7/Damon

The door was knocked off of its hinges and a loud gust of wind whipped through the house like one giant cliché. I fought the urge to roll my eyes, but I knew that my life was literally in the living room. I was so used to fighting for either my own, my brother or Elena's life, that protecting the thing I hated the most was not a natural priority. Klaus. Klaus, the Original Vampire who as a team we had tried to destroy so many times. Ironically it was lucky that all those past times we had failed.

Elena gripped my arm like a scared child and I hurried her into the large living room where all of the others were gathered. I took in the terror painted on all of their pale faces, and I revelled in the fear that Klaus showed for just a moment. There was no time to take a photograph, mental or otherwise. Rebekah, the only female Original, was cowering behind Elijah and the whimpering which escaped her lips sounded similar to that of a small dog in pain. Elijah, despite his attempt to look strong and protective, looked weak and scared. He lacked the usual air of importance that he usually held. Klaus (or Tyler, whichever way you look at it) was positioned at the front of his siblings, the figurehead for their family. I noticed that Kol was still lying on the couch, his eyes open in his temporary death. He needed to wake soon if he had any chance of survival. I also noticed that my wimp of a brother was nowhere to be seen. The same could be said for the Witch and Barbie.

Alaric Saltzman, a man who I had dared to call my friend and a man who had stood beside me in many disputes and failed plans, now stood in the doorway of my living room with an amused smirk on his smart-arse face. His eyes were no longer kind and full of wisdom, but sly and cruel. He took his hands from behind his back and began to toss the last White Oak stake from hand to hand.

"Well well well, if it isn't my favourite kind of party!" he laughed loudly, more confident than I liked, "a soon to be dead one," he concluded his own joke, bursting into a fit of maniac laughter. Nobody else found the funny side.

"I see that we have… most present," he went on, counting off the Originals on his fingers. "Wow, look who it is. The beautiful and yet regretfully stupid Rebekah! Damon very kindly gave you the chance to escape or at least warn your family, and yet here you stand, ready for me to succeed in killing you!" he laughed. "Of course Finn is absent and Klaus. I presume Blondie here has told you of his well-deserved but sadly delayed death?"

It hit me that according to Ric, Klaus died in that coffin. Tyler was just another one of sire victims as opposed to a target of his hate. I think Klaus realised this too and a slow, selfish smile spread across his face.

"That is where you would be wrong," I said. Ric's eyes spun on me and a frown creased his forehead. I gave him a sarcastic wave and pulled Elena closer to my chest. When the time came, I knew what I had to do. But until I was sure it was necessary, I would keep her alive and I would keep her human.

"You should be dead by now…" Ric mumbled, using the stake to scratch his head.

"I don't suppose you recognise me," Klaus grinned. Ric's face flattened out and then he began to laugh again. He even clutched his stomach dramatically.

"Oh that little witch! A body replacement spell, I should have known," he cried, slapping himself on the head and pointing at Klaus with the stake. "Good one."

"Tyler is dead because of you," Elena said.

"Oh Elena you're still here," Ric smiled lazily, "and I'm sorry you think that. Because the way I see it is that if Klaus had just died like he was supposed to when I killed him, then Klaus would be dead and Tyler wouldn't. Oh no wait, yes he would!" he laughed again and wiped an imaginary tear from his face. "But soon pretty much anybody with an attachment to a vampire will be dead. So there isn't really a way around it is there," he shrugged.

Suddenly Ric surged forwards, holding the stake high above his head as if to strike at someone. He was aiming for Klaus, but his body collided with something invisible and solid before he could make it more than two steps into the room. He stumbled backwards and rubbed his head where he had walked into the barrier.

