A/N: Seventy reviews! I love you guys. The more reviews I get, the more I update. I would really love to reach 100 reviews for the first time ever, so here's a little incentive.
Chapter Twenty: Isobel
"It's good to see you. You look good. I hear that you're a high school history teacher? How is that?" Isobel asks.
"Where have you been, Isobel?"
"I don't have any reasons that are gonna comfort you. I don't have any explanations that are gonna satisfy you. I wanted this."
"It's that simple?" Alaric questions.
"Yeah. You were supposed to mourn me, and move on."
"You were my wife, and I loved you. How could I not search for you?"
"Because I wasn't lost, Ric." She takes a paper and writes something down. "I understand that you know my daughter Elena and I hear that she's been looking for me. So…" She hands him the paper. "I want you to arrange for a meeting with us."
Alaric looks at the paper. "You want me to deliver a message?"
She smiles. "Yeah."
He throws the paper. "Screw you. You selfish bitch." He gets up and leaves. He walks to his car and Isobel follows after him. "What do you want from me?"
"I told you."
"I'm not gonna do anything for you."
She wraps a hand around his neck and holds him against his car. "You better tell Elena that I want to meet or I'm gonna start killing the citizens of this town one by one and I'm gonna start with your history students. Got it?" She throws him on the floor and gives him the paper. He gets up and looks it.
Elena is on the phone with Damon. "I'm supposed to help build the Miss Mystic float for the Founder's Day parade. If I don't I get the wrath of Caroline but I wanted to check in first."
"Well, I'm doing great, thanks for asking."
"Checking on Stefan."
"Oh, him? Oh, he's...he's terrible."
"What's the matter?" She asks, worried.
"He's just back to boring, straight-laced, off the junk. You've successfully cured him of anything that was interesting about his personality."
"Don't forget who helped me."
"I hate myself. Did Uncle John mention anything to you about my field trip with the history teacher?"
"No. I'm still been avoiding him. Why? What's he up to?"
"I don't know. But I'd love if you could find out for me."
"I've got to go I'm late."
"Have fun with the Mystic queen, I know I did."
Elena rolls her eyes and hangs up.
Damon gets up and gives the phone to Stefan. "Elena called." He smiles and leaves the room. Stefan looks at him and then at his phone.
Trinity inwardly sighs. Things are gonna get a lot more complicated.
In the cafeteria, Alaric is giving papers to students. "So these are the specs for the History department. For the founder's day float we'll be recreating the battle of Willow Creek. Tyler has been nominated at the head of the production design."
"By whom?" Tyler asks.
"By me. I've seen your sketches and they're good."
"I'm not really into the…"
"Well, you just pick your team, be creative and…" He sees Elena, Stefan, and Trinity. "Don't screw up." He says before walking towards them.
"Great!" Tyler sighs and turns to Matt. "You want to help me out with this?"
"Not really, no."
"Hey Mr. Saltzman." Elena smiles.
"Come with me. We need to talk." He says. The three students share a look with each other and follow Alaric.
"Alright show me." Bonnie says.
"Let's reference last year's Miss Mystic float." Caroline types. "This is what they did last year." She turns her laptop towards Bonnie. "And this is exactly what we don't want to do."
"Ew. Okay! So, what are we doing?"
"Southern classic elegance."
"Gone with the Wind?"
"How'd you know?"
"You channel Scarlett, daily."
"So true!" They laugh. Caroline looks around. "Where's Elena? She's supposed to be helping."
"I don't know."
"Okay, what's the deal?"
"What do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb. You and Elena are fighting. Spill!"
"It's nothing."
"It's not nothing. You know this whole float is supposed to be about friends creating something together and everyone is fighting. Matt and Tyler hate each other, you and Elena are on the outs and I don't like it! And I can't fix it if I don't know what's wrong."
"I can't talk about it, Caroline, I'm sorry." She says.
Damon walks into Alaric's classroom. "Damon, thanks for coming." He says.
"Sorry I'm late. My dog ate my uh…never mind." He jokes. He looks at the serious looks on their faces. "What's with all the furrowed brows?"
"I saw Isobel last night."
"Isobel is here?" He asks. Alaric nods. "In town?" He looks at Elena, a hint of concern on his face.
John parks his car and enters in the house. He walks into a room and sees man and a woman are dancing. Isobel is watching them. "You're late." She says.
"I didn't realize there was a schedule. What's with the side show?"
"Cherie is a little jazz singer that I picked up in a blues bar in Brooklyn. And I got the cowboy at a gay rodeo in Amarillo."
"He's gay?"
"Not right now, he's very good to me." She turns to the couple. "Hey Cherie? Cassez vous!" The couple leaves. "I'm teaching them French." She sees the disapproving look on his face. "Oh! I can smell the judgment coming off of you."
"Well, they're people, Isobel, and you're treating them like dolls."
"If we're gonna be partners you really have to stop being such a hater."
"We're in a partnership together because we share a mutual goal. Don't ever confuse that for an acceptance of your lifestyle."
"My lifestyle? So, I assume that you still don't have the invention."
"I'll get it. I said I would."
"Uh, you threatened to expose Damon Salvatore, that didn't work. You killed that Pearl lady, still no invention. I really don't think that your plan is working, John."
"Well, you being here is not going to help anything."
She slaps him across the face and he falls to the ground. "You failed, John. I'm gonna take it from here." She leaves.
John sits up and watches her walk away.
"Did you ask her about Uncle John? Are they working together?" Damon asks Alaric.
"No."
"No they're not?"
"No I didn't ask."
"What about the invention?"
"Didn't ask."
"Did she know about the tomb vampires?"
"I don't know."
"Did words completely escape you?"
"No, I was a little too distracted by my dead vampire wife to ask any questions."
Damon turns to Elena. "What did she want?"
"She wants to see me, Damon."
"Alaric is supposed to arrange a meeting. We don't know why or what she wants." Stefan says.
Damon keeps his eyes on Elena. "You don't have to see her if you don't want to."
Stefan, confused by this sudden sensitivity, looks at Damon and then at Elena. Trinity turns away, trying to find something else to pay attention to.
"I don't really have a choice." She says.
"She's threatened to go on killing spree." Alaric tells him.
"Oh! I take it that's not okay with you guys."
"I want to do it. I want to meet her. If I don't, I know I'll regret it." Elena says, looking at Damon.
Elena is sitting alone. Stefan is standing at the pool table with Trinity. He watches after Elena.
"Can you hear me?" Elena speaks in a low tone. "Thanks for coming, I'm nervous." Stefan smiles her and Trinity winks before racking the balls. "I'm happy that you're here. I love you." He mouths 'I love you' back.
Isobel arrives and sits down across from Elena. "Hello Elena. You look just like her, that's eerie."
"You've met Katherine?"
"She found me after I turned. Genetic curiosity, I suppose. She would be fascinated by you."
Elena looks at Isobel's necklace. "Is that how you can walk in the day?"
"Katherine helped me obtain it."
"Who's my father?"
"Not important." She dismisses. "He was a teenage waste of space."
"A name would be nice."
"It would, wouldn't it? You ask a lot of questions."
"Why did you compel that man to kill himself? Right after he told me to stop looking for you."
"Dramatic impact. I wish it would have been more effective."
"Human life means that little to you?"
"Means nothing to me. It's just part of being what I am."
"No it's not. I know other vampires, that's not true."
"Your new boyfriend over there by the pool table? Stefan Salvatore. Why Stefan? Why didn't you go for Damon? Or are you enjoying them both like Katherine did?" She asks. Elena is shocked by the question. Stefan looks uncomfortable.
Damon and Alaric stand outside of the Grill. "We should be in there." Damon says.
Alaric shakes his head. "No, Isobel made it clear we're not to step a foot inside."
"I'm not going to kill her in a crowd restaurant."
"You're not going to kill her period!"
"She ruined your life and you still want to protect her?"
"She's my wife." Damon looks at him. "Was my wife. I looked for the woman I married but she wasn't there. Whoever that is, she's cold and detached."
"Yeah, she's given up her humanity."
