『Chapter Fifty-Two』
『salvatore blood』

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   When he'd gotten home, Bodie managed to talk Henry out of doing anything drastic and life threatening. Of course, Henry was in that entire moody mindset where all that he wanted to do was commit murderous crimes, and normally, Bodie would want to allow Henry to do such a thing but given that Will was no longer here to keep the pair of them in check, Bodie knew that he had to step up a lot more. Bodie knew that he needed to keep more of an eye on Henry, make sure that Henry didn't do anything bad or life threatening. And he knew that going after the Mikaelson's was a life-threatening thing.

   There was a part of Bodie that wondered how Will ever manage to control the pair of them, given that it was always hard to control Henry's needs and desires to commit a crime. Though, he supposed, Henry always listened to his brother a lot more than anything else and Bodie was never going to get Henry to do that. Bodie knew that controlling Henry from wanting to do whatever he wanted was going to drive him insane, knowing that Henry could put him in his ass if he wanted to.

   "I want to go back out there!" Henry snapped at him after a while. They'd been arguing for a while about what they should do, whether or not Henry should go after the Mikaelson's. "I want to beat either Rebekah or Kol in hopes that they tell me where their fucking brother is."

   "Henry," Bodie began, exhausted. "I love you and everything, but is this what Will would want you to do? Risk your life in order to get back at the Mikaelson's? We need to be smart about it. We rushed into it without a decent plan."

   "I don't care for a plan, all that I want is to feel Klaus' life slipping from my hands as I drive the white oak stake through his heart." Henry stated.

   Bodie felt like he was going insane in some way. He knew that talking to Henry about all of this was something that was going to take years off of his life, he really did wish that Will were still here to help him talk about all of this as a whole. He wished that Will were here, he knew that Will would've been able to calm Henry down a lot better than he would be able to.

   "We need to be smart about it." Bodie told. "Klaus is smart, okay, and he'll kill you before you even have a chance to do anything to him."

   Henry just gave him a look as if he didn't like anything that was coming out of Bodie's mouth. Henry looked as if he wanted to murder anyone that ever tried to control him and what he wanted. "I don't care, Bodie! William is dead! He's dead and there's nothing that I could've done to save him and it's my fault just as much as its yours!"

   Bodie just stared at Henry then. "My fault?"

   "Yes!" Henry snapped. "If it wasn't for you and your fucking wolf shit, then my brother would be alive!" He looked as if he wanted to hurt Bodie for simply existing. "I wish that I'd never met you. My brother's death is on you just as much as it's on Klaus'."

   Bodie just stared at Henry, a part of him unsure on what to say as a whole. As much as he wanted to believe that Will's death was his fault there was a part of him that didn't want to believe that it was. Will was his brother and the thought that he was the cause of Will's death was something that he hated more than anything else. Bodie loved Will more than anything, Bodie loved Will like he was his own and Bodie didn't want to believe that it was his fault.

   "Henry. . ." Bodie said. "I loved Will like he was my own brother, I didn't want him to get killed. It wasn't my fault, it was the fault of Klaus—the one that put his hand into Will's chest and pulled out his heart."

   Henry seemed as if he was two seconds away from exploding in some way. There was a part of him that thought there was a chance that Henry would try and kill Bodie or attack him in some way, though the sad and stressed look on Henry's face was something that hurt Bodie's heart. The look of pain and sadness was something that hurt Bodie's heart, Henry was a child to him and to see how much Henry was hurting over the loss of his brother was something that Bodie wished that he could ease.

   For a moment, Henry looked as if he wanted to cry, as if there was a chance that everything that he was holding within himself was about to explode. Bodie stared at Henry for a second, waiting for Henry to say something else, though, given the look on Henry's face, Bodie found himself just hugging Henry. Henry didn't respond back to Bodie's hug for a moment, though after some time, Henry lightly sobbed, holding onto Bodie as if his life depended on it.

   Bodie didn't say anything, as much as he wanted to believe that there was a chance that Henry didn't mean what he said, he knew that there was a chance that it was slightly true. If it wasn't for the fact that he told the Mikaelson's the truth, then Will would never have died, meaning that Henry would still have his brother. If it weren't for Bodie and his aching need to tell the Mikaelson's some form of the truth, Will would still be here.

   All that was going through his mind was the fact that he wished that Will were still alive and still with them, he knew that there was nothing that he could do in order to change what's happened and yet he did. He wanted to trade his own life with Will's knowing that Henry needed Will a lot more than what he expected. As much as he knew how Will and Henry was close, he supposed that he underestimated just how close the pair of them truly were, and here he thought that he knew the bonds between brothers.

   "I'm sorry, Henry, I'm sorry." Bodie found himself whispering. "I should have made the pair of you leave Mystic Falls as soon as we got Will back."

   Henry was silent for a brief moment though when he did speak, his voice did crack in some way. "I want my brother back, Bodie. He shouldn't have—he shouldn't have died."

   Bodie wanted to know the right words to comfort Henry but realised that there was probably nothing that he could do in order to comfort Henry fully. "I know. I should've done more in order to protect you both from the dangers that I've caused. I know that I should've done more to protect Will from what Klaus did to him, and I know that I can't change what's happened, but I promise that I'll do what's needed in order to protect you. Will would've wanted me to protect you now."

