Elena was a mess; worry was itched into her features her deep brown eyes rancid with it. Damon didn't enjoy seeing her in such a state; he didn't deal well with silent wallowing being more of a slash out at the world kind of a guy so standing around attempting to comfort someone who was clearly beyond comforting was difficult for him. That he managed to do it was a reflection upon just how much he loved her, how his heart beat for her alone.

"We will find her Elena, she's going to back here in no time," he hugged her tightly. She nodded against his chest and he pulled back to look in her eyes noting that they hadn't changed. She didn't believe him, and he couldn't blame her – how many people had she lost now anyway? To her it probably seemed a foregone conclusion that Caroline would be taken from her as Bonnie so recently was. Why would she believe him? He still hadn't found a way to bring Judgy back and he'd been working on that for months. He couldn't believe he was going there, but anything for her, "Klaus will find her, you know how obsessed he is with her; no way would he let anything happen to her. Who would he stalk then?"

"But something has happened to her Damon, they took her," her big doe like eyes pierced him.

His hands caressed their way up and down her arms in a soothing motion, "She's coming back." He told her with conviction and was rewarded with a small smile. She leaned in to him, her head coming to rest on his chest as her hands reached up to his shoulders. Damon was tempted to transition from soothing caresses to something of another nature, but held himself back figuring she wouldn't be inclined what with her brother in the room and all.

Of course, upon reflection he reasoned that he could have them out of the room and into his bedroom in record time; his hands slid slowly down her arms and then meet to cup her backside pulling her closer. For a moment her hands held him tighter, but then she seemed to change her mind and pushed him back with force an exasperated expression claiming her features. "Damon!"

He smiled his devilish smile at her, blue eyes flashing and he watched her struggle to suppress an answering smile. For a small moment in time he had made her forget the latest crisis and he felt a prodigious amount of pride for having accomplished such a feat, even when it was fleeting. Elena's eyes soon lost the splash of playfulness the worry again taking up residence.

"Bonnie's spoken to the other witches and they can't help," Jeremy interrupted or Bonnie by proxy, whichever, still an interruption.

"So not helpful, why can't she work some voodoo?"

"Wherever Caroline is we cannot follow," more and more of late Jeremy had taken to repeat Bonnie's word verbatim, Damon thought it was just plain freaky.

"And so I'll ask again, where is it that you lot can't go?" he wondered why he bothered; Judgy just wasn't very useful post death. She did however seem to excel at being a pain in his arse.

Jeremy didn't answer immediately, but Damon could tell from his face that Bonnie had. Little Gilbert was looking at his sister like he thought she might be about to go off to the loonie bin, like he was about to send her there. Damon wished he had waited until after Elena was sound asleep to start this conversation, whatever Bonnie had to say was clearly going to hurt Elena, damage her and he didn't want that. Of course there was no going back now, Elena would refuse to leave without hearing the answer; her eyes were glued to her brothers demandingly. Damon opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off, "what did Bonnie say?" Her voice sounded so small, her eyes large and desperate.

"It could be a spell, I mean there are really powerful witches right, so it could be a spell that's preventing them from finding her," Jeremy spewed out the words, his voice just the little bit too high – obviously they hadn't been Bonnie's.

Elena's eyes narrowed, "what did she say?" Each word was clipped.

"Elena, we have been over this Bonnie doesn't actually know anything she said would only be speculation," Damon tried to sooth her, pulling her back into his arms.

She pushed him off, flashing over to stand before Jeremy, "answer me."

Damon watched as Jeremy gulped and then having taken a large breath replied. "The Afterlife, Bonnie said she might…"

"Nooooo," she wailed at her brother, tears pooling in her doe eyes. "She can't be, if she died…" she turned to Damon pleading "she'd be with Bonnie wouldn't she?"

He wanted to say yes, he wanted to allay her fears; he opened his mouth to tell her of course she was right vampires didn't go to the Afterlife, they couldn't, but then he remembered. Jenna hadn't gone to the Other Side when she died and she was a vampire. Not every supernatural was cursed to the Other Side, so bubbling little Vampire Barbie might not have joined Bonnie had she left this world. He wanted so much to say yes, he tried to, but he couldn't. So instead he pulled her back into a bone crushing hug and cried with her.

Caroline awoke suddenly, one moment in the depths of a somewhat disturbing dream involving the Original Hybrid and then eyes open sitting-up-awake kind of sudden. Something was wrong, off, different. She took in her surroundings, everything looked the same, same weird living room, same hazy area beyond, same everything. But something was different. Without realising she had gotten up off the couch she found herself on her feet and moving towards the blackness beyond feeling uncomfortable in the lighted area that she had rarely left in all the time she'd spent at the house. There was most assuredly something different.

"Connie?" she called out to her jailer, nerves vibrating.

"Connie?" she called louder.

There was no response, which wasn't unusual, but then it struck her what was different, that presence she always felt wasn't there. Connie wasn't there, but Connie was always there, always. Well, up until now she had. Caroline wasn't sure what it meant, but she didn't bother wasting too much time thinking about it, this was an opportunity and she was going to make use of it. She moved further into the darkness, this time with purpose, if she was going to find a way out of wherever the hell she was she needed to find it fast because she knew in her bones Connie's absence would not be of a long duration. Caroline moved swiftly her hands in front of her searching the blackness for freedom, a wall, a door, or at least something.

