Chapter 2 : Homecoming

At the Salvatore House, Stefan was on the phone to Klaus.

" Portland is fantastic. Once you get over all the whiny music and healthy looking people it is literally a breading ground for werewolves." Klaus' voice sounded down the phone, Stefan rolled his eyes. But he knew he called Klaus for a reason.

"Your father is dead." Stefan said, as if it were nothing.

"What did you say to me?" Klaus said, his voice full of anger.

"Oh, my mistake. Not your actual father and not dead. Mikael. Daggered. What do you want me to do with the body?" Stefan said sarcastically.

"Well, first I want you to explain to me exactly what happened."

*One hour earlier, at Salvatore House. Stefan, Elena, Damon and Mikael were all sitting in the library.

"Aye- let`s say that Mikael followed Elena in here. He tried to grab her, so he could use her as bait." Stefan said, trying to come up with a lie to tell Klaus.

"And you what? Vervained him?" Elena asked.

"No! WE vervained him! This guy is an original. To make it realistic." Damon said, looking at his brother.

"O.k. fine. We vervained him, and in the process discovered that he had a dagger."

"Which he planned to use on Rebekah, but instead…"

"We drove it through his heart."

"And what happens when he asks to see Mikael´s body?"

"Good point! You my brother have been compelled to do what Klaus says. So the idea is to lure him back here and kill him- last thing we need is you getting tripped up and tongue-tied." Damon said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Well, don't look at me I am just in charge of getting him back here." Stefan argued.

"Klaus is smart, if we tell him that Mikael is dead, he'll want proof." Damon said.

"Then I shall be dead." Mikael said as though it were nothing.

"What if he wants to see you in person?"

"Well that means our plan is working. Klaus will absolutely want to see my body. You lure him here- and I will kill him."

"With what? Those daggers won`t work on him." Stefan asked.

"Well, I´m in possession of a stake fashioned from the wood of the ancient white oak tree. The one that left these ashes when it burned."

"Where is it?"

"Not here. The knowing of its location is my insurance policy." Mikael said, his obvious distrust coming out in his tone.

"Against what?" Stefan asked.

"You leaving this in my heart. You see, a vampire can´t dagger an original without dying. So- it falls to you." Mikael said as he handed over the dagger to Elena.

"Y- You want me to actually dagger you?" Elena asked, eyes wide in disbelief.

"Klaus will leave nothing to chance- especially when it comes to trust."

*Klaus on phone with Stefan in the present time, "I wanna see him. I want to see his rotting body for myself." Klaus said angrily.

"Well, he is here. Come by whenever." Stefan said dryly.

"If you are lying to me Stefan, your compulsion will expose you. So, answer with your life: Is what you are saying the truth?" Stefan closed his eyes and remembered watching as Elena driving the dagger into Mikael´s heart.

"I saw it with my own eyes."

"I wanna talk to Rebekah."

"That´s not a problem. She is right here." Stefan said, handing over the phone to Rebekah.

"Hello Nik." Rebekah said dryly, it was the only way she could hide her anger she held for her brother at that moment.

"Rebekah, love. What´s this I hear about Mikael´s tragic run in with the dagger?"

"It´s true. He´s finally out of our lives for good. I miss you. I´m miserable here." Rebekah lied.

"I´ll be home soon." Klaus said.

"Good. I'll see you then, brother." She said as she hung up the phone and turned to the others "He bought it. He´s coming home."

"Now- was that easy or what?" Damon said, his voice full of an unusual cheer that Damon very rarely had.

"Let´s just get this over with." Elena said, as she walked over to Mikael's body. She pulled the dagger out of Mikael´s chest, and his eyes shot open.

Where Klaus was in Portland, he and his newly endangered brother, Kol, were sitting in the truck with the coffins.

"So brother, how does it feel to be amongst the living again?" Klaus asked his brother.

"You know, Nik, it feels as if I never left." Kol said with a smirk. "But know this brother, as soon as you make sure Mikael is dead, I am taking Rebekah and our family and getting them as far away from you as possible." The two brothers eyes met in an intense gaze full of anger. "You had me daggered for the better part of a century for nothing! And Finn, well Finn has been daggered for almost as long as we've been vampires"

"What makes you think Rebekah will go with you?" Klaus asked, believing his sister was still on his side.

