A/N: hold on folks it's a long one


Clara and Damon had spent the whole day in bed together celebrating the end of their tiff. They were currently brainstorming their new secret codeword...

"Kalamazoo?"Clara suggested.

Damon thought for a second, "Hmm no, Cunnilingus?"

Clara shook her head, "no. Apricots?"

"no, pompoir?" Damon pitched.

"do all your suggestions have to be sexual?" Clara asked.

"yes." Damon said as if it was obvious.

Stefan knocked on their door before poking his head in,

"Sorry, but everyone's here... you know the Kill Katherine meeting, we're just waiting on you."

Clara nodded getting up, "We'll be right down Stef."

Stefan closes the door and heads downstairs.

"To be continued." Clara tells him as she heads to the bathroom.

Damon pouts, "But I just thought of the perfect codeword...Clara?...It was monkey-Slut btw... that means by the way fyi... fyi means-"

Damon's rambling is cut off, when Clara emerges from the bathroom refreshed and changed,

"I know what FYI means, your not my only 21st century tutor anymore."

Damon rolls his eyes, "right, Caroline." he grumbles still not loving this new friendship between the teen blonde and his wife.

"Come on hurry up." She says moving towards the door.

"Yeah yeah I'll meet you down there." Damon says

As Clara moved downstairs she could here Stefan and Elena argue,

"she burned my house down! If anyone is killing her, it's going to be me!"

"I'm sorry but your human... we only have one shot... it's too risky." Stefan countered.

"it's not like I'll be on my own against her you and Damon will be there to help." Elena said not backing down,

"and me..." Clara says joining their pow wow, "but if anyone is ending that bitch tonight, it's gonna be me."

Damon comes down joining everyone,

"you're all wrong, the honor of killing the wicked witch will be mine."

Stefan rolls his eyes, "before we decide on who delivers the fatal blow we need a plan that'll work."

The bell rings and Bonnie arrives.

"I'm here, why did Caroline call me over?" She asks.

Clara looks around, "wait, where is Caroline,"

Caroline appears from the basement drinking a blood bag, "I'm here, just getting my strength up."

Bonnie looks to Stefan and Elena, "someone want to tell me what's going on?"

Caroline explains that Katherine is demanding the moonstone back at the Masquerade ball tonight or the town will be torn apart until is "rains blood."

Stefan explains, "She wants to do it in public. 'Killing' Mason threw her off guard."

Damon agrees, "She's running scared. What she did to Elena was desperate. She's out of tricks."

"We can't underestimate her. We have to play this smarter than her." Stefan adds.

"Can we just give her the moonstone so she'll leave?" Caroline asks.

"No, Katherine's not getting dick. I've had it. I'm gonna go to the masquerade ball and I'm gonna kill her, tonight." Damon declares,

"You're not gonna kill her." Stefan tells his brother,

Damon turns to him, "Yes I am, I came to town to kill her, I opened the tomb to kill her, if anyone is sticking a stake through her cold dead heart tonight its going to be me, and don't give me that goody-goody crap."

"You're not gonna kill her." Stefan repeats again.

Damon raises his eyebrows challengingly, "Really?"

Stefan nods, "Because I am. She won't expect me to, she'll be looking at you or Clara to make a move not me,"

"He has a point," Clara said

Damon wasn't happy he might not get to deliver the final blow but whatever ended Katherine for good he would get on board for.

Alaric arrives carrying a large duffle bag, he shows off his latest vampire killing toys and helps arms everyone up.

Bonnie makes eye contact with Stefan and silently communicates she wants to talk to him alone, the two go off into the Kitchen,

"Everything alright?"

"I don't know, Stefan. Are you really sure this is smart... going against Katherine with so many people around?" Bonnie asks worried.

Stefan sighed knowing it was going to be risky but it was a risk they needed to take, "Katherine loves me, right? She trusts that I'm not gonna try something in a crowd full of innocent people so that gives me an edge. I could catch her by surprise. We have to try, it could be our only shot, but any help you can give to lower the risks, I'am all ears."

"I could do a spell to trap her, like the tomb spell." Bonnie suggests

Stefan nods, "Right. We can isolate her, away from the others. Please Bonnie."

"Okay." Bonnie agrees.

The two make their way back to the group to fill them in on the new component of their plan.

"Are you sure you guys don't want me there tonight?" Alaric asks Damon,

"Yeah, if she sees you, she'll know we're making a move against her," Alaric nods understanding,

"Alright, if anybody wants to back out, I'll understand." Stefan says

"Yeah. Cold feet speak now. I don't want this going wrong if someone chicken's out. Caroline?" Damon checks with the newest member of the Scooby gang.

