Chapter 1: Houston, we have a problem.

Stefan gave Damon a worried look and reached him the daily newspaper.

"What? Did you lose your face in the paper, if so I will gladly toss it in the trashcan like…" Damon wrinkled the paper and threw it in a perfect angle towards the trashcan and ended with a "...this" as the newspaperball landed safely on the bottom of the can.

A blurry Stefan went in 2 seconds from his seat in the leather armchair to the trashcan and picked up the newspaper. He unwrinkled the paper and put it in Damon's lap.

"Read it."

Stefan saw how the obnoxious smile in Damon's face turned into a worried one.

"There was an animal attack? Here? How come nobody told us?"

"Damon come on, you know as well as I do that nobody trusts us anymore after Sheriff Forbes death."

"Yeah, but I mean Rebekah is in the counsel now, why didn't she tell us."

"You mean besides you leading her on and then dagger her because she was falling for you and you didn't have the decency to break up with her because you knew she would kill you? No, I have no idea Damon."

"Yeah it might have been that, but don't play innocent little brother. I just led her on so that she would get something else to think about than killing you and Elena."

"Thank you Damon, I'm actually flattered by your honest attempt to help me out with a problem." Stefan answered with a sarcastic tone. "Let's just focus on this "animal attack" instead. OK?"

"Yeah, yeah…"

"I'll call Caroline to see if she can help us out a bit, she's the one…"

"…With the contacts. I know." Damon interrupted. "And I'll call the witch to see what she's heard. What are you gonna do about Elena?"

"Don't know yet." Stefan mumbled and took up his phone to show the conversation was over.

Damon knew he had hit a nerve. Stefan and Elena were… He didn't really know what they were right now and he couldn't care less about how things were between those two.

Elena chose Stefan, she had made that very clear to him. But he knew the truth. It wasn't that much of choosing Stefan as not choosing him. Especially since Stefan was mad at her for choosing his brother when she turned, even if she blamed the sire band every time she got the chance to. By now she probably should have figured out that Stefan didn't accept that excuse, and she probably has, but she just can't come up with a better excuse. Damon knew the best thing for her to do right now was to let his brother come around in his own time, it might take a couple of hundred years, but he would come around eventually. Oh right, not caring was it.

Damon picked up his phone to call the Bennett witch.

"What do you want Damon?" a irritated Bonnie answered.

"What can you tell me about this so called animal attack that happened two days ago."

"That it was an animal attack, a bear or something I think."

"Oh come on Bonnie! By now you should know that "animal attack" is just the Mystic Falls way to spell vampire meal."

"Yes, so Elena and I already checked it out, okay? There's nothing supernatural about this attack Damon, just a hungry animal. Nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, and why is it that I don't believe you. What are you hiding Bennett?"

"Nothing. I've told you, there's nothing to worry about. Goodbye Damon"

"Bonnie don't you…" Click, Bonnie had hung up on him. "The next time I see that bitch I'm gonna kill her!"

"Hey, what did you find out by the way? Did Blondie know something useful?" Damon said to Stefan who just got off the phone with Caroline.

"No, but she's gonna snoop around a little and then come over here, and could you please stop calling her that?"

"What? She is blond isn't she? And the Bennett witch didn't know anything either, but she's hiding something and I'm gonna find out what it is."

"No, don't! Damon! Dam it!" Stefan called after the blur that was his brother.

"I'll just wait here then... Alone."

"Alright! Stefan I already told you I will check it out, stop being so bossy all the time, you'll get vamp-wrinkles or something" Caroline hung up on a seriously annoying Stefan and stepped in to the major's office.

Klaus gave her his usual "I'm-super-sexy-super-evil-and-really-in-to-you-sm ile" as soon as he noticed her presence.

"Hello Darling, what gives me this honor."

"First, I'm not your darling! And second, where's major Cripkey?"

"He's out at the moment, I'm keeping his seat warm, so to speak."

"Well then I just have to ask you then, even if you're not my first or second choice to ask for anything. When I think about it, you're actually somewhere down the line with Jack the Ripper and Norman Bates!"