   "But Will. . ." Henry said. "Will needed to be here with me, I need my brother more than anything else."

   Bodie felt a pang in his heart. He knew that there was nothing that he could do in order to change any of it, he knew that he didn't have the power to bring Will back. "I know. I know that you need Will, but you have me for now. And I will take care of you. I promise you that, Henry, and I'll do everything just to make sur that you're safe, for Will's sake."

   Henry shuddered slightly and remained silent, the only thing that made any noise was his crying. As much as Bodie wanted him to say something, he knew that it was best if he stayed silent, knowing that Henry didn't need to hear anything else from him as a whole. Bodie just held Henry close knowing that this was one of the only thing that he could offer Henry at the moment.

   Bodie knew that he needed to get revenge for what happened, he knew that Will deserved so much more and yet, there was a small part of him that wasn't sure on how he should get that revenge. All that seemed to go through Bodie's head was the fact that he wasn't sure on how he would get that revenge. He knew that he didn't want Henry to get injured or killed for wanting to get back at Klaus for everything that he'd did.

   There was a large part of him that was consumed by an intense amount of guilt. He knew that it was because of him that they spent forty years apart from one another after both him and Klaus had that argument back in London, and now it was because of the fact that Bodie admitted his secret that Will was dead. There was so much that he could've done in order to stop all of that from happening and yet, he didn't do anything, and that was something that made him feel like complete and utter shit.

   Bodie wished that he done so much more, he wished that he could've changed what happened, but he knew that there was nothing that could be done. How could he change what's happened? He couldn't. He didn't have the power to do such a thing and as much as he wished that there's even a chance that he could, he knew that there was nothing that he could ever do in order to change what happened. He knew that no matter what he suggested, there was nothing that could make it a reality as a whole.

   Bodie wanted to suggest whether or not resurrection was something that they could try but knew that the last thing that he wanted to do was get Henry's hopes up about something and for it to go to shit. Bodie just sighed and shook his head, knowing that there was nothing that he could do in order to bring him some form of release. He wondered whether or not there would be anything that he could do in order to help Henry cope, but ultimately he knew that Henry needed to deal with it at his own pace and with his own outlets.

   Though, there was a small part of Bodie that worried whether or not Henry would decide to throw him or anyone and anything out of the window. He knew that it was stupid and that there were many other things for him to worry about, but at the same time there was a small part of him that was still concerned in some way.

   He shook his head slightly and sighed. "Henry, I wished that I could change everything that's happened to Will, but I can't and I'm sorry that I'm unable to do anything of use."

   Henry just shook his head as if this were something that he didn't want to talk about anymore. There were tears in his eyes as if this were the worst thing that he could ever experience, and this was something that Bodie couldn't take any more. He hated the fact that there was nothing that he could fully do in order to make sure that Henry was fine, but he knew that all that was needed of him was to be there for Henry in as many ways as possible.

   "I want my brother back so much." Henry's voice shook. "I want my big brother back so much." His body shook when he spoke, trembling as if he was going to sob more.

   Bodie found himself hugging Henry and for a moment there was a sense of relief between the pair of them, though Bodie knew that it was something that wouldn't last with Henry and his intense emotions. "I wish that there was something that I could do in order to change what happened."

   Henry shuddered and sobbed. "I just miss him so much." He tightened the grip around Bodie's body. "I never knew that I could miss someone as much as this."

   Bodie knew what Henry was going through due to his own experience and yet there was a part of him that knew that this wasn't going to help Henry in any way possible. The pain that Henry was going through was nothing that Bodie would experience no matter how similar everything was between them; Bodie never experienced having to witness his siblings being killed and Henry had, that pain was something that was similar and yet so different.

   "I know that this pain is something that seems so unbearable, but I promise you, I'll be here to support you no matter what." Bodie told. "You're my brother and I care about you more than anything. I promise you that I'll do anything if it means protecting you."

   Henry nodded. "I know. I know. I just miss Will, he's been by my side for my entire life, never missed a day. He was always there for me when my father would abuse either of us because of what we are, he'd always be there to protect me when things got too rough. He was the reason why I carried on when everything felt so vastly lost."

   Bodie felt as if his heart was shattering once more. He knew how much Will meant to him and yet he still allowed Will to die. He hated himself more than anything, knowing that there was so much that he could've done in order to protect Will from Klaus and yet that was the one thing that he failed to do the most. He knew how much Henry loved Will and yet, he done nothing.

   "I'll do anything in my power to make sure that everything is set right." Bodie promised.

   "Will you?" Henry asked.

   Bodie nodded. "I will. Though, for now, my sweet little brother, I want you to stay with Shane—the professor that Bonnie has been hanging around with—there's something about him that can lead to the cure, and I want to make sure that it's something that we can use to our advantage."

   "But what use will the cure be for us?" Henry asked. "Neither of us would have any use of the damn thing, and I know that there's other people that would want it, so why should we go for it?"

   "Because if we have it, then it means that no one else does." Bodie said. "If we have it, then we have people begging to us for it."

   Henry took a step back and for a moment, there was this look on him as if this were something that he was debating very much, as if he were weighing the pros and cons in his head on what it would mean to him with having the cure in his possession. "If we were to have the cure, it would mean that the others would do anything and everything to get their hands on it. What if one were to get their hands on a White Oak stake and decide to kill you because of their own needs for it? What if I were to lose my life because someone wanted it?"

