❪ 𝓢𝑰𝑿 𝓕𝑬𝑬𝑻 𝓤𝑵𝑫𝑬𝑹 ❫ ⚰️ ˖ ׁ ⁩ 𓂃
𝚃𝚅𝙳  ⸻  ✸ 🔮⭑.ᐟ
❝ 𝖣𝖤𝖠𝖫 𝖶𝖨𝖳𝖧 𝖳𝖧𝖤 𝖣𝖤𝖵𝖨𝖫 ❞

✦ ╮ 𝟔𝟏. ❝ 𝖳𝖧𝖤 𝖥𝖨𝖵𝖤 ❞ ── .✦

𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗙𝗔𝗡 𝗘𝗫𝗔𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗦 the hunter's mark on a wooden stake while Anastasia lays across the living room couch as Damon enters the room with some boxes on his shoulder.

"So what is all this?" Stefan asked as Anastasia sits up to look over the back on the couch.

"Some personal items that I snaked from the vampire hunter's RV. May he rest in peace." Damon sets the box down on the table, "I'm searching for a supernatural handbook."

"And you know for a fact that he was supernatural?" Stefan questioned.

"Definitely wasn't natural. The guy magically appeared just as someone blows up the entire Founders Council. He's covered in a tattoo that only Jeremy Gilbert -- of all people in the world -- seems to be able to see." Damon searches through the box, "Klaus and Eloise mentioned something about him being one of The Five. Then he kamikazes himself with explosives. Sound natural to you?"

Stefan turns to Anastasia, "What's The Five?"

"That's what I'm hoping is in the first chapter of the handbook." Damon says before his daughter could get a word out, just before his phone rings. "Liz Forbes, my favorite sheriff." He suddenly looks worried, "What? That's...concerning. Keep me posted." He hangs up.

"What? You're not gonna tell us?" Stefan asked.

"Can't tell you. Private." He continues to pull stuff from the box, "We're in a fight."

"We're not in a fight." Anastasia says. "I was almost blown up, too!"

"You're in a fight." Stefan tells his brother, "I'm not in a fight. I'm over it. I've been over it."

"Not still mad at me about Elena?" Damon questions, Anastasia rolling her eyes.

"You let her feed on you. I'm always gonna be mad at you but we're not in a fight."

"Very well, then. They didn't find any remains at the explosion sight."

Anastasia's jaw drops, "What?"

"So Connor's still out there." Stefan stated.

"Apparently so. I'm gonna need you to get on this today. I have to take Elena to college."

Stefan looks surprised, "I'm sorry, you have to do what, exactly?"

"I'm teaching her how to feed. She needs to learn snatch, eat, erase now more than ever." Damon tells him. Stefan goes to say something, but the blue eyed male stops him, "Ah, ah, we're not in a fight, remember?"

"Ugh, I'm going to call Dylan." Anastasia groan, standing up from the couch.

"What? You don't want to enjoy the fun at college?" Damon turns to his daughter, "We're a team, baby girl!"

"We're not a team, Dad." Anastasia shakes her head with a sad smile as she looks at him, "All I would be doing is sitting on the sidelines, watching you try and failing at trying to get Elena to see that you are the better choice for her. News flash, they are all better off without a Salvatore around."

₊˚.༄𖥸

𝗞𝗟𝗔𝗨𝗦 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗦 the double doors to one of the rooms in his mansion where Connor is chained to a piece of wood. The original hybrid stands next to the hunter. "Looks like I'll have to beef up the hybrid security detail."

"You texted me." Anastasia says as she comes out of the shadow with Stefan following her, "I just asked Uncle Stefan to come with me."

"And I was gonna take him, but I figured you went through such trouble to truss him up in your red room of pain." Stefan tells the hybrid.

"It's from the Inquisition. I thought it was a nice touch." Klaus says.

"What'd you get out of him?" Anastasia asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Not enough. He's mum about the Council fire and he's not saying anything about this greater evil we're all supposed to be shivering over." Klaus tells her before looking at Stefan, "What brings you snooping?"

