chapter eleven
season three, episode one and episode two.
the birthday, the hybrid

Arabella Mikealson had spent two glorious months sinking her fangs into humans all over the country and losing herself in the bloodlust. It was the only way she could stand to be around Klaus for more than one minute.

Klaus still hadn't let their siblings out, or restored Stefan's memories. Arabella was forced to play the long game. Do as Klaus says, get Stefan and her siblings back.

She had been released from the handcuffs. It had been a whole month before Klaus took them off, but thankfully he thought Ara was behaved enough to lose them.

The blonde only allowed herself to get lost in the bloodlust because the guilt of betraying Theodore, Elena, Bonnie and Damon ate her alive. She wished constantly to go back in that moment and rip Klaus's heart out herself.

Arabella sat on top of the counter of a random bar in Tennessee, a bottle of whiskey put to her lips as a man sauntered into the bar. "Hey, Ray." The bartender greeted.

"Can I get a beer?" Ray requested, sitting down. Arabella's eyes narrowed as she took him in. He had short brown hair with a thick beard on his chin, his outfit put together by a red flannel. You'd never be able to tell he was a werewolf.

"Ray?" Klaus spoke, sidling up to his side, hovering near Arabella. "Ray Sutton?"

"Who wants to know?" Ray retorted.

"I've been looking everywhere for you," Klaus told him, sitting down at one of the bar stools. "We started in Florida. Pensacola. I met a young chap there who you worked with before you moved to Memphis. Now he directed me to two lovely young women. And they led me here to you."

Ray's head lowered before he looked back up at the Mikealson siblings. "I think I'll be going," He spoke, starting to step away. He didn't know Arabella had spelled the bar already. People could come in, they couldn't leave.

Klaus stood up, pushing his hand against Ray's chest. "Not so fast, mate." He said. "You only just got here. Now, your type are very hard to come by."

Ray turned around, running straight into Stefan, who chuckled coldly. "I wouldn't do that," The Salvatore spoke, pushing him back by the counter.

"Vampires," Ray realized with a scowl.

"You're swifty swift, Ray." Klaus praised, patting his shoulder. "Yes, my friend here is a vampire. He's compelled everyone in the bar so don't look to them for any help." The older Mikealson turned his attention to Arabella. "And that blonde over there is my little sister. She's half vampire, half witch, and she's spelled the bar so nobody can leave."

Arabella smirked, lifting her fingers in a wave. "I, however," Klaus continued. "I'm something else. A different kind of monster. I've got some vampire, I've got some wolf."

"You, what?" Ray asked, looking disgusted. Werewolves believed vampires were all monsters, but werewolves were similar to them, whether they would admit it or not.

"A hybrid, Ray," Klaus informed them. "I'm both. You see, I want to create more of me. Now, you being the first werewolf I've come across in many a moon, pun intended, Ray, I need you to direct me to your pack. So, where can I find them, Ray?"

Ray shook his head defiantly. "You can't compel me," He told Klaus. "It won't work."

Stefan shook his head in annoyance, while Klaus sunk back into his chair. "I need a scotch on the rocks, please." He requested.

Arabella hopped off the counter, stepping in front of Ray. "Your little gal pals were quite delicious," She grinned, licking her lips. Her fangs were showing and she felt the blood rush to her eyes as they turned red. "I wonder if you taste as scrumptious as they did."

"Now, now, little sister," Klaus spoke, pulling Arabella back by her shoulder. "We need him alive. We all know you won't stop until he's drained."

Arabella frowned as Klaus pulled her back. This was the part of her she liked to keep locked away; her ripper side. Her bloodlust, especially when she had nobody she cared for, was insatiable. She would black out and when she would wake there would be bodies all around. She was ashamed Klaus had unlocked that side of her.

"Tell you what, Ray," Stefan spoke, clearing his throat. "We're going to play a little drinking game. Something I like to call truth or wolfsbane,"

Arabella's eyes lit up at the idea, while Klaus grinned devishly from beside. "Oh, this is going to be fun, Ray."

