Frankies standards for a good or bad day seemed to be going downhill the longer she stayed in Mystic Falls. While yesterday, she'd been woken at 9 by Damon pounding on her door, today she'd been allowed a sleep in and that in itself had been a win.

She'd spent the day mostly by herself, she did get lunch with her brother but when Meredith had appeared beside him it was tricky for her not to shoot daggers at her and so she didn't stay long. All in all, the day had passed by fine, Elijah had called too which was nice, having someone who understood the ridiculousness of the Mystic Falls world who wasn't so directly involved.

Though she knew it was an overreaction, she felt a little relieved by the time she'd made it to bed, relieved that nothing bad had happened that day. Things seemed so overwhelming the past few days that when she sunk into sleep she was grateful that the day passed without incident. It didn't last long of course, she hadn't even made it to the next day before someone was waking her up with more bad news.

It was Damon again who had been the one to get her but unlike the grin that graced his face the day before, there was no humour in his body language as he entered the apartment a little before midnight. Though yesterday waking her up had been half the fun, there wasn't any joy this time, shaking her awake seemed the kindest option with the news he needed to deliver.

He'd been the one to drive her to the Gilbert house in her pyjamas and he'd been the one to explain to her the bad news, prepare her for what was waiting inside. Though she shouldn't, she was beginning to hate that house, each time she visited now she could only see the blood that stained the walls and her fingertips that awful night.

Damon had gone in first, just in case, but she barely waited a minute before she barrelled in too, her breath catching in her throat again as she saw her brother laying unconscious on the couch though at least this time he wasn't soaked in blood.

Meredith had been there too, sitting and shaking as she stared at Alaric from the other side of the room while Elena passed her a mug of tea. She was covered in blood and Frankie's heart tightened with regret at what she'd done to her, how she'd accused Meredith of lying when she clearly was the victim. She didn't apologise, she couldn't get her words out but when she smiled weakly at Meredith she replied with an equally exhausted smile that hopefully equalled forgiveness.

Her head was racing, how exactly does one come to accept that their brother had become an almost serial killer in a matter of weeks. Her brother who'd slept on the floor of her bedroom for a week when his wife had died and he couldn't sleep without the sound of someone else. Her brother who'd once driven her for twelve hours to visit a college when her parents said no.

She remembered when she'd first turned up on his family's doorstep. She remembered the first night, sitting in the living room while her father and his partner whisper yelled in the kitchen about her presence, she remembered Ric's eyes on her, on the teddy bear she was clutching so tightly she felt threads snap. She could hear the sounds of the evening, the sound of Alaric slamming the door shut behind them when he'd finally grown sick of the arguments and taken her to get ice cream and then see a film. The two staying out late as he used his meagre savings to buy snacks and treats.

Though Frankie and Ric weren't always the best at talking, she knew he'd be there for her no matter what and so she would be there for him. He'd been the one she turned to after Mitch and he'd been the one to support her since she returned, and yet here she was, helping Damon load his unconscious body to the car knowing he was the killer and not even of his own volition.

"We're gonna figure it out Saltzman," Damon told her, his face unusually kind as he turned to her, Alaric placed in the bed and the door closed behind them, "He's gonna be alright. This isn't him, Bonnie's gonna juju him back and we'll all look back on this and laugh."

"Fuck off Damon," she rolled her eyes, folding her arms so that the shaking of her hands was disguised, "Christ I was such a dick to Meredith, I hope she's okay."

"She'll be alright, you should stay at our place for a bit though. We can keep Ric on house arrest here until we've fixed him but its probably safer for you not to be here, pathetic fighting skills and all."

"Rude," she rolled her eyes as she went to fix them both drinks, "I've been able to beat Ric in a fight since I was a kid, I'm not defenceless. Now, do you want the couch or the floor?"

Damon took the drink gratefully but his face was serious as he downed it and then approached her. He moved slowly and it was clear that he was planning his words as carefully as his footsteps, his brow furrowed as his arm caught her, stopping her flustered movements as she tried to busy herself.

