PART TEN; CHAPTER THREE: THE FALL

BLAIR POV

My mind keeps trying to persuade me out of the choice I am about to make. The last time I snuck out on James, I had myself killed quite literally.

I lay there beside him in the forest while Lexi spies around town, trying to decide if the move I am about to make is the right one. I know deep down that what I am about to do is wrong, but I also know that if I don't do something I will live with this guilt forever. If I don't go and my brothers end up being dead, I will never forgive myself. I would rather save myself from an eternity of guilt and misery and take a chance. I feel confident in my vampire abilities thanks to James that I will be able to handle myself.

I don't want to hurt James, as I really do love him. He is my first and only love, and I want to protect him from everything. I just know that I have to do this for myself, for my brothers. I feel confident if it were the other way around, James would do anything to make sure his sister was okay too.

I lay beside him, listening to his breathing. I feel confident that he's in a deep enough sleep once his breathing gets shallower that he won't hear me go. Slowly and effortlessly I ease up and out of the small shack, entering the woods.

I glance back for only a second, knowing if I think too long I will change my mind. "I love you," I whisper, before sprinting through the forest in the dead of night.

I run unlike I have ever run before, speeding with my newfound vampire strength through the forest. I reach my house in no time, all the lights turned off except for one room: my father's office.

Although I know I haven't been invited in, I had my good friend Emily Bennett who I learned only a week ago was a witch pull some strings for me. She had the deed to the house transferred to me, and seeing as I'm already a vampire I am automatically invited in.

I feel a ping of guilt spring through me, thinking about how I went behind James's back and signed the deed of the house over to myself. I obviously thought long and hard about my plan, and it hurt me every second to keep that secret from him.

Pushing the thought aside, I slowly make my way up the stairs and down the hall, standing in front of my father's office.

"Father?" I ask, peaking into his office door.

He stands from his chair, his eyes wide as if he's seen a ghost.

"Blair? Oh my, we've been looking for you for a week. Where have you been?" he bellows angrily. Here I thought he would be happy to see me. I don't know why I always have my hopes up for him.

I have tears in my eyes for which I know what I am about to tell him is going to come as a surprise. I find myself second guessing myself, wondering if it's too late just to run away. I have no idea how to explain to him what I have become. How do you tell your vampire hunting father that you are now a vampire?

"It was Katherine," I begin slowly. "She um, she-"

I can't finish the sentence as I am afraid I will burst into tears. I hate breaking down in front of my father, as he sees that as weak. Being the despised one in a family of two boys and one girl, he often hated everything that I am just because I'm a girl. He's made it quite clear over the years that he only wanted boys.

"What does Katherine Pierce have anything to do with this?" he asks with a perplexed look upon his face.

"She turned me," I finally confess, looking down at my shoes.

"What are you talking about Ms.Salvatore?" he asks angrily, his brows raised as he slowly inches towards me.

"She turned me into a vampire," I spit out, still not meeting his eyes. I do not want to see his reaction, as I fear it will break my heart.

When he doesn't respond, I decide to continue. "She turned me, and I have spent the last week with James Branson, the man who Stefan and Damon hang out with, your apprentice," I say. "He's my friend and he has helped me."

When my father still doesn't respond I finally lift my head only to find he's not looking at me. I thought that bringing up James would assure him I am alright as I knew my father and him had a respectful trust; then again, my father didn't know he was a vampire, at least until now. I continue talking as I know he's not about to say anything.

"You told me you liked him, that he was a kind man," I try to reason, trying to sugar coat the whole thing. "Look at me father!" I finally scream, tired of him not meeting my eye. For once I have shocked him, made him speechless. I can see in his eyes and his pale expression just how much things have changed. He will always hate me.

"We can get through this! I'll be okay. You need to take care of Katherine, who is the real problem!" I try to explain, fearing for my brother's lives. "I'm still your little girl!" I reason, tears starting to form in my eyes.

"No," my father suddenly says, his eyes slowly looking into mine. "You are not any daughter of mine. As far as I know you are dead and forever will be, just like your mother," he says bitterly.

