6I knocked on the door to the apartment I was ordered to. I was about to knock again when an older man answered the door.
"This is who you choose to take over?" I asked giving him a look.
"This is a trusted friend to the Doppelganger, Isabella," Klaus told me. "They'll never suspect I'm him." I looked over the man's body again before nodding.
"Aren't you going to invite me in?" I asked him and he smirked.
"Come in my dear." I stepped inside the apartment and noticed a familiar brunette. I laughed at her being tied to the chair.
"The great and powerful Katherine Pierce tied to a chair and I've no doubt compelled to obey." I smiled. "I like this look for you, Katherine." Klaus opened the closet and took out two shirts and showed them to us.
"Oh! Who is this guy, Safari Sam?" he asked and I made another face. "Bad or badder?"
"The dark colors suit you better," Katherine told him.
"The true you, yes," I said. "But this guy seems to prefer not so dark colors."
"Thank you, Isabella," he put on a blue shirt and a black jacket. "Okay, pop quiz. The dagger and white ash are in the Salvatore brothers' possession, correct?"
"The dagger was used to kill Elijah. You'll find him in the basement of the Salvatore house," Katherine told him.
"Okay, that dagger needs to stay exactly where it is. The last thing I need to do is resurrect Elijah," Klaus said. "Oh, that guy is a buzzkill."
"Don't forget you're on the outs with your girlfriend Jenna," Katherine reminded him.
"Right. Elena's aunt," Klaus said and I got confused.
"Elena's the Doppelganger?" I asked him.
"Yes. She and Alaric lied about Isobel being dead. Well, sort of," he explained to me. "What else?"
"That's it." He got closer to her and touched her face making her cringe in fear.
"Oh, so jumpy," he smirked.
"Please, just...kill me," Katherine begged.
"Why would we kill you?" I asked her. "We both have our reasons for wanting you dead, yes. But we've planned something far better in mind than the kindness of a quick death."
"I've told you everything that I know," Katherine said giving me a dark look. Klaus put his hands on the armrests on Katherine's chair and looked her in the face.
"You see, I believe that you believe that, but what would you not know? What could they be keeping from you? Hmm? Anything? Tell me," he compelled.
"They were trying to see if Bonnie could find a way to kill an Original without a dagger," she told him.
"Bonnie the best friend?" he asked her and she nodded. "I thought you said she didn't have her powers anymore."
"She doesn't or didn't. I don't know. You kidnapped me, remember? I'm kinda out of the loop," Katherine reminded him.
"Something tells me they wouldn't trust you as far as they could throw you," I told her before turning to Klaus. "I know my brothers, Klaus. They wouldn't trust the life of the woman they love in the hands of the woman who betrayed them."
"Well, one would hope they'd learned from their past," he said and I did my best to make no indication of how much the past affected me to this day. "We'll have to get to the bottom of the witch angle."
"And we will," I told him.
"Please, just kill me, Klaus, and be done with it," Katherine begged again.
"And show you kindness?" he asked her. "I've searched for you for over 500 years. You nearly cost Isabella her life if I hadn't found her. Your death is going to last at least half as long as you ran and be half as painful as hers." He took a single-blade pocketknife, opened it, and held it before Katherine. "I want you to take this knife...And stab yourself." She took the knife and stabbed her thigh. "Now take it out." She did as she was told and we watched her wound heal. "Now while we're gone, I want you to do that over and over and over again and if you get bored, switch legs."
"Where are you going?" Katherine asked us.
"I'm gonna go lay eyes on my precious doppelgänger." Klaus kissed her on the forehead. "Oh, don't look so glum, Katerina. The fun is just beginning. Come, Isabella." I followed him to the door. "Again."
"I can't believe you're making me do this," I said so quietly no one but a vampire could hear me.
