The Original: Book 3

Chapter 30

Six days. It's been six days since I last saw Nik; since I last had a breath of fresh air. Six days since I was free and didn't want death to greet me. At least...I thought it was six days. I've been in here so long, the days and nights are blurred. I don't know what day it is or what time. All I know is this pain and how much I wanted it to be over. Was my mother right? Was there really no one looking for me? The door opened from behind me and I slowly opened my eyes, seeing the dark brick in front of me. Something plastic hit the wall not far from my head and I assumed it was a bottle of blood. I left it there, too weak to reach out and grab it. "What? Not hungry? Come on, dear, you need the blood. Oh, who am I kidding? It's not you who needs it."

"How much longer?" I croaked out, my lips and throat dry from screaming.

"A day or two more and you'll be useless."

"Good. Then you can finally kill me," I said softly, closing my eyes.

"You would die without saying goodbye to that boy of yours?"

"He knows I love him. Just like I know he loves me. That's all that matters."

"Love? You think you love him? What do you know about love? You're a child. You know nothing."

"No, mother." I slowly got to my feet, turning to face her. "It's you who knows nothing about love. You think torturing your own daughter is a sign of love? Killing the first man she's ever loved? Turning her into an immortal being that has to live with the knowledge that he died because of her own mother? None of that is love. You do all of this out of hate and spite and your own evil. You've never loved me because you can never know love," I spat, my breathing hard. My legs shook underneath me, struggling to keep me upright. I could see the fury rise in my mother's eyes and I was secretly proud to have gotten that out. All of a sudden, I was thrown backwards into the wall, my head connecting with the brick. As my body slumped to the ground, pain shot through my head. It was so strong, I thought my head might explode. Then it wasn't just my head. It was my arms and my legs and my ribs. She was breaking every bone in my body as I lay paralyzed and screaming on the floor. Tears fell from my eyes as little red dots appeared and I realized blood vessels were popping, causing the blood to mix with the tears. Just as I was about to scream at her to stop, to end it all and kill me, the pain disappeared, leaving me shaking and broken. Someone removed the shackles from my wrists before trying to lift me into their arms, but I whimpered, every inch of me jolting with pain.

"She needs blood," I heard a familiar voice say. It reminded me of Caroline's.

"No, blood won't work." I opened my eyes, seeing Nik's face above mine.

"That's how she's been getting her power, Nik."

"You can't heal from all of this on your own, Ellie," Caroline cut in.

"Unless Bonnie can lift the spell my mother likes to use on me, I have to." Nik turned his head to look over at the witch by the door.

"I can't. From what you told me, that's powerful magic. Too powerful for me," she explained.

"Then what are we supposed to do? This sedative won't last forever." I heard Rebekah say.

"Keep injecting her. Make sure she stays sedated and powerless until we're able to figure out what to do."

"Nik, there's only one thing we can do," I told him, wincing as I reached out to grab his hand. More tears fell from my eyes and I could tell he knew what I was talking about.

"What are you talking about?" Caroline asked, moving towards Nik and me. He remained silent, staring at me.

"I can't, Ellie. I can't do it, I won't." He shook his head slightly, squeezing my hand and I whimpered in pain.

"Do what? What's going on? What're you guys talking about?" Caroline demanded, her voice rising in frustration.

"It's the only way, Nik. That's how we kill her, once and for all."

"But you don't have to die in the process. There has to be another way." His eyes started to fill with tears as he wiped mine away.

"Die? What is he talking about?"

"My mother has been feeding off my life source. Every time I feed, she gets stronger. She's attached herself to me. We can't just kill her, she'll come back. In order for us to get rid of her completely, I have to die. Once I'm dead, she'll have nothing holding her here and you guys can finally kill her. Bonnie, you need to do everything in your power to make sure she stays dead. I don't care if you have to lock her soul away in a tiny little box in the deepest parts of hell to do it. She can't come back."

"Ellie, you can't be serious. This is insane! None of us are killing you," Caroline exclaimed.

"Then get Damon to do it. He's been wanting to since the minute I stepped foot in this town," I chuckled, but instantly regretted it. "Man, this hurts like a bitch."

"Kitten, please don't do this. I need you here. I don't think I can do this without you," Nik pleaded softly, moving the hair away from my face.

"You can, my love. You spent over nine hundred years without me, you can do it again," I told him, choking on my tears.

"I don't want to. How can I possibly live on without you by my side? You have made my life better, you've made me better. Please," Nik's pleading broke my heart even more, but my mind was set. This was the only way.

"And you've made me better. You are the best thing to ever happen to me, but now it's time for me to go."

"I can't do it. I can't kill you."

"I want it to be you. Please, I don't want it to be anyone else. I need to know that I died in the arms of the one person I truly love." After a few seconds, he nodded his head.

"Okay," Nik spoke softly, turning to look at his sister. She nodded her head, quickly leaving the room.

"Caroline?" She moved closer, crouching down next to where I lay.

"Yes?"

"I know we haven't known each other for very long and we've had our fair share of ups and downs, but you truly are a great person and friend. You have such a big heart and you always see the good in people. For that, I admire you." As I finished talking, Rebekah came back into the cell, holding the white oak stake.

"Bekah," I called, "come here." She moved over, handing Nik the stake. "Thank you."

"For what?" She chuckled sadly, tears falling from her eyes.

"For always being there for me, even when you were daggered and lying in a coffin. You're like the sister I never had but always wanted. Make sure you keep an eye on Nik for me; keep him in line, don't let him kill too many people."

"Anything for you...sis." I smiled, glad she felt the same way. She moved back, Nik taking her place.

"My dear Niklaus, the love of my life. You are – by far – the best thing to ever happen to me. I never thought I could love someone the way that I love you. After Henry, I didn't think I'd ever love again, but then you show up and my whole world is turned upside down. You are everything I could ever want or need. I will always, always love you, no matter where I end up. And just know, that I will always be with you, watching over you and missing you with every fiber of my being. You are my prince, my knight in shining armor." Leaning down, he pressed his lips to mine, lingering there before finally pulling away.

"I love you more than you could ever know, Elizabeth Sawyer." He spoke, voice shaking as tears fell from his eyes.

"And I love you. More than you could ever know, Niklaus Mikaelson. Forever and always." I gave him a small smile before closing my eyes, feeling the stake against my chest. There was a dull pain and then everything was gone.

I cried so hard while writing this chapter, not gonna lie.

Just the epilogue left, so stay tuned. I'll be posting it later, then the bloopers.

My character and her story are of my own imagination. They belong to me and nobody else. Please do not steal. Copyright 2017.