Looking up at Damon's sleeping form, only one word comes to mind: Wow. Just wow. There is no other word to explain last night. Snuggling further into D's embrace I slowly drift back to sleep.

A loud vibrating noise and a groan woke me from my peaceful slumber.

"What?" Damon spat into the offending object.

"Is Charlotte with you?" Caroline asked. Damon smirked and looked down at me.

"Maybe." He taunted.

"Just put her on the phone!" He slowly handed me his phone, begrudgingly I took it.

"Yes Caroline?"

"Hi. Uhhh…will you come with me to the school to help clean up from the dance." She mumbled.

"What?"

"I don't want to spend time with Rebekah."

"Fine."

"Yay! Pick you up in 10." And with that she hung up. I sighed and looked back up at D.

"I gotta go."

"No."

"Damon."

"No."

"But,"

"No."

"You can join me in the shower." He jumped out of bed and practically ran into the bathroom.

"Why are you still in bed? Come on!" I laughed at his eagerness before joining him in the humongous shower.

Walking through the corridors of the high school with Caroline who was explaining to me why Matt and Tyler weren't going to be here, I pondered my current problem; there was none! For the first time since returning to Mystic Falls, nothing is wrong!

I inwardly happy danced before a shift in the air placed me on high alert. I spun around and noticed Caroline do the same. Nothing.

We shrugged and walked into the classroom. The very messy classroom!

"You're late. Clean up committee started at 8 o'clock." I rolled my eyes at Rebekah; today was going to be soooo fun!

"It's 8:02." Caroline stated.

"Exactly. I managed to turn up on time and I didn't even get to attend the dance that I organised." She tossed stuff into the bin before prancing off to the other side of the room.

"I'm sorry about your mom. I know you hated her and all but still; I'm sorry." I said, much to Rebekah and Caroline's surprise.

"Thanks…I'm going to get started on the gym." With that she left.

"What the hell Charlotte?" Caroline shouted at me.

"What?" I asked, picking up a small bin and placing things into it.

"You said that you're sorry!" She replied exasperated.

"I am."

"Why?"

"She lost her mom Caroline. I know what that feels like. She's hurting and she's stuck here on clean up committee." I turned to Caroline and she looked away before also picking up a bin and copying my actions.

"So…you and Damon, huh?" She teased.

"Shut it Caroline." I said while trying to hide my grin.

I was walking towards the gym when I felt a presence behind me. I turned and came face to face with an old friend.

"You're supposed to be dead." I whispered in shock.

"I am." With that he threw me into a row of lockers and held a wooden dagger above my heart. "Give me one good reason to not kill you." He spat at me.

"Because I'll kill you if you do." He turned his head and looked at Caroline.

"Really?" He taunted.

"Really." Caroline stood her ground and I mentally cursed. She doesn't know who she's going up against.

"Well ok then." He flew from me and snapped Caroline neck.

"No!" I shouted before he gripped my arm and hauled both myself and Caroline into a classroom. Rebekah stood at the end of the corridor, silently watching us before she sped off.

"What do you want?" I asked while trying to manoeuvre the pencils impaled in my hands.

"Shhhh. I'm on the phone." He smirked at me while dialling a number on my phone. I could vaguely make out a voice on the other side.

"Charlotte?" Elena.

"Not quite. But I do have her, say hello Charlotte." He waved the phone in front of me.

"Hello Elena." I mumbled before he returned the phone to his ear.

"Who are you?"

"A person that you don't want to cross. Now, I'm going to need you to come down to the school or Charlotte and your little blonde friend die. Got it?"

"Ok." Elena said panicking. He hung up and smirked down at me.

"She'll be right here."

"Why do you want her?"

"If she's dead then Klaus can't make any more hybrids."

"Hybrids? That's why you've kidnapped me?"

"That and I do believe that you belong to me." He said before placing a gag into my mouth.

In the distance I can just about make out the footsteps of Elena.

"Right on time." He smirked. I started to groan loudly so she could find us quicker. He shot me a look and I managed to raise an eyebrow in challenge. He growled and slapped me across the face.

"Charlotte?" I turned my head and met Elena's worried eyes. "What do you want?" She asked him.

"You." He stated.

