Jeremy had waved off Elena's concerns and her insistence that he move into the boarding house. He and Matt figured they needed some distance from the vampire crowd in order to keep some perspective on the situation.
"Are you sure he'll talk to you?" Matt asked as they walked through the cemetery.
"No, but I'm going to try anyway. Alex likes to play things close to the vest." Jeremy said. "I don't think she means to leave people in the dark about things but she does. "
"Yeah I noticed. " Matt was still disillusioned where she was concerned. He felt like an outsider looking in on all of it. He always had, even when he was (Sometimes literally) neck deep in it all. "I think she's still thinking of us as kids."
"Probably. She is a teacher after all." Jeremy grinned "Sometimes I think she thinks Stefan and Damon are kids too."
Matt laughed a little "We'll she's right about Damon anyway. QUestion is does that make their relationship as whacked out as when Damon was chasing Elena?"
"Not quite. I think she was still within a normal mortal life span when she met Damon. Definitely a cougar though." It was good to joke about something. It took the edge off. "THey work though."
"Sometimes I think they're too much alike under the skin." Matt admitted.
"You're still pissed about Rebekah." Jeremy sighed.
"She wasn't even involved."
"Remember last year?" Jeremy asked.
"I don't still blame her for my truck going over the bridge." Matt said with a sigh.
"Not that. When Rebekah turned Damon over to the guy that tortured him." Jeremy said. "Thats why she targeted Rebekah. Besides, Necromancers are no better than vampires." Or witches, he thought. "They still have that one step removed from normal human behavior thing going on."
"They don't have to." Matt said. "They were all human once, Alex technically still is."
"If I lived that long I can't promise what I'd become. None of us can." Jeremy said stopping at the grave site of Giuseppe Salvatore.
He concentrated, using the techniques Rose and Alexandra had taught him to call forth a spirit.
Stefan and Damon's father stood leaning against the tombstone, arms folded. "You're the Gilbert boy." He said looking Jeremy up and down.
"Yeah. Thats me. I'd like to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind."
"Polite too." He said smiling a little. "What do you want to know?"
"How to destroy your wife." Jeremy said bluntly.
Giuseppe raised an eyebrow.
Damon handed Alex a champagne glass and eased into the hot sudsy water. "When this is over, we're out of here." He said firmly. "We'll take a world tour or something. Try every wine ever made, visit every romantic place ever built."
"Will it make you forget?" Alexandra asked as she turned in the tub, resting back against Damon's chest. "you forget I know you too well. You aren't made for backing down. "
"No. I was made to be tapped like a beer keg." he said, setting aside the glass and closing his arms around her. He'd wondered why his mother had married a man like his father. She was a Medici. Her previous husbands included Sforza, Andreassi... families both politically and magically powerful. Then there was Salvatore. No city being ruled back home, necromancer nobodies... and then she went and married the misfire. It hadn't made sense until now. She'd wanted a nothing son with a minimal amount of power or prestige so that she could bleed him dry when the time came.
"Damon... thats not going to happen." Alex told him. "We won't let it."
"When she's ready you won't be able to stop her. We both know that." His mother was much older than Alexandra. Power increased with age in Necromancers as well as vampires. Apparently it went up with use too and Alex didn't live for her powers. One of the many things he liked about her. "So when it does happen, I want you to take Stefan and Elena and get them out of her reach."
"I can't stop her alone. But I wont be alone. WE won't be alone, Damon. I won't abandon you and neither will your brother."
"I want you to." He said.
"We're not getting into this."
Damon let it drop. He'd talk to Stefan later. He wouldn't let either of them be trapped in town with their mother when it happened. "So tell me about Elijah." He said changing the subject. "How did you pull that off and why hasn't his family burned this place to the ground in retaliation?"
"Because they don't know. He doesn't even know. " She said and smiled a little. "I lured him out to the property just before Stefan and I went to New Orleans. Used the blood I'd taken the last time we'd all failed to get along." she said. "It almost didn't work. " She admitted. "THe only way I maintain any control at all is that I made him forget that it happened. He doesn't fight so much when he thinks its his own idea. "
Damon whistled lowly. "That has to be a first. They were too mellow about your promise to rock their world to have ever been bound before. So what happens if you take another thrall?" He asked. "I could sense Henry through the bond when you took him on. Elijah would get that sense too."
"I don't know. I'm stuck in this situation of having a tiger by the tail. " She said with a nervous laugh. If I reverse the rite he will know and I expect the war will start again in full force and we can't fight a war on two fronts."
"Is that why you didn't bond Stefan while in New Orleans?"
SHe shook her head. "I didn't really think about that." She said honestly."His reactions are too extreme. I don't think he'd do well if bonded. I think he'd become like Henry very quickly."
