『Chapter Forty-Three』
『reborn』

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   There was a lot that seemed to go through Bodie's head but knowing that there was nothing that he could do when it came to everything that he found out. But what made everything worse was when Bodie came back home, the one thing that he didn't expect was to be yelled at by both Will and Henry. It confused him more than anything else, he didn't understand for a moment though it wasn't until he saw Leo that he somewhat remembered what he did.

   For a moment, Bodie couldn't help but be distracted as a whole when it came to looking at Leo, he knew that he should focus on anything else that was going on but given that all that he wanted was some form of comfort. . .or something. He shook his head, he knew that he needed to think more about all of this more and what he needed to do as a whole. Bodie wanted nothing more than to have time to breath, but with Leo looking as if he was both hurt and in pain, and with the Woodford's yelling at him, it was giving him a headache.

   Bodie needed peace, he wanted nothing more than some form of peace just for now. Klaus was dead, and he had no idea what the hell was going on with Alaric. Everything was too much, and he couldn't help but feel as if his mind were spinning, he felt numb as a whole, and all that he wanted was some form of a break. He couldn't deal with any of this, he wanted to yell at both Will and Henry and tell them to shut up, but he knew that there was a chance that neither of them would want to stop.

   He found himself just staring at the wall, zoning out, knowing that it was the only way that he could do to stop himself from having a reaction. Bodie already knew that he fucked up, that Leo didn't want to be a vampire, but it was something that he felt was some form of control over. He wanted someone that was loyal to him, and he knew that he could get that loyalty with having a hybrid. He would have loyalty with Leo, and that was something that Bodie wanted more than anything, someone that would be more than willing by his side.

   Bodie knew that there was a chance that he needed to say something, to explain everything, but he knew that the second he decided to open his mouth, Henry and Will would only yell at him more. He found himself sat on the sofa, staring at the wall, as if he were mute to the world, knowing that it was the only way that he could deal with anything. Given time, he knew that both of them would eventually stop yelling at him, knowing that he wasn't responded.

   However, the one thing that he hadn't fully expected was when Leo asked them to lower their voices with his hands over his ears. It was surprising to Bodie that both Will and Henry actually shut up though it did allow Bodie to breath slightly and allowed him to think in some way. He knew that there was nothing that he could do to change what he done to Leo, but that was something that he wouldn't want to change.

   Leo seemed agitated as a whole, it made Bodie wonder whether or not Leo had completed the transition or if Henry and Will stopped him beforehand. He wanted to get Leo alone just to see if he's alright, though he knew that there was a chance that Leo wasn't okay at all, but at the same time, Bodie just wanted to check. He wanted nothing more than to know whether or not there's a chance that he could get what he wants, no matter how selfish it is as a whole. He wanted a hybrid loyal to him, no matter what.

   He could feel the way that both Henry and Will were glaring at him, which made him wonder whether or not there was a chance that they asked him something. "What?"

   Henry threw his arms up like he didn't believe anything. "Oh my god, seriously? Have you not been paying attention to anything that we've said for the past hour?"

   Bodie gave him a look. "No, I haven't, Henry. Because I have other things to worry about than whatever stupid shit you're deciding to yell at me for."

   There was a small part of him that felt the need to kill something, he knew that feeling the need to kill something wasn't a good thing as a whole, it didn't stop it from creeping up. And in all honesty, he was more annoyed than anything else, having both Will and Henry scream at him because he done what he wanted was something that unexpectedly annoyed him the most. if anything, they knew Bodie better than anyone, and that Bodie would do what he wanted if it meant them being angry with him.

   "You're unbelievable, Erikson." Henry said. Henry looked as if he was moments away from killing Bodie, and in all honesty, Bodie was feeling rather confident in his chance against Henry, even if he had magic on his side.

   "No, you know what is unbelievable, is the fact that you wanted me to run from my home. You wanted me to leave here just so that Elena could live her pathetic little human life while someone like Alaric is a risk to my life and yours?" Bodie countered. It was the one thing that constantly went through his mind since, Mystic Falls was his home once, and he already had to leave New Orleans for his safety, and he wasn't going to do that again here.

   "All that I've wanted since Mikael drove me out of New Orleans is to come back to the place where I was born." Bodie continued. "We spent the better part of a century where you both were born and raised, what's so hard for you to believe that I wanted to stay here? That I'm more willing to do what I want in order to get what I want?"

   Henry's face twisted then. "You didn't have to kill Leo! You didn't have to turn him for your own needs!" There looked to be such hatred in Henry's eyes. "And you don't have to bother about running, anymore, Bodie, Elena's in transition and Alaric's dead. You got what you wanted in the end."

   Bodie found himself smiling at that. "Good. Someone clearly took my advice of turning her." He then straightened his back then. "Didn't I say to the pair of you to buddy up with your friends? Or do I need to be clearer when I say that you're not welcome in my house anymore?"

   Will put his arm out in front of Henry as if knowing what his brother would do. "You can't just kick us out, Bodie. We have nowhere else to go."

