a/n: this took me a little longer to pump out than I thought it would, but here it is :) For all of those that were questioning, this will definitely be the last installment and I have BIG, BIG plans for it :) Enjoy!

ONE

I had no choice but to tell everyone that the Originals were planning on attacking. We had waited until Tyler came back from visiting his uncle because I did not want to repeat this information. "Elena, we're all here," John said from where he was lounging on the wall. "You're beginning to worry us."

I nodded and looked at Damon nervously. I had yet to tell him about Anya's prediction of my death and no matter how hard I tried to contact her again, nothing happened. There were times when I caught glimpses of her, but she seemed to always be running away. I shook myself as I refocused on everyone in the room. "On Valentines Day, the four of us went to a restaurant in Richmond. We were served wine laced with vervain from a human servant of the vampire named Velken. After we came back home, Bonnie found a page on crystals in her spell book. The next day we used Hemimorphite to connect me to Anya because we needed to get the order they were brought into this world."

"How do we defeat them?" Alaric asked.

"According to Anya, they all have the same weakness as Klaus. White ash wood," I added for those who didn't know that already. "We've already ordered some and it should be here either tomorrow or the day after."

"Should I call my uncle down? He said he would be willing to help if you needed it again," Tyler said and I smiled at him.

"That would be great. Anya also said they each had a special ability and she doesn't know what they are."

"That doesn't sound good," Anna muttered and I shook my head in agreement.

"Anya gave you the ability to kill them. Is it you alone that must preform the task?" Pearl asked.

I looked at her as I thought it over. "Honestly, I don't know. However, Tyler, John, and Alaric did do some damage to Klaus before I killed him. To be on the safe side, I think I should do the actual killing."

"So we'll me more or less herding them your way while you lie in wait with a stake," Damon said as he gave me a small smile.

"Something like that," I said and my eyes jumped around the room. "But we need a better plan than that. This isn't something we should rush into without being fully prepared." I hated not being able to tell them about Anya's prediction, but I needed the Originals dead to protect everyone in this room more than anything else. The worst part was that Damon knew I was lying to him and it was slowly driving a wedge between us no matter how hard I tried to stop it.

"Did she say when they would come?" Harper asked.

I shook my head and sighed, knowing I would have to explain the dream I had about Jenna's wedding. Not that she needed to hear this. I looked at her and she straightened up under the full weight of my stare. "What I'm about to say is not actually the future. Understand?"

"Yes?" she said with wide eyes.

"In the dream with Anya, she gave me a warning. There were vampires in the shadows and they started attacking everyone at the wedding. I could see any faces but there was blood everywhere and they killed-" I stopped to remind myself it wasn't real. "They killed some of you," I finished quietly.

"But-" Jenna started.

"No, I promise you, I can't see the future Jenna. It was just the setting of dream. She used the wedding to convey the importance," I assured her and saw Alaric's arm tighten around her waist. "We are not going to let anything bad happen at your wedding."

She nodded firmly to show that she was trying to believe me, but her thoughts betrayed her. "Why don't we go to them?" Jeremy asked.

I still had to get used to him being included in these sort of plans. I shook my head. "I don't know where they are and they're already coming here. It would be easier to fight on grounds we already know. It will give us some sort of an advantage."

"Um, I thought you were all powerful? How come you can't just take them out with your superpowers and be done with them?" Anna asked.

She sank back into her chair as all eyes rested on her in a harsh manner. "Trust me, if I could do that, I would," I explained and gave her a tight smile. "I'm strong, yes, but I can't take on all nine of them by myself. I do have some limits."

Damon snorted and I shook my head at his smirk. John spoke before I could. "My informants haven't reported any activity headed this way, so for now, we're safe."

"Yes, but that won't last long," Bonnie said for me.

"The best thing to do is go about your normal lives while being a little bit more aware of what's going on around you. The minute Elena says to come help her, we do," John informed everyone.

"Really?" Jeremy whined. "We have ancient vampires-"

"They're not all ancient," I interrupted him.

