Poppy sat in her circle, defiantly watching as Greta performed the spell, chanting in latin. She knew that there was nothing that she could do to help Elena... to save Jenna. And while she couldn't do anything, that didn't mean that she would just sit idly by, completely indifferent to what was happening.

The werewolf was still in pain from the slowed-down transformation, and Poppy almost felt it second-hand just by looking at her. Werewolves didn't have it easy, that was for sure. Changing their entire bodies once a month and losing any sense of control didn't seem like a good time, at all.

"Everything I did..." the werewolf said, groaning from her slow turn under the full moon. Her face was contorted in agony, and Poppy didn't like seeing it, one bit. "I was just trying to help Tyler."

Poppy closed her eyes, not having it in her to feel bad for another person in this mess. Doing so helped her cope hardly at all, but at least she didn't have to witness her pain.

"Are you Jules?" Elena asked.

"I didn't want him to be alone," she said, referring to Tyler. Then she returned to her groaning as her bones morphed inside of her. Poppy wasn't sure what her connection with the boy was exactly, but she knew that she was the reason that he'd been gone for the last few weeks. From what she heard then, all that she'd wanted was good for him – and look at what she got in return.

"Shall we?" Niklaus asked, looking excitedto begin his ritual. It was all she could do to stop herself from making a run for it, if only to be able to slap that smug look off of his face. The guy saved her, but that didn't mean that he hadn't lost all sense of compassion in his thousand years of living, and seeing it first-person made her angrier than she cared to admit.

The circle of fire around Jules then disappeared, and Poppy knew what that had to mean. It was time for the sacrificial part of the evening.

She wasn't ready to see Jules die. In fact, she would be happy if she never had to see anyone die ever again. Of course, life wasn't fair.

The young woman ran as soon as the fire was defused, trying for one last feeble attempt to escape from death. She got about halfway through the clearing before Klaus was there to tackle her down to the ground and surely take her life. He fought with her lazily and sat on top of her squirming body. Poppy couldn't believe how easy all of this was for him. It was all just another day, just another woman to kill.

She couldn't tear her eyes away, feeling like Jules deserved better than to be ignored in her final moments. Her eyes were locked on the scene when Klaus finally reached into her chest, pulling out her heart and killing her. That easy. The victorious look on his face only freaked the rest of them out further.

He got up and took the heart over to the tree stump where the actual spell was being performed. Poppy was closer to it than Jenna and Elena, and she watched as the blood dripped into the fire. Not being able to look anymore, she turned back to her sister and aunt.

"The day that the lawyers called to tell me that I was going to become your guardian, you know what my first thought was?" Jenna asked. Poppy shook her head, not wanting to hear this. She felt tears sliding down her cheeks, and wiped them away. "Isn't there someone else who can do this?"

Poppy chuckled hysterically, the whole situation becoming too much for her.

"Jenna, there's no one else who could have gotten me, Poppy, and Jeremy through all of that," Elena said. How she was able to keep herself put together enough to form coherent sentences amazed Poppy.

"Just the thought that I almost passed up taking care of you," she said.

"But you didn't. You put your entire life on hold to help us."

"Look around, Elena," Jenna said. "I failed you."

"Jenna," Poppy said, cutting in, now able to sort out her thoughts, if only to tell her aunt how much she meant to her. "No. You have been everything that we've needed. We got through this because of you. We needed you there for us, and you did everything you could to make us happy."

Elena nodded. "Being a vampire, it intensifies your guilt, but it also makes you stronger and faster." She lowered her voice so that Niklaus couldn't hear. "You can fight back. I'm gonna get through this. I'll be okay. I need you to believe that. Promise me. When you get the chance, run."

Jenna nodded and her eyes flickered back and forth between the twins. "You girls and Jeremy... It's been so great taking care of all of you. Just know that... I'll protect you, until the very end."

Poppy bit her lip and nodded, feeling more tears coming. She would do anything to keep her aunt safe, but she knew that Niklaus wouldn't accept any of her feeble attempts to change his mind. He would soon have all of the power that he desired, and her friend would soon be dead.