"I'll look after him Frank," he said softly, "You really should go back to mine, Stef's there. I'll call you when he wakes up but you should leave just to be safe. We don't know what Ric's capable of, I know he wouldn't want to hurt you but he stabbed Meredith and tried to stab Elena-"

"I'm fine Damon, don't treat me like one of your high school friends that you need to babysit," Frankie snapped back, internally wincing at how cruelly her words came out as though they weren't also her friends too, "Do you want the couch or the floor. I'm not leaving."

"I'll take the floor," he agreed after a moment holding her angry glare.

Frankie nodded shortly, speeding off to the linen closet to grab them blankets and pillows before curling back up on the couch with her face furrowed. They turned the tv on, neither of them was particularly interested in the show that was playing but it was better than pretending they were interested in sleeping and it was better than talking and pretending to be alright.

While Damon had reluctantly agreed to let Frankie stay, when morning came he drew the hard line on letting her wait with him in the bedroom for Ric to wake up lest Evil Ric attacked the moment he woke. Eventually she heard them chatting and at the tone of their voices she came in, relieved to see her brother there, healed though confused.

"Did something happen?" Ric asked as Frankie entered the room, with a grin and a wave that was more reserved than her normal one.

"You've got an alter ego hell bent on killing council members," she told him, sitting on the arm of Damon's seat, "you get to crash with me for a bit."

"It's like house arrest," Damon cut in, "polite."

"Wait," Alaric asked slowly, still puzzled though clearly placing the pieces together about why they would be here without her, "But where's Meredith?"

"She'll be fine, Ric."

Alaric's face collapsed into a frown, the meaning behind Damon's words immediately clear. He wasn't an idiot and with the way their faces frowned it was clear he'd hurt Meredith, badly enough that she was frightened of seeing him at least right now.

"Right," Frankie said, standing up and clapping her hands, "This is mighty depressing, who wants coffee."

-

Frankie passed Elena on the staircase as she headed to work, Elena grabbing her arm to pull her to a halt, "He's okay?" she asked nervously.

It'd barely been a day since they'd taken Alaric's unconscious body from the Gilbert house but Elena had been calling hourly hoping for updates, worried about Alaric's wellbeing in the time since she'd seen him. They were all worried about him, Damon and Frankie especially though neither let on, no one outright saying their greatest fear that perhaps what was happening with Alaric mightn't be something they could fix. For now keeping him in the apartment was all they could do until they figured out how to stop it permanently.

"He's good 'Lena," she told her, "Sleeping like a baby and waking up like my brother. No serial killer today, I can take those up to him, lockdown and all."

"I want to see him," she pressed, tugging the bag of food back from Frankies outstretched hand, "I feel like Damon's hiding something from me."

"You can go up there if you want," Frankie replied, stepping back with a shrug, "Damon won't let you in, you know that, but I'm not stopping you from trying. The boys aren't hiding anything from you they're just protecting you."

It was odd having her brother living back in the apartment, it was his apartment and she'd never claimed differently but having him here, literally locked in was a new one. Especially with Damon there too babysitting, it became some bizarre hideout where they plotted against the Originals and created white oak stakes.

She was almost relieved today to head into work for the afternoon shift and take a break from weapon creation and the alcoholism that seemed to develop whenever her or her brother were with the eldest Salvatore. Of course the relief at her absence from the supernatural drama didn't last long when Matt appeared, ten minutes late to his shift, sweaty and concerned.

"They took Damon," Matt said in place of a greeting when he sidled up to her.

"Who took Damon?" she asked, "Isn't he with Ric at the apartment?"

"The Originals," he said, "Rebekah and Klaus."

"What do they want with him? Who's at the apartment then?" she asked, her brow furrowing as she noticed the oldest Original, Finn, enter the Grill.

"He pissed Rebekah off. Alaric's not at the apartment right now, they finished the," here he broke off, nodding his friend at Finn and the girl beside him, "the things for them. They were making a plan with us."

"Oh," she replied, realising what Matt was referring to with a grimace.

