I really hate hackers! Some idiot hacker sent a virus to my laptop and I've been fighting migraines ever since. Thank Goodness for backups.
Sorry I was so late for posting this chap, but at least it's here now.
March 8th
Rayna POV
Jeremy called me rather early today, saying he wanted to tell me something really important. Since Damon was with the Sheriff, testing to see if the vervain was out of her system so he could compel her, I had to go to the Gilbert house by myself. I found Jeremy all by himself, sitting on the front steps, looking rather anxious.
"Hey, what's up?" I asked as I stopped the car I front of him.
"Let's go talk somewhere private, this needs to stay a secret," he jumped up and got in the car.
"Okay," I nodded, driving away.
We went to the falls, sure that nobody would bother us here.
"So, what did you find out?" I asked him as we sat on the hood of my car, listening to the water that trickled close by.
"I told Anna to stay away for a while, so I could get closer with Tyler. I got him to invite me to his place with two girls, for a little drinking party."
"Well, I'm not sure if I should be worried, but go on. What happened?"
"Well, we got to drinking, everyone loosened up and one of the girls wanted to see my sketch pad, so I let her. She mentioned that I had a lot of wolf sketches in there, big wolves, werewolves, that sort of thing. Tyler tensed when he saw the sketches, but he tried not to let it show. He even said he wanted to show me a few sketches he made, and we went to his dad's office, leaving the girls in the living room. As soon as the door was closed, he pinned me against it, demanding to know why I was drawing wolf pictures, and I told him I had found out about his secret from a diary of my ancestor. He bought it right away, and confirmed that he knows about his uncle. He even knows how to trigger his curse."
"How?" I asked, eager to know.
"He has to kill someone, that is the only way," Jeremy replied.
"Oh God, that means that Mason killed someone and turned into a wolf, right?"
"Yeah. He also told me that his uncle was here for something, something that Tyler has and he doesn't know if he should give it to Mason."
"What is that?"
"A rock, a white rock he called a moonstone. It is somehow connected to the werewolf legend. He doesn't trust him enough to give it to him, so he pretends he doesn't even know anything about it."
"Wow," I muttered, while my mind was running a thousand miles a second. I had to get that rock, now.
"There was another thing that happened that day. The girls got really drunk, and one of them pretended that she had died, something that freaked the shit out of Tyler. He is really scared of this whole situation Rayna, can we please leave him out of all this world?"
"We will Jeremy, he doesn't deserve to get involved with all this. Are you sure he has no clue about the vampires or me and Bonnie?"
"Yeah, he said nothing about all that. Maybe his uncle doesn't want him to know about the entire story."
"Probably. Hey, can you do me a favor? Keep all this to yourself, don't tell anyone, not even Elena or Anna."
"Why not?"
"Because I have a very good idea why his uncle is really here and, if I'm correct, he is in danger."
"Why?"
"Too soon to tell Jeremy. Can you please keep this to yourself until I can figure out a plan for all this?" He seemed to think about it for a second.
"Okay," he nodded after a while, looking at me.
"Okay. Call Alaric, tell him to bring anything he can find in his wife's research on werewolves and moonstones and bring them to the Boarding house. I'll drop you off at your place and meet you there," I instructed him as we got in my car.
"Why at the Boarding house?"
"It's the one place we can talk about this sort of things without unsuspected humans walking around, listening in on things they ought not to. Please, just get Alaric and tell him to hurry. If I'm right, we don't have a lot of time."
I dropped Jeremy at his place and hurried to the Boarding house. I knew Stefan was not there, since he was helping with the masquerade ball at the Lockwood mansion, and on top of that pretending to fight with Elena, still. On my way there, I pondered over what Jeremy had told me. it seemed that Mason wanted to get the moonstone back, probably on Katherine's orders. She had most likely used the same trick she had used on his ancestor to manipulate him. Mason was in her net, and though e had tried to hurt Damon and Stefan, he still deserved to be saved. That was exactly was I planned on doing.
The living room was empty when I let myself in, but I heard noises from the kitchen and went inn to find Damon washing the last of the dishes.
"Well, at least I know that my man can hold his house," I smirked, leaning on the doorway. He turned to give me a playful look as he wiped his hands.
"You are hilarious. What news do we have?"
"Lots, and very disturbing to say the least, but I'll wait until the others are here, so I don't have to repeat anything."
"The others?" Damon raised an eyebrow.
"Jeremy and Alaric."