Niklaus made his way over to the girls and walked up to Jenna's circle. "Hello, Jenna."

"Let her go. I understand that I have to die, but she doesn't," Elena said. Then she tried to walk over to Jenna, but the flames grew higher.

"Careful," Niklaus said, shaking his head.

"Elena, don't," Jenna said.

"No, Jenna! We can't leave Jeremy without a family," Elena said. She turned to Klaus. "I followed your rules, I did everything that you asked. I didn't run. Please."

Poppy shut her eyes tightly, just wanting to escape this horrible reality. She couldn't believe that this had all gone so terribly. They had a plan. It was supposed to work out. Jenna wasn't supposed to get involved. They were supposed to be at home, eating popcorn and watching movies. She couldn't believe she was so stupid to leave the house, even after all that Elijah said.

"Well, well," Niklaus said. Then he looked up at a cliff that Poppy hadn't realized was there until that moment. "I don't recall you being on the guest list."

And up there on the cliff, of course, was the one and only Stefan Salvatore.

"I'm here to talk."

"Dear god," Poppy said, rolling her eyes at the stupid man. Niklaus gave her an amused look.

"Very well, then," he said. He ran up to Stefan and their words were now out of hearing range.

"What's going on?" Jenna asked, looking up at them.

"I-I don't know," Elena said, looking absolutely terrified. Then she turned to Jenna, suddenly remembering something. "You can hear them. You can hear anything. Just focus on them."

Poppy nodded, remembering the whole vampire-hearing thing. She turned to her aunt, wondering what was going on. Stefan was probably doing something stupid and heroic.

"What are they saying?" Elena asked impatiently.

"I can't- I can't make it out," Jenna said, shaking her head. The whole vampire-thing was new to her, and she wasn't sure how to use any of the powers that she was granted.

"You can do this. Just relax. Focus."

Jenna nodded and looked at the men determinedly. Then, it was like a switch flicked on and her eyes widened. "I... I can hear him. I can hear Stefan," she said.

"What are they saying?"

"Oh my god..." Jenna said, her eyebrows lifting in shock.

"What, Jenna?" Poppy asked, finally speaking up.

Jenna sighed and looked down at the ground. "He wants to take my place."

Elena's face couldn't show half of the pain she was feeling. Stefan, the boy who taught her what true love meant, was offering to take the place of her aunt in a sacrifice. What was she supposed to do? These were two of the people she cared most about, and she couldn't let either of them die.

"'Lena," Poppy said, trying to get her sister to look at her. Maybe knock some type of sense into her.

"I have to do something," she said, pacing again. "This can't happen. None of it."

"Quite the predicament," Niklaus said, strolling back up to them with Stefan trailing behind. "You know, it's funny, all this talk about preserving family, and here's Stefan, granting your wish."

Elena sighed when she looked at the boy she loved. "Stefan."

"It's okay."

Poppy held back tears again. "Oh, Stef... Always the knight in shining armor," she said, sniffing.

"So..." Niklaus said. "Who's it going to be, Elena?"

"No," she said defiantly. Poppy held her breath, knowing that her sister's non-cooperation wouldn't do anything to help the situation.

"Oh, don't worry. There's actually no choice," he said, and then staked Stefan in the back.

"No! Stefan!" Elena yelled, her voice breaking. She ran to the edge of her circle, but was unable to get out. "No!"

"I have other plans for your boyfriend. I want him alive," Niklaus said. Poppy's eyes widened when she noticed he'd clearly avoided his heart... and that could only mean... "But for now-"

Then he kicked Stefan's already-unmoving body, breaking {what sounded like} several bones. Stefan's body laid there, limp and motionless. His limbs certainly didn't look like they were going to be setting right. But at least he was alive.

Her relief didn't last long, though.

"Whenever you're ready, Greta," he said.

The flames that surrounded Jenna died down to nothing until she was left standing, like a sitting duck. Completely defenseless. Unable to do anything to stop this; to stop him.

