CHAPTER TWELVE
RULES OF RED

MYSTIC FALLS, 1864
VERITAS ESTATE

A horse strung carriage, was trudging down a deserted road in the middle of the forest. The moonlight shined down on a dark skinned slave, who was whipping the horses into gear to keep traveling. The man looked out at the path and saw a woman, no older than eighteen, leaning over a figure.
The woman turned to look at him. Fear, and worry written on her beautiful.

"Please! My husband!" The woman called grasping her gown, and getting up running toward the still moving carriage. "Please, help him!"

The man stopped the all black horses and looked to the strange woman. She had her hair in thick, dark brown curls and her eyes glistened in the moonlight.

"Please! My husband. He's been hurt! Please, help him." The mysterious woman pleaded her breath raspy.

The man got off of the carriage, and ran towards the injured man. The wealthy man, from inside the carriage, emerged from inside.

He furrowed his brows. "What are you doing here, out in the middle of the night? It's not safe."

"No." The woman said softly, as her eyes darkened and her canines enlarged. "No, sir, it's not safe."

The stunning woman, then sprang onto the man, sinking her long sharped canines into the man's neck. She slurped down the red metallic liquid that ran out of the wounds, gratefully and dropped him. Vanishing from sight.

The man catering to the wounded man, heard a commotion from the startled horses, he turned towards them. Not seeing his master, or the woman anywhere in sight. He then looked to the ground beside the carriage, and saw a still figure lying there motionless.

The man's eyes widened as he turned to run to the man. But a woman blocked his way hissing, the same one that killed his now dead master. She leaped onto him, the same way as she did with the other man and sunk her teeth in. Enjoying the pain she was causing him, as he thrashed about like a wild pig. She pushed him off of her and licked her bloodied lips, as she turned back to the injured man.

"And that's how it's done." The woman said breathlessly, as a drop of the sticky, red substance dropped onto her dress.

The man sat up looking at the two bodies. "What happens to the bodies?"

"We'll take them into the woods, and the other animals will finish them off." She answered.

The man let out a shaky breath as he looked at the men's corpses. He knew that he, one day would have to do this to people as well.

"Are you sure you're ready for this, Damon?" the woman asked him curiously.

"I'm ready, Beatrice, I want you to turn me."

"When it's time," Beatrice responded, then smirked. "Kiss me."

Damon began to pull out a handkerchief out of his front pocket to wipe the excess blood off of his love's face. But as he approached her, she grabbed his hand and pushed it down.

"You should get a taste." She smiled, leaning towards Damon's full lips.

He leaned in as well but, then backed away. Slightly disgusted at the fluid resting on her mouth, "Sorry."

"Don't be, soon you won't be able to get enough."

Damon nodded and then leaned in halfway, Beatrice grew impatient and reached her hand behind his head and made him meet her lips completely.

At first Damon was unresponsive, he stood there frozen. But once he realized what she said was true, he shrugged the awkward feeling off, and kissed back forcefully. They pulled away from each other, as Damon licked the saltiness off his lips.

"What do you want?" I asked barging into the Boarding House, early in the morning.

Stefan and Elena had vowed to work against him, and I know I promised Stefan the same thing - but I didn't know if I could fulfill that promise. Sure, I didn't want to meet Beatrice or Katherine. There's just something about Damon that keeps me from going against him.

"We are going to wake up our siblings in the most embarrassing way." Damon replied.

The corners of my lips twitched at the idea. "I'm listening."

"Follow me."

I walked behind Damon down the hall, up the stairs until we reached our destination: Stefan's bedroom. When we entered, we were greeted by two cuddling forms in the middle of Stefan's bed.

Damon crossed through the room and toward the bed, sitting at the foot of the mattress. He raised his hand and motioned me over. I followed his instructions and sat down on the opposite side of him.

"Rise and shine, sleepy heads," Damon called, causing Stefan and Elena to separate themselves from each other.

"Damon, what are you doing?" Stefan groaned, pulling the blanket over themselves completely.

"Oh, stop being smutty." Damon said, rolling his eyes.

"Seriously, get out of here."

"If I see something I haven't seen before, I'll throw a dollar at it." Damon said, glancing at me with a devious smirk playing on his lips.
"Now, listen. There's some very important business to discuss."

