"Lena, you can't keep doing this to Damon," Caroline told her friend as they nursed their coffees one sunny afternoon, sitting at a small sidewalk café. It was the one ritual they stuck to religiously every week, come hell or high water. No matter where they were in the world, they did their best to get together at least once a week for girl talk, without any pressure. Just girl talk.

Elena snorted at Caroline as she took another sip from her espresso. "What, giving him earth-shattering, mind-blowing sex?" Caroline rolled her eyes and glared at Elena.

"Oh, cut the crap," Bonnie said as she took a seat beside them.

"You're late," Caroline immediately jumped on her, "but she's right," she continued as she turned to try and stare Elena down.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Elena feigned innocence. "So, how about you and Tyler?" she asked Caroline, in an attempt to deflect.

"Oh, I hate that man. He's got it in his head that you won't be happy if we hook up together even though you know we're perfect for each other. He's got this stupid idea that you'll throw him out of the band if he makes a move on me," Caroline ranted, her frustration quite clear.

"But that's stupid," Elena exclaimed. "Everyone can see you two are made for each other. Maybe you should take a more proactive approach to reeling the wolf in, though. Waiting for him to make a move doesn't seem to be working."

"You know, you're right. That's exactly what…" Caroline suddenly stopped talking. "Ah, ah, ah, I know what you're doing. We were talking about you and Damon. Why do you keep running off like that? The guy is gonna end up with permanent damage."

Elena snorted again. "Please… a vampire who is still in love with his ex and has been for 150 years and who also goes through women like underwear? I'm really not seeing the problem. I'm just doing what he does to them."

"So what? Is this some form of deranged attempt to teach him a lesson?" Bonnie asked, her face clearly revealing how skeptical she was.

"Look, I'm not going to see him again, anyway," Elena said, even though she felt the icy fingers of regret squeeze her heart as the words left her lips.

"Why not?" both of her friends screeched at her.

Elena raised her hands in mock defense. She laughed but then a sad smile curled her lips. "It's just the way it has to be. I don't have a choice, now can we drop the subject please." At her no nonsense tone, both Caroline and Bonnie knew that they had little chance of getting anything else out of Elena but they both had a gut feeling that something was definitely going on.

As soon as Elena's hand made contact with the door knob she knew someone was in her hotel suite. Someone who shouldn't be there. She sighed. Here we go again, she thought to herself. She opened the door and walked in nonchalantly. She dropped her keys on the sideboard and threw her coat over the back of the couch. She quickly scanned her surroundings but at first glance, no one was there.

She sighed again. She had a niggling suspicion who was waiting for her and he certainly needed a good lesson. He knew she hated being surprised. So, she continued with what would appear a normal routine, turning her back to the bedroom as she switched the TV on.

She felt the hair on the back of her neck tingle and knew he was approaching her from behind. Not yet, she whispered to herself. Just a little closer. Just a little closer. As a hand reached out, a hairsbreadth from her shoulder, her features began to distort, fangs extending, the whites of her eyes disappearing behind the blackest of blacks. Her left hand shot out like lightning, grabbing hold of the offending limb approaching her as spikes extended from her forearms, ripping through her shirt.

She squeezed the hand that she had hold of and whirled around as her wings shot out of her back, extending to their full six foot span, mesmerizing the person standing in front of her. Unfortunately, his surprise didn't last longer than a few moments and he twisted his arm around hers, freeing himself in an instant. His other hand shot out and grabbed hold of her neck, making her growl. He stared at her with a feral smile, fangs similar to hers being revealed, his amber eyes glinting dangerously at her.

He slowly picked her up off the floor by her neck but instead of struggling, she allowed herself to hang loose. As she prepared to strike, he threw her. Instinct stopped her from crashing against the far wall, but the movement of her wings, no matter how gentle it had been, caused a slight wind storm in the room.

Her eyes narrowed as she stared at her opponent, a grin just as feral as his gracing her features. He stood stock still, as if goading her to attack. She softened her body, hoping to give him the impression that she was worried, that the fight had left her. At his small smile, she knew he wasn't buying it so she attacked. She launched herself full speed at him, knocking into him and carrying both of them across the room until they crashed into the wall. Her arm came up, her spikes at his jugular.

