(1) The Phoenix (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Fifty

Daphne apparates outside of the Salvatore Boarding house as she answers her phone. Klaus has been calling her insistently for a while. She's assuming that Tony arrived at his house. She's been waiting for this actually since the moment Tony left. She wishes she could see it all unfold, but she'll take hearing about it.

"What did you do to my hybrid?!" He growls down the phone, followed by the sound of conflict, sharp noises, tearing flesh. Daphne smirks a little.

"Me?" She asks. "I have no idea what you're talking about"

"You are the only one with the power to do this..." Klaus argues. "Whatever you did, reverse it"

"Then you give me something in return" She counters. "Or you could kill him" He is silent a moment. "Come on, Klaus, you don't have so many hybrids that you are willing to sacrifice one" She comments down her phone as she heads towards the boarding house. "I'll release him and sweeten the deal by giving you Rebekah if you promise not to harm my friends and family. It's rather a simple trade actually, we both get something that we want" She stops in her tracks when she sees Klaus ahead of her, holding onto Tony's shirt. Klaus gives her a look as Tony attempts to attack him, Klaus keeping him at arm's length away but from the looks of it, Tony has still tried. Klaus's arm is all torn up and bloody, but healing. Tony claws down the side of Klaus' face and the hybrid hisses and growls, shoving Tony away from him. Daphne watches with her arms over her chest, wand in hand, just in case. "Wow, he really went down to the bone" She comments, Klaus glares at her but she just smirks back as his face heals. Tony then lunges again. Daphne holds out her hand and twists. Tony's knees crack and break, sending him to the ground.

"Release him" Klaus growls.

"Stop" She commands and Tony does just that. Falling back to the ground. "Why don't you take a little nap?" She asks and Tony falls backwards, unconscious. "I'll release him fully when I have your word" She hangs up the phone and tucks it away.

"And Stefan?" He asks. She shrugs and pulls a face.

"I have no idea where he is" She answers.

"I heard you tried a tracking spell" He counters, she hums and nods.

"Yes, and it led me here" She motions to the house. "Stefan is all over this town, so the spell is picking up on everything" Klaus hums a little, trying to work out if she's telling the truth or not. "It can't narrow down his location..." She moves around him and heads for the house. Klaus' eyes watch her. "So do I have your word or not?" She asks him.

"Show me Rebekah first" He answers. She nods and then heads inside, Klaus follows after her.

..........

Damon sits on the porch of the Gilbert house waiting for Daphne to get back, despite him arguing that he should go with her to deal with Klaus. He wanted to make sure she came out of it in one piece and he can't do that from here. But he gets it. Klaus is likely more willing to listen to her alone. Elena sits at his side and lets out a breath.

"Jeremy?" Damon asks.

"In his room" She answers as she runs her hands over her knees. "He's sixteen years old. He shouldn't have to live like this."

"You're going to ask me to compel him again, aren't you?" Damon looks at her, she nods. "Don't you think you should talk to Daphne first?" Elena lets out a breath and shrugs. Daphne is smarter than her, she has a unique view of everything going on. "I think this is something you two need to decide on together, as sisters...." He points out.

"Yeah" Elena agrees. She and Daphne have a great relationship but Elena can't go around doing things behind her back. That's how she and Jeremy fell out to start with. Elena would never survive losing Daphne or that relationship she has with her.

.............

In the cellar, Daphne waves her hand and the cell door opens up, showing that Rebekah is lying on the ground with the dagger still in her back. Klaus sighs a little and steps into the room.

"My poor sister. I can't turn my back on her for a moment"

"You have Rebekah" Daphne points out. "I'll release your hybrid. A deal is a deal"

"The life of my sister in exchange for your brother?" Klaus muses. "Yeah, I'd say that's a bargain. Consider him spared"

"That wasn't the deal" She argues. He looks at her. "It was for all of them"

"Which you can have once I watch you undo whatever you did to my hybrid" He counters. She clenches her jaw but concedes. That was the full deal.

"You should probably know Elena was the one that daggered her. When she wakes she'll come after her and if she does"

"I can control Rebekah. Besides, I still need your help finding Stefan"

"I told you I don't know where he is" Daphne argues. Klaus undaggers Rebekah.

"Perhaps" He counters and gives her a look. "But as you said, you have a plethora of spells...I'm sure you can find one that works"

"You can let yourself out" She adds and then apparates away. Klaus smirks a little and then looks down at Rebekah.