Here we are. After all these weeks, the climax of the story! Hope you'll enjoy it. Now, a few clarifications before we go forward:
I forgot to say this last chapter, and I don't know if I said it at some point before, but the Katherine you see in this fic is actually a sort-of blend between the Katherine Pierce/Katerina Petrova of the TV-Show (of the first two seasons, to be more specific) and the original one from the books: Katherine Von Swartzchild. That's important, just like the fact that the Klaus in this verse is the one from the books (the ones written by L. J. Smith, as I never read the ones her ghost-writer posted in her name), the rest of the originals do not exist. Elijah will make an appearance, though he won't be Klaus's brother.
This chapter was originally going to be two chapters... until I realized it would be much too short (and you might kill me for the cliffhanger... to be completely honest, you still might). I've been so excited about this and the following chapter, it's all brought them to this. From the very beginning (from the last fic's epilogue). I love Caroline, and I hope I've made her justice, her and Matt both, in this. Also, while I don't actually hate Caro's mom, remember that we're at the point where she hates vampires (remember that moment in season two when she actually tried to kill the Salvatores, until Caro saved them? Yeah, I'm sure you all know what moment I'm talking about).
Hope you'll like this chapter and see ya next week!
Chapter 20. Betrayed
It was late afternoon when Caroline found herself standing in her peach-colored prom gown; a floor-length, sleeveless piece that consisted mostly of a strapless peach-colored organza fitted to her waist with a delicate white-gold and crystal sash and then falling loose; then there was a piece of tulle adorned with tiny crystals that went from the beginning of the dress and up to high on her neck, making the dress more conservative and elegant. She had silvery heels on her feet, a clip of the same color holding her hair up in an elegant twist; the finishing touch were stud diamond-earrings and a bracelet made of strands of white-gold entwined with crystals and zircon.
"Everything alright, honey?" Liz Forbes asked her daughter.
Caroline nodded half-absently, a part of her was still trying to understand how and why her mother was there right then. After so long never being around... it was odd, to say the least.
"Matt seems to be running a bit late, that's all." Caroline stated with a slight shrug, making sure none of her nervousness would show.
"I'm sure he'll be here soon, Caroline." Liz seemed to be trying to reassure her.
Of course, she'd no idea of what had happened just the night before, the shocking revelations Matt had endured; the fact that Caroline still didn't know if her boyfriend would be there... and then the doorbell rang.
Caroline was so out of it that it was her mother who opened the door.
"Hey Matt!" She greeted the boy. "Good evening! Caroline's inside."
That made the blonde react, just in time to see her boyfriend (did him arriving mean he's still her boyfriend?) standing in front of her in what was probably a rented tux, in his hand he was holding a wrist-corsage with a single red tulip.
"According to what Mrs. Flowers told me, a red tulip carries two messages 'Believe Me' and a declaration of love." Matt told her quietly as he fixed the corsage on Caroline's bare wrist. "In our case I think it means more 'I believe you'... though the love declaration remains..."
"Does that mean...?" She could hardly believe what she was hearing.
"I honestly have no idea how we're going to handle... everything that's going on." Matt said, kissing her knuckles once before letting go of her hand. "But I do know that I love you Caroline, and that regardless of what might happen, that will never change."
"We'll deal with things as they come." Caroline agreed softly.
And so, with a huge smile, the two teenagers made their way to Matt's car and to their senior prom. It was going to be so wonderful!
.-.
Robert E. Lee's gymnasium had been tastefully decorated to look like a fancy ballroom in an antique grand-manor. There were prints of paintings, and curtains making it look like they were truly in that kind of place. Also, they had a buffet table full of simple finger foods decorated to look like exotic delicacies, and a variety of sodas, juice and punch, colored and served it such a way as to look like expensive cocktails.
It had been Caroline's idea, one that everyone else had supported wholeheartedly. The idea of having a party where they could feel like they were millionaires, without really paying much. Tyler had joked about how it would surely have to be more interesting than the last 'Founder's event' (those tended to be dreadfully boring).
Ever so slowly the rest of the generation began arriving. Tyler was, of course, with his fiancée: Mia (they'd made it public), who was wearing a two-layer dress that consisted of a sleeveless, knee-length piece in off-white sateen, with a long-sleeved, calf-length pink-hued iridescent chiffon on top; pink ballet-flats were on her feet, and she was wearing her spelled-pendant, the Lockwood engagement ring, and a pink-gold bracelet; her hair was down and fixed over one shoulder. Bonnie was in a sexy knee-length black-velvet vintage-looking dress with most of her back bare and dark-red pumps, hair piled up on top of her head; her husband, Damon, in an elegant double-tailed, black on black tuxedo and red bowtie, on her arm. Finally, Elena was wearing a sleeveless wrap-style floor-length pearly-white silk gown and white kitten-heels; her hair was down and her only jewelry was the vervain necklace Stefan had given her; her beloved boyfriend was with her, in an attire similar to hers, except the usual black on white, and with a normal black bowtie.
It was a good night, perhaps small, when in comparison with all that had happened and was still happening in the lives of a certain clan; but still an important event, a night to be normal boys and girls (Caroline had even called it a 'right of passage' at some point).
The couples spent at least half the night dancing, even taking a few songs to exchange partners among them for a song or two. They were having a good time.
Near the end of the night, the cherry on the cake was when Tyler and Bonnie were announced as Prom King and Queen. (Stefan and Elena had been the favorites until Katherine's 'discredit campaign'). They danced together for a single song before returning to their partners. Bonnie managed to hear her husband growling mentally as they began dancing once again.
*Are you honestly jealous, my Dark Angel?* Bonnie asked with a mental chuckle. *You know Tyler is nothing more than a friend?* She revised. *Well, he's family. He's Mia's mate after all, and you know she's more a sister to me than a cousin...*
*I know, my Little Witch...* The dark-eyed vampire murmured back. *I know it's insane for me to react this way. I know you feel nothing more than sisterly love for him, and the same is true for him. There's no doubt in my mind about that.*
If there were, Tyler would already be dead.
In the end Damon couldn't find the right words to express himself, so instead he pulled a piece of a memory from her own mind and sent it to his beloved: it was of the day the two of them had reconnected, before that, during the Winter Dance... the one Bonnie had attended stag, as a way of giving herself one last happy moment... Tyler had invited her to dance, and she had decided to give it a shot; they'd just begun dancing when the song changed, into one she knew very well (though back then the knowledge had been instinctive, rather than an actual memory): 'The Promise' by Tracy Chapman.
Seeing the scene from her beloved's eyes, Bonnie got the chance to feel what he had, to hear his own thoughts... the moment when he'd practically begged her, inside his own head, not to dance with Tyler, not to their song...
*Oh my Dark Angel...* In that moment Bonnie was the one without words, all she could do was embrace Damon tightly, sending him all the love she could through the bond.
.-.
Prom began winding down after eleven and was set to end at midnight. It was shortly before that night that the members of the family began climbing into their vehicles. The surprise was great when they saw none other than Sheriff Forbes standing in the parking lot, giving some speech to everyone leaving: about taking the girls straight home, about respect, and maturity and a bunch of other stuff that made Caroline flush in embarrassment. Why did her mother have to do something like that? And in her own prom?! And did she really think it would make any difference at all...?
Damon, for his part, couldn't help but think there was something off about the way Liz was acting in that moment.
"Everything alright Sheriff?" He asked, seemingly casual, as he approached her.
He'd barely managed to convince Bonnie to stay by the Ferrari, but they had to keep up the charade of her not knowing about the Secret Council and everything they did to protect Mystic Falls for as long as they could.
"Damon!" Liz exclaimed, seemingly shocked by his presence.
"Liz...?" Damon was getting honestly worried by that point.
"Yes!" She nodded hurriedly. "Yes, everything's fine. I..." She lowered her voice before adding. "I'm just tired of having to wait for something to happen. Of just reacting... we're trying to be proactive this time. Perhaps then we might be able to stop future attacks..."
Damon had to admit her logic was sound, it was even true that the teenagers would be far more vulnerable in a hotel, or motel, where the ownership of the living areas were shady at best (which made it a lot easier for vampires to get in); he just wasn't sure she was going the right way about it.
"I hope it works." He told her wholeheartedly.
Liz nodded, and Damon turned to see his wife, little brother and someday-little-sister right in time to miss the odd look the sheriff directed at him. He turned back in time to see her tense unexpectedly, giving a step back. Damon froze then, wondering if he'd let too much of his aura free, making her tense... he was just so used to the presence of the clan, of his family by choice; and they were all used to him, never backing down from him, from his power (then again, most of them had a power all their own).
"So, do I have to give you the same speech?" Liz said eventually.
"Oh Liz, my friend!" Damon called dramatically. "You wound me!" He grew more serious as he added. "My pretty little wife and I are going straight home. Stefan and Elena are taking off for the weekend, they'll be spending it in the old Salvatore cabin, by the lake. It's all been cleared with Elena's family... it's also a surprise, John and Jenna helped Stefan set it up. Elena doesn't know yet."
"I see..." Liz nodded slightly. "Well, then I hope you all have a very good weekend."
