"Chapter 11 – Motion"

"So tell me her story again?" Lydia asks, nodding to Bonnie and Stiles a few feet ahead. The couple walks close together, laughing about something neither girl can really hear. Trailing behind the girls are the others; Derek and Stefan argue with each other about something trivial while Scott and Caroline keep a readied stance in case of a fight.

"Scott says she's a witch," Allison whispers. Luckily, Scott's so involved in the Derek-Stefan affair that he doesn't pay attention to her. "She's from out of town, and another witch cast a spell that made her forget who she is. He says she's not evil."

"She might be faking it," her friend counters, nodding her head to the Bennett witch.

Allison shrugs. "Seems nice enough," she states. "Stiles probably wouldn't be so close to her if she wasn't. And I don't get any bad vibes from her."

"Like with Jade," the redhead points out. "Are you sure it's a good idea to leave her alone with your dad?"

The huntress shrugs. "She left the apartment while I was in the shower, and I haven't seen her all afternoon. She was with him all day yesterday, so I guess he's alright."

"We probably should have followed her instead of watching Sabrina the Forgetful Witch attempt to regain her powers, even though I kind of want to see how this plays out."

"You don't have to be here, you know," Caroline announces as she appears beside Lydia, carrying a small boulder beneath her arm as if it were a football.

The girl jumps, letting out a small scream as she holds her hand over her heart, stopping in her tracks. "It was bad enough getting used to the werewolves," she mumbles, refusing to meet the vampire's eyes before continuing. "And where the hell did she get that thing?"

"Broke it off a bigger boulder," Caroline answers, though the question wasn't directly aimed at her. She raises her brow, her voice laced with suspicion. "Who's Jade?"

"This stray my dad kind of rescued about a week ago," Allison answers, venom dripping from her tongue as she glares forward.

"What does she look like?" the blonde questions with hopeful, wide eyes. The girl regards her wearily, waiting for an explanation. "Our friend ran away, and we're trying to find her before she does anything stupid."

"Is she a vampire like you?" Lydia asks with a sneer before her friend can respond.

"We're not all bad," Caroline spits, narrowing her eyes at the redhead. "Elena's just having a bad... month."

"Are you ready guys?" Bonnie calls from afar. Everyone stops their conversations to meet her and Stiles in the middle of the field. Caroline gets there first, followed by Stefan who ties with Derek, and finally Scott trailing.

Allison and Lydia stay where they are. "We'll catch up with you guys later!" Lydia announces from the edge of the grass. Without waiting for any other response, she grabs Allison by the wrist and pulls her back in the direction of the car.

"How do I do this?" Bonnie asks when everyone finally comes together.

"You just have to feel it," Caroline answers, lugging the small boulder she'd brought in tow. "Witches get their power from nature, so you have to just tune yourself into everything around you." She drops the boulder at her friend's feet. "Try to lift it."

"You make it sound so easy," the Bennett witch gripes under her breath. Taking in a deep breath, she closes her eyes.

She knows she needs to focus, but magic is the last thing on her mind right now. While she's been a bit giddy about being with Stiles, she can't stop thinking about the man from her dreams. When Caroline almost let something about him slip, it had raised a few red flags for her when the vampire changed the subject so poorly.

She couldn't help but think something bad happened to him.

She wishes Caroline would have just told her about him; it won't make a difference once the memories come back, though it would have been nice to prepare; whatever it is about him, Bonnie's going to find out about it sooner or later.

She hates how she can almost feel her memories coming back—tangents only just out of reach that the tips of her fingers can brush against them. The desire to remember stings, and for a brief, horrific moment, she's not even sure that getting her magic back will solve anything.

She opens her eyes with a defeated sigh. "I can't do it," she says, defeated. "I just… can't focus."

Caroline holds her hand out to Bonnie and flexes her fingers. "Gimmie your hand."

"But it'll shock me again," she reminds her friend hesitantly.

"Yeah," the blonde acknowledges, "But every time you're in danger—supernatural or not—the magic gets forced out to save you. So if you hold my hand long enough, you'll either break whatever spell's on you… or you'll kill me." Her encouraging smile falls slightly at the end of her statement, but she immediately hitches it back up.

