[Salvatore House]
Damon lay on his bed, eyes unfocused as he used his vampiric hearing to track the voices downstairs, he could heard Elijah's measured voice, Stefan's with tension, Elena's and Michael.
With a low growl, Damon swung his legs off the bed and started getting dressed.
Downstairs, Michael stood slightly apart from the others, a drink in his hand, swirling the amber liquid without actually tasting it. His expression was distant and thoughtful.
'Hmm. Theoretically speaking… that should work, shouldn't it?'
'All I'd need to do is just…'
His thoughts cut off as he refocused on the conversation.
"Tonight is the full moon," Elijah said. "We should assume that Klaus is prepared to break the curse."
"Michael said the Sun and Moon Curse is fake," Stefan added. "That it's actually just a curse placed on Klaus."
Michael inclined his head. "Oh, yes. Very fake. Sloppy work, really." He took a sip of his drink. "Niklaus is a vampire born of a werewolf bloodline. The curse suppresses his werewolf side. If he breaks it, he becomes what he was always meant to be, a true hybrid."
That was when Damon walked in.
"Then why are we letting him break the curse?" Damon demanded. "We can kill him today. With Bonnie."
Michael glanced at him, unimpressed, and shook his head slowly, 'So quick to sacrifice your future best friend.'
"Damon—" Stefan started.
"No," Elena cut in firmly. "Bonnie can't use that much power without dying."
"I'll write her a great eulogy," Damon shot back.
"It's not an option, Damon."
Damon exhaled sharply, "Fine. Then how do we break this curse?"
"The ritual itself is relatively straightforward," Elijah said. "The ingredients, so to speak, you already know."
"The moonstone," Stefan said.
Elijah nodded. "A witch channels the power of the full moon to release the spell bound within the stone. After that, Klaus being both werewolf and vampire must sacrifice one of each."
A heavy silence settled in for a while, "And where do I fit into this?" Elena asked quietly.
"The final part of the ritual," Elijah replied.
At that moment, Michael, who had been casually texting on his phone, felt Elijah's gaze. He slipped the device back into his pocket and stepped forward, "By nature's own design," he began, eyes settling on Elena, "you doppelgängers were created as a special occurrence. A correction, really. I'm sure Elijah knows this."
Elijah's expression tightened but he said nothing.
"Your blood," Michael continued, "is the key to the most powerful rituals in existence. A natural binding and unbinding agent. To witches and most supernatural creatures you aren't a person." His lips twitched faintly. "You're an ingredient."
Elena recoiled at that, Stefan's grip on her hand tightened.
Michael tilted his head, studying her, then added quietly, "If I'm to categorize your existence…"
He paused, something unreadable flashing across his face.
"…it's a punishment."
The word hung heavy in the air. Then he sighed, as if deciding not to soften the blow after all.
"To truly break the curse," Michael said, "Klaus must drink your blood to the point of your death."
Damon's eyes snapped to Elena. Stefan pulled her closer. Elena herself looked stricken, her gaze flicking from Michael to Elijah.
"And that's where you come in," she said softly.
Elijah stepped forward and revealed a small vial, the liquid inside shimmering unnaturally. "I acquired this some five hundred years ago. It possesses mystical properties… resurrection."
Michael's eyes flickered molten red for the briefest moment as he looked at the vial.
'Interesting,' he thought. 'That ash belongs to that creature.'
"So I'll be dead?" Elena asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"And then you won't," Elijah replied evenly.
"That's your plan?" Damon snapped. "A magical elixir with no expiration date?" He turned to Elena. "You want to come back to life, what about John's ring?"
"The ring won't work on her."
Michael finally drew all eyes back to himself, his expression serious now. "Doppelgängers are a supernatural occurrence. They appear every century… until the original version is dead that is."
'Which is currently impossible,' he added silently. 'Since she's an immortal anchor to the Other Side and one I still haven't located.' Co
"Original version?" Elena asked.
"The first of you," Michael said with a casual smile, as if discussing weather. "The very first. Two thousand years ago."