"You too Liz." Damon considered placing a hand on the sheriff's shoulder, then decided not to, so as not to make her more uneasy. "And remember to take it easy, my friend. Whatever may come at us, we can handle it..."
Liz didn't answer Damon, there was a sudden shadow in her eyes... but Damon missed it, as he was already making his way back to his family. It'd be too late before he realized the truth behind Liz's standoffishness.
.-.
The expression of absolute surprise and near-childish delight that appeared on Elena's face as Stefan parked his little red classic just outside the Gilbert lake-cabin made all he'd done to make that moment possible, worth it.
"Stefan...?" She called in wonder, not quite able to find the words.
"This is our surprise for you, lovely love." He told her. "Your aunt and uncle helped me set it up. We're here for the weekend... just the two of us."
"Oh Stefan..." Elena began, embracing her boyfriend tightly, before her mind caught up with something. "Uncle John really helped you...?"
And he had to, just like the Gilbert manor (which, when compared to the Lockwood manor, or the old Salvatore estate, long since lost, was actually quite small) was in Elena's and Jeremy's names, with Jenna acting as guardian until Elena turned eighteen; the cabin, on the other hand, was in John's name. Which meant that he was, essentially, the only one who could invite Stefan inside.
"He's not a bad man Elena, not really." Stefan told her softly. "His whole life he was raised to hate everything Damon and I are, to be wary around people like Bonnie, Mia, and the rest... and then to find his remaining family smack right in the middle of it all. You do realize that what we are, the clan... the family we are, it should be impossible? Vampires, werewolves, witches, hunters, gifted and humans, standing side by side, calling each other family... history says it shouldn't be possible, that we should be at each other's throats. That at least half of us should have died the first time we all met..."
"History knows nothing." Elena stated vehemently. "We're more than what our biology makes us. More than our abilities and weaknesses."
"I agree." Stefan nodded. "Still, you must admit that you came into our world with an open mind and no preconceptions... John, on the other hand had already an idea of how things were supposed to be, and what couldn't... I think it's hard for him to accept that his teachings, if not wrong, at least weren't the whole truth. It'll get better."
"I'm glad, honestly, for that." Elena nodded. "And I know I promised to give him a chance... but I just don't know Stefan... I don't know if I'll ever be able to see him as my father... I spent so long convincing myself that Grayson and Miranda Gilbert were my parents, truly, in every way that mattered, that I needed nothing and no one else... I'm not sure I could go back on that. I'm not sure I want to..."
"And you don't have to go back on it." Stefan assured her. "I think... I'm sure John knows this isn't easy for you. You don't need to call him dad, just accept him as family, give him a chance to at least be your uncle."
Elena could have pointed out that he was the one who refused that opportunity before... but every time the thought came to her, she'd remember John's expression when Isobel had revealed Elena was his daughter. She couldn't do it.
"That much I can do." Elena agreed. "So shall we go inside?"
"We shall." Stefan agreed wholeheartedly.
.-.
Damon took great advantage of the fact that they had the boarding house all to themselves for the weekend, and Bonnie followed his lead. They spent the whole night cuddling together and making love again and again on every surface. They had to stop as dawn approached; they had eaten and they needed to sleep, but before they could do that Bonnie needed to finish a spell she'd been working on over the last day. It was an elaborate ritual cast in stages: at sunrise, when sun was at it's zenith, at sundown, when the sun was on the exact other side, and finally, on the next sunrise. It was just the final part that was missing.
In any case, Bonnie decided to get dressed (if only so Damon wouldn't get distracted with her body, like had happened during the midnight stage). She put on a mini-skirt and what looked like a bikini top, both in Canary yellow; it wasn't much, but still, it wasn't like she expected to keep the clothes on for long.
The purpose of the spell/ritual was protection, for Damon. They'd decided that after what had happened right before her fifteenth birthday, he was probably the one in most danger from Katherine. The spell made it so, as long as Bonnie's magic was active, Damon was essentially immune to the things that would normally kill a vampire. The eldest Salvatore didn't like being so protected when no one else had the same advantage, but even he had to agree that Katherine would probably go after him first, so that gave them a slight advantage.
The final stage took place with no trouble and in less than a minute they were done. Damon was about to rush his wife, probably for yet another round of love-making, when the sound of a branch snapping pulled at his instincts.
"What is it?" Bonnie inquired, confused by his sudden change.
"There's something... off." Damon murmured.
"Dark Angel..." She began, hesitantly, she couldn't sense anything in that moment, with her magic still recovering from the ritual.
