𝐊𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐦, 𝟏𝟕𝟗𝟗

The swim back from the Reaper's Barge had been Juniper's rebirth. The children she and Kaz had been had died of firepox. The fever had burned away every gentle thing inside her.

Survival wasn't nearly as hard as she'd thought once she left decency behind. The first rule was to find someone smaller and weaker and take what he had. Though – small and weak as they were – that was no easy task.

They shuffled up from the harbour, keeping to the alleys, heading towards the neighbourhood where the Hertzoons had lived.

When she spotted a sweetshop, she waited outside, then waylaid a chubby little schoolboy lagging behind his friends. Kaz knocked him down and Juniper emptied his pockets, and took his bag of liquorice.

"Give me your trousers," Kaz said. "They're too big for you," the boy had cried. Kaz bit him. The boy gave up his trousers.

Kaz rolled them in a ball and threw them in the canal, then they ran as fast as their weak legs would take them. He didn't want the trousers; he just wanted the boy to wait before he went wailing for help.

He knew the schoolboy would huddle in that alley for a long while, weighing the shame of appearing half-dressed in the street with the need to get home and tell what had happened.

Kaz and Juniper stopped running when they reached the darkest alley they could find in the Barrel. They crammed all the liquorice into their mouths at once, swallowing it in painful gulps, and promptly vomited it up.

He took the money and bought two hot rolls of white bread. He was jacketless and filthy. The baker gave him a third roll just to stay away. When they felt a bit stronger, a bit less shaky, they walked to East Stave.

They found the dingiest gambling den, one with no sign and just a single lonely barker out front. "I want a job," they said at the door. "Don't have any, nub."

"We're good with numbers." The man laughed. "Can you clean a pisspot?"

"Yes."

"Well, too bad. We already have a boy who cleans the pisspots."

They waited all night until they saw a boy about their age leave the premises. They followed him for two blocks, then hit him in the head with a rock. Juniper sat down on the boy's legs and pulled off his jacket and shoes, then slashed the soles of his feet with a piece of broken bottle.

The boy would recover, but he wouldn't be working anytime soon. Touching the bare flesh of his ankles had filled them with revulsion.

They kept seeing the white bodies of the Reaper's Barge, feeling the ripe bloat of Wylan's skin beneath their hands. The next evening, they returned to the den.

"I want a job," he said. And they had one. From there they'd worked and scraped and slaved. They'd trailed the professional thieves of the Barrel and learned how to pick pockets and how to cut the laces on a lady's purse.

Juniper did her first stint in jail, and then a second with Kaz.

They quickly earned a reputation for being willing to take any job a man needed done, and the name Dirtyhands soon followed. They were unskilled fighters, but tenacious.

"You have no finesse," a gambler at the Silver Garter once said to them. "No technique."

"Sure we do," Kaz had responded. "We practise the art of 'pull his shirt over his head and punch till you see blood.'"

They still went by Kaz and Juniper, as they always had, but they stole the name Zenik off a piece of machinery Kaz had seen on the docks.

Rietveld, their family name, was abandoned, cut away like a rotten limb. It was a country name, their last tie to Wylan and their father and the children they'd been.

But they didn't want Jakob Hertzoon to see them coming. They found out that the con Hertzoon had run on them and Wylan was a common one. The coffeehouse and the house on Zelverstraat had been nothing more than stage sets, used to fleece fools from the country.

Filip with his mechanical dogs had been the roper, used to draw Kaz in, while Margit, Saskia, and the clerks at the trade office had all been shills in on the scam. Even one of the bank officers had to have been in on it, passing information to Hertzoon about their customers and tipping him off to newcomers from the country opening accounts.

Hertzoon had probably been running the con on multiple marks at once. Kaz's little fortune wasn't enough to justify such a set-up. But the cruellest discovery was Juniper and Kaz's gift for cards.

It might have made them rich. Once they learned a game, it took them mere hours to master it, and then they simply couldn't be beaten.

They could remember every hand that had been played, each bet that was made. They could keep track of the deal for up to five decks. And if there was something they couldn't recall, they made up for it by cheating.

They'd never lost their love for sleight of hand, and they graduated from palming coins to cards, cups, wallets, and watches. A good magician wasn't much different from a proper thief.

Before long, they were banned from play in every gambling hall on East Stave. In each place they went, in each bar and flophouse and brothel and squat, they asked after Jakob Hertzoon, but if anyone knew the name, they refused to admit it.

