The Rarest Rose

The Hybrid

Alaric lay in bed, groggy and disoriented, as loud knocking reverberated through the apartment door. He groaned, pulling a pillow over his head in a futile attempt to block out the noise.

"Go away, Damon!" he muttered, his voice muffled.

The knocking persisted. With a sigh, Alaric dragged himself out of bed and stumbled to the door. He yanked it open, ready to unleash a tirade, but stopped short when he saw Elena standing there.

"Hi," Elena greeted, her expression serious.

Alaric blinked in surprise. "You're, uh...not who I expected."

Elena stepped forward; her urgency clear. "I need you to tell me what you know about Stefan and Tennessee."

Alaric leaned against the doorframe, rubbing his eyes. "Did you miss the part where I checked out of all this?"

"Come on, Ric. Whatever Damon knows, you know," Elena pressed.

"Ask Damon," Alaric replied, his tone weary.

Elena's frustration bubbled over. "Yeah, but Damon's not exactly in the mood to help right now."

"For good reason," Alaric retorted. "Because it's not safe for you. Stefan's off the rails."

Elena's determination was unwavering. "Yeah, but he's still holding on to his humanity, which means he can still be saved."

Alaric stared at her; his skepticism evident. "And why do you have to be the one to save him?"

Elena sighed, unable to reveal her true motives. She had to make it sound like it was about genuine concern, not her own selfish desires. "Because I'm not the kind of person who checks out. Look, he would never give up on me. I'm not gonna give up on him. Tell me what you know, Ric. Please."

Alaric's resolve softened, and he finally relented. "They've been tracking werewolves, he and Klaus. All over the eastern seaboard. We thought we had 'em outside of Memphis..."

Elena listened intently, her determination to find Stefan burning stronger than ever.

~~**~~

Klaus and Stefan trudged through the rugged mountain terrain, the sun hanging low in the sky. The night before, Juliet had received a Patronus from Remus while she and Klaus were in their hotel room. The ethereal messenger had asked for her to come quickly, so she was gone for now, having taken the puppy with her.

Klaus had not wanted her to leave, but he knew she had responsibilities elsewhere as well. She had given him a tender kiss and promised she would be back as fast as she could. The next Morning Stefan had wondered where she had gone, but Klaus had remained tight-lipped.

Stefan, carrying the unconscious Ray over his shoulders, trudged along in silence.

Klaus glanced at him. "You, okay? Is Ray getting heavy?"

Stefan, his voice strained but steady, replied, "I'm fine."

"You sure about that? You know, we've been walking for quite some time now. If you need some water or a little sit-down..."

Stefan cut him off, irritation clear in his tone. "You know, I get that we're, uh... we're stuck together, but if we could maybe just skip the chitchat, it'd be great."

Klaus chuckled. "So much brooding. Your self-loathing is suffocating you, my friend."

"Maybe it's 'cause I'm a little tired of hunting werewolves. We've been at it all summer," Stefan retorted. He was actually missing Juliet right now. At least she kept Klaus somewhat occupied.