"Yeah, see, I don't get that. Stefan has his humanity, he's a good guy. And you're a dick and you kill people but I still see something human in you. But with her there was…nothing."
"You can turn it off, like a button you can press. I mean, Stefan's different. He wants the whole human experience. He wants to feel every episode of How I Met Your Mother, so he shuts his feelings out. The problem is, as a vampire, your instinct is not to feel. Isobel chose the easier road. No guilt, no shame, no regret. I mean, come on, if you could turn it off, wouldn't you?"
"You haven't."
"Of course I have Ric. It's why I'm so fun to be around." He smiles.
"Why did you want to meet me?" Elena asks. "Can't be to just catch up."
"Because I'm curious about you. But the real reason is: I want what your uncle wants. Jonathan Gilbert's invention."
"How do you know my uncle?"
"I used to spend a lot of time here when I was younger. John had a crush on me for years. He was the first one that told me about vampires."
"So what made you want to be one?"
"It's a very long list of reasons, Elena. All of which I'm sure you've thought about."
"No."
"That was your first lie. It's inevitable, you're going to get old, Stefan won't." Elena looks at Stefan, who has a sad look on his face. "Forever doesn't last very long when you're human."
"I'm sorry but I don't have what you're looking for."
She gets up but Isobel catches her arm and forces her to sit down. "Sit down." Stefan begins to walk towards them. Trinity casually passes by and takes a seat at the booth behind them. "And tell your boyfriend to walk away. I want the invention."
"I don't have it."
"I know that but Damon does and you're going get it for me."
"He's not going to give it to me."
"Then the blood will be on your hands." She stands from her seat. "It was nice meeting you Elena." She leaves.
Tears begin to run down Elena face. Trinity stands and puts a hand on her shoulder. Stefan is walking towards them. Bonnie arrives; Elena gets up and looks at her. Stefan arrives behind Elena and Trinity. Elena looks at him and then looks at Bonnie, who looks at Stefan and leaves.
Jeremy is on the phone. "Hey Anna. Where are you? What's up? Uh…give me a call when you get this." He hangs up.
"How is Anna?" Jenna asks. "I like that girl, she has fire."
"I don't know. She won't return my calls."
John enters in the kitchen. "Girl trouble?"
"No, no trouble. Anna just owes me a call, that's it."
"Is that the girl that I show you with at the founder's pageant? You two are getting hot and heavy. When was the last time you saw her?"
"Why?" Jeremy asks, suspicion in his eyes.
"I was just making conversation. No one else in this house likes me. At least I can talk to you especially if you need someone to talk to about girls."
"Oh please! I'm eating." Jenna leaves the kitchen.
"So seriously, how well do you know Anna?" John asks.
"I know Anna extremely well."
"I want you to know that you can talk to me about anything. I'm here to answer any questions that you have, to help you in any way I can."
"Why?"
"Because your dad would want me to."
"I'm good." He leaves.
At Isobel's house, Damon is shirtless, playing strip poker with Cherie. "Oh, oh Cherie, you won again. I hope I'm wearing my good underwear." He gets up and begins to remove his belt.
Isobel walks in. "And it's just one blast from the past after another. No, no, no." She says. Damon begins to close his fly. "Degage Cherie." Cherie gets up and leaves the room.
"It's good to see you, Isobel. I was just having fun with your naughty little minion."
"How did you find me?"
He walks towards her. "Search for the neighborhood bank owned foreclosures and found the most expensive one."
"Oh I should have known. You're the one who taught me that. What are you really doing here?"
"Well you caused quite a stir, you blew into town. Saw everyone except for the man who made you. I'm a little hurt." He leans towards her.
"I'm so sorry." She twists Damon's head around. "Did you bring the device?" She lets him go.
"Heh. Ow. What are you doing with John Gilbert?"
"We dated a few times when we were young. He was a little bit in love with me."
"I'm sure. One of the many. Now, this little invention what do you want with it?"
"Oh, me personally? I don't want anything with it. I'm just doing what I'm told. You know Damon we're on the same side." She takes his face in her hands.
"Oh yeah? What side is that?"