Then, one day, Kaz and Juniper were crossing a bridge over East Stave when they saw a man with florid cheeks and tufty sideburns entering a gin shop. He wasn't wearing staid mercher black any longer, but garish striped trousers and a maroon paisley vest. His velvet coat was bottle green.

They pushed through the crowd, mind buzzing, heart racing, unsure of what they meant to do, but at the door to the shop, a giant bruiser in a bowler hat stopped them with one meaty hand. "Shop's closed."

"I can see it's open." Kaz's voice sounded wrong to him – reedy, unfamiliar.

"You'll have to wait."

"We need to see Jakob Hertzoon."

"Who?"

Juniper felt like she was about to climb out of her skin. She pointed through the window. "Jakob fucking Hertzoon. We want to talk to him."

The bruiser had looked at Juniper as if she were deranged. "Get your head straight, lass," he'd said. "That ain't no Hertzoon. That's Pekka Rollins. Want to get anywhere in the Barrel, you'd best learn his name."

They knew Pekka Rollins' name. Everyone did. They'd just never seen the man.

At that moment, Rollins turned towards the window. They waited for acknowledgement – a smirk, a sneer, some spark of recognition. But Rollins' eyes passed right over them. One more mark. One more cull. Why would he remember?

The siblings had been courted by any number of gangs who liked their way with their fists and the cards. They'd always said no. They'd come to the Barrel to find Hertzoon and punish him, not to join some makeshift family. But learning that his real target was Pekka Rollins changed everything.

That night, they lay awake on the floor of the squat they'd holed up in and thought of what they wanted, of what would finally make things right for Wylan.

Pekka Rollins had taken everything from them. If Juniper and Kaz intended to do the same to Rollins, they would need to become his equal and then his better, and they couldn't do it alone. They needed a gang, and not just any gang, but one that needed them.

The next day they'd walked into the Slat and asked Luca Adler if they could use another soldier. They'd known even then, though: they'd start as grunts, but the Dregs would become their army.

𝐊𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐦, 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟐

The Salvatores had her out on bail, something they could only do with a little bit of compulsion. Juniper had told them which guards took vervain and which ones didn't so that left it all up to them.

Now, they were in the bottom of a ship, a blanket over her head with both vampires by her side. When the boat docked, she kept her head down as they walked through a harbour.

As they walked, she glanced down at the ladder which led to the water. For a moment she saw Wylan's body floating, his body hitting the wall as he stared up at her.

She quickly blinked, making the sight disappear. "We're making one stop before we leave."

The brothers looked at her, "What? No."

She dropped the handcuffs to the ground causing their eyes to widen. They hadn't even realized she could get out of them.

"You will do whatever I say."

They nodded quickly, unable to form any other thoughts as they followed after her. It wasn't until they reached a club that she left them outside before entering alone.

It was midday so the club was practically empty other than the occasional day drinkers which were too wasted to notice her as she walked in.

The man behind the bar was the first to notice her walk in. He quickly ran out before stopping in front of her, not touching her. "June? What are you doing here?" He asked, leading her out of the main room and into the back.

"Calm down, Matthias. I'm on bail."

The Fjerdan glanced down at her. "Who would have bailed you out? Was it Nikolai?"

She shook her head as she slumped down on a chair, rubbing at her wrists. "No. Nikolai still doesn't know anything. It was two vampires. They want me to help save their girlfriend from Klaus."

She glanced at the door as Inej and Jesper walked in, both with wide eyes as they noticed their boss sitting in front of them.

"Holy shit," Jesper muttered.

Juniper grinned, moving her hands under the table to hide how they were shaking. Her fingers picked at the skin around her nails to try to distract herself.

"Hey."

"Hey? We haven't seen you in a year and all you say is 'hey'?" Inej asked as she quickly sat down beside her. She was the only one to notice the way her hands shook and the red chain marks on her wrists.

"Why would you help save someone's girlfriend?" Matthias asked as he took his place at the table, Jesper doing the same.

Jesper glanced at her, "You're saving someone? I thought you'd be breaking out of prison to kill someone, not the opposite."

"She's the doppelganger."

Their eyes widened.

"Where is she then?"

"Mystic Falls," She answered. "My bail is for the week so that will give me enough time to get there, see that it is her and tell Klaus and then..."

"And then we get him back," Inej spoke, finishing Juniper's sentence.

"Yeah," She nodded, "We get him back."

After talking over her plan, the crows left the room, leaving Inej and Juniper alone. The Suli woman glanced down at Juniper's hands which still shook in her lap.

"What did they do to you?" She asked quietly.