"She will Niklaus. If I tell her what you did to-" Kol began to threaten but Klaus interrupted.

"Don't you dare threaten me Kol, or I will not dagger you, I will rip out your heart just like I did to mother. Rebekah can NEVER know what I did!" Klaus yelled.

"She will find out…in time!" Kol said, walking out of the truck leaving his brother alone…again.

Back at the Salvatore Boarding House, Mikael was still dead on the floor; Rebekah was in a chair, painting her toe nails while waiting for Mikael coming to live again. He started to move, coughed loudly, got up from the ground.

"Finally. Took you long enough." Rebekah said dryly.

"Rebekah."

"Whatever fatherly rubbish you´re thinking- save it. Nothing you say matters to me."

"I see. Where is my dagger?"

"Elena has it. So you can forget your plans to use it on me." Rebekah said, her voice dripping with hatred.

"You were never what I was after." Mikael argued.

"Nik was my family. If you were after him, you were after me."

"He blinded you, Rebekah. He killed your mother!"

"I know what he did, and he´ll pay for it with his life. But Nik was not born a killer- none of us were! You did this to us when you turned us into vampires! You destroyed our family. Not him." Rebekah yelled.

"Rebekah…" Mikael began, but his daughter cut him off by leaving him standing there.

At the Gilbert House, Elena was in front of her closet. Bonnie was sitting on her bed with Alaric´s photos of the ancient Viking drawings.

Elena sighed "I hate everything in my closet. I have nothing to wear to Homecoming."

"So, don't go. Let's stay home order takeout and overanalyze ancient hieroglyphic thingies with Alaric."

"We have to go. Caroline will kill us."

"Ha- Caroline actually has a date…"

"You know that you can talk to me about Jeremy, right?" Elena said, and Bonnie's face fell.

"I don't need to talk about it. He fell in love with his ghost girlfriend and lied about it. What´s done is done."

"You have to talk about it. He hurt you, Bonnie. I am mad at him, too"

"You are mad at your little brother. You'll yell at him a little, teach him a life lesson. You can't really be mad like I am mad." Elena came to a realization from Bonnie's words. Her eyes went wide and she began to speak.

"Bonnie…"

"And you shouldn't have to be. He's your brother. So no I can't really talk to you about it."

Later that evening, at the Salvatore Boarding House, Elena and Damon were in Damon's room, preparing weapons they might need.

"We can't trust Rebekah not to turn on us." Elena said, her voice sad at the prospect.

"Oh really? Cause these Original vampires are usually so reliable."

"Bonnie was right. Rebekah may be mad at Klaus now but - he is her brother."

"Her lying, mama- killing, dagger- happy brother. Wolvesbane is ready." Damon said sarcastically.

"There are too many things that can go wrong with this plan. Too many people that can make it go wrong."

"Well, I am formulating a secret contingency plan."

"Really? What is it?"

"Well, if I told you, then it wouldn't be a secret." Damon said, and Stefan entered the room.

"I need to borrow a tie." Stefan said, boredom evident in his voice.

"You have your own ties." Damon said.

"Hm- I'm a 162 years old and I'm going to a Homecoming Dance. I need better ties."

"You could not go." Elena chimed in. Getting a look from both brothers.

"I'm compelled to protect you. And if I look at your track record at Highschool Dances- it's pretty tragic. With my luck you'll go and get yourself murdered by the Homecoming Queen…"

Stefan left the room. Elena picked up a wolfsbane grenade. Damon hit her hand.

"Ah- ah! No!" Damon said.

"I know how to do it! Alaric taught me!" Damon took the grenade away from her.

"Elena! If this thing blows up in our face- just remember: only one of us heals quickly."

Stefan walks back into the room, noticing the grenades.

"Ah- please tell me that you have a better plan than wolvesbane grenades?"

"Never you mind, brother. The less you know the better."

"My freedom from Klaus rests entirely upon you two executing your plan perfectly. So, excuse me if I'm a bit cynical."

