[THE SACRAFICE]

that dream was planted in your heart for a reason.

"I'LL GET IT." Elena announced as she walked down the stairs to answer the knock at the door. Juliette poured herself and Elena a cup of coffee. When she turned around, Elena, Damon, and Stefan were standing in the kitchen, causing the oldest Gilbert to groan.

"Do you guys ever leave us alone?" She asked, exasperation clear in her voice. Damon smirked, leaning up against the counter.

"You love us really, Juju." He replied with a wink. Stefan rolled his eyes, while Elena gave Juliette an apologetic smile.

"They went to talk to Katherine."

"And why are you letting me complain? What did she say?"

Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dumb explained what Katherine had told them. As usual, she was trying to bargain her release, saying that if they let her out, she would give them the moonstone and disappear from Mystic Falls forever, never having to hear from her again.

"You don't believe her, do you?" Elena questioned, an annoyed look on her face as they talked about her obsessive Doppelgänger.

Damon shook his head. "No, of course not. We just want the moonstone."

"According to Rose's friend Slater, there's a way to destroy the spell that Klaus wants to break," Stefan added.

"No spell, no doppelgänger sacrifice. Ergo, you live." Damon said, his piercing blue eyes locking into Elena's like he was trying to reassure her.

"Okay, but what about Juliette? Rose said she is a part of the sacrifice?" Elena looked over to her sister for clarification. The blonde nodded, "Yeah, but we don't know what part I'm needed for, so for the time being, let's just focus on you." Juliette reassured.

She desperately wanted to know what part she was needed for, but Elena was the sole reason this sacrifice was going to happen, so she needed to focus on helping her out. Juliette will think of herself later.

Elena stared at Juliette for a moment before looking at the two vampires opposite them. "How do you destroy it?" She asked confidently. Juliette knew that Elena didn't want to only focus on her for this, but she had to because Juliette wouldn't want her to worry about her when there were bigger problems at large.

"By releasing it from the moonstone," Stefan informed them, looking between the Gilbert sisters with seriousness.

"Not to be a Debbie-downer or anything, but how do you guys even know this is gonna work?" Juliette butted in, not particularly liking this plan about destroying a stone that's been around for centuries.

"Cause we have a crafty witch on our side," Damon replied, smirking.

"You discussed it with Bonnie." Elena sighed, rolling her eyes.

Stefan nodded. "She agreed to do anything she could to help us." Damn you, Bonnie Bennett, for always being a people-pleaser.

"It's Katherine who has the moonstone," Juliette spoke up, just to make sure they knew who had the stone, Katherine wouldn't just give them it. "She's not gonna give it to you."

"We're gonna get it from her," Stefan replied simply. Oh yeah like that's going to be easy.

"Well, what he means to say is," Damon began, "We will pry it from her cold, dead hand if we have to." He said bluntly, "Bonnie just needs to find a way to release the seal long enough for us to get in, get the moonstone, and get out in time for her to return it."

Elena nodded, staying silent for a moment to think over the plan. And then there was that flicker in her eyes—the flicker that meant she had a plan. And when Elena had a plan, it usually wasn't a good one. "Wow, I mean, it sounds like you guys already have it all planned out."

Damon smirked with a very vivid look of pride on his face. "Yep, we're awesome." He held a hand over to Juliette, who gave him a high five.

"Except for one thing." Elena interrupted, making the three of them look at her in confusion. "I don't want you to do it."

The three look at each other, all equally confused as to why she didn't like the plan. "What are you talking about? Elena, we don't have a choice."

"What about Klaus?"

"We will find him right after we get the moonstone," Stefan reassured her, trying to make Elena agree to the plan.

"Is that before or after he kills everyone that I care about, including the two of you?" She spoke, pointing between the two vampires.

Damon looked almost startled that she included him in that statement. He looked over at Juliette, who had given him a thumbs up. Progress, am I right?

"Elena, if we can de-spell the moonstone, we can save your life." Juliette reasoned, still confused by Elena suddenly not immediately agreeing to whatever the Salvatore brothers told her.

"I know. Everyone keeps saying that." She snapped, annoyance evident on her face as she stood up from the chair and stormed out of the kitchen, leaving the three to stare at each other in disbelief.

✧✧✧✧

WHEN ELENA HAD INFORMED Juliette of her little plan, the blonde immediately demanded that she go with her. Saying that it wasn't safe for her to go by herself, but apparently she wasn't.

So there they were, walking into the boarding house, looking for Rose. "It's not nice to leave a girl naked so early in the morning." Said vampire announced as she walked down the stairs, a silk robe around her.

Once Rose realised it wasn't who she thought it was, her jaw dropped, and all three just stared at each other in shock and embarrassment. "Whoa, sorry. I thought you were..."

Elena looks away as her face turns red. "I, uh, sorry, I..." She stuttered; embarrassment filled her as she sent a look at Juliette, almost like she was asking for her to help. But all Juliette could do was chuckle at the situation.

"There's no one else here."

"Actually, we came here to talk to you."

Rose's eyes lit up as she stared between the sisters before looking down at her robe. "Then I should probably get dressed." She announced as she smiled broadly before walking back up the stairs.

"Damn, Damon is one lucky guy."

Elena didn't like the joke.

✧✧✧✧

"IT'S A BAD IDEA." Rose shook her head. Juliette knew that this would happen, of course, Rose wouldn't want to do what Elena asked because, again, Elena's plans are always terrible.

