(devil, defeated)

"What's up, dumbass? Hey, Dad!" Margot said excitedly as she walked inside the boarding house, quickly spotting Stefan and Damon sitting casually on the two couches in the parlour.

She had left for a few days, choosing to go back to New York to retrieve her belongings. She had also wanted to tie up some loose ends, one of those being Brie, her ex-girlfriend.

"Is, uh, is Brie Hughes here?" Margot asked as she walked inside the law firm in the centre of the city.

A secretary stared at her as he straightened a few stray papers that sat across his desk. "Do you have an appointment?"

"An appointment? No, I don't have an appointment but that isn't what I asked. Is she here or not?" she questioned as she looked around the firm's first floor, fluttering on her toes from the nerves that filled her.

The man looked at her unsurely, "Please calm down, miss."

"I am calm. I'm just in a bit of a hurry. She's- Just tell her Margot Salvatore is here."

He nodded as he held a phone to his ear. Only a few minutes later, the woman she was looking for came walking down in all her glory with a smirk on her face. "Hey, Mar."

Margot smiled as she moved away from the front desk. "Hey, Brie."

They had spent a few days more together than Margot had planned and said their goodbyes in their own special way which involved Margot with her head between the woman's thighs but that was beside the point.

She was done with New York. She had moved on. And so had Brie.

Stefan smiled as he pulled his daughter into his arms as she sat beside him, instantly resting her head on his shoulder. "Rose is dead, Caroline was kidnapped by the werewolves, Elijah is daggered, Isobel killed herself in front of Elena and Katherine is dead," he said simply as held onto her a little tighter than normal.

"Oh..." she paused, "I brought pizza."

Damon grinned widely as he grabbed the four boxes from the front door. "Great, I'm starving."

— — —

"Who is this guy? Safari Sam?" a man asked rhetorically as he looked through Alaric, the history teacher's, closet. He let out a sigh which sounded more like a scoff before he pulled out two shirts and held them in front of a woman who was tied down to a chair by her wrists and ankles. "Okay, bad or badder?"

"The dark colours suit you better," she answered as she gripped the handles chair.

"Oh, thank you, honey. Okay, pop quiz. The dagger and white ash are in the Salvatore's possession?"

"The dagger was used to kill Elijah. You'll find him in the basement of the boarding house."

He nodded as he pulled on his jacket. "Okay, that dagger needs to stay exactly where it is. The last thing I need to do is resurrect Elijah. That guy is a buzzkill."

"And don't forget you are on the outs with your girlfriend Jenna."

He sighed, "Right, Elena's aunt. For, uh, all the lies about Isobel."

"That's it."

The man smiled as he walked closer to her before he placed his hand on her neck, playing with a strand of her hair causing her to jump. "Oh, so jumpy."

"Please just kill me. I've told you everything that I know."

"Everything? Then tell me why I've not heard a peep about Margot Salvatore?"

The woman stared at the floor only for her face to be lifted to meet his eyes. "Tell me about her," he asked, a small smirk playing on his lips.

"She's a siphoner," the woman answered, her voice shaky and forced as he compelled the words out of her. "Her dad used to abuse her. He kept her in a basement until she was 15 – that was when Stefan found her. He raised her, he's practically her dad."

"What else?" he asked, intrigued by the youngest Salvatore.

"She left town a few days ago... maybe even a week ago, I don't know, you kidnapped me, remember? Just kill me Klaus and be done with it."

"And show you kindness? I've searched for you for over 500 years. Your death is going to last at least half that long. Now," he paused as he pulled a knife out from his pocket, "I want you to take this knife... and stab yourself."

She stared at him cautiously but took the knife against her better judgment before stabbing it into her thigh. A scream tore through her lips as the knife harshly ripped through her leg causing blood to seep out from the fresh wound.

"Now, take it out," he instructed, earning a grunt as she pulled the knife out and watched as the wound healed in seconds.

"Now, while I'm gone, I want you to do that over and over and over again. And if you get bored, switch legs." He moved to walk away but before he could she stopped him by asking, "Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna go lay eyes on my precious doppelgänger..." he smirked at the defeated look on the woman's face, "Oh, don't look so glum, Katerina. The fun is just beginning."

— — —

Margot stood by Stefan and Damon on the porch of the boarding house as Elena signed the ownership papers inside the house.

"You really think Bonnie can take on Klaus?" Damon asked as he leaned against a stone wall.

Stefan shrugged, "She said she could channel enough witch's power to kill him. Elijah thought that would work and he was an Original, so..."