"Just sign up for classes and get to class before I do," Klaus ordered and I rolled my eyes at him. The lady at the desk kept asking me for things I wouldn't have since I hadn't attended high school in many years. I simply compelled her with a smile on my face before she finally handed me my schedule. I made my way to Klaus' history class and sat in an empty seat up front. I turned and saw who must have been Elena Gilbert, Katherine's doppelganger, showing something to one of my older brothers, Stefan. He shook his head and she made a face before turning to a young woman, the young witch most likely, and showed her the same paper. She smiled and nodded her head before Elena turned and smiled with a look to my brother. If the witch outranked a vampire when it came to the protection of his beloved, did that mean she had her magic again?
"Hello, class," I looked up when Klaus walked into the room and got comfortable in my seat. "It appears we have a new student in class today." I gave him a dirty look and he just smirked down at me. "Isabella Salvatore, would you like to introduce yourself to the class." I took a deep breath before standing up and moving to the front of the room.
"My name is Isabella Salvatore and I haven't been back in Mystic Falls in many years." I looked at Stefan shocked face and smiled. "I hope to reconnect with my brothers now that I'm back." I sat back down at my desk and continued to glare at Klaus.
"Welcome, Isabella," Klaus greeted before looking at the rest of the class. "What are we learning today?"
"With the decade dance tonight, we've been covering the sixties all week," one of the girls told him.
"Right. The sixties," he said and I made a small face. The sixties were full of political BS and I hated every moment of it. Except maybe the clothes. I, like Klaus, enjoyed the freedom and unlawfulness of the twenties. Klaus turned back to the board and wrote "the 60s". "The, uh, ahem... The sixties. I wish there was something good I could say about the sixties, but...Actually, they kind of sucked. Except for the Beatles, of course. They made it bearable. Uh, what else was there? The Cuban missile thing, the...we walked on the moon. There was Watergate."
"Watergate was the seventies, Ric," I turned and looked back at the smiling doppelganger before she realized what she'd said. "I-I mean, Mr. Saltzman."
"Right. It all kind of mushes together up here, the sixties, seventies," he said while smiling at the teenager. "Thank you, Elena."
I stood at the door to what Katherine had called the Salvatore Boarding House. I couldn't help but wonder what had happened after I'd "been disposed of", as she'd called it. I knocked on the door and waited. The door opened and I smiled up at familiar blue eyes.
"Hello, Damon." He stepped out of the house and hugged me to him tightly.
"Bella," he sighed in relief. "When Stefan told me..."
"I'm fine, Damon," I reassured him with a grin. "I heard rumors and wanted to see if I could help."
"What rumors?" he asked, his eyes slightly narrowed.
"You really think someone can go through life as long as we have and not make allies along the way?" I asked him. "I have witches and vampires looking out for me as I hid from Katherine. Through the grapevine that you have the doppelganger and are protecting her from the oldest vampire in history. There's no way I'll allow my big brothers to take him on alone."
"We're not alone," he said and I gave him a look.
"Two vampires and a bunch of humans are no match for the worst of the worst, and you know it."
"And one more vampire's going to help?" he asked sarcastically.
"It could even it out at least," I said. "Damon, I'm still your baby sister. The same sister who used to follow you around because she wanted to be just like her big brother. The same sister who ran to you when father-"
"I get it," he said stopping me from speaking. Neither of us wanted to relive that particular part of our past. "I'll get Elena."
"Why don't I just go inside?" I asked him.
"It's her safe house." He turned and went back inside. I waited until he came to the door with Elena who smiled at me.
"Hi, I'm Elena," she greeted.
"I'm Isabella. It's nice to properly meet you." I held out my hand for her to shake and she did. She was too trusting, this girl standing in front of me. "Come on in." I smiled before nodding my thanks. I entered the house and looked around.
"Like what you've done with the place," I said. The pair led me into the living room and I saw the witch and Stefan waiting for them to return.
"Bella," Stefan said with a large smile on his face. He moved to me and hugged me tightly. I grinned as he pulled me into his arms and returned his hug.
"I have missed you," I whispered before parting from him but staying tucked into his side.
"Bella, this is Bonnie Bennet," Stefan introduced and I stared at the young witch.
"A Bennet witch? I've known some of your ancestors it's an honor to meet you." She just nodded her head at me.
"So who's making what move?"
"Klaus made his first move," Stefan told me. "He compelled Dana to approach Elena and asked her to save him the last dance tonight."
"So we go to the dance?" I asked them.
"And find him," Damon said.
"Really?" Stefan asked. "How are we going to do that? We don't even know what he looks like."
"Something tells me he's not going to be sixteen and pimply," Damon argued. Well, they weren't wrong.
"He could be anywhere at any time. He compelled somebody at school," Stefan reminded them before looking at the two girls. "I guess it's not as safe as you guys thought, huh?" Someone knocked on the door and Klaus walked in after that.
"There you are," Damon greeted.
"The history teacher?" I asked him, feigning confusion.
"He's also a friend helping us protect Elena," Stefan explained. "Ric, this is the youngest Salvatore, Isabella."
Nice to meet you," he said nodding his head at me.
"Likewise."
"I need you to put me down as a chaperone at the dance tonight," Damon told Klaus. "Klaus made his first move."
"Okay, so we find him and then what, hmm? What's our plan of attack?" Elena asked.
"Me. I'm the plan," Bonnie said.
"No offense to you and your ancestry, but no single witch has that kind of power," I said.
"Exactly. He has no idea how much power I can channel. If you can find him, I can kill him." I shared a look with Klaus.
"That's not going to be that easy," Klaus told her. "I mean, he is the biggest, baddest vampire around."
"Alaric has a point. I mean, what if he..." Damon rushed at Bonnie, but she threw him on the other side of the room with her powers, without touching him.
"Well, I was impressed," Stean said.
"Make that two of us," I commented.
"It doesn't matter if he's an Original. I can take down anyone who comes at me," Bonnie assured her friends before turning to Elena. "I can kill him, Elena. I know I can."
Klaus and I walked into Alaric's apartment, Katherine still sitting in her chair, her leg covered in blood and the knife still in her hand.
"Ah, you're right. This witch is all juiced up and aiming to kill," Klaus complained.
"That's terrible," Katherine said sarcastically. Maddox offered me a cup with some sort of alcohol in it and I downed it.
"We're gonna have to kill her, Maddox," Klaus said while opening a drawer. "Do you think this Alaric guy has anything vintage?" He started looking through the man's shirts before noticing something.
"What is it?" I asked him. He pulled out weapons and showed them to me.
"Crossbows, wooden bullets, and automatics? Who is this guy, again?" Klaus asked.
"He's the local vampire hunter," Katherine told us.
"Ahh. Well, that explains the clothing." Maddox offered him a glass of alcohol.
"All I could find. Guy likes his bourbon." Klaus took the glass from him.
"I knew there was something about him I liked. There's a high school dance and I'm gonna need you to take out witch bitch," he ordered Maddox.
"Stefan said she was channeling the power of 100 dead witches," I told him.
"If she has that much power, she can sense me coming from a mile away," Maddox warned him. "I won't be able to get near her. One of you have to do it."
"In this body?" Klaus asked motioning to the human he was wearing. "I'm a haggard history teacher. She can easily hurt me. I mean, not me, Klaus me, but you know what I mean."
"No witch could handle channeling that much power. It'll kill her. It would kill me. You just have to make her use it," Maddox told him.
"All at once?" I asked him and he nodded.
"You mean like provoking her to death?" Klaus asked and again Maddox nodded.
"Won't take long. Just keep attacking her until it kills her," Maddox explained. "His body, Alaric's, will last longer than hers will."
"How? He's human."
"I can help in that department. I can do a spell to protect you." Klaus looked at Katherine behind me and I turned to see Katherine lowering her head.
"Either you have to give me money to go shopping for sixties clothes or you're bringing my clothes to me," I told Klaus taking his drink from him.
I looked through the clothes before grabbing a yellow off the shoulder, long-sleeved dress. The dress had a floral design on the front that went from bust to waist and from the elbows to the edge of the sleeves. It was loose and fell to the tops of my thighs. I grabbed white go-go boots and walked out of the room.