"I won't. Look, she killed me. Fair's fair. As long as there's no werewolf running around." Caroline said

"Mason won't come back until I ask him to." Clara soothed

"And as long as Tyler doesn't kill anyone, he won't turn. Bonnie? Are you with us?" Stefan double checks.

[Long pause.]

Bonnie nods but adds, "But no one gets hurt."

"Except Katherine. Tonight Katherine gets a stake through her heart." Damon says.

They all nod agreeing this ends tonight.

Elena is hanging with Alaric tonight because everyone convinced her she couldn't show her face at the same party Katherine was at it would raise too many questions, the two of them are using the time to train her so she can better defend herself.

Damon Stefan and Clara are outside the Lockwood Mansion, Clara is wearing a grey cocktail dress with a gold necklace connected to the dress's strap,

They are looking around for Katherine,

"Do you see her?" Damon asks out of the side of his mouth,

"Nope. You're sure you can do this?" Stefan checks

"Restrain myself from jumping the gun to take her out my way? I guess we'll find out." Damon says,

Clara has more faith in her husband, "You can do this, I believe in you... Katherine will try to manipulate all of us based on what she knows, how we think... how we feel, the only way tonight succeeds is if we take emotions out of it."

Stefan nods, "agreed, Damon?"

Damon rolls his eyes, "fine, whatever agreed, let's just get this show on the road,"

"okay." They agree, they all split up going different ways through the party to find tonight's mark,

Stefan is on the dance floor, alone. He sees Katherine walking down the stairs a long distance away. Then Katherine suddenly appears behind him.

"Dance with me." she demands, not asks.

"No." Stefan declines.

Katherine narrows her eyes, "Fine then tell me who I should kill. Him? Hmm, she looks delicious."

Stefan offers her his arm relenting to her demand, she links her arm in his and follows him as they begin to dance

"It's a beautiful night." She remarks

"Why the charade?" Stefan asks not allowing her to distract him.

"How's Elena? I thought she'd be mid breakdown right now, all those pictures of mommy and daddy... I certainly didn't expect her to bounce back from that."

Stefan remembers what Clara said and stops himself from showing how Katherine is getting to him and tries instead to play on HER emotions... the few she has anyway,

"Katherine?" He asks low

"Uh?"

He looks at her intently using what Caroline calls his novel romance stare, "I don't want anyone to get hurt tonight... I don't want you to get hurt tonight."

Katherine smiles, "Sweet but I can look our for myself, I've been doing it for 500 years but if your worried about people getting caught in the crossfire then just give me the moonstone and nobody will get hurt."

"Well, you see, I don't have the moonstone on me. So, you and I will have to go get it together." Stefan explains.

"Hmm. I have a better plan. You go fetch it and I will try not to kill anyone in the meantime."

Stefan calls her bluff, "My way or you don't get it."

but she wasn't bluffing, Aimee came by to compliment 'Elena' and Katherine snapped her spine and then killed her right in the middle of the dance floor.

She throws Aimee's body in Stefan's arms,

"The moonstone, Stefan. Tick tock."

Stefan is horrified and is tempted to call the whole thing off, but rationalizes the longer Katherine lives the more people she will kill, Aimee is proof Katherine's reign or terror needs to be ended.

[Stefan and Damon are in an empty room.]

"I put the body in the trunk for now... where's Clara," Stefan asks

"Fine, we'll dump her when we get back, and Clara's working a hunch, don't worry about her."

"This is exactly what I didn't want, Damon." Stefan says feeling sick over what happened to Aimee.

"I know but tonight it ends, we can do it together. I got your back. All right?" Damon reassures his brother.

"All right." Stefan looks down at his phone and sends the text to Bonnie telling her its a go,

[Elsewhere Katherine is walking. Lucy joins her.]

"You didn't tell me there was another witch here."

Katherine plays dumb, "Didn't I?"

"No, you didn't. No one is supposed to know I'm involved. This changes things, Katherine."

Katherine turns to her, "This changes nothing. You're here because you owe your dear friend a favor. You wouldn't want to lose my friendship now, would you?"

Carol Lockwood approaches,

"Oh Elena dear, Stefan asked me to pass along a message,"

Katherine plays along acting like sweet innocent hopeless Elena, "oh did he, what is it?"

"He wants you to meet him at the edge of the lake by the woods. Such a romantic young man, you are very lucky."

Katherine smiles, "Thank you Mrs. Lockwood, and yes I am." She sees Caroline walking across the room and narrows her eyes,

Caroline receives a text from Damon reading "Your turn." She walks through an empty part of the manor and goes to open a door but Katherine arrives, grabs Caroline's wrist and pushes her against the wall.

