❪ 𝓢𝑰𝑿 𝓕𝑬𝑬𝑻 𝓤𝑵𝑫𝑬𝑹 ❫ ⚰️ ˖ ׁ ⁩ 𓂃
𝚃𝚅𝙳  ⸻  ✸ 🔮⭑.ᐟ
❝ 𝖩𝖴𝖲𝖳 𝖥𝖮𝖱 𝖠 𝖭𝖨𝖦𝖧𝖳 ❞

✦ ╮ 𝟔𝟑. ❝ 𝖶𝖤 𝖠𝖫𝖫 𝖦𝖮 𝖠 𝖫𝖨𝖳𝖳𝖫𝖤 𝖬𝖠𝖣 𝖲𝖮𝖬𝖤𝖳𝖨𝖬𝖤𝖲 ❞ ── .✦

"𝗜 𝗖𝗔𝗡'𝗧 believe this happened." Elena paces in front of the couch where Jeremy lies, dead after she stabbed him in the neck earlier that morning, Damon standing in front of her, "What am I going to say to him?"

"Thanks for not ditching the family ring after it drove Ric crazy?" Elena glares at Damon as he talks, "You should have called Stefan.

"I don't wanna talk to him. Or Anastasia for that matter. They've been lying to me and hiding things from me. And Stefan compelled Jeremy to forget God knows what."

"In all fairness, I mean, I think you killing him kinda trumps that. And you should have called Stefan."

I don't trust them right now, Damon."

Stefan and Anastasia walk into house, Anastasia quickly rushing to Jeremy's side.

"Ps, I called Stefan....and Anastasia." Damon tells the vampire doppelganger.

Stefan goes towards Elean, "What happened? Why did you call me?"

"I just - I need to go upstairs and shower. Clean all the blood off my hands." Elena walks out of the room. Jeremy comes back to life with a dramatic gasp.

"Welcome, back." Stefan looks down at the boy, "How you feeling?"

"What happened?" Jeremy asked, looking at the three.

"Long story, buy the ebook." Damon tells him with a smile, walking away.

"Here." Anastasia pulls her car keys out of her back pocket as Stefan goes up the stairs. "Get dressed and get to school. Elena has you volunteering for some occult exhibit. And don't --,"

"--don't crash or scratch the car." He playfully rolls his eyes at her.

"How did you get from staying at my house to getting stabbed in the neck?" She asked.

"Shut up." He laughs, turning on his heels and going up the stairs to get ready.

"You're letting people drive your car now?" Damon raised an eyebrow at his daughter.

"Don't start." She shakes her head, "I'm pissed at you and Elena."

"Pissed at us? What did we do?"

Anastasia scoffed, "You stopped Uncle Stefan and I from keeping Connor safe until Klaus came back. Elena, killed the damn guy! Now what are we supposed to tell Klaus? Either way, it is your fault that she killed him.

"My fault? How is this my fault?"

"Everything is your fault, Dad! Absolutely everything that has happened is somehow your fault!" She spun around to face him. "Helping Elena has been the only thing that you've cared about since coming to Mystic Falls!"

Damon looks at his daughter with a frown on his face, "Are you - are you jealous of Elena?"

"I'm not fucking jealous of Elena! For once in my life, I want you to be a goddamn father! To act like you care about me for just two seconds! I mean, you left when I was four and walked back in when I was on my deathbed, only to leave again! You come back into my life, kill my boyfriend and fucking disappear! You show up here, just to make Uncle Stefan's life a living hell! You didn't even come back because you wanted to be my dad, you came back for Katherine of all people! Everything has been about Elena since the second you laid eye on her! So, what? If I'm in a life or death situation alongside Elena, you'll just what? Save her and just let me die?"

Damon doesn't say a word as his daughter spilled her guts out to him, looking down at the ground without answering her questions.