"Okay, the teacher I get, but what about baby Gilbert, what's he got to do with this?"
"He found out a key piece of info. How are things around here?"
"Difficult to say the least. The Sheriff doesn't even want to see Caroline, and little vampire Barbie has been getting worse with each day that goes by."
"Well, she has been through a lot lately, so go figure. Are you going to compel the Sheriff today?"
"Yeah, pretty soon there won't be any vervain in her, and she won't remember any of this."
"At least that is one good thing that's happening, amongst the chaos that surrounds us," I sighed, just as the doorbell rang.
"Welcome to my home again Ric," Damon greeted Alaric as he opened the door. The teacher rolled his eyes as he carried the box he held inside. Jeremy came right after him, with a box of his own.
"Vanessa sent me these from Duke. What are we looking for?"
About an hour later and we were nowhere near in discovering what this moonstone did. That was, until Alaric found something in one of the books.
"Here it is, the Sun and Moon curse. Remember how Vanessa told us that this curse was used to stop vampires and werewolves from roaming around freely?"
"They could do that before the curse?" Jeremy asked, dumbfounded.
"Yeah. Supposedly some big-time Aztec shaman created the curse to save the people from the evil creatures," I nodded.
"Aztec? Cool," Jeremy chuckled.
"Anyway, according to the legend, the werewolf part of the moonstone is sealed within the moonstone."
"What does that entail?" Damon asked.
"It's a thing us witches do. Whatever bound the curse, it can usually unbound it."
"Maybe Mason Lockwood thinks he can use the moonstone to break his curse," Alaric offered.
"It doesn't matter. We need to get our hands on that stone, asap. Who has it at the moment?" Damon shook his head.
"Tyler," Jeremy replied, glancing momentarily at me.
"Can you get it from him?" Damon asked him again.
"Yeah, I think I can," Jeremy nodded. "There you go baby Gilbert, be a man on a mission.
"So, you do believe the legend is real," Alaric commented as he closed the book.
"It's on the same book that says that a werewolf bite is lethal to vampires. Ignoring it would make me an idiot. Go Jeremy, we have to hurry." Jeremy nodded and left immediately, indeed a man on a mission.
"I'll go in with him, keep an eye on him," I offered, but Damon stopped me before I could take two steps.
"Wait, I'll go with you."
"What about Liz?"
"Caroline is down talking to her, I think it's will do them good, some mother-daughter bonding thing. Are you sticking around Ric?" he turned to the teacher.
"No thanks. Whatever you two have in mind, I want no part in it," he shook his head as he made his way out. "Joyful little fellow, isn't he?" Damon smirked. "Damon, what do you plan on doing to Mason?" I turned to my boyfriend, terrified at what his answer might be.
"He betrayed us Rayna. We cannot let him live. But for now, let's just make sure we get the moonstone before him."
"Damon, promise me not to kill him before we get the moonstone, okay?"
"I promise," he nodded, but I still feared he was not going to keep his word. Katherine was using Mason, and I knew Damon wouldn't care less about him, but I did. Even if he had tried to kill Stefan and Damon, he was only doing it because of Katherine's manipulations. If I could make him see the truth, we would earn another powerful ally against her. Yes, Mason Lockwood had to be saved.
Lockwood Mansion was not exactly busting with people, but a few workers were carrying things in and out of the mansion, probably provisions for the ball. I spotted Bonnie carrying boxes inside and sought this opportunity to talk to her, since it had been quite some time since we had last talked. As soon as I approached her though, her face turned into a frown.
"Are you going to tell me to be a bigger person and try to approach Caroline too?"
"Bon, easy, I just came to say hi, but obviously somebody got to you. What happened?"
"Elena. She's always on Caroline's side. Ever since she became a vampire, you two have been spending way more time with her than with me. It's like I'm shunned."
"Bon, Caroline needs us right now, she has gone through so much, we all have. Katherine came into town and turned us into a bunch of mess. You think it's easy for Caroline to know that her mother hates her now?"
"What?" Bonnie gasped, not expecting that.
"Yes. Ever since she found out and we locked her up I the Salvatore basement, the Sheriff refuses to talk to anyone, and asks that we keep her daughter away from her. It's killing Caroline to hear stuff like that. She already had a lot of stress, and things don't seem to be improving."
"But what about the Sheriff, what are you going to do about her?"
"Damon promised to compel her later today, so Caroline can have her normal life back."
"That's not right," Bonnie shook her head.
