Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

A/N: Anastasia Gilbert – Petra Cubonova.

Chapter 36:

The exposure of Isobel standing so nonchalantly on their doorstep conjured an eerie silence. Anastasia subtly flinched at the onslaught of turbulent and panic-stricken thoughts that were attacking her from Elena's end, and, unable to stomach her hysterics at the moment, she instead directed the full force of her telepathy on Jenna, proudly noting how at ease her aunt currently was, her thoughts calm and calculating.

"Hello, Elena," Isobel gently smiled, genuinely creeping Anastasia out with her affable demeanor in contrast to their previous rendezvous. "Anastasia," she nodded her head in acknowledgement to the feisty blonde, "It's good to see you again."

Like a frightened lamb, Elena took a step back, wide doe-eyes meeting Jenna's flinty stare, confusion coloring her features when Jenna failed to freak out and simply crossed her arms; Jenna's gig had definitely reached fruition with the arrival of the essential lie Elena and Alaric fed her, standing expectantly on the doorstep, most probably awaiting an invitation. Inwardly, Anastasia entertained the notion of stepping in, but then, as an afterthought, and a slightly sadistic one at that, the blonde decided to let Elena struggle her way out of the grave she dug on her own; after all, eventually, lies always had a tendency of catching up with you, and it was time for Elena to face the music – Anastasia counted herself lucky for managing to achieve front-row seats.

When Elena failed to offer an explanation, Isobel spoke up, dark orbs assessing Jenna, "So you're the woman who's dating my husband-" and not giving her the opportunity to speak up for herself, the vampire continued, eyes flickering between her daughters, "-I need to speak with Anastasia and Elena. May I come in?"

Those appeared to be the magic words, for Elena recovered usage of her vocal cords and she pounced, resolutely stepping forward, "N-no! Don't! Don't invite her in."

Calmly, her voice heavy with disapproval and a dollop of disdain, Jenna said, "I have no intention of inviting another vampire into my house, Elena. Not when you've taken it in stride to label this house as a vampire hotspot. I'm in no rush to add another onto the list, thank you." Elena sucked in a sharp intake of breath, eyes threatening to bulge out of their sockets in immense shock, the sound commingling with Isobel's irritated grunt and Anastasia's bark of laughter.

"What is going on in here?" as though summoned, John, sporting a mild case of bedhead, hurriedly descended the stairs and joined the congregation by the front door, eyes instantly widening at the unanticipated visitor. "Isobel? Why are you here?"

"John. I'm here for a do-over," Isobel's complete attention was focused on John, trying to convey her intentions with her eyes. "I have information-" her gaze swiftly flickered towards Jenna before returning to John's, " -delicate information."

Anastasia's posture turned rigid, and she straightened her stance, her mind whirring as she attempted to get a read on Isobel, to no avail; she really needed to learn how to get a handle on her telepathic ability. While John and Jenna absorbed the weight behind Isobel's statement, Elena however, proved how utterly daft she truly was by bounding forward, intending to slam the door in Isobel's face.

Reflexes sharp, John's hand shot out, halting the door in its movements. Before Elena could start bickering, Jenna cut in, "Well then, spit it out. And don't edit anything. I'm already up to speed on everything that's been going on around here."

"What?!" Elena gasped, all hostility melting into shock. Anastasia rolled her eyes, "Oh shut up, Elena!"

Seeing no other alternative, Isobel curtly nodded and upon sensing no eavesdroppers in the vicinity, parted her lips, "Since I was last here, I've been doing everything possible to find Klaus. I knew my best chance at keeping Elena alive was to find him before he could find her."

"Where you able to find Klaus?" Anastasia sharply demanded in an attempt to drown out Elena's immature scream of, "You don't get to talk, okay! Not after everything you've done."

The vampire desolately shook her head, dark eyes purposely boring into her sapphire eyes, "No-" Lie! "Nobody knows where he is but there are these rumors that are flying around. That a doppelgänger exists." Jenna's trembling hand reached out and gripped Anastasia's hand to alleviate her fears. John – bless him – kept a cool head, his voice pragmatic as he declared the unspoken conclusion, "Which means any vampire that wants to get in favor with Klaus will be lining up to capture Elena."

The aforementioned doppelgänger emphatically shook her head, tone borderline hostile, "I'm not buying any of this!"

"It appears that denial isn't just a river in Egypt," Anastasia scoffed, glaring daggers at her twin who simply brushed off her sarcasm with a glare of her own before focusing on Isobel. "The last time you were here, you made it clear that you didn't give a damn about me. Now all of a sudden I'm supposed to believe that you want to help?!" in her rage, Elena seemed to have forgotten about Jenna's presence, having eyes for no one but Isobel.