"I'm sure it's nothing." He assured her even as he pulled his shirt back on; he didn't bother buttoning it up, or putting on shoes, with just the open shirt and dress-pants on as he went to the back door. "I'm just going to check on that quick. It's probably just a rabbit or something."
Or something... Bonnie didn't like it, but she told herself that it was just her lust talking. She hated when someone interrupted her Damon-time... nevermind that they had the whole weekend ahead of them still.
Damon was gone before she could say a word, and Bonnie decided she might as well get to their bedroom... hopefully she wouldn't fall asleep before her Dark Angel returned. She was about to reach the stairs when all her senses screamed at her, there was danger coming: to her, and Damon and... Stefan and Elena!
"Oh Spirits..." The Little Witch breathed out in horror.
It was too late already, and she knew it.
.-.
At the cabin Elena and Stefan had actually fallen sleep relatively early, a consequence of not getting much sleep the previous night. Elena had been so stressed out over the whole mess with Katherine that it'd been hard for her to fall asleep, no matter how hard Stefan tried to soothe her and help her relax.
In any case, they'd managed to wake up in time to watch the sun rise over the lake, something Elena had loved doing when she was young. So she and Stefan had gone down to the small pier; Elena was wearing a two piece swimsuit (consisting of a sports-bra-style top and boy-shorts) in shades of blue and white, with pale-blue short-shorts and a burnt-red plaid shirt to guard off the pre-dawn chill; Stefan was wearing nothing but a white sleeveless wife-beater and washed-out jeans. Both stood on the pier, watching the sun rising.
"This is so beautiful Stefan..." She murmured quietly. "Thank you..."
"Thank you, Elena." Stefan replied.
For several seconds not a word was said, and then...
"I would like us to talk." She murmured, not letting go of Stefan's arms around her waist. "About the ring..."
"What is it?" Stefan couldn't keep himself from tensing up, just a bit.
"I... I'm not ready yet for eternity." Elena admitted quietly. "I don't know when I will be ready for that. But I know I love you, with all my heart and soul, and I'm ready for our family, and the whole world to know you're mine as much as I'm yours..." She let out a breath. "So, I guess what I'm trying to say is... that I'd like to have that ring now... if you're still willing to give it to me."
"Oh my lovely little love..." Stefan whispered, voice so full of emotion it seemed to be about to break. "I will never not want to give you that ring..."
And with that, to Elena's absolute surprise, he pulled the white-gold and lapis-lazuli piece from the pocket of his jeans.
"You had it on you...?" She couldn't believe it.
"I always have it on me." He answered honestly. "Always ready, in case you ever decided to accept it. I wanted to be ready."
"Oh Stefan..." Elena had no words to express all the love she was feeling; so instead she simply pulled her beloved to her and kissed him with all she had.
Very slowly Stefan placed the ring on a certain finger on Elena's left hand, kissing each finger afterwards. By that point the sun was past the horizon, and the pair decided to have some breakfast back at the cabin. Inwardly Elena was planning on spending the morning sunbathing and perhaps have a swim later on.
They were almost at the cabin's door when both of them heard the loud crash of something breaking inside.
"Did someone else come?" Elena inquired, confused. "I thought you said we had the place to ourselves for the weekend..."
"That was the plan." Stefan nodded. "And really, aside from the family, no one knows we're even here right now..."
"You think something happened?" Elena was really getting worried.
They heard a muffled cursed, from a voice neither of them recognized. It was then that Stefan focused hard on his hearing, wanting to know what was going on... he didn't like the answer:
"Merda (Shit)!" He cursed in italian.
Elena was so shocked hearing to Stefan curse it took her a second or two to process when he turned towards her.
"Run Elena!" He yelled at her.
"What...?!" She didn't understand.
"I don't know who those guys are but they know what I am and they know that we're here."
"Stefan..." Elena was close to panicking.
"They're after us, Elena." Stefan said pointedly. "You need to go now."
"You need to come with me..." She began, on the verge of tears.
"I can fight them off, give you some time." Stefan stated. "But you need to run, now."
"Stefan..." She was half turned around, but still hadn't moved.
"Run Elena! Run!" He practically screamed.
The cabin's front door was almost smashed open right then. Stefan didn't wait, immediately throwing himself at the men coming out of the cabin.
Elena, hating herself even as she moved, did as told. She ran down the pier once again before eventually diving inside. She hated leaving Stefan behind, knowing the danger he was in, but he'd told her to run, and she had to do that. It wasn't easy. She was forced to kick off her sneakers and slip off her shirt while underwater to allow for easier movement. She was just coming up for air when she heard something that seemed to freeze the blood in her veins: Stefan screaming her name.