The weight of that statement landed hard.
"Wait," Elena said slowly. "So there's another person out there that looks like me and Katherine?"
"A much older version," Michael confirmed. "Doppelgängers are copies of someone who achieved true immortality. Nature's workaround. If the immortal can't die, it creates versions that can. One every century… until the original finally ceases to be."
Elijah stared at him sharply. "You knew of another before Tatia?"
"Not personally," Michael replied. "But yes."
Elena stood there, absorbing everything from her purpose, her disposability and her origin. Damon watched her with urgency in his eyes.
"And if it doesn't work?" Damon asked quietly. "What if the elixir fails?"
Elena swallowed. "Then I guess I'll just be dead."
Damon looked to Stefan. Stefan gave a helpless shrug. Damon scoffed under his breath, shot a glare at Elijah and Michael, and walked away.
Elena steadied herself. "Do we know if Klaus has everything he needs? Does he have a werewolf?"
"Klaus has waited over a thousand years to break this curse," Elijah said. "If he doesn't already have one, I assure you, by tonight, he will."
Michael turned away slightly, eyes unfocusing as his thoughts drifted.
'With his unimpressive warlock dead,' he mused, 'Greta will likely handle luring Tyler back home.'
A faint smirk touched his lips.
'Just have to love those dangerously sexy dark skinned witches… I suppose I'll let her keep breathing… for now.
[Lockwood's mansion]
Carol was on the stairs, leaving a voicemail to Tyler "Tyler, honey. It's your mother. I don't know where you are, but I need you. I've had an accident and I'm in the hospital." she said as she walked upstairs to face Greta "Please, Tyler, come home." she hung up and looked at Greta "Why did I say that?"
"Because you had a terrible fall." Greta said before a swing of her hand sent Carol flying down the stairs unconscious
[Salvatore's house]
Damon was outside, drinking scotch, when Stefan joined him "Breakfast of champions, huh?" he asked
Damon took a sip and said "I'm surrounded by idiots. I need all the help I can get."
"You know, you're not helping." Stefan said
"Elijah is an original vampire, Stefan. One we tried to kill and Michael?" he said, pacing a few steps before turning back to Stefan. "We can't even tell what he's thinking most of the time. All we know is that he keeps promising he'll protect Elena while being perfectly fine letting her die just so Klaus can be free."
Stefan frowned but said nothing.
"How do we know he's not doing all of this for Klaus?" Damon pressed. "Huh? From everything we've heard, he practically raised him. Taught him how to survive." Damon scoffed. "For all we know, this is just some twisted family reunion with a body count."
Stefan finally turned to face him fully.
"What do you want me to do, Damon?" Stefan asked, his voice calm but strained. "Elena made her decision. She's choosing to trust Michael and Elijah."
Damon shook his head, frustrated. "That's not an answer."
"It is," Stefan replied. "Because I'm choosing to trust her. And I'm putting my faith in Michael."
"Why? She's going to end up dead." Damon replied
"Because she put her faith in me. She chose to trust me in spite of what I am. I'm going to bet on somebody's instincts, it's going to be hers." Stefan said
"Well, then, that makes you the biggest idiot of them all." Damon retorted
"She chose to trust you, too." Stefan said
"Then maybe you shouldn't be so sure about her instincts." Damon snorted before he finished his drink and walked off Inside
Elena rejoined Elijah and Michael in the library as they were speaking to each other when they turned to her "You'd think he'd understand why I'm willing to do this."
"Why are you?" Elijah asked
"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." Elena said before they heard shouting
Hallway
"Get out!" Jenna said aiming a crossbow at Alaric's head
"Jenna, Jenna!" Alaric said with his hands held up
"Get out!" Jenna shouted
"Jenna, put the cross-bow down, ok? It's me." Alaric pleaded attempting to step forward
"Stay away from me." Jenna said as everyone walked over to them
"What's going on?" Elena asked
"It's me, Elena, I swear, ok? He let me go. Klaus let me go." Alaric said looking to Elena
"Prove it." Damon said
Alaric looked from Damon to Jenna "Ok, uh, first night you and I spent together, Jeremy walked in right when I was about to..."