His words burn into my brain, cut my heart like a knife. Did he really not love me anymore? Did he ever love me?

"Father, it's going to be o-"

"No!" he bellows, his voice booming throughout the house. "You are a problem that I have to take care of!" he yells.

He suddenly begins to march towards me in such anger, that I back right into the wall behind me. Tears swell up in my eyes as I can't believe what is going on. James warned me confronting my father was a bad idea, that coming back to my house was dangerous. I needed to talk to him as he was my father. I needed to come back to see my brothers, to warn them. Now I find myself in a situation where I wish I had listened to James, instead of going behind his back and disappearing.

I shake my head as a tear slips down my cheek. All my hope was lost, and for a second my mother appears in my thoughts. What would she think if she found out I was a vampire?

"Please," I plead with my father as he stands an inch away from me, towering above me. I know the power in which I possess, the strength I could so easily use to push him away. However, I choose to remain still, my mind frozen in fear as it will always be whenever my father is around.

I feel a tingle of pain in my stomach but as I glance down I see nothing is there. I look at my father, watching as he pulls back a needle from my body, filled with some sort of poison: vervain. I remember James telling me about it. A vampire's greatest weakness, nature's attempt to balance out the power vampires possess. 

I fall to the floor, sliding against the wall while still looking up at my father. He never takes his eyes away from me until the poison finally takes over, shutting my body down.

"Now you shall rot in the caves," he says, his voice so distant.

Aside from his voice, the last thing I remember of my father is his eyes, and how they are filled with such disgust and anger with absolutely no forgiveness.

JAMES POV

I should have known what Blair was planning. I should have known that she would go back for her brothers, that she would do anything for them. I can't blame her, as I would have done the same thing if our roles were switched. I would have left undisclosed just like she had, sneaked away in the dead of night to protect her, not wanting anybody to follow me. I would have wanted to go alone, wanting to face the demons in my path by myself.

I know Blair can take care of herself, and I trust that she'll be smart in every move she makes, but there are some things she is yet to understand in the life of a vampire. Sometimes there are moments where one should stand and fight, and sometimes there are moments when one should turn and run. This happens to be one of the moments where it would be wise for a vampire to run. We are far outnumbered in a town hungry for the blood of vampires, and every second we stay here is a second we risk earning ourselves a stake in the heart. I've lived long enough to know when trouble is about to arise, rolling in so stealthy as if fog is appearing around the bend.

"James, you can't go out there-," Lexi grabs my arm as she pleads with me, begging me to stay.

"I have to find her Lex." I shake her hand off, turning to run through the forest when suddenly she speeds in front of me again.

"Just take a second and think okay?" She blocks my path, her desperate eyes meeting my anxious ones. It's still late in the night meaning it couldn't have been long since Blair left. Maybe if I leave now I can catch up to Blair in time to prevent herself from starting fights with people she cannot compel.

"I did think Lexi, okay? I've thought long and hard. The last time she snuck out on me, she got her neck slit and her life taken away from her. I won't allow something like that to happen again," I say sternly, meeting my sister firmly in the eye.

"So that's it then? You're leaving?" She frowns, tears sparkling in her eyes under the moonlight.

"Yes, and when I come back, I don't want you to be here. I don't want anything to happen to you too," I say, embracing her in a tight, warm hug.

After a few seconds she finally gives in, her arms becoming less stiff and her stubborn mind giving up as she wraps her arms around me too. "I'll see you again, right?" she mumbles into my shoulder.

"Yes, I promise." I smile while placing a quick kiss on her cheek. "We always find our way back together somehow." I release her, standing back.

"Must be something about that Branson blood," she teases lightly, nudging me in the shoulder.

"Yeah, must be." I let out a quiet chuckle.

"I love you big brother."

"I love you too." I smile grimly, slowly backing up. "I'll see you soon," I say before turning around and sprinting through the forest.

∆ ∆ ∆

Back at the Salvatore residence, the house is empty, abandoned even. There is not a single light radiating throughout the threshold, meaning nobody is home. That is either a very good thing or a terribly bad thing.

