Chapter 9: Bloodline

Bonnie sat in the passenger seat of Damon's Mustang and stared out the window as the trees passed quickly beside her. Elena had been missing for more than twenty four hours now and the small connection Bonnie had been able to gain through her necklace was fading fast. With every moment that passed she felt Elena becoming weaker and weaker. She closed her eyes and tried to forget the feeling she had gotten as she had touched the necklace. The pain that had surged through her body had scared her more than anything and she knew that wherever Elena was, they had to get there fast, or she would be gone forever.

Elena's eyes opened slowly to the sound of footsteps moving across a creaky old floor. The sound of boots hitting the splitting wooden boards was deafening in her ears. Elena turned her head and looked around as she tried to trace the loud sound to its source. She felt her heart drop into her stomach as the haunting man she remembered from the gym came into view.

"Good morning, Elena." The man's voice said smoothly. Elena swallowed as she felt fear wash over her body. She tried to move, in hopes that she could try to escape the horrible figure that stood before her, but when she twisted her body she felt a fiery pain wash over her skin. She looked down and found that she was bound by tight rough ropes that held her in her place in the middle of the room.

"What do you want with me, Mikael? I haven't done anything to you, please just let me go." Elena begged as she continued to twist in pain in her chair. Mikael smiled darkly as he continued to move across the floor. He tilted his head to the side and looked up at her from under his furrowed brow.

"Oh Elena, you certainly do have something that I want darling. Actually you have two things that I want. One being the power to draw little Nicklaus out of hiding and the other…well the other is that abomination that you are carrying inside of you." Mikael said coldly as he stopped walking and glared at Elena. Confusion washed over Elena's face as she stared into Mikael's cold eyes.

"I thought Klaus…I thought he was dead." Elena said softly as she closed her eyes and felt the pain of the night she had been torn from Klaus' arms consume her. Mikael laughed darkly as he moved closer to Elena.

"Oh, my sweet Elena. Nicklaus has been alive for long enough that unfortunately he has learned many of my tricks. As much as I hate to admit, he outsmarted me and fled like that coward that he is. At first I was afraid that I had lost my chance and that I would never rid the world of his evil. But then, well then, I found you and finally I found something that would draw him out of hiding and give me the chance to end this once and for all." He said as he reached out and touched Elena's cheek. Elena turned her head and shivered as his cold fingers caressed her skin.

"I have nothing that Klaus wants, Mikael. If he has been running from you for a thousand years, he is not going to risk his life just to save me." Elena said as she looked down. If Klaus hadn't come for her in the past three weeks while she had cried and waited for him, he definitely wasn't coming now.

"Oh sweetheart, you underestimate my boy's weakness. Nicklaus might have feared me for most of his existence, but he fears loneliness far worse. I saw how he looked at you, he loves you and it will be his love for you that finally ends his life. Besides, Elena, has no one told you the good news?" Mikael said as he tilted his head and moved closer to her face. Elena looked up and stared at Mikael in both fear and confusion.

"Elena, you are carrying Nicklaus' child in your womb. The greatest evil that this world could ever imagine is growing deep inside of you as we speak." He said in almost a whisper. Elena felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. Her mind began to swim as she took in the words that Mikael had just spoken to her. Slowly, she began to move gently in the ropes that scorched her skin. Finally, her hand reached the soft feel of her stomach. Elena closed her eyes and suddenly she felt safer knowing that Klaus was still somewhere inside of her. Mikael's laugh boomed through the room once again, breaking through Elena's thoughts.

"I'm so sorry Elena, I don't mean to interrupt your tender moment, but I have some bad news for you. See I wouldn't get too attached to that little demon inside of you because soon enough, it, you, and Nicklaus will be dead and this world will be rid of any memory of this filthy hybrid bloodline." Mikael said as he spat onto the floor. Elena knew that soon her life would be over and that she would never come to know the child that was growing inside of her. But even so, as she pressed her hand gently against her stomach she felt a feeling wash over her that was much stronger than her fear…love.