"Go figure." Anastasia laughs as she tilts her head up to look at the roof of the house. "You know, sometimes I lay awake at night and wonder what it would be like if mom had survived my childbirth. And sometimes, I think the roles should be reversed and you should be dead, and her here. Or maybe I should've been the one to die all of those years ago." She shrugged, "But hey, I had Uncle Stefan, right? To teach me everything I know even when he was struggling with himself and being a ripper."

"Where did Jeremy go?" Stefan asked as he came back down the stairs, looking between his niece and brother.

"School. Elena has him volunteering for some occult exhibit." Anastasia tells him, turning away from her father, who had nothing to say.

"Or maybe he didn't want to linger in a house where his sister just jammed a knife in his neck." Damon says before Stefan's phone started to ring.

"It's Klaus."

"Oooh, time to face the music. Pay the piper, dance with the devil." Damon teases his brother.

"You know, I'm glad you find this amusing." Stefan stated, "If he finds out I told you about the cure, he'll kill both of us."

"Quit avoiding him, that means shady. Shady people get outed."

"I don't want to talk about it." Stefan answers the phone.

Klaus is outside, walking through a neighborhood, "Well, I can't imagine why, what with you ruining all my plans for a hybrid filled future."

"Well, it wouldn't have happened, if you hadn't sworn me to secrecy." Stefan looks over at his niece and brother, Damon nodding his head.

"Well, life's full of ifs, Stefan. But let's accentuate the positives, shall we? The hunter was once of five; we'll find another." Klaus says, "It may take centuries, but we've got nothing but time, right?"

"You're using your calm voice today. Who's getting killed?"

"Not you, if that's what you're worried about. But I am concerned about your beloved. Have the hallucinations started yet?" Klaus questioned.

Stefan and Damon look at each other as Anastasia looks down at her nails, not a care in the world.

"What do you know about that?"

"I'll tell you. Where are you?" Klaus asked.

"I'm at her house."

"How convenient, so am I." Klaus knocks on the door.

Stefan hangs up the phone and opens the front door, walking outside and past Klaus as Anastasia and the original hybrid follow him. "It's bad enough I'm out here talking to you. What do you know?"

"I killed the original five hunters, remember? When one kills a hunter, there's a bit of a consequence.

"What kind of consequence?"

"The hunters were spelled by witches to kill vampires; if you prevent one from fulfilling his destiny then he'll take you down with him." Anastasia says, recalling the story that Kol had told her years ago.

"What do you mean? Connor's dead." Stefan looks between the two hybrids of different species.

"We mean, Connor's death won't prevent him from making Elena his final vampire. She'll need to come with me now. I'll lock her up, keep her way from any sharp wooden objects."

"She's not going anywhere with you." Stefan says.

"Well, if we leave her alone, she'll take her own life before the day is out."

"She's stronger than that."

"Is she? Believe me, it's for her own good."

The three vampires turn towards the door as it comes open and Elena runs out onto the porch and stops. Klaus super speeds towards her, grabs her and leaves.

"Elena!" Damon walks out onto the porch and sees the two vampires standing on their own, Stefan looking around in worry.

"Oops, was I supposed to stop him?" Anastasia smirked.

₊˚.༄𖥸

"𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗟𝗢𝗦𝗧 her?" Bonnie asked as she and the three vampires stood in the kitchen.

"Well, "lost" is a very strong word, we just technically don't know where she is." Damon tells the witch.

"I'm more worried about what Klaus said about this hunter's curse." Stefan says.

"How does Klaus even know about this?" Asked Bonnie.

"How does Klaus know anything? Guy's like a billion years old."

"He said it was a witch's curse." Stefan says, looking over at Bonnie.

"You know if I could do anything to help, I would. But I...,"

"But nothing." Damon cuts her off, "Wave your magic wand, hocus pocus, begone hunter ghostus, whatever."

"The spirits won't let me do the magic I'd need to break the curse." Bonnie tells them, "But I can ask Shane for help, he knows everything about everything."