With my heart racing and my palms sweaty I start to run towards the front door just to make sure nobody is home when suddenly a silhouette crosses my path in front of me, causing my heart to leap out of my chest.

Startled, I compose myself and stand tall while the silhouette makes themselves known. "She's not here, James," the voice calls, stepping out from the shadows and into the moonlight. As their dark skin reflects off the light, my mind eases a bit, feeling no threat. Emily was Blair's friend, even made her daylight ring. From the stories Blair has told me, her and Emily had quite the relationship by poking fun at Katherine.

"Emily," I sigh in relief. "Have you seen-"

"I told you, she's not here," Emily repeats herself, a ghostly expression crossing her pale face.

I pause, struggling to find words. "Emily, I don't know what's going on, but I need to find her. She's in trouble," I finally say, my hands held out in front of me to express that I am no threat. We're both on the same side.

"Please help me find her." I practically beg, taking a single step towards her.

She stays in her place, a perplexed expression on her face as she struggles with herself. "I'm not supposed to help vampires, that's not what witches do," she says quietly, her head held down as if she's afraid to meet my eye. "But," she says, looking up suddenly. "Blair is innocent, caught in the middle of your tedious war between you and that Mikaelson."

"I swear I never meant for any of this to happen to Blair," I say honestly, feeling guilt spread throughout my chest. If I never came to Mystic Falls, Blair would still be human and she would be safe. I can't help shake the feeling that things would have been better off if I never met her.

"I know," Emily says, surprising me. "I can tell you're a good man James, and that you truly love her so I'll make you a deal."

"Okay, anything." I look to her expectantly, waiting for the offer.

"Katherine forced me to make two daylight rings for the Salvatore brothers. I don't know what this means, but I'm assuming she intends to turn them tonight. I need you to go find the brothers and save them from whatever Katherine has planned. I will preform a locator spell and find Blair, return her here," she proposes.

"But-"

"James, this is the only way. We need to protect both Blair and her brothers." Emily cuts me off adamantly.

I inhale deeply, running a hand through my hair as the stress intensifies. "Okay." I nod. "Okay, I can do that. Just promise me you'll get to Blair and bring her back here."

"I promise," Emily says, a sincere smile on her lips.

I give a slight nod before turning around, preparing to storm deep into the forest in hopes that I can find the brothers when suddenly Emily calls out to me again. "James wait," she shouts. "Take these," she says while I turn around, throwing the two daylight rings over to me.

"Just in case," she adds quietly, a wave of sorrow washing over us.

I catch them with ease and slip them into my pocket, watching as Emily prepares to preform a locator spell before I disappear into the night. 

BLAIR POV

The vervain travels through my body like fire in my veins, but with all this chaos and wave of emotions flying around me, I'm able to force my eyes awake despite the heavy lids that force me to close them.

I'm able to make out the sound of horses galloping against gravel, flashes of the orange flame of torches shining through the cracks of the enclosed carriage I assume I'm in, flowing through the small woven gaps of the bag place dover my head. The last thing I remember is my father drugging me, meaning I must have ended up here. The only question that remains is: where am I going?

I'm surprised my father didn't just kill me right then and there, but I know well enough not to be comforted just yet. I know just as well that there is still a possibility that my father has something planned for me that is worse than death. In fact, I'm almost certain that's what's happened.

I recall James informing me of a vampire round up, one the council planned to take down all the vampires. It was one of the reasons he warned me not to go after my brothers, yet I went anyways, and now I fear I've been caught in the middle of it. If only I had listened to James.

James

His name sounds in my thoughts, blocking all the worry and fear within my body for just a moment before the harsh reality of the danger I'm in smacks me upside the face again, filling my veins with terror.

Before I can find comfort in his name long enough, the carriage stops rather abruptly, sending my weakened body rolling around in the wooden box. I squint open my eyes as I hear the doors open, feeling two men carrying my limp body through the forest, using nothing but a torch to guide them.

The vervain has made me weak, but I can feel it wearing off, as my father didn't completely fill the needle that was stabbed into my flesh. However, even though I can feel my strength coming back, I don't try to fight as I am frozen in fear. Not even James' voice in the back of my mind that urges me to do something can snap me out of my frozen state. I don't want to go down like this. Frankly I don't want to go down at all.

As the men take me down a dark tunnel, I'm able to take a glimpse outside into the dark forest lit with torches through a small hole in the bag, giving the scene a last glance; I have no idea how long it will be until I see it again. I take in all I can of the outside before I'm thrown harshly against a stone wall, the men roughly chaining my hands to the wall to prevent me from going anywhere.

Although my fear makes my ears feel as if they're filled with cotton, I can still hear distant, foggy screams and panic cluster around me as more people begin filling the small cave I'm in. This must be the council's plan I guess; trap all the vampires in one place.

Rounding up all the vampires in town and secluding them to one place is rather smart, as you can kill several birds with one stone. I shove the thought away knowing that my father is probably the one who organized this whole thing.

Not able to take the screams around me any longer, I begin thrashing around, gaining some energy back. I can't see anything with this woven bag over my head, but I use my voice instead.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" I shout hoarsely, my voice barely audible. I can only hope that if we're in a cave with a bunch of vampires, somebody is bound to hear me. Maybe they can help me.

"Hello?" I yell again, more confidently this time.

Despite my call for help, I jump when suddenly the woven bag is torn off my head unexpectedly. I'm even more surprised when my eyes meet the familiar brown ones of my friend Emily Bennett.

"Emily?" I gasp, not trying to hide the fear in my voice.

Everything is so chaotic, so rushed that it all feels surreal, like it isn't even happening. That's what happens with fear however; it slows everything down, making every second feel like another agonizing step towards death.

The fact that Emily is here is surprising enough, considering she's human and a witch at that. As I stare at her she takes my head in my hands, muttering something to herself. As I listen to her words I realize she's repeating some sort of spell, but I'm not able to understand what kind.

As she holds me in her grasp, I let my eyes wander around the enclosed space I'm in while I have the chance, my jaw dropping to the floor as I take in the people around me. Regular people such as my second grade teacher, Mr.Hiller from the bakery and Fredrick the blacksmith all surround me- regular people whom I had no idea were vampires.

I'm even more shocked as I meet eyes with Pearl, one of the associates I saw my father working with. I remember her working with Katherine too, and I can't help but feel a ball of anger form in my stomach knowing Katherine is the reason we're all in here. I am confident she ratted some people out just to save her selfish self.

"Pearl?" I whisper, causing her to look at me.

Her hands are chained up behind her as well, bounding her to the rock wall. She looks at me with wide, fearful eyes, her bottom lip trembling as if she's on the verge of a breakdown.

It dawns on me that Pearl has a daughter, Anna. Even though I don't know the woman much, my heart aches knowing she'll most likely never see her daughter again, just as I will never see my brothers again. If the council doesn't kill us now, then they'll just lock us in here and leave us to rot.

"Now you shall rot in the caves" my father's voice rings inside my head, a recollection of what he said earlier before he drugged me and sent me to this place.

I realize now that rotting slowly over time is most likely worse than death, and shall be a living hell. My stomach not only drops with fear, but my heart seems to freeze, scared to beat once more.

I'm drawn out of my fear for a split second as Emily releases me from her hold, finished with her mysterious spell. Out of all the questions I want to ask, I ask probably the most irrelevant one. "Emily, where am I?" I ask fearfully, my voice awfully high.

Emily only shakes her head, her pale skin glistering with sweat from all the heat of the torches. The flames practically sear through my eyes, appearing in my mind even when I close my eyes. Somehow I know that I will always associate fire with this dark and evil place.

"That isn't important right now," she says lowly, cautious about all the other vampires around me. "Listen to me Blair: I only have a few more seconds before they come back in to lock the door."

Lock the door? If Emily is in here than why can't she just stop them from locking the door?