"Your the one that we should be worried about. If Klaus asks you one wrong question- whole thing falls apart."

"You do have reason to worry, but if I look back in our history of epic plan failures, it's usually because one of us let our humanity get in the way. Upon taking odds on how this thing goes down, it's certainly not gonna be me who screws it up. I'll see you at Homecoming. I can't wait." Stefan said as he grabbed one of Damon's ties and walked out the room again.

At Mystic Falls High School, Caroline and Tyler were painting an old VW Bus. "Hey, can you hand me the glitter gun? Thanks." Caroline asked.

"Hey, can't we ditch the decorating and go grab a bite?" Tyler said.

"Oh, I have a thermos in my bag."

"I mean a real bite. Rebekah knows some people who like to be fed on. They're into it, we don't even have to compel them."

"O.k. first of all, I finally almost just got your mother to stop hating me- so I probably don't wanna get caught in some weird vampire threesome with her son. And secondly, quit hanging out with Rebekah the evil blood slut." Caroline half joked, though part of her was very serious. Rebekah was dangerous, and Tyler hanging around with her was even more dangerous.

"Just keep the claws in tonight at the dance, o.k.? For me?"

"So, who has the misfortune of being compelled to be her date?"

"Matt said he'd take her." Caroline's eyes went insanely wide and her mouth dropped open.

"What? You set her up with Matt?"

WShe wants to go to the dance and he didn't have anyone to go with. He drinks vervain. She can't feed on him, what's the big deal?"

"The big deal, Tyler, is that Matt is an innocent, good person, who should not be going to dances with evil blood sluts!"

"Matt's a guy, Caroline. And Rebekah is hot, don't overthink this."

"This is a sire thing, isn't it? Please tell me this is some weird family extension of your sire bond to Klaus!"

"I'm here, hanging streamers and I have glitter all over my hands. If I'm sired to anybody it's you."

Over at The Boarding House, Rebekah was getting ready for the Homecoming Dance. Elena entered the room, and smiled at the original.

"Getting a headstart, huh?"

"Embarrassing truth? This is my first high school dance." Rebekah said shyly.

"Ever?" Elena asked in disbelief.

"I never really had time for high school before. Nik and I were always moving around, running. Anyway- I didn't want to leave anything to chance. Have you heard anymore from him?" Rebekah said sadly.

"No. But I'm sure that when he does return he'll do it with flair."

"And Damon and my father are all set with their plan?"

"Yes."

"Don't tell me. I don't want to know, I just- I want to go to the dance and leave the rest to Mikael."

"I know it's really hard. So thank you for helping us get Klaus back into town."

"Just be careful. I've been running for a thousand years for a reason. Mikael is not a good person and he definitely can't be trusted. No one in my family can." Rebekah had tears in her eyes. Elena noticed this.

"Are you okay?" Elena asked.

"I've spent my whole life loving and hating my brother with equal measure. I never thought that I'd be the one to help drive a stake through his heart." Rebekah took a deep breath and wiped her eyes. "No tears- I don't want to ruin my makeup." She turned her back to Elena and looked in the mirror again. "How do I look?"

"You look amazing! But you're missing one thing." Elena answered honestly.

Elena took Esther's necklace out of her pocket. Rebekah's eyes went wide.

"My mother's necklace."

"You should wear it tonight. May I?" Elena asked.

Rebekah looked in the mirror, and nodded. Elena puts the necklace around her neck.

"Thank you."

Elena took a deep breath and drove the dagger through her back into her heart. Rebekah gasped, and started to rot, before falling onto the ground, neutralized.

"I'm so sorry. I can't leave anything to chance either."

Elena was sitting on Stefan's bed; Damon was covering Rebekah's body with a blanket

"In the back! Harsh!"

"It had to be done. Rebekah was never gonna be completely on our side."

"Hey, I'm not judging you. It's very- "Katherine" of you."

"Not the way to make me feel better about myself, Damon."

"It was a compliment. Sort of…"

"Stefan's right. Someone's gonna let their humanity get in the way and screw this whole thing up. It's probably gonna be me."

