Wrong number ❖ Klaus Mikaelson

There is good in everyone

I was helping Elena and Jeremy paint the walls of Alaric's old room. With the loss of Ric, they needed something to distract them and I would be here for them as long as they needed me. I didn't know the man as well as them, but I know that he meant a lot to them. 

Soon Elena's phone rang. As she picked up her phone, she stared at it for a moment. "What's wrong? Who's calling you?" I asked her. "It says it's Ric" She responded before answering the call. "Whoever this is, it's not funny." The person on the other line spoke to her. "Ric?" She questioned. Then there was more silence as the other person spoke, the longer the silence continued the more my sisters face filled with fear. 

"Ric has Caroline." Elena told me, her voice a whisper. "What? He's dead!" I exclaimed, why does nobody stay dead in this town? "I don't know how, but he's still alive. He wants the two of us down at the school, now." She explained as she shoved her phone and keys into her purse. "You're not actually thinking of going, are you? This is insane Elena!" I told her. "keep your voice down!" She hushed me. "No one can know. He said if we don't come down alone, he will kill Caroline." 

I glanced at my little sister, I suppose we had no choice. "We'll go out the back door" This was not going to end well.

~

Elena and I wandered down the corridors of the school searching for Ric and Caroline. In the distance, I heard a strained cry that clearly belonged to my sister's blonde friend. My sister glanced at me and together we hurried towards the classroom where the sound was coming from. 

As we entered the room, we discovered a devastating sight. Caroline sat with pencils dug into her hands and a gag in her mouth, she looked like she was in a world of pain. "Caroline" Elena gasped and I immediately moved towards the poor girl completely forgetting all about Alaric. 

I reached out to pull the pencils from her hands when a voice stopped me. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, Cassandra." I turned to glance at the man. "Why not?" I questioned. "Well, I am the teacher and this is my classroom therefore you follow my rules. You didn't even ask permission first! You must have been a terrible student." I narrowed my eyes at him. 

"Will you let her go?" My sister asked Ric. He waved a hand. "free her yourself." Elena glanced at me a cautious and confused expression on her face, surely it was not this easy. This time as Elena made the pull out the pencils from her friend's hands, Ric stopped her by slamming the pencil deeper into Caroline's hand. "You said that you would let her go!" Elena explained, shocked. "How many times do I have to tell you? Stop trusting vampire." Alaric yelled at her. 

"Now sit down, the both of you!" He said, Elena did so immediately but I held my ground. "Release Caroline, Alaric. She is an innocent girl, a child." I tried to persuade him, pointing out the fact that she was still young. Alaric stared down at me. "Innocent? Innocent?! She is a vampire!" He yelled out. "So? What you are, does not define you! I have known Caroline both as a human and a vampire, she has done nothing to deserve this torture you a putting her through!" I yelled back. Alaric sped towards me slamming me against a wall, he held me by the neck. "No vampire is innocent and you are just as bad. You, Cassandra, are best friends with the original hybrid of all people! Even after he killed your own aunt. I wonder what she must think of you." He screamed as I struggled to breathe beneath his grip. 

"There is good in everyone, even you," I uttered with my last breath before my world fell dark. 

~

When I awoke, I was in Niklaus's room with no idea how I got there. "You could have died today." Nik startled me. I looked to the right and he sat in a chair near the window. I smiled gently. "Well, I didn't. You don't have to worry Nik." 

He didn't return the smile but walked towards me with a blank expression before sitting on the bed with me. "What happened Nik? How did I get here?" I asked him. "I found you at the school. You were so pale slumped against the wall, purple bruises surrounded your throat like a necklace." I reached my hand up to my neck but felt no pain. "I healed you." He answered my unspoken question. "Where is my sister? Is she alive?" 

"The doppleganger is alive for now." Nik said simply standing up, facing away from me. "What do you mean, for now?" I asked nervously. "Alaric is the only threat to my existence and I must be rid of him." Nik said instead. "Well of course" I answered, that made sense. The Ric we once knew was clearly gone, I would not stop him from killing the man. "His life is tied to your sisters." He finally said after a long pause. My heart froze. 

"What does that mean?" I questioned slowly, standing up. "Elena must die," Nik spoke so quietly, I thought I imagined it for a second. "No... No, you still need her, don't you? You need her blood for your hybrids right?" I asked, trying to find a solution that wouldn't end with her death. I couldn't lose another family member. 

"You are correct. I do need her blood for my hybrids. Which is why, she is currently downstairs making a generous donation to my cause." His voice was cold, void of all the warmth I had become accustomed to. I inched towards the door, prepared to find my sister. "Go on, go find her. I'm sure you want to say goodbye." He said in an almost taunting tone, not even attempting to look at me. With that said I ran out of the room downstairs in search of Elena. 

I found her, tied to a chair blood seeping from her arm down a tube into a blood bag. She looked so tired, so weak. "Cassie" She murmured her eyes fluttering. I rushed towards her, my hands fumbling with the ropes that bound her attempting to set her free when I was pulled away. 

"You did not actually think I would allow you to leave with her did you?" Nik whispered in my ear as he held me against him. "As soon as the last drop of blood leaves your dear doppelganger sister we will be leaving this town for good." I pulled against his hold, uselessly. 

"Don't do this Nik, there has to be another way!" I begged. "There is no other way. Alaric must die, your sister is simply an unfortunate casualty."  Nik responded, turning me to face him. "If you murder my sister, I will never forgive you, I will never leave with you!" Niks hold tightened around me. "You don't have a choice anymore. I will not leave you behind, I can't let you get hurt again." 

I struggled against his hold weakly. "You're already hurting me."  I told him. There was a long silence. "It's for the best, you will see" He responded, quietly as if he was unsure himself. 

Suddenly he pushed me away. "Tyler" Nik said, I turned to see Tyler lifting Elena into his arms. Nik sped towards the knocking my sister to the floor where she hit her head, losing consciousness. I rushed towards her. Nik held Tyler to the wall by his neck reading to kill him. "Goodbye, Tyler" 

Just as he tried, Tyler retaliated and Stefan and Damon joined him. They all held Nik, stopping him from fighting. I don't know what happened next but Stefan plunged his hand into Nik's chest and Nik began to desiccate, his skin turning grey and veiny, his movements slowing to a stop. 

Damon came over to check on Elena so I took my chance to say my final words to Niklaus. I would not stop this, our friendship was over for good.

I stood before my former best friend, my eyes welling with unshed tears of both anger and sadness. As I spoke, my voice broke. 

"I thought there was good in everyone, I thought there was good in you Nik. I guess I was wrong."