Alaric Saltzman looked up from his desk and watched as Damon, Stefan and I walked into the room. Katherine stood outside.
“What do you guys want now?” he asked, putting his eyes back to the papers he was marking.
“We need your help with a little “vampire extermination”” Damon said, crossing his arms and sitting on a desk. Alaric looked from Damon to Stefan to me and shook his head.
“No way. I can’t keep getting involved in all your vampire problems. I have papers to grade so if you excuse me…” But Katherine stepped through the door.
“No, excuse me. This is bigger than just a vampire problem. If you want everyone in this town to survive then I suggest you help us.” Alaric’s eyes widened as his head snapped back and forth between Katherine and I.
“How- how?” he said, confused. I calmed him down and Damon filled him in on who Katherine was and why she looked like me. He also told him about the three new vampires. Alaric sat there letting the large amount of new information pile into his brain. He seemed shocked the whole time and kept looking at Katherine and I, puzzled. Finally he managed a nod and rubbed his eyes.
“Wow…I guess I should help you, huh…” I nodded urgently.
“We need you, Alaric. You have that ring which keeps you from dying. And you have weapons that can help us destroy them. Please,” I begged, and he seemed to be deciding. Eventually he nodded.
“If it means keeping this town safe, and Elena safe, then I’ll do it,” he said, worry strung in his every word.
“Ok, we need some of your…ammunition…” Damon asked, and Alaric pulled a heavy-looking brief-case from under his desk and lay it on the desk. He unlocked it and revealed a mixture of darts, stakes and a large gun used to shoot stakes. Katherine looked impressed as she ran her hands over the items.
“Wow, you certainly know what you’re doing,” she said in awe. He smiled weakly up at her and then handed us all armfuls of ammo.
“So how do we lure these vampires to kill them?” he asked anxiously. Katherine cleared her throat.
“One way is to let Elena and I go into the woods and us being so close and alone should lure them.” My eyes widened in fear. I would be alone with Katherine. And three blood-thirsty male vampires desperate for me. Shuddering, Damon put his hand on my shoulder.
“We’d be close by Elena, and then we’d kill them,” he reassured me, “but I don’t trust her with you,” he said at Katherine. She smiled.
“There is another way. If you let me be united with my humanity they’ll go straight for me and then you could kill them…” But Damon slammed his fist on the table.
“NO! No way. You are NEVER getting your humanity back, Katherine!” He growled massively and she recoiled, ever so slightly. The terrible ache hit my chest again. Katherine seemed to double over for some reason as words spilled from my mouth.
“Please Damon! I want to love again! I want to FEEL again! I feel like my heart is being ripped out because I desperately want this. I need to be whole again, I can’t be half a soul for all eternity!” Tears spilled from my cheeks as I spoke, feelings that weren’t mine washed through me – sorrow, desperation, need…lonliness. This episode was worse than the last. I felt…like someone else. Katherine was on the floor, clutching her chest and groaning. Damon was holding my face in his hands, asking desperately if I was ok, and Stefan was with Katherine, shaking her gently. She gasped and spluttered but pain was all over her face. She stared at me.
“I…need…you…” she breathed. I knew she was right. She needed her humanity. Being in such close quarters with me was taking its toll on her. I was channelling her desired thoughts and words and feelings. I thought to myself that maybe…maybe if I did join with Katherine I’d be the dominant part of the soul. Maybe…maybe it was something that we both needed.
“I know you do, Katherine. And I think…I think you’re right…” I whispered. Damon grabbed my shoulders and looked me dead in the eyes.
“No! Elena! You can’t!” he cried.