"Maybe that's not a good idea, Caroline," Stefan interjects. He pulls out a small, tattered book and looks back to Bonnie. "This belonged to one of your distant relatives. You have a different kind of magic than what's in here, but it can help you out. All of the simple stuff is in the beginning." He steps forward and holds the grimoire out to her, which she takes hesitantly.

She opens it to the first page and reads a spell about simple weather changing. As she recites the spell out loud, she imagines the energy flowing throughout her body. She concentrates on her magic, trying to at least produce a drizzle. When she finishes reading, nothing happens, and she repeats it twice more.

When not even a single drop falls, Bonnie huffs loudly and makes to throw the grimoire toward the rock. But just as she's about to slam it down, the boulder shoots from the ground. It hits Stiles in the stomach, and he falls over with a loud grunt.

"I… just can't win around you," he croaks, nursing the injury.

"I'm so, so, so, so sorry," she spouts, dropping the grimoire and rushing to his aid. "I-I didn't mean to."

"Now can we try the shock touch?" Caroline mumbles to Stefan. "Preferably before she kills all of us?"

He sighs with a sharp nod. "We don't have many other options."

"We can't go around risking lives," Derek snarls, squaring up to the brooding vampire. "She just said that if she holds the girl's hand long enough, she could die."

Stefan rolls his eyes and starts to craft an insulting, witty remark when Caroline steps between them, holding up her hand with her daylight ring to the werewolf.

"This lets me walk in the sun," she explains, "and it protects me from all things supernatural." She steps around Stefan and kneels by Bonnie and Stiles. "You made this for me two years ago after I was turned."

Bonnie eyes the ring intently. Nothing about the simple gold band with a tiny ruby in the center seems all that magical; if anything, it might have been a piece of costume jewelry. "So it'll bring you back to life if my magic kills you?"

"Yes, ma'am!" the chipper vampire exclaims, hoping the lie doesn't seep through. "Now fork over those French tips."

Reluctantly, the witch takes her hand. As soon as their skin touches, electricity surges through Bonnie and she lets out a pained scream. Caroline feels it slightly, but maintains a straight face of encouragement.

The pain intensifies and Caroline lets out a small squeak, barely keeping her eyes open. Stefan and Stiles look on with thinly veiled worry in their eyes, while the two wolves keep their distance. Through the increasing agony, Caroline latches onto Bonnie's arm with her free hand. Her skin singes and starts to let off an alarmingly thick, dark gray smoke. Darting forward, Stefan starts to pull them apart, but Derek places a hand in front of the vampire's chest.

"Wait." He nods to Bonnie as wind begins to swirl around her, spinning her hair wildly about. "Something's happening."

A light blue fire encompasses Caroline's hand; she lowers her head, biting her lip to stifle her screams. Both girls strain to hold onto each other as best they can, but a large gust of magic forces them apart, knocking them backward. Stefan manages to catch Caroline before she can hit the ground, and Stiles crawls behind Bonnie, using his body to soften her blow.

Still screaming, the witch starts to convulse, forcing Stiles to wrap his arms around and subdue her. "What do I do?" he shouts in terror, never taking his eyes from her. "What's happening?"

Before anyone can answer, she freezes. The five look on in terrified silence, waiting for her next move. When she gasps loudly, Caroline, Stefan, and Stiles release the breaths they didn't know they were holding. Bonnie's eyes shoot open and she sits up, pulling Stiles up with her.

She looks around at the others before her in awe, then turns her gaze to Stefan and Caroline.

"I saw Elena."


Gen sits cross-legged on a bench in an empty park, trying to meditate. While she's glad to finally have some time away from Katherine, she decides to listen to her 'advice' to strengthen her powers. Hours earlier, Katherine woke her and told her that she was going to run some errands, obviously being as vague as possible. And while she threatened Gen not to leave the city, she said nothing about leaving their sleazy motel.

"Hello, young witch."

The stranger's voice is deep, dark, and malicious; jumping slightly, she stifles a scream and keeps her eyes closed. "Did you come to kill me?" If he knows what she is, then he either wants to use her like Katherine… or he wants to get rid of her.