"I hate the sixties," I said, grabbing the large dangling earrings. I was going to leave my hair alone and gave Klaus a look. "Do you have to have your dramatic entrance?"
"I already dropped my message at the school. I have to show up now," he told me and I sighed.
"And I have to be there why?" I asked him.
"How could I do this without you?" he asked with a smirk on his face moving to my side and placing and hands on my shoulders.
"Easily," I told him. "You're the most powerful original with a powerful witch at your side. You don't need a century and half year old vampire."
"You are the only one I know I can trust with everything," he said placing his hands on my face. "I know you would never betray my trust."
"I'd sooner stake myself."
I was walking up to the school in those stupid go-go boots when I saw Jeremy trying to give something to Bonnie so I decided to listen in.
"Look, I, um, I want you to have this," he said handing her what looked like a ring.
"If you're asking me to go steady, I think that was the fifties," Bonnie laughed.
"No, I'm serious, Bonnie."
"The ring won't work on me, Jeremy," she told him and I got confused. How would a ring help her?"
"But it was made by a witch."
"To protect from the supernatural, not for someone who is." Why would a witch create a ring to protect humans from the supernatural?
"Well, I have to do something. I can't just...I can't just let you get yourself killed," he said worriedly.
"Just because a bunch of dead witches gave me a warning doesn't mean I'm going to die," she told him.
"So you're saying there's a 50-50 shot you won't?" he asked her getting irritated. "Look, I'm sorry. But...you know I don't have the best luck in the girlfriend department."
"Hey. Listen, I...I can't explain it. But I can feel them. I'm empowered, Jeremy, I can do this. I know I can. I'm strong enough." She pulled him to her and embraced her before Damon made their way to him. "Damon." At that point, I stopped listening and thought about what I heard. She knew if she used all her power she'd die, but she was still willing to do it to kill Klaus.
"Bella," I turned and saw Stefan and Elena walking up to us.
"Hey, Stef." He offered me his arm and I laughed before taking it and joining the other three.
"Hey, you two. Oh, you look nice," Elena greeted the pair before she embraced Bonnie.
"You too." The girls parted with a smile.
"You guys ready to do this?" Stefan asked before the six of us walked into the school gym.
Inside, everyone was dancing and I noticed a girl go onto the stage when we walked in and spoke into the microphone.
"Thanks for being here, everybody. We have a special shout-out tonight," she said with a large smile on her face. "This is for Elena. From Klaus." The song Dedicated to the One I Love started playing. I turned to the others and saw Elena looked stunned and I noticed Klaus look happy by the wall.
"That was a lame, cheap shot. He's just trying to bait us," Damon said as they all looked around.
"I know everyone here," Elena told us.
"Maybe he's not here," Stefan suggested. "Just wants us to believe that he is."
"It's possible," I agreed. "But if it were me, I'd want to watch the panic."
"What have you been doing away from us?" Stefan asked giving me a look.
"It's been 150 years, Stef. People change," I told him.
"It's a party, people. Blend. Let him come to us," Damon told us.
"Good idea," Bonnie said taking Jeremy's arm.
"No, no, I really don't feel like dancing," Jeremy told her.
"Too bad," she told him with a smile on her face. She pulled him on the dance floor and Damon grabbed my hand and linked my arm with his.
"There's Ric. We'll be back," Damon said pulling me with him to Klaus.
"Special dedication, huh? This guy's a little twisted," Klaus said, silently proud of his work.
"I'm not impressed," Damon said and I held back my laughter as Klaus looked at my older brother disappointed.
"No?"
"Let me know if you see anything out of whack," Damon said before pulling me onto the dance floor. I looked back to Klaus and smirked at him. He just gave me a look before I started dancing with Damon in traditional 60s fashion.
Later that night, I was standing with the siblings near the drinks table watching Bonnie and Damon.
"What are they up to?" Elena asked us.
