CHAPTER 24: THE SACRIFICE

The Gilbert House

As petty as it might be, Natalie was still mad. Whether you were talking about Damon or Stefan. Though she could probably say that she was mad at them equally. Because Damon did something much worse but it's been some time and Natalie has learnt to slightly get over it. Stefan didn't get that luxury and his hurtful words still made Natalie want to punch him. She hadn't, but she thought that since he hurt her with words, she would attack him with them back.

So, when the doorbell rang and she opened the door, and Stefan was on the other side, she didn't want to deal with him as she normally does.

"Ugh, it's you." she groaned before smashing the door closed.

As the door made a lot of sound, it attracted Elena, who walked down the stairs. "Who was at the door?"

Natalie shrugged. "No one that matters to me."

Elena rolled her eyes, walking over to the door and opened it. And Stefan was still there.

"Why'd you smash the door in my face?" Stefan asked, Damon walking up beside him.

"Why shouldn't I smash the door in your face?" Natalie retorted.

"Because my face was there?" Stefan said, his statement coming out more like a question.

"Wait, did I indicate that I give a crap? Oops, my bad." Natalie shrugged.

Damon and Elena looked between the two, obviously confused by their actions (mostly Natalie's) and what triggered them.

"Can we do this later, we really need to talk to you." Damon broke in.

"Why?" Elena asked.

"We went to see Katherine."

▹▹▹

"Please tell me that you don't believe her." Natalie said after the Brothers told the sisters about Katherine agreeing to give them the moonstone and disappear if they got her out of the tomb.

Damon shook his head at her. "No, of course not. We just want the moonstone."

"According to Rose's friend Slater, there's a way to destroy the spell that Klaus wants to break." Stefan added.

"No spell, no doppelgänger sacrifice. Ergo,-" Damon said, turning to Elena. "-you live."

"Oh mightly geniuses, how do you propose that we do destroy it?" Natalie raised en eyebrow at them.

"By releasing it from the moonstone." Stefan responded, looking at her with a guilty expression as he recalled his hurtful words from a few days prior.

"How do you guys even know this is gonna work?" Elena spoke up.

"Cause we have a crafty witch on our side." Damon retorted.

"How come I don't believe that you've discussed this with Bonnie?" Natalie asked rhetorically.

"She agreed to do anything she could to help us." Stefan said.

Elena gave him a look. "It's Katherine who has the moonstone. She's not gonna give it to you."

"We're gonna get it from her."

"Well, what he means to say is, we will pry it from her cold, dead hand if we have to." Damon corrected.

"Ehm, I volunteer." Natalie raised her hand sheepishly.

Stefan simply ignored her. "Bonnie just needs to find a way to release the seal long enough for us to get in, get the moonstone, and get out in time for her to return it."

"Wow. I mean, it sounds like you guys already have it all planned out." Elena said in false amazement.

"Yep. We're awesome." Damon smirked.

"Except for one thing," Elena interuppted their happiness. "I don't want you to do it."

And those words made Stefan and Damon exchange annoyed and surprised looks as they thought that Elena of all people would be all for saving her own life. Whilst Natalie kind of wanted to slap her.

"Elena, I may not agree with everything that Stefan and Damon do. Actually, I don't agree with anything Stefan and Damon do, but that's not the point," Natalie said, making Damon roll his eyes and Stefan shake his head. "But what other choice do we have? We don't have any other plan."

"What about Klaus?" Elena raised her eyebrow at her.

"We'll find him right after we get the moonstone." Stefan reassured her.

"Is that before or after he kills everyone that I care about, including the three of you." she retorted, pointing from Stefan to Natalie to Damon, the latter being surprised from her concern.

Stefan took a deep breath as if trying to lessen his annoyance. "Elena, if we can de-spell the moonstone, we can save your life."

"I know. Everybody keeps saying that."

▹▹▹

The Salvatore Boarding House

The Salvatores was somehow able to convince Natalie to actually be around them, even though it took some arguing, threats, arrows (don't even ask) and sass, the argument that won was, that she could be the person to kill her. So, that was what got Natalie to the boarding house after the Brothers recruited Bonnie and Jeremy (no one even knew why he was there). Bonnie was talking with Jeremy (no one even knew when that happened either), Stefan was soon to arrive and Damon decided that it was finally time to get some closeure on what happened between him and Natalie.

"Do you still hate me for killing you?" he asked her as he walked up next to her.

"Somehow, I never thought I'd get asked that question." Natalie tilted her head.

Damon gave her a look.

"Fine, I don't really hate you anymore. You'll probably make up for it with some incredibly uncharacteristic heroic action." Natalie shrugged.

"What does that mean?" Damon asked, a frown on his face.

"It basically means that we can go around acting all frenemy-ish but if you end up dead then I should probably be the first person that should be asked."

"Fair enough."