"Well, I can't say it in front of him. As I'm sure you've figured out, our friend here can't be compelled."

Klaus looks at Connor, "You're full of mysteries, aren't you?"

"I told you, I don't know anything." Connor says.

"Thankfully, Anastasia and I know plenty." Klaus walks out of the room and gestures for the Salvatores to follow him, "Shall we?"

Stefan stares at Connor for a few minutes before following his niece out of the room.

Klaus shuts the doors and turns to Stefan, "So, what's with the home invasion?"

"Damon said you two knew something about this guy. Now, I should have figured out that you were up to something when you healed Elena from the werewolf poison without asking for anything in return." Stefan said.

"I was feeling benevolent."

"You're never benevolent. Who is this guy? What are the five?"

"So many questions."

"It's a good thing I have nothing to do today, except get answers from the two of you." Stefan sits down and looks between the two hybrids.

"The brotherhood of the five was a group of highly skilled vampire hunters. They crossed paths with them in the 12th century." Anastasia says, gesturing to Klaus.

"So these hunters have been around for nine hundred years?" Stefan asked.

"Apparently. Though our friend in the other room is the first I've seen since then." Klaus said, "Kind of makes you wonder what they've been up to all these years."

"And Rebekah had a thing with one of them?"

"Oh, she didn't just have a thing. She fell in love with him He told her all his secrets. Which I will gladly share with you provided you do one thing for me."

"And what's that?" Anastasia raised an eyebrow.

"Get Rebekah over here. She's being stubborn and hateful. I need to make peace with her." He gets up, "I want her to give me some very important information about the hunter which she won't do unless she believes we've made up."

Stefan gets up, "And what's in it for me?"

"Just get her here and I'll tell you. Oh, and Stefan, trust me when I say this; that hunter in there holds the answer to all your prayers."

₊˚.༄𖥸

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗨𝗡𝗖𝗟𝗘 and niece sit down at the table where April and Rebekah sat, Anastasia blowing a playful kiss in Matt's direction who pretends to catch it and put it in his pocket.

Stefan turns to April, compelling her. "You won't remember any of this."

Anastasia turns to Rebekah, "Klaus wants Uncle Stefan to fake peace with you, so you'll talk about the five."

"Yeah, I bet, but don't help him, he'll just betray you." The blonde says, "It's what he does."

"Alright, well, forget him." Stefan says, "Help us instead."

"Why? You both hate me more than he does."

Anastasia tilts her head to the side, "Well, you did expose Kol and I's plan to kill Klaus back in 1914, ending up with him daggered until now."

"You and Kol were the ones who decided to bond your lives together." Rebekah exposes.

Stefan looks at his niece, "Excuse me? What does she mean?"

"Story for another time." She waves him off. "Tell her why we are here."

I want to figure out what he's up to and plus I can give you the one thing he won't." Stefan turns back to Rebekah.

"And what's that?"

"A clean slate." Anastasia tells her.

"I'm not saying that I'm willing to forgive you for what you did to Elena, but I'm willing to set it aside and start over." Stefan says.

"Why would you do that?"

"Because, you're obviously not leaving town anytime soon and I'm just looking for a way we can all get along. Plus you can't be too happy wandering around school with no friends."

"Well, what if I don't care what you or anyone else thinks?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure that you care what Matt, over there, thinks." Stefan smirked, "Anastasia and him are best friends, she can talk him into a clean slate too."

₊˚.༄𖥸

𝗞𝗟𝗔𝗨𝗦 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗦 next to Connor, who is still chained up as the hunter groans in pain. "You feeling alright, mate? Are the shackles too tight? Welcome home, sister."

He turns around to see Rebekah, Anastasia and Stefan walking into the room.

"Is this a trick? How do you know he's one of the five? Where's his bloody tattoo?" Rebekah asks.

"Oh, the tattoos aren't visible on this lot like they were on the last. Let's eat." Klaus walks out of the room with Rebekah and Anastasia following him.