"I've been helping all along," Isobel revealed, and Anastasia detected a hint of a plea in her tone. "Albeit my questionable methods, my objectives has always been to keep you protected, Elena. Klaus has been obsessed with Katherine for centuries. All it would take was any one of those vampires from the tomb to spread the word that Katharine was still alive and it would bring him straight here to Mystic Falls, where you were bound to be discovered."

Unlike for Elena, Isobel's confession was old news for Anastasia. John had already explained all the gritty details regarding Isobel's true aims despite her less than stellar techniques. Which also meant that the blonde knew Isobel's unspoken objective: protecting Katherine. And the fact that her birth mother had a strong rapport with the bitch that killed Ezra consumed her with apoplectic anger and a strong dose of hatred.

It was when Isobel reached to the crux of the matter behind her unwelcome visit – a safehouse whose deed was under Elena's name for protection – did Anastasia get a read on Jenna's sudden epiphany, an epiphany which prompted a sly smile to appear on her face.

"You wanna help? Then stay the hell away from me!" Elena screeched, and she stormed up the stairs and into her room, all previous thoughts in regards to confronting Jenna about her sudden awareness of the supernatural completely escaping her mind in her hurry to create a large distance between her and Isobel.

Anastasia joined John and Jenna for much needed caffeine and a hearty breakfast earlier than usual; after having gained insight to Jenna's marvelous plan right before they turned down Isobel's offer and sent her away after Elena's dramatic exit, the blonde knew it was in everyone's best interest to make an early appearance.

She promptly signed the legal documents presented to her and the moment John tucked them away in an envelope Elena and Jeremy joined them, both of them hesitantly attempting to gauge Jenna's expression.

"There's still fresh coffee and breakfast's hot," Jenna barely spared them a glance, her tone cold.

Elena abused her innocent doe-eye look, staring beseechingly at Jenna, "Jenna, let me explain, please. I can't begin to imagine what you must be feeling right now-"

"Rage and betrayal would pretty much cover it," Jenna snapped, furious hazel eyes finally colliding with Elena's imploring gaze. "Or at least, that was my initial reaction when John and Ana informed me of everything, including all the lies you've been spoon-feeding me. But I've had a little over a month to process it all, and rage and betrayal quickly transformed to betrayed and disappointed!" She stood up, closing the distance between her, Elena and Jeremy, hands on her hips and expression apoplectic, "I cannot even begin to describe how disappointed I am in both of you! Especially you, Elena!"

Elena stubbornly crossed her arms, malicious glare burning a hole into Anastasia's forehead, "You had no right to tell Jenna anything! It's not safe for her t-"

"Excuse me!" Anastasia snapped in a downright vitriolic tone as she shot up to her feet. "I had no right? I had every right! It's not safe for Jenna not to know! Katherine already proved that when she compelled her and landed her in the hospital! But if you want to talk about having no right to do something, then I got a long list for you! You had no right to get Damon to compel me and Jeremy. Forgot that Jer?" she spat at him, taking great pleasure at his violent flinch, "Or say, how about Elena's wonderful ability to protect this family when Damon SNAPPED YOUR NECK! Or when he snapped Uncle John's neck, huh? And both times, he coincidentally didn't know about those handy Gilbert rings!"

"Things are going to change around here, Elena," Jenna spoke calmly, yet her anger was vivid, her orbs warning them not to test her. "You are not the adult here. I am! Your parents named ME as your legal guardian. You've been given the reigns for long enough, Elena, but it stops here. Vampires coming in and out of this house like they own the place, threatening this family, messing with our heads, no more. It's going to stop. This is our home, not a battlefield. I will not allow any more deaths to occur in here like Mr. Martin's did yesterday. You are seventeen years old, and while you are living under this roof, you answer to me and you answer to John! Both of you!" and here, her gaze traveled to meet Jeremy who had yet to disconnect his gaze from his feet.

And on cue, the doorbell rang, displaying a frantic Alaric and a bewildered Stefan behind the threshold.

"I can't get in," was Stefan's explanation to Elena's arched brow. Horrified, Elena whipped around to confront Jenna, but she was on a roll. Elena had gotten too comfortable, abusing the freedom and the trust Jenna gave her since Grayson and Miranda's death. Well, no more!

"The deed's under Anastasia's name," Jenna revealed in a tone that brooked no argument. "I don't trust you anymore Elena; which means I don't trust you to not only keep us safe, but yourself. Clearly you've become an adrenaline junky. You enjoy putting yourself in the middle of dangerous situations and it's my job to keep you safe from yourself. Effective immediately, you are grounded, young lady! That means, you leave this house to go to school and you return here straightaway. If you want to see your friends or Stefan, you will have a chaperone and only after receiving either my or John's express permission."

