Chapter Text
3rd Person POV:
Rose wasn't sure what just happened, it was like she blinked and suddenly she was in this old abandoned house, dust was everywhere... she looked around trying to find something that looked familiar but found nothing.
From the glass pane in one of the unbroken windows she saw at least her reflection was unchanged, she still had light auburn hair down past her elbows... the ends were getting too dry again it was past time for a trim.
"What do you want?" she heard a girl's voice ask, she sounded distressed.
"Shh," she heard someone whisper.
"Please, I'm hurt," the girl said again sounding afraid.
"I know, just a taste," just a taste? what the hell!
Walking over to where she had heard them she sees... she can't remember where she's seen her before but she knows that's Elena... and the man she wants to say, t-something... Travis? No Trevor.
"What are you doing, stop!" she shouts as she sees the man lean down to bite the girl.
He merely rolls his eyes, "buzzkill," he mutters before stepping away.
Alone with the girl now she's not sure what to do, something about all this feels off like she's not meant to be here.
"What do you want with me?" the girl asks desperate for answers.
"I'm sorry," Rose says not really knowing what else to say.
"You haven't done anything to deserve this, but if it wasn't us, it only would have been a matter of time until someone else grabbed you, I'll do my best to help you deal with Elijah," she says not clear how she knows what she just said but still believing it to be true.
Elena looks at her confused, "Who's Elijah, what does he want with me?"
For some reason, Rose seemed to know the answer to this despite otherwise feeling totally lost.
"He wants you for his brother, I can't say anymore, I'm sorry," Rose says walking away needing time to try and get her head on straight... it feels like she must have hit her head or something... like she has some information but not enough, certainly not to explain how or why she's here.
Rose doesn't get much time to herself however as Trevor soon confronts her, "What was that about?" he asks.
"What?" she asks feeling a bit like a deer caught in headlights, wanting to bolt but not knowing which direction to run off to.
"Why are you being so nice to her?" he asks.
"Why wouldn't I be, she hasn't done anything to us," she points out.
"Just don't fall for any innocent girl acts again, remember Katerina," he tells her and she nods.
She does remember Katerina... or maybe she remembers hearing about Katerina... it was all still so confusing.
"So are you going to call?" he asks.
Rose stares at him, "Call?"
"What is going on with you, do you want to back out?" he asks.
"No, sorry, I... I just can't believe we're really doing this," she says trying to explain away her odd behavior.
He sighs, "I know, I know, trust me a big part of me wants to just run out of here but we are so close, if we do this we can finally be free," he tells her.
Rose nods and finds a phone in her pocket, it only has a few numbers in it and for some reason she knows the one she's supposed to press.
"Calling," she tells him.
"What are we?" he asks smiling trying to reassure her she's doing the right thing.
"Family," she answers.
A little while later Trevor suddenly isn't so confident, the longer they sit still waiting for Elijah the more time he has to panic about seeing the original he betrayed so long ago.
"It's not too late... we can leave her here for him... we don't have to go through with this," he says.
"Aren't you tired of running?" Rose asks.
"Yeah, of course I am but running keeps us from dying," he points out.
"Elijah's old school, if he accepts our deal... we're free," she tells him managing to reassure him for now but there's this feeling in her gut telling her that's not entirely true.
A floorboard in the next room squeaks alerting Rose that Elena is likely trying to escape so she zooms over to stop her.
After flashing over she steps back, wait had she always been able to do that? It almost felt like the first time. Shaking her thoughts off she directs Elena back to the sofa she had been sitting on.
"I'm sorry I can't let you leave, besides there's nothing around for miles anyway, staying here and making a deal is your best option," she tells her.
"Who's Elijah, please, tell me, something, anything," Elena begs making Rose feel horrible about doing this to her.
"Elijah is one of the first-ever vampires, he's what is known as an Original," she explains sitting down next to her.
"An Original, are there more than one?" Elena asks.
"Several but you should only be worried about two," Rose tells her.
"And Elijah's one of those two?"
"Yes, Trevor and I have been running for 500 years... and it all started in a situation not unlike this, a young girl with a fate she didn't deserve and my soft heart that was easily manipulated. I'm sorry I can't make the same mistake again," she explains.
"But why me?" Elena asks still sure it's Katherine they must be after.
"Because you're a Petrova Doppelganger, you're the key to breaking the curse."
"The curse?" Elena asks, "the sun and moon curse?"
Rose smiles slightly impressed the girl knew that much, "that ridiculous title never fails to amuse me," she says.
"What do you mean I'm the key tho... the moonstone is what breaks the curse," Elena points out.
"No," Rose corrects her, "the moonstone is what binds the curse, the sacrifice is what breaks it."
Again Rose didn't know how she knew this but she knew it.
Elena shrinks back feeling a bit sick, "the sacrifice?" she asks.
