Henrietta was shaking with fear as she ran down a dark New York street. Her eyes had grown wide and alert as her boots tapped rapidly along the cobblestones. Suddenly a man appeared in front of her with fangs bared and blood dripping from his lips. She let out a scream and turned to run but was faced with another vampire.

"No! Leave me be!" she cried and backed away from the two.

"Leave you be?" the first fanged male said with a thick British accent, "But you look so divine, I can't pass you up, dear."

"Perhaps we would even have you become one of us," the other added, he too having the accent.

"No..." She shook her head and continued to back away until her backside pressed against a brick wall. "No... Please," Henrietta begged.

"Oh, dear, don't be scared. It wont hurt... much" the first vampire told her and grinned, the second had begun to laugh as they closed in on her. "You'll only feel a pinch at first."

Henrietta inhaled sharply and brought her hands up to cover both sides of her neck as the first vampire stepped in front of her. Her eyes snapped shut tightly as he leaned towards her and his cold hand grasped her arm to pull her hand away.

A scream from the other vampire caused the first to recoil. Turning around, he saw a piece of wood sticking out of the other's chest and his body was dropped to the ground. The vampire hissed with bared fangs as it looked to a shadowed assailant. Henrietta opened her eyes when she felt the vampire's hand leave her arm, and when she looked down, she saw the other impaled in the street with a pool of blood beginning to form underneath him.

"I have a feeling you should be running," the assailant said to the vampire.

"She's mine!" he shouted back, "First come, first served."

The assailant reached down and ripped the wood from the other vampire's body and held it in his hand firmly before his glowing green eyes looked back to him. "She's not on the menu," he told him, and in one blindingly fast motion, the piece of wood had impaled the vampire's chest.

Henrietta stepped away quickly and watched as the vampire's skin darkened in the dim street lights and as his body collapsed to the sidewalk. Looking back up to the assailant, she stepped away in fright, unable to see his face in the dark. But suddenly the street began to fill with sunlight and Stefan's face was illuminated.

Relief washed over her when she saw his face and she ran to him. Wrapping her arms tightly around his frame, she buried her face into his chest and begun to cry. She'd felt his arms wrap around her firmly and his chin rest on the top of her head.

"It's alright," he said softly, "It's just a dream. You're safe..." His voice trailed.

Her fingers curled into his jacket as she gripped it. "I want to wake up..." she said through tears.

A frown pulled his features. He knew she couldn't. Taking in the traveler's spirit had caused her to collapse to the floor. Stefan had to watch as neighboring tenants came into the apartment, frenzied from the commotion of the fight. When they found her passed out, a doctor had been called. Now she was laying in her bed and a nurse had took it upon herself to stay until she woke to be certain Henrietta was okay.

"Well you could... But I think you'd be missing out," he told her with a slight upwards inflection. He hated lying to her, but he didn't want to worry her.

A look of confusion crossed her face before she lifted her head to look up at him. He grinned at her before he looked off to the side and she followed his gaze.

The streets were lined with vendors of all sorts and happy people were crowding and walking along. The vampires' bodies were gone with no sign that they were ever there and a tall black horse stood behind her.

Her eyes widened at the sight and she stepped away from Stefan to stare up at the horse. "... Mezzanotte?" she whispered.

The horse gave a "Ppbbbtt" and a shake of its head.

She turned back to Stefan with a smile on her face. "How..?"

"It's a dream. You can control it," he told her and stepped over to the copy of his horse from the eighteen hundreds. Lifting a hand he stroked Mezzanotte's muzzle gently as his own memories came back to him. "But I thought you'd like this. You always said you wanted to move to the city when we were kids."

"I did... Yes," she said and stepped up to the horse. She lifted a hand to pet his course hair and her smile widened. "And you remembered all this time?"

"Well..." a thoughtful expression came to his face. "I was reminded of it when we were walking down the street earlier."

"But you remembered..." She looked back at him, her face completely dry of tears and replaced with nothing but happiness.

He nodded.

"Thank you." She stepped over to him, her smile stretching her ruby lips softly.