"I know, but we have no other choice. The sheriff is not ready to comprehend what is going on, nor she knows in what terrible danger the town is in. She'll be better off not knowing some parts of the truth, for now."
"By the way, I heard some of the girls around saying that Stefan and Elena are fighting, what is up with that?"
"Shh, come here," I shushed her, pulling her to a secluded place.
"Nobody can hear us, but they are not really fighting. Katherine has gotten Caroline on spy duty, watching every move the happy couple makes. She warned them that, if they stay together, she is going to start dropping bodies, so they have to pretend, for now at least."
"But why Caroline?" "Well, she is a vampire, so she has advanced hearing abilities, and she is scared shitless of Katherine. Matt's life is at stake if Caroline doesn't do exactly as she is told."
"Oh God," Bonnie shook her head, groaning.
"You see? Caroline is going through a lot, she needs our support right now, she needs her friends, and that means you as well."
"I don't know, it's not something I am comfortable with, yet. I can try to get more acquainted with it, but I won't make any promises." She got up and left, leaving me alone. This was turning into a huge mess, but I had bigger problems right now. I had to find Mason, and make sure Damon wouldn't do anything stupid.
I walked to the front of the building, where Elena and Jeremy stood, having a fight apparently.
"Guys, what's up?" I asked as I got to them.
"What are you having Jeremy do?" Elena turned to me accusingly.
"Okay, first of all calm down. Second, his mission doesn't involve that much danger, but it's something that has to be done, right now. We are running out of time."
"Rayna, it's one thing for you or Damon or Stefan to be doing dangerous stuff, but to draw Jeremy into this is absolutely unacceptable."
"Elena, you are not the only one with loved ones at stake here. Anna's life might be in danger, and mine as well, with that Katherine roaming around. If this mission will help in getting her, then I am more than willing to do it, not matter what," Jeremy huffed before walking away, angry at his sister.
"Jeremy, wait," she tried to stop him, but I held her back.
"El, let him do something. If we let him run unchecked, who knows what he might do. At least now he has an objective, and it's not that dangerous."
"What are you having him do?"
"He's getting the moonstone from Tyler, that is all. nothing about Katherine or Mason. All human, all safe."
"Why do we need the moonstone?"
"Long story, but in short, it's part of the sun and moon curse, remember the research from Duke?"
"What about it?"
"It seems the moonstone is what binds the werewolf part of the curse. For some reason, Mason wants it. If we get it first, we have something to bargain with and keep him in check."
"It's still too dangerous. What f he hears that we are after it and goes haywire?"
"That is why we are having Jeremy retrieve it. None of us, those directly involved will make an appearance. Tyler trusts Jeremy, he will give him the stone, end of story, no blood, no foul."
"Girls, can you come and help me with something please?" Mrs. Lockwood's voice came from the top of the stairs, interrupting us.
"Sure Mrs. Lockwood," I nodded, pulling my friend with me to the inside of the house.
Mrs. Lockwood separated us and got us into work right away, giving Elena no more room to talk about our supernatural business. I got the luck of working with Vicki and Andy, who I hadn't seen in a long while.
"Hey, there she is! Where have you been you crazy dancer, it's been ages since we last went out for coffee," Vicki exclaimed as she hugged me tightly.
"I know, things have been a bit crazy around here with the funerals, the fire and all that," I shrugged.
"Yeah, it's like finally something interesting is going on in Mystic Falls. How are you and Damon doing?"
"Oh well, as any relationship can go. We fight, we make up, we go out, regular stuff," I shrugged.
"You know, I have to ask. How is he in the bedroom department?" Vicki whispered to me, careful not to let Andy hear.
"Oh, it cannot be described in words Vick, that is the only thing I can tell you," I snorted, and she joined in, making Andy look at us with a raised eyebrow. It felt good, feeling like a teenage girl once again. All that supernatural stuff had been taking so much of my time, I had forgotten what it was like to be a normal girl.
It was about half an hour later that Elena came to the room, looking concerned, furious, all at the same time. Something was up. "What's up El?" I asked as we moved to the corner to have some privacy.
"Stefan is on to something that involves Mason Lockwood, and now I can't find neither him nor Damon, and somehow they got Bonnie into all that."
"Woah, slow down, one thing at a time. Start at the beginning," I eased her.
"Well, Stefan was in the other room, helping with the whole masquerade thing when his phone went off, he got a text. He read it, then he looked at me. I tried to walk up to him, but he shook his head and left the mansion. Can you help me track him down?"
"Sure," I nodded turning to the others.
