Written In Blood

Chapter Forty Five.

Caroline and Niklaus were across the street from the Mystic Grill, when the Hybrid gasped for breath suddenly, gripping his chest.
Caroline ran to his aid, immediately.
"What is it?" She asked.
"What did you do?" Niklaus growled.
"Nothing!" Caroline argued, tucking her blonde hair behind her ear to get a better look at him.
Niklaus grabbed her arms, holding himself up.
"What did you do?!" He repeated, shouting.
"I didn't do anything, stop it!" She shrieked.
"Kol!" The Hybrid yelled, staggering towards the Grill.

Alaric dragged Kol's body through the back exit of the restaurant, where Stefan and Damon waited for them.
"Here, grab him." Ric heaved.
"Tell your sexy doctor 'good work'." Damon said, grabbing Kol's limp, desiccated body.
Niklaus Vamp sped towards them, ripped the dagger from his younger brother's chest and pinned Alaric against the wall of the Grill.
Stefan went to grab the Hybrid, but was knocked out by his swinging arm.
"I should've killed you months ago." Niklaus spat.
"Do it. It's not going to stop Esther from killing you." Damon shrugged.
"What did you say about my mother?" Niklaus boomed.
"You didn't know I was friends with your mummy?" Damon pouted, sarcastically. "Yeah, we have a lot in common. She hates you just as much as I do."
Niklaus went to lunge for Damon, but stopped when he saw Elijah and Rayna at the top of the stairs that led from the Grill's back entrance, to the street.
"Leave him! We still need him, Niklaus." Elijah shouted.
"What did mother do?" The Hybrid asked his brother. "What did she do, Elijah?"
The older brother walked down the stairs, holding his phone – Rayna in tow.
"You tell me where the Witches are or I'll have my sister kill Elena right now." Elijah said, calmly.
"Elijah, that wasn't the deal." Rayna growled at him.
Damon looked up at the clock tower, seeing it was half past eight in the evening.
"You told me we had until after nine!" He protested.
"I'm sure Rebekah will be more than happy to start her work early." Elijah shrugged.

Still in the tunnels Elijah had left her in, Elena ran for her life as Rebekah revived.
"You can't hide, Elena!" The Original called through the echoing walls.
As Elena ran, she tripped, falling to the floor.
"Not sure why I'm feeling under the weather. Must be your boys trying to find a loophole. Won't matter. I could chase you down on my worst day." Rebekah smirked to herself as she followed Elena's scent.
Elena clawed herself to her feet and ran to the cavern Esther's coffin still was – the cavern no Vampire could enter.
She was just about to go in before Rebekah appeared behind her and grabbed her.
"Boo." She smiled.
With a rush of adrenaline, Elena head-butted the Original, causing her to stagger off balance. Elena took her chance and entered the cavern.
"You little bitch!" Rebekah spat, moving to grab her again. As soon as she tried, she was held back by an invisible wall. "What is this?"
"Sorry, no Vampires allowed." Elena shrugged.

Damon and Stefan pulled up at the outskirts to the woods in Damon's 1969 Chevrolet Camaro, immediately on guard.
"So how do we know they're going to be at the old Witch house?" Damon asked, closing the driver's side door.
"We don't. But if they're not, then we have about ten minutes until Rebekah tears Elena apart." Stefan said.
"You know, if we sit this out, Esther completes her spell, Klaus dies, you get your revenge. It's what you wanted the whole time. The only collateral damage is..."
"Elena." Stefan finished for his brother.
"You know what she'd choose." Damon raised his eyebrow.
"She'd let herself be killed to save her friend." Stefan sighed.
"Yep..." Damon replied in the same tone.
"Hm. If we do this, it'll wreck her."
"Well, she'll hate us. Thing is, she only has to hate one of us. Only one of us has to do the actual deed." The older brother pointed out.
"Hm. So who's it gunna be, brother?" Stefan asked.
Damon pulled out a coin, taking a moment to look at it before holding it up to his sibling.
"Well. Heads? I do it. Tails? You do it." He said.
Stefan gave a humourless chuckle. "Awful lot of effort for someone who pretends not to care about her anymore."
"Pot, kettle, brother." Damon smirked, flipping the coin up in the air and catching it.