"Me?"

"Well…I want you to be dead." She gasped. "And, if you're here, then Klaus is bound to turn up. So it's a two-for-one deal really."

"Who are you?"

"A person who has been crossed one to many times."

Damon POV

After discovering that Elena's gone, and having picket fence stakes thrown at me by Klaus (he missed me anyway) the icing on the cake is having some man call Stefan to tell us that he has Caroline, Elena and my Charlotte!

"Put it out." I heard Stefan say to Klaus who was holding a burning rag.

"Come outside and make me." Stefan did as he said.

"Elena's not here. Someone has: her, Caroline and Charlotte and is going to kill them all unless you turn yourself over to him." I chuckled from my place on the couch with my head in my hands; Stefan really knew how to deadpan things when he wanted to.

"Now I know you're not asking me to walk to certain death." I rolled my eyes at Klaus and decided to make an appearance.

"I really wish we could but unfortunately if Alaric kills you there's a 1 in 4 chance that we die to." Stefan explained.

"I'll take those odds." I said from beside Stefan with one of Klaus' picket stakes over my shoulder.

"And a 100% chance that Tyler dies."

"I'm good with that too."

"What about the chance that Charlotte dies." Stefan said. My grip on the stake tightened and my jaw ticked. "Why don't we just find a way to get along?"

Charlotte POV

"Why are you doing this to me?" I croaked as he dipped my gag into liquid vervain.

"To remind you of your place."

"I do NOT belong to you!" I shouted as loudly as I could.

"Yes. You do." He said before returning the sodden gag into my mouth. I screamed as the vervain burnt my skin.

Damon POV

I watched as Bonnie paced the living room of the Boarding House, but inside I was just about keeping it together. Some unknown man has Charlotte and is threatening to kill her! I am NOT going to lose her. Not now when I've only just got her back. So now we were in the process of creating a rescue plan and incorporating into it an idea that could kill Klaus if we have the opportunity.

The clock on the mantle chimed awakening me from my thoughts. I looked back over to Bonnie,

"Well…this is depressing." I said.

"Relax. Abby will be here." She said wringing her hands.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot about her stellar track record in the dependability department." I couldn't help but be sarcastic.

"Jamie said she was coming, ok. Just…give her time."

A bell tinkling alerted us to a visitor.

"Don't get your hopes up, it might be a girl scout!" I called as she went to open the door.

Even though I'm a jerk sometimes, even I can see that Bonnie is anxious about her mom coming.

"Hello Bonnie." Yup. That's Abby.

"Thanks for coming." I rolled my eyes at the little moment.

"Jamie's worried about you. He said it was urgent." Understatement of the century! Charlotte is being held captive! This is a life or death situation! God I need a drink.

I tuned back into the conversation when Bonnie let Abby inside.

"Why didn't I have to be invited in?" Abby asked curiously.

"Only vampires live here."

"We signed the deed over to Elena, but she died, and the seal broke, long story." I said as I poured a drink, "Blood?" I offered Abby. "Oh come on. Think of it like a peace offering." She didn't move. "Fine. More for me." I returned to the couch.

"We called you here because I need your help with a spell." Bonnie said to her mom. "Elena, Caroline and Charlotte are being held at the school by a vampire who wants to kill Klaus."

"But, if we kill the vampire then we also have a chance to get Klaus." I explained.

"We need the desiccation spell." Bonnie concluded.

"Bonnie, it's too dangerous. Your magic comes from the earth, it's pure. This spell asks you to tap into dark places. Places of temptation. Places you can't handle."

"You turned your back on me for 16 years. You have no idea what you can handle." Ooh; angry Bonnie.

"Gotta say I'm team Bonnie on this one. How hard can it be to parch a vampire?" I said to alleviate the tension.

"The spell allows you to stop a vampire's heart. The blood will stop flowing and the body will desiccate." Abby started.

"That's exactly what we want to do to stop Klaus." Bonnie interrupted.

"To stop a vampire's heart, you need to find a balance, among the living. Can you handle that?" Abby looked at her daughter.

"What? What does that mean? Bonnie I don't speak witch." I asked.

"I have to stop a human heart." Fantastic.