"Guys, I'm gonna run outside for a minute, I'll be back soon, okay?"
"Sure," Andy and Vicki nodded. Elena and I made our way outside and I closed my eyes, focusing on finding Stefan. I found no other vampires in the area, and the only faint trail was to the east, slipping away quickly.
"That way," I pointed and we both took off, hoping that nothing bad had happened. If Damon was away, that meant almost certainly that Mason was in trouble.
We found Stefan next to the old Lockwood well, at the very edge of the estate. Stefan turned to look at us, a stern expression on his face. "What's going on?" Elena asked him.
"You shouldn't be here," he simply replied.
"Where is Mason? What are you guys onto?" I demanded.
"Bonnie figured out that Mason is somehow involved with Katherine, and Bonnie saw that he hid the moonstone in here."
"What did you do to him after the interrogation?"
"He is still with Damon, at the Boarding House."
"You left Mason alone with Damon? Do you have any idea what Damon is going to do to him?" I yelled at him, furious at their stupid move.
"Rayna, Mason is working with Katherine, they are together, Bonnie saw it. He deserves what's coming to him," Stefan retorted.
"Oh, why don't you ever ask me before you do something? Mason thinks that Katherine is in love with him, she is using him to get what she wants, which in this case is the moonstone."
"I already figured that."
"What you probably don't know is that Mason is innocent. He is doing anything Katherine asks because he thinks the moonstone will cure him of his curse. She did this once before with George Lockwood in 1864."
"What?" Stefan gasped.
"I found George Lockwood's diary, it states it clearly. If we show this to Mason, we get another ally against Katherine, and you bozos do such a stupid thing without even informing any of us." Stefan didn't reply, looking dumbfounded with the revelation.
"Oh, for goodness' sake!" I groaned. "Get that moonstone, I'm heading to the Boarding house. You'd better hope Mason is still alive, or I'm going to kill Damon!" I huffed as I ran back to the mansion, to my car. I just hoped I wouldn't arrive too late.
Screams could be heard from inside the Boarding house when I arrived, a man's screams. I all but burst through the front door, ran all the way to the library and came across a horrific sight, one that made me stop dead on my tracks. Mason was tied with chains on a chair, screaming in pain as Damon poked him with what looked like a fireplace poker. On the other side of the room stood Jeremy, looking terrified at the sight as well, but doing nothing to stop Damon.
"Damon Salvatore, stop what you are doing right now or so help me God I will make you feel a pain you've never felt before!" I yelled, and Damon looked up at me, more surprised than ever.
"Rayna, thank God," Jeremy sighed, relieved to see me there.
"Rayna, you don't understand, our boy here-" Damon tried to argue, but I cut him off.
"I know, he is in love with Katherine and basically, he is doing her every bidding like her personal errand boy. That does not justify what you are doing to him!"
"He will try to kill me, he's on Katherine's side, he's the enemy!" Damon yelled back, now looking really angry. "Why are you defending him?"
"Because Katherine is using him just as she used you when you were human, that's why," I replied as I made my way to them. Mason looked almost relieved to see me, casting a hopeful glance at me. Damon was looking at me like he had no clue what was going on, and I sighed, turning to Jeremy.
"Jer, can you go bring my purse from my car? I have something that just might solve this little problem we have her. The door is open." Jeremy nodded and almost ran out of the room, eager to be away from such a place. I didn't blame him. I glared at my boyfriend, and he rolled his eyes as he placed the poker in the fire to warm up again. He went to the nearby table and grabbed a dried plant, bringing it to Mason's face. Mason tried to avoid contact with it, but he couldn't move too far away. As soon as the plant made contact with his skin, the skin turned red, sizzling as if it was burning. Mason screamed, and I pulled Damon's hand away.
"What the hell are you doing?" I growled at him, but he ignored me.
"Why do you want the moonstone?" he asked Mason. The other man didn't reply, so Damon punched him in the stomach real hard, making him groan.
"I'm getting it for Katherine," Mason managed to utter, coughing a little blood.
"Why?" Damon demanded again.
"She's gonna use it to lift the curse," Mason replied, confirming my suspicions. The bitch was using the same trick she had used on George Lockwood.
"The curse of the moon? Now, why would a vampire want to help a werewolf break a curse that keeps them from turning whenever they want?" Damon asked, scoffing.
"So I wouldn't have to turn anymore," Mason spat at him, glaring with hatred.
"Why?" Damon pushed.