   "But what if we had that power over who it goes to?" Bodie asked. "You could give it to anyone that you want it to, you could give it to Caroline, to Elena, to some random person that didn't deserve to become a vampire. Hell, you could throw it into the ocean and prey that no one is that desperate to obtain such a thing."

   "But what's in it for us?" Henry asked. "I mean, there's nothing that we could do with it. You love the abilities that you have as a Hybrid, and I love the fact that I am my own power source. And as much as I know there's a selected few people that I believe does deserve the cure, I wouldn't want that much power over to decide who should get it and who shouldn't."

   Bodie tilted his head up slightly and grinned. "There's always the opportunity to use it as revenge. Imagine Klaus as a simple werewolf, unable to be the strongest being in existence anymore, imagine being able to kill him where he stands without much of a fight because he lacks that added strength that a vampire brings to him."

   There was this shift in the way that Henry looked then as if there was a part of him that was considering using the cure on Klaus of all people. There was a part of Bodie that wanted to use it on all of the Mikaelson's knowing that it would do Bodie a lot of good to eliminate the family that wants him dead for his actions. "If we were to use the cure on him, what's stopping the others from hurting us?"

   "Me." Bodie said. "If Klaus was no longer a vampire, I would be the only living Original Hybrid, I would be in the way." There was something rather odd building inside him, like some kind of excitement of wanting to use the cure on Klaus, and yet there was this strong voice inside his head that was telling him off, like there was someone in this universe that was telling him that it was the worst idea that he could ever have.

   Henry was silent for a moment before he straightened his back. "I'll stick to the professor. I want to check with Bonnie anyway, there's something off with her and I'm not sure if it's something to do with all the killings."

   Bodie shrugged. "Do what you need to do in order to stick by Shane. And if anyone tries anything, Henry, you know what to do to them."

   Henry nodded. "And what will you do?"

   "What I need to." Bodie stated.

   There was this look on Henry's face as if there was something that he didn't want to believe, but decided not to anything of the sort, knowing that it was best that he didn't get involved in anything that he didn't want to. In all honesty, Bodie didn't know what he was going to, but he just wanted Henry to have something to focus on as much as possible. He would rather Henry focus on something other than revenge on the Mikaelson's, at least for now. Revenge is something that can wait.

   In terms of what he was going to do, that was something that he wasn't sure on. He didn't know what he was going to do, though he wanted to make Henry believe that he had a plan. He needed to sort something out though it was something that he wasn't sure on, he knew that there was nothing that he could truly do but there was still that small voice inside his head that told him that he needed some form of plan to make Henry believe that he had something.

   Bodie watched as Henry text Bonnie, watching as Henry somewhat tensed as if there was something wrong. Bodie wanted to ask what was going on, though he knew that it was best if he stayed out of it, knowing that this was something for Henry to focus on as a whole. Henry sighed. "Shane's in prison, I'm going to meet Bonnie."

   Bodie nodded. "Do what's needed, okay?"

   "Yep," Henry muttered. "I'll see you later. Make sure that you have a plan, please."

   Bodie somewhat nodded once more, watching as Henry turned and left. He found himself frowning, knowing that he was going to disappoint Henry in more ways than what he's already has. He knew that the best thing that he could do was to go after Klaus or go after one of the other Mikaelson's but that wasn't the smartest thing that he could do, he wanted to make sure that whatever his next move was, was smart. He needed to make sure that whatever his next move was, it should be something that none of the Mikaelson's would expect from him.

   And yet, there was a small part of him that was afraid that he wouldn't be able to do what was needed. He didn't like the Mikaelson's at the moment because of what Klaus did, but at the same time, because of their history, Bodie was afraid that he wouldn't be able to do what was needed of him. He knew that what he did need to do was protect Henry, but Henry wanted to destroy any and all of the Mikaelson's, and Henry was the one that he needed to protect more than anything else.

   He shook his head, as much as he was excited to do all of this, as excited he was to have this form of a plan, there was a part of him that couldn't help but be afraid of what will happen once they did this. He didn't want to lose Henry in the process because the Mikaelson's knew what he was planning, but at the same time, all that Bodie wanted more than anything was for the Mikaelson's to understand that they're always bringing pain.

   Of course, there was a small part of Bodie that understood that Klaus wouldn't have done what he did if it weren't for the fact that he killed Henrik, but there was a part of him that hoped that there wouldn't be this entire 'brother for a brother' situation. He knew that it was stupid for him to believe such a thing, but it was something that he'd rather hoped for more than anything else. It was stupid, he knew as such, he knew that the Mikaelson's would never forgive him for what he's done and yet there was a small part of him that hoped for such a thing.

   And yet, here he was, planning to give Klaus the cure just so that it was easier to kill him. He knew that he was taking away a part of Klaus' identity, like his mother did to him with his werewolf side, but Bodie felt as if this was the only way, that this was what was needed. He knew that there was no other way to beat Klaus other than to rid him of the side of him which makes everything harder.

   He shook his head, he knew that this wasn't what he should think about and yet it was all that he could think about as a whole. He just hoped that Henry wouldn't get killed in the process of doing what was needed. It was Henry that he was the most worried about, Bodie knew that if he lost Henry as well, that there would be nothing in this world that could hold him back. He knew that if he lost Henry, there would be nothing to stop him from tearing this world apart in hopes to slaughter all of the Mikaelson's for what they've done to him.