Juniper turned her head to the side. "It doesn't matter."

"If it didn't matter you wouldn't be shaking in your seat."

"I'm not," She paused as she stood up, holding onto the back of her chair. "I'm not shaking."

"You once told me you only invest in the one of a kind. As one of those, I can see that you're struggling."

Juniper's eyes cast down to the table before she pulled out a small packet from her pocket and placed it in front of Inej. She stared at it for a moment before she picked it up.

Her eyes widened as she caught the scent of it. "Is this parem?"

She nodded.

"You would never take this. You said it yourself. You thought drugs were stupid. Why..."

"The guards," Juniper whispered as the shakes became stronger, forcing her to have to sit again. "Hellgate was losing money and they needed a new fighter. Someone who would bring in the bets."

Inej stopped herself from holding Juniper's hand. She knew it wouldn't make it any better. "They forced it on you."

Juniper stayed silent but the look in her eyes told Inej everything she needed to know. "We're gonna get you out of there, June. I promise. They won't keep hurting you."

"You can't go into Hellgate. None of you can. You'll be arrested on the spot."

"We can't let them keep doing thi–"

"Inej, you are going to stay here and keep looking after the club. You are not to go anywhere near Hellgate."

"But–"

"The answer is no, Inej."

"Fine," She answered, though her mind had plans running through it.

𝐌𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬, 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟐

Mystic Falls was a small town in Virginia. One that used to be known for its low crime levels but was now tainted by the supernatural. It was filled with gullible and not-so-gullible humans, though even the not-so-gullible humans were idiots in Juniper's mind.

But she thought most humans were idiots so it didn't make much of a difference.

However, the humans weren't the biggest idiots she soon realized. The bigger idiots were the vampires who broke her out. They almost made her miss her cell.

"Let's do it," Damon had said to Stefan before they opened the tomb door revealing a dark pathway.

Juniper leaned against the wall, leaving a three meter distance between her and them. She knew they were keeping something from her, maybe not intentionally but she could feel it in their fear.

A woman weakly walked to the doorway, her eyes casting over Juniper who had yet to look at her. "Please...come on in. There's plenty of room for all of us."

"I'd rather poke my eyes out," Damon told her, causing a smirk to form on Juniper's face as she went down memory lane. "I can help you with that," She told him, plucking a knife from her sleeve.

"Mmm, who's your new friend? She's pretty."

Juniper rolled her eyes, not once meeting the vampires as she flicked the knife between her slim fingers.

"We're here for the moonstone," Stefan spoke, dismissing Katherine's question.

"Feel like tossing it over?"

"Tell you what, you get your little witch to hocus pocus me out of here, you can have whatever you want."

"I thought you liked it in here. Nice and safe where Klaus can't get to you."

Katherine looked at him for a moment. "I've had time to reconsider."

"Meaning you're hungry."

"I'm starving, Damon. And dirty. But above all, I'm bored." She stumbled slightly and grabbed the wall to stop herself from falling. "At least running from Klaus wasn't boring - so here's the deal: you get me out of here, you get the moonstone and I'll disappear from Mystic Falls forever."

The brothers looked at each other as Katherine walked back inside the tomb. "Let me know what you decide."

— — —

"So, where's the human?" She asked as they walked down a suburban street after a little visit with Katerina.

"Elena lives just down there," Stefan answered her as he pointed towards a house with a white picket fence.

She stared at the house for a moment. She, Kaz and Wylan had always dreamed of living in a house like this one. One big enough where they could have separate beds, one where they wouldn't all have to brush their teeth with two of their shoulders pressed against a wall, the other pressed into Juniper's sides.

She hadn't even noticed that her steps had slowed until Damon stopped. "Crazy? Come on."

He went to wrap his arm around her waist but Juniper was quicker. She grabbed his arm with her gloved hand, pulled it behind his back before pushing him against the hood of a car causing the alarm to sound.

She leaned down to his ear, tightening her grip on him. "Touch me again and I'll cut off your hand."

Stefan quickly moved towards them, though he was smart enough to hold up his hands. "He's sorry. He won't touch you again. Please just let him go."

Juniper's eyes didn't meet his but she let his brother go with a final jab at his back.

"Which house was it again?"

Damon grunted as he rolled his shoulder before pointing at the house.

She didn't smile, she didn't even acknowledge the gesture of his hand, instead, she just walked forward.

"Hey. Uh, can we talk?" Stefan questioned as the door opened revealing a woman who looked like a replica of Katherine. Juniper breathed out, hiding her emotions as the girl came into her sight. She was going to get him back. Finally.