"I win," she said with a smile as pieces of the wall fell off and crashed to the floor.

"I taught you well," he answered with a smile. Elena laughed happily as she jumped on the man she had been fighting with a moment before, her legs locked firmly around his waist her arms pulling him into a hug as her wings curled around him as he walked away from the wall.

"I missed you," Elena whispered, as he held her close.

"I missed you too, you know that." Elena drew back and stared at him, a frown marring her now fully human features.

"What the hell are you doing sneaking up on me like that, Klaus? Are you trying to get yourself killed?" she admonished the man who still held her tightly.

He started laughing. "Like you stand a chance," he smirked at her. Elena rolled her eyes at him.

"Keep dreaming, old man," she said as she folded her wings away and stepped back from him.

"Old man? Very funny," said the man whose eyes had shifted to a dazzling blue. His tousled sandy brown hair and boyish features made him look no older than 30 but his age was nowhere close to that.

"Exactly how old are you again, Nikky?" Elena asked, knowing it irritated him when she needled him about his age.

"Well, older than you in any case," he said with a shrug.

"My point proven," she said with a smirk. "So, what are you doing here?"

"We need to talk."

"About?" she asked, even though she had a damn good idea what he wanted to discuss.

"You need to come back," Klaus said.

"Not this again!" she exclaimed. "We've been over this. There is no way in hell I'm coming back. Not while he's in charge, anyway."

"Elena, the time is drawing close. We've been working on this for ages but we need you, now. Without you, we can't get any closer. You're the only chance we have of finding out what the hell is going on," Klaus said as he rubbed his temples. Elena cocked an eyebrow. It really wasn't like Klaus to show any sign of weakness, let alone fatigue. On the other hand, they had always been close and felt comfortable enough in each other's presence to let down their guard.

"Klaus, I know he's up to something but don't you think it would be easier to stop him by keeping a key piece of the plan away from him? I know he wants to use me for something and the further I stay away, the less likely it is for him to be able to pull off whatever he's planning."

"I would have agreed a few weeks ago but the recent rush of activity in your father's inner circle has us all worried. And there's something else," Klaus said but hesitated to continue.

"Well, spit it out, what is it?" she asked, suddenly very worried.

"For the past few months, shadow demon activity has increased significantly. I mean it's gotten to the point where we're hunting them down round the clock and we don't have enough people to handle it. If we don't find out what the hell is going on, I don't know if we're going to be able to keep them at bay."

"Why would you think that the shadow demons have anything to do with my father?" she asked, but then her eyes widened at the implications. "Not even he would be that insane," she whispered to herself.

"I really wish you were right but we both know that coincidences are usually well-executed plans. This isn't about who's ruling the Seelie court anymore or some simple bid for power. If we don't find out what the hell's going on, we could be looking at mass genocide because I really don't know how much longer we can keep the shadow demons at bay."

Elena bit her lip. No matter how frivolous she might seem, her people always came first. After all, she had spent most of her life as a member of the Shadow Squads and she was royalty. They were born with an instinct to put their people before themselves. Her father had once been like that. He would have given anything for the fae, he would have done anything to ensure the welfare and happiness of each and every member of their race until one day… One fateful day when her mother had been brutally murdered in their own bed. To this day, five hundred years later, the killer had never been found. Many suspected the King himself of killing his wife. After all, it took a very powerful being to kill a fae.

Elena didn't know what to believe anymore, especially after her father's slow but certain descent into madness. The girl that still lived inside her was desperate to believe that her father couldn't and wouldn't even think of hurting his wife. At the same time, the woman and the soldier in her had seen so many atrocities that she had not trouble believing he could have easily done it.

The fact of the matter was that her people needed her and she would be there for them. She would always be there to protect them, with her last breath if necessary.

"So, how do you want to do this?" she asked Klaus, knowing that it wouldn't be all that easy to get her back into court without her father suspecting anything. They hadn't exactly parted on the best of terms.

"I was thinking that I could put out a call for all retired Shadow Squad members to return to duty due to the increase in shadow demon activity. It would be plausible enough, I should think."

