I'm back. The game begins agains. Come along. Oh, Peachie X is back with her Beta as well - you don't know how lucky you are for that...

Alaric

The sun was up, though it was still early in the morning. They were near Elena's house. Alaric stood still as Katherine and Isobel concentrated, listening. He was a little unnerved as he stood between the two vampires. He had never really come to like or trust vampires. Still, he was not concerned about himself, he was more worried about Elena and Jenna, two people he had come to care about as much as he had ever cared about anyone.

"The humans are here," Katherine said. "and Stefan"

"But not the other?" Alaric asked.

Katherine shook her head. "Not Marcus."

"Agreed." Isobel said. "I see no sign of him, which is good."

"Good?" Alaric asked.

"There should be no sign of him," Katherine replied. "though, he would have come to us if he was here."

"What now?" Alaric asked.

"Now we talk to Stefan." Katherine said. "You try the front door, quietly, I'll go to the back. If the front is locked, stay there. I will get Stefan and come to the doorstep to talk. No noise, though. We don't want to startle them."

"Shall I go to the door as well?" Isobel asked.

"Yes," Katherine replied. "Keep your eyes open, but do come and talk with us."

Alaric moved toward the door, aware that Isobel was behind him, watching. He knew that if he took time to think about Jenna and Isobel, he would be torn. He wasn't going to worry about it just then, Jenna and Elena were the priorities.

Alaric moved as quietly as he could, and tried the door. Locked.

He was relieved in a sense, at least the front door being locked overnight was normal.

He moved aside and tried to find a window he could look into while he waited for Katherine. He hadn't gotten far when he heard the front door open.

Alaric turned back. Katherine was motioning for him to him to enter. As he reached the door and turned to go inside, he noticed Stefan standing behind her.

"Where's Elena?" Stefan asked. He directed the challenge to Alaric.

Alaric looked at Katherine. "You didn't tell him?"

Katherine shook her head. "Woke him up, brought him here." Then she turned to Stefan, "She's with Damon, Stefan. We thought that after everything that happened and with Marcus missing, we should make sure everything here is as it should be before bringing her."

Stefan glared at Katherine. "Is she alright?"

"She's fine." Katherine answered. "Where's Marcus?

"He's supposed to be outside. He was earlier." Stefan said, annoyed the subject had been changed from Elena.

"He's not there." Katherine said.

"He was somewhere else resting most of the day. He was supposed to take over while I slept in here. He was here earlier."

Stefan's attitude was beginning to annoy Katherine. She turned to the doorstep. "Do you see or hear anything, Isobel?"

Isobel shook her head.

"When did you last see him?" Katherine asked, turning back to Stefan.

Stefan was still annoyed – Marcus was not his concern, but he answered. "We talked before sunset – nothing unusual. He said he had just checked in with you and was getting ready to settle in for the night."

"He did talk to me then. I lost track of him after that."

"You're sure Elena is safe?" Stefan demanded again.

"She's with Damon and two others." Katherine said, her annoyance with him visible. "I would have heard if she wasn't."

"She said she was attacked by witches and vampires." Stefan asked Katherine icily. "How could you let that happen?"

Isobel had heard enough. "Everyone who attacked her is dead, Stefan," Isobel said harshly. "Witch and vampires."

Stefan wasn't consoled. "You sent her to make a deal with witches but didn't protect her from them"

"She did what she was sent to do, Stefan." Katherine defended. "She made the deal and the witch that attacked her is dead. The other witches weren't involved."

Stefan glared at her briefly before asking, "What about the vampires? Were they working for someone?"

Katherine was regaining her composure. "Not a clue. Neither lived long enough to tell us."

"So someone's after Elena, but you don't know who. You can't find out?" Stefan challenged.

"We talked to one," Katherine said, "he said he was working for the witch."

"Get your story straight! You said neither lived long enough to talk."

Katherine understood. She was speaking calmly now, still annoyed at Stefan, but deciding she did not have to defend herself to him. "There was another attack after she talked to you, Stefan. They didn't get to her, but we were able to keep one vampire alive long enough to talk to him."

"She must be scared to death." Stefan whispered to himself, shaking his head.

"If she is, it doesn't show." Isobel said icily.

Stefan ignored her and challenged Katherine again. "You can't do anything to find out who is after her?"

"The witches had no idea. The vampires died. We have no clue."