   Bodie shrugged. "I don't care. You'll have to sort that out for yourselves."

   Henry came to attack him then but before Henry could even strike a punch, Bodie shoved his hand inside of Henry's chest, his hand gripping onto Henry's heart. Henry looked surprised though it was clear to Bodie that his anger was still there, Bodie knew that he wouldn't be stupid enough to use his magic, knowing that he can and will kill him if he dared.

   Will shot up. "Bodie! Let him go!" A sense of panic seemed to come over Will and the sadistic part of Bodie found himself feeling rather pleased about that as a whole.

   "As much as I love you both, I will not accept anyone disrespecting me in the slightest." Bodie stated. "That means no telling anyone about your concerns on whether or not I'm going to hurt one of your friends, which means no aligning with any of the Mikaelson's because of any of the ways that I've offended you. It means that I'm done with any form of disrespect from here on out." He tugged at Henry's heart, and he let out a small yell. "Or I'll find ways to bring living hell into your lives. Understood?"

   Out of the corner of his eye, Bodie noticed the way that Will nodded. "Yes. Understood. Just leave my brother alone. Please. He's all that I have, you know that."

   Bodie found himself grinning then. "Oh, I know." He then turned towards Henry who looked utterly uncomfortable. "Do you understand, Henry?"

   "Yes." Henry muttered with a small gasp.

   Bodie then ripped his hand out without Heny's heart in his hand and dropped it to his side. "The pair of you can pack your things and find somewhere else to stay. I'll give you half-an-hour at best. Okay?" Both of them nodded. "Good. Now go."

   With that, both Henry and Will walked upstairs, leaving a very stunned Leo and a numb Bodie behind. Bodie shifted and looked towards Leo. He knew that there wasn't anything that he could say to Leo about his actions, which was why he wasn't going to justify anything. As much as he knew that he needed allies right now, and pushing both Will and Henry away was stupid, there was just a small part of him that felt as if all of this was right in some way or another.

   For a moment, Bodie was stood there, looking at Leo who seemed as if he didn't want to be there at all. He wondered if there was any chance that he could talk to Leo and comfort him in anyway, but Leo wasn't really in a comforting mood at the moment. He ended up shaking his head slightly and sighed as he came towards Leo, and Leo backed away from him as if he were afraid of Bodie.

   "Leo." Bodie said as calm as he could. "I'm not going to hurt you."

   "You hurt someone that you believe to be your brother." Leo stated. "How can I know that you won't hurt me the same way?"

   Bodie sighed once more. "Because the last thing that I want to do is hurt you."

   Leo gave him an odd look then. "You turned me into vampire! For no reason!"

   "Hey!" Bodie somewhat snapped. "I always have my reasons to turn people. And I turned you because you're more valuable to me as a hybrid than what you are as what you were before."

   "I was a hybrid beforehand, Boide." Leo argued. "I am both witch and werewolf or was that something that you forgot?" Leo then ran a hand through his hair. "Oh god. . .is this what it's about? The fact that you wanted more power on your side?"

   Bodie found himself rolling his eyes then. "Power isn't something that I'm concerned about anymore." He knew that it was something that concerned him, but now that he knew that he only had to worry about Rebekah, Kol, and Elijah, he was feeling more confident in himself that he could beat them. "But you as a vampire as well could protect you more than anything."

   Leo looked hurt. "But you knew that I didn't want this at all! You knew that me being a vampire was something that I'm against. I didn't want this! You took away my choice!"

   Bodie clenched his jaw then. "Better me take away this choice before someone stronger than you comes along and kills you. Any vampire that threatens you won't be able to kill you, you have both strength of vampire and werewolf, be grateful."

   Leo looked as if he wanted to punch Bodie. "Do you even understand what you've done to me?" His voice cracked and just for a moment, Bodie realised his mistake. "I'm not like Will or Henry, I won't keep my magic at all. You've taken that away from me!"

   Bodie looked down at Leo, and for a moment, he felt bad for what he did, but at the same time he still felt as if this was something that was good. "You would've died as a witch with the way that Damon and Stefan use you and Bonnie for your magic. You know what'll happen to you if you don't feed and the last thing that I want is for you to die on my hands."

   "But what about what I want?" Leo asked, anger clearly rising up within him. "What about me and my wants and needs?"

   Bodie knew that the last thing that he needed was any of this. He knew that he didn't need Leo to argue with him. He needed Leo to complete his transition and as selfish as it might be, he wanted all of this. He wanted Leo to complete all of this. "And what do you want, exactly, Leo? Other than to lose your own life?"

   "What I wanted was to be mundane, to have a mortal life." Leo told. "All that I want right now is a reason for me to stay on this earth as a vampire knowing that if I complete the transition, you'll have complete control over me."

   As much as he knew that it was true, there was still a small part of him that wanted to deny it, but he knew that there was no point in lying at all. He knew that once Leo fed on blood, Bodie would have control over him and as much as he knew that this was something that he wanted in terms of having loyalty. He knew that this wasn't something that Leo wanted, but Bodie felt as if this was something that he wanted more than anything.