"Okay, it's him." Jenna interupted him putting the crossbow down
Michael walked over just as the tension began to settle. Elena slowly lowered the bow, her grip loosening though her eyes never fully left Alaric. Michael leaned casually against the side wall, arms folding as if he'd just wandered into a mildly entertaining scene.
"Well," he drawled, a crooked smile tugging at his lips, "I didn't know we had freaks in the house and good to see you're back to your senses Ric."
Alaric blinked, then flushed despite himself. "Michael it's good to see you again… why the hell are you here?"
He waved him off. "Relax. We will get to that."
Before he could respond, Stefan stepped forward, his expression hard, cutting straight through the moment.
"Why did he let you go?" Stefan demanded.
Alaric swallowed, then looked up, his gaze settling on Elena, on all of them, really. "He wanted me to deliver a message."
Elena's breath caught. "What message?"
Alaric's jaw tightened. "The sacrifice happens tonight."
Mystic Falls' hospital
Carol woke up in her hospital bed to see Tyler looking out the window "Tyler?" she asked
Tyler turned around and looked at her and said "Mom." before he kissed her on the forehead
"You're back." Carol said smiling in joy
"I'm back." Tyler nodded
[Salvatore's house]
Alaric, Jenna, Elena, Stefan and Elijah were in the living room "So you don't remember anything that happened?"
"No. It's like I blacked out and woke up 3 days later. Katherine was there." Alaric said
"She's under compulsion. Damon snuck her some vervain, but she can't leave until Klaus tells her she can." Stefan replied
Elena looked around and asked "Where is Damon?"
"I saw him go upstairs." Jenna said before she got up and walked off
"So what else did I do?" Alaric asked
Damon's Room
Elena joined Damon in his bedroom "You disappeared." she said
"I don't want to hear anymore." Damon said with his back to her
"I need you to understand why I'm doing this." Elena said
"Why? It clearly doesn't matter what I think." Damon replied
"I'll be fine, Damon. I'll take the elixir, Bonnie will kill Klaus and then all of this will finally be over." Elena said
"If it works." Damon retorted
"It will work." Elena said
"You think it will work. You want it to work. Why am I the only one who's convinced it won't? There has to be another way." Damon replied
"There isn't we need to trust Elijah and Michael on this Damon." Elena said shaking her head
"And you're going to die, Elena." Damon replied
"And then I'll come back to life." Elena retorted
"That is not a risk I'm willing to take." Damon said
"But I am." Elena retorted before she took his hand "It's my life, Damon. My choice."
"I can't lose you." Damon said softly
"You won't." Elena replied before she walked to the door while Damon looked down before he looked up and sped around her
"There is another way." Damon said
"What are you..." Elena started but stopped as she saw Damon vamp out and bite his wrist "Damon, no!"
Damon put his wrist to Elena's mouth and forced her to drink his blood, before Stefan sped in and pushed Damon away from Elena who fell to the floor, with blood in her mouth "What did you do?! Huh? What did you do?!" Stefan shouted before he checked on Elena
"I saved her life." Damon said before he looked at Elena "You're so bent on dying, at least this way I know you'll come back."
Stefan stood up and said "As a vampire! She'll come back a vampire!"
"It's better than nothing else." Damon replied
"How could you, of all people, take that choice away from her?" Stefan asked
Damon ignoring Stefan looked at Elena "Go ahead; wish me an eternity of misery. Believe me, you'll get over it."
Stefan rushed over to Damon and pushed him into a way destroying Damon's desk
"Stefan!" Elena yelled as Damon grabbed a wooden stick and pushed Stefan against a wall with it
"Admit it. You just wish you had the balls to do it yourself." Damon growled
Stefan growled before he punched Damon in the face, Damon attempted to return the favor, but Stefan parried the blow, and hit Damon in the face several times in a row.