Elena stomped her foot to put emphasis on her anger, which didn't win herself any favors really, "You can't do that!"

"I just did," Jenna retorted, not impressed with her niece's bout of immaturity. "Now go to your room. And Stefan, spread the word to your brother. If he so much as approaches anyone in this family with the intent to manipulate, harm, compel or kill, I'll destroy you both, starting by revealing your true nature to the Founder's Council. As for you Alaric," she paused, glaring at Elena and Stefan to obey her demands and only once Elena aggressively stomped up to her room and Stefan dejectedly retreated to his car, did Jenna focus on her soon to be ex-boyfriend, "I'm breaking up with you."

Alaric made an attempt to take a step forward, but then thought better of it and took a step back, staying behind the threshold. He stared at Jenna with a pained expression, "Jenna, please. At least give me a chance to explain."

"Explain?" Jenna snapped, hand tightening on the doorknob as she glared daggers at him. Deciding it was best to give the quarreling couple some privacy, Anastasia retreated back to the kitchen to Uncle John and Jeremy obediently followed, wanting to escape the tensed atmosphere. "Explain what? How you've been lying to me from the moment we met? That your wife is still alive?" she breathed harshly through her nostrils and spoke in a calmer tone, "I can respect the fact that we barely knew each other at the time, and I can respect that you forgave Damon. Isobel wanted to become a vampire and Damon made it happen. But what I can't respect? Is that after I let you into my home, trusted you with my family and their safety, you kept hiding things from me. If I'd have known the truth, I wouldn't have mistaken Katherine for Elena and given her an open invitation to the house, John wouldn't have almost died, and I wouldn't have been compelled to spy on my own family and try to kill myself! You let Elena call the shots around here, let her lie to me over and over and over again! Put herself and Jeremy and everyone else at risk! Since you chose to keep me in the dark, you should have stepped up, stopped them from interfering in vampire business, put a better leash on your best friend after he continued to threaten my family! You're the adult, you should have been more responsible, Ric. That dinner party Damon held for Elijah, I heard everything, I've known for over a month now. You want to explain? Then explain to me why you're letting Damon use my best friend for his twisted needs? Andie is on his beck and call, compelled to be a mindless girlfriend and a walking blood bag. Come on Alaric, explain. Go ahead, explain!"

But he had nothing. Alaric just stood there, rendered speechless, unable to locate the right words that would make everything okay, that convince Jenna into giving him one more chance. All he could do was say, "Jenna, I'm sorry."

All bitterness and rage melted in an instant, and Jenna smiled sadly at him, "So am I, Ric." and without further ado, Jenna softly shut the door in Alaric's face, effectively putting an end to their relationship.

Damon stared, shocked, "So, to recap. Isobel just showed up at their front doorstep; Jenna, apparently, knows everything about everything; and the deed's been signed under Anastasia's name, barring us from entering?"

"You missed out the fact that your precious little Elena's been grounded for the unforeseeable future. How sad," Katherine mocked from where she was lounging on the sofa, a shit-eating smirk displayed for the world to see. Damon and Stefan glowered over at her, prompting Katherine to laugh to herself, "I didn't think Jenna had it in her. If I knew, I wouldn't have tried to kill her. What a shame."

Gritting his teeth, Damon snarled, "You there in the peanut gallery, keep your snide comments to yourself before I make you."

The brunette simply rolled her eyes before changing the subject, "I don't think you should tell Isobel that I'm here."

Bemused, Stefan blinked at her, "What? Why?"

Oh how Katherine wanted to spill the beans. For the first time in her life the over five-century-year-old vampire wished she could resort to complete honesty, but she couldn't. Her most talented skill: manipulation, something she could do in her sleep or even under the effects of excruciating torture has been used against her as a weapon instead of a lifeline for her continued existence. She was compelled to manipulate situations, not for her sake, but the sake of Elijah and Anastasia's ruthless plan – her only saving grace, was that they too were planning on getting rid of Klaus.

Belying the turmoil that took place in her head, Katherine's exterior was at ease, her stance cocky and her devious smirk firmly intact. She gave them a pointed look and drawled, "It's better if she not know that I stayed in town after I got out of the tomb."

Unimpressed, Damon arched an eyebrow at her and folded his arms, "You're the one in cahoots with her. You made a deal with John that almost got me killed."

"Ugh, get over it already," Katherine said snarkily. "I already told you, John provided me with an offer I couldn't refuse, and although the endgame failed, what with you surviving their devious scheme and all," she smirked, "a deal's a deal. I did what I did to get out of the tomb and Anastasia's agreed to give me a temporary pass. Now, I'm reconsidering my alliance."