   And that was what Bodie was most afraid of. He knew that by going down the path of revenge, that he was threatening for that to happen, but he needed to do this for Henry and for Will. Will who didn't deserve this as a whole, Will who just wanted to live in as much peace as he could. It was Bodie's fault that Will died and there was nothing that he could do in order to stop it from happening. There was so much that Bodie wished for, and he wished for the fact that Will never died and that he was still here with them both.

   Bodie just sighed, knowing that he needed to get out of his head more than anything else. He needed to do something. He needed to make sure that he had something for Henry, some form of plan. He wanted to make sure that when he and Henry saw each other once more, there was something that he could report. Bodie knew that he was doing this for him, he just needed to remind himself of such a thing.

   He found himself walking out of his home, he had no idea what he truly was going to do, but there was something telling him that there was more that he needed to do outside rather than being held down at home in his own head. He shook his head slightly and took in a breath, he knew that being stuck inside his own mind was something that wouldn't help anyone at all. He knew that he needed to focus on what was needed, and his mind was causing a distraction more than anything.

   Bodie found himself getting out his phone and calling Damon, knowing that there was a slight chance that Damon would want to get back at Klaus in some way and for whatever reason. The phone rang for a few seconds before Damon answered. "Where are you?" was the first thing that Bodie asked.

   "Hello to you too, wolfie." Damon greeted. "I'm fine, thanks for asking."

   "Didn't ask, don't care." Bodie stated. "Where are you?"

   "Now's not the best time," Damon stated. "We already have an original problem, we don't need another."

   Bodie groaned slightly. "You know, nothing's better than to have someone like me on your side, right?" All that Bodie wanted to know was where Damon was just to see if there was anything there that could be of use. He knew that he wanted to use Jeremy to get to the cure to continue his plan of using the cure against Klaus. "Just tell me where you are, and I'll come and sort out the issue."

   As much as he knew that there was a chance that Damon would continue to avoid telling him anything, there was still a small part of him that hoped that Damon would tell him just so that it would allow Bodie to be closer to Jeremy, and that was what Bodie wanted more than anything. He knew that he needed to get towards Jeremy as much as possible, knowing that it was one of the leads towards the cure. And that's what Bodie wanted more than anything.

   He wanted to shove that cure down Klaus' throat the same way that Klaus probably desired to do it to him. He knew that there was a chance outside of Elena that Klaus would try to use it on him, knowing that there was no way to which Klaus would beat him as he was. Bodie knew that he was overthinking this, but he wouldn't put it past Klaus for even fully thinking of doing such a thing.

   Bodie heard the way that Damon sighed, almost as if he were annoyed as a whole about this entire thing. "Gilbert Lake House. Kol's here."

   Bodie found himself grinning slightly. "Fantastic. Don't get yourself in trouble, darling Damon, be there soon."

   He hung up the phone and got into his car. He'd text Elena to send him over the address for the Gilbert Lake House and to not ask questions. He'd also text her to see if Jeremy were with Damon, and if not to tell him where he was. Bodie got a text halfway out of Mystic Falls that Jeremy was with her, which made Bodie turn around and head back to where Elena was.

   Though, there was a part of Bodie that had a feeling that it might be hard for Bodie to do what he wanted to when it comes to Jeremy, but at this point Bodie didn't care all that much. Bodie knew that there was a chance that Elena or whoever wouldn't enjoy Bodie using Jeremy for his own use, but he didn't really care, knowing that whatever he was doing was for the sake of himself and his need for revenge.

   He wasn't sure how long it took him to get to Elena's household, but he found himself knocking on the door. Elena was the one who answered the door and there was this look of surprise on her face as if this weren't what she was expecting, despite knowing that he was on his way. "Bodie," she greeted. "Why are you here?"

   Bodie stared at her and for a moment, there was a part of him that wanted to tell her the truth, but at the same time, he knew that it was best if he kept it as much of a secret as possible. "I heard that Kol was being a bit of an ass. I offer myself to protect little Gilbert over there." He jerks his chin towards Jeremy who was behind his sister with a stake in hand.

   "I don't need your protection." Jeremy stated.

   Bodie shifted and somewhat smiled then. "I believe that you do. Clearly with Kol being a terror, you need me."

   Elena looked back to her bother. "Let him in, Jeremy."

   "No." Jeremy stated. "I don't want him here. Not after everything that's happened."

   Bodie somewhat grinned about all of it. "Don't be a dick, Jeremy, come on, I'm trying to help."

   Elena looked at Jeremy and there was a moment of silence between both of the Gilbert siblings, after a moment, Jeremy sighed. "You can come in."

   Bodie somewhat grinned and took a step into the house. He stared at both of the Gilberts with an almost superior look, as if this were all that Bodie wanted more than anything else. Bodie stared at the stake in Jeremy's hand, noticing the way that the younger Gilbert seemed to grip it harder. "You're aware that if you were to use that on me, it won't work."

   "I know, but it brings me comfort in the face of someone like you." Jeremy stated.

   Bodie held himself straight, his hands behind his back. "I'm surprised that you seem to hate me so much, little Gilbert. I haven't done anything wrong, nor have I wronged you in any way."