I begin to panic, my thoughts shooting around my head. "What? What door?" I manage to ask, my voice weak and scared.

"I have done everything that I can for you now," she says quietly, looking down at her hands while still bending in front of me.

"You will get out of here someday, I promise." She smiles faintly. "But for now you have to stay strong," she whispers, giving my shoulder a gentle squeeze before standing up.

As she stands my heart begins to race, my hand reaching out to hold her in place. "Emily! Don't leave me! Please!" I beg, looking desperately into her eyes. I can't understand why she can't just let me out.

The longer I stare into her eyes, the more I realize she's on the verge of tears. Out of all the time I've known Emily, she has never once cried. She was strong, brave and completely the opposite of me. She supported me in everything I did, and sometimes she was more of a sibling to me than Stefan and Damon.

Wiping a tear from her eye, she bends down and places a kiss on my cheek before returning the bag onto my head, probably to save me from having to stare at all the rotting vampires in front of me.

"Stay strong Blair," she says once more, before giving my head a pat and disappearing through the caves.

Stay strong Blair

Stay strong Blair

STAY STRONG BLAIR

No matter how hard I repeat her words in my head, I can't help myself from breaking down. I don't want to die in here. I don't want to spend the next century alone, in the dark while painfully rotting. I don't even know what happens if a vampire doesn't get blood. I haven't been a vampire long enough to know. Hell, I've only been a vampire for a week!

I begin to full on sob, not able to contain myself any longer. I know how pathetic I must seem to the other vampires around me, but frankly I don't care. I can't just sit here and do nothing.

It seems as if the small amount of vervain in my system has already left, as I feel a dark strength rise within me. All I want to do is break free. All I want to do is get out of here.

"Now, now." A low British voice suddenly says, sounding closer and closer, causing me to pause during my sob. "Don't be afraid love."

The mask is suddenly ripped off my head again, my eyes staring into dark blue ones.

"Klaus," I whisper fearfully, my teary eyes staring into his. Even through my blurry vision I'm able to make out his vile face.

Bound to the walls by chains, I am completely helpless against his wrath. I do not know what he is capable of, but I know James fears him thus meaning I do too. If James spent nearly one thousand years running from him, then there must be something to fear.

"Don't cry, all will be well." He bends down to my level, stroking my cheek to rid of a stray tear that managed to stick to my face. All the rest of my tears slid right off.

"How so?" I croak, not moving my face from his touch. I don't have enough energy to.

"Well," he smiles slyly, picking up my wrist and bringing it to his lips. "I'm about to bring justice upon myself, make everything right."

He uses his fangs to bite into my wrist, drinking some of my blood and confusing me slightly. "Good, the vervain has worn off," he says.

"Is this about you and James?" I question bravely and he puts my hand back in my lap.

"I guess you could say that." He nods slowly. "But it's about so much more than that too, love." He places a hand under my chin, tilting it up so I'm forced to meet his eyes.

"I want you to forget everything you know about James Branson. I want you to forget about the love you two share, and friendship you had with him. To you he was nothing but a man who found you in the woods after you were turned." He stares compellingly in my eyes, not once breaking the stare.

"While you're at it, forget who Elijah and I are too, just for fun," he says with a wink.

"Understood?" He raises a brow, a grin tugging at his lips.

"Understood," I repeat robotically, still caught in a trance.

What the hell just happened?

It takes me a moment to readjust my mind, compose myself. I have no idea what just happened, or what this man in front of me said.

"See you in the next couple centuries, Blair Salvatore." His voice echoes throughout the caves.

And with that, he disappears just as my mind falls into a deep sleep, my body shutting down from all the fear and chaos.

Little do I know that I will not wake again for the next hundred years, my mind craving one thing and one thing only; blood.

JAMES POV

The whole town of Mystic Falls is acting like a circus that's let its animals escape, except in this case the animals are classified by vampires. I can hear screams in the distance as I trudge through the thick forest, just picturing the council picking off vampires one by one, shoving them back in cages like wild animals. I can only pray that Blair hasn't been caught.