"Great, you two do your thing." Stefan says.

"Where are you going?" Damon asked his brother.

"We." Stefan grabs his niece by the arm, pulling her along with him, "Are going to get her back."

"Ugh, I hate being a vampire."

₊˚.༄𖥸

𝗖𝗛𝗥𝗜𝗦, 𝗢𝗡𝗘 of Klaus' other hybrids, open the door to a rom as Klaus grabs Elena in.

"Let go of me."

"Certainly." Klaus lets go of her, "I apologize for the lack of windows; it's to preserve the art. And of course to prevent you from taking off your daylight ring and burning yourself to death in the sun, although Anastasia might like to watch that happen."

"I'm not gonna kill myself." Elena says, "I would never do that."

"Oh, but you'll want to. I did." Klaus tells her, "Problem is, I'm immortal."

"You went through this?"

"Yes, I did. For fifty-two years, four months, and nine days. I was tormented, in my dreams, my every waking moment, relentless, never-ending torture." Klaus says, "It was the only period of my life when I actually felt time."

"So, you knew that this would happen if Connor died? That's why you got involved. Did Stefan know too? Anastasia?" Elena asked.

"All he knew was that the hunter had to be kept alive. You should have listened to him when he said he had it covered, love." Klaus then smirked, "Little Warrior, on the other hand, she knew all about it."

"What else do they know?"

"Well, that's one of life's little mysteries, isn't it?" Klaus backs away from the door.

"How did you make it stop?" She questioned.

"I didn't. Eventually it just stopped. The hallucinations tend to appear in strange forms." Klaus knows on the door of the chamber and Chris opens it back up, "Don't say I didn't warn you."

₊˚.༄𖥸

𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗙𝗔𝗡 𝗔𝗡𝗗 Anastasia next to his parked motorcycle, talking to Caroline on the phone, "He's got Elena. We need Tyler to get the other hybrids away, so we can get her out. I know I'm probably asking the impossible but...,"

"Actually, you're not."

The two turn to each other in surprise.

₊˚.༄𖥸

"𝗛𝗔𝗬𝗟𝗘𝗬 𝗜𝗦 the one that helped me break the sire bond." Tyler says as he stands in the living room of his house with Caroline, Stefan and Anastasia. "She showed me what to do, how to help. When she showed up here I thought it was just coincidence, but it turns out she's been helping one of them, her friend Chris. And she came to help us get the rest of them out from under Klaus."

"So...are you telling us that Chris isn't sired anymore?" Anastasia looks at Tyler.

"That's exactly what he's telling you." Caroline answered.

₊˚.༄𖥸

"𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗞𝗦 𝗙𝗢𝗥 meeting us." Tyler says as him, Chris, Stefan and Anastasia walk inside the parlor of Klaus' mansion.

"Yeah, but make it fast." Chris said, "Klaus will be back soon."

"No, he won't."

"All you need to do is get me access to Elena and I'll take it from there." Stefan tells the hybrid.

"Please, man, help us and then you can disappear." Tyler tells him, "You'll be free."

"Yeah, until Klaus sends one of his other hybrids after me." He said.

"Hayley and I got your back. We'll make sure nothing happens."

₊˚.༄𖥸

"𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗪𝗘𝗥𝗘 such a good girl when you were human." Elena is hallucinating Katherine as she's locked away in the bedroom Klaus put her in, "Always willing to sacrifice yourself for your friends; except weren't they usually the ones that ended up getting hurt?"

"I never wanted that."

"Bonnie lost her Grams because of you. You know, she probably secretly hates you. Did you ever think of that? I bet she'd be relieved if you were gone." Katherine says.

"I'm not gonna kill myself!"

"Ugh, why not? Your very existence brings people nothing but pain. I mean, maybe it was worth it when you were worth it, but you're nothing now. You're a monster, Elena. You deserve to die."

Elena is in tears as she falls back in the chair.