"Who knows." He said annoyed.
"The fight against Klaus," I told them. It was a partial lie. Damon had heard what I'd heard.
"Is there something going on, Jer? You okay?" Elena asked her brother. He was annoyed with his girlfriend about her lying to their group about her possible death.
"Fine. I'm fine," he lied before leaving. Stefan joined us as the three of us watched him leave.
"Everything all right?" Stefan asked her.
"I'm not sure," Elena told him.
I walked outside to see Elena and Bonnie arguing.
"Everything ok?" I asked the pair, looking between them.
"Yea," Bonnie said quickly, hiding what they'd been talking about.
"Elena!" I turned and saw Klaus running to us.
"What is it?" Elena asked him.
"He has Jeremy."
"What?
"What?!"
"Yeah, Klaus has Jeremy. Come on." The four of us ran back into the building and into a separate hallway. We ran for a bit before Elena finally spoke up.
"Okay, so where are you taking us?"
"Just a little further," he said looking around.
"Wait...Something's not right," Elena said putting things together.
"Where's Jeremy?" Bonnie asked. Klaus stopped walking and began to laugh.
"I just had to get away from that dance. The sixties, ugh. Not my decade. I mean, whose call was that, anyway? I much prefer the twenties. The style, the parties, the jazz."
"Alaric. Are you on vervain?" Elena asked him slowly.
"Now why would you ask me that question, Elena?" Klaus asked her with a smirk on his face.
"He's being compelled."
"Nope. Try again," he told her.
"What's going on?" Elena asked him.
"Okay, I'll give you a hint. I am not Alaric," he told her.
"Klaus!" Elena grabbed our arms and pulled us back as Klaus smiled broadly.
"Surprise!"
"Oh, no. No, it's not possible," Elena said as we continued to back away from him.
"Just relax, Elena. I'm not here to hurt you. You're not on my hit list tonight." Klaus turned his head to Bonnie. "But you are." He started towards her but she threw him back against the wall with her powers. He quickly rebounded and stood with a smirk. "Now, did I mention that I knew a witch? You're gonna have to hit me a lot harder than that." He rushed over to her and she threw him against a display case, smashing the glass. He fell to the ground and laughed at her. "By all means...Fire away!" he told her while he got up. "If you kill this body, I'll just get a new one. Maybe Jeremy."
"Go. Run. Run!" Bonnie ordered and the pair of them ran away.
"Isabella!" Elena called to me.
"Go! I'll be fine," I told them. They ran away and I stood in front of Klaus.
"Why did you let them get away?" he asked me.
"They have to believe I'm on their side for as long as possible," I reminded him. "Now that you've outed yourself you'll need me on the inside."
"And if they awaken Elijah?" he asked me.
"I'll come up with some sob story. He'll believe it."
"He always did have a weak spot for victims," he said. "Especially mine."
"It's part of his charm. Being all noble while you're the opposite." He gave me a look. "That's what you want them to believe, Klaus. Is it any surprise they believe it?"
"Shall we start our show?" he asked holding out his hand to me. I smiled at the memory that flashed through my mind at the gesture. I took his hand and he pulled me to him, my chest to his back. He snapped my neck and my world went dark.
When I came too, I saw Klaus standing with his back to me and Bonnie standing in front of him. She had blood running from her nose as she poured her powers into attacking Klaus.
"Bonnie, no!" I heard Elena shout in desperation. He fell to the floor and crawled in front of me. Bonnie continued to fight him before light burst, sending a shower of sparks raining down above us. Elena screamed as she and Stefan tried to open the doors. I was surprised that he couldn't, but I suppose it's not a surprise she was blocking them with magic. Bonnie turned to her friend as Klaus got up. Bonnie turned back to us when, suddenly with a jerk of her body, she bent back and fell to the floor. Elena and Stefan were finally able to open the doors and rushed over to her in the now dark room.