Mikael watched Elena for a moment with a deranged look on his face that reminded Elena of the look she imagined was very common on that of a serial killer. He looked at her as if she was already dead and he was admiring his handy work. The look he gave not only scared Elena, but it made her sick to her stomach.

After a few moments, Mikael turned from Elena and walked across the room to a small makeshift kitchen table that looked as if at any moment it would fall to pieces. He leaned down slowly and picked up a long syringe and began to move back toward her.

"Well let's see if we can't conjure up the daddy to be, shall we?" Mikael asked in a cold sarcastic tone. Elena froze in fear as she watched him raise the syringe and grab her arm painfully tight.

"Are you sure this is where he would've left them?" Alaric asked as he and Stefan walked into the large warehouse that sat just on the edge of Mystic Falls. Stefan nodded without looking back.

"Yeah, Klaus doesn't go far without his family. He's been in Mystic Falls long enough; they have to be here somewhere." He said as he reached around in the darkness until he found the light. He flicked the switch quickly and suddenly florescent light filled the damp room. Stefan smiled and stepped back as he looked into the distance. Alaric moved forward and felt a sick feeling come over him. Just a few feet in front of them were a long row of coffins.

"Wouldn't it be easier if he just called his family when he missed them? Staking them whenever they pissed him off and then hauling them all over the world seems like a lot of work. I mean I can only imagine the storage costs." Alaric said sarcastically as they moved closer toward the coffins. Stefan laughed quietly.

"Well Ric, if one thing can be said about Klaus, it's that he loves his family very deeply. He hates being alone and will do anything to keep those that he cares about with him." Stefan said as he reached down to run his hands over the first oak box.

"If he loves them so much and hates being alone, why does he keep killing them?" Alaric asked as he caught up to where Stefan stood.

"Klaus is a very complex man, Ric. He loves completely, he lives recklessly and he searches this world for someone who will stand by his side willingly. One thing is certain though, he does not tolerate those that disappoint him, not matter how much he might love them." Stefan said as he opened the first coffin. He looked down and before him laid the beautiful blonde that at one time in his life; he had loved with all of his heart. He ran his hand down her cold darkened skin until he reached the small sword that was lodged deep in her chest. He took in a deep breath, wrapped his fingers around the hilt and then pulled the sword from her chest.

"Ah Rebekah, it's been a very long time." He said quietly and then he looked over her once more and moved down to the next cedar box, where he then found Elijah.

"Stefan you sure this is a good idea? After all, they are going to be pissed when they wake up and I'm pretty sure that vampires don't mind killing the messengers." Alaric said as he felt his body tense. Stefan laughed as he pulled the sword from Elijah's chest, just as he had with Rebekah.

"Don't worry Ric, they might be pissed, but they love Klaus. He has protected them for many many years. Their family has been alive for a thousand years and he has done nothing but protect them for all of them. The fear and obedience he has instilled in others has served to protect his entire family. Yes, they will definitely be angry with him for what he has done to them, but they hate someone else far more. Klaus they will forgive, but their hatred for the one that created them, well that runs far deeper." He said slowly as he walked back to where Alaric stood.

"Mikael, I assume?" Alaric asked slowly. Stefan nodded.

"Yes Mikael. There's nothing like a good old fashioned murder to bring a family together." He said sarcastically and then he and Alaric walked out of the warehouse to Stefan's car and waited for the family to wake.

Elena's body shook in fear as Mikael gripped her arm tightly with one hand and in the other held the long syringe. Elena was not sure of the contents of the syringe, but she was sure that whatever it was, it was definitely dangerous. Mikael crouched down in front of her face and turned her hand over so her delicate wrist was exposed before him.

"Elena, I am sorry you got mixed up in all of this. But I need you to do something for me when you feel the pain you are about to feel." He said softly. Elena looked at him wide eyed and terrified, but she nodded.

"Scream for him!" Mikael yelled loudly and then at inhuman speed he jammed the syringe into her wrist.

