediately lit all around them. Riley's eyes were firmly clamped shut, as were Bonnie's. But, after a while, the spell to break the seal to the tomb appeared to be taking its toll on both of them as blood poured from each of their noses.

"You gotta stop them!" Jeremy yelled out again, but Katherine yanked him back and away from the entrance.

"Riley, you need to stop." Stefan pushed his hand to the girl's cheek. Her eyes remained fixed shut as a single tear rolled down her cheek. He turned to Bonnie, "Bonnie. Stop it, now!"

Out of nowhere, both Bonnie and Riley dropped to the floor and blood continued to pour from their noses. Stefan dropped and attempted to wake the two girls. "Riley, wake up. Riley, please. Bonnie, come on."

"Yes, please. Because I'm still in here!" Katherine yelled out as the two girls finally found their feet once more.

"Are you both okay?" Stefan helped both the girls up to their feet the moment their eyes fluttered open.

"It didn't work. We're not strong enough." Bonnie cried out as she looked into the tomb with a look of despair on her face. "Even with help, we can't do it."

"Aw, that's too bad. I'm still hungry." Katherine grabbed Jeremy and pinned him against the wall, ready to feed on him until Stefan sped into the tomb and pushed the younger Gilbert out.

"Go!" Stefan yelled as he pinned Katherine to the wall of the tomb. Shortly after Jeremy rolled into Bonnie's arms, he realized what he had done. Since Riley and Bonnie weren't able to lower the tomb spell, Stefan was trapped with Katherine.

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Once Riley had called Damon to explain everything that happened, it wasn't long before she heard Elena's voice yelling Stefan's name through the tunnel before she ran down the steps. "Stefan!"

"Elena, I—" The Evans with breathed out the moment she saw the distress on Elena's face. The doppelganger attempted to edge inside the tomb, but Riley pulled her back. "No. You're not going in there."

"Stefan's in there!" Elena snapped back as she swatted the witch's grip from her arm and attempted to rush toward the tomb again. But, before Elena could enter, Damon grabbed her and pinned her against the wall. "How could you let this happen, Damon?"

"What are you talking about? I was too busy saving you from your crazy kamikaze mission." Damon's voice was stern as he glanced back to Riley, who remained silent at his side. "I'll explain later."

"You guys didn't even have to go after the moonstone in the first place." Elena snapped, her eyes drifted between Damon and Riley with a venomous glare.

"Yes, Elena, we did," Riley answered back. "It was the right call, and you know it."

"Right call? How is any of this the right call?!" The doppelganger's anger continued to flow just before Damon shoved her toward the exit.

"Go home, Elena."

The Gilbert girl took one final look at the tomb, hoping to catch a glimpse of her boyfriend before she reluctantly shook her head and ran off out of the tomb.

A heavy sigh escaped Riley's lips as Damon's gaze finally found its way to her. "Riles." His voice was soft and laced with concern as she glanced up at him. "You okay?"

The witch tilted her head with a look of despair in her eyes. She felt responsible for Stefan's fate. Maybe if she were a little stronger, she could have done more. "There was nothing I could do, Damon. I tried. Bonnie and I just couldn't—"

"—It's not your fault, Riley," Stefan told her as he stepped toward the entrance of the tomb.

"Of all the idiot plans, Stefan." Damon rolled his eyes with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "I'll find a way to get you out."

"That's alright. I'll, uh— I'll handle myself." Stefan took a breath, his gaze flickered between the two. "Bonnie has the moonstone. Work with her to try and figure out how to de-spell it."

"You got it." Riley hopelessly smiled toward her best friend. After a moment, Stefan slipped back into the tomb, and Riley and Damon headed toward the exit. "So, what did you mean by you were saving Elena today?"

"She tried to hand herself over to Klaus. Only Elijah turned up." Damon told the witch as they wandered through the pitch black, forest toward his car. "Which means Elijah was never dead in the first place."

"God. As if things couldn't get any worse." Riley stressfully ran a hand through her hair as they finally reached Damon's car. "Looks like we both could use a drink, hm?"

"Riley Evans, it's almost like you read my mind." Damon chuckled.

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