Elena looked at the vampires before her eyes cast over to Juniper. "Why?... Is this her?"

Juniper glanced up from her gloved hands. "'Her' has a name. And 'her' can kill you without moving a finger, so please, a little respect would be nice."

"We went to see Katherine," Damon said from beside her, causing Elena to nod, "Come on in."

— — —

"You don't believe her, do you?" Elena asked after listening to what Katherine had said in the tomb.

Juniper leaned against the island, the small of her back hitting the cool marble as she tossed a knife between her hands.

"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." As Damon mentioned Slater's name, Juniper felt the human's heart speed up ever so slightly. She frowned, her eyes dark as she stared at her.

"No spell, no doppelgänger sacrifice. Ergo, you live," Damon said with a smile.

"How do you destroy it?"

Stefan looked back at her. "By releasing it from the moonstone."

"How do you guys even know this is gonna work?" She glanced at Juniper, "Do you know if it's possible?"

She nodded, "It's possible. You'll need to have a witch, though. Preferably not a weak one."

Damon grinned, "And we happen to have a crafty witch on our side."

"You discussed it with Bonnie."

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

"It's Katherine who has the moonstone. She's not gonna give it to you," Elena pointed out.

"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."

"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."

Elena slowly nodded. "Wow. I mean, it sounds like you guys already have it all planned out." Damon smiled at her as he leaned closer to her. "Yep. We're awesome."

"Except for one thing. I don't want you to do it."

Juniper looked up from her knife as both Stefan and Damon shared looks.

"What are you talking about? Elena, we don't have a choice."

"What about Klaus?"

"We'll find him right after we get the moonstone. That's what June is here for."

"Is that before or after he kills everyone that I care about, including the two of you."

"Elena, if we can de-spell the moonstone, we can save your life."

"I know. Everybody keeps saying that." She got up and left the room, leaving the vampires to stare at Juniper.

She glanced up, "What?"

"Can't you just stop Katherine's heart for a little while, walk in there and take the moonstone?"

Juniper nodded. "I could."

"Great!"

"But," She cut them off. "That's not what you paid me for. So, no. I'll be at a bar. There are bars here, right?"

Stefan sighed. "Mystic Grill. It's downtown."

She smiled as she walked past them. "Perfect. Have a lovely afternoon. Find me when you get the stone."

As she walked towards where she assumed the center of the town to be, she bumped into a woman. "Oh, I'm so sorry," Juniper told her.

The woman smiled as she shook her head. "It's okay."

As Juniper walked away she smirked as she pulled the phone out from her sleeve. Just as she thought. Stupid, gullible humans.

No password either, even more stupid in Juniper's opinion. She turned it on and scrolled aimlessly until she found the icon button.

She hadn't used a modern cell phone in over a year. She was happy she even remembered how to turn it on.

She went to type in a phone number but the numbers wouldn't type. She grunted before yanking off one of her gloves, holding it between her arm and side before typing it in and pressing call.

Juniper quickly pulled her glove back on as she pressed the phone to her ear and awaited an answer.

Three rings later and the person finally picked up. "Who is this?" He asked.

"Who do you think? I found the doppelganger."

"June?"

"My god, are you deaf? Yes, it's June, you absolute buffoon. Did you not hear what I just said?"

"If it was anyone else saying that, they'd be dead."

"Do you want me to pull out your other eye? Because I can. And let me tell you, I'd enjoy it."

"Have you ever considered therapy?"

"Have you?"

"I'm hanging up now," He grunted.

"Not if I hang up first."

"Bitch."

"Dickhead."

"I hate you."

"Am I supposed to care? Goodbye, Nik," She told him before hanging up and walking into the bar.

The second she sat down, a blonde haired man walked up to her. "What can I get for you, Miss?"

"Waffles and cider."

He stared at her. "I'm gonna need some ID."

Juniper breathed out, placing her hand on the bar as she stared into his eyes. His heart slowed and his breathing calmed.

"Go and get me my order..." She glanced at his name tag, "Matt."

— — —

Hours had passed and Juniper was twelve drinks in. She chose to pace herself for once.

She scrolled through the phone she stole as Damon walked up to her. His foot nudged the toe of her boot, silently telling her he was beside her rather than touching her like the last time.

"Yes?" Juniper asked as she added another phone number to the device.

"Elena–"

"Did something stupid. Yes, I know. She's in Richmond with Rose trying to find Slater."