"Katherine's. She wants John Gilbert to have the device and I think that you know that she's not happy when she doesn't get what she wants."
Damon throws her off. "Why are you doing her dirty work?"
"Don't kill the messenger. We both know that you can't control Katherine. She does what she wants."
"So do I."
"Oh really Damon? You do?" She leans in. "What should we do now?"
They laugh and begin to kiss each other. Damon slams her on the floor. "Now that I have your attention, listen up. You do not come into my town; threaten the people I care about. Going after Elena? Bad move. You leave her alone or I will rip you to bits because I do believe in killing the messenger. You know why? Because it sends a message. Katherine wants something from me? You tell that little bitch to come get it herself." He spits before leaving.
Elena is walking down the stairs when she hears someone knocking on the door. "Hi." She says when she sees Bonnie.
"Hey. I couldn't sleep last night. You were obviously upset about something and I just walked away. It's not me. That can't be us. You're my friend, Elena. If you need me I'm here for you and I'm sorry I couldn't show you that yesterday."
"I met my birth mother."
"Oh. Was it…are you okay?"
Elena cries and Bonnie embraces her.
Matt is building the float when Tyler walks up to him. "Hey man. So Caroline tells me you've been on your own for the past two weeks. Is everything okay?"
"You're asking me about my mom. Seriously? Look, man, why don't I just give tell her to give you a call when she comes back to town?"
"Dude, that's not what I meant okay? I'm just trying to…I don't know what to say."
"Good men, don't say anything. You're a dick, end of the story."
"I know." He says but Matt walks away. "Whatever."
In a classroom, Bonnie is leafing through Emily's spell book when Elena walks in. "Hey! Thanks for meeting me. I wanted you to see this." She holds up the spell book.
"Is that Emily's spell book?"
"I've been going through it since Grams died. Check this out."
Elena looks at the page. "That's the vampire compass."
"Yeah, according to Emily, Jonathan Gilbert never actually succeeded in inventing anything. Emily secretly spelled them all with magic. Compass, rings and the mystery device you told me about."
"Yeah that's it. Well, a part of it. Damon only has the one piece."
"Emily pledged her loyalty to Katherine. But she couldn't stand by and watch innocent people get killed. This was the only way she could think of to help. To let Jonathan Gilbert believe that he'd actually invented these devices."
"Does it say what it does?"
Bonnie reads the page and her face curls in confusion. She looks at Elena. "Are you sure this is what Isobel wants?"
"Yeah, I'm sure. Why?"
"This is a weapon. Against vampires."
Elena looks surprise.
Jeremy is walking down the school hallway. "Elena!" He calls.
She turns towards him. "Hey, have you seen Stefan? I need to find him."
"No, not lately. Listen, do you have a second?"
"Yeah. What's up? What's going on?"
"Well, it's Anna. I've left her all this messages and she hasn't gotten back to me, not even a text."
"Anna? I didn't know that you guys were still friends."
"We're more than friends. Look, something could be seriously wrong and if you know anything you've got to tell me."
"I haven't talked to her, Jer." She tells him.
"Are you lying to me right now?"
"Why do you say that?"
"'Cause that's what you do. Lying. You lie about everything. I know what Anna is and I know that you know. So tell me, do you have any idea where she is?"
"No, but Jer…" He walks away. "Jeremy wait!" She turns around and Isobel is standing right behind her. "Isobel. What are you doing here?"
"I'm your mother, Elena. I want to be more involved in your life."
"I don't want you in my life."
"I understand that. You already have a lot of people that you care about but I've been studying. Let's see if I got this right." She looks at Bonnie. "There is the witchy best friend, Bonnie. Gonna stay away from that one." She looks at Jeremy. "Oh…sad little brother Jeremy." She watches Caroline. "And there's Caroline…obnoxious Caroline. I got all of my info from her by the way. She had no idea who I was and she wouldn't stop yapping. I don't see Trinity: the gay best friend, but I'm sure we'll meet later. Oh…" She looks at Matt. "And there's Matt, friend, ex, yappy's future ex. Lots of connection there."
"Matt is not involved in this."
"He's involved with you, isn't he?"