   "I will have control over you, but I'm sure that there's a way to break that bond." Bodie stated. "And if you manage to break the sire-bond, then I'll leave you alone, like I should've done ages ago."

   Leo glared at him as if there was something wrong with what he said. Bodie knew that there was a chance to break the sire bond between him and whatever hybrids that he makes, he had a feeling that it was something that Tyler had done, but he didn't want to speculate as a whole. He knew that even if Leo allows himself to become a vampire, he'd hate it, and Bodie knew that more than anything.

   Though, there was still a small part of Bodie that wanted to believe that there was a chance that all of this was some form of dream, he just wanted to have loyalty, was that too much to ask? He knew that he shouldn't have taken away Leo's choice in the matter, but he'd witnessed far too many witches and werewolves die at the hands of vampires that managed to overpower them, and the last thing that Bodie wanted was for Leo to lose his life. He knew that it was rather selfish to do this, but at the same time, he felt as if it was right.

   "You shouldn't have taken away my choice." Leo repeated. His eyes were bloodshot and Bodie knew that there was a chance that he needed to comfort Leo in some way but knew that it was for the best if he didn't.

   "I'll live with that." Bodie stated. He'd lived with that choice with anyone that he ever turned. If anything, he truly didn't fully care that he turned Leo, and no matter how much the small voice in his head told him that he should, he found that he didn't. He didn't really care and no matter how much he wished that he did, he really didn't. "Like I have for a thousand years, with countless people."

   Leo looked as if he wanted to be sick, there was a look of such hatred on his face, and for a moment, Bodie couldn't believe that Leo even looked at him with a sense of admiration. Bodie knew that because of the heightened emotions that Leo might be all over the place, but at the same time, Bodie somewhat wished that he didn't do this to prevent such a pain in the ass.

   "If you don't feed, you die, it's your choice." Bodie stated. "That is the choice that is your own."

   The one thing that he hadn't expected as a whole was when he felt something shoot into his back. He groaned slightly, though was more taken by surprised than anything else. Leo jumped slightly, as if Bodie getting shot at wasn't something that he expected either. Bodie tuned and faced the window where the shooting had come from, though something felt off.

   Bodie found himself reaching his hand up and it took Bodie a moment to realise that he'd caught an arrow in his hand. The sense of panic then went throughout Bodie as a whole. He knew that this was bad, that if there were people out to get him, then it was something that he needed to worry himself with. Someone wanted him dead, and he wondered whether or not it was the Mikaelson's, but he knew that they'd get their hands dirty if that was the case.

   "Leo, use the back door." Bodie said. He caught another arrow, and he felt the way that his fangs came through. If someone wanted to kill him or target him in anyway then they'd have to be better than that.

   "Bodie." Leo said with warning.

   Bodie turned and looked back to Leo, though, before he could do anything, he felt the way that something pierced his heart. For a second, Bodie thought that it was the white oak stake, and a sense of panic then went through him, though there was nothing that he could do. The desiccation started and Bodie felt everything go blank for him.

   The last thing that he heard was Leo call for his name. And then there was nothing.

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   By the time that Bodie opened his eyes, he was in a van, chained and with a cloth in his mouth that burned his skin, and he felt the way that his insides were burning. He felt almost delusional, like his mind was spinning. He was confused, unsure as to what the hell was going on, his nose was burning like someone had shoved toxins in his nose as it was rather difficult to breath without his eyes watering.

   He tried to use his strength to break the chains that held him down, but the pain that was in his chest and his heart was something that he found distracting. He wondered if there was a chance that there was still some wood in his chest and as much as he wanted to check, he found that moving his head caused him immense pain. It was like having a headache from when he was human but a lot worse.

   "Bodie?" Rebekah asked with a level of disgust.

   Bodie pulled at the chains that confided him and then yelled in pain. His throat felt like pure hell, his chest hurt like there was something lodged in his chest, and he couldn't get to it. He felt like he was getting tortured in so many ways and he hated it more than anything. He opened his eyes to see that opposite him were two blondes, though his eyesight was blurry, and he realised that it was rather hard to see.

   "Bekah?" He muttered through the cloth.

   "Vervain ropes." Caroline stated when she realised that Bodie was fighting against what held him. "Looks like Alaric outed us all to the Council."

   "The Council? What exactly do they think they can do to me?" Rebekah asked.

   Bodie hissed once more. All of the pain he was feeling was getting too much for him and it was something that he hated more than anything.

   "They're torturing him." Caroline stated.

   Before anything else could be said, something hit the van that they were in, which flipped it to the side. They all let out some form of yell and Bodie felt the way that desiccation crept up on him once more before fading. All three of them were thrown around before the van landed on its side, Bodie hung off of his seat and there was a small part of him that hoped that the ropes that bound him would rip.

   "What the hell happened?" Rebekah asked somewhat strained.