Arabella leaned forward, grabbing Ray and roughly dragging him to one of the wooden posts in the bar. She tied him up, using the chains Klaus had handed her. She closed her eyes, mumbling a spell that wouldn't allow the chains to be broken.

Stefan dipped a dart in wolfsbane before hauling it at Ray, narrowly missing Ara's head. Ray let out a scream of pain, fighting against the chains.

"Ray, you can end this right now!" Stefan told him, walking closer to the wolf. "Just tell me where your pack gathers for the full moon.l

"I can't," Ray groaned out. Arabella closed her eyes. She had always admired the loyalty werewolves had to their pack. She would kill for someone to be that loyal to her.

"I know, I know," Stefan nodded. "You live by a code of honor and all that. But see, he's not going to let me stop until you tell me. And I do whatever he says. That's the way it goes around here."

Arabella, who had been hovering near Stefan, turned her head as a woman walked up to her brother, scrunching her eyebrows in confusion. Stefan turned his head, using his vampire hearing to listen.

Damon was still following them. Arabella narrowed her eyes at Klaus. The Salvatore brothers knew what it meant to be loyal to their siblings. Stefan gave ten years of his life to save Damon's. Damon was risking his neck to get Stefan back. Why couldn't their family have that?

"My brother's still on our trail?" Stefan questioned Klaus.

"He's getting closer," Klaus informed him. "I'm going to have to deal with that."

Panic flared inside of Arabella, but she kept her face neutral. If Klaus dealt with that, there would be no more Damon. "No, no, no," Stefan protested. "Let me handle it."

Klaus turned around, raising an eyebrow. "Why should I let you leave?" He questioned.

"Because you know I'll come back," Stefan responded.

"Do I?" Klaus raised an eyebrow in reply.

"You saved my brother's life," Stefan countered. "I'm in your service."

"It all sounds so tedious," Klaus sighed. "And indentured. Aren't you even having the least bit of fun?" He chuckled, pointing to Ray.

"I'll make sure that my brother doesn't bother us anymore," Stefan told him.

"He'll come back," Arabella vouched. Stefan was annoyingly loyal, like Elijah. Most times, if he promised something, he kept the promise.

Klaus only watched as Stefan left, letting out a sigh. He turned his head to find Arabella staring at him, eyes narrowed. "Quit staring, little sister."

"And our brothers?" Arabella questioned once Stefan was out of earshot. "When do I get our brothers back? Our sister?"

"Soon, Arabella." Klaus replied, narrowing his eyes to stress his annoyance with her. "Be patient."

Arabella only huffed out a breath, not verbally replying as she hopped up on the counter, putting vodka to her lips. She couldn't risk angering Klaus or back in the chains she would go.

•••

Arabella walked between Stefan and Klaus up the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Arabella had never been much of a nature gal. She, like Rebekah, loved to hold onto fancy things. "You okay?" Klaus asked Stefan. "Is Ray getting heavy?"

"I'm fine," Stefan sighed out.

"You sure about that?" Klaus countered. "You know, we've been walking for quite some time now. If you need some water or a little sit-down."

Stefan chuckled. "You know, I get that we're uh, we're stuck together, but if we could maybe just skip the chitchat it'd be great."

"So much brooding," Klaus commented. "Your self-loathing is suffocating, my friend. Yours too, Arabella."

"Maybe it's cause I'm a little tired of hunting werewolves," Stefan retorted before Arabella, who had froze in her spot, could respond. "We've been at it all summer."

Arabella shook her head, getting herself out of her trance as she walked forward. "Well, thanks to our pal Ray, we found ourselves a pack." Klaus replied. "There."

Arabella paused again as she looked forward. There was at least ten  people, presumably all werewolves, walking around.