"And it has to be right now?" Elena asked in disbelief.

"Oh, we have lots to do." Damon quipped. "Now that we're all friends working toward a common goal. So in order to open the tomb, we need to find the journal to get the grimoire to undo the spells. So first things first," Damon turned to look at me. "Since you are Elektra Gilbert, you're on journal duty."

I furrowed my brows. "Since when am I helping?"

"Yeah, why is she helping?" Elena asked.

"Well, I can trust, Elektra. And you, Elena, are helping since Stefan's helping. And you've taken residency in Stefan bed. Ergo-"

Stefan turned his attention on me. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. You or Elena."

Elena rolled her eyes and said: "I'll help Elektra look for the journal."

"Good." Damon said.

"How do we know that this journal will hold the location of the grimoire?" Stefan asked curiously. "We're really going to take the word of this vampire? He seemed like a bit of a dimwit."

"In lieu of any other options," Damon replied.

"Okay," I muttered, running my fingers through my hair. "What exactly is a grimoire anyway?"

Elena sat up fully. "I was wondering the same thing."

"It's a witch's cookbook." Damon explained.

Elena and I looked to Stefan for a better description, "Every spell a witch casts is unique onto itself. Every witch would document their work..."

Damon cut him off, "Yeah, cookbook."

"What about our mystery vampire?" Stefan questioned. "Dimwit, obviously wasn't working alone, so whoever's out there knows who we are."

"And I don't like that disadvantage, so chop-chop!" Damon said clapping his hands together, grabbing my hand and pulling me out of the room. But stopped in the door way, "You know, I like this whole ménage-à-foursome team thing. It's got a bit of a kink to it." he chuckled then said: "Don't screw it up."

MYSTIC FALLS, 1864

A woman's giggles erupted around the room, as a man tickled her from underneath the sheet. She tossed and turned; back and forth as the man chuckled. Loving the reaction he was getting. She broke the sheet coverage, and peeked her head out. Revealing her to be none other than: Katherine's Pierce.

"What are you doing?" Katherine giggled. "Stop it."

The man broke the surface as well and slipped his arm around her slim waist, pulling her close. "Make me." Damon taunted.

Katherine raised a perfect brow, and then swung herself so that she was now on top of him. She straddled his hips with her legs, and let her vampire side come out. Her brown eyes darkened, turning red as her canines grew. She let out a seductive hiss as Damon admired her fierce power and strength. He smiled lightly and caressed her cheek as she rubbed her face into it lovingly.

There was then a knock at the door, Katherine sat up straight still straddling Damon. Her face began to slowly return to normal.

"Yes?" She asked, turning to look at the door.

In walked Beatrice and Katherine's hand maiden, Emily Bennett. Emily smiled examining the scene, she saw Damon trying to hide himself with the covers, as Katherine held his arms above his head.

"Excuse me, Miss Katherine, Miss Pearl is here to see you and Miss Beatrice." Emily said sweetly. Katherine rolled her eyes and turned back to the admiring Damon.

"I'll down soon, please ask her to wait." Katherine smiled, looking down at Damon. "Thank you, Emily."

Emily gave a short nod and turned back to the door and left. Without another word, or sound for that matter. Katherine turned all of her attention to Damon.

"Fun's over." Katherine pouted, sticking out her plump bottom lip.

Damon groaned, "No." He then tucked her long brown hair behind her ear, as she leaned down and placed her lips on his.

Once Katherine had gotten dressed and ready, she met Beatrice in the hallway and they walked down the stairs seeing their good friend Pearl at the bottom of the staircase. Emily was there also, staring up at them.

"Good to see you, Pearl." Katherine greeted.

"Perhaps we could talk outside." Pearl suggested.

"Emily." Beatrice began, as she stepped down the last step down to the ground floor. "Could you please tell Mister Salvatore we have stepped away?"

"Which one?" Emily taunted, her face holding little or no emotion.

Katherine and Beatrice smirked, "Both."

Emily nodded, and proceeded up the stairs to inform the Salvatore brothers, exactly what Miss Beatrice had informed her.

"Shall we?" Katherine asked.

Pearl nodded and led the Pierce twins and herself, to the garden in the backyard. It was beautiful, flowers, and many other plants grew there. And were, trimmed, and taken care of daily.

