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MYSTIC FALLS , PRESENT DAY

THERE was an uneasy feeling in Grace. Something about that mystery coffin she could not shake away, and it was eating at her mind furiously. She never mentioned anything else about it to Nik, as she got the feeling he did not want to talk about it.

Yet, she kept feeling drawn to it. Almost as if whatever was inside was telling her to open the coffin. It wanted out. But Grace was not so sure if she should let it out.

The pair rode back to the Mikaelson house, blaring classic rock songs in which Grace had picked. She stared out of the window, however, sidetracked from the almost unbearable voice in her head.

Finally, once they had arrived at the mansion, Grace could not take anymore of it.

She let out a frustrated grunt, grabbing her head.

"Gahh! Get these voices out of my head!" she shouted in exasperation, holding her head in her hands.

Nik rushed over, placing his arms around her shoulders.

"What's the matter, love? Speak to me."

Grace kept her eyes closed, trying to force it to go away.

"Whatever is in that coffin won't leave me alone. I need it- I need it to stop! AH!" She felt a sharp, dagger-like pain through her head, doubling over on all fours.

Nik knew what was happening.

The person in the coffin was trying to manipulate a witch and get into her head.

Blood dripped out of Grace's nose, onto the pure white snowy ground. The pain subsided, at once, leaving her breathless and feeling numb. Her brain felt as if it had been fried. But she had something. A vision.

Grace looked up to Nik, fearful.

"Nik... who is Esther?"

.    .    .    .

MINUTES later, Niklaus had brought Grace inside the house to settle down, making sure there were no more psychic episodes to come. He brought her a warm cup of tea and a rag for her bloody nose, then sat across from her, just in case she wanted space.

Grace was trembling all over, and Nik could see it. She had not said anything for nearly ten minutes straight, so Nik stood and approached her, taking the seat beside her on the couch.

She could have collapsed onto him, being emotionally and physically drained from all of the events that had happened.

Nik decided to speak first.

"You want to know who Esther is. Very well. Esther Mikaelson is my mother. And she is trying to get into your head. The reason being, she is weak, and needs a host. She's sort of like a parasite, in that way. Nonetheless, what Esther doesn't seem to realize is how hard you can fight her. Most witches would unwillingly have no choice to be Esther's host. But you're a different breed, love. A fighter, dare I say."

For the first time in awhile, a small smile appeared on Grace's face. Her trembling had stopped some, so much that she could hold her cup of tea.

"I know you'll probably hate to hear this, but it might take me a couple of hours to regain my strength. And by that, I mean opening 'Esther's' coffin. Another reason being that this spell is a family spell, so I'm not supposed to be able to break it. But, if I'm at full strength, I can do it."

Nik paused, hearing what she had to say. "And by family, you mean-" "Bennett witches. Of course."

He nodded slowly, understanding. "How do you know this, though?"

Grace clenched her jaw, turning to face him.

"Esther told me. She wants me to open that coffin as soon as possible."

Nik narrowed his eyes, then stood and paced briefly.

"Something isn't adding up, here. Esther told you how to open her coffin, yet tried to possess your body and results in weakening you? Mother, if you can hear me, I don't quite understand what you're planning."

Grace fiddled with the damp rag, picking at the blood she had wiped off. She needed to feed. It would help her regain energy and strength.

"While you're figuring these things out, I've got to find someone to feed on. I need all of my strength, witch and vampire."

Nik nodded, still in deep thought.

"Be back soon, love. And if you can, snag a doppelganger for me." Grace smirked, smoothing out her shirt then flashing out of the house.

Moments later, Grace was at the Mystic Grill. She had to be cautious, as some of the townies were on vervain. It would not have an effect like it would on a normal vampire, but it would still hurt.

She then laid eyes on a certain young brunette girl, causing her heart to skip a beat with panic. But upon further inspection, Grace realized that it was not Katherine, but in fact Elena Gilbert. The doppelganger. But how could she take her here? They were in the middle of tons of people.

Grace decided to focus on one thing at a time, and her first priority was feeding. To her left, she eyed a young girl with curly black hair and chocolate-colored skin, wearing no jewelry. Perfect. No vervain bracelets, necklaces, or rings.

She swiftly approached the girl and pulled her to the side, compelling her and pausing with hesitation to see if it worked. Luckily, the girl complied.

So Grace took her to the back of the grill, then sped to the woods. Quickly, she told her to make sounds and be still, then tore into her carotid artery.

The taste was amazing; Grace could never get enough. But she had boundaries. Control. Well, actually, she was not so sure anymore. After getting back half her memories, all Grace could think about was killing. Ripping out the throat of an innocent person just for the hell of it, tearing them apart limb from limb-

In Grace's arms, the girl went limp. Frowning, Grace pulled away to see a horror. The girl's body lolled lifelessly, eyes rolled back in the head.

Grace dropped her onto the ground, biting into her own wrist, then shoving it in the unknown girl's mouth.

"Oh, God, please don't let this happen. Please please please." Another portion of Grace was going the complete opposite direction, saying, "Kill her for good. Mutilate her body, and take every last ounce of blood there is."

Before she could stop herself, Grace leaned down and bit down so hard that it tore off a chunk of flesh. Grace did not care. She could not care, because she had done the one thing that she feared over anything else.

Grace lost control.

That is, until she felt something pulling her away from the body, a strong force that made Grace realize it was superhuman. She turned, fangs bared and ready to fight.

It was Elena Gilbert.

NOTES
cue the 'dun dun dunnnn' music