Stefan continued forward as the wolves took notice of them. He dumped Ray's body on the ground, causing a girl to sprint forward and kneel beside him. "Ray! Oh, my God. What's going on? Who are you?"

A male wolf looked up as the Mikealson siblings walked forward, a devilish smirk on both of their faces.  "The important question is who am I." Klaus spoke. "Please, forgive the intrusion. My name is Klaus." The werewolves tensed, growing visibly uncomfortable as fear took over their faces.

"You're the hybrid," The female wolf realized, standing up from her crouched position.

"You've heard of me," Klaus grinned. "Fantastic."

The werewolves exchanged looks of panic as Arabella stepped forward, practically throwing herself onto a rock. Stefan and Klaus joined her a moment later.

"You know, it's fascinating, actually," Klaus told the wolves. "A werewolf who isn't beholden to the moon, a vampire who doesn't burn in the sun. A true hybrid."

Arabella's eyes flickered over to Ray, who had just gasped awake. He was in transition. "Excellent timing, Ray," Klaus grinned. "Very dramatic."

"What's happening to me?" Ray breathed out, rolling onto his stomach.

"Stefan," Klaus spoke, turning to the boy.

"Are any of you human?" Stefan asked the werewolves, standing up off the rock. "Your friend here, he needs human blood to complete his transition to vampire. If he doesn't get it, he will die."

Arabella almost felt pity for Ray as she watched the panic dance through his eyes. Being a vampire was a fate worse than death. "Doesn't take much," Klaus said. "Just a sample. Anyone? A boyfriend or a girlfriend along for the ride?" Klaus turned to a man. "You."

Within a second, he vamped forward, sinking his fangs into the mans wrist before throwing the body to Stefan. Arabella's eyes went red as the smell of blood reached her nostrils. Another wolf let out a cry of protest, Klaus wrapping his hands around her throat to stop her.

"If you don't drink it Ray," Stefan spoke, holding the open wound on the man's wrist out towards Ray. "I will. Problem is, I don't know how to stop."

"It's the new order, sweetheart." Klaus grinned at the female wolf he was still holding. "You join us, or you die."

"I'd rather die than be a vampire," The female wolf hissed out.

Klaus's eyes glowed yellow as the veins rushed to his face. "Wrong choice," He told the girl, biting into his wrist and forcing the girl to swallow his blood. Ray leaned forward, feeding on the other boy as the girl collapsed. "She'll thank me for that later. Okay. Who's next?"

Arabella grinned, her fangs showing as Klaus vamped around the group, forcing his wrist against all of the wolves mouths until the campsite was just a group of bodies.

She frowned as the veins on her eyes disappeared. "You're no fun," She pouted at Klaus, who chuckled, shaking his head.

"You'll have your fun later, Bells," Klaus replied. Arabella frowned immediately at the nickname. That's what her siblings had always called her when they were human, before their humanity was ripped away. "I promise."

Arabella only nodded in response, a small frown pulling on her lips. Stefan returned to his seat beside Arabella. Her heart craved for the times when he had loved her, when he was hers. Now he was only loyal to Elena. "There," Klaus spoke, healing the human. "Good as new. Now you relax, okay mate? We're going to need you when the rest of them wake up."

Klaus stood up, walking towards Ray, who's face was covered in blood. He was in shock, shaking like a leaf. "They're dead. They're all dead." He gasped out.

"He's through his transition," Klaus told the other two. "He should be feeling better soon." Arabella shook her head. You never feel better after being turned into a vampire.

"So, is this your master plan?" Stefan questioned the boy. "Build an army of hybrid slaves?"

"No, not slaves." Klaus responded. "Soldiers. Comrades." Ara resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"For what war, might I ask?" Stefan asked him. Arabella looked up at Klaus, wanting to know the answer as well. The only enemy they had was Mikeal, and he was locked away.

"Oh, you don't arm yourself after war has been declared, Stefan," Klaus replied. "You build your army so big that no one ever dares pick the fight."