"Not a bad idea. He won't suspect anything, especially since he knows me well enough to know that I would always come back if I was needed. Plus, I hear you could use the manpower," she said with a wink. "But I'm going to need a couple of weeks to get things in order here. I can't just up and disappear. Oh, one more thing. Jeremy stays here and he can't know anything about what's going on."

"Do you think that's wise? If he doesn't know what's going on, he can't actually protect himself," Klaus pointed out.

"I know but how can I tell him that we suspect the King of being a traitor? Jeremy was always more of an artist than a fighter and I'm afraid that it would destroy him."

"Very well. But I can't give you more than a week. It's getting worse every day and we simply don't have the luxury of time. We need to make sure we have someone on the inside as soon as possible."

"You know, I think you are overly optimistic. My father is not going to welcome me back with open arms and he certainly isn't going to let me hear anything important," Elena pointed out. She had been gone for a few decades and had ignored every one of her father's summons. He was bound to be slightly irritated with her, on a good day, which made it a given that she would be kept out of the loop.

"Lena, please, don't give me that. We both know how persuasive you can be when you want something. And we both know you always get what you want," Klaus said with a laugh.

"Fine, fine. Now go away. I have a ton of crap to sort out now, thanks to you," Elena grumbled. When she saw Klaus hesitate, she cocked an eyebrow. "Was there something else?"

"Actually, yes. It's about Damon Salvatore," Klaus said quietly. Elena's eyes narrowed and looked at Klaus, her face a mask of indifference.

"What about him?" she asked.

"Don't give me that look. I know you better than that and I know you care about him." Elena snorted, trying to appear indifferent but wasn't surprised that Klaus had figured her out so fast. After all, they'd been friends for more than a millennium. There wasn't much she could keep from him.

"Look, I just want you to know that the Salvatores and I had a bit of an issue a while back," Klaus said. Elena looked at him in surprise.

"What issue?" she asked.

"Do you remember Katherine Pierce?" Klaus asked and Elena rolled her eyes at the woman's name.

"Who could forget that conniving, manipulative bitch?" she said with a sneer, making Klaus laugh. They had both met Katherine five hundred years before, when she had still been human, at a surprise birthday party she had organized for Klaus. As soon as Katherine had stepped through the door, Klaus had been mesmerized. He had fallen for her hook, line and sinker, despite Elena's warnings to be a little more careful around the woman.

She had picked up something slightly off when it came to Katherine and, unfortunately, she had been right. After playing Klaus and his brother, Elijah, off each other, she had gotten what she wanted, namely immortality, and promptly disappeared, leaving Elena to pick up the pieces. The rift between Klaus and Elijah had never fully healed and it galled Elena that Katherine was still walking around after all the damage she had done.

"Well, it seems that she took things one step too far and seduced Lady Rhiannon's lover and then tried to kill him," Klaus said with a shrug, seemingly indifferent but Elena could hear the undercurrent of pain that he could never hide from her. It set Elena's teeth on edge and she wondered for the hundredth time why she had allowed that stupid bitch to live after what she had done.

"Is she that stupid? I thought she would have learned her lesson after her last stint at the Seelie court." Katherine had a ridiculous habit of antagonizing people and she had almost gotten killed trying to play her stupid games with one of the members of the council. What she hadn't realized was that she was a child trying to play in the big leagues and she would inevitably get her ass handed to her. After all, the fae were infinitely more deadly and manipulative than any vampire could ever aspire to be.

"Either she's lost it completely or she didn't realize who he was. In any case, Lady Rhiannon sort of lost it when she discovered Darren passed out, smelling of Katherine. The next thing I know, I'm being sent off to bring her back in chains to face the wrath of the court." At Klaus' words, Elena grimaced. This was one example of why things needed to change in the Seelie court. The council was more interested in using their power to further their personal gain rather than in ruling the people. And her father was at the center of the problem.