"You won't touch any of them," Bonnie's voice came from behind Ric. He slowly turned to face her and a comprehensive smile stretched his lips. He moved towards her but the same transparent wall kept him from reaching her. He let out an annoyed howl and Bonnie sidestepped him quickly, pulling Caroline along behind her. I had to give it to the witch, she always tried her best. She came to stand beside me and Elena, reaching for her friend's hand. Elena, Bonnie and Caroline didn't always see eye to eye, but they had come through so much together and I had a feeling that they would pull each other through the darkest times. They were there for each other and I realised I envied their friendship just a little. My brother and I had had such a relationship at one point in time, but we had been driven further apart by Katherine. And in turn, by Elena…

"I'm not strong enough to hold him off with any kind of spell for more than a moment. He's…programmed to figure out an unbinder… a kind of mental force field to block out any magic. It's almost as if he's immune…" Bonnie whispered in my ear. Sure enough, Alaric slowly moved through Bonnie's barrier. With a triumphant smile, he tried to lunge at Klaus again. This time a huge wall of fire burst up in a semicircle around us, separating us from Alaric. The flames were huge and fierce, threatening to engulf the entire house. I glanced across at Bonnie's strained expression and the beads of sweat forming at her brow. The amount of magic she was attempting was more than she could handle alone.

After a few seconds, the fire began to die, and bit by bit, as if being hosed, the flames vanished without a scorch-mark in sight. Bonnie fought to catch her breath and then chanted several words under her breath. Ric let out a loud roar of pain and clutched his head. Seconds later there was silence as Alaric straightened, fixed his jacket and lunged for Bonnie. I tried to knock him away but his fist connected with my face and I jerked sideways. Elena cried out and helped to right me. I was too slow and Ric grabbed Bonnie by her hair and threw her across the room. She flew backwards and crashed into one of the alcohol cabinets. The glass shattered as she slumped to the ground. For a second I was scared that she was dead, but she groaned in pain and attempted to move. Shards of sharp glass stuck in her red hair and I smelt blood. Then Ric slashed at me with the stake. I knocked him away and grabbed Elena's hand, pulling her behind me and clean out of the way. Ric gave up on trying to get at me and turned on the others. The room filled with panicked gasps and cries, including Caroline's frantic calls for help as she crouched by her friend. The Originals were trying to fight Alaric, but they were all terrified to get too close. Ric laughed loudly and pinned Elijah to the nearest wall. Elijah jammed his knee between his legs and I was surprised to see Ric crumple slightly. Clearly Esther hadn't thought of everything. There was the sound of tearing flesh and a howl as Elijah bit into Ric's shoulder. The makeshift Vampire pulled away and rounded on another Original. This time he tried to stake Rebekah, but Klaus knocked her out of the way before delivering a punch to his face. The blow didn't seem to affect Ric and he bounced back, tearing into Klaus' flesh with his own dagger sharp teeth. The two began to fight like men, punching and kicking. Fresh blood was spilt, but I was unsure of whose it was. Elena was cowering behind me and I knew I had to keep her safe. Elijah grabbed hold of his sister and pulled her behind him. Ric kicked Klaus away from him and stood up, fighting for his grip on the stake. Then he noticed for the first time Kol lying dead on the couch.

"Looks like someone tried to make my job easy," he grinned and in one swift movement, he drove the stake into his chest and into his heart. Everything in the room seemed to stop, each Vampire frozen as they watched Kol's eyes snap wide open and his mouth form an endless scream. His face began to crumble like stone and soon all that was left was ash as white as the moon.

"So who's next? Can't you see that you can't stop me?" Ric bellowed, whipping around to face the rest of us.

"No… no! Kol!" Rebekah whimpered, doubling over. Elijah kept his arms around her, preventing her from approaching Kol's remains. Klaus was the closest now to Ric, lying on the floor at his feet, panting wildly and clutching his neck where teeth had torn at his flesh. The wound was heeling, but the blood spilt at a dangerous rate. Ric stood and placed a foot at his throat. He raised the stake, ready to pierce and stop his heart.

"I'm sorry, Elena," I whispered in her ear. She kissed me hastily on the lips and I snapped her neck in return.