Arabella bit back her comment. He sounded like their father. "What makes you so sure that they'll be loyal?" Stefan questioned.

"Well, it's not difficult to be loyal when you're on the winning team," Klaus spoke in response. "That's something you'll learn once you shake that horribly depressive chip off your shoulder."

Stefan chuckled in response, standing up and taking a few steps away. "That's why you're uh, keeping me around? To witness my attitude adjustment."

Arabella's eyes widened as blood started to pour from Ray's eyes, the werewolf making choking noises. Klaus sat between them, grabbing Ray's head and moving it around. "You'll know why I'm keeping you around when I've decided that I want you to know."

The foolish, naive, part of Ara wondered if he was keeping Stefan around for her. "Something's wrong," Klaus spoke as Ray continued to choke.

Stefan scoffed in wonder as he looked at Ray and the blood all over him. "That shouldn't be happening, should it?"

"Well, obviously," Klaus replied.

"You said it was going to feel better," Ray spoke, still trembling like a leaf. "Why doesn't it feel better?"

"Some master race." Stefan commented.

Arabella's eyes softened as she took in Ray's pain. She looked up at Klaus. "Let me siphon him." She whispered. She wouldn't say it in front of Ray, but what she meant was let me siphon his life away. Let me stop his hurting.

"No," Klaus protested immediately, shaking his head. "Maybe it's just a fluke." Arabella's eyes narrowed while Klaus looked up at Stefan. "Lose the attitude."

One of the other wolves, the female Klaus had fought with, gasped awake. "Derek," Klaus spoke. "Come feed your girlfriend."

As Klaus raised Derek's wrist up, Ray let out a loud roar, jumping away. "Well, shit." Arabella commented.

"Go get him," Klaus told Stefan.

Arabella raised to her feet immediately. "No, if he bites Stefan, it's game over."

"Go with him, Arabella." Klaus spat. Arabella narrowed her eyes before nodding, following Stefan as he went after Ray.

Stefan tackled the wolf, but Ray, lost in delusions, dug his teeth into Stefan. Ara's eyes widened as Stefan let out a groan of pain, Ray running away.

Arabella grabbed Stefan's shoulders, making him look at her as she raised his arm up. She put her hand on the wolf bite as she closed her eyes, focusing on taking it away.

Stefan, who had never been informed Arabella could take away a wolf bite, furrowed his eyebrows as he watched it disappear. "See," She smiled. "All better."

Stefan smiled at her in thanks before starting to walk after Ray, freezing in his spot a moment later. Arabella used her vampire hearing to find Elena and Damon's voices reaching her ear. She froze as she heard Theodore.

A faint smile tugged on her lips. Theodore hadn't given up on her.

The pair turned as a branch snapped behind them. "Where did he go?" Klaus questioned, looking between them. Ara knew he was trying to see if anything had happen between them.

"He uh, he got away," Stefan responded, turning and hurrying past Klaus. He didn't want Klaus to see Elena or Damon there. "Forget him, let's go."

Klaus grabbed Stefan's arm, chuckling. "You weren't even going to tell me my sister healed your bite?" He asked, eyes running over the last traces of the bite. It took a bit for all of it to disappear.

"Let's just keep looking for Ray," Arabella spoke up. She knew Klaus had commented on it for a reason. He wanted Ray. He would bite Stefan himself to get Ray back. "Come on, Stefan."

"Why do you do all of his bidding?" Stefan questioned as the pair walked further down the mountain. "He's not exactly kind to you."

"My family was close, for a long time." Ara told him, closing her eyes as her mind went back to their village from when they were children. "My siblings protected me with their lives. If being nice to Klaus gets me my siblings back, I'll do it."

Stefan smiled softly. "Damon always protected me when we were little too," He told her. Arabella already knew this. She had known everything about Stefan. "That's why I took Klaus's deal."

"I never meant to betray you," Arabella admitted. "Or your friends. But you have to understand, my siblings are everything to me. And they've been locked away for over a century. I won't let them continue to suffer."