He stared at her, his mouth gaping slightly. "How did you know?"

"Because I'm not an idiot like the rest of you. I saw the way she reacted when you mentioned Slater's name. It was only a matter of time before she left herself and I figured she would go to Rose because she and him are friends. One plus one. It's simple math. And I've been tracking her cell phone since I left her house."

"How do you know how to do that?"

"Do you want me to tell you and then find your girlfriend dead in a bush or..."

He sighed, "You'll tell me after."

She stood up, not bothering to pay for her food as she walked out beside him. "No, I won't."

— — —

"So, where'd Hero Hair go?" Juniper asked as she sat in the passenger seat of Damon's blue Camaro. Her legs were up on the dash and her arm leaned against the window as she watched the trees pass.

Her hair blew in the open wind. She had insisted they keep the windows open. She hadn't felt fresh air in over a year.

"Taking care of the moonstone."

Juniper nodded. "What was the witch's idea?"

"Turn a picture to ash and hope for the best," He answered, causing her to chuckle. "Hope it works. Otherwise they're both dead."

He side-eyed her, "Thank you for that, Debby Downer."

She smiled as she looked out at a field. "You're very welcome. Now, shut up before I break your finger."

"I thought we were bonding?"

"Just because I asked a question, does not mean we are friends." She glanced up from the car and noticed they were almost at the apartment. "Two more right turns and then drive into the parking garage on the right."

He nodded silently and their conversation ceased.

— — —

When they walked into the apartment, Damon went in first. Juniper insisted that if there was a fight, she would not be joining as she was not paid for it.

"What are you doing here?" Elena gasped when he appeared in front of her.

"What are you doing here?" He countered.

Rose walked in behind them as Juniper walked inside. "You called him?"

Rose nodded her head. "I'm sorry, Elena."

"You said that you understood."

Damon scoffed. "She lied."

Another woman walked in causing Juniper to breathe out.

"Damon Salvatore? Oh my god, Dirtyhands Zenik?"

Damon glanced back at Juniper before looking at Rose. "Get rid of her." As Rose pulled the human away, Damon stared down at Elena. "Come on. We're leaving."

"No."

He grabbed her arm. "I said we're leaving."

"I'm not going with you."

Juniper moved into the kitchen, not wanting to hear their lovers quarrel. She glanced inside the fridge only to see blood bags.

She sighed before sitting on the island. Moments later, Rose joined her. "I don't think we've met before."

The Heartrender glanced at her.

At her silence, Rose spoke again. "I'm Rose. It's an honour to meet you."

More silence.

"Not much of a talker?"

Instead of silence, however, a door slammed open and Juniper quickly left the kitchen to see three vampires entering the small apartment.

"We're here to meet the doppelganger."

Juniper grumbled. She actually missed her cell. She shared a look with Damon as Elena spoke up. "Thank you for coming."

"There is nothing here for you," The vampire told them as he held Elena back by her arm.

Suddenly, one of the vampire's necks snapped causing his body to crash to the ground. Juniper swallowed harshly at the sight.

Elijah Mikaelson stood in front of her. Rose sped out in the midst of the commotion as Elijah stared at the two remaining vampires.

"I killed you. You were dead," Damon spoke. It was then, Juniper realized the secret they were keeping from her. Elijah Mikaelson had been in Mystic Falls before and they were just too stupid to know how hard it is to kill an Original.

"For centuries now," The Mikaelson answered. "Who are you?"

"Who are you?" The vampire questioned.

"I'm Elijah."

His mouth dropped. "We were going to bring her to you. For Klaus. She's the doppelganger."

Juniper rolled her eyes. "Obviously." Elijah's lip twitched at her comment.

"I don't know how she exists, but she does. Klaus would want to see her," The vampire continued to ramble.

"Does anyone else know that you are here?"

"No."

"Well, then you have been incredibly helpful," He told them before his hands plunged into their chests and ripped out their hearts.

As their bodies dropped, Elena gasped. But before Damon could step in, Elijah disappeared, Juniper along with him.

When he finally stopped moving, they were in the middle of a field. Juniper stepped away from him and held her stomach. Not only did his touch bring back her nausea but so did the speed of his jog.

"Did you have to do that?" She asked after a few deep breaths.

"Where have you been all these years?"

"Not in a coffin. I'm sure you can't relate."

He smiled, "It's great to see you again, June."

"I don't think I can say the same. You did kill my husband and make me relive my childhood trauma the last time we saw each other, after all."

"I am sorry about that. Deeply."

