HEY GUYS!
I'm so sorry I haven't updated in such an insanely long time, school has been so crazy busy, as I said in my previous A/N.
Big things are about to hit the fan in the next couple of chapters! Kudos to my beta, as usual!
Enjoy, it's super long, just for all of you! (;
Previously on Everything Changes...
"Tough night?" she continued. "Didn't look so tough when you were flirting it up with Kelly Donovan." she teased, and he sat up.
Caroline immediately noticed that his hair was a mess, and his jacket was a bit crooked. She raised an eyebrow.
"You didn't-" she started, and Damon waved his hand, cutting her off.
"Save the lecture, Blondie. Look-"
A window shattered, and a man – the one who had mistaken Caroline for Chandra – jumped on Stefan, who was standing behind the couch Care was on. Fredrick shoved a shard of glass into Stefan's gut, causing him to cry out. Damon was on his feet in an instant, and hurriedly tugged Fredrick off Stefan. With a free hand, Damon shoved Caroline, who had gotten to her feet, out of the way. She stumbled, but caught herself before she could get close and personal with the hardwood floor.
Another lady arrived, who Stefan knew to be Beth-Anne. Damon and Fredrick still fought in a blur. Stefan and Beth-Anne stared one another down, before Stefan jumped into attack her. Caroline watched with wide eyes as the vampires rolled around on the ground, their bodies moving at their supernatural speed. The next thing she knew, Beth-Anna was on the floor, dead, and Fredrick froze, staring at the girl.
His gaze jerked from Stefan and Damon, to Caroline, who swallowed, nervously taking a step back.
Fredrick fled the scene, leaving the three by themselves.
"Damn it," Damon growled, looking around the parlor, which was honestly a mess.
"They were in the tomb," Caroline mumbled, staring down at the gray vein-y face of the once-alive vampire.
"Yeah...about that," Stefan and Damon gazed at each other for a long time.
Here's a summary of last chapter in case the recap isn't jogging your memory!
Basically, double-not-date weird-ness, Jenna, Klaus, Kelly, & Damon shots at the bar, Caroline getting called Chandra, and Elena finally picking Stefan to be with.
Caroline's POV
I snuggled deeper into the leather couch as the breeze from the damaged window drifted inside.
"Yeah, yeah, Blondie. I'm boarding it up now." Damon mumbled, noticing my shiver.
I raised a blonde eyebrow. "I didn't say anything, Damon."
He didn't respond, simply started the process of attaching three long boards over the hole.
"I say we go to Pearl's." Damon said while he was positioning a long nail. "Bust down the door, and annihilate the idiot that attacked us."
"Yeah, and then what?" Stefan retorted, raising his voice to be heard over the steady boom of the hammer. "We turn to the rest of that house of vampires and say, 'Oops, sorry?'"
I smiled wryly, agreeing with Stefan.
"I still can't understand what made you make a deal with her."
Glancing over his shoulder, Damonshrugged. "Eh, more like a...helpful exchange of information." More hammering. "It's not like I had a choice. She's...scary. Besides, she's gonna help me get Chandra back," he jutted his eyebrows up into his hairline, smirking.
I shot Stefan a wary gaze. I thought we were over this already. "Of course she is. How convenient for her to just happen upon this information." I rolled my eyes. "Pardon me if I'm wrong, but hasn't she been locked in that tomb for 160 plusyears?"
"Ooo." Damon finished with the last board. "Snarky."
"I just recently discovered that all the vampires are roaming around in my town. I think it's all right if I'm 'snarky', Damon."
"How long are you going to blame me for killing Alaric, Blondie?"
I pressed my lips firmly together, feeling my blood boil.
Don't give him this power over you, Care.
I pushed my hand through my hair, meeting his blank stare.
"I'm not blaming you for anything. