A/N: This chapter and the next move very fast im trying to set up the what's necessary plot wise to get to a couple bigger more important chapters, so I apologize for the frantic pacing, there's just a lot to get through in the next 3-4 chapters to be where I want us to be.
Lockwood Mansion:
Elena is there to accept the donation for her mother's charity,
Carol steps on the raise stairs, "And here to accept the donation to the Miranda Sommers-Gilbert scholarship fund is Elena Gilbert."
[Elena smiles and joins Carol.]
John is upstairs when Isobel approaches him,
"What are you doing here?" He asks sensing something off about her,
She saunters closer to him, "I'm creating a distraction." suddenly her face changes. She rushes over to John and bites him hard.
Elena is downstairs beneath the stairs accepting the check, "The Historical Society was my mom's baby. She considered all of you family and would be honored and touched by this gift."
Suddenly John Gilbert thrown and now is falling down the stairs. He lies unconscious on the floor. Everyone has heard is shocked and disturbed, Stefan goes over to him while everyone else clears the room.
Sheriff Forbes moves through the crowd and crouches down next to Stefan.
"Uh, he's-he's bleeding. Is he okay?" Stefan asks sounding concerned,
Sheriff Forbes believing only Damon is in the know tries to cover, "Yeah, I got it. I got it." not explaining anymore knowing this is something for the council to deal with.
[She looks at John and turns to the crowd.]
"You know what? Let's all back off. He just needs some air. Everything's fine."
Stefan calls Damon and tells him he needs to get over here and deal with John's body.
When Damon gets there he goes straight over to the Sheriff,
"He's dead." She tells him
[Damon looks at the body, picks up John's arm with the ring, and casually throws it on his body.]
"He'll be fine in a couple hours."
Carol whips her head towards Damon, "What are you talking about? Damon, he's dead."
Damon winces, "Well...Here's the thing. John's ring, it's an old Gilbert family heirloom that protects its owner from death by a supernatural entity."
"But he's not breathing. He has no pulse." Carol says still not believing how someone dead can come back and not be a vampire.
[Damon grabs John under the armpits and starts dragging him away.]
"He will be. Trust me. We're gonna need a cover story...epileptic fit, alcohol binge, banana peel, whatever works. But right now I just have to get him out of here."
[He leaves with John's body.]
[Sheriff Forbes goes out. She's on the phone with one of her deputies.]
"Yeah. It's a false alarm at the Lockwood's. Okay. Good. Thanks."
As Elena is making her way over to the Boarding house after leaving the Lockwoods she is taken by Isobel.
Cemetery:
Isobel's car drives inside the cemetery and stops. Isobel's minion gets out of the driver's seat, and opens the side door. Isobel gets out of the car but Elena stays put,
"Just because you can't be compelled doesn't mean I can't force you to come with me."
Elena reluctantly gets out of the car, "So is that what happened? You were compelled?"
Isobel sighs, "If I was, I couldn't tell you."
"So you lied. You did find Klaus, didn't you? He knows where I am now. Are you taking me to him?" Elena asks.
[Isobel doesn't answer but instead walks to a tombstone and crouches down in front of it.]
"What is this?"
[Isobel clears some leaves from the tombstone. It reads "In loving memory - Isobel Flemming - Jan 18, 1978 - May 4, 2007"]
"My parents, your grandparents, 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 choose to become a vampire, the part that used to dream about the day that she'd know her daughter."
"What?"
[Isobel shrugs.]
"And instead you got to meet the other part...The part that would betray her own flesh and blood." Isobel tells Elena sadly,
[Isobel phone rings. She answers. It's Klaus' warlock, Maddox]
"I have the moonstone. Is the doppelgänger safe?" Maddox asks.
"Yes."
"Then let her go." He instructs
Isobel seems nervous, "Let her go?"
"Klaus has everything he needs for now. Your part is finished. You did what he compelled you to do."
Isobel knows what has to be done now, "I'm done?"
"You're done." Maddox tells her trusting she'll follow through.
"Who was that?" Elena asks.
Isobel turns to Elena and tells her daughter she's sorry, "I'm so sorry, Elena. I was such a disappointment to you."