Outside of the room, Chris approaches the two hybrids standing guard at Elena's room. "Klaus said you two have to go to Tyler."

"Why?" Kimberly asked.

"Something about his girl Caroline. I'll take over here."

The two hybrids look at each other and walk off. Chris hands Stefan the keys and he unlocks the door to Elena's room and walks inside.

Elena sits on the floor with her arms wrapped around her legs. She gasps and turns to look at the door.

"Elena. Hey." Stefan walks into the room slowly. "Hey, it's okay. It's me."

Elena starts to back away as she sees him as Connor. "No, no." She scrambles off the floor as she keeps backing away, "Stay - stay away from me."

"Let me help you."

Elena rushed towards the bed and grabbed a lead pipe from underneath it, rushing at Stefan. The green eyed Salvatore boy grabs her by the wrist, preventing her from doing anything with it.

"Elena, stop!"

Elena throws Stefan against the wall and rushes at him. She stabs him in the stomach with the pipe before she rushes out of the room and Stefan falls to the floor.

₊˚.༄𖥸

"𝗬𝗢𝗨'𝗥𝗘 𝗗𝗢𝗜𝗡𝗚 a good thing, Chris." Tyler tells the hybrid in his house.

"Yeah, well, let's see how fast a good thing can get out of town."

Hayley calls him, "Call me when you're safe, okay?"

"Yeah." Chris picks up his stuff and opens the front door.

Klaus enters the house, Anastasia following behind him. "Going somewhere?" He grabs him by the throat and super speeds him into the staircase. "When I said don't let her out of your sigh, what did you think I meant?"

"It's not his fault, it's mine. I was distracting you." Tyler says, "It's my fault she got away!"

"Then maybe you should be the one to die for it."

"No one has to die!" Hayley exclaimed and Klaus rushed at her.

"Did I not say mind your business?!"

"Tyler's covering for me. I'm the one that let her go."

"Hayley...."

"No." She stops Tyler, "You want someone dead, go ahead. Kill me. I'd rather die anyway than end up as one of your sired little bitches."

"Don't tempt me, little wolf." Klaus turns back to Chris. "Your existence is to serve me. To please me. Do you understand?"

"I'm sorry, I won't fail you again."

"No, you won't." Klaus moves aside, "Get out of here."

Chris quickly walks to the front door but Anastasia rushes up behind him, grabbing him by the arms as Stefan comes in the front door and stakes Chris in the heart, the now dead hybrid falling to the ground.

"No!" Hayley covers her mouth with her hand and cries.

Jeremy walks into the house with a cleaver in his hands.

"Jeremy?" Tyler questions. "What the hell, man?!"

"I'm sorry." Stefan says before looking at the Gilbert boy and nodding his head.

Jeremy chops Chris's head off with the cleaver as Hayley screams and hides her face. He looks down at his hand as the tattoo starts to grow across his arm.

"Can we get the hell out of here now?" Anastasia asked with a roll of her eyes, "I've had enough for a lifetime."

₊˚.༄𖥸

"𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗔 night this has been." Anastasia groaned as she threw herself onto Jeremy's bed, kicking her shoes off.

"Tell me about it." He sighed, sitting down next to her as he looked at the tattoo on his hand that only he could see, "So, what does this mean?"

"Well, you keep killing vampires and your tattoo continues to grow." Anastasia tells her, "And then we find the cure for your sister."

Jeremy turns her head to look at him, "Cure? What cure?"

"There's a cure for vampirism. Your tattoo is a map that tells us where to find it." She tells him, "So, everything goes back to normal."

"Not everything." He says, looking over at him.

"Jer....,"

"For just a moment -a night even - can we just pretend like every thing is okay?" He asked, "Like I didn't hurt you? Break us up?"

It is silent for a moment before Anastasia is straddling his waist, the boy now laying on his back as her hair falls around his face in a curtain. "Just for a night?"

"Just for a night." He whispers before she leans down and connects their lips together.