"We have really powerful demons out for us and you want us to just sit by idly while they plan an attack?" he continued.

"We're still going to think of ways to organize a counter strike, but yes, for the most part, act as if nothing is wrong," I said forcefully.

"Elena-"

"Jeremy!" I yelled back and got to my feet. "I know that you want to help and you will be there to fight this time, but you have to do this my way."

"Uncle John-"

"If John were saying something I didn't agree with, I would tell him. And they are after me, not anyone else. I don't want anyone to feed alone anymore and we'll get together more to make plans, but I've had enough for tonight," I said and took off to the backyard. "Go away," I mumbled as Damon came to stand beside me at the bottom of the stairs.

He ignored me and was silent for a few minutes while I stared up at the sky that was changing from day to night. "Did I do something?"

My head snapped towards him and my eyes widened in surprise. "No," I breathed and took his hand in mine. "Why would you think that?"

"Ever since we contacted Anya you've been distant. I know she told you something else and you're keeping it from us. Elena, tell me what she said. I hate not knowing what upset you."

I opened my mouth to tell him and then closed it. I pulled my hand out of his and stepped back. "I can't. I want to, but I can't."

"Why?"

"Damon-"

"Elena, keeping secrets from me is a terrible idea."

I nodded and looked down at the gap between us. "I know. It's just if I say it out loud, it's like admitting it's true." My voice was barely above a whisper at that point. "When I'm ready to talk about it, I will tell you."

He sighed as he tipped my chin up and pulled me to him with his other arm. "Promise?"

"Promise," I returned and felt a little better as his lips descended on mine. I relaxed into his hold and put my arms around him to bring him closer.

The sound of a throat clearing broke our kiss and I stepped away to look at John standing by the back door. "Sorry to bother you, but are you okay?"

I walked up the steps so we could talk face-to-face. I nodded and felt Damon's fingers interlock with mine. "I'm fine," I said and smiled lightly at him.

He looked from me to Damon and nodded curtly. "Devyn keeps talking about the dinner you mentioned."

I had to think for a moment before I remembered I had promised she and John could come over for a dinner with Damon and I. "Are you two free tomorrow?" I asked him and then looked at Damon. "I told Devyn you would cook for us."

He grinned wildly and I could see his ego grow a fraction. "I know you live with the other three and I explained that briefly to her so it would be alright if they were at the dinner too," he said, mostly to me.

"What should I make?" Damon asked him.

"She's not picky," he replied.

"I like her already," he said and John glared at him. "Relax, I'm engaged to your daughter," he added and put his arm around my shoulder. "And I am very aware that your girlfriend doesn't know about our true nature. I will be on my best behavior."

I'll believe it when I see it, John thought and then shifted in embarrassment when he saw my expression, telling him I had heard that. "I'll call you early so I can let you know if we can make it. I'm sure we can, but I will let you know."

"Thank you," I said and hugged him briefly before going back inside. I stopped in the kitchen at the sight of Jeremy. "Yes?" I asked.

"I just want to say I'm sorry. I know you're in charge and what you say is practically the law," he said and smiled. "As your little brother, I should be used to that."

I pushed his shoulder lightly as I returned his smile. "You better remember that before you speak next time. I promise you Jer, I will keep you in the loop on everything that goes on. You don't have to sit on the sidelines anymore."

He pulled me into a hug. "That's all I ask."

When I stepped away, I looked at him and Anna. "Remember, no hunting alone," I said and then waved them goodbye for the night. Pearl and Harper followed them with curt nods at me and Damon. Jenna and Alaric had already left and John had gone to his car from the backyard. I turned to the remaining three that lived here and let out a deep breath. "Okay, that went well."

Bonnie smiled and shook her head. "Sure. If you say so."

"If you guys don't have anything to do tomorrow, we're having Devyn and John over for dinner. You're more than welcome to eat with us, just keep in mind she doesn't know about us."

