Try {One | Alaric Saltzman}

The Sun Also Rises

"Tonight is the full moon," Elijah announced as he strode into the Salvatore Boarding House. "We should assume that Klaus is prepared to break the curse."

Damon sped down the stairs. "Why are we letting him break the curse? We can kill him today. With Bonnie."

Abigail had forgiven him for the way he had behaved in the face of Elena's decision, but she wasn't going to let him forge his own plan. "Damon..."

"No," Elena picked up for her. "Bonnie can't use that much power without dying."

He shrugged. "I'll write her a great eulogy."

"It's not an option, Damon."

Stefan took a step forward, willing the conversation back to the Sun and the Moon Curse. "How do we break the curse?"

"Well, the ritual itself is relatively straightforward. The ingredients, so to speak, you already know." Elijah looked around at them. "A witch will channel the power of the full moon to release the spell that's bound within the stone. After that, Klaus, being both werewolf and vampire, will sacrifice one of each."

"And where do I fit into it?" Elena asked.

"The final part of the ritual. Klaus must drink the blood of the doppelgänger... to the point of your death." He took a wooden box from a shelf, opening it to reveal a small jar. "This is an elixir that I acquired some 500 years ago for Katerina. It possesses mystical properties of resuscitation."

"So, I'll be dead?"

"And then you won't."

"That's your plan? A magical witch potion with no expiration date?" Damon looked at Elena. "You want to come back to life, what about John's ring?"

"Those rings only work on humans," Elijah said. "The doppelgänger's a supernatural occurrence. Odds are, the ring won't work."

"I'll take those odds over your elixir! What if it doesn't work, Elena?"

"Then I guess I'll just be dead." He stormed out of the room as she asked, "Do we know if Klaus has everything he needs to do this?"

"Klaus has been waiting to break this curse for over a thousand years." Elijah paused. "If he doesn't already have what he needs, my guess is by tonight, he will."

Abigail joined Damon on the front steps, surprised that he had managed to pour himself a drink. "Breakfast of champions, huh?"

"I'm surrounded by idiots. I need all the help I can get." He tore his eyes from the concrete. "Why are you letting her do this?"

"What do you want me to do, Damon? She's made her decision. She's choosing to trust Elijah." Shaking her head, she added, "And if he can save her and help us kill Klaus, so am I."

He stood up. "Well, then, that makes you the biggest idiot of them all."

Abigail had been sitting in silence for far too long. She isolated herself from the rest of the group unintentionally, falling back into her old patterns without a fight. So, with a deep breath, she pulled her head from her hands.

"Get out!" She grabbed the crossbow next to her, pointing it right at Alaric. "Get out."

He put his hands up. "Bea, Bea!"

"Get out!"

"Bea, put the crossbow down, okay? I'm the only one who calls you that, remember?" He jabbed a finger into his chest. "It's me, I swear, okay? He let me go. Klaus let me go."

"Prove it."

"Okay, uh, when you were fifteen you and your mom had a huge fight, the worst fight you ever had. So, your dad took you to the lake house and you fished for hours in silence." The clock ticked twice. "That was the first time you realized that the people you love are almost always the ones you hurt the most."