"Please tell me you didn't do anything stupid, Nikky," she said, looking into her friend's eyes. He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Actually, I didn't. Damn, you don't know how hard it was for me to accept this mission, knowing that I would likely be dragging her home to face an eternity of torture." Elena walked over to him and hugged him, knowing how much he was hurting. He looked at her with a smile and then cleared his throat. "Anyway, I tracked her down in Mystic Falls a few months ago, where I found her holed up with the Salvatores."

"What?" Elena exclaimed.

"Yeah, it appears that the brother against brother thing is a trademark of hers. Apparently what she did to me and Elijah wasn't enough. She moved on to another pair of brothers, who she actually turned into vampires. Her boy toys, as she called them," Klaus gritted his teeth in anger. "Elena, she stood there and laughed, not an ounce of regret in her over what she had done, to me, to Elijah, to Darren."

"Nikky, I tried to tell you. The woman's bad news. I only wish you had let me finish her then."

"I know, you're right. You're always right when it comes to Katherine. Anyway, coming back to the Salvatores, it seems she really fucked them over, especially Damon."

"What do you mean?" Elena asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"He's been desperately in love with her for the past hundred and fifty years or so, even though she basically ignores him." Elena gasped as she finally put two and two together. Katherine was the ex Stefan had mentioned, the one Damon was apparently still in love with.

"Why does that sound a bit like déjà vu?" she asked sarcastically, trying to hide her own reaction to the news that the man she was falling for was in love with the queen of bitches.

Klaus smiled sheepishly. "I know," he sighed. "Anyways, to cut a long story short, we had a bit of a fight because she had convinced them that I was some evil ex-boyfriend who wanted to kill her."

"Well, they got everything right except for the evil part, though I'm not always convinced," Elena said with a giggle.

"Aren't you hilarious," he said.

"Did you at least get her?" Elena asked. When Klaus looked everywhere except at her Elena groaned. "She got away from you? Damnit Nikky!"

"Hey, it wasn't my fault! She found that damned idiot dagger and had some local human vampire hunter stab me after…" he trailed off.

"You fell for her crap again, didn't you? Nikky!" Elena exclaimed, exasperated. When he looked at her and grimaced she rolled her eyes. Men could be so damn gullible. What the hell was it with that woman? Did she have a fucking golden vagina that turned every man into a quivering mass of stupidity? "So, if you were stabbed how come you're standing here?" she asked.

"I actually don't know. I woke up in the middle of the forest a few days later and the dagger was nowhere in sight."

"You are a lucky bastard, you know that, right?" Elena said laughing at Klaus' helpless face.

"Anyway, the whole point with Damon was that you need to be careful. He's hooked on her more than I ever was and I don't want to see you getting hurt," he said with a sigh.

"I think it's too late for that, Nikky, but it's a moot point, isn't it? After all, I'll be leaving in a week," she said.

"You could always bring him along," Klaus said quietly, watching the emotions flitting across Elena's face. He could see that she cared deeply for the other vampire and he wanted to see her happy.

"And what? Have him ripped apart by shadow demons as soon as he sets foot in Lamarthil?"

"Elena, he is a vampire, you know? I could easily train him," Klaus said with a shrug. Elena looked at him and pondered. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea after all. She could always ask, she supposed, even though she was afraid of the hold Katherine still had over him. Then again, she hadn't ever been accused of being a coward.

"I'll think about it," she said with a sigh.

"So, I'll see you in a week?" Klaus asked and Elena nodded.

"See you then," and Elena sighed, thinking of how she was going to break the news to Jer and the rest of the band that she was leaving.

"No! You can't do this!" Jer was almost shouting, angry that Elena would even think of going back to Lamarthil. The rest of the band stared at her with varying degrees of shock stamped on their features, while Elijah just looked on sadly, knowing that this day would come.

"Jer, I have to go. The shadow demons aren't playing nice and if we don't beat them back, then they'll spill over into the mortal world and bad things will happen," Elena had decided to go for the partial truth regarding her departure. She didn't want Jer to know about their father but by warning him of the shadow demons, he would invariably be more alert to any danger.

"But, but… damn it, Lena! There's so many others who can do this, why you?" Jer shouted.

"You know why Jer," she admonished.