"No!" Poppy yelled, getting as close to her aunt as she could. "Niklaus, don't you dare! Please don't hurt her!"

"Poppy, dear," he said, turning and looking annoyed. "I told you to call me Nik."

She looked at him with wide eyes, her mouth agape, shaking her head at this lunacy. He was utterly insane. She couldn't believe how far he was willing to go, only for a chance to no longer be alone. For a while, she could sympathize with him, but... Seeing it all for herself made her positive about one thing: Niklaus wanted what he wanted, and no one would stop him from getting exactly that.

"No..." Elena said, barely keeping herself together.

Niklaus turned back to Jenna casually. "Your turn."

"Nik, please..." Poppy said in almost a whisper, her only hope being in a stupid nickname. He locked eyes with her for a moment, and she could swear that she saw a bit of sympathy in them. Sadness that he was making her feel this way. It didn't last long though, and his face turned back into its stony indifference.

"No, Jenna, no!"

"It's alright, girls," Jenna said, surprisingly calm. Throughout the last year, she'd been able to keep a steady head, just as she was doing now. Poppy didn't understand it. The young woman was able to stay strong, when none of them were able to. She'd done her best to help them and Jeremy, no matter how big of a pain they were. And now she was stepping up again. So she nodded and said, "I know what I have to do."

Then, without warning, she ran over to Greta and bit her, likely thinking that her death would stop the curse, but Niklaus was there in seconds to stake her in the side, not hitting her heart.

"No!" Poppy screamed, pulling at her hair.

"Jenna, no!" Elena yelled. The three all looked at each other, wanting nothing more than to be there for each other, but knowing that that was impossible. Elena sniffed and nodded, not accepting, but knowing what was to come. "Jenna, just turn it off. Jenna, turn it off."

Poppy nodded, tears streaming down her face and feeling as if her own heart was being ripped out. "Jen, it's okay. Turn it off," she said. She was barely able to speak, but she made herself stay strong to spend these last moments together. She swallowed the lump that had been in her throat all evening, just to say one last thing to her aunt. "You won't feel anything. He won't scare you anymore... I love you, Jen."

Jenna nodded, a final tear sliding down her cheek. Her face changed, instead showing an emotionless palette, and they knew that it would all be over soon.

Niklaus flipped her over so that she was lying on her back, and gripped a stake in his hand. The wild look in his eyes made Poppy want to curl up in a ball and hide, and she absolutely hated it.

Then, without any more warning, he ran the stake through her heart. She was dead.

"Jenna!" both of the girls screamed as they saw the life drain out of their aunt's eyes.

Poppy sank onto the ground, doubling over and sobbing. Her savior had become a monster, right before her eyes. Her aunt was dead, and because of it, three kids needed to figure out a new life. What was she going to do? How were they going to take care of Jeremy? How were they going to live in a world without their parents, and their aunt?

Elena had the same thoughts rolling through her mind, but she turned them off. Instead, she turned to her sister, knowing that they had to stay strong. "Poppy," she said, looking at her twin. The blonde pulled herself together enough to look up, tears streaming down her face. "Poppy, we're going to get through this. Together. Nothing that Klaus does can tear us apart, okay?"

She nodded, and wished more than anything that she could get up and hug her sister. To have some type of anchor to hold on to. "Of course," she said.

Their attention was pulled away from each other to Stefan, who was gaining consciousness again. He snapped his bones back into place, then looked up and saw where Jenna's body was laid down. "No..." he whispered, closing his eyes. "I'm so sorry."

"Shh..." Elena said quietly with a finger to her lips. Then she whispered almost soundlessly, "Are they going to kill him?"

Stefan nodded. "Yes."

Poppy turned back to Klaus, who wasn't aware of their exchange. He walked over to them.

"It's time."

The wall of flames around Elena disappeared, just as they had with Jenna and Jules, and Niklaus held out his hand. Elena got up and walked past him, now only looking frustrated and tired with the whole situation. And if she were being honest, Poppy was too.

Elena went up to the alter, by where Jenna was just killed.