"How long do you plan on staying with the Salvatore's?" Pearl questioned, breaking the silence. "People talk, you carrying on with both Salvatore brothers, doesn't help the situation."

"The Salvatore's have been very kind to take us in. As far as everyone knows, we are two poor orphan girls from Atlanta, who lost their family in a fire."

Pearl chuckled, "A match you two lit no doubt." Katherine and Beatrice giggled along with her, at the foolish lie they created. "Honey, please, be careful!" Pearl called past Katherine and Beatrice, to her daughter who was by a large horse.

Beatrice turned to look as well, but then looked back to her friend. "Honoria Fell came by the apothecary the other day, with a case of this elixir." Pearl said, pulling out a vile with a clear liquid inside. "She asked that it be sold at a reduced rate."

"I don't follow." Beatrice admitted.

"Try it." Pearl urged handing her the vile.

Beatrice grasped it and opened it taking a small whiff, not seeing anything wrong. She then dabbed it against her wrist, and gasped in pain.

"What in hell?" Beatrice growled, looking down at her burning flesh.

"Vervain." Pearl stated.

Katherine furrowed her eyebrows, "Why is there ver-? They know."

"They're trying to find us, and their getting crafty about it." Pearl said looking at the sisters.

"Towns people ingesting vervain. Well, that's inconvenient." Katherine stated, handing Pearl the vile with the poison for vampires in it.

"It might be time for us to move on again."

"No." Beatrice declined, "I like it here, I'm not interested in going just yet."

"Can we go, Mama?" A voice asked from behind. Katherine and Beatrice turned around slowly to see Pearl's daughter standing there. "Is there something wrong?"

All three women shook their heads.

"Hey, there was nothing upstairs, so whatever we are looking for has to be in one of these boxes." I said, walking into the kitchen where Elena and Stefan were in mid-conversation, but stopped as soon as they heard me. Did they not trust me? Or were they talking about me?

"Okay." Elena smiled at me as I knelt down to help look through the boxes. I picked up an old fashion photo and showed it to Elena and Stefan.

"That's Johnathan Gilbert." Stefan confirmed.

I examined it a little more before putting it back in the box. I grabbed another box and look at it strangely. "What is this?" I asked, and opened the box and saw that there was some sort of handcrafted metal muzzle in it.

I could feel Stefan's shoulder brush against mine as he leaned in closer to get a better look. I looked over at him, but just as he was about to say something regarding the muzzle, Jeremy walked in.

"What are you guys doing?" Jeremy asked.

"Hey," I greeted, quickly putting away the muzzle filled box. "Just, um, going through some stuff. Feeling sentimental. Dad had this old family journal from years ago. We thought we would dig it up."

"Johnathan Gilbert's journal?" Jeremy asked, hopping up to sit atop the kitchen counter.

"Yeah, what do you know about it?" Elena asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

"I just did a history report on it." Jeremy shrugged his shoulders as he examined the red apple in his hand before taking a bite out of it.

"Oh. So, where is it now?" I pressed.

"I gave it to Mister Saltzman. He wanted to see it." He said. Elena and I looked at each other and sighed; annoyed.

MYSTIC FALLS, 1864

"Have you thought anything more about what I said?" Pearl questioned Beatrice.

"We'll leave soon, Pearl, I promise." Beatrice replied, smelling one of the small bottles of elixir on the shelf. "I need to take care of a few things first."

"You're going to turn both of them, aren't you?"

Beatrice grinned, twirling one of her many brown curls around her fingers while aimlessly fumbling with the bottles on the shelf in front of her.

"Beatrice, please be careful."

"We'll all be safe. I promise," Beatrice said, but she heard footsteps approaching. "Mister Gilbert's coming. Quick, your cheeks." Beatrice began to lightly pinch Pearl's cheeks, giving them a rosy tint. "Perfectly rosy."

"Miss Pearl, may I have a moment?" Jonathan Gilbert asked, motioning outside.

"Yes, Mister Gilbert," Pearl replied, moving toward him. "I'm still waiting for you to explain that comet in the sky."

"Your mother has an admirer." Beatrice stated to Pearl's daughter who smiled shyly back at her.

✥ ✥ ✥

"As descendants of the founding families they will want to know that they can count on you." Giuseppe Salvatore explained to his two sons as they strolled along the edges of houses.