Charlotte POV

"Why do you keep doing that?" Elena cried as he soaked two gags into the vervain.

"To keep them weak." He smirked. I looked over to Caroline and saw she was trembling.

"Shhh, Caroline, its ok. Just take deep breathes once it's on and it'll get weaker." I croaked out to her. The blonde vampire had only recently awakened and this would be her first dose of the liquid poison. I received a warning glare from him. "What?" I asked him.

"Shut up."

"Why? Are you going to ram pencils through my hands or gag me with vervain soaked cloth? Oh wait…" I said sarcastically.

"No honey," He whispered as his face got closer to mine, "I'll do much worse." Inside I was terrified, but I refused to show it. Instead I raised an eyebrow and prepared myself to take the incoming slap like a man.

Damon POV

Typical. Bloody typical. They always stick me with the dirty work; first I'm almost pelted with stakes made from a fence, then I find out that my girlfriend is being held captive, next I'm forced to co-operate with Klaus, deal with an anxious Bonnie and an absent mother, and finally I have to persuade baby Gilbert to give me his ring so he doesn't go all psycho.

Anyway, moving on…

"I just got this," Bonnie showed me her cell as we approached the school. "It connects me to Elena, Caroline and Charlotte through their phones. They're in Alaric's classroom. You should go in through the south entrance."

"Digital locator spell. Why the hell do we need you then?"

Looking back on that comment I'm inwardly cringing, I get that I shouldn't take the fact that Char is probably hurt out on Bonnie. But if I don't take it out on someone well... let's just say, it won't be pretty.

"Hand it over." I told Jeremy.

"I'm not giving you my ring. Let me do this."

"By my math you've already bit it once, possibly twice wearing that thing and if for some reason Bonnie can't restart your heart and you do indeed die, then before you know it we have another psycho alter ego case on our hands which is bad so give me the ring." If Char saw the amount of self-restraint I had right now, she'd be proud.

"This is my ring. Elena's my sister. No-one's going to fight harder for her than me."

Self-restraint = gone.

"It's not just Elena in there!" I growled at Jeremy.

"It's fine Jeremy." Bonnie interjected before I ripped the kid's head off. I turned to see Stefan walking with Klaus and Alaric. He knew the plan with Klaus and I'd already slipped him and Alaric some of Bonnie's blood earlier so we could all be connected for the desiccation spell.

"Look at this, one big happy family." Klaus smirked as he joined us.

"So we all know the plan?" Stefan asked, ignoring Klaus. We all nodded and were about to start before Klaus stopped us.

"Before we all walk through these doors, let's get on the same page shall we? I was the one who created your vampire bloodline therefore I am responsible for your lives and Tyler's life, and Caroline's life, Abby's life and of course; Charlotte's life. Should anything go wrong." He looked me dead in the eye. Shit.

"Or you're just lying to save your ass." I stated.

"I'm not lying. But go ahead; call my bluff. Let me die. You'll all be dead soon after."

"Let's just get this over with." Stefan said before we all followed him into the school minus Jeremy, whose cover was that he was there for Elena and therefore would be staying outside so he and Bonnie could do the spell.

Charlotte POV

"Why are you doing this?" Elena begged. I shot her a warning glare.

"I've already told you why. But if you weren't listening to me before then you can listen to your friend's cries instead." He growled before driving the pencils in Caroline's hands further down.

As I was flinching I noticed Elena pull out a stake from her coat and wink at me before she lunged at him and drove the stake through his stomach. He rolled on the floor screaming in pain as she rushed over to us. I shook my head and looked at Caroline. She understood and freed Caroline before rushing off with her.

"I'll be back." Was all I heard before he was looming over me waving the stake now dripping with vervain.

No-one POV

Elena ran as fast as a human half carrying a weak vampire could down the corridor but had to stop to catch her breath. Before she could remove her arm from Caroline and hand reached out and grabbe

"Shh. Shhh. It's ok. It's me." A voice whispered behind her. She turned to face Stefan and Alaric.

Nodding, she passed Caroline over to Stefan and ran with Alaric out of the school.

"Go straight to Caroline's. Stay inside. Ok?" Stefan said to Elena as they reached the outside of the school.

"But, Charlotte." She asked.