Alaric remembered something and spoke. "I have a ring."

"Ring?" Katherine asked at the same time Isobel said "The rings! There should be two."

Alaric pulled the ring out of his pocket and showed Katherine. "From one of the vampires on the motorcycle," he explained.

Katherine studied it. "What can we do with it?" Katherine thought out loud.

"It's not the same as yours, is it?" Alaric asked, holding it up to Stefan.

Stefan was still scowling. He looked at it, then moved his hand so his ring was next to one in Alaric's hand. "No."

"There were pictures of Stefan's ring in Emily's spell book." Alaric said to Katherine. "Maybe we can find a way to find out what witch made this one."

"Do you think you have something that would tell us?" Stefan asked, sounding a little calmer now.

"I might, or Natalie Proctor might. Sarah said she was interested in the families of witches."

"We do have two rings." Katherine said.

"You could send this one to Sarah, and I could research the other one," Alaric suggested.

Alaric quickly closed his fist around the ring as he heard Jenna speaking from behind him.

"Rick, Elena. You're back!" Jenna said, smiling as she ran and pulled Katherine into a hug.

"Yeah. Back." Alaric said.

Jenna was hugging Katherine tightly, wondering why she didn't return it when Stefan spoke.

"Jenna, that's not Elena."

Jenna quickly released Katherine with a sharp intake of a breath. She backed up a couple of steps and hesitated before tentatively asking. "Katherine?"

Katherine nodded.

"Where's Elena?"

"She's with Damon, a little behind us." Katherine said.

"But she's OK?" Jenna asked desperately.

"She is," Katherine said. "she should be here soon."

Jenna nodded and looked at Isobel, her concern still showing. "Isobel, isn't it? Don't you want to come…"

"No!" Alaric said, sharply enough that Jenna cringed a little.

Jenna looked at him, confused, for a moment. Then it hit her. "Is she a…?"

Alaric nodded.

Jenna still spoke to Alaric. "Doesn't she help Elena? Isn't she safe?"

"Elena should decide when she is safe enough to enter your home." Alaric said. "Besides, Isobel and Katherine have something to do. Stefan and I will wait for Elena with you."

Jenna was still upset, but nodded to Alaric and turned to walk to the kitchen. "I'll make us some coffee."

Alaric turned to Isobel whose expression was changing from what may have been small scowl to an icy smile. "Until next time, Rick."

Alaric held the ring out to Katherine. "You'll send this to Sarah and ask Damon to give me the other?"

"I'll call him now," Katherine said as she went through the door.

Elena

Elena was still tired, but she had waited long enough. As she waited, she could feel some pain and soreness from where she had fallen the previous day. All she wanted to do was go home and rest. She had become more and more annoyed with Damon as she watched him and the other vampire talking. Finally she pulled herself up and went to them, arriving just after Damon had answered his phone.

"Yes, I have it." She heard him say into the phone. She wasn't able to get his attention before he spoke again.

"We're on our way now."

Elena began to scowl as he put his phone away. "Damon, we're on our way where? I need to go home."

Damon looked at her now, almost startled at the expression she had. She looked tired, hurt and desperate. "That's where we're going. I'm taking you home."

Elena nodded. "Okay. Right now?"

"Right now. Jenna is waiting for you."

Elena let a sigh of relief escape. "Good. I can't wait to see her."

Elena's voice was breaking. Damon was glad that finally, after all she had been through, he could take her home to rest.

Marcus

Marcus was straining, but he could hear at least some of the conversation.

"He walks in the day. He won't be there."

"You shouldn't have left him outside then."

"I couldn't carry him alone. He killed my brother. It was all I could do to subdue him again. If you wanted someone that could carry him, you should have sent a vampire or a wolf with us."

"You were all that was available. You needed to find a way."

The voices were coming from inside a building, getting closer. Marcus had moved to where he thought he could at least watch the building but stay unseen.

He wasn't sure how he had been surprised, let alone subdued. For once, however, he was glad to be outside in the sun.

He did remember waking in the night. He remembered being carried by two people. When he noticed he was about to be carried into a building, he started to struggle. They were no match for him and he took one out quickly. Then he blacked out again.

He had awakened in the same place he remembered being the night before. He felt weird – they had done something to him to subdue him.

Marcus reached into the pocket that held his phone. Empty. The phone was lost.

He didn't wait anymore, he started moving towards the Gilbert house.