   The doors were ripped off its hinges and Tyler was standing there. Bodie stared at him, though to him it was just blurry and rather hard to fully make anything out. He shut his eyes and then everything went back to black as if the desiccation hit him once more.

   "Tyler?" Caroline asked. Hearing that, was one of the last things that Bodie heard before everything blanked.

   By the time that the Woodford's got to Elena's house, after feeling as if something was off, they realised that it was too late given that the only ones in the house was Damon, Liz, Meradith, and Matt—who Damon had pinned against the wall. Henry found himself confused as a whole given that he didn't fully understand what the hell was going on.

   "Damon, stop. It wasn't his fault." Meradith was saying.

   "Let him go, Damon. Now." Liz warned.

   Henry—feeling as if it was necessary—used his magic and decided to give Damon a headache. Damon let out a yell and dropped Matt from his position to hold his head. "I don't know what's going on, Damon, but for the love of god, stop being an ass before you lose your life."

   Henry dropped his hand while Damon just glared at him. It was Will that spoke up. "What is going on?"

   "Stefan and Elena have been taken." Damon stated. "So has Rebekah."

   Both Henry and Will gave each other an odd look. "Taken? What do you mean?"

   "We don't know." Liz told. "I got a text from Caroline, saying that she'd been taken and was rescued. Bodie was taken as well."

   That was the one thing that took both of them by surprise as a whole, knowing that Bodie never went down without a fight, it would take a lot to actually take on Bodie. Hell, it was something that surprised them the most. The last that they saw of Bodie, he was talking to Leo.

   Henry felt a sense of dread then as he then looked towards the others. "There's a chance that they took Leo, as well."

   "What? Why?" Damon seemed to scoff at that.

   "Bodie turned him." Will responded. "Leo is in transition."

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   Leo had no idea where he was, the only thing that was of comfort was the fact that he was with Elena in this creepy ass house. He knew that there was nothing that he needed to worry about but at the same time, all that Leo could think about was blood and it was driving him insane. He knew that this wasn't something that he should focus on, but his hearing was more amplified more than anything, and it was like chalk on a blackboard.

   Normally, he was used to having supernatural hearing, but this felt worse, and he hated it more than anything. He hated that because of his own stupid feelings towards Bodie, it lead to him being like this. He knew that he didn't want to be a vampire, but he didn't want to die as well, he couldn't leave his brother behind in this world. The last thing that he wants to do is leave his family behind, he didn't want them to overthink about what made him die, though he knew that they were going to hate Bodie.

   Because of his feelings towards Bodie, he was either going to become a hybrid and lose his magic or die because of his refusal to transition. He didn't want to do either, because he knew that magic meant too much to him and the fact that he didn't like the idea that he wouldn't even be able to walk back into his own house and be able to explain everything to them. This is what he gets for being in love with Bodie Erikson and he hated that he couldn't stop loving him.

   Pastor Young removed the kettle from the stove. "Still wanna be a writer? And you an artist?" For a moment, Leo wondered who Young could be talking to, though he then realised that the only two people that he would be talking to was both Elena and him. "I remember how you'd read your stories to my daughter when you'd babysit. She still loves writing because of you. And how you, Leo, would display your own art to anyone that you wanted to."

   Young had crossed the room as he spoke and reached into a cupboard, removing a cup or two. Leo found himself staring at Young, a part of him wondered whether or not it would be fine if he did attack the Pastor, though he knew that it wouldn't be best.

   "Why did you bring us here?" Elena asked, speaking for both of them. Leo noted how off Elena seemed, if he chose to ignore the fact that the pair of them had been kidnapped.

   "My deputies can watch out for us here." Young responded. "No vampires have been invited in." Elena seemed to narrow her eyes at the clock on the wall, the very clock that Leo has been trying to ignore for some time. "Look, Elena, Leo, I know that it sounds crazy, but years ago, it was your parents who were advocating having an emergency plan like this. We never thought we'd actually have to use it."

   Leo shut his eyes, then, the sun was overly bright in his eyes and the sound of Young's blood running through his veins was something that was getting too much out of control for him. Leo wanted to run but knew that he needed to take Elena with him as well, though there was a small part of him that was worried just in case he hurt her.

   "Elena?" Young asked. "Leo?" It was like he noticed that there was something wrong with the pair of them and it felt odd. "Are you two okay?"

   Elena removed her hand from her face. "Where's Stefan?"

   Leo straightened. "And where's Bodie?"

   Young sighed then, as if that weren't what he wanted to hear. "Where they can't hurt you."

   Both Elena and Leo gave each other a look. Out of all of Elliot's friends, Elena was Leo's favourite, though that was something that he wouldn't want to admit. "He would never hurt me. They would never hurt us. You have no idea what you're talking about."

   "Well, I know that wherever you go, Salvatore vampires seem to follow. And Leo attracts the great Hybrid." Young stated. Young moved back towards the counter. "You hungry?"

   "No." Elena said. Leo stayed silent, thinking that if he dared to speak, he might do something without meaning to. The last thing that he wanted to do was hurt anyone.