"Look, you shouldn't be here. You need to leave."
"No, I have some friends here too. Look, you see that man over here, standing next to Matt by the Float? His name is Frank, he's very handsome and he's also quite handy and he'd noticed that the axles are a little rusty, which is very dangerous. So, all you have to do is apply a little bit of pressure and…"
"No!" Elena yells. Frank jumps on the trailer above Matt. Matt's arm gets crushed. Elena tries to run for him, Isobel grabs her.
"Get this trailer! Come on guys help me!" Matt screams.
Tyler rushes to help him with some friends. They try to remove the trailer. Stefan arrives to help. They remove the trailer. Matt gets free. Caroline rushes to see Matt.
"Caroline, call an ambulance." Stefan says.
"Why are you doing this?" Elena asks.
"I'm showing you how easy it is to hurt the people that you care about."
"And you're doing this just because of Jonathan Gilbert's invention?"
"Hand it over and all will be stop."
"I told you, Damon is not going to give it to me."
"I think that you underestimate how much Damon cares about you."
"He'll kill you before he gives it up."
"Is that before or after I kill your brother Jeremy?"
Elena turns to see Jeremy. He has disappeared. "Jeremy?" She calls. Trinity walks up to her. "Jeremy?!" She turns around and Isobel is gone.
"Elena, what's wrong?" She asks.
"The ambulance is saying in 15-20 minutes." Caroline says.
"I have my car. I can take him to the hospital." Tyler tells her.
"Caroline can take me." Matt says.
"I didn't drive."
"I'll wait. It's fine."
"You will not wait okay?! You need to see a doctor, Tyler is driving. End of story."
"Fine!"
"Go!"
"I'll bring my car around." Tyler says.
Matt looks at Caroline.
John walks into Isobel's house and sees suitcases in the entry. "I see you're packing. That's a good sign."
"It won't be long now." She says.
"Did you get the missing piece? Where is it?"
"I don't have it yet."
"Then, why did you call me here?"
She walks into another room and John follows her. "Because I have the next best thing." She enters the room; revealing Jeremy, along with Cherie and Franc.
"What the hell are you doing?" John asks, seeing his nephew.
"Getting what I want."
"Yeah, but he is my nephew and you're going let him go right this second!"
"That gaudy ring on your finger, comes off."
"Come on Isobel, I know you okay? It's me John. You can't hurt a kid."
"I'll kill him to prove you wrong."
"Really? Are you that far gone? Look, I know you've changed but the old Isobel is somewhere in there, isn't she? Come on let him go."
Isobel turns to her minions. "Faites le souffrir." Cherie and Franck beat John and throw him on the floor. Isobel catches his hand and remove his ring. "Nice try. We'll see how you do without this." She leaves the room.
Jeremy looks at John, who is on the floor, bleeding.
Bonnie, Trinity, Elena, and Stefan stand in a classroom.
"Where is the device?" Bonnie asks.
"Damon has it. He's going to be difficult to reason with." Stefan tells her.
"We'll go to him, I'll talk to him." Elena says.
"He's not just gonna hand it over, especially if it's harmful to vampires."
"What if it's not?" Trinity speaks. They all share a look.
"Absolutely not." Damon says.
"Just hear me out." Elena pleads.
"I'm not gonna give the device to Isobel so she could give it to John who is going to turn it to kill me. I like being a living dead person."
"But it'll be useless, Bonnie can take its power away."
"I don't trust her."
"I can remove the original spell." Bonnie tells him.
"John and Isobel will never know." Elena says.
"No, I'll get Jeremy in my own way."
"Really? How are you going to do that? Because Isobel is a vampire and Jeremy could be dead the second you walk in the door." Stefan tells him.
Damon turns to Bonnie. "Are you even up for this? I mean no offense, you're no Emily Bennett. Emily knew what she was doing."
"I've been practicing."
"It's not piano lessons, honey."
"What's your favorite book?"
"What?"
"Name a book, any book."
"Name a book…how about 'Call of the wild', Jack London?" He says. Bonnie turns and looks at the library. A book flies and lands in Damon's hands. "Jack London. Great parlor trick."
