Matt and Tyler were the only ones able to return to Mystic Falls. The rest of the gang had to find another place to crash while they awaited the arrival of Klaus. Naturally, because Caroline called, Klaus had agreed to come.

They compelled the workers at a nearby sleazy motel to provide them with rooms for the time being. Jeremy bunked with Alaric. Stefan and Caroline stayed together, but also kept Elena in their room. They had acquired a third room for her, but didn't feel comfortable allowing her to stay there alone just yet.

Elena stirred.

"Where am I?" Her speech was slow and slurred; the vervain hadn't completely worn off yet.

"A motel, a town over from Mystic Falls," Stefan replied softly. Stefan reached down and gently stroked Elena's hair out of her eyes. Caroline's muscles tensed, but she recovered quickly.

"Get some sleep, Elena," Caroline ordered. The drowsiness induced by the vervain was causing her to barely keep her eyes open. She nodded weakly, and fell asleep without any protest.

"When the vervain wears off, she's going to kill us," Stefan stated matter-of-factly. Caroline didn't respond, but knew he was right. Her thoughts were cloudy right now, but it was only a matter of time until she remembered: Damon, Bonnie, her rescue, the vervain.

"Well, we better hope when the vervain wears off that Klaus gets here quickly," Caroline responded. Stefan paused thoughtfully.

"Is that going to be awkward for you?" He asked after a beat.

"Seeing Klaus?" She asked.

"Well, yeah, considering the last time you saw him, the two of you..." Stefan started, but Caroline, with scarlet cheeks, cut him off.

"Of course it's going to be awkward. Especially because everybody knows. Everyone's going to scrutinize our every move. Except for maybe Alaric, I don't know how much gossip he kept up with on the Other Side," The words flooded out. It was easy to open up to Stefan because he listened and withheld judgments. She could not, however, open up about what was really eating at her. She was attracted to Klaus even still, but she was also attracted to Stefan. She finally understood how Elena got mixed up in a love triangle. It wasn't as hard as people might think to love two people at once.

"Do you think we're doing the right thing? With Elena, I mean," Stefan asked abruptly.

"No," Caroline said after a short pause, "No, I don't think she'd want to forget Damon. But what other choice do we have? When Jeremy died, she burned down their house and flipped off her humanity switch. After losing Damon and Bonnie, there's no telling what she'd do," Caroline decided.

Stefan didn't agree, but he understood.

"What time will Klaus be here?" Stefan inquired.

"His flight gets in tomorrow morning," Caroline replied with a yawn. The vervain should be out of Elena's system by then. Until tomorrow, all they could do was wait. It was then Caroline realized how tired she was. It was late. She glanced over at her bed. Elena was sprawled out across the queen-size bed. Caroline normally would've crawled into bed with her, but feared waking her. For the first time in weeks, Elena looked peaceful. As if reading her mind, Stefan spoke.

"We can share this one," he said softly. Caroline tried to ignore the color flaring up in her cheeks.

"Okay," was all she could manage.

They slipped under the covers. Caroline was oddly aware of how close they were. She could feel Stefan's body heat, hear his undead heart beat. With a click, he shut off the lamp.

That night, Elena dreamed of Damon.

"How could you leave me?" she sobbed, "You promised!" She was in an open field. Around her, there was nothing, nobody, only tall grass and darkness. A light flickered in the corner of her vision. She spun around wildly, searching for the source. A man a approached her, but she didn't cower in fear. He was tall, lean, and wearing a leather jacket. She knew him well, from the messy black hair right down to the boots.

"Damon," she breathed, barely able to utter a word.

"Elena," he replied, his voice clear as day inside her head. He looked almost exactly as she remembered. His blue eyes still fiery and alive. But, he didn't look real. His skin appeared to emit light.

"Damon, are you...?" she wasn't able to finish her thought.

"Dead?" he grinned at her, "I promised you I'd come back, didn't I?"

"But you're, you..." she stammered. He placed a large, warm, hand on her cheek, tracing his fingers along her jawline. His fingertips left a trail of sparks wherever they touched. She shuddered involuntarily.