   "You wanted to kill Elena to kill Alaric." Jeremy stated.

   "To protect myself." Bodie countered. "Surely you can understand that."

   Elena seemed to sigh, clearly not wanting to listen to any of this. "Can you both stop. Kol has Damon."

   "Good." Bodie stated. "Damon is a liability to you, to everyone. What we need to focus on is everything going on with Jeremy."

   Elena gave him a look as if that were something that she didn't like. "Don't say that, Damon protected Jeremy."

   "Wow, an asshole makes one good choice!" Bodie said rather sarcastically.

   Jeremy cut in then. "I'm going to the Grill, I want to check in on Matt."

   "I'll join you." Bodie stated. "I'd rather protect you than continue arguing over whether the Salvatore's are perfect."

   Elena glared at him, Jeremy looked as if he wished that he never spoke, and Bodie found himself more amused than ever about finding a way to annoy both of the Gilbert. God, he missed finding ways to piss off siblings. That and the fact that he knew that it was probably best if he stayed with Jeremy, at least while Henry was with Bonnie.

   Bodie joined Jeremy on his way to the Grill, promising Jeremy that he'd give him the space that he needs, though if there's any trouble, Bodie would step in. They'd left Elena—who wanted to wait for Damon to come back—back at the Gilbert household, which Bodie didn't mind, knowing that he'd find a way to annoy Elena for the sake of being annoying.

   On the way to the Grill, Bodie text Henry telling him that he was protecting Jeremy and that he was okay. Henry text him back telling him that everything about Shane and how Shane was the one to plan out the 12 deaths, and everything else about it, he mentioned how Bonnie was taking all of this rather hard, given the way that she looked up to Shane.

   When they arrived at the Grill, they spent some time there, Bodie gout the pair of them food which Jeremy didn't want Bodie to get for him but—of course—Bodie didn't listen. He made Jeremy eat as they checked on Matt, and as promised, Bodie kept to his word and gave Jeremy the space that he needed though kept an eye on him.

   Throughout all of this, Bodie was messaging Henry more about this entire situation with Shane. Bodie couldn't help but have some form of interest in what was going on with the Professor. Of course, the only time that he'd met Shane was when both Rebekah and Kol cornered him. Henry was more than willing to tell him anything and everything that he could about Shane, which Bodie was happy about.

   Though, the one thing that stood out to Bodie the most throughout all of this was the way that Henry would talk about Bonnie. For a moment, Bodie thought that Henry was interested in Caroline, which was what Henry had told him, but with the way that he was talking about Bonnie, made him believe that his feelings might have changed. Of course, this was something that Bodie wouldn't want to talk to Henry about given everything, but it made him smile in some way.

   He shook his head slightly knowing that there were other things that he needs to be focusing on. He knew that he wanted to focus on the safety of Jeremy Gilbert, not only that but knowing that the urge to kill vampires seems to be on overdrive made Bodie wonder on how easy he could take control over everything. He knew that Jeremy was more leaning on doing whatever it was Damon was telling him or whatever situation he seemed to be in, but Bodie wondered whether he could drag Jeremy across the world.

   For a moment, Bodie considered whether or not it would be right for him to suggest that Jeremy kills one of the Originals, he was sure that it would be much easier that dragging Jeremy across the planet in search for vampires. A small smile crept on his face at the thought, he knew that it was something that would take such an effort to convince Jeremy and everyone else to do such a thing, but at the same time, he had a feeling that it wouldn't take much to convince anyone to just kill the one that's wronged them the most.

   Bodie turned slightly, noticing that Jeremy was coming out of the back of the Grill, and it didn't take him long to notice that Damon and Elena were now here. Bodie found himself watching, noticing the sudden shift in Damon's attitude as both him and Jeremy stared at one another, Bodie watched as Damon's vampire face slowly came out at the sight of Jeremy. For a moment, Bodie wondered whether or not he should get involved, but in all honesty, Bodie just wanted to see Jeremy shove a stake through Damon's heart. It would make his life so much more easier than anything else.

   Plus, Bodie would find this life so much better with Damon gone, there was always something about Damon that slightly annoyed him. though, then again, anyone who wasn't the ones that he actually cared for, annoyed him in some degree. It was just Damon annoyed him the most. Bodie shook his head slightly just as Elena called out for Damon—which seemed to snap Damon out of whatever it was he was going to do. Bodie sighed and just moved towards where Jeremy was, while Jeremy went into the back of the Grill where some of the stock was.

   By the time that Bodie got in there, Jeremy was checking his gun, which Bodie presumed had wooden bullets inside. Jeremy pointed the gun at Bodie's chest as if he'd thought that Bodie was Damon and yet, Jeremy didn't lower the gun. Bodie just rose his hands as if to say that he was innocent and that he wasn't going to hurt him.

   In some way, in some small way, Bodie thought that he saw Jeremy relax after realising who it truly was, he was the one to break eye contact to look at the vent on the lower wall. It was like there was a silent agreement between the pair of them, like there was an understanding that Jeremy needed to get out, that the pair of them knew that something was off with Damon and for the safety of every human in the Grill, it was better to get him out.