"Oh, I'm sure. What do you want?"

He began cleaning his hands with a handkerchief he pulled from his pocket. "I just wanted to see how you were. I haven't heard anything in the past year."

"Oh, you know. The usual. Got arrested. Got broken out of prison by the Salvatores. And now we're here."

His eyes widened. "You've been in prison? Why didn't Niklaus tell me this?"

"Because he doesn't know. No one does. Only the Crows."

"Why didn't they get you out?"

"If they tried, they would be arrested, too. I wasn't going to let that happen."

"And you're free now?"

"For the week. Four more days."

He nodded and they began walking out of the field to his car. "How long is your sentence?"

"Well, It was one year... And then I killed a bunch of them. So now... It's more of a 'they let me go when they want to' type of deal."

"Does Niklaus know the doppelganger is alive?"

Juniper nodded. "I told him a few hours ago. He should be on his way."

He opened the car door for her before entering the driver's seat. As they drove down a country road, he glanced at her. "Are you alright? You're shaking?"

"I'm fine." She wasn't. Over the past year, the Hellgate guards had given her a dose of parem almost every week and now it had been over that. She was in withdrawal from it. "Just cold."

"Do you want a blanket? I think I have one in the trunk."

Juniper shook her head. "Stop trying to be nice to me."

Sweat had slowly begun to bead at her forehead and her fingers shook in her gloves. His eyes trailed over her. "I'm not trying to be nice. You're family and you are clearly not ok."

The car stopped at the side of the road and Juniper quickly got out. She sat on the ground, holding the grass in her hands as she blinked quickly.

Elijah sat beside her, ignoring how his suit was most definitely covered in grass and dirt. Her heart rate had spiked.

She stared into the forest and her heart stopped. She could see him. "Kaz," She whispered, and her hand reached for him.

He smiled at her as he walked towards her. Only steps away from her, he stopped and the blood appeared. It dripped down his neck and arms, sliding down his skin and onto the grass.

Juniper gasped as she moved away only for him to walk towards her. "You did this to me, Juniper. Why would you do this?"

"I-" She whimpered, "I didn't mean to."

"June?" Elijah asked. She didn't hear him. Her focus was on Kaz's bleeding body.

She glanced down at her gloves and saw them covered in blood. "No."

"You killed me!" he yelled.

She moved back further until her back hit Elijah's car door. "I didn't," She choked out.

"June?" Elijah shouted as his hands came onto her shoulders and shook her harshly. "Snap out of it."

His hard shakes did nothing to take her out of her mind. A fact he quickly realized. "I'm sorry," He whispered before the back of his hand smacked across her cheek.

As his hand smashed against her face, hard enough to tear a small amount of skin along her cheekbone, Kaz disappeared.

Please don't go, she thought to herself as he disappeared from her eyes along with the blood on her hands.

"June?" Elijah whispered, his hand still on her cheek, thumb grazing over the bleeding cut. The touch brought her back to him and she quickly moved away. "Don't touch me."

He withdrew his hand and leaned against the car, sitting side by side with her. "You need to tell me what just happened. I can't help you if I don't know."

They stared out into the tree line, Elijah watching the leaves blow while Juniper searched for him, wishing to see him again for just a second, even if he were screaming at her.

A single tear fell down her cheek, the opposite side of Elijah so he couldn't see it. He could smell the saltiness of it though. He chose not to mention it.

"I don't want your help, Elijah. You are the one who did this to me."

With that, she stood and began her trek back to Mystic Falls, leaving him beside his car, watching as her figure slowly disappeared into the forest.

— — —

"I know you're in here."

She could hear his unnatural heartbeat as she walked into the mansion. "Come on out, Klaus."

Juniper watched as he slowly revealed himself from a doorway across from her. "June." She rolled her eyes. "Where is he?"

"Who?" He asked, playing innocent.

"Do you want to lose another eye? Perhaps both this time? Maybe a hand, too." She pulled out a knife from her pocket, "Now, I'd hate to dirty up my new tools but... If need be–"

"Wait," He spoke. "This wasn't our deal."

She stared at him, twisting her knife between her fingers. "Oh, do remind me. What was our deal?"

"I need to break my curse. Then you can have him."

Her eyes twitched but she nodded. She turned to leave only to look back at him. "When you break the curse, call the number I'm sending you. They'll tell you everything you need to know."

"Why can't I just call you?"

Her eyes left his. "Not important. Call the number. Goodbye, Klaus."

He nodded slowly. "Goodbye, love."