Damon and Stefan gave each other a look. Tearing his gaze from electric blues, Stefan sighed in resignation and addressed the smug doppelgänger, her expression reminding him of the cat that caught the canary, "What do you know?"

"I know that I want Klaus dead, which puts me squarely on team you. Besides," best to sweeten up the deal by playing on the affections of the lovestruck brothers to maintain her role as a mole, "if you two ever need me to swap places with Elena again, the less people know that I'm here, the better." Katherine seductively sauntered over to Stefan's side and purred, "Think about it, Stefan. Come on. Be smart."

Damon clenched his fists, a tick in his jaw as he stormed upstairs and into his room. Opening a drawer, he grabbed the moonstone and after pondering the best hiding place, went into the adjoining bathroom and buried it in his bowl of soap bars. Smiling smugly to himself, Damon left his room, confident that nobody, nobody exclusively meaning Katherine, would even think of looking for it there.

After this morning's excitement, Anastasia made her way over to Lee and Lexi's, curious as to what important matter Elijah needed to discuss with her. To her surprise, Elijah was the only one in the house to greet her, courteous and gallant as usual.

"I sent them away," Elijah answered her unspoken question. He seemed to have a knack for reading her expressions. "I have a… delicate matter I wish for us to discuss and while I do trust Alexia and Lee, I prefer we have our little chat in private."

Nodding in acceptance, Anastasia made herself comfortable in the armchair opposite to him and gladly accepted a cup of coffee, never one to refuse more caffeine.

Smiling fondly at her, Elijah immediately got to the crux of all the secrecy, "While I was furious and initially felt betrayed when you conspired behind my back to have me daggered, you were honest with me and I understood your reasoning. It helped me understand you better, and you, Anastasia, are somebody that would go to all lengths to protect your loved ones, as well as a brilliant strategist, and a proficient manipulator. You've make an art out of manipulating situations to better benefit you, and I have come to respect you. I have been around for more than a millennium, Anastasia, and you are one of the rare mortal women to leave a mark on me, to gain my absolute respect."

He paused to take a sip of tea, allowing Anastasia a chance to get a word in. "I'm flattered, Elijah. But… why are you telling me this?"

He looked at her as though the answer was obvious. "This is my way of telling you that you have officially gained my trust." When Anastasia raised an inquiring brow, Elijah gently put the teacup back on its plate and elucidated, "Do you recall our conversation at the Jefferson Hotel? Do you remember what you asked of me?"

Anastasia huffed and glared at him. She had a sneaky suspicion that the Original was enjoying himself. He reminded her of Dumbledore and Gandalf with his vague replies and irksome riddles. Nevertheless, she delved in her head for one of the many unanswered questions she asked Elijah back when they first met. "You explained more about the requirements for the sacrifice; a witch, a werewolf, a vampire, a doppelgänger, and the moonstone," she slowly recapitulated, Elijah nodding in affirmative as she listed each ingredient. "You said the general concept of the curse is a fake and while there is in fact a curse, it is one placed on Klaus."

Elijah smiled, looking over at her like a proud father would. "You have an excellent memory." Taking note of her deadpanned expression, he took over, "You asked about Klaus. And I informed you it was a confidential matter. I believe it is time I give you answers." Anastasia leaned forward in anticipation, nearly toppling over in her excitement; the blonde Gilbert always believed that in order to achieve unlimited power, one must gain two particular things: loyalty and knowledge.

"Klaus is my brother."

Her mouth literally dropped in shock, eyes widened in disbelief and she had to physically stop herself from landing face-first onto the ground. Spluttering, Anastasia wildly tucked her hair behind her ears, "You're serious? This is-, this is for real?"

"Yes, I'm a little behind on the times, but I believe the term you're searching for is 'O.M.G.'," Elijah matter-of-factly stated, casually taking another sip of tea as he watched the blonde process the unforeseen revelation. The Original succeeded in alleviating the situation as Anastasia burst into a fit of giggles, "'O.M.G.', really, Elijah?" Shaking her head, she fixated him with a knowing gaze, "Klaus isn't your only sibling, is he?"

That girl would never cease to surprise him. Elijah shook those thoughts away and focused on Anastasia, "My father was a wealthy land owner in a village in Eastern Europe. Our mother bore seven children, and once upon a time, we were human. Now? We are the Original family, and from us all vampires were created. Nothing can kill an Original; not sun, not fire, not even a werewolf bite. Only the wood from one tree. A tree my family made sure burned," he paused for another sip of tea. "The witches, Anastasia, won't allow anything truly immortal to walk the earth. Every creature needs to have a weakness in order to maintain the balance."