"Argh," she growled, how was this emptiness just continuing? There had to be an end, didn't there?

Then she saw it, a light in the distance, her heart leaped and she flashed forward, kept moving until the light surrounded her. She stopped and then the smile of triumph that had spread across her face melted into a frustrated frown, she was back where she started.

"Seriously?"

She was annoyed, but she was also Caroline Forbes and she didn't give up, so she tried again … and again … and again. Each and every time she found herself back next to the couch in the living in which she had made herself at home. After the fourth time she kicked the couch in anger, her ire increasing when she failed to move it even an inch.

"This is not happening!"

"Why would you think that?" Connie asked standing just within the reach of the light.

Caroline held up an accusing finger, "you left!"

"Yes," was the uncaring response.

"I want to leave," she whined stamping her foot in a shamefully immature manner.

"And you can … when we are done," like a jury's verdict.

Caroline plopped herself down on the couch, huffing. "You suck."

Connie inclined her head. "No doubt."

"Where did you go?" she asked pleadingly.

The black eyes seemed darker than ever, "home."

"This isn't home then?" she found herself leaning forward eager for an answer.

"No, this … this isn't ..." her voice faded out, her eyes looking past Caroline.

"Are you ever going to tell me?" she asked with a sigh.

"Yes."

"But not now?" as though she didn't already know the answer.

"No."

"Why not?"

Connie's eyebrows lifted and fell. Okay, so Caroline knew it was a stupid question, no need to be condescending - she had every right to be frustrated and to ask any question even if she did know the answer, even if t was stupid.

Caroline nodded, sitting back, "you'll let me go before all my friends are dead though right?"

Connie smiled her little smile, "I thought your friends were supernatural."

"Not all of them, not even half," she dismissed the comment.

"You are very lucky you know," the black eyes found Caroline's.

She cocked her head, "how so?"

"To have so many friends."

Caroline considered the other woman, she didn't seem sad, it was as though she was commenting on the weather. "You don't have many friends?"

A shake of the head, "No."

"Do you have any friends?" somehow she knew the answer.

"No," she uttered with an uncaring air.

Caroline felt sorry for her, but Connie didn't seem effected. "We could be friends," she ventured, not actually overly keen on the idea.

"No," and with that Connie disappeared back into the darkness.

Well now, that was just rude.

Hayley was ready to pop, and thankfully still among the living even though everything had seemed to go wrong. Caroline was no longer a prisoner, but she wasn't with Klaus, apparently not back in Mystic Falls either which meant the bubbly blonde was most likely dead. Which meant that it was only a matter of time before Klaus came looking for revenge. Nothing in her life had ever gone to plan, so she should have seen it coming, hell she did see it coming, but she'd still opened her trap.

She regretted it now, especially as her current state meant that running was not an option, but there was no point whining about it. Plus who knows how generous Klaus might be feeling if she presented him with a healthy bouncing heir. She'd grown attached to the bump, truth be told, but at the end of the day Hayley was dead keen on not being dead so, if she had to, she'd give up all rights to the child.

"It won't be long now," Sophie went and stated the obvious.

"Never would have guessed," she replied snidely waddling backwards and forwards. "Any news?"

Sophie shook her head, eyes full of worry. "He appears to be continuing as before."

Maybe that meant little miss perfect was still among the living undead. Maybe there was hope for Hayley's happily ever after yet. "Do you think she might ..."

"No," Sophie cut her off, "we aren't being blocked, there isn't anyone to locate."

Well wasn't she just a joy to spend time with. Don't worry about panicking the heavily pregnant woman. Why didn't she keep her trap shut? One little full moon turn as opposed to an immediate death if lucky and years of running prior to torture and death if she wasn't. However, she didn't feel too sorry for herself, after all she was still better off than Caroline and should she escape Klaus' wrath, should the baby be sufficient to buy her freedom, with Caroline no longer among the living there was a very real chance that her happy ever after might be spent with Tyler. Surely her run of bad luck was due to end?

She felt like a beached whale and was excessively grateful that there were no mirrors around, her ankles were swollen, her face puffy. How woman ever claimed that being pregnant was in any way enjoyable she didn't know. It was awful and she was sure that would be the case even if it wasn't insufferably hot or if she was having the baby of someone she actually liked rather than the psycho Hybrid. She despised being pregnant, but no where near as much as she despised Klaus for getting her into that state. The only good thing, the only thing that made it worth it was the promise of the baby at the end. Her daughter.

But of course, she would never be her daughter. At the end of her pregnancy she would bring a Mikaelson into the world and she would be taken from her. It didn't matter if she loved her, didn't matter that once born she would be the only family she likely had in this world, she wouldn't be allowed to be a part of her life. She wasn't going to get a baby out of this, she wasn't going to see any of her firsts, she wasn't even likely to get the chance to see her.

Not even if Klaus hadn't found the answer by the time she gave birth, if not him, the witches would take her. And then if, by some miracle Klaus granted her unheard of leniency, she would once again be alone in the world.

Still, she was better off than Caroline, and when since she had first met the blonde had she been able to say that?