Fire burned through Elena's veins as the contents of the syringe emptied into her blood stream. She felt the heat burn deep inside her and scorch her organs as it traveled through her system. As the fire spread further, Elena felt an explosion of pain deep inside her stomach. With every passing second the pain became more intense. After a few moments it felt as if Elena was being ripped in two and something was clawing inside of her trying to break free. Elena screamed at the top of her lungs and her ear piercing cries filled the entire house. She did not call for anyone to save her, she simply screamed in pain as the flames inside of her took over.

Mikael watched as Elena strained against the tight robes that held her in the chair. She screamed out in pain, but she would not call for Klaus. Mikael moved quickly toward her and grabbed another syringe. He looked into her terror filled eyes and once again dug his fingers deep into her arm.

"Listen to me now doppelganger! You will call for him or I will rip that child from your body and watch you bleed to death on this floor. Now, say it! Say his name!" He screamed loudly in her face. Elena felt the tears roll down her face. She wanted to reason with the man that stood before her. She wanted to beg him to let her go and to spare Klaus' life. She wanted to do anything to make the pain inside of her stop, but she knew that no words she could say would change the mind of a man that had been dreaming of the day when he would kill his son for over a thousand years. She finally looked down and tried to formulate anything to say to him, but before she could speak a loud noise broke into her thoughts and jolted her to reality.

Mikael stood up quickly as the loud noise filled the room. The sound that radiated through the walls of the farmhouse was so loud that Elena couldn't hear herself scream over it. It sounded as if the entire foundation of the house had split apart. Suddenly, the house fell silent and Elena heard what she assumed to be the front door of the house being ripped from its hinges and discarded onto the ground outside. Mikael smiled and laughed quietly to himself as he started to move away from Elena.

"Ah, never mind dear. It seems the prodigal son has returned." He said as he walked over and dropped the syringe back onto the kitchen table. Elena's chest heaved as she tried to calm herself and forget about the pain that continued to radiate through her body. She gritted her teeth and swallowed hard as the sweat poured down her face. She turned as she heard footsteps coming from the hall just on the other side of where she was restrained. In an instant she felt the pain disappear and her heart come to life as she saw him enter the room.

"It would be best if you started to run father, I would so enjoy a chase before I rip you limb from limb and then burn you to ash." Klaus' voice said as he turned the corner from the hallway and entered the room. Elena stared at him as she felt her heart ache. He stood before her in black jeans and a midnight blue V-neck T-shirt. He wore heavy black boots and his hair was in messy blonde waves on top of his head. He held his arms tight to his body and his hands were clenched in painful fists at his side. He looked over to Elena and pain immediately filled his eyes. Elena felt tears begin to run down her face once again.

"Klaus…" She said softly. He looked at her face and felt his heart sink in his chest. His eyes moved over her small body as he took in the heartbreaking sight before him. Elena's body slumped against the wooden chair she was restrained to, her eyes were filled with fear, and her olive skin was covered in dark purple bruises and crimson blood. Klaus looked down and saw the robes that held her painfully tight and the marks they had burned into her skin. He turned slowly and looked back to Mikael.

"Why are you doing this father? Why not just come straight for me like you always have? Why involve her in your sick little game? She is just a human and she has nothing to do with us." Klaus said coldly. He hoped that if he could just convince his father she held no importance to him, then maybe he would release her and the two of them could finally end their lifelong battle. Mikael laughed and started moving across the room, pacing once again.

"Oh Nicklaus. It is a shame that you are not the predator you once were. Have you gotten so caught up in your own thoughts and your own wants that you have stopped paying attention to all those wonderful gifts that I gave to you?" Mikael asked as he stopped just a foot in front of Klaus. Klaus glared at his father in pure hatred.

"Nothing you have ever given me was a gift, father. I am tired of your games. Tell me what it is that you want and I will give you your chance to end my life. She, however, has no part in this, let her go." Klaus said. Mikael laughed once again and then stepped even closer to him.