Anastasia always had a certain fascination with history, and therefore, she had been listening raptly and devouring each word, spellbound by the history he was entrusting her with.

"Now, as I mentioned before, Klaus and I faked the sun and moon curse. Roman scrolls, African tribal etchings, and any other culture or continent we felt like planting in it," Elijah paused upon seeing a slow, sneaky grin etch itself onto Anastasia's otherworldly visage and he cocked his head in inquiry. Anastasia, for her part, couldn't help but marvel at the simple ingenuity the two brothers possessed, "That's just, wow, that's genius! The moonstone was lost and the birth of a doppelgänger is a rare occurrence. You manipulated both species by playing on their desires. Desperate to be able to walk freely during the day and not have to transform during the full moon, vampires and werewolves all around the world would be on the lookout. No seriously, I gotta give you props, that's just, wow, okay, I've got no words for you."

Elijah chuckled, his expression softening, "You continue to amaze me, Anastasia. Your remarkable mind isn't given much credit in this town."

She modestly shrugged and sent him a wink, "The suspense is killing me here, Elijah. What's Klaus's curse?"

"My family was quite close, but Klaus and my father did not get on too well," Elijah imparted, his tone slightly nostalgic as he recalled the past. "When we became vampires, we discovered the truth. Klaus was not my father's son. My mother had been unfaithful many years before. This was her darkest secret." The blonde winced, suddenly sympathetic to Klaus's plight. "Klaus is from a different bloodline. Of course, when my father discovered this, he hunted down and he killed my mother's lover and his entire family. Not realizing, of course, that he was igniting a war between species that rages until this day."

The blonde instantly shot out of her seat as though she had accidentally sat on a cactus plant or a hedgehog. Elijah watched as she paced around the room, dragging a hand through her glossy curls, her other hand gesticulating wildly in the air as she spoke, "Oh my God! Igniting a war between species? This… I assume you aren't referring to vampires and witches, because I've seen some get along just fine, and the hate is mostly on the witches' part." She halted her dizzying circles and adamantly met Elijah's piercing gaze, recalling Jules's hatred and the way Brady took a disturbingly sadistic pleasure in tormenting Caroline with his 'fun toys'. "Vampires… and werewolves. Are you telling me that Klaus is, that he's both?"

"Excellently deduced," Elijah smiled, eyes twinkling. "A hybrid would be deadlier than any werewolf or vampire. Nature would not stand for such an imbalance of power. Therefore the witches, the servants of nature, saw to it that my brother's werewolf side would become dormant." Leaning forward slightly to better gauge Anastasia's reaction, he said, "He wants to trigger that part of him that's a werewolf. If allowed, Klaus would sire his own bloodline. He'd build his own race. Endangering not just vampires, but everyone."

Anastasia felt faint and a heavy scowl marred her gorgeous features at the sudden unwanted sentiments Elijah's words managed to evoke in her, "I can't even imagine how Klaus must feel. I mean, living for over a thousand years, incomplete, a part of him missing, his birthright stolen from him due to fear. Fear of the unknown."

"You commiserate with Klaus," Elijah remarked, his tone annoyingly calm.

She staggered backward, a hand clutching her chest, "Why? Elijah, wh-why do I feel sorry for him? He's a monster, right? I mean, you-you, you, his brother, are plotting to kill him. What's wrong with me? Is there something wrong with me?" Anastasia started hyperventilating, hysterical over the fact that she was sympathizing with a cold-blooded murderer.

Elijah looked at the blonde with pity. Oh, he knew exactly what was wrong with her. What her connection was to Klaus. And Elijah knew that, when the time came, Anastasia would find herself incapable of killing his brother, which posed a problem in regards to their plan; unfortunately, Elijah could not bear to tell her the truth. It was not his to tell… not yet, not now. He was astounded that Anastasia had yet to inquire about the drawing Trevor confided in her about, the reason why he had her kidnapped alongside Elena.

"Anastasia, calm down. There is nothing wrong with you, I promise," Elijah calmly informed her, his eyes conveying sincerity. "I too sympathized with him. Many did. You are not the first. As for your other inquiry, I need him to die out of revenge. I had siblings once, and Klaus buried them at sea, forever lost to me."

Provided with a more worthy person to pinpoint her sympathy at helped wonders with calming the spirited blonde down and she slowly retook her seat, attention once again fixated on the Original, "How do we kill him?"

"When a werewolf is wounded by silver, it heals. An Original can't be killed by anything but white oak ash on a silver dagger. So you see the conundrum. The dagger does not work," Elijah smiled without humor. "However, there's one way to kill any supernatural species…at the hands of the servants of nature themselves."