"Yeah, yeah, we have a responsibility to our people and you are one of the best enforcers and yada yada yada. It's bullshit. Then I'm coming with you," he said with finality.

"Yes, yes and no. You are definitely not coming with me. I want you safe. Jer, please, stay here and be safe."

Jer sighed as he looked at Lena and realized there was no stopping her. He would have gone with her, but he had to be realistic, Lena was the fighter and he was the lover. Hell, he wouldn't last five minutes with a shadow demon but Lena had done this for most of her life. But he didn't want her to go. He wanted her here with him, where there were no threats and they could just live in peace.

"When will you be back?" he asked.

"I really don't know. But don't worry, Nik will look after me," she said with a soft smile. Jer breathed a small sigh of relief. The hybrid had been best friends with his sister ever since he could remember and he had always kept an eye out for her. He felt better knowing Klaus would be by her side.

He hugged his sister tightly. "Be careful," he whispered. Lena nodded as she held him tightly. She would miss him terribly. She'd miss them all.

Caroline and Bonnie ran over to her to hug her, tears streaming down their faces. "You come back to us, you hear?" they both said, sniffling.

Elena smiled through her own tears, "You aren't going to get rid of me that easily. And promise to keep the band going. You don't need me and I want you all to stay together and look out for each other."

"We promise," they all said.

"Take care of them for me Elijah," she said with a smile, hugging the vampire.

"Don't you worry about them, Lena. I'll make sure they're taken care of. You worry about keeping yourself in one piece and getting back here. We need our lead singer back ASAP, got it?"

Elena laughed, "Got it. Damn, I have to go or I'll never make it out of here. I've got one more stop before I meet up with Nik."

"Where you going?" Caroline asked, curiosity eating at the bubbly blonde.

"I'm going to ask Damon to come with me," she said and both her friends squealed in delight while the guys groaned at the noise.

"See! I told you she really liked him," Caroline said poking Bonnie. They were both ecstatic for Elena. She really needed someone in her life.

They both turned to Elena, "Well, go ask him! Why are you still here?" they practically screeched and Elena backed up laughing.

"Okay, I'm going, I'm going," she said.

Elena found herself standing in front of the Salvatore Boarding House in Mystic Falls, a hand poised to knock. She still wasn't sure if she was doing the right thing. Not only was she asking a guy to move to a completely new realm with her, but it was a guy she had only seen twice and had slept with on both occasions. Add Katherine to the mix and his apparent love for her and it came to one shitty situation.

Oh well, no risk, no gain, she thought to herself with a shrug and knocked. The door opened to reveal a very surprised Stefan. If she hadn't been so worried, she might have laughed at the look on his face.

"Elena? What are you doing here?" Stefan exclaimed. "Come in, come in," he said, appearing to remember his manners. As soon as she had stepped over the threshold, Stefan grabbed her in a fierce hug, which was a bit surprising.

"Wow, I can't believe you're here," he said. "So, can I get you a drink?" he asked as he led her into the living room.

"Actually, I can't stay long. Is Damon here?" she asked. Stefan's sudden look of extreme discomfort made her wonder what the hell was going on.

"Uhm, I think so. I'll go get him," he said, swallowing hard. In moments he was gone and she could hear voices upstairs.

"Damon, there's someone here to see you," she heard Stefan say.

"Can't you see we're busy?" asked a female voice. Shit, she had made a mistake. What the hell was she thinking? What was she doing here?

"Who is it?" she heard Damon ask. He wouldn't remember her or even care. What had been in her head? Stupid, stupid, stupid.

"Won't you just come down Damon?" Stefan urged, ever the diplomat Elena thought to herself. She was about to turn and leave when she heard two pairs of footsteps entering the room.

"Damon will be right down, Lena," Stefan said. "Let me introduce you to Katherine. She's uh…" Stefan trailed off, clearly not sure what to say. Elena had been about to make a quick exit but as she turned and came face to face with Katherine, who clearly didn't recognize her, she felt a red haze descend.

"Damon's girlfriend," she said smugly and Elena fought the urge to roll her eyes. The woman was barely dressed, wearing a negligee in the middle of the day, in front of her boyfriend's brother, no less. She had the sudden urge to rip Katherine's heart out. "And who are you?" she asked arrogantly.

Elena simply stared at her, an eyebrow cocked. "Oh, this is Elena Gilbert. She's in the same band as Caroline," he said. Stefan swallowed hard, looking at Elena. For some reason, he had a feeling this situation was going to blow up in his face sooner rather than later.

"Can't she speak for herself? Anyway, what do you want with Damon? You interrupted a very pleasurable afternoon," Katherine grinned wickedly and Stefan rolled his eyes.

Elena had been trying to get control of herself so she could walk out of there calmly but Katherine seemed intent on taunting her. "Katerina, you never change, do you?" Elena said, using the woman's original name. At that second the vampire's face immediately morphed, fangs descending, eyes darkening to black, veins protruding under her eyes and she attacked, grabbing Elena by the throat and pinning her against the wall. Stefan rushed over to help but Katherine threw him off her easily.

"Who are you?" she growled.

Elena bent one knee and kicked Katherine in the chest, throwing the vampire across the room to land in a stunned heap. She walked over to Stefan and offered him a hand, helping him to stand. Moments later, Katherine rushed her again, but this time Elena caught her by the throat before she could get anywhere near her.

"Don't you remember me, Katerina?" Elena asked as she unfurled her wings, the sound of fabric tearing as they pushed through her clothing the only thing that could be heard as the two vampires watched in awe.

Stefan couldn't believe his eyes. He had known Elena was fae but he hadn't realized she would have wings let alone such stunning ones. He had never seen anything like it in all his life. They had at least a six foot span, with feathers that appeared so soft he felt the urge to run his hands over them. The colors were also amazing. The started off blue black at the top, fading into gold and the silver towards the tips. He had the sudden urge to rub his eyes, uncertain of what he was seeing.

A quick glance at Katherine, though, confirmed that he wasn't hallucinating. The look of fear on her face also made him think she knew Elena.

"Oh my God," he heard Katherine croak. "Your High –,"

"I see you remember," Elena said with a smirk, interrupting Katherine. She let the vampire go, who fell to her knees, rubbing her neck, looking up in fear at Elena towering over her, with her wings outspread in challenge.

"Are you taking me back?" Katherine asked.

"You know, I probably should. Hell, the only reason you're still breathing is because Nik has a soft spot for you. I would have killed you ages ago," both Stefan and Katherine gasped. "However, I think we can make a deal."

"Anything, just don't take me back," Katherine whimpered.

"Oh, for fuck's sake, stand up and stop blubbering. It's irritating." Elena growled. Katherine quickly stood, though Stefan could clearly see she was terrified. He was trying really hard not to clap his hands in glee at the thought that someone was finally putting Katherine in her place. "Stefan, could you give us a moment, please?" Elena asked and he nodded, leaving the room. However, curiosity was one of his biggest weaknesses so he didn't go further than the next room and then listened intently, his vampire hearing allowing him to easily pick up the conversation in the other room.

"You have two options Katherine. One, you stay here, with Damon and make him happy," he heard Elena say, making him frown.

"And two?" he heard Katherine ask.

"Well, number two is that I take you back and hand you over to the shadow demons. Do you know what they do to little vampire girls like you?" Elena asked menacingly, making Stefan's skin crawl.

"What?" he heard Katherine's voice come out like a squeak.

"They'll throw you in with the vergarins. Do you remember those? Their demons who eat vampire flesh. They'll eat you to the bone and then feed you blood until you heal and start all over again. It's quite agonizingly painful, or so I've heard. And you will get to enjoy it for an eternity," Stefan suddenly felt like throwing up. "So, which will it be?" he heard Elena ask, her voice hard as steel.

"I'll stay here with Damon," Katherine's voice came out shaky.

"I thought you might. If I here you hurt him in any way or you tried to make a run for it and left him, I will hunt you down. And trust me, I will know every, single move you make. If he's unhappy for a single moment, I will come for you and that's a promise. Got it?" Stefan gulped. Elena was definitely someone he never wanted to cross.

"Yes," he heard Katherine squeak out again. He really wanted to laugh. It was good to see Katherine scared out of her mind for once.