"What are Stefan and Damon up to?"

"What do you mean?" Caroline asks acting scared and confused,

"I've got lady mayor luring me out to the lake. What's going on?" Katherine demands to know.

"I don't know..."

[She chokes her against the wall]

"Don't lie to me, Caroline. They're up to something, what is it?"

"I..."

[She chokes her harder.]

Caroline pretends to break, "Wait, no, no, no! Okay. They're trying to kill you."

Katherine rolls her eyes, "I figured as much. Where is the moonstone?"

"Bonnie has it."

"And where is Bonnie right now?"

"I don't know." Caroline tells her annoyed,

[Katherine chokes her again, raising her off the ground.]

"Okay. She's upstairs, she's upstairs!"

[Katherine is now dragging a sobbing Caroline upstairs.]

"Why do you keep dragging me into this? I don't want any part of it."

"Shut up!" Katherine tells her tired of her simpering.

[They are in front of a door.]

"Which room is it?" Katherine asks,

"It's that one." Caroline points,

[She goes into the room. Caroline stays outside.]

"Where is she?"

[Caroline's sobbing turns into a chuckle.]

"I did it! I really didn't think that I'd be able to fool you but I did it!"

Clara comes out from down the hallway, "I told you, you could!" she tells her proudly,

[Katherine rushes over but she can't leave the room. She's trapped.]

"What the...? Stefan?"

[He's in the room too. He has a stake in his hand.]

"Hello Katherine."

"Goodbye Katherine." Clara says gloating from outside, she and Caroline leave.

"You don't really think that you can kill me with that now, do you?" Katherine says condescendingly to Stefan,

"No, but he can."

[Damon walks out the closet holding the compressed air weapon. He shoots Katherine. The stake goes in her back. At the same time across town Elena screams. She's hurt like Katherine. Alaric pulls out his phone and starts texting everyone, Clara gets the message and immediately runs back to the room, Stefan rushes over to Katherine and drives the stake through her arm. Elena screams...]

Katherine tries to stake Damon but Stefan grabs her by behind, they fall on the floor with her and choke her from behind. She can't move. Damon rushes over and is about to kill her when Clara shouts,

"Stop! You're hurting Elena! Everything you're doing to her is hurting Elena!"

[Damon stops. He's surprised. Katherine smiles as Stefan releases her and she gets up.]

"You think you two are the only ones with a witch on your side? Wrong and something tells me that my witch is better than your witch."

[She takes the stake from Damon's hands. Damon and Stefan look at Clara.]

"How did you-" Stefan starts to ask,

"Rick just texted..." Clara explains holding up her phone,

Damon squints his eyes, "What's Rick doing with your phone number?"

"Is that really the most important thing right now, Damon?" Stefan asks his brother,

Clara's phone beeps and she lets out a sigh of relief, "She's okay it stopped."

But Katherine's not done having her fun, "Let's all make sure poor Elena is okay. Just a little bit more pressure."

[She cuts her hand with the stake. Elena is hurt too. She screams. Stefan hits Katherine's hand and throws the stake on the floor.]

Caroline getting the same text finds Bonnie and they are rushing to Alaric to help Elena,

Katherine takes the stake and is about to drive it through her stomach.

"This is really gonna hurt."

"Wait!" Damon stops her

[She sits down on the couch.]

"Okay. So, how about that moonstone?" Katherine asks feeling she has finally shown every one who is really the dominate here.

Bonnie and Caroline arrive at Rick's and Bonnie is trying to take Elena's pain away.

"The girl I saw, the one inside! She has to be a witch, Katherine must have linked herself with Elena," Bonnie says, she turns to Caroline, "Stay with her, keep pressure on her shoulder!"

"Where are you going?"

"To find that witch and get her to put a stop to this."

[Katherine, Damon and Stefan are trapped in the room.]

"The three of us together just like old times. The brother that didn't love me enough and the one who refused to love me at all." Katherine says slinking around the room.

"And the evil vampire slut who only loved herself." Stefan added,

Katherine tilts her head, "What happened to you Stefan? You used to be so sweet and polite."

"Oh, that Stefan died a long time ago." he tells her,

"Good. He was a bore."

Damon rolls his eyes, "Oh, why don't you two stop antagonizing each other?"

"Where is the moonstone?" Katherine asks again,

Stefan looks at her suspiciously, "What do you want with it?"

Katherine ignores the question, "Does Elena enjoy having both of you worship at her alter? Or is Clara that's managed to snare both of your attentions?"

[Stefan looks at Damon and then looks at her.]