"We just need to find him," Margot finished as she took a sip of her iced coffee. She had an addiction to it, sue her.

"Could one of you do one of those witch tracking spells?" Damon asked, though Margot quickly shook her head, "Not without something that belongs to Klaus."

"Do you think he killed her?" Damon asked, referring to the latest disappearance of Katherine.

As Stefan nodded, Margot shook her head, "He's been looking for her for over 500 years. I don't think he'd let her off that easily... I wouldn't."

Suddenly, the door opened and out came Elena and the lawyer. "Thank you, Mr. Henry," she said with a smile as the lawyer walked away.

Margot smiled at the girl before walking inside, immediately going to make more coffee. As she walked back inside the parlour, she obnoxiously sipped at the drink to purposely annoy Damon.

Stefan glanced at the girl before turning back to face Elena only to see her putting on her jacket, Bonnie by her side. "Wait, where are you going?"

"To school."

The three Salvatores stared at them with a similar look of 'what the fuck?' on their faces, "No, no, no. We didn't create a safe house for you to leave it."

Stefan nodded at his brother's words, "Yeah, guys, Klaus is out there. We know that."

"Right. But where?" Elena retaliated, "No one knows. Look, I really appreciate what you guys are doing. And I'll be able to sleep at night knowing that I'll be safe here, but I'm not going to be a prisoner."

"Your way, Elena," said Damon as he moved to sit on the couch, a careless expression on his face.

"Don't worry, I'm ready. If he shows his face, I can take him. I know how," Bonnie reassured as she and Elena linked arms.

"The way I see it next to Bonnie is the safest place that I can be. Come on."

As the two women walked out, Margot and Damon sent Stefan a look causing him to sigh, "Wait, um, coming."

— — —

"Klaus made an appearance at the high school today," Stefan announced as he walked inside the kitchen where Margot was teaching Damon how to bake.

The pair looked over at him, their faces covered in flour. Cracked eggs were spilt on the floor and vanilla cake batter leaked off the cupboards. "Oh?"

Stefan would have laughed if they were under different circumstances. He glanced down at Damon's hand before a frown appeared on his face, "Are you burnt?"

Damon blushed bashfully, "Margot told me to brown the butter... She said it was easy."

"It is! All you have to do is wait until it is golden brown and then you let it cool. It is the easiest step!"

"She's right, Damon. Even I can do it," Stefan teased as he watched Margot pull out a batch of her famous chocolate chip cookies with a wide grin on her lips. "I made your favourite, Dad."

His heart skipped a beat. He still wasn't used to her calling him that but every time she did his heart got all warm and fluffy. "Thank you, sweetheart. Now, bring those into the parlour and remember to turn off the oven this time... The fire department already knows us by name."

Margot chuckles as she flips the switch on the oven, "There."

"Now that I'm thinking about it, I think our little Margot had a thing for one of the firefighters," Damon said in a teasing tone before he earned a throat punch. He was thrown into a coughing fit by the act while Margot and Stefan laughed.

Stefan stared at her pridefully before helping her put the cookies on a tray and leading her and Damon into the parlour where Elena and Bonnie sat.

"So, we go to the dance and find him and find him," Damon said in a raspy voice after Elena told him that Klaus said 'he'll be at the dance'.

"How are we gonna do that? We don't know what he looks like," Stefan questioned.

"Something tells me he's not going to be sixteen and pimply."

"He could be anywhere at any time. He compelled somebody at school," Stefan warned as he moved to sit next to Margot, glancing at Elena, "I guess it's not as safe as you guys thought, huh?"

Margot almost laughed at Stefan's words as Alaric walked inside the house, "There you are," Damon said, quickly acknowledging the history teacher's appearance.

"Sorry I'm late," he spoke as he scoured the room, his eyes stopping on Margot for a second before he looked back at Damon.

"Hey, I need you to put me down as a chaperone at the dance tonight. Margot too, because apparently, she doesn't go to high school anymore. Klaus made his first move."

Margot glanced at him, "I'm twenty. I don't need to go to that shit show anymore. You were at my graduation. Or do you not remember? Perhaps the dementia is starting."

Damon sent her an annoyed glare. "Perhaps I tried to block it out of my memory after Stefan and I caught you fucking the fireman behind the school."

Margot shrugged as a smirk lifted on her lips. "What can I say? I have a thing for men in uniforms. Plus he was a whole 8 in-"

"-Shut up, Margot," Stefan said, cutting her off and causing her to chuckle while the remaining occupants stared at her.