   Pastor Young removed a tub from the fridge, removing a kitchen knife from its block before turning back to both of them. "So, we'll hold Stefan until Damon comes searching for you two. And We'll hold Bodie until the Woodfords come for both Leo and Bodie. Then, we'll use Rebekah to lure her siblings back into town, you'll give us the White Oak Stake and then, we will exterminate the entire vampire race for good."

   Young placed two plates onto the table with meat on it. Leo found himself tensing up more than what he already was. He tried not to think too much into it, though he found himself focusing on Elena and the fact that she was breathing rather heavily as if there was something wrong, but there was a slight dreaded thought of wondering whether Elena was going through the same thing as him.

   "Something wrong?" Young asked, noticing. "Elena, you okay?"

   "Yeah." Elena said after a moment. The sound of the clock ticking and the sound of Pastor Young's pulse, and the sound of the kettle, it was almost too loud. Leo was normally used to all of this, used hearing everything to such a strong degree but this was different, it was like some weird new setting that made him feel as if he was overly sensitive to every sound.

   Leo found himself shooting up, and with his eyes shut as if he was in pain, he left. He could hear Elena saying before feeling her presence with him. Once the pair of them got out of the house, the pair of them started to run away, it was times like this where he wished that he had his magic, knowing that it would be a little easier at least in some weird way.

   The pair of them got to the road, and Leo scrunched his eyes closed but shook it away rather quickly, though he found himself grabbing hold of Elena's hand as if it were some form of way for him to help her. If Elena were going through the same thing as him, he'd rather them stay side by side, knowing that he was still somewhat used to more advanced hearing even if it was fucked up a little more.

   "Elena, keep moving, trust me." Leo said. "Focus on me." He opened his eyes and kept his head low, looking towards the ground. The last thing that Leo wanted was to be unconscious and not know what happened to Elena.

   "Leo," Elena groaned. "I. . .I can't."

   "Elena—" before Leo could finish what he wanted to say, something hit the back of his head and everything around him went dark. And he knew that everything was about to get more fucked than anything else.

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   "With your vervain and Alaric's weapons, they could be anywhere." Liz told.

   Damon had been pacing for a while, more stressed than anything else. "Come on guys, think. It takes a lot to hold a vampire. And they have an Original Hybrid trapped as well. Reinforced steel, iron doors."

   "The pastor has a cattle ranch." Matt stated. "Those pens could easily be modified."

   "Will and I can track Bodie, see where they're keeping him." Henry suggested. "Wherever they're keeping Bodie, I'm sure that it's the same place that they're keeping Stefan and Rebekah. Plus, we can double check to make sure that it's the same location."

   "But Elena—"

   "—Check the ranch." Will cut off. "Henry and I will focus on the location of the vampires, and you can do it your way, with murderous intent."

   "It's remote, the ranch." Meradith said. "It's secluded."

   Will and Henry gave each other a look. The pair of them knew that they'd rather double check, rather than run there without another thought. He knew that no matter what Damon was going to rush in without another thought and they just wanted to be certain as a whole.

   "Well, guess what?" Damon said as he looked at Matt. "Looks like you get a chance to prove how sorry you really are. Let's go. Woodford's check."

   Without another word, both Will and Henry done what they said that they would as both Damon and Matt left. As much as they knew that they needed to do this, there was a part of the pair of them that didn't want to do such a thing, just so that Bodie can get what he deserves. Though, they both knew that if Bodie died, so would they, and that was something that neither of them wanted.

   By the time that Leo woke up, he realised just how bad his headache truly was. It took him a moment to realise that around him, there were people coughing and Leo thought that he was going insane in some way, though he found himself leaning up, noticing the vervain by a fan which explained the coughing.

   "I thought I killed you." That was Rebekah. And it was something that surprised Leo, despite the fact that he knew that Rebekah was here. It took Leo another moment before he realised that there was a chance that Elena was awake as well, but in a cage.

   He realised that he too was in a cage and that he was opposite Bodie who looked fucked. Bodie's chest as bleeding and it looked as if there was something stuck and broken inside of his chest. Leo felt a jolt go through him as he then quickly moved towards the bars. "Bodie!"

   Bodie groaned. "I'm good." His eyes were shut, and Leo couldn't help but feel as if he were lying just to make Leo feel better. As much as Leo wanted to question it, he knew that now wasn't the best place to do such a thing.

   "Where am I?" Elena asked.

   "They thought you were a vampire, so they stuck you with us." Rebekah explained.

   "Where's Stefan?" Elena asked.

   "Elena," Stefan said. "I'm right here. Are you okay?"

   Both Elena and Stefan sounded right next to each other, though Leo realised that because he was right beside Elena. Leo wondered whether or not his family coming back into Mystic Falls was a good idea, knowing that if it wasn't for them coming back. And as much as he knew that if he was away, then he wouldn't have met Bodie, but at the same time, Bodie fucked him over by turning him.

   "Stefan—" Elena said. It sounded as if she was moving. "I didn't feed."

   "You're turning too?" Leo asked.