Stefan nodded in understanding, but he didn't verbally reply. The pair walked in silence until it got dark, still continuing their search for Ray. Klaus was an asshole when he didn't get his way.

"It was just you and Damon growing up?" Arabella questioned, eyes scanning the area for Ray. She wanted Stefan to talk to her again. "No other siblings?"

"Nope, just me and Damon." Stefan replied. He hesitated before continuing the conversation. "What about you? How many siblings do you have?"

"Seven," Arabella replied. "Two sisters, five brothers. Two of them died before we turned into vampires."

Stefan chuckled. "I couldn't imagine having that many siblings," He told her. "What about your mom and your dad? Were they close with you guys?"

Arabella smiled sadly. "Our mother was amazing. She would braid flowers into mine and my sister's hair every morning, and sing to us before we went to sleep." She paused. "My father was a lunatic with anger issues. He um," She closed her eyes. "He killed my mother when he found out she had the affair."

Stefan froze, looking at Arabella. "I'm so sorry," He spoke.

Arabella looked up as she started to hear yells and grunts. She and Stefan exchanged a look before running forward, spotting Ray fighting Damon. Stefan didn't waste a second, pulling Ray's heart out and throwing the body onto the ground.

"Nice meeting you here," Damon breathed out, sending a glare at Arabella.

"What part of don't follow me anymore got lost in translation, Damon?" Stefan questioned his brother.

"You might want to take it up with your girlfriend," Damon responded, making Arabella frown. "You don't want her chasing you, I'd stop with the late-night phone calls."

Arabella's eyes narrowed as she looked at Stefan. She hadn't known he'd contacted Elena. "I didn't call her," Stefan responded, shaking his head.

"Sure, you did." Damon retorted. "She's not going to give up on you."

"Well, she has to." Stefan told his brother. "Because I'm never coming back. Why don't you get her home? See if you could keep her there this time."

Damon nodded, beginning to walk away before Arabella spoke up. "Damon?" She called. The raven haired boy turned back to face her. "Tell Theodore I didn't abandon our plan. It's just taking longer than expected."

Arabella crouched down, starting to lift Ray up before Stefan gently pushed her aside, taking the body. She walked with him back to their camp in silence. She couldn't believe Theo hadn't abandoned her.

Stefan dumped the body on the ground as Arabella took in the other bodies all around the camp. "They went rabid," Klaus spoke. Ara was surprised to find actual hurt in his voice. "Some of them I killed, the others just bled out. In the end, they're all dead."

Klaus let out a scream of rage, throwing his bottle of alcohol at a tree and making it shatter. Arabella flinched on reflex. "I did everything I was told!" He screamed. "I should be able to turn them. I broke the curse. I killed a werewolf. I killed a vampire. I killed the doppleganger."

Klaus froze, staring at Arabella and Stefan, who shifted. Klaus couldn't know Elena was alive. "You look like hell." Klaus told them.

"Yeah that's what happens when you fight a bloody werewolf in the middle of the night," Arabella retorted.

Klaus glared at her, silently telling her he didn't appreciate her attitude. "We had to take him out," Stefan told Klaus, looking at Ray on the ground. "We didn't have a choice. I failed you. I'm sorry." He walked forward until he was right in front of Klaus. "Do what you have to do."

"It should have worked," Was the only thing Klaus responded with. He looked around the campsite one more time. "It appears you two are the only comrades I have left."

Arabella found words tumbling out of her mouth before she could stop them. "Always and forever."

The truth was, Klaus would always be here brother. He would always be the same boy that protected her when they were little, the boy that chased Katerina Petrova for half a millennium because she hurt the father of Ara's children. No matter what vile things he did, part of her would still love him.

rys rambles
me bc the next two chapters will be insane.

arabella and rebekah reunite, stefan will remember he and arabella had, and rebekah will see theo either next chapter or chapter after next