She's hoping for the latter.

"Quite the contrary," the Original clarifies smoothly. "You are rather close to something I want, and that makes you valuable."

"I don't have anything with me," Gen states tiredly, clenching her eyes shut a little tighter. "I'm not from here."

Klaus's hand snaps out to her chin, pulling her roughly toward him, and her eyes finally shoot open. "You know where Katherine is," he hisses, his eyes dark and cold. He sneers at the utterance of her modernized identity, one of her poor excuses to hide from him. "She has something very important, and I intend to have it back. You will follow my orders, be free of whatever debt you have to her, and I will not kill you. Understood?"

"Y-yes," she stammers out. "What do you want me to do?"

"It has come to my attention that Katherine is in search of her doppelgänger," he tells her.

Gen nods as much as Klaus's firm grip will allow. "H-her friends came looking for her," she tells him. "And she made me put a spell on her witch friend so neither of them would be able to find her."

"Be a dear and remove said spell," Klaus orders with a stern voice. "In the middle of the night, use your magic to incapacitate Katerina—Katherine—and meet me here. We have much to discuss."

Struggling to pull from Klaus's grasp, Gen sneers. "And why should I listen to you?"

Shaking her slightly, Klaus snatches for her neck, squeezing it. "Feel my power," he demands in a calm tone. "I am one of the oldest vampires in existence. My blood made Katerina who and what she is today. Whatever she has planned for you, I will do ten times worse. You can meditate all you'd like, but you will never be strong enough to fight me. Even the witch you cast your spell on is nowhere near powerful enough to take me down." He releases her neck. "Free. The. Bennett. Witch."

Gen sighs and closes her eyes.


"And here I thought I would never see you again," Deucalion jests dryly. His gaze remains on the papers he leafs through in the midst of a dimly lit room.

"I didn't come for small talk," Katherine spits as her stilettos clack against the hard floor. "You have something of mine, and I want it back."

"I left you for dead, Katherine," the Alpha reminds her in a tired, annoyed voice as he rustles through the stack. "You should have stayed that way."

"I don't go down easily," she states, coming to a halt in the middle of the dim room. "Now, about my amulet."

He sets his papers down and rises from his seat. Grabbing his cane, he walks around the chair, turning his body to the vampire before him. "I'm afraid you can't have it back," he tells her. "However, rest assured that it is in a very safe place; no need to worry."

"You don't even need it," she hisses.

"While that may be true," he counters, "you do. Call it petty, call it revenge, but you will never see your precious amulet again." He smirks and taps his cane lightly on the floor. The sound echoes in her ears, causing her to flinch with each knock. "Although... I may be willing to come to a compromise."

She chuckles dryly, the sound resonating in the room. Crossing her arms, she observes the man warily. "I didn't know you could have a change of heart that quickly."

"I've got a few pesky bugs in my fur."

"Name your price, filthy mutt. I don't have time for your pitiful humor."

"Now, now, Katherine," he breathes with a devilish grin, "that is no way to speak to someone willing to negotiate." He turns his back to her, placing his hand on the ruffled stack of papers. "I met a young vampire that looked like you—"

"My doppelgänger," she interrupts tiredly with a roll of her eyes.

"If that's what your kind call it," he allows. "I'm not well-versed in the magic surrounding you, nor do I give a damn. In any case, she has asked for the allegiance of my pack. In return, I asked that she take care of a family of hunters in this town. But she is young; she will not be able to fulfill her task."

"So you want me to kill a few humans because Elena can't?" she questions with an incredulous scoff. "Give me a challenge here, Duke."

He sneers at the disgusting nickname. "These humans are highly skilled in the elimination of my kind," he explains, relaxing his posture slightly. "I have reason to believe that your doppelgänger's target knows of the existence of vampires. He will not hesitate to kill you, especially because of your appearance. You will take care of him and his teenage daughter, in a manner of speaking. After that, I will give you your next target. Complete these tasks, and you have my word that your amulet will be returned."

The five-hundred-year-old vampire growls at her enemy. Though she would much rather rip his throat out, she needs the amulet. She sneers in defeat.

"Consider it done."