"Thank you, Elena," Niklaus said, grabbing her face and making her look at him. She only glared.

"Go to hell."

Poppy watched in horror, as she knew that she was going to watch her sister die as well. At least, if all else failed, she would come back as a vampire. The blonde clung to that one thread of hope, not wanting to hear anything bad for the rest of the night. It was bad enough that she'd watched her aunt die. Elena would come back as a vampire, and be okay.

Niklaus then pushed back her dark hair and bit her, not taking his time to drain her of blood. Poppy couldn't stop staring, as he felt the power go through him.

"I can feel it..." he said, his eyes wide. "It's happening."

Then, his bones started cracking as his werewolf side became active. He yelled in pain, feeling his body changing into a different one. He fell onto the forest floor, and his bones continued to shift in him. Then, it stopped abruptly.

Instead of hearing his yells, Poppy heard chanting. The circle around her was no longer burning with flames, and the pathway leading to the forest was now lined with torches flickering with a strong fire. Being the source of it all, Bonnie marched up, using her power to the fullest and looking powerful as all-hell. Poppy felt nothing but relief at the sight of her friend.

"No!" Niklaus yelled. "You were dead!"

The witch ignored him, and continued her chant.

Poppy couldn't look around fast enough – too much was happening. All that she knew was that the plan was working.

Damon showed up with Elena in his arms and laid her down next to Stefan. The young blonde crawled over to them, feeling too weak in the knees to get up and walk.

"Hey, twerp," the older Salvatore said, but not as bitingly as he normally did.

"Now's not the time, Damon. My aunt just died and I really don't have patience for your shit," she said, turning to focus her attention on her sister. She put her hand on her cheek and sighed. She would be in transition soon.

Poppy looked around, expecting Elijah to show up at any minute. Frankly, she didn't want to be around the brothers anymore, so she shakily got up onto her feet and watched Bonnie as she chanted.

In a blink, the man she was looking for appeared in front of Niklaus. He looked down at him with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Elijah?" Niklaus said, out of breath.

"Hello, brother," he said. Poppy bit her lip and watched from afar, knowing that this part would be what would determine everything.

Elijah pushed up his sleeve {so as not to get blood on it, of course} and shoved his hand into his brother's chest and grabbed hold of his heart. "In the name of our family, Niklaus..." he said, getting ready to pull it out.

"I didn't bury them at sea!"

Poppy froze. Okay, she wasn't expecting that.

"What?" Elijah asked.

"Their bodies are safe," he said, knowing his leverage. "And if you kill me, you'll never find them."

Poppy couldn't believe it. After all that he'd taken from her, he was going to walk away free. She knew what family meant to Elijah, and so did Niklaus. He wouldn't kill him if doing so would mean never being able to see his family again. And if there was a chance to see them, then he was going to take it.

"Elijah!" Stefan yelled, still hoping that there was a chance of keeping the deal. Which there wasn't. "Don't listen to him."

"Elijah," Niklaus breathed, unable to voice anything. "I can take you to them. I give you my word... brother."

"Do it and I'll take you both out," Bonnie said. Poppy shook her head at her friend. She didn't know what she wanted anymore, but she certainly didn't want Elijah dead.

"You'll die," he said in response, weighing his options.

"I don't care."

"Elijah," Poppy said, finally speaking up. He turned his head to her and she walked up to him. "We both know that you don't want to do this." She could feel Stefan and Bonnie's eyes burning into her. It had been the worst night of her life, but she couldn't let him do this to his brother. Nik knew where the rest of his family was, and if he did this, he would never get over it. "They're your family. And it's okay."

He looked at her for a moment and nodded, then quickly grabbed her and Niklaus and ran off.

It was several hours later, and Poppy was sat in Alaric Saltzman's old apartment with the infamous Katherine Pierce, unable to sleep or really do anything. Her aunt died. Her sister was probably a vampire. Everything was gone. And, of course, Niklaus was still alive.

No, she didn't regret her decision to encourage Elijah to keep him alive. He wouldn't have been able to live with himself if he'd killed his own brother; his only connection to the siblings he thought he'd lost, long ago. In fact, Poppy was all right with that. It was what he needed to do.