"Stefan," he heard Elena call. He walked out and saw her at the front door. "I'm heading out now. Tell Damon I'll see him around," she said with a sad smile. "Oh, one more thing. I'm going to be going away for a while."

"Where are you going?" Stefan asked curiously. Elena shrugged.

"It doesn't matter. I just want to ask you to look out for Caroline. She'll need a friend," Elena said. Stefan nodded.

"Don't worry, Elena. I'll look out for all of them, I promise."

Elena smiled again. "Thanks Stefan. You're a good man and I promise I'll make it up to you." And with that, Elena was gone before Stefan could tell her that she didn't need to do anything. One moment she was there and the next she was gone.

"Who was that?" Damon asked as he came down the stairs, his black hair tousled and his blue eyes sparkling.

Stefan looked up at his brother and made a split second decision. "No one," he said. He knew Katherine would keep quiet because she definitely didn't want anyone knowing how she had her ass handed to her. Was he doing the right thing? He didn't know. But if he told his brother that Elena had been here and now she was gone, he didn't know how Damon would react. And with her threats, maybe things would improve in his relationship with Katherine.

Damn it, he wished Lexi was there. She would have known what to do. He sucked so bad at this kind of stuff.

Klaus looked up and saw Elena sauntering towards him. He cocked an eyebrow, "Alone, love?" he asked.

She sighed and nodded. "It's better this way," she said and he shrugged. "Oh, Nik," she sighed sadly, "I think I'm destined to be alone forever." His heart broke seeing her so upset and he grabbed her up in a bone-crushing hug. He looked down at her upturned face and gently wiped away the lone tear making its way down her face.

"You'll always have me, love," he said with a small smile and a gentle kiss to her forehead. Elena smiled and held on to him tighter. They would always have each other, no matter what. It was a comforting thought.

"Come on, let's go kick some shadow demon arse," he said and she laughed.

"You are so charming. How can a girl resist?"

"I know, I'm irresistible," he said, happy to see her smiling. They would be alright. They always were as long as they stuck together.

Six Months Later

"Hey Caroline, how you doing?" Stefan asked. He was keeping his promise to Elena as best he could. He called Caroline almost every day and tried to see her at least once a week. The first few weeks had been hard on all the band and even Stefan. He hadn't realized what an impact Elena had had on his life, even after just a few meetings.

However, slowly they all pulled themselves back together, remembering that Elena had asked them to keep the band going. So, they had started to play again and, even without Elena, they were doing quite well. They had told the world that Elena had decided to take a break due to an issue with her vocal cords, which seemed the most plausible thing to say at the time.

"Not bad," she said with a sigh. "It's hard, you know, especially when we have a concert."

"I'm sure. I'm really sorry I couldn't be there tonight but Damon needed a little help with some rogue vampires," Stefan said.

"Damon? What the hell is he doing there?" Caroline practically screeched over the phone, startling Stefan.

"Uhm, this is where he lives," Stefan said slowly, as if Caroline had lost her mind.

"But, but… didn't Elena come to see him?" Caroline asked softly.

"Actually, yeah, but she never did speak to him. She did have a really interesting conversation with Katherine instead, though," he said, remembering the interaction with a small smile.

"Aw hell," Caroline sighed and sniffled.

"What's wrong?"

"I can't tell you," she said.

"Caroline," Stefan said in warning.

"Promise you won't tell anyone, especially Damon, especially not now," Stefan was even more curious now.

"Promise," he said.

"She was going to ask Damon to go with her," Caroline said and Stefan gasped. What the hell?

"Crap! She probably changed her mind when she saw Katherine here," he groaned. "That's why she threatened the crap out of her."

"What do you mean?"

"Trust me, Katherine has been behaving like an angel with Damon. I've never actually seen her be so nice. Elena really scared the crap out of her," he said with a grim laugh.

"Katherine really has bad timing," Caroline said. "It's like she plans to ruin people's lives."

"Hang on," Stefan said, suddenly curious. Something didn't add up. "If she can flatten Katherine, why give Damon up to her? It's not as if she's afraid of her."