"Am I dead?" she asked weakly.

"No, sweetie. You're dreaming," he smiled, not in his usual devilish way, but in a soft, tender way, a look saved only for Elena.

"C-can I stay?" she stammered, afraid of the answer.

"I promised you I'd come back, didn't I?" he repeated. He pressed his lips to hers before she could reply. He kissed her softly at first, as she clutched the back of his shirt tightly, afraid that if she let go, he'd disappear. The kiss grew in intensity, as he slid his hands down her lower back. She wound her fingers through his messy black hair...

She woke up screaming. It was light outside; Stefan and Caroline were already up and dressed. They were at her side immediately.

"It felt so real," was all she kept repeating. Caroline and Stefan exchanged worried glances. They didn't need to ask to know she'd dreamed of Damon. The tears, and the look on her face as if she'd been torn from her other half said it all.

There was a knock on the door. It was Alaric and Jeremy.

"He's here," Alaric spoke stiffly. Caroline could tell he wasn't on board with this plan. After all, Ric's last experience with Klaus was when Klaus possessed his body. She was sure he wasn't thrilled at the prospect of Klaus helping them with anything.

"Who's here?" Elena demanded. Jeremy and Alaric stepped aside to reveal none other than Klaus. His eyes danced when they met Caroline's.

"Hello, sweetheart," he teased.

"What's he doing here?" she asked, worry filling her doe-brown eyes. He turned towards Elena.

"So I take it you were in love with the recently dead Salvatore brother this week?" he asked coolly. Elena swiped at his face, but he effortlessly dodged the blow.

"Now, now, love, let's not be rash. I'm here to make it better," he soothed. Elena tilted her head curiously.

"Can you bring him back?" she asked cautiously.

"I can do you one better," he replied, a wicked grin stretching across his face. Caroline tensed, dreading what would happen next. Elena look confused as Klaus strode across the room and sat down on the bed beside her.

"Are you sure this is what you all want?" Klaus asked no one in particular.

"It's for the best," Jeremy spoke firmly. No one else said a word.

"Very well, then," Klaus sighed, "But don't come crying to me if you face any...unanticipated consequences," he drawled. He took Elena's hand. His pupils dilated as his eyes met Elena's and he spoke.

"Forget Damon Salvatore," he ordered, "Remember the events of the last five years, but do not remember any person by the name of Damon Salvatore. Forget that you met him, forget that you loved him. Do you understand?" Klaus commanded. She nodded weakly.

"Never again think of anyone by the name of Damon Salvatore," he concluded.

"Who?" she blinked confused.

"Exactly. You're welcome," Klaus addressed them smugly.

No one spoke. Elena looked confused, like she was wracking her brains and unable to remember what she sought. Her face screwed up in frustration.

"Now, then," Klaus turned to Caroline, "About our deal..." he offered her his arm, and she took it hesitantly.

"What deal?" Stefan's eyes met Caroline's. She looked away, awkwardly.

"Well, in order to get him to help Elena, I promised to let him take me on a date," she shuffled her feet awkwardly, looking at no one.

"Come, love, we haven't got forever, you know," Klaus quipped. Arm in arm, they exited the room.

Alaric, Stefan, and Jeremy all turned their eyes towards Elena.

"What just happened?" she asked, and got no reply. Stefan decided it was time to test her memory.

"Do you remember me?" he asked cautiously.

"You're Stefan Salvatore. Why the hell wouldn't I remember you?" she stated irritatedly. She thought harder for a few moments.

"Do I have amnesia?" she asked.

"What makes you say that?" Alaric asked softly.

"I don't know...my memory seems to be full of gaps or something. Like, I remember dating Stefan, and I also remember breaking up, but I can't seem to remember why..." her voice trailed off. Alaric and Stefan exchanged weary glances. With Damon erased from her memories, there was going to be a lot of gaps, a lot of things she couldn't explain. There would be a lot of choppy memories that she would struggle to string together. This was going to be more difficult than Jeremy anticipated, that was certain.