   "Ah." Rebekah said as if that was everything that she needed to hear. "I see what's going on here. You died with vampire blood in your system, and you didn't feed. And now you're locked up in here without a drop of human blood in sight. That is a problem."

   "Just ignore her." Stefan said.

   Bodie narrowed his eyes at Leo. "I told you to feed, Leo."

   Leo scoffed. "I am not under your sire bond yet, Bodie."

   Rebekah laughed then. "Oh Bodie, you thought that creating a hybrid army would stop you from getting killed by my brothers and I."

   "If you wanted me dead, Rebekah, you would have killed me by now, and you haven't." Bodie said and winced. "You know that if you kill me, then that's it. Bodie Erikson will no longer be able to return to the Mikaelson's as always. And the Mikaelson's would never be able to have that last bit of human remembrance."

   "Oh, please, Bodie." Rebekah scoffed then. "You're not that important to my family."

   "Really? How about the countless times when Mikael actually caught up to us, all of you stepped in front of me, putting yourselves in the way of Mikael just so that he wouldn't kill me? How about after Mikael killed my family, and he found us, and both you and Elijah made him turn away? Clearly, I'm important enough that you saved my life countless times."

   "You ruined my life, Bodie. All of our lives!" Rebekah argued.

   Bodie leaned his head against the wall behind him. Leo noticed that Bodie didn't look amused as a whole about all of this. "I was out of control on a full moon, Rebekah! I didn't know what I was doing!"

   Leo cleared his throat then. "As another werewolf who understands Bodie's side, most of the time we're not in control on the full moon. We can't tell anything apart fully. It's harder as a whole, Rebekah, we're in the body of an animal and we act like animals."

   Rebekah glared at Leo. "I didn't ask for your input in any of this, wolf boy. Or is it hybrid boy? Well, it doesn't matter anymore, in three hours, I get to watch both you and Elena die if you don't feed."

   "Rebekah—"

   "Shut up, Erikson."

   Bodie wasn't sure how long they all stayed silent, though he found himself watching Leo carefully. And as much as he knew that it was his fault, he couldn't help but regret everything that he's done, Watching as Leo grew more and more weak, and pale was worse than the pain that he was going through. He knew that there was nothing that he could do in order to change anything, he'd done this, and he couldn't even change anything.

   "Stefan." Elena weakly said.

   "What happened?"

   "I'm out of time." Elena responded. "I need blood. I'm dying."

   Bodie found himself staring at Leo with some form of pain. He wasn't sure how close Elena and Leo was turned but he was worried just in case Leo had less time. The last thing that he wanted was for Leo's blood to be on his hands because of his own selfish choices, he knew that what he had done was stupid and there was nothing that he could do in order to change it at all.

   Stefan pulled himself up using the gate which shut them all in. "Hey!" He yelled. "Anyone. Hey!"

   "Will you shut up?" Rebekah said.

   Stefan shook the gate. "Do you think we're afraid of you?"

   A guard came walking in with a gun in his hand. The guard looked between Rebekah's cage as he walked in before stopping in front of Stefan's cage. "You want more vervain? Keep it down."

   "Listen to me." Stefan said. "Elena and Leo are gonna die if you don't let them out of here."

   The guard looked between both Elena and Leo's cell before looking back towards Stefan. "Sorry. Not my problem."

   Stefan shook the cage slightly then. "They're innocent. Let them out." Instead of doing anything useful, the guard walked away. It was something that clearly Stefan wasn't impressed with. "Let her out!" He yelled.

   The guard then shot Stefan and Bodie wished that he had some blood or popcorn to enjoy the show that was going on.

   "Stop." Elena weakly said.

   Stefan then rushed to the bars once more. "I said, let them out!" There was another gunshot and Stefan fell to the floor with a groan. The guard left as if there was nothing else that was needed of him.

   Bodie found himself laughing in some way. "Dumbass. You really thought that it would work if you asked? When has anything like that worked when asked?"

   "Don't see you coming up with any bright ideas, Bodie." Stefan responded with a groan.

   "Sorry, but I have a wooden stake shoved a few inches away from my heart, Salvatore, it's kind of hard to do anything without fearing desiccating for a short while." Bodie argued.

   Leo shuddered then. "Bodie. . .I don't want to die."

   Bodie shifted and moved more towards the gate that held him in. "I won't let you die."

   He then turned slightly, he knew that it was a risk, but he wanted to get the stake out of him, so that it was a little easier for him. He extended his claws, knowing that it would be a lot easier before shoving his own hand into his chest. Bodie let out a small groan, though he tried not to let anything out too much.

   "Bodie, what are you doing?" Leo asked, there was slight panic in his weak voice.

   Bodie didn't say anything, he kept his eyes shut as he plunged his own hand into his chest, his claws digging into the broken stake in his chest. He yelled out then as he slowly pulled it out, he could feel the slow and painful way that the stake came out.

   "Bodie!" Rebekah called out. "What are you doing?"