   As much as Bodie knew that he should just fight Damon, compel Damon to stop, there was a small part of him that wondered how far Damon was willing to go. There was already a small inkling inside of Bodie that knew that Damon must be compelled, knowing that for the past few days—or however long—Damon had been training Jeremy in the ways of vampire hunting, meaning that the sudden change meant that Kol must have done something.

   Jeremy took the hatch off the vent and started to go through and Bodie found himself sighing to himself before following. He needed to stay beside Jeremy, knowing that if he could get Jeremy to kill some vampires, that mark would be on its way to being completed. He knew that the best course of action would be to bring Jeremy an Original to quickly get the mark done, but out of all four options—himself excluded—he wasn't sure which one would be best to choose. Bodie had no idea where Elijah was, Rebekah and Kol would put up a fight against him, and Klaus wouldn't hesitate to watch him burn.

   Bodie just shook his head slightly, knowing that there was nothing that he could truly do, though for a moment, he wondered whether or not he could just give either Rebekah or Kol his hybrid bite and then get Jeremy to kill them and then the mark would lead him to the cure. That was a possibility, but it meant trying to track down either one of them, then having the others blame him for getting another one of their brothers killed.

   Both Jeremy and Bodie walked through the tunnels, Jeremy was in front with a flashlight and Bodie was behind him. Any time that Jeremy even slowed down, Bodie shoved him a little forward, as if to make sure that he kept moving.

   "Will you stop that?" Jeremy hissed, annoyed.

   "No." Bodie stated, lowly. "Pretty sure Damon's compelled to kill you, I need to protect you, which means you keep moving before I drag you out of here myself."

   Jeremy looked as if he were about to say something though it was then that they heard Damon's voice. "Jeremy! Get out of here. Do you hear me? Don't stop. Kol compelled me, there's nothing I can do."

   Bodie made Jeremy move once more given that for a brief moment they'd stopped, this time, Jeremy seemed to not argue with Bodie's seemed shoving against him. Bodie lacked any ability to care of Jeremy did decide to shoot at him, knowing that there was a chance that none of the bullets were white oak—at least he hoped not.

   "You can't hide in here, Jer, if I find you, you're dead." Damon continued to say at a distance. "Jeremy are you listening to me? You better run. I am coming to kill you. You need to go. Now!"

   Both Jeremy and Bodie turned in one direction and then picked up the pace. Knowing that Damon was in the tunnels with them, there was a part of Bodie that found that this was like one big game for him, he had a feeling that this was something that he was enjoying in some weird fucked up way. He thought for a moment that he should just let Damon find them, beat Damon bloody and weak, and then get Jeremy to kill Damon in order for that mark to be one more vampire soul complete.

   Jeremy looked back at Bodie for a moment. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

   "Maybe I am." Bodie grinned. "Come on, wouldn't you like to put a stake through Damon's heart after all the pain and misfortune he's brought to you?"

   Bodie brought out his phone then, ringing the only person he knew would care. "What the bloody hell do you want?"

   "Who's that?" Jeremy asked, annoyed.

   "Rebekah, darling, so glad that you answered me." Bodie spoke. "I have the hunter with me with Damon following thanks to your idiot brother. And it makes me wonder on how easily this mark could be complete with an Original, of course, it leads me to wonder which Original should die at the hands of the hunter, now I'm thinking. . .Kol or maybe you."

   There was silence on the other end of the phone, a small part of Bodie expected to hear a sarcastic remark but when he heard nothing, he felt oddly proud. And yet, after a moment, he heard Rebekah speak once more. "You threaten to kill another one of us? And for what?"

   "A brother for a brother, Klaus killed Will, I kill one of you." Bodie said. "Just know that I will find joy in this." And with that, Bodie hung up. As much as he knew that Will was only killed because Klaus wanted revenge after what happened with Henrik, it didn't stop the fact that Bodie wanted to get back at Klaus for what he did to Henry. This was for Henry and for Henry to finally get that revenge that Bodie knows that he wants more than anything else.

   Jeremy looked as if he wanted to say something whether it be about the conversation that Bodie had with Rebekah or not, Bodie wasn't sure and nor did he realise that he cared about. All that seemed to go through Bodie's head was how much he wanted to get revenge, how he wanted to get the cure for himself just so that he could shove it down Klaus' throat and then kill him. That was what Bodie wanted more than anything, after all the pain and suffering that Klaus has caused, this was what Bodie thought was necessary.

   And then Damon's voice called out. "You're here too, Bodie?" Bode imagined that Damon was laughing and shaking his head slightly. "Did you both miss the part where I said I'm compelled? Don't stop."

   It was then that Bodie realised that the pair of them stopped in this open area of the tunnel, where Jeremy stripped his jacket off and got out a knife. Bodie just gave him an odd look as if to question what Jeremy was doing, though, for a moment, Bodie wondered whether or not Jeremy had any sort of plan as a whole. Jeremy dragged the knife over his hand, causing it to bleed.

   "Seriously? You're being hunted by a vampire and now you're bleeding?" Damon called out.

   Bodie took it upon himself to hide within the shadows just to see how Jeremy's plan would play out and after a moment, Jeremy hid as well. Not long after that, Damon appeared in the open space that they hid in. Damon picked up Jeremy's jacket and straightened up and it was then that Jeremy decided to attack Damon. All that was going through Bodie's head was how bravely stupid Jeremy must be as a whole to try and fight a vampire in such close quarters.