She felt grateful at this point he didn't know about her connection to Elijah because she didn't want to see the look of pity that crossed his face when he realised she didn't hate all the Originals like they did. It didn't surprise her that the stakes had mysteriously been finished whilst she was at work nor that the plan was created whilst she was away. They weren't hiding it from her, they'd been making them in her living room, but they weren't exactly rubbing it in her face either, her brother tactfully explaining her heritage to the Salvatores.

She wasn't going to stop them, she felt bad for Elijah and for what they had planned but as awful as it was she didn't think it was her place to say something. Though she liked him, she enjoyed taking with him and she felt like they clicked when they spent time together, she had to put her family first, Klaus had literally killed her brother and if he wanted revenge for that against the one who did that and this was the only way she wasn't going to stand in his way.

"Rebekah knocked Ric out when she took Damon but he's okay," Matt explained, "Caroline's gonna stay with him and make sure he stays, him."

"Alright," she nodded, rubbing her eyebrows, "I said I'd organise the back since it's slow today but let me know if anything else happens."

Something else did happen. A lot of something's. Matt had told Stefan that Finn was here and with barely a blink a plan was devised. By the time that Frankie reemerged from the stockroom the eldest Mikaelson was dead and supposedly, each of his siblings too thanks to the spell created by their mother.

A tightness clutched her chest with guilt as she thought of Elijah now, the kindness and care he'd shown to her despite what she'd now inadvertently allowed to happen to him. She pushed the pressure down, swallowing tightly as she forced her face to relax and the regret to hide away. Soon her shift ended, relieved as she returned home to her brother, dinner in hand to discuss their success.

"He's still alive," was the first thing that Alaric said to her as her key caught in the lock of the door, "they all are. The link was broken before they did it, we didn't make it in time, only Finn is dead."

"Oh," she replied, turning away to place her things down as she tried to consider what that meant for her, for them. She knew that her brother was aware she and Elijah talked but she was surprised by his eagerness to let her know he was alright.

"It means Elijah's still alive, just in case that was what you were worried-"

"I know what it means Ric," she cut him off quickly, eager to change the subject when her phone rang and she tugged it to her ear in relief.

"I need Ric's stake," Damon told her shortly though the phone, "I'm on my way to pick it up."

"Hello to you too," she replied with a roll of her eyes, "You're alive, what a disappointment."

"Funny," he deadpanned, "I'll be there soon, make sure the stake is ready or I won't be alive much longer."

"He needs the stake," she told her brother as the line clicked silent, "Your white oak I guess?"

Alaric's face furrowed in confusion for a moment before he shrugged, his eyes flicking around the apartment as though checking the space was clear before he revealed his hiding place. She watched him as his eyes finally settled on the bookshelf by the kitchen, walking over with his eyes set in place.

"It's right behind these books here," he motioned with his hand as he approached.

"A bookshelf, really? At least try and be a little clever about your hiding place for a weapon that kills the unkillable."

Alaric rolled his eyes, tugging some books away from their place lazily, before his eyes widened and his face fell, his movements turning frantic as he tugged the surrounding books from their place.

"Where the hell is it?" he snapped anxiously, the stake absent from the shelf.

"Ha ha," she pretended to laugh, "Damon's gonna find that one hilarious, Ric. Look harder."

"Frank it's not here," he replied, tugging the books from the shelf above nervously.

"It's okay," she told him, less mocking than earlier, her face now furrowed in concern as she began to help him search, "Maybe you just forgot which shelf you put it on."

"No, I didn't forget," he insisted, "It's, I- I put it right here. A stake doesn't just vanish into thin air!"

"Well who else did you tell?"

"I didn't tell anyone, no one else knows. I didn't even tell Damon where it was, you're the only person who knows where I'd hidden it. Unless. . . "

"What?" she asked nervously, an inkling of who else might know catching her as her heart began to silently race with nerves.

"I'm the only one who knew about it, Frank."

"Please tell me that your vampire hating alter ego doesn't have a stake that can kill an Original and their entire line of vampires including that of all of your friends?" she asked, knowing the answer before he replied

"That's exactly what I'm telling you."

"Damon is going to skin us alive," she groaned, tugging her phone out to dial him back.