"Damon and Klaus are going to her now. We're joining them." Alaric told her as Stefan placed Caroline into Elena's car.

"Ok." With that she and Caroline were off.

Charlotte POV

I heard bones crunch as he dragged me out of the classroom and threw me into a set of lockers.

"I should kill you!" he spat as his hand formed a vice like grip around my throat.

"So do it!" I choked out. "You keep saying you will so just do it!" I instantly regretted those words as he drove the stake into my abdomen before throwing me to the end of the corridor. With an enormous amount of effort I pulled the stake out, threw it to one side and watched as my wound didn't heal.

"Ahhhh, poor Charlotte. Too weak to heal." He taunted as he squatted down in front of me.

"Why?" I sobbed.

"YOU RUINED MY LIFE!" He roared.

"What?" I asked, confused. I propped myself up on one hand and used the other to put pressure on my slowly healing wound.

"I offered you my heart and you laughed in my face and then you ran to Giuseppe Salvatore and told him I was beating the staff!" his eyes flashed with fury.

"You were!" I protested.

"They were slaves!"

"They were people! You treated them worse than dogs!" I shouted at him, but it was no use he went to backhanded me across the face before a hand stopped him.

"Don't. You. DARE!" Damon growled before throwing him across the corridor and away from me.

Stefan and Klaus picked up the body sprawled across the floor holding him up to face a very angry Damon. Alaric stood to the side with an array of weapons for Damon's disposal.

"WHO are you?" Damon questioned. The man raised his head and smirked at Damon.

"Oh come on Damon, you know me."

"Jefferson?" I said in shock.

"Well done."

"You died." I narrowed my eyes at him.

"So did you."

"Touché. Now, why did you decide to hold my girlfriend captive?"

"She ruined my life. My happiness. My soul." I scoffed from my place where I was sat against a locker.

"That's a bit eccentric, mate." Klaus said.

"No. I loved her and she betrayed me."

"She turned you in. You deserved it." Damon spat. "How are you alive?"

"Katherine Pierce." Jefferson stated.

"Katherine?" Stefan asked.

"Yeah. She saw how miserable I was. How alone I was and she offered me another way: eternal life."

"Why would she do that?"

"She wanted a butler, a slave, someone to do her dirty work, and I agreed."

"What about Elena? Why her?" Stefan asked.

"She's the doppelganger. She can stop him," he gestured with his head to Klaus, "from creating anymore Hybrids."

"Hybrids?"

"Earlier this year, you turned my wife into a hybrid! She died." Klaus didn't seem bothered. "So now, I'm out for revenge. On everyone."

"Tough." With that Damon drove a stake into Jefferson's heart and watched as he slowly greyed.

The men dropped him like a sack of potatoes.

"Yay." Was all I could manage to say before everything went black.

Slowly I became aware of my surroundings; I was lying on a couch with a blanket over me, in the background a conversation was taking place between a man with a…English accent and a panicked girl. Klaus and Elena.

I slowly moved my foot and tried to sit up.

"Hello luv. Sleep well?" I turned to face Klaus who was sitting on the other end of the couch, presumably where my feet were.

"Where am I?" I asked groggily.

"Look around." I did as he instructed and saw I was in the Mikaelson house.

"Elena?" I asked when I saw her tied to a chair with a blood drain in her arm.

"Don't worry luv."

"So you're just going to bleed me dry?" She asked, obviously continuing their previous conversation.

"Yes, but don't worry, it'll be completely painless. When the last drop is drawn, you'll simply fall asleep."

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing luv. Anyway, this doesn't concern you, once she's drained, we leave."

"We?"

"You're coming with me."

"What?" I shrieked.

"Shhh, it's ok. I'm going to finish packing and you can say goodbye to Elena." He said before leaving the room.

"Elena." I whispered to the slumping girl.

"Char, help me."

"Hold on." I said before attempting to get up but before I could a needle full of vervain was injected into my neck by an unseen nurse.

"You didn't give a crap about me! You just didn't want to be alone!" Tyler shouted at Klaus.

What? Great. Every time. I always miss the good stuff. I inwardly cursed as Klaus flew at Tyler subsequently throwing Elena onto the floor. I winced as I heard her skull make contact with the step. I rushed over to her and made sure she was breathing before propping her up using my body.