"No! Oh! Bonnie! Bonnie, Bonnie!" Klaus looked back at me and I nodded my head before he sped off. "Bonnie! Hey, hey. Stefan, she's not breathing!" I rushed to their side as she started crying. "Stefan! Stefan, I can't find her pulse! Stefan! Do something, please! Stefan, please! Just give her blood, do something, please!" Stefan and I shared a look before Stefan slowly turned his head to Elena.
"It's too late. I'm sorry." Elena started shaking her head in disbelief
"No! No. No, no, no, no, no! Bonnie! Bonnie, please, no! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!" I looked up as Damon arrived. He looked down at Elena and I could see his feelings all over his face.
"Stefan, Bella, get Elena out of here. I'll deal with the body," he ordered.
"What do you mean, deal with it?" Elena asked him.
"The sheriff can't know about this," he said moving to the dead witch's side. "Last thing we need's another mysterious death."
"This is Bonnie!" Elena shouted, but Damon ignored her and looked at his brother.
"Get her home. Now. So I can clean this up." Stefan grabbed Elena and helped her get up.
"Hey, hey, hey."
"No. Jeremy. Oh, my God, Jeremy. What about Jeremy?" Elena asked.
"I'll find him," Damon assured her. Elena got up with Stefan's help. She looked at Bonnie's body, crying and screaming. Stefan had to force her out of the room.
"Do you need help?" I asked Damon. He just shook his head and I got up and moved to the door. I turned back and smirked at the scene as Damon gently caressed Bonnie's face and closed her eyes.
"Ding dong the witch is dead," I said into the phone while standing in my room at a small bed and breakfast Katherine told Klaus about.
"You're sure?" Klaus asked me.
"She had no heartbeat, Klaus. She's dead. And our plans can finally move forward."
"Do you have to stay at that bed and breakfast?" he asked me. "This place is so boring."
"Torture Katherine. That should provide entertainment."
"Even that got old." I laughed sitting on the bed in my room.
"I need a place so that if my brothers want to visit me I'll have a safe place," I reminded him.
"I noticed how different you are with your brothers," he mentioned and whatever smile I had on with gone. "In all the years we've been together we've never talked about what would happen if you were reunited with them again. The last three Salvatores."
"150 years ago you found a human near death and offered her a life she could never imagine," I reminded him. "I'll never betray you, Klaus. I gave you my word 30 years ago."
Mystic Falls, 1860
I was sitting in the garden with a book, but not really reading it. My father had been brutal the night before during his "teachings", as he called them.
"Hello." I turned to see a beautiful girl with long brown hair and brown eyes smiling down at me. "Is that a good book?"
"Book?" I asked confused before remembering the book in my hands. "Oh! Yes, it is." I smiled up at her. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"
"No, but I intended to know your family quite well." I was about to question her words when her hand covered my throat. "Sadly, I don't need you." She bit into my neck and covered my mouth so my screams wouldn't be heard by my family, staff, and neighbors. She released my neck from her mouth and smirked down at me, my blood covering her lips and chin. She picked up my limp body and carried me off into the woods and tossed me on the ground. She knelt down next to me and placed her hand on my chest. "Just need more bait for the wolves." She pulled her arm back before looking up in the surrounding woods. She looked around before disappearing from sight. I tried to move and found I could just barely do so.
"What do we have here?" I moved my eyes to see a man with long, curly ginger-brown hair. His blue eyes showed cruelty, yet there was something else. Loneliness. He knelt next to me. My eyes began to grow hazy as I tried to get them to focus on him. "Quite the beauty." I saw his hand being held out to me and tried to refocus on his face. "If you decide to come with me I'll give you a life you'll never forget." I looked down at his hand and opened my mouth to speak.
"Why me?" I whispered.
"Their's far worse I could do," he told me. "Join me or die. That's your only option, love."
"I don't want to die." I reached my hand out and place it in his before my world went dark.
AN: Please note this is a major work in progress. I hope you guys enjoyed it as I enjoyed writing it. I haven't decided if this will turn into a crossover between the originals (or legacies) and vampire diaries. The future is full and bright for this fanfic lol