   "Getting the stake out of me!" Bodie almost yelled. He felt as if he was close of getting it out and it hurt like a bitch, and he hated it. After a moment, Bodie had to stop, knowing that the pain was far too much for him. though, he forced himself to continue, he'd had gotten used to his bones snapping every full moon before becoming this, he could cope with a little wooden stake.

   He heard the way that both Rebekah and Leo called out for him, but Bodie brushed them off, knowing that this was something that he needed to focus on as a whole. When the stake was out far enough for him to wrap his hand over, he basically yanked it out and forced a yell down. The last thing that Bodie wanted was for the guard to come back, though there was a small part of him that wished that one would just so then he could kill a guard for both Elena and Leo.

   Bodie realised that once Elena said that she hadn't fed that Elena was in transition as well. Which also meant that Alaric was dead, which was something that he was happy about. Though, it was then that he realised that Henry had already told him, but given everything going on, that piece of information slipped his mind for a moment. As much as he knew that he had the idea to turn Elena for the sake of killing Alaric, a small part of him was somewhat glad that she was in transition, knowing that for his own sake, he was somewhat safe for now.

   "Bodie?" Leo called out weakly. "Bodie, is everything okay?"

   "Don't worry about me, but keep talking, Leo." Bodie stated. "Keep talking to let me know that you're still here."

   For a moment, Leo didn't say anything, though he started to mutter a few words under his breath, it was a strain to Bodie hear what he was saying, but it was enough for Bodie to know that he was still alive. As much as he knew that none of this would be happening if it wasn't for the fact he decided that he needed someone loyal to him, there was still that small voice inside his mind that told him that he was right. He knew that it's costing Leo his life and that was the one thing that he hated, he knew that he should've forced Leo to drink, to complete the transition, but he wanted it to be Leo's choice.

   "I'm so sorry, Leo." Bodie stated. "I'm so sorry for turning you."

   "It's okay." Leo said. "I know that you done it because you were afraid of what those that you loves would do to you. I know that it's something to do with what happened with Will and Henry. . ."

   "Still, it didn't give me the right to do what I did to you, Leo." Bodie told. He found himself pushing himself up. He tried to ignore the fact that he did still feel weak given the vervain in his system, but he blocked it out, knowing that all that he wanted was for some way to focus.

   "You know," Leo started though coughed slightly, "the only reason why I came with you last night was because I like you a lot, Bodie. My parents know that I do, and they didn't want me to be around you much, but I can't help the fact that I do like you. You helped my family and I more than you know and I'm glad that you're in my life."

   Bodie found himself shaking his head slightly. As much as he appreciated the fact that someone liked him—that Leo liked him—there was a small part of him that was rather that Leo didn't feel anything towards him, it would make him loving Leo a lot easier. And to know that Rebekah now knew that there was someone that liked him, it made Bodie worry about the safety and the hazards that now were going to come towards Leo. That was something that he worried about the most.

   "Leo—" Bodie sighed. "Oh, Leo."

   "It's okay. . ." Leo's voice shuddered then. "I know that you don't feel the same and it's okay."

   For a moment, Bodie wondered whether or not he could pass of that Bodie doesn't care much about Leo in order to protect him, but at the same time he knew that it was something that he wouldn't be able to do much. Bodie did like Leo, and he was sure that there was a small part of him that was falling for Leo, but he didn't want to mention it, he was afraid for Leo's safety. He knew that all of this was fucked, that there was nothing that he could do, but all that he wanted to do was to protect Leo.

   "It's not okay, Leo." Bodie muttered. "I don't want you to get hurt."

   There was a weak smile on Leo's face then. "I guess you won't have to worry about my safety given that I'm dying." His weak laugh then filled Bodie's ears as if Leo were right beside him. "It's funny, really. I always wondered what it felt like to die slowly, like this, and that's how I'm going. In this world, my people—the werewolves—always get our hearts ripped out, and I thought. . ." he coughed then, "there was a chance that would be my fate. And then you came along, Bodie."

   "I know. I'm the one that's condemned you to death." Bodie said, he felt worse than what he did, if that was possible.

   "No, you've allowed me to feel what a normal death is. Or as close as one as possible." Leo corrected.

   "I never should have turned you. For that I'm sorry." Bodie stated.

   For a while after that, there was nothing aside from the coughing of certain vampires, Bodie managed to keep himself standing up right and used the bars to do such a thing. He knew that he needed to get out and kill someone in order to get Leo and Elena some blood, but there was a part of him that didn't want to leave, not wanting to leave Leo alone just in case he was too late.

   It took a moment, though, two guards came into the barn and there was a small smile that came onto Bodie's face then. He watched as one of the guard's carried vervain towards the back of the barn, and he noticed the way that Stefan watched them as well. Both guards came back towards the entrance after a moment and turned to one another.

   "I got this." One said. "Bring the other one in."

   The other guard left, leaving just the one that spoke alone. Bodie found himself grinning, though it was then that Rebekah spoke. "Excuse me? Hello, sir?" she coughed.