"Goodbye Tyler." Klaus said before he went to rip out his heart. But he was too slow, Stefan, Damon and Alaric all burst into the room, with Damon and Stefan holding Klaus down and Alaric positioning his hand over Klaus' heart.

Slowly I watched as grey veins crept up Klaus' body and slowly desiccated him. Eventually his body was dropped to the floor.

"Let's go." Damon said, helping me up while Stefan did the same for Elena. I nodded and allowed him to lead me away, my eyes lingering on Klaus' body as we left.

"How?" Was all I asked as we exited the house.

"I'll fill you in later." I nodded and got into the car.

"Are you three really going to walk me to the door?" Elena asked as Stefan, Damon and I trailed her to her door.

"You lost a lot of blood today." Stefan said concerned.

"I told you, I'm fine. I just have a little headache." She reassured us smiling slightly at Damon and I's intertwined hands.

"Ok then." I said but I was still unsure.

"Are you guys coming in?" She asked us.

"If you want." She nodded at us before letting us in. Laughter came from the kitchen, we frowned but Elena gave us a knowing smile and led us into the kitchen.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"We're having a victory party!" Caroline cheered.

"Victory?" Stefan asked.

"We've been trying to get rid of Klaus for forever and we wanted to celebrate!" Bonnie explained.

"I gotta be honest; I'm a little pissed that none of you let me help take down original brother number 2." Matt said and we laughed at his mock pout.

"Yeah…he would have taken you right down to the hospital." Tyler smirked.

"Please! I'm more stealthy than that. I'm like a ninja."

"You wish." Jeremy smirked.

"Here, you need this." Caroline handed me a shot.

"Thanks." I went to drink it but Damon intercepted me and drank it instead. "Hey!"

"You haven't been checked over yet. Are you injured?" I rolled my eyes but let him lead me to the living room.

"Ahhh, Damon cares!" Caroline called out.

"Damon I'm fine! Honest." I sighed as we entered the living room.

"So why are you bleeding?" he asked, worry filling his eyes.

"What?" I pulled up my shirt and saw that I still hadn't healed. "Crap."

"Let me heal you." He offered.

"Damon." I waved him off.

"Charlotte." He pleaded.

"Fine." He lifted his wrist and I sunk my fangs into the skin devouring any blood I could get. He pulled his wrist away soon though and inspected my wound.

"There. All better." He smiled and pulled me in for a kiss, moaning when he tasted his own blood on my lips.

"Hey gu…Woah! Ok then." We pulled apart and smirked at Jeremy's blushed face. "Why do I always walk in on you two?" He whined before walking back to the kitchen. We smiled at each other and followed him into the kitchen.

"Yay! Just in time for shots." Caroline said as she handed us a shot each, smiling at Damon's arm around my waist.

"Wait!" We all turned to Tyler, "Do you hear that?" we all listened in, "That is the sound of a Klaus free life!" We all smiled.

"To a Klaus free life! And to all of you; my family." Elena said before we clinked glasses and downed the shots.

Damon turned in from his place in passenger seat to pat the coffin containing Klaus' desiccated body.

"What?" I asked Damon as he smirked.

"How many desiccated Hybrids does it take to screw in a light bulb?"

"You're in a good mood." I said and received a smile.

"Yeah I'm in a good mood! Klaus is dead, my brother is half-way sane again and my girlfriend is smoking hot." I smiled at him from the driver's seat while Stefan made puking action from the back seat beside the coffin. "Apart from the fact that she's driving my car when I should be, everything is great!" I rolled my eyes while Stefan smirked. "We won! Say it, we WON!"

"We won." Stefan said.

"Once more with feeling!" Damon demanded.

"WE WON!" I screamed.

"Thank you!" I smiled at him.

"You know what?" I raised my eyebrow at Stefan in the rear view mirror, "Turns out, we make a pretty good team." He said.

"And it only took a century and a half." Damon smirked.

"I'm glad you two are experiencing brotherly love again." I joked while Damon grimaced at the sappy words.

"I'm glad that you two are finally together." Stefan said before Damon and I smiled at each other and he leant over to kiss me square on the lips.