   Bodie watched as Damon bit into Jeremy's arm and then flung Jeremy over his shoulder and onto the floor. "Dumb move, Jer. You can't fight me in close quarters."

   "It was worth a shot." Jeremy said, getting out his gun and shot Damon.

   Damon grunted and fell to his knees as Jeremy rose to his own feet. "You're gonna have to shoot me, Jeremy, in the heart." Bodie wondered whether or not he should step in and kill Damon himself. "I'm not gonna be able to stop myself. Jeremy, you're a hunter, you know you want to. Do it." Jeremy didn't. "Do it." Damon rose to his feet.

   Bodie found himself moving, unable to stop himself, he plunged his hand through Damon's back, clutching Damon's heart. "He might not be able to, Damon, but I am." With an almost Klaus-like grin, Bodie found himself pulling out Damon's heart, allowing Damon to fall to the ground. Dead. Damon Salvatore, dead by his hand.

   Jeremy jerked back, as if he hadn't expected Bodie to do such a thing, but Bodie didn't care, he dropped Damon's heart and found himself picking up Damon's now dead body, slinging it over his shoulder. Jeremy pointed the gun towards him and Bodie just grabbed hold of the gun, tossing it to the side and grasped Jeremy's arm, dragging him down one of the tunnels.

   "You didn't have to kill him!" Jeremy snapped.

   "Don't care." Bodie stated. "He was getting on my nerves anyway. Either I kill him or someone else kills him."

   Jeremy looked at the body over Bodie's shoulder with what looked like some form of pain as if he'd been the one to kill Damon. "Elena. . ."

   "Will move on." Bodie said. In all fairness, he found that he didn't really care much on what Elena thought, he didn't care what anyone thought, all that he cared about is getting what he wanted, and it was clear to Bodie that Damon was an obstacle in the way of everything that was needed. He needed Jeremy alive and safe and without a compelled vampire chasing after him, so Bodie was more than willing to do everything that was needed in order to make sure that his own cause was safe.

   Bodie wasn't sure how long it took them, but they eventually managed to find a way out of the tunnels and found themselves in the woods. It took Jeremy stumbling for Bodie to fully realise that Damon had bit Jeremy and the blood loss was taking affect. Bodie sighed slightly, flinging Damon's dead body onto the floor, and biting his wrist, offering it to Jeremy.

   Jeremy gave him an odd look. "What?"

   "You're losing too much blood, drink." Bodie stated. "I'm not having you dying on my watch."

   "What? No." Jeremy said. Bodie just rolled his eyes and forced his wrist into Jeremy's mouth. Jeremy tried to fight Bodie off but couldn't, and eventually gave in, and drank some of his blood. Bodie quickly pulled his wrist away, noticing how the wound on Jeremy had vanished.

   It was then that Elena came running out of where both Jeremy and Bodie did. "Damon!" She came to a stop, noticing Damon's limp body on the ground. She looked between both Jeremy and Bodie. "Is he okay?"

   Jeremy looked back to Elena with a look on his face. "Elena. . ." he shook his head slightly.

   Elena covered her mouth slightly, shaking her head as if she didn't want to believe. "What happened?"

   "He was going to kill Jeremy and I took care of it." Bodie stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the entire world. "Nothing was going to stop Damon, so if you thought that the power of your love was going to stop him, Elena, you would've been disappointed."

   Elena shook her head in disbelief. "You killed Damon?!"

   It was then that Stefan arrived, as if he intended to make a hero's entrance to stop his brother, only to find a dead body, a crying Elena, and Jeremy looking like the life got drained out of him. "What did you do?" Stefan was looking at Bodie.

   "What was necessary." Bodie stated. "You can take his body, I have no use for his body."

   Stefan looked as if he wanted to actually fight Bodie, but Bodie just stared at Stefan. For a moment, it was like they were having a conversation without speaking, and for a moment, Bodie wanted to dare Stefan to try and fight him, knowing that Bodie wouldn't hesitate to kill Stefan as well. Bodie tilted his head with his arms wide as if offering a chance for Stefan to try and attack him in anyway.

   When Stefan didn't, Bodie found himself grinning more. He knew that none of them would have the guts to actually go against him and that was something that Bodie loved more than anything else. He liked holding all the power, all the strength that he desired, knowing that there was no chance for someone else to win. He wondered if this was what Klaus felt like all the time whenever Klaus threatened people's existence. It felt like some form of game for Bodie, like an addictive game that Bodie didn't want to stop playing, he wanted more of it.

   There was a part of Bodie that wanted to fight all of them just to get that joy of killing something. He wondered whether or not he should just try and kill anyone else but knew that for his own sake it was best to hide it and control it. The last thing that he wanted was for Henry to be pissed at him for killing his friends.

   Though, now that he thought of Henry, he knew that there was a chance that Henry was going to be pissed at him anyway for killing Damon, knowing that this wasn't what either of them had planned. But the more that he thought about it, the more that he realised that he just didn't care, there was something about the motion of killing that was almost freeing, like he didn't have to hide himself anymore.

   Bodie stared at all of them, Jeremy was comforting his sister as best as he could as Elena was crying, and Stefan was glaring at him as if he were trying to plan something. Bodie grinned slightly before turning and using his vamp speed to run away.