"Bonnie," Anastasia gasped, eyes wide at their latest dilemma. "But, Dr. Martin took away her magic."

Elijah shook his head, "Oh, I somehow doubt that, Anastasia. Think about it. Jonas wished to free his daughter from Klaus's service. I believe, before Jonas died, he managed to find a time frame with which to return her powers, knowing that his best bet in liberating his daughter was Bonnie Bennett."

"But, Bonnie cannot channel that much power without dying. I don't even think she has that much power to begin with," Anastasia argued, but Elijah was only too quick to put her worries at rest, "There is a site of massacre in Mystic Falls. When a witch dies violently, a mystical energy is released, marking the location of their death with power. Bonnie would need to channel that power, the power of a hundred dead witches."

Anastasia bit her lower lip, "How much do you want to bet the Salvatores know exactly where it is. And if Bonnie does have her magic back, she'll be gunning for them." Sighing loudly at the next part she had to play, she met Elijah's gaze, "I'll try and get it out of Jeremy." A part of her felt bad; Elijah trusted her wholeheartedly, telling her the truth about Klaus and of his past, and yet, she was keeping her telepathic abilities from him. She already had regrets about telling Stefan, she didn't want to make any hasty decisions again regarding her secrets.

"What is on your mind, Anastasia?" Elijah shrewdly inquired.

"We had an unwelcome visitor today…" and she proceeded to tell him of Isobel's visit and her claim regarding the rumors of a human doppelgänger. The entire time she spoke, Elijah was rigid in his seat, eyes never detaching from her person and jaw taut. No sooner had she completed her summary of Isobel's visit, did Elijah mimic her previous action and begin pacing around the room murmuring incomprehensibly to himself. "Elijah?"

Turning back to face her, he grimaced, "I am afraid to say that Klaus is on his way here. To Mystic Falls."

"What? Where did you get that from?!"

"From you," he simply replied, taking the blonde back, "Or precisely, from Isobel. Listen to me, Anastasia," his tone was solemn and his eyes penetrating, "My brother would never allow somebody to get close to him and leave with their memory intact-"

"But Isobel said she didn't find him," Anastasia reminded him.

Elijah grimly retorted, sounding highly certain, "Trust me, Anastasia. She did. You said so yourself, you sensed she was lying and that she was acting odd compared to her previous visit. Klaus compelled her to forget ever meeting him so that he could arrive unannounced. And I assure you, he won't be coming as himself. No. I have been by my brother's side for a millennium. I know all his little tricks. He will possess somebody, someone close to Elena-" Anastasia felt faint upon hearing that unwelcome little tidbit, "-so that he could keep a close watch on her. He's-" he froze, recognition dawning on him, "Of course! We must call Katerina before Isobel gets to her first."

"Call Katherine-, what? Elijah, you're not making any sense-"

However, before she even had a chance to finish her sentence, the front door slammed shut, and a distressed Lee and Lexi, and a hysterical Caroline barged in.

"We have a problem," Lexi grimly announced, not bothering with any niceties.

Anastasia couldn't help but make a snarky comment, "Great, because we seem to be lacking those."

"It's Matt!" Caroline blurted out, nervously wringing her wrists as her gaze bore into Anastasia's. "Last night, he saw Dr. Martin go berserk and I couldn't lie to him anymore. I told him…everything. He didn't exactly take it well. He started freaking out about Vicki and ran off when my Mom walked in."

Lee sighed, a glass of bourbon already in hand, "We've been searching for the boy all morning. He seems to have disappeared into thin air."

"Fantastic!" Anastasia sarcastically muttered to herself, wondering what else could go wrong today.

Caroline decided to accompany Anastasia, John, Jenna and a sulking Elena to the Lockwood Mansion where Jenna would be accepting the Historical Society's check for Miranda's foundation, in the hopes of finding Matt or at least pinning down his location.

While Elena sulked elsewhere, taking the opportunity to spend quality time with Stefan, Caroline scampered off in search for Matt, Mrs. Lockwood her first pit stop, and Jenna, John and Anastasia made small talk with Mason, none of them daring to utter a word about anything supernatural in case there were any eavesdroppers nearby.

Naturally, since the afternoon had been relatively peaceful, something had to go wrong. Just as Jenna stepped up to the podium to accept the donation, Uncle John came tumbling down the stairs, dead. The next thing Anastasia knew, she got knocked out from the back and woke up in a van with the bitch Isobel.

The vacant dark eyes of her biological mother stared back at her expectantly. Looking beside her, the blonde noted Elena, unconscious and all she said was, "You didn't tie me up."