Elena crossed her arms, trying her best to ignore Margot as she stuffed her face with three cookies simultaneously. "You sure act like it, Maggie..." she said referring to Margot's age.

"Bitch. I'll set the house on fire again so I can see Mr. Hot FireMan and torture all of you," Margot whispered with her mouth full.

Across from her, Alaric held in a laugh, an action that didn't go unnoticed by Margot. "See? The old guy gets it."

"I'm not old," the teacher argued.

"you're like 40. That's like equal to dirt."

"Then what is your father?" he retorted.

"Stefan's a dinosaur 'cause he's cool. Damon's the fossil 'cause he's as boring as a bone....obviously."

Stefan sighed. He knew how long Margot could go on and decided now was the time to cut in before she could start a different rant. "Okay, so we found him and then what, hmm? What's our plan of attack?"

"Me," Bonnie said, "I'm the plan. He has no idea how much power I can channel. If you can find him, I can kill him. And plan b is Margot."

Margot sighed. She didn't know why she couldn't just take him down. She didn't understand why they were having Bonnie risk her life when she could do the job in a heartbeat.

"That's not going to be that easy. I mean, he is the biggest, baddest vampire around."

"Alaric has a point. I mean, what if he..." Damon paused as he rushed at Bonnie only for his body to be thrown against the room into a bookshelf.

"Well, I was impressed," Stefan commented as Margot moved to lay her head down on his lap before she stared at the ceiling.

"It doesn't matter if he's an Original. I can take down anyone who comes at me. I can kill him, Elena. I know I can. Margot's been teaching me all she knows."

"Yes, because the almost high school drop out knows everything about magic," Damon muttered, causing Margot to slap him.

"I was not a drop out, you dick. I just didn't spend much time at the graduation."

"Because you were drunk and fucking a firefighter!"

"Yea, celebrating that I didn't have to go to that hellhole anymore! Plus, Elena, Care and Bonnie set me up with him."

Stefan shuddered at the memory. It wasn't every day a father saw his daughter do body shots off her three best friends and his girlfriend before making out with two of them and then going on to fuck a fireman. "I thought we agreed not to mention that night ever again."

— — —

Margot hated the sixties. The clothing, the people, the vans. The only thing she didn't hate about the decade was the music, but even that was pushing it.

Now, she stood in a rainbow long-sleeve top with a brown overall skirt, black sheer tights and knee-high boots. The outfit was itchy and old and had been a part of the Salvatore collection that was boxed up in the attic for decades.

"Are you guys ready to do this?" Stefan asked as he and Margot approached Elena and Bonnie inside the gym.

Before they could answer, Dana, a girl in Elena's class, spoke through one of the microphones. "Thanks for being here, everybody. We have a special shout-out tonight. This is for Margot. From Klaus.

Margot rolled her eyes as a song started playing through the speakers. He could have at least picked a decent song. She hated this one.

"That was a lame, cheap shot. He's just trying to bait us," Damon reassured as he walked over to her and rubbed his hands along Margot's arms.

Elena glanced around the room, "I know everyone here."

"Maybe he's not here. Just wants us to believe that he is."

"It's a party, people. Blend. Let him come to us," Damon said as he twirled Margot, earning a smile from the girl. "There's Ric. Maggie and I will be back."

"Special dedication, huh? This guy's a little twisted," Alaric spoke as Margot and Damon reached him.

"I'm not impressed. Neither is Maggie. She hates this song," Damon said as he took a sip of the punch only to spit it back into the cup. Someone had spiked it with cheap liquor.

"No?" he asked with a disappointed look.

"Let me know if you see anything out of whack," Damon said before walking off, leaving Margot with the teacher.

"How are you doing with all of this?" the teacher asked as he looked down at the girl.

"Oh, I'm fine," she answered casually as she pulled a flask out of her pocket. She had stolen it from Damon's room before they left.

"You aren't scared? He did a whole dedication just to you. That's gotta mean something to you."

"I don't get scared anymore, Ric. My father made sure of that. Now if you'll excuse me, I see a pretty girl who I'd like to take home tonight."

Alaric stood in slight shock as he watched Margot walk over to a redhead before she whispered incoherent words in her ear which quickly earned a bright red blush and a nod.

She glanced back at Alaric and sent him a wink as she twirled the girl which earned a fit of giggles.

His glass shattered in his hand the second she looked away. Blood fell to the floor as the shards of glass stabbed into his skin. But he didn't even feel it as he watched Margot dance with the redhead.