   It didn't take Bodie long to get back home and Bodie was greeted with Henry starting at him looking almost concerned about something, though Bodie wondered whether or not it was because Henry heard about what he done or if there's something else going on.

   "Henry." Bodie greeted. "What's going on?"

   "Something's going on with Bonnie." Henry stated. "You know how there were twelve human deaths caused by Shane, and then twelve hybrids that Klaus slaughtered, I think that they're connected. They are connected to a specific type of magic that Bonnie has access too and she's losing control."

   Bodie gave him a look. "Can't you help her control it?"

   "I don't know if I can." Henry stated. "I want to help Bonnie more than anything, she's my friend, and I would do anything to protect her, but I'm afraid that I won't be able to help her with this. . ."

   Bodie gave him a look. "I'm sure that you'll be able to help her." He assured, he believed in Henry more than anything. "You've always been amazing with magic, even when you've believed that you're not in control, you've always been great. I'm sure that you'll be able to help her."

   Henry went to say something then, though stopped himself when he noticed the blood that coated Bodie's hand. "Who's blood is that? Please don't tell me that's Jeremy's blood."

   Bodie looked down, not that he was ashamed or anything by what he'd done, but there was a part of Bodie that didn't want to tell Henry about it. Though, he knew that it was best to tell Henry everything. "I might have killed Damon, but for good reason. Kol compelled him to kill Jeremy and I thought hat by killing Damon, it meant that Jeremy was protected."

   "You killed Damon?" Henry demanded, his eyes were wide with shock, as if this were something that he never thought that Bodie could do.

   "Did you miss out the part where I said that I did it to protect Jeremy?" Bodie countered.

   Henry looked as if he was going to go insane with everything that was going on. "Oh my god! What the fuck is wrong with you, Bodie?"

   "Would you like a list?"

   Henry just shook his head, as if this were something that he didn't want to continue experiencing. Bodie knew that there was a chance that he shouldn't have told Henry, but Bodie thought that he had a right to know. The last thing that Bodie wanted was for Henry to find out via someone else, he at least thought that this was something that he was doing right—he could've just kept it quiet for as long as he could before someone else told him.

   Henry looked at Bodie with this look, like he was disappointed in Bodie. "Leo was right. You're turning into the monster that everyone was afraid that you'd become."

   Bodie found himself straightening up slightly. As much as he knew that the thought of becoming this monster was something that would normally make him panic, now there was some form of peace or acceptance that he felt around it, as if he knew that this was someone that he was bound to become with the right push, and he supposed that Will's death was something that caused it, and that was okay. He already made peace with the monster that he's becoming, like it was something that he expected to become.

   "Aren't we all the monsters everyone fears?" Bodie asked.

   Henry just stared at him, and for a moment, Bodie thought that there was a chance that Henry might say something to him about it, but instead, Henry just turned and went upstairs. A moment later, he heard the way that the door of Henry's room opened and then closed. Bodie found himself just sitting on the sofa with his head in his hands, not caring for the spread of blood. Damon was dead, and Bodie had to live with that, not that he cared much.

   For a moment, he wondered whether any of this had any kind of point, as much as he knew that Henry would've been angry with him for what he did, the look on Henry's face was something that hurt his heart in some way. He thought that what he'd done was the right thing to do, no matter what, Damon was never going to fight against the compulsion, Damon was never going to stop. Bodie saw an obstacle in protecting Jeremy, which was something that he promised that he would do, and he thought that deserved something, right?

   Bodie rubbed his eye slightly, knowing that there was a chance that there was nothing that he could do in order to change what he done—not that he wanted to change what he done—but there was just a small part of him that wondered whether or not this was worth it as a whole. He enjoyed the killing, knowing that Damon pissed him off slightly, but there was a sense of dread inside him which wondered whether or not he would have to deal with the rage of those that cared about Damon.

   Bodie wondered whether anything was worth it, wondering if all of this hassle was worth the grief of dealing with angry people. Bodie shook his head. Damon was dead and that was something that Bodie was proud of doing, knowing that it meant one less annoying person that exists in this world. If he had his way, a lot of people would've been dead a long time ago.

   The more that he thought about it, the more that he wondered whether or not this was what it was like with Klaus, the need to slaughter anyone that annoyed him. Bodie would have to admit, now that he had a taste for blood, he wanted nothing more than to slaughter everyone.

⋅⋆✯✼⋆⋅

   "This is never going to end." Jeremy said. He was looking down at the table that held a variety of weaponry on it, opposite was Elena, who seemed to still be in a state of grief from losing Damon. "If Kol doesn't kill me first, then Klaus will just force me to kill more innocent people. Bodie will use me to get what he wants whether its innocents or people that I care about. You didn't see the look in Bodie's eyes, he's actually lost it in the way that Elliot said that Bodie would. How many is it going to take? Ten? A hundred?"

   For a moment, there was nothing else said, given that Elena seemed to have broken through her grief just for a moment to come up with some form of plan or something of the sorts. "If you kill one Original vampire, their entire sire line will die with them. That's thousands, maybe tens of thousands of vampires." She walked round to her brother. "Kol compelled Damon to kill you, Bodie killed Damon because Damon had no choice but to do what he was compelled to do. You're going to kill either Bodie or Kol instead."