Waking up before the Argents, Elena slips out of the apartment. The previous night, Deucalion had Ethan send her a message to meet him back at the Beacon Hills First National Bank.

Once there, she avoids the boarded-up entrance and walks around to the back of the building; though the back also has been blocked off, no one will notice when she breaks them.

Stepping in through the freshly splintered, snapped wood, she looks around into the seeming darkness. "I'm here," she calls out. "Where are you?"

"I've kept a close eye on you, Jade," Deucalion states with an ominous tone, stepping from the shadows. "Or shall I call you 'Elena'?"

She raises an eyebrow, pursing her lips. "I came to tell you that I don't need your protection anymore," she says, disregarding his sly addition. "I'm leaving California, and I'm sure I'll be able to find a different pack."

To this, Deucalion scoffs incredulously.

She gently drums her fingertips on her hips. "I talked to a local witch, and she says there's a strong force in this town—stronger than you, me, and your pack combined; its essence is dark, searching for revenge. Right now, it's weak, but it needs to kill to get stronger. She thinks it might be after you or part of your pack, so I'd be on the lookout if I were you. I give you this information not because I want something back, but as a peace offering."

Deucalion laughs, the sound echoing through the empty walls. "I gave you such a simple task," he starts, his voice filled with mockery. "I knew you would not be able to complete it. Like werewolves, a vampire's senses are heightened to a point beyond control. The difference between our species, however, is that vampires believe in such a thing as a humanity switch; they think they can flip this 'switch' to forget their troubles, their pasts, their fears. You, young vampire, are still trapped in your emotions, where you will continue to stay as long as you believe in the ability to turn your humanity off. However, I accept your peace and wish you well on your way. Goodbye, Elena."

With that, he turns his back to her, and Elena listens as his footsteps recede. She crosses her arms as she leaves the bank, holding herself tightly as she purses her lips.

What did he know, anyway? If there were ever proof that there was a switch, Katherine would be a prime example.

But maybe she was a conniving bitch before she died.

Screw him, and her humanity; she can turn it off, forget about the pitiful mess she thought she used to be. She's strong and immortal; her life is meant to be fun.

After all, Damon's a bore with his turned back on. And Stefan...

She should just go ahead and leave now while she has some sense, but the clenching twist in her stomach says she really wants to say goodbye to Chris. Maybe she can convince him to come with her…

No, she reprimands. Stop it.

If she asks him to come with her, that means she cares about him. That constitutes emotion, which she shouldn't have. Deucalion's words may hold some truth, but it's not ones she can accept. She needs to continue to believe that flipping the switch will help her; Damon wouldn't have told her to do it in the first place it that were the case.

Damon…

He tried turning his own humanity off, and it worked for a while… but then he came back to Mystic Falls.

If she wants to escape Klaus, she can never go back there. She can't let Caroline and Bonnie find her; they'll only drag her back home where she'll wait for the Original to get the cure from Katherine so he can use it to make her human again. Stefan and Damon will try to help her, but they'll probably get themselves killed; not to mention the fact that Klaus will bleed her dry to make an army.

Humanity or not, she needs to call Chris.

But then again, why should she bother? She had to have Gen enchant her to make him want her. Granted, it only amplified existing feelings—they were feelings of lust that any normal man would have in the presence of a considerably attractive woman. If she were to stay, the enchantment would wear off and anything they had would vanish. If there was the slightest chance that he held any potential love for her, it would be gone in the blink of an eye.

To him, she would be just a regular teenage runaway in the care of a hunter too nice for his own good. He wouldn't care if she disappeared, but it would be common courtesy to tell him.

Christ, now she's thinking about courtesy?

Sighing, Elena reaches for the emergency phone Chris leant her and dials his number. After three rings, he picks up. "Jade?" he asks, his voice worn with groggy sleep deprivation. "Is everything okay? Where are you, and why are you up this early?"

"We need to talk," she tells him morosely. "I'm… meet me at the old bank, okay? Where you first found me."

There's a long silence between them in which she can tell he's trying to work out what's going on, but he never asks. "I'll… be there shortly."

And so, she waits.


Lydia and Allison walk to the apartment in silence.