▹▹▹

As soon as Stefan arrived, the brothers started explaining their plan, and as stupid everyone thought it might be, it was a very well thought out plan, well at least by Salvatore standards.

"I might be able to lower the tomb spell long enough for you to get in there and grab the moonstone from Katherine." Bonnie agreed with their plan, making Jeremy's concern for her grow.

"How? It took both you and your Grams last time, and look what happened to her." Jeremy said, though he wasn't trying he was still hurting Bonnie because of his mention of her grandmother, who died whilst lowering the tomb spell so Damon could get Katherine out (even though she wasn't even there.)

Bonnie's face morphed into a scowl of the reminder. "I'm well aware of what happened. I've learned a few new things."

"Bonnie..." Jeremy trailed off in obvious concern.

She just deflated his concern and turned to the only one of the Salvatore brothers she could tolerate. "How will you get it?"

"She hasn't been feeding. She's weaker. We're not." Stefan explained, Damon raising his glass of blood in acknowledgement. And then he noticed Natalie who was fiddling with her nails. "Natalie, you aren't even listening."

"No, I'm listening. It just takes a minute to process so much stupid," she smirked before turning to Bonnie "No offense." then she turned to Jeremy "No offense." then to Damon "No offense." then, lastly to Stefan "Offense."

"What about it is so stupid?" Stefan asked, ignoring her telling him to take offense.

"Maybe the fact that even if she haven't fed she is still a 500 year old vampire who can probably kick your asses whilst doing her nails. And that's when she's been feeding, now it's just minus the doing her nails thing." Natalie retorted, raising her eyebrows at him.

"It's a plan. Is it perfect?" Damon scoffed. "What plan is?"

"Let me do it. I've got my ring. I can get in, get out, no spells necessary." Jeremy offered.

"Yeah, no." Natalie shook her head at her cousin/little brother or whatever.

"Gee, thanks, you 16-year-old child," Damon quipped sarcastically. "Why didn't we think about that? Why are you even here?"

Bonnie decided to be the one to break the tension. "Maybe I can help better the plan. Do you have anything that belongs to Katherine?"

And with that, Damon's gaze turned to Stefan significantly.

▹▹▹

When Stefan reentered the parlor he was holding an old Picture of Katherine where the writing said Katherine  1864.

"This belonged to Katherine. Found it with her things after I thought she was dead, but it was hers." Stefan explained the reasoning for taking that exact thing.

Bonnie nodded, grabbing the picture out of his hands. She then placed the portrait in a ceramic bowl before dipping her fingers in a glass of water and let the droplets drip Down from her fingers and into the bowl. Her magical witchyness made the water flame up and Bonnie closed her eyes and started chanting in latin.

"What will this do?" Damon asked the witch.

And then Bonnie opened her eyes, watching the picture burn. "I can turn the metal into ash. Blow the ashes on her, and it'll incapacitate her for a minute or two. Long enough for you to get the stone and get out."

And as everyone was silent for a moment, Natalie decided to invade the silence.

"Yay!" she cheered, smiling widely.

▹▹▹

Not long after, Damon and Stefan went to get some stake guns that Alaric provided them with, whilst Natalie snuck out to get something she believed would help. But she was back before Damon and Stefan so she put her large suitcase on a table as Stefan and Damon walked in.

"Still gotta get the torches." Stefan commented.

"Alaric's stake gun's in my trunk. Bonnie?" Damon said, turning to the Bennett witch.

"Go ahead. I'm almost done." she nodded at them, and the boys were about to walk out of the room they noticed Natalie and her thingy.

"What's that?" Damon asked.

Natalie's only response was a smirk as she opened it, grabbing the large shotgun out, and holding it up.

"Natalie, you can't bring that with you." Stefan dismissed her, and she responded with a glare.

"And why not?"

"You know that it's too big, you can't just go around carrying that." Stefan explained.

"All I know is that one of us is right-" she gestured to herself. "-and one of us is you."

"Natalie, you're not bringing that with you." Stefan said sternly.

"You're gonna regret it, just saying." Natalie said before packing the shotgun down again.

▹▹▹

Fell's Church Tomb

Damon had left the Group to go save Elena (as always) and Stefan, Bonnie and Natalie had no idea where Jeremy was. So the trio walked under Fell's Church. Where, to their surprise the moonstone was already out of the tomb.

"What the hell?" Stefan asked, his signature frown on his face.

"Is that the moonstone?" Bonnie asked.

Natalie nodded, running towards it as fast as she could and picked it up.

"I hate to interrupt," a familar voice said from the entrance to the tomb. "but today has just been full of surprises."

Katherine smirked with her blood covered lips as she pulled a bleeding Jeremy out from behind the wall. His eyelids were fluttering and blood was literally oozing out of his neck.