"That was really desperate, Katherine. Don't you think that we can see right through you? Just stop it."

"Or what? You'll hurt me?"

[She gets up.]

"Come on, Stefan. Everything that I feel, Elena feels, so go ahead."

[She looks at Damon.]

"Or better yet, kiss me Damon. She'll feel that too."

"You know, this whole Mason thing has me a bit confused. Why a werewolf? The moonstone can break a curse that would help them destroy all vampires so what's in that for you?" Stefan asks,

Damon smirks, "Sorry about your pet wolf, probably should have kept him on a tighter leash."

"I'll have to remember that for next time. He's not the only wolf in town." Katherine says smiling back,

Meanwhile Downstairs:

[Sarah, Tyler and Matt are in Tyler's dad's office.]

"So, what happened to Aimee?" Sarah asks

"I don't know, she disappeared." Matt adds

Tyler shrugs "She's probably drunk somewhere."

"Like me." Matt comments,

[He pours alcohol on the floor.]

"Whoa, don't do that." Tyler tells him

"What man? It's a party."

[He takes the picture of Carol and Richard and looks at it.]

"Right, dad? You know, looks like your dad wants a drink."

[He pours alcohol on the picture.]

Tyler is shocked by Matt's behavior, "Hey, that's not cool. What's wrong with you?"

Matt keeps getting more and more belligerent pushing Tyler into a fight,

"I'm not gonna fight you." Tyler tells him,

Matt throws a punch, Clara who has been hanging around downstairs waiting for something like this comes into the room, she had been keeping close to Tyler suspicious if Katherine turned Mason she might try the same with Tyler especially if she thought Damon had 'taken care' of her first wolf. She takes out a tranq gun Alaric loaned her filled a safe amount of tranquilizers for humans- he was confused by her request but she knew Katherine would compel at least one human and this might be needed to stop them.

She pushes Matt off of Tyler and puts herself between them. She shoots the girl and then Matt before rushing over to Tyler.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Tyler shouts,

"I'm a friend of your uncle Mason's trust me it was for the best, they'll wake up in 5-8 hours with a nasty hangover but nothing too serious, come on we have to go, its not safe for you here." Clara tells him

"And you expect me to believe it's safer with you?"

"I know you don't know me and you have questions... questions you deserve answers to but please believe me there is a reason Matt wasn't acting like himself, a horrible woman got in his head and he wasn't gong to stop until he pushed you to kill him,"

"Activating my curse?" Tyler says connecting the dots.

"You know?" Clara asks surprised,

"A little, but what about Sarah?"

"You want to explain all this to her?" Clara asks with her eyebrows raised.

Tyler sees her point, "No, I guess not... thanks."

Clara takes Tyler to the Grill and answers all his questions over burgers.

Back upstiars:

Damon, Katherine and Stefan are still in the room.

"Damn it! Where is that witch?" Damon says frustrated it's taking so long.

"We could play charades." Katherine suggests

"You bargained the moonstone." Stefan says

Damon looks to his brother, "What are you mumbling about over there?"

"When you struck a deal with George Lockwood, to help you fake your death and send Clara into the tomb in your place... you told me that you gave George something that he needed. It was the moonstone, wasn't it?"

"Good for you, Stefan. Two plus two...And it would have worked except that people found out that I wasn't in the tomb."

[She looks at Damon.]

"Thanks to you, by the way. Have I mentioned how inconvenient your obsession with me has been?"

"Have I mentioned how rewarding my taste for vengeance has been... it lead me back to my wife. I wonder what gutting you will yield me?"

"Why do you need it back?" Stefan asks

once again Katherine ignores the question, "I love you in a suit, so dashing."

"What were you doing with it in the first place?"

"You're wasting your breath, Stefan." Damon tells his brother.

But Stefan keeps going, "Unless it wasn't yours to begin with. In 1864 you faked your death. Who were you running from, Katherine?"

"In 1987 you were in Chicago, at a concert of all places with that wench, Lexi. Come on Stefan, don't look so surprised. Of course I checked in on you over the years. You were standing in the front row, dancing all night. You were watching Bon Jovi and I was watching you."

"Who were you running from?" Stefan asks her again not letting her distract him.

[Katherine doesn't answer but mouths "I love you" to Stefan.]

Meanwhile Downstairs:

Bonnie is back and she is looking for Lucy. She finally finds her Bonnie follows her to the dining room.

"You looking for me?"

"Who are you?" Bonnie asks not understanding why she feels connected to this stranger,

"Lucy."

"What are you doing here?"

"I should have known I'd run into a Bennett." Lucy remarks,

"How do you know me?"

"You figure it out. Look, I have no interest in fighting you."