Niklaus, on the other hand, was an entirely different story. She truly couldn't believe the nerve that the man had. He made her watch as her legal guardian and sister were both murdered in front of her. What was even the point? Why did he drag her along for the ride?

Unfortunately, these questions couldn't be answered now, because he was off in the woods, wolfing out. Elijah had taken them away from the clearing and left Nik to his own devices, then brought Poppy to Niklaus' home-base and ran back to keep an eye on him. He told her that she could leave whenever she wanted, but she honestly didn't want to face her sister – or anyone, for that matter – after convincing Elijah to let his brother go.

While she wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and never open them again, she couldn't get herself to fall asleep. The few minutes that she would manage it, she would wake up gasping for breath after a haunting nightmare. And now, the sun was rising, leaving her with no possibility for sleep or rest.

It was difficult, to say the least.

She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. Besides, she sort of enjoyed Katherine's company, anyway.

"Poppy, how did you manage to get an Original vampire wrapped around your little finger?" she asked after the momentary silence. The blonde looked up at her great-great-great-great grandmother {or something of the sort...}.

"Hey, you tell me," she said. It was strange seeing her sister's face on someone with such an opposite personality. Though she had to admit... Katherine had much better taste in clothes, and fashion in general. "I'm counting on it keeping me in good terms with Niklaus, though. He seems to have enjoyed my company so far."

The doppelgänger chuckled. "Yeah, I guess he has," she said. "He actually told me about you. He said you're feisty, which you are. He said you're stubborn, also. Maybe the Petrova attitude went on to you, rather than Elena."

Poppy hid a small smile. "Well, 'Lena's one of the most boring people you'll ever meet. I, on the other hand, am one of the greatest," she said. Then she turned away from her and looked down. "But I don't think Niklaus will like me very much after I strangle him for killing my aunt."

Katherine nodded. "Right. Sorry about that," she said. Poppy frowned and looked up at her. "Elena called you, remember?"

"Yeah, and?" she said, being too tired to catch onto whatever she was saying.

"It was me..." Katherine admitted. The young blonde looked at her and her hands curled into fists. Katherine stood up and backed away, showing her hands in surrender. "Whoa, there feisty. Don't come for me. Klaus made me. And I couldn't say no because it would blow my cover, and it was either me or your aunt. I chose your aunt."

Poppy ground her teeth. "What the hell did I ever do to deserve this?" she asked, mostly to herself. It wasn't fair. None of it.

"Listen..." the vampire said, stepping up to her. "I don't know what it is about the Petrova bloodline, but nothing good ever seems to happen to anyone in it. I would know, after all."

Before she could reply, Elijah entered the apartment. Poppy looked up at him and sighed, wishing that things could only go back to the way they were. Simple. Fun. Happy. The more she wished it, though, the more she knew it wasn't going to happen any time soon.

"Is Niklaus still... out?" she asked, standing from her seat. He nodded and slowly walked closer to her.

"Right, and I guess I should go?" Katherine asked, pointing to another room. Poppy turned and gave her a look. "Okay, okay, sorry. I get it. Been there, done that, whatever. I'll be in here."

She left the room and Poppy turned back to Elijah, lifting an eyebrow. "'Been there, done that'? I didn't strike you as the type," she said, smirking. She was glad that she could change the topic to something a bit lighter than what was happening.

"It was five hundred years ago," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, well... The Petrova bloodline seems to fool even the most decent of men. I mean, look at Stefan," she said. Elijah smiled, but it dropped after a second. He clearly wanted to move on to the important stuff.

"Poppy, Jenna's funeral will be held tomorrow," he said softly.

She stiffened up, and images of the night flashed in her mind. Niklaus turning to Jenna, inviting her to her death. Jenna running and biting Greta. Her face when she flipped the switch for her humanity. Her face when it turned gray with death. Something she had just witnessed hours ago.