"We're doing this, Damon. And we're doing it my way. Now give me the device. We're wasting time!" Elena says.
He turns to Bonnie. "I don't trust you, I tried to kill you."
"You're right, you can't trust me."
"But you can trust me." Elena tells him. He looks at her and Stefan looks between the two. Damon gives her the device. "Thank you."
Trinity puts a hand to her head, feeling a headache coming on.
John is lying on the ground. Jeremy walks towards him with a towel. "Here you go."
"Thank you."
"What is she after?"
"Your ancestor invented a weapon, a device that's extremely harmful to vampires and we've been trying to get it."
"Why?"
"Because there's a group of vampires from a long time ago that wants revenge on this town."
"But why would a vampire help you kill other vampires?"
"She has her own reasons for wanting them dead. Look Jeremy, no one ever thought vampires would return to this town. Not in modern times, but they have and we have to destroy them."
"All of them? No, there are some good ones out there."
"There's no such thing."
"I don't believe that."
"Well, your dad did. And as his son that should mean something to you."
"How did my father know about all this?"
"Who do you think told me about the family history?"
Bonnie sets the device near the spell book and begins casting. The others watch her. "Done." She gives the device to Elena.
"Great, now what?" Damon asks.
"Now we give it to Isobel." Elena answers.
Elena is waiting for Isobel at the town square.
Isobel appears behind her. "Where is the device?"
Elena turns around. "Where is my brother?"
"This isn't a negotiation. Where is the invention?"
"Where is my brother?"
"Do you really think that I came alone?" Franc and Cherie appear behind Elena.
"Did you really think that I came alone?" Damon, Stefan, and Trinity appear behind Isobel.
She looks at them. "For god sakes, call home."
"What?"
"Call home and ask to speak to your brother Jeremy."
Elena takes out her phone and calls home.
"Hello?"
"Jeremy, are you okay?"
"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine, Uncle John hit his head. It was an accident."
"We're all laughing." Jenna calls out.
"But yeah I'm okay."
"I'll be home soon, alright?"
"Yeah." He hangs up.
"You were never gonna hurt him." Elena says.
"No, I was going to kill him. Don't look for any redeeming qualities in me. I don't have any."
"But you took a risk with Damon. How did you know that he was gonna give it to me?"
"Because he's in love with you." She reveals. "So is Trinity." She smirks.
Trinity's face curls in confusion. Damon squirms uncomfortably and looks at Stefan, who is upset.
Elena gives the device to Isobel. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For being such a monumental disappointment. It keeps the memory of my real mother perfectly intact."
"Goodbye, Elena. As long as you have a Salvatore on each arm, you're doomed. Katherine was smart. She got out. But we all know that you're not Katherine. You may have a chance with her though." She glances at Trinity before leaving.
Stefan and Trinity walk up to her and he takes her in his arms. She looks at Trinity and then at Damon, who looks down and leaves. Stefan looks after him.
Trinity turns to the couple. "Excuse my language, but what she told you was bullshit." Elena looks at her. "Not about Damon." She shakes her head. "I actually saw that coming. I mean about me. I mean…I love you Elena, but not like that. Isobel was just being a bitch."
Elena chuckles. "Thank you Trinity." She says. Stefan looks at her with relief in his eyes.
Elena walks into Jeremy's room. "Jeremy we have to talk about all this."
"No, we really don't."
"I don't know what Anna told you but there are things that you need to know."
"Yeah? Because I'm pretty sure that your journal covered it."
"You read my journal?"
"And save me the speech about invasion of privacy because I read a section about Damon erasing my memory, about what happened to Vicki."
"Jeremy, please, you don't understand. The night that Vicki died, it was like mom and dad died all over again. It was all over your face and it hurt so much to see you like that. I just wanted to take away your pain. I'm so sorry."
"Get out!"
"No Jeremy."
"Elena! Just get out. Please."
She steps out and turns around. "Jer, I-" He closes the door in her face.
Alaric walks down the empty school hallway and sees Isobel. "What do you want?" He asks.
"I totally get it, you, here as a history teacher. It's good."