"Have you become so weak and preoccupied with yourself that you cannot hear it, Nicklaus? Listen boy, listen hard. Move closer to your love and tell me what you hear." Mikael said in a dark whisper. Klaus looked at his father and then slowly moved closer to Elena. He had never taken orders from his father before, but he knew the closer he was to her, the better he could protect her. The silence of the room was louder than any words as Klaus listened for whatever it was his father had been directing him toward

At first Klaus heard nothing, but just as he was about to turn back toward his father, he felt it. A small, steady heart beat radiated throughout Klaus' entire body and invaded his mind with more strength than anything he had ever experienced before. The heartbeat was too fast to belong to Elena, but yet it pounded from her body as it seemed to call to him. Elena saw a mixture of emotions on Klaus' face that she didn't understand. Finally, she closed her eyes and dropped her head down as she felt tears drop onto her chest. Mikael moved closer to Klaus once again.

"She is pregnant Nicklaus. Inside of her beats the very heart of what you have searched over a thousand years for. She carries a true hybrid, the key to your master race." Mikael said slowly still in a dark whisper against Klaus' ears. Klaus swallowed hard and felt his emotions spin out of control. He looked at Elena and watched as the tears rolled down her face. None of what his father had said made any sense. He had been alive for over a thousand years and had always known that their kind could never create anything unless it was created out of blood. One of the very ways that nature had punished them for the plague they had created was that they themselves could never create true life…family. The word rang through Klaus' ears and he swallowed against the pain that he felt. He looked at Elena and suddenly the only sound he could hear was her and their child's beautiful beating hearts.

"What boy, aren't you going to celebrate? You finally have the missing piece to your puzzle! Who would have known that it wasn't the death of the doppelganger that you needed to complete your plan. You simply needed her blood and yours together to create your true hybrid warriors. Come on Nicklaus, smile, you should be so happy. I don't mean to spoil the surprise, but it feels like a boy to me…you feel it too don't you?" Mikael started as he moved across the room with the sick smile plastered across his face once again. Once he reached the table, he picked up another long syringe.

"Now, having said all that I have said, I do have some bad news. Obviously, you, Nicklaus, you have to die. Unfortunately, I am going to have to kill your sweet Elena and the bastard that she carries inside of her as well. See, I refuse to let you and your hybrid abominations do anymore harm to this world than they already have. This curse ends here and it ends tonight." Mikael said as he started to once again move closer to Elena. Klaus moved quickly and in a blur he was soon standing in front of his father. Mikael smiled and glared into his sons eyes.

"You really think you can protect them from me, Nicklaus? I created you. I gave you the strength that you have used for the past thousand years to control those that were weaker than you. I gave you all that you have, and now I am taking it away." He seethed never breaking his stare with Klaus. Klaus stepped closer to Mikael once again and Elena saw as the black veins began to surface under his beautiful blue eyes.

"You, Mikael, you have given me nothing. The man that my mother laid with because you could not satisfy her, that is the man that gave me my strength. You only gave me a curse that has plagued my entire existence." Klaus yelled through gritted teeth. Mikael smiled and shook his head.

"Oh, the big bad wolf, please excuse me if I am not scared of you and your heathenish breed of uncontrollable dogs." Mikael seethed once again and then in a second he moved around Klaus and began moving back towards Elena. He turned his head and looked back at Klaus with another dark smile as he moved.

"Now Elena, where were we love? Oh yes, I remember now. The Vervain….well the Vervain I gave her, I think that stung a little for the two of them. I mean, you must have heard or you wouldn't be here Nicklaus. Shall we try the Wolfsbane and see if that does anything?" Mikael said sarcastically as he smiled at Klaus. Klaus began to move toward him, but in a flash Mikael was next to Elena and just as Klaus ripped his hands away from her, Elena felt the syringe jam into her skin and empty into her bloodstream.

Damon's Mustang sped down the long highway as he watched Mystic Falls fade in his rearview mirror. He held his cellphone in his hand as he waited anxiously for Stefan to answer.