Stefan smiled back to her. Now that he'd been reminded of her from his journal, Katherine's compulsion had completely faded away from his mind. He remembered everything about Henrietta. From her pet peeves to her favorite food to the direction that her hair curled in. Looking into her eyes, he watched as the red and gold streaks shimmered from the sunlight. Though he wasn't entirely sure if this was his doing or not, being that he was in control of the dream for the moment.

Henrietta had been looking up into his eyes when an uneasy feeling had begun to churn in her stomach. A pounding in her chest made her hold her breath as her mind went blank. She couldn't help herself from letting her eyes drift down to his lips. And the image of them getting closer as she leaned up to kiss them vividly played in her mind. But her conscious screamed that she knew better than to be that bold.

Then as if she'd prayed for it, a voice called out for free cannolis.

Henrietta's head had snapped in the direction of the voice. She breathed in a sharp inhale and smiled before she looked back to Stefan and reached to grab his hand. In mere seconds Henrietta had pulled him through the crowd and found the vendor offering the free pastries. No one had been in line to take up the offer and Stefan smiled when he watched her take one of the cheese filled doughs. He thought to himself that he would remember this if she lived and managed to save everyone. Henrietta had turned to offer him one, but he chuckled and grinned with a shake of his head. "No, thanks. You can have mine," he told her, which seemed to be just fine with her as she took a second cannoli and stepped away.

Stefan began walking with her down the street. This time people were going around both of them as he stayed on her right, next to the road. He turned his head to glance at her as she took a bite of the pastry and stifled a chuckle when some of the filling stuck to the tip of her nose. Turning his head away, he held the humored grin. But Henrietta had caught sight of his silenced chuckle and looked up to him curiously.

"What is funny?" She asked.

"Nothing." His grin threatened to break into a laugh.

She pouted up to him and stopped in her steps as her brows wrinkled in doubt. "Stefan Salvatore, You tell me what is so humorous," she demanded.

He let a small chuckle escape him as she made the demand. He found her little huff cute. After looking at her for a moment with his eyes focused on the spot of cheese filling on her nose, Stefan reached out and used his thumb to wipe it off gently.

"..." She stared at his thumb when he showed her the cream he'd wiped off her face. A red hue spread across her cheeks in the embarrassment and she looked away.

"Now, if only I could wipe the red off your face," he teased.

She gasped and pouted to him again. Her face grew a shade darker.

He laughed and nodded his head back as he turned. Offering his arm to her, he said, "Here," and waited patiently for her to take it.

Henrietta watched him, then eyed his arm for a second. The blush faded from her cheeks slightly as she slipped her hand around his bicep and walked with him. But as her other hand came up and held on as well, Stefan noticed the cannolis had disappeared, and even the vendor who had still been shouting about them had silenced.

"I didn't mean to upset you, Henrietta. I was only teasing."

"I know..."

"Do you?"

"Mhm."

Stefan glanced over to her. His grin had faded. "Is something wrong?"

She didn't say anything at first. Henrietta had seemed to be in the middle of a thought when she finally answered him. "No... I suppose not."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I just... I'm not sure I can do it, Stefan," she told him and her grip on his arm tightened a bit. What she had said had two meanings: Saving the Other Side, and then telling him...

"I wont make you do it," he told her softly. "I couldn't. It's a lot to ask." He knew at least that she was talking about saving everyone, but her other thought he remained oblivious to.

Stefan looked forward again. The bustling city street had become calm with very few people around.

"But I must," she retorted. "If the witches need me... Then I have no choice."

"What do you know about the Other Side?"

"Not much..." She sighed. "Only what my father told me, and what you told me."

"What did he tell you?"

"Well, I'm not sure if it's true. I suppose you'd be more of an expert on it than he was at the time. But he told me it's the after life for all supernatural beings, great and evil. There were rumors that you spend your afterlife in solitude, trapped behind a veil that keeps you from your loved ones where they can't hear or see you. But some gifted individuals are able to, despite the limits."

"What about the witches, do you know anything about them?"

"Only that I can channel their power if I have to... But I can only use it for reasons they approve of."