"What the hell are you doing? You act like you don't care and yet here you are hunting me down."
"I'm leaving. I just thought I said goodbye."
"You couldn't be bothered the first time so why now?"
"You hate me. Good."
"Does that make it easier for you? I mean what is the whole point of this exercise?"
"What did you expect? You spent all this time trying to track me down. What did you think you would find?"
"The woman who gave me this." He holds up his hand with the ring. "I mean you act like you don't care but you care enough to protect me after you left."
"I was a different person back then."
"Right! And that person is gone. The woman that I married, the woman I loved, she's just…she's gone." He removes his ring and throws it at her. "You expect me to believe that?" He throws the vervain on the floor.
"What are you doing?"
"Well, I'm ring free, I'm vervain free. So, either kill me or compel me because I don't believe it. Not for a second."
She pushes him against the wall. "I wanted this, I needed this and I'm going to regret it forever. This was my mistake, not yours." She compels him. "You're not going to remember this. I loved you, I did and when I think about what I gave up it hurts. But now your heart is free of me, it's easier this way. Goodbye Ric." She puts the ring on his finger, touches his face and leaves.
Jeremy is going to bed when Anna appears. "Anna? What are you doing here?"
"My mother. She's dead." She cries.
"What?"
"She was killed."
"Oh my god Anna. Hey I'm so sorry."
"I know I'm not supposed to be here but I don't have anywhere else to go."
He embraces her. "It's okay."
Damon is pouring himself a glass of scotch when Stefan arrives. "Would you like one? Say it, whatever it is, purge, get it out."
"It's about what Isobel said." Stefan says.
"What about?"
"Well, I know that you and Elena have bonded and I know that she cares about you and…I know you care about her."
"Well, this is going in an interesting direction."
"I'm just concerned about Elena being hurt. She considers you a friend."
"Same here, Elena is a very good friend. Actually, she might qualify as my only…friend. Is that a problem? I mean, you have Trinity."
"So, at the risk of sounding like uh…like a jealous boyfriend."
"Oh, there's no risk, you do."
"History will not be repeating itself where Elena is concerned. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"Sure. Sure."
Stefan flashes towards him. "Do you understand?"
"Whatever you say man, I mean honestly we're just friends and as a friend I wasn't looking forward to telling her the truth anyway so, I'll let you do it."
"What truth?"
"About John. Because I know you guys don't like to keep secrets from each other."
"What are you talking about?"
"Am I the only one around here who has the ability to put two and two together? Isobel! Hello? She dated John when she was 15; she gets pregnant and ends up at the doctor's office of John's brother. Now, what do you think John's role is in all this? I mean, go ahead, and think about it, I'll wait. Did you get it? You there yet?"
"So you think that John is Elena's father?"
"Ding, ding, ding!"
"What proof do you have?"
"I don't need any proof, that's a DNA test for John, Elena and Maury Povich to deal with but I know how well you deal with these bombs so…sleep tight." He starts to leave but turns around. "Oh and when you do tell Elena and she needs a friend to talk to about anything, I'm here for her." He leaves. Stefan watches him.
John is sitting on the couch when his phone rings. "Hello?"
"On your doorstep you'll find what you've been looking for." Isobel tells him.
"And my ring?"
"Don't screw this up. You know what you have to do, John."
He opens the door and picks up the envelope. "I got it. I won't fail."
"You better not. Katherine wants all of those tomb vampires dead, and I want to add two more to that list."
He opens the envelope and takes out his ring, placing it on his finger. "Let me guess."
"Stefan and Damon. I don't want this life for her."
"That was always part of the plan. Consider them gone."
"She's our daughter, John. We owe that to her."
"I know." He hangs up.
At the Grill, Caroline and Bonnie sit at a table. "So you're not going to tell me what happened?" Caroline asks.
"I did something bad, Caroline, and I lied about it." Bonnie tells her.
"To who?"
"To Elena. I pretended to do something I didn't really do."
"What are you talking about?"
"I couldn't do what she wanted me to do. It wasn't right. Grams would have never done it, so I couldn't either. But when Elena finds out, she's never gonna forgive me."