Rose sighs, "the blood of the doppelganger... the blood of the human doppelganger," she says correcting herself before continuing, "Katherine used Trevor and I to turn herself and then ran, however I don't recommend you follow her lead, the price she paid still makes me shudder. It's like I keep telling you make a deal, it's the only way."
Trevor comes sauntering in, tired of being left alone apparently.
"Tell me more," Elena says.
"Captivity has made her pushy, eh? What do you want to know doppelicious?" he asks.
"The originals, the ones you're running from," She says.
"The first family," Trevor explains, "the old world, Rose and I pissed them off as she already alluded to. Correction I pissed them off, Rose just had my back for over half a millennium. They wanted us dead," he tells her.
"What did you do?" Elena asks, "Rose said something about Katherine turning."
"She was about to be sacrificed and I helped her escape," Trevor says with a shrug, "Rose hid her for me but our efforts weren't enough for Katarina she mortally wounded herself tricking Rose into feeding her her blood to heal her, and then killed herself the first chance she got," he explains.
Shocked Elena sits back before feeling something in her hand. When her two captors aren't looking she peaks down.
She finds the handwritten paper Bonnie sent her.
It reads: "Stefan and Damon are coming for you. -B"
It's not too much longer when they hear a car approach.
"He's here! This was a mistake," Trevor says starting to panic again.
"Hey, it's alright, I'll get us out this, I promise," Rose says trying to calm him down.
"No! He wants me dead, Rose!"
"Alright, alright, go," she tells him.
"What?" He asks shocked.
"Go, I'll stay, I'll secure our pardon, go," she tells him somehow knowing if he stays he'll die.
"I'm sorry I can't... I can't, he'll have mercy on you but I need to get out of here," he says.
"I know, it's okay, go," she tells him and he zooms off.
Alone in the house now except for Elena, Rose walks over to the front door to greet the Original.
Elijah walks up to the front door a look of disgust on his face clearly not impressed with the location Rose had chosen.
"Rose-Marie. Is there somewhere we can talk?" Elijah asks sounding far to casual for her liking, it in no way matched his face.
"Yes, in here," she says trying to manage her nerves as she waves him inside, "you have to forgive the house," she says trying to sound as relaxed and unbothered as he does.
"Oh, no, what's a little dirt? I completely understand. So tell me, what is it that gives you the courage to call me?"
"I wanted my freedom, mine and Trevor's, we're tired of running. Are you in a position to grant me that?" she asks.
Elijah smirks, "I have complete authority to grant pardon to you and your little pet. What is his name these days? Trevor. If I so see fit."
Rose nods, "Katerina Petrova? Her line didn't end with her, she must have had a child before turning."
"That's impossible," Elijah says.
"It's not I found a human doppelganger, it would be the only way for her to exist, no?" Rose asks.
"Show her to me," Elijah demands.
"Elijah, you are a man of honor, you should be trusted but I want to hear you say it again," Rose asks.
"You have my word, that I will pardon you," he tells her.
"And Trevor?" she asks.
"I don't see him here, hard to extend a pardon to someone who clearly doesn't value contrition," Elijah says.
"Please," she begs.
"Show her to me," Elijah instructs and Rose accepts defeat for now walking him over to Elena.
He follows her as she shows him to the main room. She can hear Elena's heart beating out of her chest in fear and her guilt starts to spike. The poor girl is terrified.
Elijah looks at her surprised in the blink of an eye he zooms over to her examining her closer, smelling her neck even touching her hair.
"Human, it's impossible. Hello there," he says.
"Well I suppose I stand corrected, hm we have a long journey ahead of us, we should be going," he tells Elena.
"Please, don't let him take me," Elena begs Rose.
"Elijah, perhaps there is a way to-"
"Are you about to betray me again, after only just securing your freedom?" Elijah asks.
"No, I... she's just a girl, isn't there any other way to break the curse and allow her to live?" Rose asks.
Elijah is silent but Rose can't tell if he's contemplating her words or thinking of ways to kill her.
The tension is interrupted when Trevor walks back in.
"You came back," Rose says surprised.
"We're family, forever," he tells her before walking over to Elijah.
"I've waited so long for this day, Elijah. I'm truly, very sorry," he tells him.
"Oh no, your apology's not necessary," Elijah responds.
"Yes, yes it is, you trusted me with Katerina and I failed you," Trevor says his head tilted down in shame.
"Oh yes, you are the guilty one and Rose aided you because she was loyal to you and that now I honor. Even now she asks for mercy on the doppelganger's behalf, what do you say, should I show her mercy?" Elijah asks.
Trevor looks back to Rose and then to Elena, "Um, if you wa- no, no, take her, do what you must, it's my fault you've had to wait so long for another chance of course you shouldn't waste it," Trevor says.
"Shame, really, where was this loyalty back then?" Elijah asks.
"I beg your forgiveness," Trevor says.