"Of course they can." Stefan answered solemnly. "Is there any doubt?"

Giuseppe twirled his walking stick in his hands, looking between his two sons. "I'm not sure your brother Damon understands the importance of duty."

"Damon left the Confederacy on principle." Stefan immediately came to his older brother's defense. "And it's his choice and should be respected."

"Well, you'll forgive me if I have trouble respecting a deserter." Giuseppe commented.

"I never asked for your respect," Damon snapped back.

Giuseppe stopped in his tracks, turned to face his eldest child: Damon. Giuseppe stepped directly in front of him, causing Damon to stop as well. He surveyed Damon closely before meeting his gaze. "Well, good for you, Damon. Because all I have is disappointment."

Stefan cleared his throat and decided to speak: "You said the town is in trouble?"

Giuseppe turned his attention back to his youngest. "There have been too many deaths. It is time for us to fight back. Stop these killers."

"Killers?" Stefan pondered. "What are you talking about?"

"We live amongst demons." Giuseppe explained.

"You're being cryptic now, Father." Damon retorted. "Why don't you just say the word?" he pressed, sending his Father an annoyed look.

"Vampires," Giuseppe confessed. "They exist. And they live among us. But we have a plan to kill them. And you're going to help us."

Jenna had arrived home, so I had to inform her that Damon was going to be coming over to help make dinner. Stefan left a while ago to go and receive Johnathan Gilbert's journal from Alaric.

"Now, whose idea was it?" Jenna asked as I was grabbing plates from the cabinet.

"He wanted to have a family dinner and I said: "Why not?" and invited him over."

"Should I be worried?" Jenna quipped cautiously.

"Nope, nothing to worry about. He will probably do more of the cooking so no one should die from food poisoning." I smiled at her. She nodded her head in agreement and walked out of the kitchen.

A half hour later, Damon came over with groceries and we started cooking. I helped him get the pots and pans he needed and we started preparing the food. He brought wine over - which Jenna appreciated very much. She started drinking it as she watched us cook. Damon had his own glass and would sneak me a sip or two when Jenna wasn't looking. The three of us talked and joked around. Somehow the conversation changed to relationships.

"My father never approved of anyone I dated. Which only made me want them more, of course." Damon said, chopping up a tomato while sending me a smirk. "What about you?"

"There were a few guys," Jenna admitted, as I hopped up on the kitchen counter to sit next to her. "Logan isn't the only loser I've dated." Jenna said, examining her wine glass in her hand.

Damon continued to chop the tomato, but scrunched his dark eyebrows together. "They ever find him?" I let out a deep and heavy sigh. "Is he still missing?"

"He's not missing." Jenna corrected. "He's in the Bahamas working on his tan. Very entitled, that one. Marches to his own drum." Jenna said, drinking the rest of the red wine from her glass. "He's a Fell, they're all snooty."

"You got that right," I breathed out, thinking back to when he kidnapped me after the Career Night at the high school. Just the brief recalling of it sent chills down my spine.

Damon noticed Jenna's empty glass, so he stepped away from the food and poured her more. Damon then proceeded to chop the food, and without turning around he announced: "Hello, Elena."

Jenna and I both turned around to see Elena slowly entering the kitchen. She had a look of severe confusion on her face. I couldn't help but grin and shake my head at the situation.

"Hey, where have you been?" Jenna asked curiously. "We're cooking dinner."

"Stefan with you?" Damon asked.

"Um, he'll be here soon." Elena said, awkwardly leaning against the counter next to me.

I sense the tension in the air. Stefan and Elena were up to something. And I planned on finding that something out.

Damon went to put something at the dinner table while I grabbed the plates. I held them carefully in my hands, careful not to drop them.

I began to walk towards the kitchen table without looking up, only to run into a hard wall. I looked up immediately to see what I had hit. Only to come face to face with two amused shining blue eyes. I blushed in embarrassment, but quickly covered it up.

I scoffed jokingly and shook my head. "Don't do that." I said, continuing to walk to the table. I set down the plates and turned around to see Damon standing there with a smirk on his face.

"Do what?" Damon asked innocently.

"You know what, that move was deliberate."

"Well, yeah." Damon mumbled, stirring the contents in the pot on the stove with a wooden spoon. "I was deliberately trying to get to the...sink."