"Because she loves me," Mason said. Damon scoffed, laughing at the other man.
"Now I get it, you are stupid enough to think that she actually loves you? She's just using you for her plans, that's her method, it always has been, it always will be," he shook his head, smirking at Mason.
"I'm done talking," Mason huffed.
"Yes you are," Damon moved up to him, but I got in the way.
"Okay, now that you proved how much of a macho man you are, can I take over before you take another innocent life?" Damon rolled his eyes before walking back towards the fireplace, giving me some space to talk to Mason. I turned to the chained man, trying to figure out how to convince him that all this was a ploy of Katherine's.
"Mason, I'm sorry for what Damon did to you, but will you please listen to me?"
"There is nothing you can tell me that will change my mind Rayna. The fact that you gave yourself to him and you let your father, one of my best friends be involved with a vampire, it says it all. Have you no shame?"
"Mason, please listen to me, things are not as they seem," I tried to argue, but he just shook his head.
"And you let one of your best friends turn into a vampire. How could you do that to Caroline, to her mother?"
"Okay, now that you mention it, do you even know who turned Caroline into a vampire?" Damon cut in. "Your precious Katherine. She smothered her with a pillow."
"Bullshit," Mason glared at him. "Katherine would never do that."
"Actually, Damon is right Mason. It was Katherine that forced Caroline into transition. Damon just gave some of his blood to Caroline to help her heal from the car accident she had, and Katherine used the opportunity to drag Caroline into all this mess. I would never let him do that to one of my friends Mason, I would take it back if I could. Katherine is not what she looks like."
"I don't believe you," Mason shook his head.
"He is too much in love with her," Damon cut in, but I barely listened to him. Jeremy came in, holding my purse, just in time.
"Here," he gave it to me, and I fished George Lockwood's diary out, tossing the purse away.
"This, Mason, is the other proof that I have, the strongest one, that Katherine has not been honest with you. Do you know what this is?" I held the diary up for him to see it.
"No," he muttered.
"This is the diary of your ancestor, George Lockwood, from 1864. Have you seen it before?" Mason looked confused for a minute.
"Yeah, I remember finding it when I was a kid, but I never was interested enough to read it. What does that have to do with anything?"
"It has, trust me, because just like you, Katherine fooled your ancestor before you."
"What are you on about Rayna?" Damon asked, getting closer.
"I found this in the mansion, sorting through old stuff. I thought we might find something useful in it, so I read through it, and discovered how Katherine escaped from the tomb back in 1864."
"How?" Damon asked, now interested in the story.
"She made a deal with George Lockwood. She would keep his secret that he was a werewolf, and he would get her out before they torched the place, which he did. But apart from that, she enticed him with the opportunity to get rid of his curse, with the help of a little stone that her maid had spelled."
"The moonstone," Damon replied.
"Exactly. Only, as it is obvious from the entries, it was all a big ploy. The spell never worked."
"I don't believe you," Mason shook his head. "Katherine would never lie to me. She loves me."
"Wake up boy, she uses you, like she used me, like she uses every man she ever approaches. That is her way, she never loves anyone but herself."
"Damon, enough," I held my hand up. I put the diary down and kneeled in front of the chained werewolf. "Mason, do you trust me?" He looked confused, unsure what to say. "I promise you here and now, I will let you out of these chains if you agree to not hurt Damon and read the diary yourself, see what your ancestor has to say about Katherine."
"Rayna, honey I don't think that is a very good idea-" Damon tried to interrupt, but I used my powers to pin him against the opposite wall, immobilizing him.
"Damon, you stay put right there, I wasn't talking to you," I looked at him before I turned back to Mason. "I have the power to set you free, only if you agree to listen to me. I am not taking any sides, I never have and I never will. I only stand up for what is good, and right now the good thing to help you open your eyes and see the truth. Do you trust me?"
"He will try to kill me," Mason nodded towards Damon.
"He cannot move unless I will it, no matter how hard he tries. It's up to me now, Damon has no control of the situation. Will you listen to me and read the diary for yourself?" He seemed to think about it for a few moments and then nodded, his eyes showing that he was being truthful. "Jeremy, help me unlock these," I said as I started untying the chains, setting Mason free.
Jeremy helped, though I could see he was really nervous about the older man. When the last chain fell on the floor, Jeremy stepped back, looking scared. "Can you stand?" I asked Mason, offering him a hand. He nodded, refusing my hand as he pushed himself up. He glanced at Damon, who was still stuck on the wall, and for a second I thought he was going to attack him, but he did no such thing. "Here you go," I offered him the diary, and he opened it, walking next to the window to read it better.