I know Emily instructed me to find the Salvatore brothers and ensure their safety, but I can't help but flinch with paranoia and anxiety every time I hear a scream. Every scream I hear, every gunshot that sounds brings me to believe that Blair is in danger. It brings chills down my spine and turns my knuckles white just thinking about what may be happening to her.

I push the thought aside as I sprint through the forest, knowing that my worry for her will only increase the length of this night. I have to have hope that Emily will find her in time, that Emily will bring her back to me. For now I know I must do my part, stick to the plan and find Stefan and Damon.

With each passing minute that the Salvatore brothers are not in my sight, I begin to slowly lose hope, as if it's evaporating from me. I have not seen Katherine nor the brothers tonight, and I can't help but think there's some sort of coincidence to that.

Not knowing what else to do, I circle back around town to the Salvatore house, hoping that by some slim chance they may have stumbled back here.

To my surprise, it's not their presence that I find sitting on the doorstep, but rather Emily's. I quickly scan the area around her, eagerly looking for Blair, only to go still once I realize she's not here.

"Where is she Emily? Where is Blair?" I shout fearfully, marching towards her.

She looks around me too, looking to see if I held up my part of the deal and found the Salvatore brothers. It appears both of us have failed our missions.

"James, there wasn't anything I could do," she speaks quietly, causing me to focus on her every word. "If I tried to aid in her escape, he would have killed us both."

"Who?" I demand harshly, although deep down I already know who she's talking about. I just want to hear her say it, confirm my suspicions.

She shakes her head as if dismissing the thought, finding it irrelevant. "You should know I put a spell on her, connecting your minds together."

"What?" I look at her with exasperation, not quite understanding her words.

"I put a telepathic link between you two, allowing you to communicate through your minds. One day- not today- you will find each other again." She stands up from the steps, her glassy eyes showing faint tears swelling beneath them. I realize in this moment my eyes must be similar to hers; tired and defeated.

I instinctively reach out and grab her small hand, squeezing it tightly as I plead with her. "Emily, just tell me where she is, let me do something about it!" I beg. I realize that if she wasn't a witch I wouldn't hesitate in compelling the truth out of her- that's how desperate I am. I hate compelling people.

She stares at me for what must be a full minute, contemplating her options carefully before licking her lips, opening her mouth to speak some form of the truth.

Just as her throat begins to produce a sound to form words, my senses are cut off when two hands grip my neck, effortlessly twisting to the right and snapping my neck. After that all I see is black, the mystery of where Blair Salvatore is still unsolved, sure to haunt my thoughts.

∆ ∆ ∆

When I wake, I'm welcomed back to reality with a pounding headache and a blinding light shining right through my eyelids. I hold my arm above my eyes, allowing them to adjust to the bright light as I sit up.

It's the early morning now, the events from last night still fresh in my mind. Epiphany suddenly hits me as my mind recollects the last few moments of last night before my mind was forced into a black abyss.

Somebody snapped my neck.

Emily was just about to tell me- quite literally a second away from telling me Blair's whereabouts when suddenly I was forced into unconsciousness.

Somebody didn't want me knowing where Blair was, didn't want me to now the truth.

My mind keeps going back to a familiar Brit with piercing blue eyes and shaggy blond hair, a man who has made it his life goal to torment me as I have made mine to torment him. I can't help but jump to the conclusion that the "he" Emily was talking about, the one who threatened to kill her and Blair if she helped her escape was none other than Klaus Mikaleson. That's the only thing I can make logical sense of, so for now I hold it deep within my brain to hold onto my sanity.

Desperate for answers, I don't hesitate to stand to my feet, realizing I'm still at the front steps of the Salvatore house. The only difference is that there's a dead Emily Bennett by my feet.

"Emily!" I bend down to her level, shaking her shoulder in a lame attempt to wake her, as if somehow my touch will fix her snapped neck.

