Author's notes: I just can't start without thanking you for those reviews :-) Please let me know in case I make too many mistakes, as I said English is not my native language, but I'm trying ;-)

This chapter holds not that much fun and less Bonnie but it was time to carry on with the story...hope you like it. Happy reading!


Elena's eyes widened in shock as she realized who had caused the bloodbath.

„I mean I just came down. God, I'm so scared and confused." she stammered.

Jenna took her hand and dragged Elena out of the kitchen. In the living room she frantically looked around. Finally she found the phone and called Sheriff Forbes.

"Do you think we're safe here?" she asked her niece after hanging up the phone. "Maybe we should leave."

Elena couldn't think straight. Were they safe? Was Katherine still around?

"I need to call Stefan." she stammered.

"Please, not right now, Elena. Sheriff Forbes will be here soon. We have to deal with the deputies and I guess a coroner is coming, too. Do you think I should call Jeremy? Maybe we should go to the neighbors."

Jenna was a total mess and couldn't make up her mind. Luckily at this very moment the car of the sheriff pulled up. Sheriff Forbes instructed Jenna and Elena to wait in the living room and sent her deputies into the kitchen to secure the crime scene. After the two women had testified they were allowed to go and wait outside. Both of them felt the urge to leave the house and get some fresh air. Once they were standing on the porch Jenna pulled her niece into a tight embrace.

"God Elena, I'm so glad that you're okay."

They were still embracing each other when the coroner stepped out and John's corpse was finally hauled away.

Jenna turned away. "I've never liked him but this is awful."

"I really need to talk to Stefan now." Elena said.

Jenna nodded. "It's okay, I also want to call Alaric. I would feel a lot safer if he could stay with us tonight. If you don't mind."

Elena didn't mind at all although she knew that her teacher would be no match for Katherine.

She went back into the house and climbed up the stairs. In her room she fell on her bed. She was completely worn out and needed a minute to gather herself. So much had happened. Eventually she pulled out her cell phone and called Stefan.

"Hey Elena, what's up?" he greeted her.

Hearing his voice she couldn't brace herself any longer and started to cry.

"What's wrong? Did John do anything?"

"Stefan, he's dead. Katherine is back and killed him." she sobbed.

"Oh my God, are you sure? How do you know? Are you okay?"

"I'm frightened but other than that I'm fine."

"I'll come over. Have you already called the police?"

"Jenna did. But the deputies have already left so we can talk in privacy. And bring Damon with you, it concerns him as well." Elena said almost calm now.

Even before Stefan and Damon arrived, Alaric showed up with Jeremy in tow. He had met him in town when he was already on his way to the Gilbert's. Elena could hear Jenna, Alaric and Jeremy talking but decided to wait in her room for the Salvatore brothers. She jumped when she heard a tap on her window. It was Damon.

She hurried over and opened it.

"What are you doing up here?" she asked surprised.

"Your aunt thinks that I'm sick, doesn't she?" he asked back.

She was about to reply something when the doorbell sounded.

"It's Stefan." Damon stated.

When the three of them finally sat together in Elena's room she told them what had happened. The return of Katherine itself had already shocked the two vampire brothers but knowing that she had also been invited into Elena's house was even worse.

"You can't stay here, you should come with us." Stefan suggested.

"Katherine can enter the boarding house as well, she won't be safer there." Damon disagreed.

"We're going to watch over your house for the next hours and in the meantime we need Bonnie to find a spell to revoke the invitation." the older Salvatore continued.

"Do you think she's still here?" Elena asked hesitantly.

"I doubt that killing John was her only intention. So yes, I'm afraid she's still somewhere in Mystic Falls." Stefan answered.

"Don't worry, if that bitch is still around, we're going to find her and kill her." Damon said through gritted teeth.

Elena nodded. She felt better now.

"Jeremy is coming up. I'll take the first watch." Damon said and in the next second he had already disappeared.

Elena looked pensively at the still fluttering curtains.

"I'm sorry, that you're life has become so complicated since you've met me." Stefan said sadly.

"Don't be ridiculous, Stefan. With living in a town like Mystic Falls and a best friend that happens to be a witch I doubt that my life would have turned out different. I love you and I'm glad that you're here."

The two of them were interrupted by a knock on the door. It was Jeremy who looked sympathetically at his sister.

"Are you okay?" he asked in a low voice.

"I'm fine, thanks Jer." Elena replied surprised but glad that her brother was talking to her again.