Stefan rushed to the tomb entrance whilst Bonnie watched in horror. Natalie was completely frozen. The moonstone slipped out of her hands as her face was completely blank. The only emotion shining through was her wide eyes, horror evident in them.

"I'm sorry. I took some powder." Jeremy said weakly.

No one responded, they just stared at Katherine and Jeremy in fear.

"Don't worry, I know that he's wearing his ring, so no matter how many times I kill him, he'll just keep coming back for more. So, I'm going to be in the back playing with my new little toy." she shoved Jeremy back in the tomb. "And you guys just give me a holler when you've got the tomb open."

▹▹▹

After Bonnie, Stefan and Natalie put up the torches that Bonnie would need to do the spell, she lit them up with her mind, and Natalie decided that now was as good of a time as any to shame Stefan.

"If I would have brought the gun then I would be able to shoot her and get Jeremy out and none of this would be a problem." Natalie commented sourly.

"I know that." Stefan snapped. "Where the hell is Damon?"

"We can't wait, we have to get him out of there." Bonnie said sternly.

"It's going to be harder now that she's fed. She's stronger." Natalie sighed.

"We still have what's left of the ash." Bonnie said, handing Stefan the envelope where they had the ash. "Do you think you can get close enough?"

"I don't have a choice." Stefan said.

"There is a choice, I can go in there now. I'm not a vampire, I can grab the ash and be out of there in a second." Natalie proposed.

Stefan grabbed her arm, more harshly then he meant to. "I am not taking the risk of you getting hurt in there." he turned to Bonnie. "Just get me in there as soon as you can."

▹▹▹

There was some chanting going on before Katherine decided to Return, holding Jeremy hostage.

"Oh, something's happening." she smirked.

Jeremy, on the other hand, wasn't very happy with Bonnie's chanting. "Bonnie, no!" he called out, before turning to the confused pair that was Stefan and Natalie. "You have to stop her, she's not strong enough!"

And right when the words were uttered, the flames around Bonnie grew in size.

"Maybe she is." Katherine said in slight amazement.

But, weirdly enough, it was then Bonnie's weakness started showing in the form of a slight amount of blood running down her nose.

Natalie and Stefan ran towards her, concerned.

"Bonnie, are you okay?" Natalie asked the witch softly.

"You gotta stop her!" Jeremy yelled.

And Katherine wasn't happy with his interuption, so she elbowed him in the face, making him fall Down.

Natalie was about to run towards one of her only family members, but Stefan put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly and ran towards the Gilbert boy himself.

Natalie stayed with the witch, being incredibly worried about her friend. "Bonnie, you need to stop! Bonnie!"

And then, Bonnie fainted, her body falling to the floor in a slam because Natalie wasn't able to catch her quick enough.

Stefan then ran towards the witch worriedly whilst Natalie held her head on her lap. "Bonnie. Bonnie, wake up, please. Bonnie, wake up. Bonnie."

"Yes, please because I'm still in here!" Katherine called out annoyedly.

It didn't take that long for Bonnie to wake up, or for Natalie and Stefan to bombard her with questions if she was alright.

"It didn't work." was Bonnie's only response as Stefan helped her stand up. "I'm not strong enough. Even with help, I can't do it."

"Ahhh, that's too bad, I'm still hungry." Katherine spat.

And with that, she pushed Jeremy up against the wall, extending her fangs, ready to bite into his neck. Natalie wasn't about to let her hurt him though, so she grabbed the stake gun that was laying next to her, and practically sprinted into the tomb and pushed Jeremy out.

Stefan noticed a little too late. Because by then Natalie already staked Katherine in the back, the vampire groaning in pain before grabbing the other brunette by her hair and placing her right in front of her, ready to take a bite out of her neck.

But, as you might have guessed, Stefan wasn't about to let that happen, so he followed his first instinct and sped into the tomb, pushing Natalie out harshly, her landing on the floor not being the softest.

And it was only moments later that everyone noticed what just happened.

Stefan's gaze was trained directly on Natalie although his mind was asking why he did it, only for it to answer it's Natalie.

Natalie on the other hand had no idea why he'd risk his life for her, being compeletely ignorant of his romantic feelings for her. Her hand flew up to her mouth in shock, her still being on the floor.

And she knew that whatever heroic action Stefan was going to take to make her forgive him was just done and she couldn't think about anything but the fact that Stefan was in the tomb.

And he might not be getting out.

▹▹▹

A/N: Last chapter of the weekend is done. And I'm really happy because the story has almost 2k votes and it has over 30k reads and it's amazing, plus when I'm done with next chapter we're half-way through season 2.

And I'll say it again; you guys should really check out Sour_GummyBears_ 's stories or follow her because she's an adorable (but awesome) little cinnamon roll that deserves everything good in the world.

And you guys can message me at any time because I love making new friends through wattpad like with Void_Malia and Sour_GummyBears_

Votes and comments are greatly appreaciated.