Vulnerable

Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Sacrificial Lamb

{D.K}

Dakota King couldn't stand Elena Gilbert. She was annoying, selfish, and always had to screw something up. Damon, Stefan and Dakota had just spent the past couple of hours talking to Katherine about the moonstone. Of course the trio had found a way to de-activate it so that it'll be useless to Klaus and the ritual will be unable to proceed. "How do you guys know that this is even going to work?" Elena prodded, leaning over the table she had in her kitchen.

"Because we have a crafty witch on our side," Damon answered, an orange jumping from hand to hand before he got bored and put it back in the fruit bowl.

The doppelgänger sighed. "You discussed it with Bonnie."

"She agreed to do anything she could to help us."

"It's Katherine who has the moonstone, she's not going to give it to you."

"Don't you worry, doppelbitch. I've got that covered."

Elena furrowed her plucked brows, curiosity lacing her features. "How?"

"I'm going to rip it from her cold, dead fingers." Dakota cackled at her shocked expression. "Just kidding. Katherine owes me, I'm going to walk in there and ask for it. She's going to give it to me, problem solved."

"Wow, looks like you've got it all planned out."

Damon perked up. "Yep. We're awesome."

"Except for one thing?" Dakota lifted a brow, waiting for the answer. "I don't want you to do it."

Damon and Dakota made eye contact, disbelief wafting in the air. "What? I just came up with the best plan and you want to squash it?"

"What about Klaus, Dakota?

"Don't worry about Klaus. Damon and I are going to find him after we get the moonstone."

"Is that before or after he kills everyone I care about, including Damon and Stefan." Dakota rolled her eyes.

Her anger towards the seventeen year old grew as she sped over to her, not caring that she was passing her personal bubble. "Look you little brat, we've been doing all we can to save you're pathetic ass. If you want to go along with your little suicide mission, by all means. Go for it. But as long as you have Damon's blood in your system, you're going to die during this ritual."

Stefan came after Dakota first, pushing her away from his girlfriend, flashing his vampire face at her. His feeble threat had Dakota bringing her own to display. "Calm down, little boy," She sneered reminding him of his young age. "I'm much older than you, and much stronger. I could squash you, your brother, and your little dopplebitch so fast you wouldn't even be able to react."

Damon calmly pulled Dakota back, placing her body behind his. "Let's calm down here. We have important matters at hand that hover way higher that this petty fight. After we stop Klaus then the two of you can go back to killing one another, but until then get yourselves together."

Elena's doe like eyes were wide and apprehensive, her slim figure at changed its stance to accommodate to Dakota's quickly changing mood. She exhaled deeply, willing her nerves to calm down. "Listen kid, if we can de-spell the moonstone, we can save your live. Isn't that the ultimate goal here?"

The brunette sighed, averting her gaze yet keeping her stance guarded. "Yeah, but it won't matter if my friends get hurt."

"Elena, this can save your life." Dakota repeats.

This is what everyone's been trying to do, now that we have a way to do so, she has an attitude and doesn't want to go forward with the plan?

"I know. Everyone keeps saying that."

Dakota watched furiously as the teenager walked out of the kitchen, her straight brown hair trailing behind her as she walked away from the vampires without so much as a thank you for their hard work. "You think for a girl who doesn't want to die, she'd at least be a little more grateful that we just spent our whole morning looking for a way to save her."

•

•

•

"How are we going to get the moonstone again?" Damon followed close behind Dakota, and Stefan on my left side.

"Again, implies that I've already told you the plan before," Dakota flipped her hair off of her shoulder. "I haven't."

Dakota could almost hear the Salvatore brothers eye roll. "Okay, then tell me now."

She clacked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "Dopplebitch is away for the moment, and brother Gilbert as been rather eager to help with anything he can get his hands on. Why deprive him of his needs?"

"Elena won't like that." Stefan warned warily.

"You say that, yet you still follow me into the car." Stefan stayed quiet.

The drive was short on Dakota's part, Damon and Stefan rode to together in a separate car so they could go pick up the witch. They made her promise to wait until they got there to start on anything, especially since Jeremy was involved. But, things happen.

The youngest Gilbert met Dakota at the tomb like instructed. "You ready?" Jeremy nodded, walking in. "I'll be out here listening for you. If anything happens, anything at all yell and I'll be there."

"Won't you get stuck if you walk in there?"

Dakota paused, pursing her small lips. "Don't worry about that. Just go in there and follow on with the plan."

Jeremy complied and walked into the cellar that led to the tomb that Katherine was locked in. "The youngest Gilbert," Her sultry voice began. Even in her times of death, she still managed to find energy to try to seduce people. "—this is an intriguing surprise."

"I'm here for the moonstone."

"Yeah, the moonstone. It's very popular today."

"Just give it to me."

Katherine sighed. "Naïve little Gilbert. If you want it, you're going to have to come in here and get it."

Jeremy followed along with the plan, stabbing her with a stake to distract her before throwing the ashes of a memento of her on herself, temporarily knocking her out for a minute or two. "I kind of figured you'd say that."

"He's in." Dakota tells herself, walking into the cave where the tomb was placed and saw Katherine's unconscious body on the ground.

Jeremy was checking her for the moonstone, not finding the item. "Come on, where is it."

"Jeremy, that spell that Bonnie casted will only last for so long, hurry!" Dakota urged, not wanting the sixteen year old boy to get hurt.

"Did you tell anyone we were doing this?"

She rolled her eyes at the question, gleaming when she saw the youngest Gilbert pick up the moonstone. "Jeremy lets go." Dakota turned to leave the cave, hearing footsteps behind her. Dakota assumed they were him, for he was the only one in there with her. But, before she could fully leave, a loud hissing of a vampire caught her attention. "Katherine."

Dakota sped back, her eyes fixed on the vampire that had her fangs firmly in Jeremy's neck vein. Without thought, the oldest vampire rushed into the tomb, ripping her off of him. Jeremy was visibly woozy and his eyes were closing. Dakota used her enhanced abilities to get him out of the tomb, only to have herself remain inside.

"What the hell?" Stefan shouted, running over to Jeremy's fading self. "You promised." He accused, his brooding forehead creasing at Dakota in anger.

She lifted her hands in surrender. "I never promised anything. You ordered, I rebelled. Now I'm the sacrificial lamb." Dakota's shoulders shrugged on instinct and she slid down the rocky wall, resting her arms on her knees. "I'll wait here until Bonnie gets the spell down. I can keep Katherine occupied until then."

A wide eyed Petrova looked down at Dakota with fearful eyes that also held realization. "You're dead."

"So are you."

"I shoved a stake through your heart."

"Clearly you didn't pierce it hard enough. Rookie mistake."