It took everything Elena had not to turn back right then and there; even knowing there was nothing she could have done against so many... and she didn't even know if they were human or vampires! But Stefan wanted her to run, he'd placed his hopes in her getting away, and she couldn't disappoint him; however much she might hate to leave him.
She made it to the other side of the lake and, as tired as she was, after swimming at her top speed. She pushed herself to keep going, getting on her feet and running, ignoring the sticks and rocks digging into the bare soles of her feet. And not looking back... she couldn't, because if she did there was no way she would be leaving Stefan!
She'd barely made it to the tree-line when there was a sudden rush of wind and the blue-eyed brunette stopped abruptly when seeing a figure right before her. One that was definitely not human... it really was like looking at herself in a mirror, and at the same time not at all...
"Katherine..."
That was all she managed to say, before darkness took her.
.-.
At the same time that Stefan was in a losing fight against a bunch of humans armed with vervain darts, wooden knives and who-knew-what-else, and Elena was swimming her way across the lake, trying to get away. Bonnie was making her way to the stairs leading to the boarding house's second floor.
She stopped abruptly, a step away from the first step, as her magical senses began screaming at her. She got a perfect image in her mind of what was happening to the others, for just a fraction of a second... but by then it was already too late.
The Little Witch's last thought was that someone had really done their homework, attacking all four of them at the same time, or close enough that she didn't realize what was coming before it happened; and they were lucky enough her power was still down after the ritual, there was nothing she could do to fight back. Darkness was swallowing her whole before she fully registered that she'd just been hit at the back of her head.
Outside, Damon was on his way back after checking the area, he hadn't been able to find anything, not even a rabbit, and for some reason that bothered him. He received the brief but sharp spike of panic as his True Love realized what was going on, but before he could react to it there were several vervain darts in his back.
Thanks to Bonnie's ritual, while the darts hurt, the vervain didn't really do anything to him. However, right as he was turning around to face his attacker someone hit him with what felt like a high-grade taser, at a voltage that would have probably been deadly to humans. He tried to resist; but in the end the electricity running through his body made him lose control of his limbs, he was down before he could do anything about it.
"Why did the vervain not work?" He heard a male voice asked.
"Who knows?" Another replied. "We got him, that's what matters."
"What's the status on the other team?" A female voice, a painfully familiar one, asked.
"Success." One of the male voices answered. "The girl tried to run, but they caught her before she got too far. It's all done boss..."
"Very well, take this two to the van and then go back to the office." The female voice replied. "And remember, this one is completely off the books."
"Of course boss." Several voices replied.
One of his attackers moved him right then, as they tried to take hold of him to move him. Damon didn't understand what was going on. If they were hunters shouldn't they just stake him and be done with it? They'd spoken of others... Bonnie?! Had they attacked his wife?! And what about Stefan and Elena?! Damon wanted to call for them but he couldn't. He couldn't speak, could hardly think... and then his body was moved enough that his eyes fixed on those who had attacked him, particularly on the woman, the one whose voice had been so painfully familiar...
"L-Liz...?!" But weren't they friends?!
Damon wasn't even sure if he'd said the name out-loud or only thought it. His mind was completely focused on the fact that the one leading the group that had just taken him and his wife (no way Bonnie would have left him alone, unless she couldn't help it), and quite possibly his little brother and sister, was none other than Liz Forbes... she was supposed to be his friend! He'd been betrayed... It was the last conscious thought he had.
.-.
After a long talk with Matt and a night spent in his arms Caroline had managed to push past what her mother had done the night before, all the ways the blonde felt she'd been embarrassed before the rest of her generation. So, deciding to give the whole mother-daughter thing a chance, she'd convinced Matt to take her by a diner they both favored before getting home. There she'd bought an order of her favorite waffles with red fruits; an omelet with vegetables and mushrooms for her mom and coffee for both of them (Matt had decided not to stay, so as to give the two women a chance to bond).
"From the sounds of it your mom's on the phone with someone..." Matt whispered to his girlfriend as they entered the house. "I don't know what they're saying exactly, just something about a job earlier today..."
"Lets not make noise then, let her finish the call." Caroline told him. "Meanwhile I can set the table, or at least the breakfast counter."
She was practically tip-toeing past the door to the living-room, where her mom was talking, when something she said caught Caroline's attention:
"The job's done." She was saying. "The Salvatores and their girls are all yours and now..."
The sound of styrofoam containers hitting the floor and coffee spraying all around was what first called Liz's attention to the living-room door; though it was soon followed by a voice.
"What?!" Caroline shrieked at the top of her lungs.
"Caroline?!" Liz cried out in shock. "I didn't hear you come in..."