"I didn't have to. I just want to talk," Isobel replied, her voice calm. Anastasia scoffed, sneering at the bitch that gave her life with malice, "By killing my father?! Ever heard of a freaking cellphone?"

Speaking of cellphones, Isobel's rang.

Anastasia unfortunately, didn't have vampire hearing, and her telepathic ability was on the fritz, however, despite all that, the one-sided conversation Anastasia listened to made more than enough sense, allowing her to easily fill out the blanks.

"Are we good to go?" Isobel asked pragmatically. "We'll be long gone before that." After a short pause, Isobel spoke up again, visibly shocking the blonde with the genuine apology and the morose expression on her face, "I'm sorry Katherine. I had to do what I was told. He wanted the moonstone and he wanted you." She then hung up the call, the silence only broken by Elena's groans as she finally regained consciousness.

Stumped at Elijah's prediction, Anastasia mentally reveled at their luck.

After Caroline's little bombshell, Anastasia and Elijah made a short detour to the Salvatore Boarding House after making sure Katherine was the only occupant. Having their suspicions regarding Isobel's compulsion and Klaus's objectives – both of which Isobel just proved to be correct – Elijah compelled Katherine to accept Isobel's invitation to meet up once she called, comb through the entire house for 'moonstone' and keep it in her possession, and lastly, not to reveal to Klaus anything in regards to Anastasia's mysterious powers or Elijah's undaggered status, among a few other secrets they'd rather Klaus not know about. He ensured that Klaus's compulsion wouldn't be able to override his and then they promptly departed, ensuring Katherine forgot about their visit until she needed to recall his compulsion.

The car stopped driving, snapping Anastasia out of her reverie and she silently followed Isobel out of the car, staring at the unfamiliar cemetery in confusion. Isobel sighed loudly, "Just because you can't be compelled doesn't mean I can't force you to come with me."

Grumbling, Elena grudgingly clambered out of the car.

Isobel then decided to analyze the blonde, "You're being awfully silent. I expected more cutting remarks out of you."

"Oh, you know," Anastasia shrugged nonchalantly as she followed the vampire into the cemetery, "Just contemplating the fact that you betrayed your bestie and wondering what else Klaus compelled you to do." She smiled sweetly at the glare Elena shot her and at the stunned expression on Isobel's face.

After a slight pause, Isobel softly said, "I underestimated you."

Anastasia made a pshht sound, waving a hand dismissively overhead, "Don't worry. You're not the first, and you certainly won't be the last." This was all said with a pointed glare aimed at a pouting Elena. Making her presence known, the doppelgänger sneered, "So you did lie. You did find Klaus, didn't you? He knows where I am now. Are you taking me to him?"

Instead of offering an answer, Isobel stopped by a specific tombstone and crouched down in front of it. As she cleared the leaves clustered around the engravings, Anastasia gasped, comprehension dawning in her.

In loving memory

Isobel Flemming

Jan 18, 1978 – May 4, 2007

"My parents, you grandparents," Isobel prefaced, her voice soft, and never before had Anastasia ever heard her speak with such affection, "they put it here when it became clear that the police weren't gonna find my body. They visit every week, and they bring flowers, even though there's no one buried here. The Isobel they knew is dead. So maybe there's a part of me that's buried here, the-the human part, the part that I abandoned when I- when I chose to become a vampire, the part that used to dream about the day that she'd know her daughters."

Anastasia instantly took a step back, her face paling at an unnatural rate. She knew what was happening; Elijah warned her of the possibility beforehand, claiming it to be Klaus's style, and while Anastasia didn't really care at the time, hearing Isobel and finally seeing her with her humanity on… she wanted to hate her. She didn't want to care… to feel her loss.

"What?" a flummoxed Elena inquired, looking at Anastasia for a hint.

Isobel turned around to face them, "And instead you got to meet the other part…The part that would betray her own flesh and blood." Her phone rang, the sound so loud and unwelcome in the peaceful location, in the place where the dead was put to rest and mourned. "Let her go?" Pause. "I'm done?" she sounded so relief, a blissful smile on her face as she hung up and Anastasia, her body trembling in anticipation of what was about to happen, automatically took another step back, eyes wide.

"Who was that?" Elena demanded.

Isobel smiled at them, a genuine, honest to god smile. "I'm so sorry Elena, Anastasia. I was such a disappointment to you."

The second her hand yanked her necklace off, Anastasia turned around, eyes squinted tightly shut and hands clamping her ears. She didn't want to see her biological mother combust into ash, and she didn't want to hear her anguished screams of agony. Belatedly, Anastasia realized a strangled sob escape her lips.