After he finished it, he turned to look at us with this look of a puppy that had been kicked in the gut.
"How could she do this to me?" he asked, his voice thick with emotion.
"She saw an opportunity, she took it Mason. She knew you had no idea of the supernatural world and, being away form Mystic Falls, you also had no idea of this town's history. You never read your ancestor's diary and even if you had, you would never believe it until you turned. She needed a Lockwood werewolf to get the stone from your house undetected. she used your curse to make sure you were going to use everything in your disposal to get that stone no matter what," I tried to comfort him.
"But she couldn't predict when I was going to trigger my curse, it's not possible, it was an accident," he shook his head.
"Tyler told me that you have to kill someone to trigger your curse, how did yours happen?" Jeremy asked him.
"It was a friend of mine in Florida. He was drunk, he thought I had something with his girlfriend and he just jumped at me, totally freaked out. I had never seen him like that ever before."
"Huh, you really are stupid man. Have you ever thought that she probably compelled him to do that? I wouldn't put it past her," Damon scoffed from his spot on the wall.
"No, that's impossible," Mason shook his head, but he seemed to not believe it himself. "Jimmy was really different that night, I had never seen him like that before. He just wouldn't stop, I lost control of myself, and before I knew it, he was dead. At the time, Katherine was like someone who knew my deepest secret, someone who knew exactly what to say to comfort me."
"She knows how to do that Mason, she has been perfecting the art for 500 years now. Tell me, is the moonstone really in the well?"
"Yes, but she cannot get it. No vampire can. I filled the place with vervain."
"What?" I gasped, cold chills running up and down my spine.
"Please tell me that my brother didn't try to get it," Damon said from his spot.
"He did, but he's not alone. Elena is with him," I replied as I got my cellphone out and dialed Elena's cell.
She didn't reply however, Caroline did. 'Hey Rayna, we are kinda busy right now.'
"I know Caroline, just tell me this. Is Stefan okay?"
'He is, though badly burned from the vervain. He is alive, and Elena got the moonstone. We are heading to the Boarding house right now.'
"I'm here too, we'll be waiting for you," I replied as I hung up, turning to look at Mason. "They have the moonstone, and though Stefan got really hurt from your little trap, he will get better. So, what do we do now? Are you willing to go back to Katherine?"
"Definitely not," Mason shook his head. "I will go back to her only to kill her."
"You will not succeed, she is too powerful for you. You have to leave, get away from her as fast as you can."
"Where can I go? If she finds out that I know about her plans, she will kill me the next second. I never trusted her much, she knows that well."
"Do you have anyone who can help you, others like you?" I suggested.
"I have a pack down in Florida, but they are not that fond of me, what with me being involved with Katherine and all. But I have a few friends, people who will keep me safe. But I refuse to put them in danger, she will no doubt come after me, and there is no way I will endanger any of them for my stupid actions."
"We can just kill you," Damon retorted, and Mason glared at him, but without him knowing, Damon had actually given me a brilliant idea.
"Damon, with all your stupidity, you finally proved to have a brain in that head of yours," I smiled, the plan already taking shape in my head.
"Rayna, what are you thinking?" Jeremy asked, taking a step forward.
"We're going to do exactly what Damon says," I shrugged. "We're going to kill Mason." Mason looked uneasily at me, ready to bolt out the door. I noticed his posture and giggled. "Relax Mason, I don't mean that in the classic way. We're going to stage your death, while we send you off to Florida, where you can hide in safety."
"How are you going to do that?" Mason questioned.
"You'll see. First things first, tell me what is Katherine doing right now."
"She's waiting for me at a bad & breakfast outside of town to bring her the moonstone."
"So she's not going to move unless you either call her or show up, right?" He nodded, and I smiled.
"Okay. Damon, you and Jeremy clean up this mess. Mason, you come with me. I'll drive you to the mansion to get your things and after that, you have to disappear. Just leave your cellphone here."
"Why leave it here?" he questioned me.
"Sooner or later, Katherine will grow impatient and she will eventually call you. When she does, we just tell her that we killed you, no harm done. That way, she'll focus on us and forget about you. You will be safe." He stared at me for a few moments and then smiled, engulfing me in a tight hug.
"You are just like your father, you know that? He used to come up with the most elaborate plans whenever we played cops and robbers."