"When you trapped the witch earlier... Was that spirit magic?"

"Yes."

"The witches allowed you to absorb him?"

"I don't know if that part was from the spirits..."

"What could it have been from?"

"I haven't an idea..."

Stefan fell silent and glanced to her again for a second before looking down at the stone sidewalk. "What about Expression? Could that be what happened?"

Henrietta's feet came to a stop and she looked up at him with suspicion in her eyes. "What do you know about Expression?"

"One of the witches I know used it to bring down the veil that separates the world from the Other Side. But I'd heard that it was a form of dark magic. Could that be what the grimoire is: an Expression grimoire?"

"Expression is strictly forbidden in most covens, if not all. The source of that power..." Her head turned away and began to shake as her words stuttered for a moment. "I-I do not even want to imagine what kind of evil gives that power..."

Stefan nodded and turned his head away. Taking another step he allowed them both to continue their walk.

"But I suppose it is possible that the grimoire holds instructions for such magic," she told him. Then her face took on a curious expression as she looked back up to him. "Did your friend really bring down the veil?"

Stefan nodded again. "Yeah."

Henrietta's eyes widened, then her lips pulled into a wide grin as she gave a breath of excitement. "That is unbelievable."

He chuckled to her as they continued walking. He'd begun to think about what was happening back in twenty-fourteen... Everything was falling apart; The Other Side, Mystic Falls, Magic, Vampirism, Ghosts... But right now everything was fine in good ol' eighteen sixty-five. At least for now. At least in this dream.

"How am I supposed to save everyone when I'm stuck here?" She suddenly asked him. "How will I make it to this twenty-fourteen?"

Stefan sighed. He wasn't even sure how she was going to live that long. Of course if she was turned, that would solve the problem, but then she wouldn't be able to use magic. "I'm not sure," he told her softly. "But I knew a witch once that stalled her aging. Maybe you can too."

"... I don't know any spell for that."

"We'll figure it out." He brought his right hand up and placed it over both of her's which still rested on his arm. "I promise."

She nodded and the street had begun to darken as the sun set. Stefan watched as a man with a pole lit a street lantern. Thinking on the idea of her living to see twenty-fourteen, he wondered if it was even possible. Gloria had stalled her aging, but she hadn't stalled it for a hundred and fifty years. But he had to try and find a way to help her.

Another thought came to his mind as he glanced down to her hands on his arm. He'd remembered walking with her like this before Katherine had made her debut in Mystic Falls. He used to escort her around town when Damon wasn't. And of course other men in the town had an interest in her and would offer their arms. But he could remember how it made him felt to walk with her; happy, relaxed. Stefan felt comfortable like this, but it'd been a different comfort than it had been with Katherine or Elena. With Katherine it felt exciting, like he was waiting for something to happen at every corner. But for all he knew, that could have been the compulsion making him feel that way. With Elena it felt fresh. It felt like a breath of fresh air after a spring rain fall when he was full of energy to take on the rest of the day in stride. But with Henrietta it just felt... tranquil. Like nothing bad could happen, as if she repelled evil instead of attracted it.

"Before Katherine came to Mystic Falls, I had wanted to be with you," he said aloud before he could stop himself. Though once the words left his lips, he could feel his chest tighten.

Henrietta inhaled sharply hearing the sudden change of subject and her eyes widened. Her hands gripped at his arm tightly as she held her breath for her moment of shock."I..." She let her breath go slowly, but nothing but stutters came from her mouth.

"When you told me you liked Damon, I decided not to tell you," Stefan explained as he watched her face. He had might as well get it all out, now that he'd brought it up.

Her eyes fluttered as she fought the surprise of his affection. "Stefan... I... I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything," he told her and glanced up to her. "I never expected you'd accept it anyway."

"Stefan..." A frown claimed her features as she looked up to him.

"Is this how you're helping her to save us?"

Stefan's attention became divided when he heard Kol's voice behind him. Looking up, he turned his head to see the original on the other side of Henrietta's bed. "It was a traveler," he said. "They attacked her." He turned his eyes back to Henrietta's sleeping form. The oil lamp on her night stand had cast an ominous golden light which made her fair skin glow an orange tone, and the flickering shadows defined her soft features as she laid there peacefully.