Damon fell to the floor, blood on his face, before he saw Stefan about to punch him again so acting quickly he took the wooden stick and drove it through Stefan's abdomen, before Elena rushed over to Stefan and pushed Damon away from him "Get out of here!" Elena yelled before Alaric and Jenna arrived
"What the hell's going on?" Alaric asked
"Get him out of here!" Elena shouted
Alaric walked over to Damon and grabbed his arm but Damon pushed him away and got up and left "Oh, my God." Jenna said
"OK, Jenna, downstairs are some blood bags. Go get them now. Go!" Alaric ordered causing Jenna to walk away as Elena removed the stick.
Downstairs – Library
Damon stormed into the library and went straight for the liquor, yanking a bottle free and pouring himself a generous glass. He barely noticed Elijah standing near the shelves, watching him with that infuriating calm.
"Hope you're proud of yourself," Elijah said, not bothering to look at him. "You just lost her trust."
Damon didn't rise to the bait. "We both know that elixir wouldn't have worked anyway."
Elijah scoffed, taking a hard swallow. "Funny thing is, you don't actually know that."
"The problem, Damon," Elijah replied evenly, "is that you talk a good game, but—"
The sentence never finished as Michael stepped into the doorway, his gaze locked onto Damon, expression unreadable, voice calm in the most dangerous way.
"If you had been anyone else, Damon," Michael said quietly, "you'd be dead long before your body made contact with the floor."
Damon froze with the glass halfway to his lips.
"But I won't do that," Michael continued, turning slightly, already losing interest. "Because if the elixir doesn't work and she comes back as a vampire she'll hate you forever."
That did it. Damon's jaw tightened up as the words cut deeper than he'd expected.
Michael didn't wait for a response. He turned and walked out, footsteps unhurried, as if the matter were already settled.
Then Elijah spoke softly, almost to himself, eyes still on the doorway Michael had disappeared through.
"And forever," he said, "for a vampire… is a very long time."
Stefan's Room
Stefan, Elena, Jenna and Alaric are now in Stefan's bedroom, Stefan who just finished drinking a blood bag looked to Jenna "Thank you. Both of you."
"Yeah, well, we'll be downstairs." Alaric said before he and Jenna left the room "I know it's, uh, it's a lot to take in."
"Yeah." Jenna said as they walked into the corridor
"I tried to protect you from all this, but I should have known you could handle it." Alaric replied
"Can I?" Jenna asked
"Well, you just did. Look, Jenna... I know we have a lot to talk about." Alaric said
"Hey. I'm glad you're ok. I should have said that already." Jena said before she kissed him
"Wow," a voice drawled from the shadows. "And here I was thinking this house was already full of supernatural drama. Turns out we've got hallway romance too."
Both Jenna and Alaric jumped.
"What the…!" Jenna spun around. "You scared me!"
Michael stepped out from the corner, hands raised in mock surrender, an amused grin on his face. "Whoa, easy there. I didn't mean to interrupt the emotional subplot. My bad."
Alaric narrowed his eyes. "Do you ever announce yourself Mike?"
"And ruin the surprise?" Michael replied dryly. "Please. Where's the fun in that?"
Jenna exhaled, pressing a hand to her chest. "You're impossible."
"So I've been told," Michael said lightly, then his gaze shifted to Alaric, tone sobering just a fraction. "We've got some catching up to do, Ric."
Alaric nodded
"But first," Michael continued, turning back to Jenna, "I'm going to have to borrow you for a bit."
Jenna blinked. "Borrow me?"
"There's something I'd like to discuss with you," he said, motioning vaguely around them at the walls, the house, everything beyond it. "Privately."
Alaric immediately stepped closer. "Is that really necessary?"
Michael met his gaze, expression calm but unyielding. "Yes. It is."
Jenna hesitated, then looked between the two men. Finally, she nodded. "It's okay, Alaric. I'll be fine."
Michael smiled, softer this time. "See? Full trust. I'm flattered."
With that, he turned and began walking down the hall, leaving Jenna to follow.
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