"Well, I'm not sure how to reply to that, but thanks. Now come on, time is of the essence. We have to go, I'll see you later guys."
"Hey, what about me? Are you going to leave me pinned on the wall like this?" Damon protested.
"The spell will evaporate as soon as we are far enough, I won't risk you getting all vampy on us. And don't think you're off the hook, you and I will talk about this eventually. See ya later," I waved at both of them as Mason and I made our way out of the Boarding house.
I drove him to the mansion and made sure nobody saw him as we went inside to get his things. As we went downstairs though, Tyler caught us.
"Okay, I hope you guys are not eloping, 'cause that's the last thing I want to hear right now," he commented, and a little giggle escaped my mouth.
"Relax Tyler, we are not eloping, I'm just helping him escape."
"Escape from what?" he narrowed his eyes at us.
"Lots of things to explain, not enough time. All I can tell you right now is that your uncle has to leave town, and he is in serious danger."
"Danger from whom?" Tyler pressed.
"Tyler, I cannot explain, but I can tell you for sure that Rayna knows about my curse, and a lot more than you know. I will stay in touch, but you must never tell anyone that I left. Pretend as if I'm dead," Mason said to his nephew.
"What are you talking about, how can Rayna know, what is this danger that you're running from?" Tyler asked, his eyes darting from his uncle to me.
"I know because I am a witch, a real live witch, and the danger is not something you can help with. All you can do is to make sure that nobody knows that your uncle is still alive, can you do that?" Tyler seemed to be thinking about it, so Mason approached him and grabbed him softly by his shoulders.
"Tyler, this is a part of the supernatural world I hope you never have to come into contact with, so all I can tell you right now is that you can trust Rayna with your life, as I trusted her with mine. If you need anything from me, I will have Rayna's number and we can talk via her, until things get settled. For not it's better if you don't know where I'm going." Tyler seemed to think about it for a second then nodded, unsure what else to do.
"Okay, get out of here, before my mom sees you. I'll tell her that you had to go, that you had urgent things to take care of. No need to bring her into this."
"Thank you Tyler, you are a great man," Mason embraced his nephew. We left soon after that.
I dropped him to where he had left his car, and he threw his bags in the trunk before turning to face me.
"Keep an eye on Tyler, will you? If he turns, be sure to call me right away. He will need help with that, for the first few times at least."
"Let's hope it won't come to that. Just be careful in Florida okay? Katherine might still have spies down there."
"Not in the pack. If I ask for their help, they will protect me no matter what. But what about you, are you sure you can take on her?"
"There's two witches around here Mason, and a lot of vampires that are angry with her, some of which are of her age. I think we will manage to get her. I will call you when we catch her, don't worry."
"Thanks Rayna. I have no idea how you can handle Damon, but if you think he's right then…" he trailed off.
"Don't worry, he's going to get an earful for what he did, I assure you."
"I can only imagine," he chuckled. "Anyway, gotta go, got a lot of miles to cover," he opened the driver door.
"Here," I gave him a note with my cell number on it. "If you ever need me, give me a call."
"I'll call you as soon as I arrive and get a new cellphone, so you can have my number. Please keep this town safe, will you?"
"I was born with that goal Mason," I smiled at him, and he winked at me as he started his engine and drove away into the night. I sighed, thinking about what I had to face when I got back to the Boarding house.
I found Damon and Stefan cleaning up the mess in the living room. "Looking okay Stef," I commented as I closed the door, and he gave me a cute smile as he picked up the rug to put it away.
"So, how's our new werewolf friend?" Damon retorted.
"On his way back to his pack," I threw at him, collapsing on the couch. "Did Katherine call?"
"No, but you know what? I think I'm gonna try something here," Damon smirked as he took the phone from the coffee table and started going through it.
"Oh, last number dialed, I wonder what that is," he looked pointedly at me as he pressed call.
"Damon, don't provoke her," Stefan tried to stop him, but Damon got out of the way.
"Wrong boy toy," he replied to Katherine, all the while avoiding Stefan. The younger Salvatore sighed, looking frustrated as he shook his head and left the room. "Oh, he's right beside me, though his heart's across the room," Damon retorted on the phone, and I smirked at how easily he lied to the bitch. "Oh you know, I've had a busy day. I killed a werewolf, I found a moonstone. Hey, did you know he hid it in the bottom of a well full of vervain? I guess he didn't trust you very much. Poor thing, you really had him hooked, didn't you?" Katherine was in no way pleased with the outcome of her day. "Ah, did I put a kink in your master plan?" Damon said mockingly, and I almost laughed at that. He was really enjoying this, maybe a little too much. His smile soon disappeared though, and as Stefan returned to the room, I knew he could hear what Katherine was telling him. When Damon finally hung up, he had a rather concerned expression on his face.
"Congratulations, you pissed her off. What is she going to do now?" Stefan asked his brother.
"Why is it that I can't have a little fun around here?" Damon groaned, tossing the phone away.
"It's your definition of fun that causes all the trouble Damon. I'm heading home, this day has been full, in every way," I replied as I got up from the couch.
"Hey, wait a sec. I thought you said we were going to have a little talk," Damon stopped me.
"Okay, we can talk as I drive home, come on," I shrugged as I made my way out.
"See you tomorrow Stef, say hi to El for me," I waved at my friend, who simply smiled as he headed upstairs.
Damon insisted on driving, so I let him, an obvious mistake when I realized he wasn't heading to my place, instead turning to a dark road that led us to the falls. He killed the engine and turned to look at me. I barely glanced at him before I got out, walked the small distance to the kiosk that was by the falls and sat on the old wooden bench.
"Rayna, honey please talk to me, it feels as if I'm the bad guy around here," Damon whined as he came to stand before me.
"And how exactly are you the good guy Damon? I thought we were together, I thought we were a couple. Instead, you take such crucial decisions without even telling me anything. You almost killed an innocent person, and all that simply to have a little fun, as you said?" I finished, almost yelling at him. "Was it fun at least, torturing a man with a story similar to yours? You were both used by Katherine, and instead of offering a helping hand to a man that knows what you've been through more than anyone else, you try to kill him?"
"Rayna, he was going to kill me, you saw him. Besides, you never told me about the diary, how was I supposed to know?" he almost yelled.
"If you knew, would you have stopped? Be honest with me," I threw right back at him. He stayed silent, looking down.
"See? Damon, I understand you are trying your very best to catch Katherine, but killing people that don't deserve to be killed is not something I'm going to let you do. Above all I am a protector of nature, sworn to protect life, all forms of life." He came closer, closing my face in his palms.
"I'm sorry for what I did. I'll apologize to the wolf if I have to, I'll do anything you want me to do, I promise." I sighed, knowing that I couldn't hold a grudge against him. I loved him too much to do so.
"Just, just let me in on your plans next time, will you? We barely escaped a slaughter this time. Next time, we may not be so lucky."
"So, I'm forgiven I take it?" he smiled devilishly, pulling me in his arms.
"For now," I swatted his chest as he kissed me, relieving me of all the stress and worry I had in me.
We didn't get to enjoy it however, since his phone started ringing, interrupting us. "Who ever this is, I'm hanging up on you," he answered it, only to frown at whatever the caller was telling him. "This woman really needs a lesson. We're on our way there," he hissed as he hung up.
"What is it this time?" I asked, worried.
"Jenna. Katherine compelled her to stab herself, she's in the hospital."
I hated visiting the Mystic Falls hospital nowadays. No good thing had come from my visits here, at all. We found Elena and Jeremy by the reception, looking more worried than ever.
"El, what happened?" I asked as we reached them, enveloping her in a hug.
"Katherine compelled her to stab herself, a punishment for me and Stefan trying to deceive her that we were fighting. She said that she could get to anybody," Elena cried, her tears falling freely. She looked one step before collapsing. Jeremy pulled her in a hug, trying to comfort his sister.
"Hey, easy, everything is going to be fine," he rubbed her back, trying to soothe her. "I think little Miss Bitchy had enough fun, don't you think?" I turned to Damon as I pulled my cellphone out.
"Who are you calling?"
"Bonnie. Her practice time is up. She gathered enough powers, we are going to set a trap for this bitch and burn her alive," I growled as I pressed call.
'Rayna, you do realize how late it is, right?' Bonnie said groggily.
"Sorry Bon, but this is important. I'm coming over, we need to talk, immediately." I looked at Damon, and he seemed to be thinking about something.
"It's my fault, I riled her up," he muttered, looking at the two Gilbert siblings, but neither of them cared much for what he was saying.
"It doesn't matter Damon. This bitch is going down, as soon as I see her again."
Uh oh, Rayna is really pissed, and my loyal readers know what happens whne she gets angry at someone. What will happen to Katherine now that Rayna decided to hunt her down?
Stay tuned to find out. Until then, review, favorite, you know the drill.
XOXO