"Which almost got her killed!" Kol pointed out. Suddenly he was standing in front of Stefan with his arms folded over his chest.

Stefan let out a sigh as he sat there on the edge of Henrietta's bed and watched her. "I know..."

"Do you? Because, it looks to me like you both were a little reckless."

"I know, Kol!" Stefan turned his head to look up at the original.

"You know, I'm starting to worry that she wont pull it off," Kol told him as his eyes shifted to Henrietta. "She's not nearly as strong as that Bennet witch."

"She'll do it..."

"And how can you be so sure?" Kol's eyes turned back to him.

"Because she has to." Stefan reached out to her and brushed a few stray strands of hair from her face gently. "Did you hear anything from the witches?"

"Nothing but jibber-jabber. Some of their conversations are obnoxious, really."

"So you only came here to harass me?"

"I came here to remind you that she's our only shot at this, Mate. Don't screw it up."

Stefan was quiet for a second as he let Kol's words linger in his mind. He wasn't sure how he could keep her from being attacked if any other travelers came after her. "Why did the traveler attack her?" he asked, but he already had an idea of the reason.

"To keep her from changing the future. They want the Other Side to crash and burn so they can live out their little fantasy of everything being right in the world. It doesn't surprise me that they'd be loyal enough to keep trying when they're dead."

"So we'll have to watch over her."

"We?"

Stefan glanced to him, "You want to be saved, don't you? I couldn't keep that traveler down by myself."

"That's because you don't know how to fight. I've been here longer than you, Darling. I've learned a few things."

"Then why didn't you help?" Stefan turned to face him.

"I tried to." Kol's brows knotted as he looked to Stefan. "I was little preoccupied on my end with other travelers. Buddies, no doubt, of the one you dealt with."

"They're attacking others on the Other Side?"

"What can I say? They're loyal. And while I respect that, It's problematic to my goal."

Stefan sighed and looked back to Henrietta. These travelers were trying to make sure she couldn't save everyone. Watching her sleep, he remembered that even if they did manage to avoid the travelers, she still had to find a way to live for a hundred and fifty years.

"Do you know any way to keep her from aging?" Stefan asked.

"What?" Kol's face had a look of confusion with the change of subject.

"She has to make it to twenty-fourteen, right?"

"..." Kol's jaw became more defined as he looked at him. Then his eyes shifted back to Henrietta silently. Stefan was right; Witch or not, she was still mortal and susceptible to aging. Even if she managed to be the healthiest person on the planet, she wouldn't make it a hundred and fifty more years. "Perhaps a preservation spell would work," he offered with a shrug. "I don't know. One kept my mother's body from decomposing in her death, it may work to keep her from aging."

"You wouldn't happen to know one, would you?"

"No."

Another sigh left Stefan as he looked back to Henrietta.

"What of this grimoire you two found? Is there nothing in there?"

"It's dark magic," Stefan told him. "She doesn't deal with dark magic..."

"She doesn't, or you wont let her?"

Stefan turned his head to look at him with a stern expression.

"Dark or not, it's magic. If she could use it to save us, then she needs to learn it."

"Using a spell from that grimoire put her in this bed, Kol. She may not survive using another."

"Absorbing a spirit is unheard of," Kol told him as a nurse walked into the room. Both he and Stefan watched her for a second as she stepped right through Kol to place a heated cloth on Henrietta's head. "The witches were surprised to see that happen. They let her trap him, but they weren't counting on her absorbing him." He continued to watch the nurse as he spoke. "But they're so desperate now, that they're not sure what to think of the act. They're calling it a disgrace, but most are convinced it was necessary. This grimoire might have what she needs to know."

Stefan glanced up to him before he looked back to Henrietta as the nurse checked her pulse. He didn't want to admit it, but Kol had a point.

"Perhaps my mother would know a thing or two..." Kol turned his attention back to him and Stefan turned his head back towards Kol to stare up at him.