"Elena, you just daggered somebody. You will be fine."

"Yeah- but I feel bad about it. I care too much, that's the problem, Damon. I'm the weak link."

"If it makes you feel any better, she's not really dead."

"Do you trust him? Mikael?"

"No."

"What about Stefan?"

"No. Not as long as he is under Klaus's control."

"Then we need a better plan."

"I know what to do. Your just not gonna like it."

"Why not?"

"Because when this all goes down, I don't want you having any part of it."

"What does that mean?" Elena asked confused.

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes."

"Then you have nothing to worry about."

Over at Mystic Falls High School, the fire brigade was there. There was water flooding the place.

"What happened?" Caroline asked.

"The gym is flooded."

"What?"

"Dance is cancelled." Tyler said to Caroline, trying to be as gentle as he could be with the news.

"Excuse me? What are we supposed to do now?"

Elena was at the Salvatore home on the phone with Caroline. Caroline was telling Elena about the gym being flooded.

"So, does that mean I don't have to go?"

"You wish! No, Tyler is moving the party to his house."

"Kegs and beerpong for Homecoming? That's- different…"

"Just say you're still coming?!" Someone began knocking on the front door.

"I'll see you there." Elena hung up the phone and opened the door. Matt was there.

"Elena…" Matt mused.

"Matt... Hey."

"Hey."

"Umm- slight problem with your Homecoming date"

"What happened?"

"How would you feel about a backup date?"

Later at the Lockwood Mansion, There was a band playing in the garden, everyone from the school was there Caroline walked into the house with Bonnie by her side.

"How did he plan a better party than me so fast? What? Is that a band outside?"

"Who are all these people?"

"This is weird! Where is Tyler?"

Stefan moved through the crowd; he met Tyler at the centre of the crowd.

"Hey Stefan! What's up?"

"Hey Tyler. Nice party you've got going on."

"Thanks, but I'm not the one throwing it. I'm just doing what Klaus wants."

"What do you mean?"

"It's not a party, man. It's a wake."

Klaus entered the stage; crowd cheered for him, even though a large portion of them had no idea who he was. Kol slowly walked up onto the stage and looked down at the crowd. He was becoming increasingly hungry.

"Good evening everyone! I wanna thank you for being here with me to celebrate! It's been a long time coming!"

Katherine, disguised as Elena, and Matt arrived at the party.

"So much for Homecoming…" Katherine said.

"This is weird! Us being here together…"

"There's Caroline. She doesn't know anything. Act normal."

"Hey- Klaus is here." Caroline whispered.

"What?

"Yeah! Apparently our sired hybrid-friend Tyler thought it would be okay to let his master throw a party! I expected more surprise! And Klaus has got some guy with him, he kinda looks a little bit like Elijah, only younger. any idea who he is?" Katherine's eyes bulged at Caroline's statement. Kol? It couldn't be, could it? No way, he's in a coffin. Right? Katherine thought to herself, but didn't say it, in case she gave her identity away.

"I've learned not to be surprised by anything Klaus does. I'm gonna go find Bonnie." Katherine said as she left the two blondes alone.

"What's going on? And what are you two doing here together? Thought you were supposed to be here with Rebekah."

"Plan's changed. I need a drink."

He left too, leaving Caroline alone.

Katherine walked down the stairs and saw Klaus, Kol and Stefan walking around the party. "Kol?" Katherine whispered.

"Quite the Homecoming" Stefan said.

"I've been planning my father's funeral for a thousand years. Granted, in no version of it were any of these people invited, but you get the idea. "

"So, what now? Stop running?"

"Hm- now I reunite my family." Klaus said, looking at his brother.

"Your family. You mean the people you cart around in caskets? And I take it that you're one of his family?" Stefan asked Kol.

"Why would you just assume that?" Kol asked, with a smirk on his face.

"Well you look like a mini-Elijah and you have Klaus' smirk." Stefan said in his defence.

"This is Kol, Stefan" Klaus said.

"Why undagger him and leave the rest daggered?" Stefan asked.