₊˚.༄𖥸

"𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗞 𝗬𝗢𝗨, my lovely." Klaus tells the pretty girl that serves them their food, "I could kiss the Council for burning up all the vervain in town. They made my life so much easier. Rebekah, love, eat your veggies."

"I'm not eating until you apologize." Rebekah stated.

"For which indiscretion?" He asked, "There have been so many."

"You broke my neck."

"You threw away Elena's blood so I can't make any more hybrids."

"Because you took me for granted."

"That's what big brothers do, sweetheart."

"Let me just name a million other people the two of us would rather be having dinner with right now." Stefan motions between him and his niece.

"Alright, fine. I'm sorry." Klaus says, "I often forget how delicate you are. Forgive me?"

"I'll take it under consideration."

"Okay, good. Now, why don't you tell me about Rebekah's hunter?" Stefan asked.

"Right, Alexander. Nice chap foregoing the obvious issues. He was looking for creatures of the night which is why we felt quite safe around him wearing our daylight rings."

₊˚.༄𖥸

"𝗦𝗢, 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧'𝗦 what this is about? A weapon." Stefan says.

"Not just any weapon."

"Rebekah, love, don't get ahead of the story."

"How is a weapon the answer to all of my problems?"

The two hybrids and Rebekah look at each other, but none of them say anything.

Anastasia only knew the stories of the five because of her time with the Originals. Kol had kindly explained all of the dangers in the world to the newly turned vampire, with the hopes that she would have the means to protect herself if it ever came down to something like this.

"Okay. Why don't we just skip with the theatrics and ger right to the point?"

"Not quite yet, because in order to find this weapon, we need to solve the puzzle." Klaus says, "Which seems to have disappeared."

"What puzzle?"

Klaus raises an eyebrow.

"The tattoo." Stefan realizes, "What is it?"

"Fat lot of good a tattoo's gonna do if we can't see it." Rebekah says.

"We can't, but someone else can." Klaus turns to a girl, Anastasia tensing up at his words, "Why don't you tell the hybrid to bring him in, love?"

"Klaus." Anastasia shoots him a warning look.

"Relax, love. I'm not going to hurt the poor chap!" Klaus tells her before looking at Stefan, "You see, the hunter was so eager to get to the bottom of his mystery tattoo that he mentioned there was only one other person that could see them."

The hybrid walks back in the room with Jeremy in his grasp. Stefan super speeds out of his chair and towards Jeremy. Klaus rushes past Stefan, standing between him and Jeremy as Anastasia is now standing in front of her chair in fear.

"I wouldn't. Lucky for us, young Jeremy here, is a bit of an artist." Klaus says.

"I'm not helping you with anything." Jeremy says.

In just seconds, Anastasia was now standing in Klaus tight grip and both of them stood in front of Jeremy, who's eyes grew wide.

"Marcus!" Klaus calls out, and a boy no older than Jeremy walks into the room and over to where the three stood. "Bite her."

"Klaus." Anastasia whimpers as Marcus gets closer to the young hybrid, eyes locking with yellow as Marcus quickly bits into the side of her neck, leaving a large wolf bite in her flesh.

"I'm afraid you are." Klaus smirks, "Because if you don't, I won't heal her."

₊˚.༄𖥸

𝗜𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 room where Connor was chained up, Jeremy sat near him as he drew out the tattoo on the hunter's arm on a notepad, worry for Anastasia clouding his mind as he tries to stay focused.

"You set me up at the hospital." Connor speaks up, "Led me into a trap. Why?"

"You were trying to hurt people who are important to me." Jeremy tells him, "My girl -- ex-girlfriend -- just so happens to be one of them. You know, the germaphobe."

"Important to you? That vampire just threatened to kill you! I don't understand how you can see the tattoo if you're a sympathizer."

"And what exactly do you understand?" Jeremy asked, "Because a couple days ago, you seemed to have all the answers and now you know jack. Where did this tattoo come from? Why am I the only one who can see it?"

"Years ago, I met someone with the mark. Claimed he had this intense desire to kill vampires, like it was ingrained in his DNA. He told me the same thing I told you, that if I could see the mark, I was a potential." Connor tells him.

