𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐃
i liked you more than i planned

THE GILBERT TWINS walked outside of their room's, dressed, and ready to start their day.

"Morning," Echo greeted, worn out.

"She hasn't had any coffee in over four hours, so she thinks she's dying," Elena told Alaric who stared at the girl in confusion. "And, she and Damon stayed up late playing charades against humanity. I had to go in there and yell at them to shut them up a couple of times."

He nodded before continuing searching for something. "Thought we had aspirin?"

"They're in the vitamins," Echo informed him as her eyes landed on a nearly-empty bottle of whiskey and an empty glass next to it on the kitchen counter. "You're hungover," she stated before grabbing her coffee and gulping it down, not caring as it scorched her throat and tongue.

Regretful, Alaric told the twins, "Yeah, sorry about that. It was a bit of a weird night."

Elena sighed. "I told you, you don't have to feel guilty about inviting Meredith over here."

"I know. And I thank you for that. But I do feel guilty for whiskey dialing her at two in the a.m," the older man told the girls, making Elena freeze in shock and for Echo to laugh.

Elena nudged her sister, telling her to stop laughing as she replied to the adults information, "No, you didn't."

Alaric sighed, ashamed. "Oh, yes I did."

Echo leaned against the kitchen island, and stared at him, grinning. "Was she cool with it, though?"

Alaric looked sheepish as he answered, "Well, as soon as these aspirin kick in and I remember the conversation, I'll let you know."

Echo resisted the urge to laugh again when she was distracted by the sudden ring of their bell. She walked towards the door opening it to see sheriff Forbes outside, holding a plastic evidence bag. Elena and Alaric were right behind her.

"Sheriff Forbes, hi. Is everything okay?"

"This is an unconventional conversation we're about to have. So I hope you'll protect me on it," Liz began to tell them, making all three of them confused and concerned.

More than willing to, Alaric said, "Of course."

"I assume you both heard our medical examiner was murdered the night of the Wickery Bridge fundraiser," Liz continued on.

Alaric nodded. "Yeah. Brian Walters. Why?"

Explaining, Liz said, "We've been investigating. Someone drove this stake through his heart." Liz held up the evidence bag with the stake in it.

Echo furrowed her eyebrows. "That's one of ours. I mean this is one of a set from our parents' lake house. We haven't seen them in a while, we hadn't really had a need to."

Liz sighed. "That's why I'm here. I haven't told anyone but forensics ran it for prints and found only one clean set." She looked between them. "Yours."

"What?"

ALARIC has made Elena and Echo go and fetch the weapon that was used to kill Bill Forbes, and when the got home with it, they frowned when they saw Alaric at the table, multiple weapons laid out on it.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking inventory," Ric informed them then a look of curiosity crossed his face. "Did you bring it?"

Elena sighed and ran her hands trough her hair. "You mean, did we steal evidence from a crime scene? Yes." She handed him the knife that was requested and was wrapped in a cloth.

"Isn't the first time for me," Echo stated, "And won't be the last."

Alaric chuckled as he unwrapped it and examined it. "You're right. It's a match. This is from a crawl space in the foyer. Which means Meredith knew where it was."

"That doesn't mean she stole it," Elena argued crossing her arms over her chest.

"Or, it means she did," Echo pointed out with a shrug.

Ric set down the knife and showed them the other stakes. "This is from the loft. These are from the duffel in Damon's car."

Elena's doe brown eyes widened in shock. "Identical to the one that killed Brian Walters."

Ric stood up from the table. "Damon's car was at the Wickery Bridge fundraiser. So was Meredith. And that was the night her ex-boyfriend, the medical examiner, was killed. The one who called her psycho," he said putting all the pieces together.

"Well, she was trying to save Bill Forbes, why would she turn around and try to kill him?" Elena questioned in confusion.

"Cover up?" Echo offered an idea. "If she truly was the one who killed Bill, then attempting to 'save' him could be an excuse to cover up the fact that she did it."

Ric shrugged and glanced at the two girls, just as confused. "I don't know what to think either. You know, but...we'd be idiots to ignore all these facts."

"So, what should we do?" Elena questioned concerned.

The history teacher picked up the knife again. "Well...Get this to the police. Then you should probably be with Caroline."

"I'm sorry, Ric. Please be careful." Elena whispered as she grabbed the knife and left.

The two hunters continued going through the amount of weapons when suddenly someone grabbed Echo's head, and the last thing she heard was a loud snap. She fell to the floor in a heap, bringing some of the weapons down with her.

LATER on, Elena and Matt walked up to the house unaware of the disaster waiting for them.