"Felt like it, but none of that matters anymore. With Mikael gone, bygones will be bygones." Klaus said as he noticed the Homecoming Queen walking by. "Seems the Homecoming Queen still walks among the living, which leads me to believe Rebekah isn't here... Where is she?"

"I have no idea. I thought she was coming with Matt."

"Oh, be honest now, Stefan. Where is my sister?"

"I said I have no idea. How would you like me to take you to your father?"

"Well, it wouldn't be a party without the guest of honor, would it? Bring him to me."

"All right. Perhaps there's something in it for me...? My freedom from your compulsion?"

"Oh, you want your freedom. Well, once he is dead and his weapon destroyed, you'll have your freedom. It'll be my pleasure to give it back."

At the Salvatore Boarding house, Damon poured himself a glass of blood; Mikael entered the room

"Did my daughter go to the dance?"

"Yep- you missed the photo op. Did you get the stake?"

"I did."

"I'm not gonna take your word for it. No offence to your honor and all…"

"None taken." He pulled out the stake from his jacket. It was long, and carved into a perfect point, sharp enough to break through the ribs of an original.

"Fancy. May I?" Mikael scoffed

"It's the only weapon on this earth that can kill an original. So I think I'll hold on to it. No offence."

"I'd offer you a drink- but Katherine tells me you're more of a "vampire on the rocks" kind of guy."

"Well, technically you could still offer."

"Why feed on vampires? Don't tell me it's for the smooth after taste."

Mikael rolled his eyes. "I had a hand in creating vampires, but bloodlust was never my intention. Over the centuries I learned to feed from the predator, not the innocent."

Stefan came in.

"Change of plans. Klaus is back. He is at the Lockwood's and he wants your body delivered to his doorstep."

"I'm afraid he is in for a colossal disappointment."

"Well, he's certainly not gonna come here. I hope your plan didn't depend on that?"

"Didn't depend on that."

"But you do have a plan, right?"

"Oh, yeah. We have a plan, right. Just doesn't involve you." Mikael leapt forward, grabbing Stefan and he started to feed on him; Stefan's eyes closed and he went down.

"You couldn't just break his neck?"

"Well that certainly occurred to me."

At the Lockwood Mansion, the party was still going on.

"My mom would seriously freak if she saw all these people here." Tyler complained. Klaus rolled his eyes.

"Your mother won't be a problem: I compelled her to go to church and pray for your friends."

"What are you talking about?"

"I want you to look around. There is Bonnie, there is Elena and Matt and there's your pretty little girlfriend Caroline. Epic dance was wrecked tonight and who came through with the party? You did. What a pal. But who are all these other people here?"

"I have no idea. I've never seen half these people in my life."

"That's because I' ve invited a few dozen friends of my own. That`s my friend Mindy- picked her up along the way in Kansas. Did you know that there's an entire bloodline of werewolves in the heartland? That's Tony from North Dakota and let's not forget the Seattle contingent." All of the Hybrids turned around when Klaus mentioned them, smirking.

"Are those people all hybrids?"

"And they also love a good party. And they're like you were sired by me, they wish to serve their master. So if anyone should so much as make a move against me, they may feel obligated to retaliate. You're free to warn your friends." Tyler's eyes narrowed and he ran to his girlfriend.

Tyler dragged Caroline into his bedroom; he shut the door.

"What are you up to with Klaus?" Tyler said suspiciously/

"Uh- nothing." Caroline answered honestly. She wasn't up to anything.

"He is on to you, Caroline. Whatever you all think you're about to pull off- he's two steps ahead of you!"

"Okay, I don't know what you're talking about."

"You're lying to me."

"You know, actually, I'm not. I don't know anything. But even if I did, I wouldn't tell you about it, because you are sired to team Klaus now. And you can't be trusted. So can we please just go back to the party now?"

Caroline began to leave but Tyler took out a syringe and plunged it into her neck, drugging her with Vervain, she went down very quickly, unconscious.

Klaus and Kol walked up to Katherine disguised as Elena.

"Where`s your date?"

"Getting me a drink." Klaus offered her his drink. She scoffed and rejected it.

"Well, seems I have you to thank for Mikael`s demise."