"Hey," he said, getting her attention. He looked her in the eyes and cupped her cheek gently. "It will all be okay."

She shut her eyes tight for a second, then reached out and wrapped her arms around him. She'd managed to not completely fall apart until then, but she just couldn't take it anymore. Her aunt died. She was allowed to cry. She was allowed to be upset. She was allowed to want to be held and told that it would be okay. So, she did.

Elijah held her in his arms, his chin resting on her head. He rubbed her back gently as she sobbed into his chest. Throughout his thousand years of living, he'd gone through his own traumas and suffered through many deaths, but seeing it happen to the girl in front of him made him want to ignore that Niklaus knew where his siblings were completely, and just tear his brother limb from limb. No one so kind and innocent should have had to witness any of that, and once he had his hands on Niklaus, he would show him just how angry he truly was.

The next day, Elijah had driven Poppy to her house so that she could go to the funeral before they did whatever they were going to do next. He'd been firm in saying that she should go, and that she wasn't holding anything up because Niklaus was still in his wolf-form.

So there she was, in her room and getting ready for yet another funeral. One that apparently included the death of her birth father as well. When Elena ambushed her at the door, she told her that she wasn't a vampire because of some parent spell that traded a soul for a soul. Poppy was too tired to really follow, but she nodded along.

While she didn't particularly care for John, it still hurt that there was another death to go through. Every person that had been something like a parent to her was gone. Of course, Jenna was more like a sister, but at least she paid the bills and made sure they followed curfew. Now, though, she wasn't sure how they were going to move forward as a family.

Poppy sighed, putting on earrings that went with her black dress. After she did, she heard a knock on the door. She turned and saw Jeremy there, looking all made up in a nice suit. She smiled sadly at her brother and walked over to him.

"Hey, Jeremy," she said. He couldn't have been doing well. Not to mention that she hadn't really spent much one-on-one time with him the last week or so. He must have been falling apart just as badly as her and Elena, if not more. "How are you feeling?"

He looked at her, then looked down, shaking his head. Instead of answering with words, he hugged her tightly and she squeezed him back. Even though their blood didn't say so, he was still her little brother. As she held him, she felt a surge of protectiveness go over her, and she felt like she just wanted to hide him from any harm.

Too tough to cry in his sister's arms, though, Jeremy backed away after a few seconds. "It's just hard, you know?" he said in a very teenage-boy way. She pursed her lips, then placed a comforting hand on his arm.

"Little brother," she said, smirking when he pointedly looked down at her. "I'm here for you. Just talk to me. Hell, you can text me if you don't want it to be awkward and face-to-face. All that I want is for you to be happy, and if that means letting you rant, I am so willing to put up with your teenage complaining."

He nodded, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, Poppy. I get it..."

"Jeremy," she said in a more demanding voice, raising an eyebrow. He sighed, but waited for her to continue. "It's better to talk to me about it, than to have it consume you and your mind. Okay? You can't just... keep letting these things happen without talking to anyone about it. You're the least messed-up one out of the three of us, and I plan on keeping it that way."

Her last comment made him smile, which was what she was going for.

"Alright. So, I guess it's off to the funeral," she said, grabbing her brother's hand and getting ready for the whirlwind of emotions that were sure to come.

And here's another one! Jenna's death was so sad to write, along with all of Poppy's emotions afterwards. It was also hard for me to portray Klaus as such a terrible person, but he's meant to be a villain, after all. Don't worry, though. She'll learn to understand why he is the way that he is soon enough, and hopefully be able to forgive him eventually.

To those wondering, it's going to be a very long time before Poppy becomes a vampire, and there are very complex plans that I have for all of it. Everything will sort themselves out eventually, and I'm so excited to show all of you!

Thank you for all of the reviews! They all mean so much to me and I appreciate everything that you have to say about Poppy and the rest of the story. They're so much fun to read, so please keep sending them in with general comments, and constructive criticism is more than welcome!

I'm starting to queue up a few chapters ahead again, and I must say that it's such a great feeling. My chapters are rolling out smoothly, and the plot is thickening.

~Alissa