"Then we have to come up with some excuse to get him out of town before this all hits the fan."
Alexandra nodded. "I agree. We'll need a wild goose chase to send him on. Something that won't resolve quickly."
"I'll figure something out. I know my brother. It would have to be pretty major to get him to leave."
Matt sighed as he leaned the last of the willow against the wall in the basement of the Gilbert house.
"And the Rowan." Giuseppe said.
"We're getting there." Jeremy said, glowering at the ghost.
"She has a witch working with her. SHe's always had a witch working with her. " Giuseppe said. "You have to block her as well."
Jeremy rolled his eyes and headed up to grab an arm load of rowan branches. "Good thing we scavenged this from the crypt." Otherwise they would have been up half the night just collecting the crap.
"Are you sure we can trust him?" Matt asked. "I mean he did shoot his own sons. Maybe he was in on it all along."
"Nope. BUt right now he's the one most likely to know how to deal with her. Can't blame him for wanting to be safe behind willow boughs before talking though."
"Yeah but does he have to move in with us?"
Jeremy laughed. "Just into the basement. We'll keep him out of the main house with a salt line." One of those tricks to keep ghosts out that he'd picked up from reading Jonathan Gilbert's journals.
"Are we sure that even works?"
"Yeah. I asked Ric to test it for me. He's not happy about being locked out but we can meet outside or something. If we're going to do this we need to be sure we're not being spied on."
"Yeah I know. Its just... he shot his own sons." Matt said.
"ANd you helped Sheriff Forbes almost kill Caroline. They were vampires." He said "Everyone was convinced that all vampires were evil."
"they weren't vampires until he shot them." Matt pointed out, but fell silent as they entered the cellar once more.
Elena leaned against Stefan as they sat on the sofa. The house was getting full as everyone settled in Tyler and Caroline had the bedroom between theirs and Damon's. There was some tension going on in that relationship. Elena promised herself that she'd talk to her friend about it. They were planning to visit Bonnie the following day anyway. It was a good time to talk.
She wasn't sure what she thought of Joshua. He was interesting to say the least. She'd expected someone less dialled in to the vampire world. She knew that was an unreasonable expectation. Especially for anyone named Salvatore. It amused her that he was dating Sheriff Forbes although she could have sworn there was some sort of tension between him and Dr. Fell.
There were more people coming later that night. Alexandra's sister and sister in law and another witch. Another Bennett Witch. Maybe she could help Bonnie, or at least be family for her. She'd tried talking Damon into undoing his compulsion. His response wasn't worth repeating.
"You look lost." Stefan said as he stroked her hair.
She smiled. "Just thinking about all the changes, all the people living here now. "
"Its going to be a full house. " Stefan nodded. "Witches, vampires and a necromancer."
"And Josh." Elena said. "So what are your new brothers like?"
"Hard to say. Marco is pretty badly wounded. I couldn't tell you much about him really. He was a little defensive. Not that I blame him. "
"Is he a vampire hater?"
"He's not happy that Damon and I were turned but I don't know his attitude about vampires in general." Stefan said, not sure how he felt about the necromancers either. "Cassander is... I don't know... protective of his brother I guess. He was worried that we were going to hurt him even though he didn't say it we could tell. So I guess we're the family equivalent of pit bulls or something."
"Big loveable puppies with a dangerous rep and a potential for violence? Okay Damon I can see as a pit bull but not you."
"I think you like to forget my less than appealing traits." Stefan smiled as he spoke. "Not sure how I feel about you thinking Damon is a big loveable puppy though." He teased.
Elena swatted him playfully. "you know exactly what to think about that." She smiled as she snuggled in closer.
"Yes I do." Stefan said. He trusted Elena. He trusted Damon now that he was in love with someone else and not staring longingly after Elena. He'd been right all along. Damon's fixation with Elena was because he had held on to the hope and illusion of Katherine for so long. Not that he was truly over Katherine, Stefan felt that he was over Elena too.
He hoped.
"What are we going to do?" she asked turning to face her fiance'.
"I don't know." He said. "Part of me wants to pack the car and take you as far away from here as we can go. But we can't leave everyone here to face whatever it is my mother is up to."
"WHat if they're right and she's figured out a way to enthrall every vampire out there?" Elena doubted everyone would be as lucky as Damon had been.
"Then we'll stop her. Ruin her plans some how. We'll think of something." He said, hoping to reassure her. He couldn't promise though.
"Okay. We'll," She took a deep breath and let it out "We'll find a way to stop them. " She said with a conviction she didn't yet feel. "I just feel like this whole situation is out of our hands."
"Right now it is. It won't always be. We haven't always come out on top but we've always come through. That's not going to change."