I scoffed and turned away from him, looking back at the wooden table before me. I picked up a plate from the stack, and put it in its correct place.

"Speaking of Stefan, where is he? He is missing family night, which I am enjoying immensely."

I smiled, walking over to the island to grab the fabric place mates. "Not sure, I texted him a while ago."

"Is it real?"

"Is what real?" I asked, not sure as to what he was referring to.

"This renewed sense of brotherhood." Damon clarified, taking the wooden spoon out of the pot and tasting it. "Can I trust him?"

"Yes, you can trust him." I reasoned, turning away from him and toward the table.

I was lying to him.

I suddenly felt a gust of wind, and a presence standing close behind me. I slowly turned around to see Damon towering over me, a pleading look in his bright blue eyes.

"Can I trust him?" Damon repeated, leaning down closer to my face. My breath hitched in my throat.

"Damon, it's not going to work. Remember? I'm immune."

Damon furrowed his eyebrows and said: "I'm not compelling you. I just want you to answer me. Honestly."

I felt my heart begin to race, as he said those words. I could feel his icy blue irises burning holes into my brown ones.

"I honestly don't know..." I admitted.

"What do you mean?" Damon questioned.

I took a deep breath, "I would hope that you could, but this involves the tomb vampires getting out, and I just don't know what goes through your brothers head, I'm sorry." I said trying to move past him, but he wouldn't let me. I gave him a strange look, but he just stood there, frozen. As if he was thinking of what to do next.

"Can I trust you?" Damon asked.

My eyes widened in surprise. I never expected him to ask me that. "W-what?"

"Can I trust you?" Damon repeated.

"Yes, Damon, you can trust me."

MYSTIC FALLS, 1864
VERITAS ESTATE

"You can trust us, Mister Salvatore. We would never cheat." Katherine said softly, as she knocked another ball under a wire, while playing croquet.

Beatrice and Katherine giggled as it made it under safely. They looked to the father of the two men they were fascinated with, who had a defeated expression.

Giuseppe sighed and exclaimed dramatically to his approaching sons: "I'm losing over here. Again."

Katherine and Beatrice both curtsied for them, and quickly turned back to their game.

"They're good." Damon mused, watching Beatrice's eyes sparkle with amusement. "Almost believe that they genuinely like him."

"Perhaps they do." Stefan added, stuffing his hands in his trouser pockets.

Damon scoffed, "They know Father would have them killed if he knew the truth."

"Not if we talked to him." Stefan disagreed, shaking his head. "Explained how we feel. He could help keep them safe."

"Have you gone mad?" Damon barked in disbelief, not being able to believe that his brother would even consider that their father would allow Beatrice and Katherine to live. "No, no. Father would drive a stake in them himself."

"That's not true. We can trust him-"

"No, no, not with this." Damon said, placing a hand on Stefan's shoulder. "No, please - promise me you won't tell him, Stefan."

Stefan looked down for a moment, and then over to the women who he had fallen in love with over the short period of time. Beatrice was looking over at the exact moment, she had heard. And Stefan knew that.

Beatrice stared at him with a stern look, her brown eyes blazing. She was signaling him on what to say, Stefan nodded slightly to her as she turned back to their father.

"I promise."

"There was a time I trusted him more than anyone." Damon admitted.

"Trust breeds trust, you have to give it to get it." Elena scolded, grabbing a pinch sized amount of cheese from the bowl and tossing it into her mouth.

"Are you lecturing me?" Damon asked.

"Do you need to be lectured?" Elena shot back as she grabbed the bowl of cheese and the salt and pepper shakers.

"I just want them back, I'm sure you both can understand that." Damon said, looking over at me.

"Yes, I understand you would do anything for them." I replied, looking over to Elena who was rolling her eyes.

"Then you understand what I will do if anyone gets in my way." Damon directed towards Elena, whose eyes shot to the ground, she was hiding something.

Later on in the evening, I leaned against the counter and watched Damon and Jeremy play on the Xbox. It was actually kind of cute, watching them bond like men. I hid my smile while bending over and grabbing a box off the floor.

Jenna came over, a large smirk plastered on her lips. "He is ridiculously hot."

I giggled while I shushed her. I knew Damon could hear the entire conversation so I smirked back. "He's an ass."