"So granted," Elijah says but a heartbeat later he has knocked Trevor's head clean off his shoulders as if it was as easy as swatting away a fly.
"You!" Rose cries out.
"Don't, Rose, now that you are free," Elijah warns.
"Come," he turns back to instruct Elena.
"No, what about the moonstone?" Elena asks remembering what Rose said about making her own deal.
"What do you know about the moonstone?" Elijah asks.
"I know that you need it and I know where it is," she tells him.
"Yes?" Elijah asks as tho Elena will just give him the information.
"I can help you get it," she offers.
"Tell me where it is," he orders.
"It doesn't work that way," she tells him.
Elijah smiles almost amused, "are you negotiating with me?" he asks looking back to Rose.
"It's the first I've heard of it," she tells him but when he turns back to Elena she gives the girl a proud wink.
He tries to compel Elena but it doesn't work and that's when he notices her necklace.
"What is this vervain doing around your neck?" he asks yanking it off her not even flinching as the metal sizzles under his touch.
"Tell me where the moonstone is," he says compelling her again.
"In the tomb, underneath the church ruins," Elena answers robotically.
"What's it doing there?" he compels.
"It's with Katherine," she answers.
"Interesting, apparently the last doppelganger didn't die in a fire after all... so many revelations today."
Suddenly they all hear glass breaking from upstairs.
"What is that?" Elijah asks his head tilted up to the noise.
"I don't know," Rose tells him but he turns to her angry not believing her, "Who else is in this house?!" He shouts.
"I don't know," she tells him but for some strange reason, she actually believes she does know who's here.
Elijah grabs Elena taking her to another part of the house as Stefan and Damon move around creating chaos with their super speed.
Elijah throws Elena into Rose's arms, "Rose," he says silently entrusting her with Elena's care.
"Up here," a voice taunts before another joins in as Elijah is halfway up the stairs.
"Down here."
Rose starts to move Elena out of the way not wanting her to get caught in the fray but suddenly Stefan has her and Damon takes Rose.
He zooms her into another room and holds her against a wall with his hand over her mouth while he holds up a finger against his lips motioning for her to keep quiet.
He can't help but notice how pretty she is, certainly not what he had been expecting when he thought of Elena's kidnapper.
He had heard a little of the confrontation with Elijah and he knows Rose was actually arguing for Elena's life, which is the only reason he isn't killing her right this second.
It surely has nothing to do with her being so lovely up close he's distracted momentarily from the rescue mission he's on.
"Excuse me," Elijah says in a booming voice, "To whom it may concern, you're making a great mistake if you think that you can beat me. You can't. Do you hear that?" he asks.
He walks over to a wooden coat rack and breaks off a piece into a stake.
"I repeat, you cannot beat me. So I want the girl, I'm gonna count to three or heads will roll. Do we understand each other?"
Elena then suddenly appears at the top of the stairs.
"I'll come with you, just please don't hurt my friends, they just wanted to help me out," she says and Rose goes to stop her but Damon pulls her back shaking his head.
Elijah goes up the stairs in a flash, "What game are you playing with me?" he asks not trusting her.
Turns out he was right not to as she throws a vervain bomb in his face which explodes burning his skin. He heals almost immediately and goes towards Elena but Stefan intercedes and shoots him with a compressed air weapon he got from Alaric, it hardly slows him down at all tho so Stefan just rushes at him tackling him down the stairs.
At the bottom of the stairs, Elijah hops right up but Stefan stays on the ground. He goes towards Stefan but Damon appears behind Elijah as his attention is on his brother and uses the opportunity to stake him nailing him to the door.
Stefan finally gets up and looks to Elena who rushes into his arms before silently mouthing a thank you to Damon.
"I hate to interrupt, but we should be going before he wakes up," Rose tells them.
"Wakes up, what you think I just got a sliver of his heart, check again, that thing is bullseye dead center," Damon says proudly.
"Elijah's an original, they can't be killed with an ordinary stake it would be like snapping your neck," Rose explains, "he'll heal and he'll wake up, and we need to be very far away when that happens," she says.
"What's all this 'we' business about?" Damon says.
"You're bringing me with you," she tells him.
"Says who?" Damon asks.
"I do, she tried to help, she knows more than us, it's okay I trust her," Elena says coming down the stairs.
"Ugh," Damon complains, "and you're sure this guy can't die? I mean what if I chop his head off like your buddy there, would that do it?"
"Damon!" Elena scolds horrified he would say something like that to her.
"It's fine," Rose tells Elena, "an Original can only be killed by wood from a specific white oak tree, when they learned this they burned it down, his death however you do it, is only temporary unless you find any remaining white oak."
"Guys, we can talk about this later, it really is time to go," Stefan says.
Damon looks back to his brother who looks spooked and follows his line of sight to see Elijah still grey and veining but with his eyes now open.
"I'm driving," he says as the four quickly file out of the house.