Katherine bundled up in the hotel bathrobe and towel dried her hair. The soul stone hung on its chain around her neck where it would stay, only removable by magic. "you had me worried you know."
Sephira shrugged. "It had to look good. You don't cross a Sauveterre and a Salvatore in the same breath. Not if you want to take the next one."
"Come morning I'll be out of your hair and you can go back to doing whatever it was you were planning to do."
"If you're not at the rendezvous point, I'll summon that little bauble you have around your neck until it pops your head off trying to get to me." Sephira said bluntly.
Katherine glared at her. "What makes you think that I won't just kill you in your sleep to avoid that fate?" WHy did everyone forget she was actually a powerful vampire?
"Because if you do then you'll spend all of eternity with Klaus dangling from your neck. It will become the one thing you can't hide or hide from. The one constant in your never ending existence will be Klaus Mikaelson."
"You're a bitch, you know that." Katherine said flopping down in the nearest chair. "Fine I'll be at your rendezvous point. I still think its a bad idea but okay."
"Its not a bad idea. Its the only idea that will keep anyone from sacrificing Klaus to the ritual."
Katherine rolled her eyes. "Fine but you better keep up your end of the bargain too or none of this is going to work."
"It'll work. "
Tyler entered his mothers home without knocking. He might have moved out but it was still his home. He still had a room there and more of his things resided within than at the boarding house. "Mom?" he called out.
"In here honey." She called from the living room, and continued speaking in a quieter voice that he couldn't understand.
"What?" He asked as he followed the sound of her voice into the parlor, stopping short at the door, dark eyes widening.
"Tyler honey, come here. I'd like you to meet Mrs. Andreassi. Lena this is my son Tyler."
Madelena held out her hand to Tyler and smiled. "Its nice to meet you." She said, letting the italian accent of her youth color her words .
There was a moments hesitation before his hand reached hers to shake it. "Yeah I guess." He said, looking between the woman and his mother.
"Tyler," Carol said.
"Sorry... I ahm... need to get a few things out of my room." he said.
"I apologize Lena, you'll have to forgive my son. " Carol said laughing. "I'll go get that for you. I won't be but a minute." she followed her son up the stairs. "WHat has gotten into you?" She asked him quietly.
"WHy is she here?" He asked.
"She's doing research. Italian families in the old south. We have a few things in the historical societies archives for her. The Savatores aren't the only italian family in the region at the time. "
"So she's not asking about the Salvatores or any artifacts?" Tyler asked, pausing at his bedroom door.
"No honey, she's not. Don't worry. I know what to look out for." She said. "She's just looking into some old photographs and journals. Nothing of a paranormal nature."
"okay. Just be careful."
Carol caresse her son's dark hair. "Don't run off just yet. I want you to take the box down stairs and out to her car for her. "
"Yeah alright. I'll be here when you need me." He said, brow furrowing. Tyler went into his room and sat down on his bed. He took out his cell phone and stared at it. He pulled up his contacts and Caroline's information and stared at the picture there, his thumb caressing her face. He sighed and pressed call.
He closed his eyes and sighed once more as the phone went to voice mail. "Hey, its me. I'm gonna stay here at Mom's for a few days. She's still pretty shaken up by it all. She shouldn't be alone right now. I'll be home in a few days. YOu go ahead and stay there. I love you."
"Tyler?"
"Coming, Mom." He stepped out into the hall and took the box from his mother's hands.
"THank you. Where's Caroline?" She asked.
"She's back at the boarding house. I'm staying here for a few days." Tyler said as they walked down the stairs.
"Is everything okay with the two of you?"
He nodded. "We're great, Mom. I just don't like the thought of leaving you alone with everything going on."
"You don't have to do that, but I'm grateful that you are." Carol said.
Madelena waited at the bottom of the stairs, looking up expectantly. "I do appreciate this, Carol. It will aid my research immensely." She smiled at Tyler. "Would you mind walking that out to my car?"
"I can do that." He said, knowing there was no choice. He didn't know if she was there to actually get what ever the junk was in this box or if she was there to prove that she could walk into his mothers home any time she wanted.
"Thank you," Carol told her son and continued down the stairs and into the parlor.
Tyler didn't say anything as he led the way outside and toward the car. As he had expected there was a driver waiting. Probably one of the men that had invaded the Founders Ball.
"Just remember how important it is that you say nothing about who I am or what I'm doing." Madelena said.
The driver got out and opened the trunk for Tyler.
He sighed. "I said I'd keep my mouth shut." he grumbled. "What is all of this anyway?"
"Nothing for you to worry about." Madelena said, "Is my son recovering well?" She asked.
"What do you care?" Tyler asked after putting the box in the trunk and stepping away from. "No, he's not. He's Damon. He'll survive. He'll eat someone and eventually get over it. ."