I looked over to see that Damon turned to face me for a moment. I winked at him and he shook his head as he went back to the game.

"What are you doing with all this stuff?" Jenna quirked a brow at me, referring to the large cardboard box I was rummaging through.

"I thought there might be something about my birth parents." I replied.

"Have you told Jeremy?" Jenna asked, gazing into the living room.

"Elena and I agreed that we would tell him when the time was right." I gave her a small smile as I heard the doorbell ring. "That's Stefan."

Damon quickly paused the video game and stood up from the couch and eagerly made his way over to the front door. Damon soon came back into the room, and looked to me. "We need to talk."

"Okay, then talk." I said.

"Outside," Damon stressed, I nodded. The two of us exited the kitchen and met Elena and Stefan outside of the front porch.

"Who took it?" Damon asked.

"I don't know." Stefan said.

"You know what? It's that teacher. There's something really off about him." Damon pointed out.

"No, he doesn't know anything." Stefan replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "Somebody got to it right before me."

"Who else knew it was there?" Damon asked.

Stefan didn't answer, instead, he looking into the living through the window - staring directly at Jeremy.

"No, no. Damon leave him out of this." Elena protested, but Damon walked right passed her and into the house, despite being against it, we all followed behind.

"Why? What's the big deal?" Damon asked. "So," Damon said, taking a seat next to Jeremy on the couch. "I heard you found a really cool journal from back in the day. Who else did you show it to?"

"Huh?" Jeremy asked confused, not once looking up from the video game on the T.V.

"Don't ask questions, just spill." Damon said simply.

"You're kidding me, right?" Jeremy joked.

"Jer, did you tell anyone other than Mister Saltzman about Johnathan Gilbert's journal?" I asked.

"Why is everyone so obsessed with that thing?"

"Who else did you tell?" Elena demanded.

"Mm, just that girl Anna," Jeremy replied.

"The hot, weird one?"

"Yeah," Jeremy said, turning back to the video game.

"Wait, who is Anna?" Stefan asked.

"That's what I want to find out." Damon said simply. "How do you know her?"

Just then Elena's phone rang, so she got up and walked out of the room into kitchen answering her phone.

"I just know her. She wants me to meet her at the Grill tonight." Jeremy said slowly, having no idea what he has just gotten himself into.

"Perfect. I'll drive, come on." Damon said grabbing Jeremy's arm.

"Okay?" Jeremy said awkwardly as he got pulled out of the house.

MYSTIC FALLS, 1864

"The Sheriff was here earlier." Pearl announced, walking toward Beatrice who had Damon on her left arm. "He bought large volumes of the vervain elixir."

"Did he try to put his hands on you again?" Beatrice asked, smirking.

Pearl grinned back, "Doesn't he always?"

Beatrice looked up at Damon. "She's saving herself for Johnathan Gilbert." She explained to Damon, who was watching the two women curiously.

"I am beyond saving. We know that." Pearl commented and they both giggled.

"How can you be so calm?" Damon asked. "They're getting closer to you every day." Damon said frantically, looking down at Beatrice.

Beatrice grinned, "We are the respectable ladies of Mystic Falls. Thanks to Emily, we walk the streets in daylight. No one will ever suspect us."

"Not unless a human tells them." Pearl interrupted, glaring at Damon.

Damon scoffed, "I'd sooner die."

"And soon enough, you will." Beatrice said pulling Damon's face down for a small kiss. As their lips met, Damon's heart pounded. Beatrice smirked against his soft lips, knowing she was the cause.

"Mrs. Fell is approaching." A small voice said from the doorway of the shop. Damon and Beatrice stepped away from their embrace and faced Pearl's daughter.

"Thank you, Annabelle." Pearl said to her daughter, as she gave her a soft comforting hug.

Anna giggled.

VERITAS ESTATE

"What is that?" Stefan asked, watching as Beatrice examined a necklace in her hands.

"A gift."

"From Damon?" Stefan asked lowly, clenching his teeth.

Beatrice looked away from the mirror and placed the crystal on her nightstand. "From Emily, actually." She said, not looking at him. Beatrice finally turned to face Stefan. "And when will you stop worrying about Damon?"

"I want you all to myself," Stefan said, looking over her body.

Beatrice stepped closer to Stefan and grazed his cheek with her fingertips. "Just as he wants me. But I'm the one who gets to make all the rules."