Somebody killed her to hide the truth

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I take a moment to compose myself. Emily didn't deserve this, didn't deserve this fate especially after all she's done. She helped Blair, even helped me. She only wanted to do good yet that only earned her a swift death. Somehow I feel as if witches always receive the short end of the stick, not really appreciated enough for all they do. It brings a pit of guilt to solemnly sit in the bottom of my stomach, growing larger and larger with each passing second.

After carrying her inside and laying her on the couch, I catch a whiff of a strong smell radiating from upstairs. One of the most profound smells any vampire can catch from a mile away, is the sweet smell of bitter blood.

Keeping close to the wall to increase my field of view, I creep my way up the stairs, following the smell of blood like a hound dog. I make it to the top step and head straight to Giuseppe's offie where a leg is sticking out from the door.

I push the door wide open, having to push hard to move the body hidden behind it. As I bust through, my concentrated eyes land on the frightened green ones of Stefan who kneels beside his dead father.

There's a pool of blood spilling from Giuseppe's chest, his heart silent and his breathing absent. My eyes flicker up from Giuseppe's dead body to Stefan, who holds his father's lifeless hand in his grasp.

"I only wanted to say goodbye," Stefan whispers to himself. "I didn't mean to...". He stares back at the bleeding wound in his father's chest.

It slowly registers to me that Stefan accidentally killed his father, presumable with his newfound strength. With blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, I know that he's a vampire.

"It's going to be alright, Stefan." I bend down to his level, placing a hand on his shoulder.

He smacks it away, glaring at me with eyes that feel as if they could pierce my heart. "Get away from me!" He panics. "I could hurt you!" He stumbles away from me.

"Stefan calm down!" I throw my hands up in surrender, showing him I mean no harm. I know how panicked he must be right now. He accidentally killed his father and tasted blood. He completed the transition unknowingly. "I know what you are okay? I can help you." I try to reason, speaking softly.

"I'm a vampire James! Nobody can help me! I'm dead!" he snarls at me, the veins accidentally forming under his eyes, his fangs bared at his sudden aggression.

"Stefan, I can help you-"

"Bullshit!" he shouts, throwing a hand my way to push me aside, but I catch his fist with ease, my iron grip holding him in place.

He stares at my strong grip, hesitantly glancing back at me with a baffled expression. He looks at me questionably, trying to put the pieces together.

"I'm a vampire too, Stefan," I explain, releasing his arm. I allow my vampire features to shine for a split second, showing my fangs before concealing them again.

"Now where is Damon?"

∆ ∆ ∆

On the walk back to the pond, Stefan tells me everything. He tells be about how Katherine had presumably been feeding him her blood for weeks, compelling the brothers to love her. Of course, he only knows this because the vampirism has overpowered the compulsion. He remembers everything Katherine did to him. He tells me that last night they were shot and killed while trying to save Katherine who was presumably caught by the council. I can't help but think there's something more to the story.

Katherine Pierce doesn't get captured very easily.

"Emily gave this to you?" Stefan asks, wiggling his finger that now holds his new daylight ring.

"Yes." I nod. "She had one made for you and Damon. I think she suspected Katherine's plans for you, and made them just in case," I say, fiddling with Damon's ring that's still in my pocket. I feel the guilt in my stomach subside for a split second knowing I found one of the Salvatore brothers, easing my conscious.

"They killed her you know," he mutters quietly.

"Who?" I snap aggressively, my immediate thought of Blair.

"Katherine." He elaborates. "The carried her off in a carriage, stuffed her in a church and burned it to the ground."

I clench my knuckles into fists, just picturing Blair burning alive. I refuse to believe she was tossed so blatantly into some fire. I have to believe that she found a way out. Emily said that she couldn't help her escape or else they'd both be killed. I'm still sticking to my idea that it was Klaus that is hiding her somewhere. I just know he has something to do with it.

I know that if I want to find Blair, I need to find Klaus. It appears this never ending cycle of chasing Klaus has sparked to life again, as it is now my life's mission to hunt him down. Tell me something new.

"There's nothing left?" I kick a stone in my path.

"Nothing but ashes," Stefan replies grimly.