"He came at me. I didn`t have a choice." Katherine lied, looking at Kol, worriedly.

"Still I´m impressed. It`s not easy for a human to dagger an Original."

"It wasn`t the first time."

"Right. Elijah. You seem nervous."

"I´m not nervous. I just don`t like you." Kol sniggered at Katherine's comment.

"Let`s get straight to the point then, shall I, love? People have been after me for 1,000 years. And I am always one step ahead. So whatever it is you`re thinking of trying, go for it, give it your best shot. You won`t succeed."

Damon walked up to the front door of the Mansion. A nasty looking Hybrid was standing there.

"Invite only, vampire" Damon rolled his eyes. Typical Hybrid Jackass.

"Here's my RSVP." Damon said as he ripped the Hybrid's heart out. "Hybrid".

Back in Tyler's room, Matt was making sure Caroline was okay.

"What`d you do to her ?"

"It's just vervain. She'll be fine. But I need you to get her out of here as fast as possible."

"What's going on?"

"Something's going down against Klaus and this house is full of hybrids like me that can't let anything happen to him."

"What do you mean can't ?"

"I can't explain it. I can't fight against it. I just know that I need to protect him no matter who gets in my way."

"By attacking Caroline?"

"I'm protecting her, Matt! This is the only way to keep her safe. Please. Just get her out of here safely. Get everyone out." Tyler left and went downstairs. He bumped into Damon, who grabbed him and threw him in an empty room.

"As the host you should know these hybrids don't make the best first impression."

"Whatever move you're making, Klaus is gonna be ready for you. He'll kill anyone at this party if he has to."

"Tell someone who cares." Damon began to attack Tyler and they ended up in a brutal fist fight. Tyler turned into his vampire half and tried to bite Damon's neck, Damon barely strong enough to restrain the Hybrid. They both convulse in pain as their heads began to hurt. Bonnie appeared behind Damon holding her hands up. Tyler passes out.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You weren't suppose to witchy migraine me!"

"You weren't supposed to kill Tyler!"

"He tried to bite me!" The White Oak Stake was on the floor, Damon picked it up.

"What is that?" Bonnie questioned, eyes wide. Damon put the White Oak stake back in his jacket.

"Nothing." Damon lied.

"Oh my god is that the...?"

"Shh." Damon whispered. Then he mouthed "They`re everywhere!"

"Why do you have it?"

"Because I`m the only one who can get inside the house!"

Klaus was at a table playing beer pong. One of his hybrids came up to him.

"You have a visitor."

"Well, tell my visitor I'm on the brink of victory here."

"He said his name is Mikael."

"Then we mustn't keep him waiting. Move everyone out back. I'm gonna have a little chat with my dad. Tony, Tell my baby brother the news, then you know what to do."

Klaus went to the front door, Mikael was outside, looking smug.

"Hello, Niklaus." Mikael said with a smirk on his face.

"Hello, Mikael. Why don`t you come in? Oh, that`s right. I forgot you can`t."

"Or you can come outside if you want."

"Or I could watch my hybrids tear you limb from limb."

"They can't kill me."

"True. But it'll make a hell of a party game. All I have to do is rub these two fingers together and they'll pounce."

Mikael smirked at his step-son "The big bad wolf. You haven't changed. Still hiding behind your playthings like a coward. You only forget. They may be sired by you, but they're still part vampire. And they can be compelled by me."

Mindy, The female hybrid pushes "Elena" to Mikael.

"Come out and face me, Nikaus. Or she dies."

"Go ahead. Kill her."

"No, Klaus. He'll do it." Katherine said, feigning fear.

"If she dies, this lot will be last of your abominations."

"I don't need them. I just need to be rid of you."

"To what end, Niklaus? So you can live forever, with no one at your side? Nobody cares about you anymore, boy! What do you have other than those whose loyalty you forced? No one. No one."

"I'm calling your bluff, father. Kill her."

"Come outside and face me, you little coward. And I won`t have to."

"My whole life you've underestimated me. If you kill her you lose your leverage. So go ahead. Go on. Kill her. Come on, old man. Kill her. Kill her!"