Stefan smiled, "And why is that?"

"Because I'm spoiled."

"Yes, you are."

"I'm selfish," Beatrice said, pulling his body toward hers. "Because I can do this."

Beatrice kissed his lips, then his jaw, running her lips, feather light, down the curve of his neck. Stefan moaned and pulled her even closer, needing to feel all of her against all of him. Then she plunged her teeth into his neck.

Stefan let out a strangled gasp of pain and ecstasy as he felt her teeth inside his skin, felt her draw blood from him. Still he held her more tightly, wanting to feel her mouth on his skin, wanting to fully submit himself to the pain that fed her.

Just as suddenly as she bit him, Beatrice pulled away, her dark eyes of fire, agony etched on her face. A small stream of blood trickled from the corner of her lip, and her mouth twisted in excruciating pain.
"Vervain," she gasped, stepping backward until she collapsed on the floor in pain.

"Beatrice!" Stefan put his hands to her chest, but she pushed him away, writhing on the floor, clutching her hands to her mouth. It was as if she were being tortured by an unseen hand.

There was a clatter from downstairs, and then Giuseppe burst in. "Go get the Sheriff. Tell him we have two vampires."

Beatrice and Katherine had been caught.

Stefan frowned, "What? No."

"Do as I say, son. Nothing you feel for her and her sister is real. They are vampires, Stefan. A monster. I fed you vervain, hoping that it would expose them."

"How did you know?"

"Your sympathy for their plight." His Father drug him to his feet, and threw a white shirt at him. "I didn't raise my sons to be so weak. The sheriff. Now. Go quickly. Now, son."

We were approaching Damon's father's grave site, in the middle of the woods. I looked ahead and saw Elena and Stefan already digging. I gasped and looked to Damon to see his expression emotionless. But it soon turned to anger.

"I'm sorry, Damon." I whispered to him.

Damon smiled slightly, "It's not your fault, Elektra." He let out a sigh, then pulled me through the trees, making sure I didn't trip on anything, by holding my waist.

Finally we were at the edge of the trees seeing Stefan and Elena examining an old crusty book. That must be the grimoire.

"Well, what do you know?" Damon wondered aloud, making Elena jump and shine her flash light on us. "This is an interesting turn of events."

"I can't let you bring them back." Stefan said simply. "I'm sorry."

"So am I." Damon said through clenched teeth. Stefan tilted his head slightly in confusion. "For thinking for even a second I could trust you."

Stefan scoffed. "You are not capable of trust. The fact that you're here means you read the journal and you were planning on doing this yourself." Stefan stated matter-of-factly.

"Of course I was going to do it myself, because the only person I can count on is me." Damon shouted at Stefan. "You made sure of that many years ago, Stefan. But you -" Damon pointed at Elena. "-you had me fooled."

Elena's gaze fell to the ground, I could tell from where I was standing that the guilt was eating her alive inside. Elena just wasn't someone who was built to betray somebody - and if she ever needed to, it took a toll on her.

"So, what are you going to do now?" Damon asked Stefan. "Because if you try and destroy that, I'll rip her heart out."

"You won't kill her." Stefan denied. Damon tilted his head to the side in a mocking way. Damon in a flash was behind Elena and grabbed her.

"I'll do one better." Damon said, bringing his wrist to his mouth and biting down on it until blood came out. He then shoved it into Elena's mouth ignoring her protests. "Give me the book Stefan, or I'm snapping her neck and you and I will have a vampire girlfriend."

"Damon!" I yelled shocked.

Stefan turned to me, remembering I was there. He glanced back at Damon and Elena and then ran towards me. He grabbed me the same way as Damon did Elena. His grip was tight and strong, air was escaping my lungs quickly. Stefan bites into his wrist and shoved it in my mouth and forces me to drink. I tried struggling but it was no good.

"Let her go first." Stefan reasoned, "And then I will give you the book."

"What about, Elektra." Damon seethed.

Stefan nodded, "Her as well." Stefan then bent his head towards my ear and whispered, "I'm sorry, I wasn't going to hurt you, I can't let him hurt, Elena. You were my only compromise option."

I nodded in understanding as I fought back the urge to puke, as I looked back to Elena and Damon. Damon was looking at Stefan with pure hatred, that he would stoop so low and use me. Elena was just worried, and scared at the same time.