"No, it's not." Elena shook her head. "From what Stefan told me, your friend Slater has more information about Klaus. You and Damon gave up before you got it."

Rose scoffed, looking at Juliette, who had just shrugged her shoulders. "Because somebody blew up a coffee shop with us in it."

"There's more to learn. We just have to find a way to learn it." Elena argued, still not giving up on her plan.

"Why are you coming to me with this?" Rose asked.

Juliette sighed as she stood up from the couch, walked over to Damon's bourbon supply, and poured herself a big glass of it. If she was going to stay and listen to Elena try to convince Rose to go with them, then she would need it.

She didn't care to try and listen to their conversation anymore, instead, she found herself thinking back to the letter and present Elijah got her. Why did he do that? Why did he tell her he was alive?

What if she went and told Elena?

But she hadn't told anyone that he was alive because she didn't want to.

Was that a bad thing?

Maybe it was her delusion talking, but she didn't want the others to find out he was alive because they would only try to find another way to kill him, and she didn't.... want that?

Juliette didn't know what was going on, a lot was happening, and it was too much for her to handle. First, she and Elena got kidnapped by two vampires who wanted freedom. Second, she found out that the guy who tried to take them looked like the man from her dream, but then Damon killed him.

Third, he's actually not so dead anymore.

This really was my life.

She had done some digging last night about dreams. She found out about lucid dreams, where the dreamer is aware that they are dreaming and can sometimes exert control over the dream's content, environment, and actions.

Maybe that was what she was having.

But then again, that wouldn't explain the similarities between the two Elijahs or how she dreamed of him before she even met him.

I really am going crazy.

Juliette sighed as she moved her hand to rub her eyes, growing tired of all the questions running around in her mind. When she put her hand back down, the glass she had been drinking from suddenly slid off the table and dropped to the floor, even though she hadn't touched it.

Rose and Elena halted their conversation, their attention now fixed on Juliette, who sheepishly smiled at them. "Whoops, dropped my glass. I'll go clean it up," she mumbled, trying to maintain her composure.

"Make sure you don't hurt yourself."

Juliette sent her sister a smile before she walked into the kitchen, and that's when her act ended. WHAT HAPPENED!

I didn't even touch that glass.

Juliette clung to the counter as she rubbed her forehead, trying to massage away the headache that was beginning to form. Maybe I accidentally knocked my hand into it?

Yes, yes I definitely did. I'm sure of it.

But her hand wasn't anywhere near the glass, she was rubbing her eyes and then putting her hands down to her side, they were nowhere near the glass. Then how did it fall?

She knocked it off. That's the only rational explanation. She knocked it off the table, and then it smashed, nothing else happened. I'm sure of it.

But you didn't, your hand wasn't anywhere near the glass.

Juliette covered her face as she took a moment to breathe, calm herself, and calm her mind. She couldn't handle the many questions her brain was asking.

She simply knocked it off the table. That's the end of it.

She sighed as she grabbed a brush and a cloth before walking back into the living room. Elena and Rose stood by the door, waiting for her. "Hold on guys, let me clean this up."

My hand wasn't anywhere near that cup.

✧✧✧✧

    THE DRIVE TO RICHMOND took three hours, and Juliette sat in silence the whole time. Both Rose and Elena had talked the whole time about all sorts of things, sometimes asking Juliette a question. And the blonde would either say she didn't know or give a one-word answer.

Juliette wasn't one to pass up a conversation—she was a chatterbox who would talk to a wall if she wanted to. But she couldn't think of anything else besides what had just happened at the boarding house.

Her mind was waging war against her, bombarding herself with questions and doubts she couldn't escape.

She didn't understand what had just happened, nor did she have a logical reason for why it did.

When they arrived at Rose's friend's apartment, the Gilbert sisters watched as she knocked on the door. "Slater? Slater, It's Rose. Open up!" She bellowed.

After waiting five seconds with no sign that Slater was going to open the door, the vampire turned to the two girls. "He's not home, sorry." She said quickly. She tried to rush past Elena but didn't get far before the brunette grabbed her arm.

"Mm-mm. No. We didn't come all the way out here for nothing." Elena argued, giving the vampire a look of desperation and warning.

Rose turned to look at Juliette and gave her a look as if to say, 'Help me out here.' The blonde chuckled and shook her head, "She's not going to stop until you give her what she wants, it's best to just do what she says. Trust me, I grew up with her." Juliette leaned up against the wall, crossing her arms over her chest. "She can be a real pain in the ass when she wants to be."

Elena gave Rose a proud smile, nodding in agreement with Juliette's statement. The vampire sighed, then walked over to the doors, pushed them open with her vamp strength, and extended her arm out. "After you." She mumbled, annoyance evident in her face.

The three walk into the apartment, Rose walking in further, "Slater?" She calls out. Juliette and Elena both stay by the door, examining the apartment.

Damn, this house is nice.

"I don't think he's going to be much help," Rose said, staring into a room. Elena and Juliette share a look before walking over to Rose, spotting the dead vampire on the floor.

Well, that is unfortunate.

✧✧✧✧

I hate this chapter but oh well.

I go back to school next week so updates might be a bit slow. In two weeks I have mock exams so that also might prevent chapters from coming out.

But on the bright side, I have about 6 weeks left until the summer holidays so that's fun!

Anyway, I hope you have an amazing day/ night and I'll see you in the next chapter!!!

Byeeeee

2/06/24