"What did you do with Bonnie, Elena, Damon and Stefan?!" The blonde girl demanded.
"You know it's rude to be listening in on my calls..." Liz began.
"What the hell did you do with them?!" Caroline yelled, once again, as loud as she could.
"I did what was necessary to keep this town safe." Liz stated, trying to sound pacifying. "You don't know what some people are capable of, what they truly are..."
"Oh, really?" Caroline challenged. "I'm quite sure I know more than you want me to know. Certainly more than you do!"
"Caroline, this isn't the time to be childish." Liz used a chastising tone on her. "Just believe that I made a deal that was necessary for your safety and the safety of everyone in town..."
"With whom?" The girl insisted. "Who did you make a deal with...?" The answer came to Caro as if by magic, before her mom could say a word or try to lie about it. "Katherine?!" She cried out in a mix of dismay and fury. "You made a deal with Katherine Pierce? A deal that somehow included handing my friends over to her?!"
"How do you know Katherine Pierce?" Liz couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"She's an insane bitch!" Caroline practically wailed. "Worse! She's an insane vampire bitch! She tried to kill Bonnie years ago, and will no doubt try again now... she's been ruining Elena's reputation for weeks... she did everything to ruin the boys' lives a century and a half ago..."
"Caro..." Matt called quietly, a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder to try and help her calm.
"So you do know..." Liz murmured in shock. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"When was I supposed to tell you?" Caroline asked in return. "When you were busy working extra-hours as sheriff? Or when you were leading one of the meetings of the Secret Council?" She made a pause, ignoring the way her mother blanched at the extent of Caro's knowledge. "When you were making a deal with an insane vampire bitch to hand over four of my dearest friends?! Elena and Bonnie are like my sisters! You handed them over like animals to the slaughter-house and you don't care!"
"I did it to protect this town!" Liz insisted.
"Katherine Pierce is a conniving, lying, psychotic bitch with no honor whatsoever." Caroline announced in her most sober tone. "Whatever deal you think you've made with her is absolutely pointless, because once she's done with Bonnie, Damon, Stefan and Elena, she'll destroy the rest of Mystic Falls. Starting by the Founding Families! Also, guess who are the only ones who stand a chance at stopping her? Or at least they would have if you hadn't betrayed them so callously..."
"They are vampires!" Liz tried to defend herself. "Monsters!"
"Only Damon and Stefan are vampires, and they're no monsters!" Caroline retorted, her voice turning almost deadly quiet as she added. "You're the monster here mother. You betrayed Damon, your friend..."
"Monsters don't have friends..." Liz tried to hold onto her beliefs, but she was having such a hard time with everything Caroline kept saying.
"No, I suppose they don't." She pulled the strap of her bag higher on her shoulder before spinning around on her heel and walking back down the hall.
Matt didn't say a word, he just followed.
"Caroline!" Liz called, shocked. "Where are you going?"
"To find a way to help my family." Caro answered simply as she opened the front-door.
"I'm your family..." Liz began, though she sounded faint.
"Are you?!" The girl challenged, turning to face her. "Will you be family to a monster?"
Before Liz had the chance to ask her what she could possibly mean, the woman suddenly felt bombarded by so many emotions in quick succession that she felt like she was about to go insane or something.
"Caroline..." She gasped.
"Yes, that's all me." Caroline answered the unasked question. "So I suppose I'm a monster too. Now, my true family needs me."
She didn't give Liz the chance to say anything else, soon the two teenagers were out and the door was closing with a bang.
Caroline managed to last until both she and Matt were on his car and he had driven a couple of blocks before she broke down into tears.
Matt stayed silent for almost five minutes as he kept driving in circles, not sure where exactly he was supposed to go, what he was supposed to do. How could he even hope to help the very people they were always depending on? He was but human, and still so new at the whole 'supernatural thing'... But Caroline had said that she would be helping her family, and Matt had already made up his mind that he loved Caro and wasn't leaving her. Which meant that he would have to find a way to survive in a world where magic and vampires existed, where his girlfriend could sense other people's emotions... and apparently manipulate them too!
"I'd never do that to you..." Caroline said suddenly, with a slight sob at the end.
Matt didn't fake ignorance, he didn't see the point.
"I know you won't." He assured her. "I trust you Caro."
He probably would never know just how much those words meant to her...
"So, what do we do now?" The blonde boy inquired.
"I need to call everyone." Caroline decided after a few seconds thinking it over. "They need to know what's going on."
With that in mind she pulled out her phone, soon she was connected with everyone in the family; she put the phone in speaker.