"The book and Elektra," Damon demanded.

"I'm not going to give this to you until she is standing next to me." Stefan said staring at Elena and only Elena.

"The problem is, I no longer trust that you'll give them back." Damon growled.

"You just did the one thing that assures that I will." Stefan said.

Damon glared, "Give Elektra the book, and release her."

Stefan nodded and slowly let me go. He slowly reached his arm out towards me, showing Damon he wasn't going to try anything and handed me the book. I grasped the old scaly book, tightly and examined it.

Once I had the book, and was released I looked to Damon. He gave me a short nod, wondering if I was okay and if Stefan had carried through with the deal. I nodded back, watching as Damon looked down on Elena and slowly took his arm away.

He slowly ushered her forward, as Stefan did the same with me. I took a few scared steps but soon was fine, Elena and I were next to each other for a split second exchanging looks. She still had blood dripping from her lips.

She gave me a slight smile, as I did the same. And then we both ran into one of the brother's arms. Elena ran into Stefan's and I ran into Damon's.
He wrapped his arms around me protectively, and kissed the top of my head softly.

I felt him take a deep breath, inhaling my scent. I grinned into his toned chest and pulled away slightly, turned to see Stefan and Elena walking away from the grave. I pursed my lips and turned back around to face Damon, his blue eyes staring down at me.

"I believe this belongs to you." I said handing him the book.

Damon nodded, "Yes."

MYSTIC FALLS, 1864

"No don't take them!" Damon yelled running into the room, where Katherine and Beatrice were being muzzled and picked up and carried out of the room.

He was then slammed into the wall by his father, "Do you know what they'll do to you? If you're branded a sympathizer? You'll be killed along with them!"

Damon grabbed his father's shirt and pushed him back, "Then let me be killed!"

"Elena, I'm home." I began but stopped when I saw Stefan and Elena in her room.

"Elektra, I'm sorry. I was doing it to get Elena back without Damon killing her. Elena already lectured me, but I just wanted to apologize -"

I cut him off by holding my hand up, "It's okay, Stefan, I forgive you, just don't do it again."

"I won't." Stefan replied chuckling. "But you know that Damon was right, this was my fault."

MYSTIC FALLS, 1864

Beatrice and Katherine were being carried into the carriage that would take the vampires or 'demons' away. Damon ran out of his home seeing them, he tried to run towards them but was stopped by his little brother.

"Stop! Stop! I'll help you. We'll get them back." Stefan soothed, holding Damon's shoulders.

Damon pushed his hands off, "Help me?! Don't you think you've done enough? You promised you wouldn't tell him!"

"I didn't think that this would happen." Stefan said, and then was interrupted by the sounds of carriage wheels rolling.

Both brother's eyes snapped that way and they looked towards the now moving carriage, the one that contained the Pierce twins.

Both of them felt a pain in their chest that neither had ever wished nor experienced. They stared as it slowly moved farther and farther away.

"You did this," Damon interrupted, walking backwards away from Stefan, "This is your fault."

"I put my faith in my father, and Damon put his faith in me. And I destroyed that." Elena reached out her hands on the sides of his face, "This is my fault."

"You didn't do anything wrong. Don't forget that." Elena whispered to him, and then pulled her hands away from Stefan and put it on her head, she groaned in pain.

"I'm going to go get that aspirin." Stefan said to her as she nodded. Stefan kissed her forehead and then slipped out of the room, leaving just Elena and I.

"What happened to your head?" I asked.

She sighed, "When Damon grabbed me and gave me his blood, I don't know, I just got this bad head ache." I nodded.

I heard a noise, I looked around and then back to Elena, "Did you hear that?" I asked her.

She nodded and we began to look around the room. I pointed to the closet and signaled her to wait there. I walked in there and looked around seeing nothing, I turned back around chuckling.

"We're probably just paranoid." I yelled out. I got no answer, so I walked out to see her passed out on the bed, "Elena!" I yelled and ran to her.

I checked her pulse, feeling it throb against my fingers, I got up and turned around to go get Stefan for help when I came face to face with an unknown stranger.

"Hello, Elektra." She smirked.

Darkness quickly consumed me.

✥ ✥ ✥

not edited.