All I Need (Vampire Diaries/Captain America Fanfic)

24. I Did What I Had To Do

I walked into the Salvatore house, running straight into Caroline.

"Hey," she said sadly. "Bonnie told us that the spell didn't work. Was Klaus mad?"

"Of course. How's Damon? And Elena?" I asked. Klaus's feelings were an afterthought.

"Bonnie connected Elena's body to Stefan's. We kept him safe, even after the blood was drained. Klaus didn't drain enough to kill a vampire so Elena should be fine. She'll wake up soon."

I was relieved. I knew that Stefan would do anything he could to save Elena; I'd always known that.

"And Damon?" I asked her. She hesitated.

"It's only been a few hours, he's OK. But there's no cure so..." she shrugged and sniffed. I hadn't realized that my older brother had managed to touch so many lives in this town. "We're pretty sure he's got a few days, maybe. Stefan's with him."

"OK," I said, the cure digging a grove in my palm because I was holding onto it so tightly. I wasn't sure that it would work, could anyone trust anything Klaus said? But I had to try. "What about Steve? Is he still here?"

"I compelled him to go back to New York, to forget that he came here two days ago." Had it only been two days since Klaus had turned my life upside down?

"Oh. I wanted to say goodbye," I said under my breath. Caroline heard but chose not to comment – I was grateful for that.

Taking the stairs two at a time, I knocked on the door and opened it to see Damon lying in bed, Stefan standing over him.

"The three Salvatores, together again," Damon said, making me smile.

"Is he delirious?" I asked, sitting on the bed and taking one of his hands. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better than I look," he said. He looked pale and sick, it wasn't a way that I'd ever seen a vampire look. Seeing my big brother like this, the guy that had always tried to keep Stefan and I safe when we were young, scared me.

"Good, I'm glad," I said.

"Serena, I'm sorry about everything."

"Don't get all soppy on me Damon," I said. "You'll regret it in a minute."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.

I held up the vial. "I have the cure."

"What?" Stefan asked, snatching it from my hand and examining it. "What is this?"

"The cure," I repeated. "The blood of the Hybrid. Klaus." When Klaus told me what the cure was, I thought he was joking. Actually, I thought it was part of his Messiah complex – he thought that he was the most important creature in the entire world and was being a complete narcissist about it. However, the more I thought about it, the more sense it made. Klaus was half-werewolf. Which meant that his blood was immune to werewolf bites. Of course his blood was the cure.

"Klaus just... gave that to you?" Damon asked.

"It was a thank you, for helping with the ritual," I lied. "He didn't want anything in return. Just drink it, you should be fine."

Stefan gave the vial to Damon and he held it up to the light, examining it the same way that Stefan had.

"Just drink it," I said. "I promise you'll be fine."

"Serena, can I talk to you?" Stefan asked. I nodded, giving Damon's hand a final squeeze and leaving the room with Stefan. As soon as we were out of Damon's earshot (which had weakened due to the bite) Stefan turned to me. "What did you promise him?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked, shying away from his glance.

"This is Klaus Mikaelson, the Original Hybrid. Do you really expect me to believe-"

"Stefan," I cut him off. "I did what I had to do. Damon would have died! Now, he'll be fine."

"What did you promise him?" he asked again, taking a deep breath.

"I told him... I said I'd leave with him. Tonight."

"Leave with him?! And go where?"

"He needs help tracking down a witch, he's looking for a way to fix the spell. Him and Rebekah and their other brother Elijah are leaving town and he wants me to come."

"He wants you to come, did he give you a choice?" Stefan crossed his arms.

"I did what I had to do," I said again.

"And when will you be coming back?" he asked.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I said that he could have me for as long as he wants."

Stefan slammed his fist into the wall behind me. "So you could be gone forever then?! Klaus has free reign over your life, you're happy with that?!"

"It was for Damon," I said. "Don't act like you don't understand why I did it."

"What about me?" he asked. "Did you even think about me when you were making this decision?"

"Of course I did!" I argued. "I thought about what it would do to you to lose Damon. What I did ensures that we're both alive, you haven't lost anyone!"

"Are you really naïve enough to believe that when he's done with you, Klaus will just let you come back? If you cross this guy, he will kill you."

"He won't," I said. I couldn't be sure, but I had to trust him. I had to put my life in his hands because he'd saved Damon. I owed him that much.

"He's an Original!" Stefan reminded me. "You don't know what he's capable of!"

"I've already promised this to him!" I said. "I intend to keep this promise. I'm sorry!"

We heard noises from downstairs.

"Where's Stefan?" Elena asked.

The second his name had left her mouth, Stefan was downstairs, beside her. I followed him.

"You risked your life for Elena," I said to him. "Because you love her, you can't live without her."

He cradled her head, saying nothing.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Nothing," I said immediately, catching Caroline's eye. She had heard our conversation. "Don't tell them until I'm gone," I said softly, so that only Stefan and Caroline could hear me. "And make sure that they know it's completely my choice, it's no one's fault."

"Do you really have to go with him?" Caroline asked, also lowering her voice so that Elena couldn't hear. "We just got you back, we need you."

"You don't need me. You've done amazing things without me. I'll be back before you know it."

"In her lifetime?" Caroline asked, nodding to Elena.

"You know I can't answer that," I said. "Act like nothing's wrong."

Silently, I moved towards the door.

"Serena, where are you going?" Elena asked weakly.

"To get a drink at the Grill, of course," I said, plastering on a smile.

"Do you have to? I'd feel safer with you here," she said.

"I'll be back before you know it."

I ran at vamp speed out of the front door before they could make me feel any guiltier. This was easier for me, I sucked at goodbyes anyway.

I walked up the street, squinting as a car came up the street towards me with its headlights shining brightly. The window wound down and I could just make out Klaus's face.

"Get in love, we're going bar-hopping."

**************************************************

Thanks for reading!

This is the last time that we're going to see Serena in Mystic Falls for a good few chapters! What do you think she'll do with Klaus?

Please vote and comment if you liked this chapter!