"Guys, it's an emergency!" She called. "I need you to leave whatever it is you're doing, put your phones on speaker and make sure we're all in."
It took a few seconds, but soon they were all listening in.
"What's wrong Caroline?" Tyler asked, worried.
"Katherine has made her move." The blonde decided to get to the point. "She has Elena, Stefan, Bonnie and Damon... I don't know where, but she has them!"
Several curses were heard, until someone called to order.
"How did this happen?" Alaric wanted to know.
"My mother betrayed them." Caro admitted quietly. "She kept saying that it was for the good of Mystic Falls, and I don't know what other bullshit. But the bottom line is, it's her fault."
"How did she even know where they were?" John demanded. "Elena's and Stefan's visit to the cabin was a surprise, only Jenna, Stefan and I knew about it!"
"Damon knew too." Caroline reminded him. "Last night, when the prom was ending, my mother was in the parking lot, giving some speech about safety and propriety and who knows what else. We think it was intended to keep the others from hotels and other places that aren't as safe from vampires as normal houses are... Damon might have told her of Stefan's plans to put her at ease, so she wouldn't worry about them." Her voice went very quiet as she added. "He thought they were friends..."
Strangled laughter escaped John. Several people could imagine what he was thinking... it could have been him, quite easily, if he hadn't chosen to take his daughter's side, regardless of what he'd been taught, what he'd believed his whole life...
"We need to go after them!" Jeremy exclaimed.
They could all hear the smack, followed by an exclamation of pain; someone (most likely Itziar), had just smacked Jeremy in the back of the head.
"And how do you suppose we'll do that genius?" The huntress asked her boyfriend. "We have no idea where they've been taken!"
"Do they even need help?" Tyler asked. "I mean, don't take this the wrong way, but aren't they supposed to be all-so-powerful? They might not even need our help..."
"Tyler might be right..." Alaric began.
"We're not leaving them alone in the hands of that bitch/psycho!" Was the general cry from at least half of those in conference.
"Maybe you could give them some time." Matt offered, even as he kept driving. "I mean, I know I'm the new guy in all this but... Bonnie is a very powerful witch, right? The Salvatores are old and quite powerful vampires, and even Elena has some training and experience dealing with the supernatural... so it's not like they're really defenseless. Maybe y... we should give them a chance to deal with things themselves. And if that doesn't work, then we interfere..."
"And how will we know if they can or can't handle it?" Mia inquired.
"We set a time..." Alaric began.
"Twenty-four hours." John declared. "You know at what time they were taken Caroline?"
"No..." Caroline began.
"The Sheriff was speaking over the phone about the job that had been finished, at dawn or sometime around then." Matt offered.
"Very well, then we'll give them until dawn tomorrow." John announced. "If we've heard nothing from them by then, we'll go ourselves."
"Nice plan, but where exactly are we supposed to go?" Tyler pointed out the fault in their burgeoning plan.
"I can try and find out where they've been taken." Caroline offered. "Though if the job was off-the-books, so to speak, that might make it harder."
"You should still try, if you're willing." Mia stated. "If that fails... we should meet at the boarding house, there Tyler and I can try to find a trail that may get us to them..."
There were noises of agreement from almost everyone in the group. Some still had trouble believing they were really going to leave their friends/family on their own for a whole day... but Tyler, Alaric and Matt had been right, they were strong, they just might be able to deal with things themselves... and it wasn't like any of them knew where to go just yet. They had a whole day to find out... just in case.
"Until then, we really need to lay low." Alaric added at the end. "All of us. It would seem like Katherine only wanted them right now... but there's no way we can be sure that any of us aren't next. It's best if we stay on alert until this mess is behind us."
Again, everyone agreed. Not everyone liked the implications of 'laying low', but they understood why it was necessary. They would be meeting at dawn.
"Where to then?" Matt asked his girlfriend as the call cut off.
"To the station." Caroline indicated. "I know a few of the deputies that work with my m... the sheriff for these cases. If I ask the right questions... and maybe use my powers just a bit, I might be able to find out where they took them."
Nevermind that never before that day had she tried to purposefully affect the emotions of others. She'd considered that she might be able to do it, Grams had even suggested it at some point, but Caroline had no training whatsoever... and no time to get it. Her friends... her family needed her, and she wasn't failing them.
With a plan made, they were soon on their way. It was going to be a long day...
.-.
Elena was the last to wake up, with a pained groan, her whole body hurt more than it had in her whole life. It took a while for her mind to finish waking up and then it all came to her in flashes: the lake-cabin, watching the dawn with Stefan, someone after them, Stefan fighting to hold them back, his screams, her swimming like crazy to try and get away from them, running, stones and sticks cutting the soles of her feet and then...
