The Red Herring: A Mikaelson Love Story

Chapter 8: Last Goodbyes

I headed to the Mystic Grill and sat down at the bar with Alaric and Damon, wallowing in our sorrows when Klaus walked in.

"Why so glum?" He asked, annoyingly feigning concern for us. Boyfriend of the year, I know.

"Ugh." Damon said angrily. "Klaus, I presume."

"In the flesh." He answered with a smirk before turning to Alaric. "Thanks for the loaner."

"Any reason for stopping by and saying hi?" Damon asked angrily.

"I'm told you and your brother fancy my doppelgänger. Just thought I'd remind you to not do anything you'll regret." I laughed bitterly at the irony of his stupid comment. "Something funny Iliana?"

"Just your advice." I told him with a shrug.

"I don't suppose I could talk you into postponing this by any chance?" Damon asked him.

"You are kidding?" He asked before turning to me and Alaric. "He is kidding?"

"No, not really." Alaric replied curtly.

"Come on, what's a whole month in the whole grand scheme of things, huh?" Damon asked in his usual cocky tone. "And I'm sure Iliana here will be so grateful she might even take you back."

"Besides," I said as I stood up and whispered into her ear. "The alternative is you killing my sister and me having to kill you. And neither of us wants that." He gulped before breaking free of me and turning back to Damon.

"I have my vampire. I have my werewolf. In fact, I have everything I need. The ritual will happen tonight. So, if you want to live to see tomorrow, don't screw it up." He gave them a sarcastic smile and looked at me longingly before leaving.

"You're going to screw it up, aren't you?" Alaric asked the two of us.

"Probably." Damon answered.

"Definitely."

"You think if I took his werewolf out of the equation, she might...Get over the fact that I tried to turn her into a vampire?" Damon asked Alaric and me.

"I think it won't matter, because you'll be dead." I told him with a shrug.

"But without the werewolf, he can't perform the ritual tonight, which means I would have bought her one month before the next full moon."

"And you'll still be dead."

"Well are you gonna help me or what?" He asked with an expectant look.

"Sorry, but this is gonna have to be an Dalaric special because I need to find a less reckless way to save my sister."

I went back home and began to go through books I had got on doppelgangers hoping to find a loophole of some sort when my phone rang. Klaus.

"Hello there Love, what are you up to?"

"Looking for a way to stop my insane boyfriend from killing my sister." I told him bitterly making him laugh.

"You know, you're quite the actor." He told me. "You really had me convinced at the grill."

"I wasn't acting, Klaus. If you postpone this, we can be together but if you don't, then this is how it ends for us. And I don't want it to."

"Me neither, love."

"Then don't do this. Please. For me."

"I have to. I'm doing this so I can be someone that you deserve. I'm sorry." I cut the phone and did all that was within my power to stop the tears, when I came across something in the book that changed everything. For better or for worse.