"I'm not sure. It doesn't sound like Elena. Unless she knew Damon really loved Katherine. Then she'd give him up to make sure he was happy. It's the way she is."

"Crap! I'm an idiot. I'm the one who told Elena that Damon was really hung up over his ex. Shit, shit, shit."

"Stefan, this isn't your fault. Anyway, there's nothing we can do about it now."

"Have you heard from her?" Stefan asked.

"Actually, she did send a message the other day. It seems she spends most of her time on the front, fighting. Other than that she didn't say much, just wanted us to know she was okay." Stefan heard someone calling Caroline in the background. "Stefan, I have to go. I'll speak to you tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure, Caroline, I'll speak to you soon." He put his phone down and stared at it blankly. If only he had known what Elena had wanted that day, he would have vervained Katherine. He would have done anything just to get the viper away from his brother. He knew Damon would still end up hurt. After all, the bitch was only staying because she was afraid what Elena would do to her.

"Who was that?" Damon asked as he sauntered in.

"Caroline," Stefan responded absently. He saw Damon freeze.

"Caroline?" Damon asked.

"Yes, Caroline," Stefan repeated.

"How's she doing?"

"Not bad," Stefan said, wondering at Damon's sudden interest in Caroline. He should be happy with Katherine there. Wasn't that what he had wanted? Maybe there was still hope. He really needed to get the bitch out of Damon's system. He decided to drop the bomb. Damon had no idea Elena had left or that she had stopped to speak to him. He now regretted not telling his brother but he hadn't really been thinking straight at the time. "It's been hard, with Elena gone, but they're managing."

"What do you mean Elena's gone?" Damon asked, his voice slightly menacing. Stefan cocked an eyebrow. Should he tell the truth or not? Definitely the truth.

"She's gone home to Lamarthil," Stefan said. In one of their many conversations, Caroline had explained all the details regarding Elena's departure as she knew them.

"To where? And how come I didn't know she was gone," Damon asked. He stared at his brother, his face impassive while a seething mass of fury boiled inside him. She had gone without a word to him. She had just up and left. And why the hell did he care? He had what he wanted, didn't he? Katherine was with him, by his side. What more did he want, right?

"Well, you've been kind of busy," Stefan pointed out, making Damon grit his teeth. "And to Lamarthil. It's where she's from, the realm of the fae." Damon felt like exploding. His brother knew a lot more about Elena than he did and it made him want to maim something or someone. He hadn't even known she was fae. How pathetic was he?

"So, why did she go back?" he asked, trying to reign in his fury.

"It seems the fae are the only thing that stands between the mortal world and the realm of the shadow demons. It's a constant battle to keep them back, to prevent them from breaking through the fabric that keeps our dimensions separate and committing mass genocide. Unfortunately, it seems that more and more demons are breaking through and she was called back to join the fight," Stefan explained watching as his brother's face became more and more incredulous.

"Excuse me? Have you been drinking again? Shadow demons? Elena fighting? Please," Damon snorted in disbelief.

"Believe what you will but as far as I can gather from what Jer and Caroline have let slip, Elena spent most of her life fighting these demons. Most of her very, very long life."

Damon refused to believe it. He preferred to stay angry at Elena. She had left him. Again! He knew he was irrational but it pissed him off that she had up and left without a by your leave. As she had done every time they had seen each other. It didn't matter that she was off fighting some unknown enemy. Hell, it was probably just a story she made up.

Just then Katherine walked in and smiled at him. Damon smiled back and grabbed her in a tight hug. These past few months had been fun but he still found it hard to understand Katherine's behavior. One moment she was ice and didn't want anything to do with him other than a quick fuck and the next she turned into a paragon of sweetness, caring for his every need. He might have even fallen for it if it hadn't been for her mask slipping every now and then, when he could see the barely controlled fury and hatred simmering beneath the surface.

To make matters worse, every time he slept with Katherine, he couldn't help but compare her to Elena. There was no comparison. With Elena, all it took to make him harder than a rock was one look from her. With Katherine, it had almost become a chore. It was okay but nothing special. Fuck, what the hell was happening to him?