The brunette, blue-eyed sat up abruptly with a gasp as she remembered the last thing she'd seen before losing consciousness. She looked around, unable to see anything at all and was about to scream when a voice interrupted her:
"Elena...?" It was her beloved.
"Stefan?!" She called, a bit louder than intended.
"Yes, lovely love, it's me." Stefan replied. "Are you alright?"
"I... I think so." She murmured, more quietly.
She'd just become aware of the fact that she was tied up, and she had a blindfold across her eyes, which explained why she couldn't see a thing... and how come she hadn't noticed any of it the moment she woke up?!
"What do you remember?" Stefan asked her.
"Ah..." She forced her thoughts into order, even as she began wiggling, searching for a way to get free. "We were at the lake-cabin, a surprise you set up for me with Aunt Jenna and Uncle John... we were watching the dawn ... there was someone in the cabin... you told me to run and..." She winced, remembering his screams. "I remember... are you alright Stefan?"
"I'm fine, lovely little love..." Her beloved told her evenly.
There was a quiet snort, but Elena didn't pay attention to that just yet.
"You cannot lie to me, my love." She told him, finally forcing herself into a sitting position, then realized something. "Who else is there?"
"We're here Elena." It was Bonnie's voice.
"Bonnie? And Damon?" Elena guessed, shocked. How had anyone managed to get all of them? Especially at the same time.
"The attack was very well coordinated." Bonnie stated, either hearing Elena's thoughts, or at least guessing them.
"Liz betrayed us." Damon muttered, voice full of anger, and somehow also pain.
Elena knew that Damon had seen the sheriff as a friend; and considering how closely he guarded himself... she couldn't imagine what he was feeling in that moment.
"It was Katherine." Elena announced, the memory sharp inside her mind.
"What?!" Apparently the others weren't expecting that.
"I saw her, right before being knocked out." The blue-eyed, brunette elaborated. "She's the one behind all this."
Still, there was no time to ponder on that, Elena focused hard on twisting her limbs, trying to slacken her bonds. She could feel the damp ropes, most probably drenched in vervain. It'd keep vampires from freeing her... though at the same time, she knew that couldn't be the true reason why the others weren't helping her, something else was going on.
With some effort Elena managed to slip her tied hands underneath her, until they were before her; it allowed for more range of movement; and she even managed to get off the blindfold.
It was awful, like a scene from a horror movie. Elena had to blink a few times to be sure she was thing what she thought she was.
"Oh Lord..." She gasped, tears falling from her eyes.
"Elena!" Bonnie called, tone sharp. "Elena focus! This is not the time to fall into pieces."
Considering the situation her best-friend, her sister in all but blood was in... if anyone had a right to fall into pieces was her. And yet she wasn't, Bonnie was focused, probably already trying to think of a way to escape, to get them all out of there. Elena promised herself she wouldn't be a burden, she'd do her part.
"Oh..." A keen, almost sickeningly sweet voice sounded right then. "Little-me is awake! Perfect! That means we can begin having fun now!"
"Let Elena and Bonnie go." Stefan's voice was quiet but compelling. "Your problem is with us Katherine. The girls have nothing to do with it."
"Oh but they have everything to do!" Katherine called childishly. "They dared try and take what's mine! I don't like others taking my toys!"
It was sickening, really. It went against all of their instincts, especially Damon's, to have someone calling him a toy; but he would rather take that than watch his beloved be hurt.
"Now, I got this little toy from one of the humans I sent to get you." Katherine stated, pulling out a revolver. "It's filled with wooden bullets, soaked in vervain. I bet we'll have a lot of fun with these! Now, who will go first?" She seemed to think it over, before unexpectedly pulling out a second revolver. "Though, I suppose, you can both go together!"
Elena knew she didn't have much time. Katherine was already moving, and there was no way a mere human like her alone would be able to stop her. So instead of running towards her, when Elena finally made her move, she did so in her beloved's direction, standing straight before him, and taking the bullet meant for him.
*I love you...* Stefan could have sworn he heard his beloved's voice straight in his mind.
However, he couldn't focus on that, all he could think about was the light slowly going out of those beautiful, deep blue eyes right as her body collapsed before his immobile form; her skin and the dirt-ground beneath her staining with her spilled blood. Stefan lost control and screamed with all the pain in his heart and soul:
"ELENA!"
And I still believe in the good
And I still believe in the light
And I wanna feel the sun
I wanna free you tonight
There are no End Notes because the author is currently hiding in an undisclosed location... she'd also like to remind all her lovely readers that you cannot get the next chapter if you kill her...
See ya!