"Now, now Caroline, you don't have to be so mean. I am much worse than Jack the Ripper or some killer from a movie." He gave her that smile again and even though she tried to believe she hated and was disgusted by him, she couldn't ignore the warm feeling she got every time she saw him. But that was something she was just going to forget, it was nothing. Probably. Just. Nothing.

He had gone up from the office chair and went closer and closer. She felt like she couldn't breathe. He was to close. If she hadn't been dead, her heart would be on a really high frequency right now, like the one you definitely blush from and are so loud everyone can hear it.

He stood so close now that if he wanted to he could just lean towards her an inch and their lips would meet.

"So Love, what did you want to ask me?"

Caroline snapped back to reality and backed a couple of feet to get some distance.

"I wanna know what you know about the so called animal attack that happened a couple of days ago."

"Why would I give you that information? What's in it for me?"

"You'll do it because I asked nicely and really need to know?" she said and smiled a sexy smile, trying to flirt a little.

"Now Caroline are you trying to seduce me into telling you? That's not very nice to play with someone's feelings like that. And you didn't say please…"

The magic was definitely gone now. Caroline felt a very strong urge to rip him to tiny little pieces but she knew she actually couldn't do that and she also knew she really needed the information and if she attempted something he would get mad and wouldn't tell her. So she gave up, sighed and said:

"Can you give me the information about the animal attack, pleeeeaaaseee. I really, really need it."

"Now that's better. And you mean attacks right?"

Caroline tried her best not to look surprise, but she didn't do a very good job with it and Klaus face got a very obnoxious grin.

"You didn't know. Ha! Caroline, you come here for in-tell and you don't even have the basics. Oh well, love there's been at least three here the last week and another ten in nearby towns for the last month. This one is hungry and it has just started here."

"So there is a new vampire in town?"

"It looks like that, yes."

"Do you know him, or her for that matter?"

"Now, I just said there was a new one in town, Love, not that I know who it is. And why would you think that?"

"Seriously? Because every time there's a new face in time it seems to know you pretty well."

"Caroline, I'm old. I've met a lot of people through the years. It would be weird if I didn't know a lot of vampires. And maybe I do know this one, but I haven't really been out looking so I don't know yet. Like I said when you came in; I'm keeping the majors seat warm for him while he's gone."

"Wait where is major Cripkey? And don't say out again, give me an honest answer for ones."

"Honest answer! Since when didn't I tell the truth? Did I or did I not just give you in-tell on the attacks and more so? I wouldn't say I never lie, but never to you Caroline. And I just lie on special occasions, often I just… bend the truth little. No harm in that."

"See! You didn't even answer the question, all I got was a lot of rumble-jumble! This is why I despite you so much, among many reasons, you never get a straight answer! Is that too much to ask for?"

"Now that's a whole other thing, Love. Bending the truth is not the same as lying I thought you knew that." Caroline gave him an angry look and turned around to walk out of the office. She didn't get very far since Klaus was now blocking the exit.

"As… for your question. Phil is… let's just say business trip for now. And he thought it would be a good idea for the Sheriff to act major until he gets back."

Caroline snorted, pushed him out of the way and started walking towards the parking lot and her car.

She heard him shout after her while laughing.

"You shouldn't push the Sheriff nor acting major Caroline! He could arrest you or give you a ticket for it!"

"You wouldn't like the bill!" He added with a voice that clearly said what he had in mind was a little more undressed.

Caroline sighed as she got in her car and started the engine. Why did he always have to like that? And what the hell was she thinking getting those feelings for him? She was no better than Elena when she had those stupid feelings for Damon. At least she could blame the sire band. She was seriously messed up.

She sighed again and picked up her phone to report back to Stefan what she had found out and how much he owed her for this.

"Hello? Caroline? What did you find out?"

Caroline was just about to answer when she saw someone walking down the street. Someone she thought was dead. Freaked out by it she closed her eyes and when she opened them again, the person was gone. But she was sure she had seen her. But that was impossible, right? Because she was dead dead. Not vampire dead.

"Caroline? Hello? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I just thought I saw someone."

"Who? You sound a little out of it."

"M-my, my mom. But It's probably just nothing."

"Caroline, your mom is dead. It couldn't have been her. It was probably just someone who looks a bit like her and a memory kicked in. That used to happen to me all the time after I lost Lexie."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

"So. What did you find out?"