Unstoppable | The Vampire Diaries

117. How It Ends*

Three Years From Now*

"Matt saved Caroline," Riley informed Ric as they travelled back to his Dallas home. "She's got the twins and they're on their way to New Orleans." Of course, she only had a slight idea of why Caroline wanted to visit the home of the Originals, but she thought it best not to ask too many questions.

"Stefan was right, Rayna used her as bait to get to him, and it worked," Ric said. "She has Stefan and Damon right now."

Riley frowned. "Why does she have both of them? Stefan's the one she marked, shouldn't she just... let Damon go?"

"Even if she did, it wouldn't matter," Ric told her hastily. "Damon's full of werewolf toxin."

Riley's next words refused to come out. No matter how angry she was with Damon for the selfish decision that he'd made three years ago, there was always a small part of her that hoped, one day, she'd see him again. But knowing that he was right here, ten minutes away, and dying, filled her with a sense of dread.

"So what do we do?"

Ric looked at her as if she were insane, which in his mind, that question was.

"Do?! We don't do anything! Three years, Riley. No stabbings, no hostage swaps, no supernatural threats breathing down our necks... Damon and Stefan are back in our lives for less than 24 hours and my fiancée's taken as a hostage, my kids aren't with me, and Rayna Cruz is back in our lives." Ric took a deep breath, trying to keep his anger under control.

Riley leaned back in her seat. Everything Ric had said was completely right, Ric and Care had spent three years away from all things vampire, they could afford to leave everyone behind and start again. But Riley hadn't been so lucky. With Enzo and the Armory ever-present in her life over the years, she had never stopped being on the side of vampires.

So now, when it really mattered, could she just leave them behind?

Present Day

"Matt?" Riley called, entering the Grill through the back entrance as instructed by her human friend. It was early morning on the day that she was supposed to be leaving Mystic Falls for good. "Anyone here?"

She looked around, finding nothing and no one. But then suddenly, she got the feeling that she wasn't the only person in the room. Turning swiftly, she spotted a woman. The woman who had broken up her relationship.

"You're Krystal," Riley said, remembering what Enzo had called her the day before. "What the hell do you want?"

Krystal tilted her head, smirking. "It's nothing personal." Veins began to bulge under her eyes. "You're human, and I'm hungry."

She vamp-sped towards Riley, who instantly unholstered her vervain gun and shot the woman three times in the chest, until she fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Nice technique," a voice behind her said. "Personally I'd go straight for wooden bullets, but vervain does the trick almost as well."

Riley turned rapidly to see a young brunette woman holding a crossbow.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?"

The woman stood above Krystal's body, handing Riley her crossbow and shooting Krystal once in the chest with a small gun. Slowly, her body started to turn gray.

"You don't recognize me," she said, giving one humorless laugh. "I guess it would be easier for you if I was old and senile, lying in a hospital bed?"

Immediately, the hairs on the back of Riley's neck stood up.

"Rayna Cruz."

"In my real body," Rayna acknowledged. "But I didn't just get you here to reveal my true self. This was a test, Riley. To see if you have what it takes to kill vampires."