"We found them. They are in an abandoned house just off of Route 40. It's the only house within miles of the highway, so you shouldn't miss it. We should be there in about twenty minutes. Do you have Rebekah and Elijah?" Damon asked into the phone.

"Yes, we should be there soon. Rebekah sensed they were close so we just started driving." Stefan said into the other end of the line. Damon let out a deep breath.

"Bonnie says she is still alive, but she is fading fast Stefan. If we don't get there soon…" Damon stopped.

"We'll get there, just drive." Stefan said and then the line went dead. Damon dropped his phone on the seat next to Bonnie and slammed his foot down on the accelerator as his Mustang roared down the highway.

In a flash Klaus pulled the syringe from Elena's arm as he knocked his father back against the wall. Mikael hit the wall hard enough that he broke through the boards and landed with a crash on the floor. Klaus threw the syringe quickly across the room as he felt it burn his skin. Elena's body burned in pain and she felt as if she was watching a movie in fast forward as she watched Klaus rip the ropes from her body. He gritted his teeth through the pain that attacked his skin with each touch of the rough twine that held Elena in her place. Klaus knew that his father had always been a man ruled by his pride and his temper and that had led to countless hasty killings in his time. However, when it had come to his attempts at killing Klaus he had always been thorough. As Klaus ripped through the last of the ropes he realized that they had all been laced with Vervain and Wolfsbane. With every move Elena made the ropes burned deeper and deeper into her flesh. Klaus moved his hand to her face as he began to pull her from the chair.

"Don't struggle, love. It is only going to make it worse." He said softly. Elena looked at him and then terror filled her eyes as she shifted her glance over his shoulder.

"Klaus!" She screamed and just as the words escaped her, Klaus turned and caught Mikael's arm before the stake in his hand sank into his chest. He looked into his father's eyes as he held his arm tightly in his grasp.

"You have underestimated me for far too long father. And I will never let you touch her again." Klaus screamed as the black veins under his eyes once again appeared. Elena heard the deafening sound of bones crushing as Klaus molded his hands over his father's. Mikael just laughed as he stood in his son's grasp.

"You are nothing, boy! You are a sad excuse for an immortal and an even worse excuse for a man. You are weak and scared and that has kept you from truly being great. You above all things are a bastard and so is that child that lies in her womb. I will not let anymore abominations into this world!" Mikael screamed and then in a flash he twisted Klaus' arm and knocked him back. Elena heard the faint sound of the stake dropping to the ground and then watched as it rolled along the floor and then disappeared from her sight.

Elena moved from the chair she had been restrained too and looked around to find a path that led out of the house. She had barely taken a step when she felt Mikael's ice cold grip on her throat as he pulled her back against his body. He held her tight to him and in a second Klaus froze in front of her. Mikael wrapped one arm around Elena's body to keep her in place and raised the other next to her throat. In his hand he held yet another syringe.

"If I were you, Nicklaus, I would not move. If I empty this directly into her bloodstream it will kill her and it will kill her slowly and painfully. You need to remember my son, she is still human. She is weak and she will fade quickly. No matter what demon seed you might have put inside of her, there is no strength, except immortality that could save her from this now. You left her weak and for that you will greatly pay." Mikael said coldly as he lowered the syringe closer to Elena.

"Well hello father." A soft voice said from the other side of the room. Elena shifted her eyes and saw a beautiful woman with long blond hair standing behind Klaus. Next to her stood a man of equal beauty, with short dark brown hair, sharp features, and intense brown eyes. They both were painfully radiant and had a striking resemblance to Klaus. Mikael stared at them both in stunned silence, but then he spoke.

"Rebekah, Elijah. I thought you were…." He stopped suddenly as the two moved closer.

"You thought we were locked up in coffins? Well now, we couldn't miss the family reunion, could we? Let her go father, this isn't her battle." Elijah said as he stepped forward. The graceful movements of his body and certainty in his eyes both calmed and amazed Elena as she watched him.