Allison hasn't had many good feelings or things to say about the girl, and she's been constantly suspicious regarding everything—including the obvious red dye-job. Call it coincidence, but it's funny how Stiles' new girlfriend and her vampire best friend came to Beacon Hills looking for their other vampire friend at the same time her father 'rescued' Jade.

Now things seem to be falling into place, finally making sense.

As she and Lydia reach the door to the apartment, she stops before touching the knob. Normally, her dad would be walking about, making noise in her kitchen, or blasting music in his study. Instead, everything is silent.

He shouldn't have left for work yet.

She holds her hand up to quiet Lydia and slowly opens the door. Both girls' faces pale upon seeing Damon lounging on the couch, casually staring back at them.

"Who are you?" Allison asks, masking any fear or worry. "How did you get in here? And where's my dad?"

The vampire tips an imaginary hat, flashing a seemingly charming smile. "The name's Damon," he informs her. "We'll have plenty of time to get to know each other, though. Your dad said he had to run out, told me I could wait here for our study session."

"And he believed you were a student?" She raises her brow as she crosses her arms.

"Teacher's assistant," he corrects.

"Don't you think it's a little early to be having a study session?"

"I'm a good liar. And in any case, he seemed a little… preoccupied."

Allison rolls her eyes, ready to be done with him and his dodginess. "What do you want?"

He stands. "Your cooperation," he says simply, giving her a crooked smile. "My pesky boss wants you. Listen, Snow White, I have no intention of hurting you. So I won't if you come with me; he's only gonna kill me faster if I go back empty handed. And if you do this the easy way, I'll bring you back without getting a single hair on your pretty little head out of place. How's that sound?"

"I don't care what your boss wants," she sneers, pushing Lydia back slightly. "I'm not going anywhere with you." She turns to her friend, hissing as she glances at the elevator "Go get Scott."

Lydia nods and takes off down the hall, her wedges thudding loudly against the carpeted floor.

Damon sighs and whisks past Allison. As Lydia reaches the elevator, he grabs her by the nape of her neck and smashes her head against the wall. Allison screams as her friend crumples to the ground. Staggering backward with her mouth covered, she hears him mumbling something about 'not human.'

She quickly slams her door, hurriedly fastening all the locks. Running to her bedroom and locking that door as well, she pulls her phone from the pocket of her skinny jeans. Her fingers fumble over the screen as she keys in her pass code and speed-dials Scott.

He picks up after one ring and her leg bounces nervously, eyes locked on the door. "Allison?"

"Scott!" she exclaims breathlessly. "Scott, you have to help me!" Damon kicks down her front door with a loud bang, causing her to shriek and jump slightly on her bed.

"What was that?" Scott asks frantically. "What's going on?"

Through labored, terrified breathing, Allison opens her mouth. "There's a man here and he attacked Lydia. He—"

Damon interrupts her by breaking her door in half, eliciting another scream from her. Before she can say another word, he crosses the distance between them at an inhuman speed and snatches her phone. He smirks, putting the phone to his ear. "Don't get involved, Scotty Boy. And give Bon Bon my regards."

He crushes it between his fingers, letting its remains fall onto her bed. Shaking, Allison looks at him like a petrified deer in headlights.

Damon leans forward and grabs a fistful of her hair, locking eyes with her. "You're coming with me," he tells her, pupils dilating, "no questions asked. Don't make another sound, because you've already managed to give me a headache. Understood?"

Instead of compliance, she spits in his face. Scowling, he wipes it away with his free hand and his face transforms into its predatory state. Too afraid to scream, Allison tries to break free from his grip, kicking her legs out.

With a roll of his eyes, Damon bites into his free wrist and forces the gash into her mouth, pushing her back onto the bed and climbing on top of her. Blood trickles from her mouth as she tries to fight it, but the majority of it slides down her throat, almost choking her. His skin singes slightly when pressed to hers, but he simply inhales sharply and keeps his wrist pressed to her mouth.

She bathes in vervain; he'll have to clean her up before he delivers her.

When he's sure she's had enough, he pulls his wrist from her mouth and roughly yanks her hair, snapping her neck like a twig.