Mikael laughed. "Your impulse, Niklaus. It has and will forever be the one thing that keeps you from truly being great." Mikael stabbed Elena/Katherine with a dagger, she gasped loudly and fell to the ground, 'dead.' Damon came from behind and twisted Klaus around and stabbed the white oak tree dagger into his stomach. Katherine got up from the floor and Mikael's eyes went wide.

"Katherine…"

Katherine smirked widely "Ba boom."

Katherine had two wolfsbane grenades in her hands and threw them at the hybrids. Meanwhile, Damon was about to stake Klaus, when Stefan knocked him off of Klaus and held him down.

"What are you doing?!"

Klaus took the stake and flew for Mikael, driving the stake through Mikael`s heart; he burst into flames screamed in agony as he began to decompose and burn out at the same time, leaving him dead.

"What the hell did you do?"

"He's earned his freedom. Thank you my friend. You no longer have to do as I say. You're free."

Klaus un-compelled Stefan. Stefan looked for Damon, but he had fled. Kol just stood at the corner of the room, watching the whole scene, but not taking part in it, because at this point, he didn't care whom was killed, Mikael or Niklaus. Kol turned and headed out the back door of the house.

At the Forbes' house, Caroline was sleeping on the bed, but she was beginning to wake up; Tyler came in.

"Are you okay?" Tyler asked.

"What do you think?"

"I'm sorry I stabbed you. It was the only thing I could think of to get you out of there."

"Oh, yeah, not hey Caroline, um, I worried about what might happened this evening so maybe you should just go home and watch Dancing with the Stars?"

"If you knew all your friends were gonna get together and try to take down Klaus, would you have left?"

"No." Caroline admitted.

"So there you go. I saved you from your own stubbornness."

"This isn't funny, Tyler! How am I supposed to be with you when you're sired to him?!"

Tyler sighed. "I need you to understand, Caroline."

"Understand what? That you're one of the bad guys now?"

"Understand that this is who I am! There's nothing that I can do about it. Klaus can't be killed. I can't be fixed. Understand that I'm okay with it."

"But...How are you okay with it?"

"Because it's better. I don't have to turn, Caroline. Not unless I want to. I never have to go through that pain again. If being sired to Klaus is the price that I have to pay, so be it."

"But...you don't have any true control over yourself."

"I never did before. The full moon controlled me. After everything that we've been through, you've been there for me through all of it. Don't turn your back on me now."

"Tyler…"

"Right."

"I just…"

"I got it." Tyler snapped as He left.

At the Salvatore house, Elena and Damon were in the living room, talking.

"How did this happen?"

"We thought of everything, Elena! Klaus having hybrids. Mikael turning on us. We brought in Katherine so you weren't in danger. Anything that could have gone wrong we were prepared!"

"I don't understand. Stefan wanted Klaus dead. More than anything. That's what we were counting on."

"We blew it."

"Where's Katherine?"

"She ran for the hills like usual, the minute things got bad! And who blames her?! Klaus would've crushed her. I had him, Elena. I had Klaus! This could have all been over!"

Damon threw a bottle of scotch into the fireplace.

"Hey. Damon... Hey! Hey, listen to me!" Elena grabbed Damon's face. "We will survive this. We always survive. Trust me."

"We're never getting Stefan back. You know that, don't you?

"Then we'll let him go. Okay? We'll have to let him go." Damon nodded as his phone began to ring. He looked at the caller id. Katherine.

"Not interested in the play by play of our failure right now, Katherine."

"I'm just calling to say goodbye. I don't know what to tell you. You had a good plan Damon. And that's high praise coming from me."

Damon scoffed "That`s not very comforting at the moment. You're going back into hiding?"

"At least my life is not boring. Goodbye, Damon."

"Take care of yourself, Katherine" They hung up their phones; Katherine was driving in a car.

"He doesn't know where it all went wrong…" She looked to the passenger's seat; Stefan was sitting there

"He doesn't need to know."

Katherine stopped the car

"Are you good from here? I need to put about a million miles between myself and Klaus as soon as possible. Stefan?"