Luckily Jenna didn't mind that Stefan would stay for the night as Alaric was also staying over. The two men had made it their business to clean the kitchen. Stefan assured Alaric that the human blood wasn't bothering him and also used the opportunity to tell the teacher about Katherine. The part-time vampire hunter was immediately alarmed and offered his help.

Everything was quiet when Damon returned from his patrol around the Gilbert house and the surrounding area. He could see that Elena's room was the only one that was still illuminated. Her window was still open and within seconds he was standing inside of her room.

"Did you find anything?" Stefan wanted to know.

Damon shook his head.

"Bonnie has just called, she hasn't found anything yet and I guess it could take some time, she said she isn't even sure where to start looking." Elena told him.

"Call her back and tell her that I'm coming over, I know some stuff about those spellbooks as well." Damon said.

Bonnie looked up from her books when she spotted Damon at her window. Without further thinking she opened it and invited him in what caught him off guard. But he quickly recovered and climbed through the window. He briefly scanned her room and decided that he liked it. It looked comfortable and most importantly it wasn't too girly.

"Here, pick a book and start looking." Bonnie said curtly and sat down on her fluffy carpet.

"Are you mad at me?" the vampire inquired.

Bonnie looked at him surprised. "No, why do think that I'm mad at you?"

"Because of the things that I said in the kitchen in front of Elena and Stefan this morning."

"Damon, I actually do have a sense of humor. So no, I'm not mad."

"Wow, you not only have a sense of humor but a sense of Damon-humor."

"Never mind." he added when she looked quizzically at him.

"How comes you know so much about witches and spells?" Bonnie asked while they combed through the books and notations that her Grandmother had left behind.

"Let's just say I met a few of them." he smirked.

"Yeah, I can imagine what that means." Bonnie said dryly and continued leafing through the book in front of her.

Damon chuckled and also went back to work but not without watching her for a moment out of the corner of his eye.

After nearly an hour of searching they finally managed to find the appropriate spell. Since none of Katherine's personal belongings were available Bonnie wouldn't be able to cast a spell that would only revoke this particular invitation. The one that she could perform would revoke the invitation of every vampire that had ever entered the Gilbert house, so that Stefan and Damon had to be invited anew. Bonnie called Elena and Stefan to inform them but they decided to do the magic the following day when Jenna was at work. After Bonnie had hung up the phone she looked expectantly at Damon.

"And what happens next? I mean Elena can't hide inside the house for the rest of her life."

"If Katherine's really still around we need to find her and try to figure out what she's planning. Either way we should kill her. Elena might be her main focus of attention but she's certainly not the only one in danger. After all we're talking about Katherine."

"Do you still love her?"

As Damon didn't answer she quickly added "Sorry, you don't have to answer, it's not my business anyway."

Damon was still wrestling with his good side, and one part of him wanted to yell at Bonnie for asking that question, but he was amazed at how small this part was. Somehow the little witch had managed to let his good side outweigh all the hate and disdain that he carried with him. But what surprised him even more was the fact that he had already started to get accustomed to this new Damon. Bonnie on the other hand gave him the impression of being happier again. Ever since her Grandmother had died she had emanated a constant sadness and bitterness. Though he couldn't sense those feelings anymore since the last night that she had spent looking after him. Before they had opened the tomb he had loved Katherine and this love and the intention to get her back have been the only purpose of his existence. After the revelation of her betray he had lost this only purpose and felt empty and in need of a new goal. Could it be that it was already sitting right in front of him?

"No, I don't love her anymore. And I'm ready to kill her if she intends to threaten anyone that I care about." he finally answered.

Bonnie wasn't sure what to say and was relieved when Damon stood up and started to collect the books from the floor. Apparently he didn't expect a reply.

After they had neatly placed all the books back on their shelf Bonnie went over the window and opened it

"What, are you kicking me out?" he asked with feigned hurt.

"I guess my Dad wouldn't be that happy to find a strange guy in my bed tomorrow morning."

"Hey, I didn't say anything about sleeping in your bed, but if I had known about that naughty thoughts of yours I would have put on my good underwear. Or maybe no underwear at all." he joked.

Bonnie slapped playfully his arm. She was glad that Damon could make her laugh in situations like this.

"I could pick you up tomorrow." he suggested while he climbed gracefully out of the window.

"Agreed. But only if we drive with the top down." Bonnie said smiling.

"Your wish is my command."