They walked into the house together and Elena tried to turn on the lights, but they wouldn't come on. "That's weird."

"Electricity must be out," Matt said with a shrug.

They walked into the kitchen, Elena opened a cupboard and grabbed two flashlights. Then handed one to Matt. "Here." She turned her flashlight on. "I think I have some candles over there."

Elena walked over to the other side of the kitchen and her flashlight beam around the room and it shined upon a pair of combat boot adorned feet. "Echo?"

She went to bend down to her sister when Echo gasped awake, her eyes wide.

"What the hell happened?" She asked, and then looked up at her sister. "Where's Ric?!"

Elena shrugged. "I don't know." She then helped Echo up off the floor. Her flashlight beamed them landed on bloody hand-prints covering the wall.

Echo was quick to grab a few knives and handed one to Elena and the other to the human busboy.

They followed the bloody footprints out of the kitchen and go up the stairs, to see more bloody hand-prints on the wall.

Elena and Echo reached the top of the stairs and looked around, and saw Alaric lying in a doorway with a knife through his stomach.

"Ric! Oh my god!" Elena gasped as they rushed over to him with Matt right behind them.

Elena went to pull the knife out, but Ric screamed and Echo quickly grabbed her sisters hand. "No, leave it in! Leave it in! He's lost too much blood. I'm gonna call 911."

Elena grabbed Alaric's face and looked at him. "Ric, look at me. Who did this to you?"

"I don't know," he admitted weakly and then stared Elena in the eyes. "You have to kill me."

"What?" She questioned in shock and confusion.

"Elena, you - you have to kill me," he explained, almost losing consciousness.

Elena grabbed his hand and saw he was still wearing the Gilbert ring. "Wait, Matt, hang up, hang up. He's right. If he dies a supernatural death, then he'll come back to life and he'll be healed."

Matt hung up the phone but looked at her confused. "But, how do you know who did this is supernatural?"

"That's what he's saying, we don't but...I'm the doppelgänger." She picked up the knife she grabbed from the kitchen. "That makes me supernatural."

"Elena! No, this is messed up!" Matt yelled incredulously.

"Shut up, Matt!" Echo shouted at the useless boy.

"He's dying, Matt!" Elena quickly stabbed Alaric in the chest, killing him.

SOME time past, and Elena and Echo was sitting next to Alaric's body.

Matt walked up the stairs and kneeled down next to them. "He's still out?"

Elena nodded. "Caroline called. Her dad died."

Echo sighed as she turned to Elena and pulled her in her arms.

"I can't lose any more family," Elena said and started to cry.

"It's going to be okay, Lena," Echo whispered to her.

They walked down the stairs and Elena turned to Echo, sniffling. "What happened?"

Echo shrugged. "I have no idea. Ric and I were taking inventory. Then Ric left the room to grab bourbon when suddenly I was knocked out. That's all I remember," she answered rubbing her neck.

ELENA and Echo walked up to Matt from Ric's room, and he turned to look at them in concern. "How's Mr. Saltzman?"

"Resigned to spending the night in observation, so long as I promise to change the lock on the house," Elena informed him.

Unbeknownst to them, someone was looking at them through a room window as they walked towards the exit.

"Have you talked to Caroline?" Echo questioned in concern.

Matt nodded slowly. "Yeah, she's holding it together, considering how close she and her dad used to be. Any word on who's behind these attacks?" He questioned both of them.

"No, Sheriff Forbes said there's no real suspects at all." Echo shook her head as they were walking outside the hospital in the parking lot.

"How are you dealing with everything?" Elena questioned in concern. "I mean, you keep getting dragged into all of this."

"Honestly...I'm kind of lucky, the only thing that I have to worry about for tomorrow, is showing up for my shift at the Grill." He smiled smugly at her when he approached his car.

After saying goodbye to Matt, Elena got in her car and and went to back up, but hit something which made Echo pause from where she was about to get in her car.

There was nothing there, and Echo brought out her crossbow, cautious.

Suddenly, Rebekah appeared in front of the doppelgänger. "Drive much?"

"Rebekah," Elena breathed out in surprise.

The blonde grabbed Elena and pushed her against her car. "Surprised? You drove a dagger through my back, Elena. It hurt." She tried to bite Elena, who screamed.

Echo shot her with an arrow and it lodged in the Original's shoulder. Rebekah turned around and snarled at her enraged. However, the Winchester just reloaded the bow with a dull facial expression. "Yes?"

Suddenly, Elijah rushed over, and held Rebekah against a car by her throat. "Elijah," she gasped out with a small sarcastic smirk.