   The guard came and stood in front of Rebekah's cage. "Thought I told you to shut up."

   "Here's the thing. My family, we have money, castles, apartments, jewellery. Just name your price and let me out."

   The guard came towards the cage. "I'd rather watch you die. "

   Rebekah then rushed forward, and Bodie presumed that she used her vampire face to scare the guard considering that the guard backed away a lot. The guard backed off so far that Stefan managed to pull the guard towards the bars, repeatedly and enough that the guards head was bleeding profusely.

   Stefan let go of the guard as the guard fell dead, his head bleeding a lot. "Elena. Elena!"

   Bodie watched as Elena reached through the bars and strained to reach the blood that slowly closed the gap where she couldn't reach. It took a moment before her fingertips were coated in blood before she rose her blood coated fingers to her lips and swallowed the blood.

   "Bodie." Stefan gave Bodie a small nod. As much as the vervain was weakening him, as well as the wolfsbane, Bodie found himself rattling the bars and pulling them as far apart as he could. He found himself using as much strength as he could and after what felt like forever, he managed to pull the bars apart.

   Bodie stepped through the now gaping hole between two bars and instantly rushed to the guard, pulling his dead body towards Leo's cage. Leo—who looked as if it was hard for him to stay awake and pale—seemed to take notice of the new pile of blood that came out of the guard's head and leaned forward, his hand came through the bars and his fingers were almost instantly soaked with blood before placing his blood covered fingers across his lips which allowed him to have some blood in his system.

   Bodie watched as the colour came back into Leo's skin and he felt a sense of relief take over him like it was the one thing that made him more worried than anything else. He was glad that he didn't have to watch Leo die even if he felt extremely guilty over the fact that this wasn't what Leo wanted.

   "Hey, dipshit." Rebekah called out. "Any help?"

   Bodie rolled his eyes and found himself searching the guard for some keys. Bodie patted the man's hips and there was a small part of Bodie that felt weird for touching up a dead guy's body but the last thing that he wanted was to let Rebekah and the others rot in here. He was sure that if it were the other way around, Rebekah would leave him to rot for everything that he's done.

   He managed to find keys and quickly went around to each of the cells and released them all from their cages. Bodie found himself dragging Leo up who seemed disorientated and Bodie found himself feeling as if all the panic that he felt disappeared. He ended up hugging Leo tightly as if he was afraid that at any moment, Leo might die, though knowing that Leo fed or had some blood, it was like a weight lifted off of his shoulders.

   "Bodie. . ." Leo strained. "You're crushing me."

   Bodie pulled away. "Sorry." He couldn't help but look at Leo with some form of a smile. "Do you want to go home?"

   "I'd rather stay with you until I have control." Leo told.

   Bodie nodded and the pair of them—more of Bodie almost dragging—used their vamp speed to run back home. As odd as it was, there was a feeling of happiness that filled Bodie, as much as he knew that there was no other choice, he was happy over the fact that Leo had turned and completed the transition. However, the more that he thought about it, the more that he realised that he ruined Leo's life. He knew that he took away Leo's powers, that nature wouldn't allow Leo to keep his magic, and yet that was something that he took away.

   The more that he thought about what he'd done to Leo and after everything Leo went through, the more guilt that he felt as a whole. He knew that this wasn't something that Leo wanted to become and yet he still forced it onto Leo, like there was no other way. He knew that he was selfish, but it was something that he'd have to live with. He just hoped that Klaus doesn't find out about another person that he's soft with and kills Leo. He hoped that he didn't lose someone that he cared about.

   By the time that both Bodie and Leo got home, Leo seemed almost surprised by the increase of speed that he has. When both Bodie and Leo walked into Bodie's home, Leo was instantly hugged by someone that was a blur. Leo jumped slightly, not expecting the surprise, though after a moment, Bodie realised that it was Elliot who rushed to hug him.

   Bodie found himself backing away, knowing that nothing good was about to happen at all. He knew that once Leo told them that Bodie turned him, he'd be tortured by the Snow's for everything that he's done and that was something that he didn't really fancy. He'd noticed the way that Leo's parents came rushing over and hugged their eldest.

   He found himself beside Will and Henry who looked almost pleased with themselves like they'd done something that would get Bodie into trouble. Bodie straightened his back then. "You realise that he fed, right? He's a vampire and a werewolf."

   Henry clenched his jaw. "We know. We expect that you shoved it down his throat."

   "I didn't, actually." Bodie told. "I let him make a choice. Feed and become what I am, or don't drink and die. He was dying, because he got caught by the council, and yet, you know what he told me? That he didn't want to die. He had the choice."

   "After you took it away from him." Henry argued.

   "If your that pissed off with me for being selfish, then I apologise, okay? I thought that I didn't have your loyalty so I wanted someone that would be loyal to me." Bodie told. "I just didn't really think about the fact that I was turning someone that I fell in love with."

   Both Will and Henry gave him a sharp look then. "You love him?" Will asked with wide eyes.

   Bodie clenched his jaw. "I do love him."