"Who was he?"

"Just a guy I served in Iraq with. I lost track of him and then one day, tattoo just showed up on me." The hunter says, "It started on my hand, but the more vampires I killed the more it spread like -- like it was trying to tell me something. I just -- I just don't know what."

Jeremy looks back down at the notepad and continues to sketch out the tattoo.

Back in the dining room, Klaus, Stefan, Rebekah and Anastasia say still talking about the five as Anastasia could feel the werewolf venom spreading through her body.

"So, tell me more about this tattoo." Stefan says, worried eyes never leaving his niece.

"My sister's suitor was unwilling to tell us anything." Klaus says as he stands up from his seat and walks around to Anastasia. "Rebekah, however, was more than willing to investigate. Isn't that right?"

Rebekah looks down at the table in shame as Klaus bits into his wrist and feeds Anastasia his blood, healing her of the bite on the side of her neck.

"There you go, love." Klaus sits back down. "My sister's boyfriend threw a slumber party that night. He and his brothers put us all down in our sleep. Elijah, Kol, Finn and me." He looks at his sister.

"How was I supposed to know?" Rebekah asked.

Klaus raises his glass, "Cheers, to my sister's uncanny ability to choose men."

"I thought the daggers didn't work on you because of your werewolf side." Stefan said.

"They don't." Klaus smirks. "Go ahead, Rebekah. Tell him. Tell him what the hunter told you the tattoo leads to. What is this great weapon that could bring about the end of the vampire species?"

"A cure. He said there was a cure."

Klaus stands up and Stefan follows.

"There is no cure for vampirism." Stefan says.

"He's telling the truth, Stefan."

"Then why wouldn't you have searched for it, found it?"

Rebekah and Anastasia stand up.

Klaus stands in the parlor, pouring him a drink, "Because when the hunters drew their final breath that night, the marks disappeared from their body, the map was gone, the brotherhood of the Five extinct. For nine hundred years, there was not a whisper of another hundred years, there was not a whisper of another hunter, until our friend in there showed up in town."

"Well, now we have the map, what do we do next?" Asked Rebekah."

"We don't do anything. You can't be trusted, little sister. You'll be blabbing this secret to the first boy who calls you pretty. I mean, it's pathetic, really, isn't it?" Klaus asks no one in particular, "How she continues to hand her heart to any man who shows her a hint of affection. You'd think she would have learned by now from the endless cycle of disappointment and deception."

"But, I haven't, instead I stayed with you and let you leech every moment of happiness from my life! You know, at least I fared better than Finn, Klaus left him daggered because he was tired of his judgment."

"No, Finn was a dullard. He was more interested in lying in a box."

"You want the cure for Elena, don't you? So you can go back to mass producing your hybrids. That's why you brought Stefan here, because you knew that he'd help you even though he hates your guts!" Rebekah yells, "YOu know what? You can shove your cure." She walks out of the house.

Klaus turns to the Salvatore's with a smirk on his face.

"Well, I hope you got what you wanted out of her before you chased her off." Anastasia rolls her eyes as she leans on the doorway.

"She never would have told me what I needed to know. But she'll tell you, Stefan."

"What do you need me to find out?" Stefan questions.

"The map is useless without the tool to decipher it."

"The sword." Anastasia states.

"She knows where it is. And you're gonna get her to tell you." Klaus looks at Stefan, "You have a chance to save Elena from the very thing that is going to destroy her. You can call it a deal with the devil, if you like. But you know you won't walk away from it."

₊˚.༄𖥸

𝗝𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗬 𝗜𝗦 sketching the tattoo from Connors body when Klaus and Anastasia walks into the room.

"Nice lines." Klaus gains his attention, "Now, if you could just hurry it up a bit."

Jeremy stands up from his chair, a breath of relief leaving his lips as he notices the bite mark on Anastasia's neck was no longer there. "I'm done."

Klaus looks at the sketch and walks closer to Connor, "What is this?"

"It's the tattoo." Jeremy answered.