— — —

An hour had passed since Margot left Alaric's side and the siphoner was currently sitting atop a teacher's desk in one of the science labs with a redhead between her thighs when Elena ran inside.

"Shit! Sorry!" she yelled as she covered her eyes earning a smirk from Margot. "Um- Klaus is here... He has Bonnie."

"I'll be out in a minute," Margot answered as she glanced down at the girl, who she now knew was named Natasha, with a grin. "I'll meet you in a few hours?"

She smiled bashfully as she stood before helping Margot off the desk and fixing her skirt, "Have fun with whoever this Klaus is... not too much though, I don't want you all worn out."

Margot grinned as she pulled the redhead in for a quick kiss before she walked out and met Elena at the doorway which earned a look from the human, "Really, Maggie?"

"Girl's gotta eat–" Elena burst out into laughter as she held a fist to her lips, "Margot! No!"

"What? She's pretty. Now, where is the asshole?"

"Cafeteria. He's in Alaric's body. He's possessing it or something," she explained before glancing at the girl, "Your um- Your hair is all messy."

The siphoner smiled as she patted it down, "I must have done well then."

"Jesus."

"I'm kidding... I'm not– but go find Stefan and stay with him. I'll go help the little witch."

Elena stared at her gratefully, "Thank you, Margot."

"It's what friends are for. Now go."

— — —

When Margot reached the cafeteria the doors were spelled shut causing her to groan. But before she could siphon the spell, Damon came running, "Don't, Margot."

"Why the hell not? She's going to die."

"I know," he whispered. "But she's going to wake up, so I need you not to do anything."

"They're going to be suspicious if I don't," she answered.

He sighed, "You're right. Do you mind if I compel you?"

"To do what exactly?"

"Sleep. Just for an hour. I'll tell them it was Klaus."

"He can't compel in Alaric's body though."

"They don't know that."

She sighed but nodded, giving him permission and only seconds later she was laying in a classroom on one of the desks.

An hour later, Margot sat up before walking out of the classroom only to hear Elena's screams echo through the now empty school. "No! Oh! Bonnie! Bonnie, Bonnie! Bonnie! Hey, hey. Stefan, she's not breathing!"

The siphoner breathed out slowly as she walked inside the cafeteria, painting a sad expression on her face as she stared down at the 'dead' witch.

"Stefan! Stefan, I can't find her pulse! Stefan! Do something, please! Stefan, please! Just give her blood, do something, please! Margot! Margot, can you do a spell?"

Stefan stared at her with tear-filled eyes, "It's too late. I'm sorry."

She shook her head in disbelief as tears streamed down her face, "No! No. No, no, no, no, no! Bonnie! Bonnie, please, no! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!"

Damon slowly walked in behind Margot, "Stefan, get Elena out of here. Maggie and I will deal with the body."

"What do you mean 'deal' with it?" The doppelgänger snapped.

"The sheriff can't know about this. The last thing we need is another mysterious death," Damon explained as he and Margot walked closer.

"This is Bonnie!" She turned to Margot, "How could you, Margot? You were her friend!"

The siphoner stared at Stefan, ignoring the girl, "Get her home. Now. So we can clean this up."

He nodded, trusting his daughter's logic before picking up Elena and taking her out of the room. Only a minute later, Jeremy came running in, "Damon! Margot! Hey, I got your message, I can't find anyone. Where's Elena, where's Bon- Oh my god."

"She's fine," Margot quickly explained as she lifted the girl up. "She's going to wake up in a bit. We need you to take her somewhere Klaus won't find her."

The Gilbert boy nodded, still slightly confused as he took Bonnie in his arms, "Ok... I think I know a place."

"Text me where it is when you get there."

— — —

As soon as Damon and Margot walked inside the boarding house they were met with a wall of screams from Elena.

"What did you do with her?" Elena shouted, her eyes still full of tears.

Damon looked at Stefan, "Will you please calm her down?"

"Don't talk like I'm not standing right in front of you," she yelled before Stefan could say anything. "You knew! Didn't you? You knew that if she harnessed all that power, that she would die, didn't you?"

Damon sighed, "Yes. Yes, I knew."

She raised her hand in an attempt to slap him only for him to catch it, holding it in place as he spoke up, "You need to listen to me and prepare for what I'm about to say. Bonnie had to die. Klaus using Alaric's body was a total surprise. She wasn't prepared for that. And he wasn't going to stop, and we weren't going to be able to stop him until he knew she was dead. He had to believe it. She cast a spell. Bonnie's okay."