"This must end. He is a disgrace to our family and always has been! I will not let this curse continue and I will not allow him to create more evil than he already has. Someday you children will understand why this had to be done." Mikael said as he moved the syringe closer to Elena's throat. Elena froze and closed her eyes as fear spread through her.

"It was not Nicklaus' choice to be what he is. Mother did this to him. She was the one that had laid with another man, she was the one that put the curse on him, and she was the one that broke your heart. Not Nicklaus." Rebekah said as she started to move forward once again.

"You mother tried to make it right. She repented to me and she did all she could to keep our family protected. But there was nothing she could do to stop the evil that had been created in him! I have the power to stop it now and I will, I will protect this family. This ends!" He screamed as tears rolled down his face.

Elena watched as fear spread across Klaus' face. She watched him move in a blur, but she felt the sharp sting of pain hit her throat before she felt Klaus warm touch on her body. Pain rushed over her quickly and her mind began to spin as Klaus lowered her to the floor. She heard screams and everyone seemed to move in a blur of motion around her. She felt Klaus' lips on her mouth and she tasted the salty taste of his tears before he quickly moved from her and she felt the cold rush around her.

Time passed slowly, but in an intense cloud of movement around Elena. In an instant she felt someone pulling her off the floor and into their lap. She felt a warm familiar touch on her face and as she finally turned her head she found herself looking into Bonnie's eyes. She watched as the tears rolled down Bonnie's face and then listened as Bonnie spoke quickly over her. The words moved over her and made her feel as if she were being spun in circles. She didn't understand what Bonnie was saying, but she felt some of the pain subside as she spoke. After a few moments in Bonnie's arms, Elena turned her head toward the sound of screams that filled her ears.

As she turned, Elena saw the blur of Klaus' body as he grabbed his father by the throat and lifted him into the air. She watched as his hand crushed down and blood began to spill from Mikael's neck. She heard Mikael's screams flood her ears as Klaus threw him across the room. She saw him reach down and pick up the stake that Mikael had been holding only moments ago and watched as Klaus stood over him and slammed the wooden stake deep inside his chest. Klaus' voice filled the room as he spoke so quickly Elena couldn't understand what he was saying. She watched as he pulled the stake out of his father's chest and then drove it back in, again and again, as he watched Mikael writhe in pain on the floor beneath him. Finally, she saw flashes of Rebekah's beautiful blonde hair as she and Elijah ran to Klaus' side and then pulled him from their father. In one quick and graceful movement Elena watched as Rebekah drove the stake deep into Mikael's chest one last time. Mikael's screams vibrated through the old farmhouse as his body burst into flames.

A moment later, Elena felt herself being lifted from the floor. She curled her body into the strong arms that held her and felt warmth move through her body. She closed her eyes and rubbed her face against the soft warm skin of the man that carried her. She breathed in and she knew immediately who held her and suddenly she felt safe and unafraid.

"I'm so sorry Klaus." Elena mumbled through her tears and she hugged tighter to his body as he carried her from the house.

"Elena love, please open your eyes. Look at me Elena; you need to look at me!" She heard Klaus' voice beg frantically as she felt herself being laid down on the softness of the earth. She looked up and saw Klaus' beautiful face staring back at her. His eyes were filled with terror and his body was covered in blood, but something about him still made her feel so comforted.

"I love you; I've loved you ever since you came to me in my dreams. You made me feel so safe. No one has ever…" Elena began to trail off as she felt Klaus' shaking arms scoop her up once again. She heard desperate screams come from his lips as he pulled her tighter to him. Behind her, she listened as Bonnie still chanted through her through her tears. She looked up at Klaus one last time and watched as he bit deeply into his wrist. He quickly pressed the wound to her lips and Elena let the beautiful taste of his blood wash over her. The soothing feel of his warm elixir moved through her body and all the pain seemed to fade away as she rested in his arms. Finally, she pulled away from him slightly and laid a gentle kiss over his wrist. She laid her head down on his chest and as she drifted into the darkness, she felt as if she could almost feel his heartbeat.