I take his word for it. I know that Stefan felt for Katherine in some sick kind of way, and if he truly believed there was a chance she was still alive, he would go after her. That means if Blair did end up in that church, there is no way she could have survived the fire. Emily wouldn't leave Blair if she knew her fate. She wouldn't go to such length of setting up a telepathic link if she knew Blair was just going to be burned alive.

I know Blair is alive. I just know it. I can feel it.

"He's over there, same place he was this morning." Stefan points to the pond once we reach a clearing in the trees.

By the bank of the pond sits a shirtless Damon, the sun beating down on his pale skin. I know how much the sun must be bothering him at this point. Judging by how he sits in the sun unharmed, I know he must still be in transition.

"Should I go grab a human? Just in case he wants to turn?" Stefan asks innocently.

Judging by the way Damon sits so peacefully by the pond, I know the thought of becoming a vampire hasn't crossed his mind. If he wanted to, he would have already. If he's doubting himself, he won't do it.

I don't blame him, as I was oblivious to what I was doing when I drank blood. Now that he knows the facts, knows the truth, I respect his choice for not wanting to turn.

"Damon," I call, walking over to him and ignoring Stefan's question.

He doesn't look my way, doesn't even flinch as I sit beside him. "You know what's happening right?" I ask gently, referring to the transition. I want to make sure he knows all the facts.

"Is my sister okay?" he asks without even thinking, like that's the first thing that's been on his mind the whole time.

"I don't know," I reply honestly, hugging my knees up to my chest. "She disappeared last night."

"Disappeared? James, she's been missing for a week! I assumed she had run away," Stefan says quietly, standing behind us. I can tell he's hating on himself for not asking about Blair sooner.

I know that the compulsion of love Stefan felt for Katherine has worn off, and now he's actually remembering how much he cares for his sister. I try not to be mad at him, as this is solely Katherine's fault.

"She didn't disappear, she was killed with vampire blood in her system." I gulp, chewing the inside of my lip as I recall that night.

"So she's a vampire too?" Stefan gapes, pure concern written on his face.

"Yes." I nod. "I kept her away from people, from her father and Katherine. Taught her the basics of vampirism and stuck by her side but-" I trail off, not able to finish the sentence. If I say it, it will feel more real.

"But what James?" Stefan presses for answers.

"Where is Blair now?" Damon narrows his eyes questionably at me.

"She ran off last night to find you guys, insisting that you two were in danger." I can't help but smile. Blair put her brothers before herself all to save them from Katherine's wrath. In the end she was right; Katherine had planned to turn them.

"She never returned," I say blankly, a gloom expression on my face. "I have no idea where she is."

"She was taken by the council and stuffed in that church just like Katherine." Damon grits his teeth. "She's dead James." He clarifies, causing me to shake my head.

"No. I don't believe it." I shake my head, standing up. I brush off my pants and stare across the pond, taking in the early morning sunrise.

"It doesn't matter what you believe. That's the truth," Damon grumbles grimly, staring blankly ahead at him, lost in a daze.

For some reason I find myself growing angry at his words. How can he be so quick to assume Blair is dead? I know deep in my heart I will never stop looking for her until I see a physical body. Not even ashes will satisfy me.

"The truth Damon, is that if you don't drink blood in the next twenty-four hours, you will die," I spit bitterly, suddenly feeling a rush of anger towards him. "It's just a matter of choice now." I toss his daylight ring onto his lap before turning on my heels, heading back towards the forest.

"Where are you going?" Stefan yells after me.

"To find your sister," I shout back over my shoulder. "See you in the next life, Damon." I glance back at him, knowing he isn't going to drink the blood.

I know for a fact that Blair did not burn in that church fire. I have a lead, and for now I will use that to begin my quest of finding her, uncovering the truth of what went down last night.

As I walk through the forest I attempt to use the link Emily put into my mind, the link that presumably connects Blair and I.

"Blair? Are you there?"

Little did I know I'd be repeating that line in my head for the next several decades.

_____________________

[complete & edited: 08/23/17]