Flashback to Salvatore house where Stefan was still down on the floor after Mikael's 2

attack

"Stefan!"

"Elena."

"Not exactly…" she gave him a blood bag. "Pep up! I only got a minute before they realize that I'm not at the party…"

Flashback to the party where Klaus and Kol met Elena/ Katherine.

"You seem nervous."

"I'm not nervous, I just don't like you." Kol sniggered at Katherine's comment.

"People have been after me for a thousand years and I'm always one step ahead: So whatever it is you're thinking of trying, go for it. Give it your best shot. You won't succeed."

"It won't be for lack of trying."

"Ah you'd be smart to tell Damon to mind his manners tonight, because if I die, I've already ensured that he'll die along with me! Even in death my hybrids have their orders. So, you kill me you're killing him too."

Back in the car with Katherine and Stefan,

"How did you know that I would stop Damon?"

"I didn't. I was just hoping that you would want to…"

Flashback to Salvatore house, Stefan was drinking blood, Katherine was with him.

"If Klaus gets killed he is taking Damon down with him."

"So pull the plug on the plan."

"And face the wrath of Mikael? We'll all be dead! Okay look. I know that you've turned off your humanity and that you don't care, so there's only one Solution."

"What's that?"

"Care, Stefan. Care enough to safe Damon's life. Because I am going back to that party and I'm seeing this plan through. Klaus will be killed. We'll have our freedom. But then Damon will be dead. Your brother will be dead, Stefan. Unless you care enough to do something about it."

Back in the car.

"You wanted Klaus dead for 500 years. Why would you risk all that, just to safe Damon's life?"

"I wasn't just trying to safe Damon's life, Stefan. I was trying to safe yours. Your humanity. Let's just say I liked the "old you" better."

"Nah. Come on, Katherine. You don't care about anybody but yourself. You never have."

Katherine shook her head. "You and I both know that that is not true. I loved you, I've loved Damon, too. Humanity is a vampire's greatest weakness... No matter how easy it is to turn it off- it just keeps trying to fight it's way back in. Sometimes I let it."

"I can't let it all back in. I don't want to. Not after everything I've done."

"Of course you don't want to. But if you don't let yourself feel, you won't be able to do what I need you to do next."

"What's that?"

"Get mad."

Flashback to the party, before Katherine went to Stefan. Katherine was standing in one of the many Lockwood Mansions bathrooms. Kol walks into the room.

"Hello Katerina" Kol said wryly.

"What? I'm not Katherine…I'm Elena" Katherine lied.

"Remember Katerina, you and I weren't just acquaintances back in the day." Kol stated, "I'd recognise you anywhere."

"What do you want Kol."

"You're assistance."

"On what?" Katherine asked, and Kol smirked.

At the Salvatore Mansion, Rebekah's daggered body was laying on the floor, her phone started to ring. Klaus was talking to her mailbox, "Rebekah, where are you? Pick up the phone, darling. Daddy is dead. It's time for a family reunion. Kol's really looking forward to seeing you." He received another call. Stefan.

"Stefan! Miss me already?"

"I'm just calling to thank you for my freedom."

"Oh, I like to believe I'm a man of my word, more or less."

"Thing is, it came at too high of a price. You took everything from me, Klaus."

"Let bygones be bygones, trust me. Resentment get's old." Klaus approached his truck in which he transports the caskets.

"You know what never get's old? Revenge."

Klaus opened the truck; it was empty; the caskets were all gone.

"No."

"What's the matter, Klaus? Missing something?" Stefan looked around. He was in a large room, looking at the caskets.

"What are you doing?"

"Just enjoying my freedom."

"I will kill you and everyone you've ever met!" Klaus threatened.

"You do that- and you will never see your family again. I wonder Klaus, as someone who has been one step ahead for a thousand years- are you prepared for this?" Stefan taunted, before hanging up the phone. "Now what?" Stefan asked as he turned around to see someone walk into the room. Kol.

"We release my brothers…and destroy Niklaus, once and for all." Kol stated with a large smirk on his face, Stefan smirked too. This is going to be fun, Stefan thought to himself, Klaus was going down.