"That sounds fun. I would like to see what kind of girl John landed," Bonnie said with a smirk.

"It can't be much worse than what he's already had," Tyler chimed in and I gave him a hard stare. "Sorry, that was bad."

"No, it was true," I said and grinned. I ruffled his hair as I walked past him and to the foot of the stairs. "Damon's cooking, so any suggestions should be given to him," I said and began the ascent to my room.

I walked to the bathroom and slowly shed my clothes as the dream played out in my mind over and over again. I was very sick of seeing it and each time I told it to someone, the images kept getting more and more life-like. I started the shower and then finished undressing. Before I stepped into the stall, I glanced down and ran a hand over the skin on my abdomen. Even though it had been three months, I still expected to see a scar or any such thing that indicated Klaus had actually punched through me. I shook away the mental images and stepped under the spray of water. I closed my eyes and stayed unnaturally still as the water soaked my hair and smiled when I felt a change in the air. I opened my eyes and sure enough, Damon was in front of me. "I'm a little hurt you didn't invite me."

"I wasn't aware that I needed to invite you every time," I returned.

Instead of saying anything, he moved so that he was standing beneath the water and I was in his former place. He took a step forward until my back was against the smooth tile. He reached down and lifted me by the hips so I could wrap my legs around him. With him standing in front of me, the water from the shower head seemed to pelt off of his back; preventing any water from getting to me. He kept one arm underneath me for support and his other hand guided him inside of me before resting on my side. I put my hands on his shoulders to brace myself as he rocked his hips against mine. I leaned down a little bit so that I could kiss him and his hand crept up my side until he was touching my breasts. I groaned and my body arched out in response to his touch. My fingers dug into his shoulders, tinting the water pink as a trickle of blood ran his back. His hand trailed down my stomach before touching the bundle of nerves that ached for his touch. My head snapped back and bounced off the tile. My laughter was cut short as I moaned from the beginnings of my release. He came with me and inserted himself completely until we both settled down.

He stepped back just enough for me to slip down off the wall and I grinned up at him. He was looking at the wall in bewilderment. "You cracked the tile," he said in amusement as he looked at me.

I turned to see the cracks and chips before turning to look at him. "Didn't feel a thing," I said and felt the back of my head just to be sure there wasn't any damage. If there had been, it had healed already. I shrugged, "Gives you something to do."

"Me?" he asked and put his hands on his chest. "What makes you think I'm handy?"

I laughed and kissed his chest. "At least you're honest," I said and reached around him for the shampoo. I handed it to him and turned around. In a few seconds, his hands were twining in my hair, lathering it with the calming lavender scent that filled the small space. It still amazed me that after two years of being with him I still wanted him they way I had the first time. It was a good sign since we had an eternity to look forward to. I smiled brightly as he massaged my scalp while thinking of the future. My smile began to fade as I realized that if Anya was right, our eternity would be cut short. The not knowing when or how my final death would happen was starting to overwhelm me and I was afraid I would become obsessed with it.

"Elena?" Damon's voice cut through my thoughts. It had that tone that told me he had been calling my name a few times. I turned around to look at him and he pulled me under the water to rinse my hair out.

"Daydream," I lied and made an effort to smile at him.

He smiled lightly, "As long as it's about me, I'll ignore it." The rest of our time in the shower was focused on getting clean and it was done in silence, with minor flirting via body language. After we towel dried, I pulled on sleeping shorts and a tank top while he watched me dress, keeping the towel wrapped around his hips. "Isn't it a little early to go to sleep?" he asked, his eyes flickering towards the window to view the sky that had just turned dark not long ago.

"Yes, but I wasn't planning on sleeping." I held up my hand as his eyes glinted with possibilities. "I just don't want to be around anyone else."

He looked around the room with a smirk. "There's no one else here."

"I was thinking more along the lines of planning dinner."

He frowned. "Really?"

I had to bite my lip to keep my grin from being too wide. "No," I said and in an instant, I was beneath him on the bed.