The hybrid turns around and grabs Jeremy by the throat, ignoring Anastasia as she calls out his name, "I've seen the tattoo, you impertinent punk. There's more of it."

"That's all of it." Jeremy says, "He says every time he kills a vampire it spreads."

Klaus throws Jeremy back into the chair, turning towards Connor, "Anastasia, love, take Jeremy home."

"Come on." Anastasia tugs Jeremy out of his chair and out of the room.

₊˚.༄𖥸

𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗙𝗔𝗡 𝗣𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗦 himself a drink in the parlor as the front door comes open and Rebekah comes inside, closing the door behind her.

"I got your message." She walks into the parlor. "I'm sorry. I know you wanted my help; he just makes me so angry."

"No one deserves to be treated that way."

"I wanted it back then. The cure. I was willing to leave behind my family for it."

Stefan offers her a drink and she takes it.

"Would you take it if you had the chance? Or is it just for Elena?" The blonde asked.

"A part of me wishes that she and I could have eternity together. But Damon's right, there's not a single vampire who hasn't killed a human. Elena will kill and then there will be the pain, the guilt, and then....," Stefan trails off.

"The humanity switch."

"But Elena, she's driven by love; by compassion. If she turns off her humanity, then I don't think we'll ever get her back." Stefan stated, "So, I'd do anything to save her."

"I envy that. You and Elena. I envy the love you have. I really did believe Alex when she said he loved me. He promised we'd be married. We even picked out a church. San Vittore in Brienno. I know you want my help, Stefan. But I just can't do anything that lets my brother get what he wants." Rebekah takes a sip of her drink before placing it down on the table, getting ready to walk out.

"I never did answer your questions." Stefan's words cause her to pause, "If it meant that I got to be with her, have children of my own, grow old with her. If it meant that we'd die together, be buried together, then yes. I'd take the cure."

"I buried him. Even after everything. I laid him to rest in the place where we were to be married. What kind of hopeless fool does that?" Rebekah asked before realizing what she had just told him, "Oh, but that's what you wanted to know, isn't it? Because I buried him with his sword."

Klaus walks out from behind them, "I'm sorry, little sister, but you're right."

Rebekah turns around and faces Klaus. He has the silver dagger and white oak ash behind his back.

He shows it to her, "You really are a hopeless fool."

Klaus dips the dagger into the ask and Rebekah attempts to rush past him, but Anastasia comes out of the shadows this time and stops her.

Anastasia tilts her head with a smirk, "I really don't like you, so I'm seriously not going to feel any remorse for what's about to happen."

Rebekah turns back to her brother, "Go right ahead. Laugh at the girl who loved too easily. But I would rather have lived my life than yours, Nik. No one will ever sit around a table telling stories about a man who couldn't love. Do it. Look me in the eyes and do it, you coward!"

Klaus avoids her eyes.

"Do it!"

Klaus stabs Rebekah with the dagger, all three vampires watching as her body starts to desiccate.

₊˚.༄𖥸

𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗙𝗔𝗡 𝗖𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦 Rebekah's body with a blanket as she is now laid on the couch.

Klaus comes back in the room, "I have a plane waiting. I'll get the sword. My hybrids will keep an eye on Connor. You two put Rebekah somewhere where no one will find her and make sure Jeremy forgets everything he heard today."

"I'll take care of it."

"No one must know about the cure, do you both understand? Not Damon. Not Elena. Nobody. If this gets out, it could man all our deaths. So, if you tell anymore, I'll erase each and every memory from the lot of you....,"

"We won't say anything." Anastasia tells him.

"It's just you two and me in this." Klaus tells the two, "Some secrets are stronger than family."

₊˚.༄𖥸

"𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗔𝗥𝗘 we watching?" Jeremy asks as he comes out of his kitchen with a large bowl of popcorn, jumping over the back of the couch and landing next to Anastasia who flickered through the channel's.

"All of these suck." She rolled her eyes, handing him the remote and snatching the bowl from his hands, "Chose something. And nothing with vampires, witches -- whatever -- I'm so tired of anything supernatural related."

Jeremy chuckled, "Me and you both."