"Then stop the spell you put on my friend." Bonnie demands,

"Give Katherine the moonstone and I will."

Bonnie shakes her head, "Why are you helping Katherine? Don't you know what she is?"

"Tell your friends to hand over the moonstone and all will be groovy."

"You're not leaving this room until you stop the spell!" Bonnie warns

"Look, I don't want to hurt you." Lucy tried to intimidate her,

"I don't want to hurt you." But Bonnie's not backing down,

"Look, I don't have a choice. The bitch saved my life and now I owe her. I have to pay up."

[Bonnie grabs her wrist.]

"You have the moonstone. I can sense it on you."

[She grabs Bonnie's forearms. The room shakes, the lights flicker.]

"Do you feel that? You can trust me. Give it to me, it's okay."

Back upstairs:

[Damon is pouring himself a glass of scotch.]

Katherine whines, "We're missing the party. I'll have one of those."

Damon mimics the voice of a servant boy, "Right away Miss Katherine."

"Learn that from your wife?" Katherine jabs,

[Damon grinds his teeth and gives her a glass.]

"Thank you." She drinks and he grabs her and pushes her against the wall. He tries to stake her but Stefan stops him.

"No, no! Damon, don't!"

Katherine smirks, "Yes, Damon, please."

Damon looks at her, "The second the spell is lifted, I'm gonna drive a stake right through your heart."

"God, you're hot. When did you get so hot?"

[Lucy arrives. She has the moonstone in her hand.]

"Katherine, the spell on this room has been broken, you're free to leave."

Katherine gets up, "Thank God."

"When I hand this over my debt to you is over." Lucy clarifies,

"Done."

"I owe you nothing."

Katherine is getting frustrated, "I said done. Give it."

"I wouldn't do that." Damon warns,

Lucy gives her the moonstone. When Katherine touches it, she can't breathe

"You should have told me another witch was involved. She's a Bennett witch, Katherine, but I'm sure you knew that."

Stefan panics, "Wait, Elena!"

"Elena's fine." Lucy tells him as Katherine still struggling for breath falls on the floor.

"The spell is broken. She'll heal quickly, Bonnie's with her."

[Katherine is suffocating.]

"I apologize for my involvement." Lucy tells them before she leaves.

Outside:

Alaric drives Caroline and Elena back to the Lockwood mansion, Caroline wanting to see if Katherine is dead and Elena needing to see Stefan,

Stefan rushes to her the second she's out of the car, "Elena!"

"I'm okay, I'm okay. Bonnie took away the pain and I think I'm healing."

Stefan looks her over checking, "I know but I think you should definitely see a doctor anyway."

Elena nods "I will. I heard about Katherine, is it true? Is she really gone?"

Stefan finally starts to relax "Yeah, Damon is placing her in the tomb... I was so worried about you."

Stefan moves to kiss Elena but she pulls back, "What's wrong?" he asks.

"I want to be with you, Stefan, you know that but I also miss Jenna and Jeremy and I want to know that the people that I love are safe. I need to feel safe. Do you understand?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I...I understand. You should go see them, Katherine's gone now, it'll be safe for them to come back."

"Except we no longer have a house."

"I'm sorry," he tells her,

"Its not your fault I just can't be in this town, not for a while at least." She looks at him regretfully but leaves telling Rick she wants to walk back.

Elsewhere:

Katherine wakes up in the tomb. The moonstone is on the floor, next to her. She takes it. She gets up and tries to leave but she's trapped. Damon arrives.

"Hello Katherine."

"Where am I?" Katherine asks afraid of the answer,

"Where you should have been all along. I thought you'd have learned your lesson by now, messing with a Bennett witch."

Katherine narrows her eyes, "You should have killed me."

"Death would have been too kind, now your gonna know exactly what Clara felt when you sent her here in your place, I'll be sure to check on you in another 150 years or so. toodles." He goes to close the tomb door.

"No, Damon, don't. Damon, don't. You need me, Elena's in danger."

"From who?"

[She doesn't answer.]

"You're lying, you're always lying."

"Why do you think I haven't killed her? Because she's the doppelgänger. She needs to be protected."

"Then Stefan Clara and I will protect her, while you rot in hell."

[He closes the door.]

"No, Damon, don't! I'll do anything, please. Damon! You need me! Damon! You need me! You need me!"

[The door is closed; she cries and hits the door very hard. Nothing happens and she drops to the ground in terror.]

On the walk home Elena takes out her phone and calls Jeremy telling him she's coming to see him and Jenna but something heavy hits her over the head knocking her unconscious, she drops her phone and Jeremy is shouting into the phone for Elena to answer him.