She starts to pull off her necklace that protects her from the sunlight but suddenly Rose is behind her snapping her neck she falls to the ground in front of her grave. Elena's shocked.
"Clara thought it'd be a good idea to keep an extra set of eyes on you... so what'd you do to make her want to kill herself?" Rose asks
Elena shakes her head, "I don't think it was me... I think she was compelled by Klaus."
They bring Isobel to the Lockwood cells and lock her in there so she can't try anything again.
Back at the boarding house Elena has Isobel's necklace in her hands. Stefan walks in.
"Is that Isobel's?" he asks,
Elena nods, "She tried to kill herself today... right in front of me, I never thought I would feel bad for her but..."
"It's okay she is your mother. Right now Clara and Rose are working her to see what she can tell them about Klaus, this could work to our advantage."
[John suddenly gasps for air and sits up. Stefan rushes over to him and lifts him up by his collar.]
"I swear I had no idea what she was gonna do. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."
"Stefan, let him go. He and I need to talk." Elena tells Stefan having nearly already lost one parent today.
At the Lockwood Cells
Clara and Rose are outside Isobel's cell looking in.
"What kind of sick woman would try to kill herself in front of her daughter?"
"I don't know... what kind of suicidal woman would purposely trick an original?"
Clara rolls her eyes, "You wanna talk about that now? Fine look Elijah used semantics and how he specifically worded things to 'off' Trevor, right? Well I'm just giving him a taste of his medicine."
"Right, because if there's one thing ancient vampires love its being taught a lesson." Roses sasses back,
Isobel moves on the floor groaning, "Uggh would you both just shut up!"
"Aw look who's awake, mother of the year." Clara says causing Isobel to glowers at her.
"Why couldn't you just let me die?"
"Oh that wasn't me... that was her," Clara motions to Rose,
Rose steps forward and introduces herself, "Hello, I'm Rose."
"Now, I'm assuming you were compelled to never say anything directly about Klaus so we are going to have to get creative with our questioning." Clara thinks out loud.
"I won't answer anything you ask, I wasn't afraid to die, what makes you think I'm afraid of you?" Isobel questions Clara.
Clara cue's Rose, "Rose?"
Rose bends down to speak directly to Isobel,
"Because if you don't tell us what we want to know I'm gonna call my boyfriend, who's bite is much worse than his bark."
Clara smirks, "Its a very painful way to go, just as Katherine... oh wait, you can't."
Back at the Boarding House:
John and Elena are talking.
"I always knew that she and Katherine were close, but I never realized that Isobel and her were working against me. Two of the world's most uncaring and selfish vampires, and yet they were genuinely friends. That's why she wanted Clara dead, she blamed her for Katherine's death."
Elena is getting frustrated, "If that's what you thought of Isobel, why did you ever put your trust in her at all?"
John sighs, "Because I was there when she gave birth to you, Elena. I saw how heartbroken she was to give you up. And because she was the first girl I ever loved, and when she said she'd help keep you safe...I believed her. At this point, I will do whatever you want me to do. If you feel safer with me not around, then I'll go."
[She doesn't answer so he gets up. He looks sad.]
"You screw up everything, John. Everything you touch just falls apart. But you're the only parent I have left...so maybe I can learn not to hate you." John starts to have some hope but it quickly vanishes,
"I wouldn't get too attached," Luka and his father walk in since Elijah still can't enter without being invited in
"What are you doing here?" Elena asks not being able to handle anymore big revelations today,
Marcus steps forward, "we're here on behalf of Elijah, together we've been trying to find a way to spare your life... we have a solution more reliable then the potion," He turns his attention to John.
Alaric's Apartment
Maddox is casting a spell there are two vases. One is full of blood; the other is empty and knocked over on its side.
"Somno Ritum Per Dax Ritum, Somno Ritum Per Dax Ritum,Somno Ritum Per Dax Ritum"
Alaric is in a chair in front of him suddenly he opens his eyes and gets up. The warlock bends down in a bow.
A smile crosses Alaric's face. An evil smile, one that doesn't belong to him... it belongs to Klaus.