"Leave." He released his grip and Rebekah stepped forward. "Are you challenging me?"

"You're pathetic. All of you," She sneered at them before disappearing.

Elijah looked at Elena with a smile. "Well...I believe we have a little catching up to do."

After Elijah informed them of everything he needed too, Elena climbed in her car and sped out of the parking lot. He then turned to look at Echo and chuckled. "You know... Elena stabbed my sister in the back, and you stabbed mine. How poetic."

Echo smirked and tilted her head. "Well, don't risk the lives of those I love, and no one will get stabbed in the back."

"You're different," he mused with a smile when another vampire sped around them then stopped two feet in front of them. Then Elijah sighed and rolled his eyes. "Kol."

"Elijah. You didn't tell me you were visiting a gorgeous girl." Kol smirked winking at Echo who looked unimpressed.

She motioned to him with her crossbow and looked at Elijah. "Who's he?"

"Please forgive my younger brother, Kol. He's been dagger for a better bit of a century," Elijah answered dully and fixed his jacket.

The Gilbert twin looked at the younger Mikealson up and down before glancing back at the nobel one. "What do you need? There's only one reason why you both would be standing here, talking to me."

"Ooh, she's smart. I like her, Elijah," Kol teased with a mischievous smirk.

Elijah rolled his dark eyes at his sibling before answering. "My mother wishes to host a ball as a celebration of the reunion of my family. It is also to show the town that we can all live in harmony. Now, like your group of friends, you are very suspicious of my family's actions and you tend to be incredibly hostile. As a result of this, I request that you attend this function tomorrow night."

She sighed heavily and shifted on her feet. "I don't particularly feel like being stuck with your horrible family, no offense or whatever, but Klaus betrayed any little trust I had for him."

"We all aren't that horrible, darling," Kol said while chuckling at her.

"Stop talking." She glared at him and turned back to Elijah. "Why exactly do you need me to attend this cliche mess that your family is planning?"

"I wish to show the company you keep, that we can truly live in the same town without murdering one another," he stated as he glanced at her weapon. "And without all of those pesky little weapons you have."

"I think a woman is even hotter when she holds a weapon," Kol said, smirking.

Echo narrowed her eyes at him. "I will shoot you," she threatened and then turned to Elijah. "You're asking me to walk into your family home without any weapons? Yeah, no. Not happening."

Elijah sighed heavily. "All I ask is that you refrain from carrying for a select few hours. As long as my family stays in line then you won't have to-"

"Hurt us with your toys," Kol interrupted, and annoyed, Echo shot him in the leg with the crossbow. He groaned lowly and bent down to yank it out. "Like that." He glared at her and threw the arrow to the side.

"You expect your family to stay in line?" She questioned incredulously with a raised eyebrow. "I think Rebekah and Kol are an example of how they won't."

"She's right, Elijah. How do you expect us to stay in line?" The younger brother questioned in a teasing manner.

"You know, for a family of vampires that are over a thousand years old, a majority of you act like five year olds," Echo dully commented with a raised eyebrow.

Elijah chuckled and looked over at Kol. "Yes, it would appear so. However, Echo, you will attend the ball with me otherwise there will be consequences."

"Are you threatening me?" She questioned in slight anger. She tilted her head and then stepped closer to the noble brother. "If that is a hidden threat, trust me, I will not stop until you are taken care of."

Elijah smirked. "Is that a threat?"

She smirked back at him. "If it was, you would already know."

"Are you two flirting?" Kol asked in disgust which made Echo to recoil.

"Hell no," she stated automatically which made Elijah smile, amused. "He might be kinda hot, but definitely not my type."

"She and Damon Salvatore are together," Elijah stated which made Echo blink in surprise.

"From her expression, I guess not," Kol remarked before stepping forward. "Maybe you need someone your own speed."

"No, Damon is just my speed," Echo retorted before shooting Kol in the leg's before turning around, and approaching her car. She climbed in, and peeled out of the parking lot.

GETTING out of the shower, she changed, and walked into her bedroom, and smiled as she saw Damon already laying on her bed, a smile on his face, as well.

"You looked cute when you were five," Damon complimented as he looked over at her, he had been looking through a photo album of her. "What happened?"

She scowled at him and threw her towel at his head which he caught with a sly smirk.

As he went back to looking through the photo album, Echo studied him carefully. She leaned up against her dresser, and smiled softly at the sight of him grinning at her baby pictures. She tilted her her and continued to stare at him, until it hit her like a brick.

She likes Damon. She really likes Damon.