Sire Lines

Chapter 22

"Why did you let Alaric take Amelia?!" Damon exclaimed, his arms wide for emphasis.

"If you could see, he did me dirty," Matt said. Even after the physical trauma done to his body from the car crash, Alaric had beat him so that he wouldn't stop him from taking the vampire away. The blond winced when he rubbed an alcohol wipe on his cut lip.

"Drink this," Caroline offered her blood.

"No, Care," he denied, pushing the glass away. "I'll be fine, I don't know about you guys because, that's not Ric anymore. He said, 'all vampires are bad.'"

"Dr. Fell, a woman he was talking to," Stefan began, "said that the Gilbert ring has been taking a toll on him every time he dies and resurrects."

"Maybe he's a zombie," Caroline thought.

"If the Gilberts were on the council and against vampires, then he could be relapsing into that code," Stefan said, crossing his arms. "It's like the ring was designed to make the wearer become a hunter."

"Which Ric is."

"He's useless because Amelia's an Original. He'd be killing her with a regular stake," Damon pointed out.

"I don't think so," Rebekah said, waltzing into Salvatore house. She, Elijah, and Klaus had been invited in but Finn and Kol stayed lingering on the outside. "When I had Elena in my grasps in that cave, I saw the marks on the wall; there's more white oak stake. I did a little research of my own and went to the mayor to ask for the milling records and I found it. Unfortunately, when I wanted to buy and burn the oak, someone else had gotten to it before me."

"Let me guess... Alaric."

"Yes."

"So, Esther has a way of still wanting us dead," Klaus spoke. "He was her backup plan."

"Which I don't intend to help on, I would hate to die," Finn said from the front. "I'll be out."

"It's best for us to stay together. We have no idea where he is," Elijah advised. "But... Matt, is he still human?"

Everyone turned their heads to look at the blonde who stared back with his black eye. He pursed his lips and said, "He even drank her blood."

"Bloody hell," Rebekah cursed. "Mikael reincarnate."

"He's a vampire who doesn't have a daylight ring," Damon pointed out. "We could use that."

"Yes. A vampire who doesn't have a daylight ring but could roam the night with a white oak stake that can kill is all!" Kol exclaimed.

"Can we just go already!" Caroline yelled at the top of her lungs. "He's messed with Matt and already has Amelia. God knows what he's done to her. If what she says is true about an Original dying and their entire line, she isn't dead yet because I'm still standing. Okay? Let's move."

"Caroline," a soft voice echoed into her ears, quieting the flaming vampire down. "Caroline, h-help me."

"Do you guys hear that?" she whispered.

"Obviously not," Rebekah stated. "What is it? We might have good hearing but not hearing things that don't exist."

"High school," Caroline heard them again. "Ric... Original... white oak. Ah!" Caroline covered her ears at her last scream.

"It's Amelia!" she winced. "She's at the high school being tortured. Ric's an Original or-or something like that."

"His is," Elena came to say. "He won't die until everyone is dead."

"Did Esther tell you this?" Elijah asked. "Elena, please do not lie to me again."

"It's true."

"He probably took her knowing damn well Klaus would spawn," Stefan stated. "Then Elijah would try and stop him, killing the both of you."