Around five minutes later, the blonde opened her eyes, eyelashes drenched with tears and allowed herself to hear again. Turning around she found Elena, knelt by the ground, holding Isobel's necklace, expression shocked.

"Elena?" Anastasia's voice came out hoarse with tears, and she hated the fact that she was shedding tears for the vampire. When Elena slowly looked up, Anastasia said, "I'm calling Dad." Elena must have been too shocked to argue or complain about the term of endearment, for she merely nodded and turned back to continue her staring contest with their dead mother's grave.

Texting Uncle John their whereabouts, Anastasia plumped ungracefully onto the ground and buried her face into her palms. She was grieving the mother she never had a chance to meet until a few seconds before her death.

This was definitely not her decade. It was officially the second worst century of her life.

She was beginning to lose count of the amount of times she'd gotten knocked out cold only to wake up in some unknown place. Naturally, that started happening when she decided to visit Mystic Falls again. She should've learned her lesson the first time: Nothing good ever happens in Mystic Falls. Her problem was, when offered new dolls to play with, it was an offer too good to refuse, and she's been paying for it for months now.

Could she get a damn break!

The familiar murmuring of a chanted spell infiltrated her eardrums and she cautiously peeked over, not wanting to draw attention to herself until she knew where she was and who had captured her this time.

A figure could be seen sitting on a chair, and a tall, buff man with a buzz cut stood before the figure, obviously casting a spell on him.

Great. A warlock! Why couldn't it be human? Or even a vampire. She could definitely overpower a vampire without breaking a nail.

It was only once the chanting ended, and the warlock bowed, did she realize that she was in danger and she slowly stood up, backing away toward the door. Then, the figure on the chain turned around to look at her and she paused, cocking her head in confusion.

"Alaric?"

A creepy, almost sinister smile that looked hauntingly familiar, yet horribly brutal on the kind hunter's face, etched itself onto his face and her eyes widened in horror as recognition dawned on her and fear weighed heavily on her heart.

No, no, no!

She rushed over to the door but an invisible force prevented her, knocking her back whenever she attempted to push forward. Suddenly, Elijah's compulsion resounded in the recess of her mind and memories she didn't have two seconds ago, memories of Anastasia and Elijah visiting her that afternoon at the Boarding House, flooded her head.

Slow footsteps echoed from behind and in trepidation, she turned around to confront her worst nightmare.

"Zdravei, Katerina." He cupped her face with his hands, an action so gentle and achingly familiar and so horrible at the same time. "I have missed you."

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Katherine tremulously whispered, "Klaus."

Klaus, possessing Alaric, smiled widely at her.

A smile that promised intolerable pain and future torment.

A/N: I apologize for the long wait… I seem to be doing a lot of that lately.

(1) Okay, so compared to previous chapters, this one was relatively short, but that's because next chapter is VERY long with a lot of action and more plots. Muahahaha! I can't wait. (2) I'm so EXCITED! The moment I've finally been waiting for, the moment I've been plotting for and planning for has finally arrived: KLAUS! YAY! I already have his first confrontation with Anastasia planned, so excited! (3) I ended Isobel's life sadly, so I decided it was best to end it there, a kind of morose, bittersweet ending, ya know. I hope you liked it. I'm not really a fan of Isobel, but I couldn't help but give her a bit of sympathy. Change things around a bit. (4) Jenna officially knows and things are gonna be different from now on. Did you like Jenna? Was she bad-ass enough? Grounding Elena and all that? I hope I did her justice. And sorry about breaking her up with Alaric. (5) The house signed under Anastasia's name is important for future plot. AND, Elijah and Anastasia's plan will be finally come into fruition. I know the suspense must be killing you, but it couldn't be revealed until Klaus pranced into town. Anastasia's plan is ingenious and I cannot wait for you to find out! XD (6) I know, I know: I barely showed Caroline. And Mason. And Jeremy. And Bonnie had no scene, but all four of them will play major roles next chapter, so look forward to that, dear readers! XD (7) Elijah's thoughts about Anastasia not going to be able to kill Klaus is VERY important. Note that, people! It will play a major part! (8) And to anyone that caught the 'her' part when Isobel was talking to Maddox on the phone: it's not a typo. Maddox ordered Isobel to take Elena out of town. But Isobel wanted to say goodbye, so bringing Anastasia along was purely for her own reasons. (9) Honestly, there are just so many events coinciding with each other next chapter that my mind's a complete mess. There will be a standoff between Anastasia and Bonnie, and Anastasia and Klaus. And many, many other surprising events. So be patient, I'll try and have the next chapter out soon since I cannot wait for the upcoming chapters, they're gonna be long and very eventful and I'm telling you from now, expect the unexpected, 'cause my aim is to completely surprise you!

R&R.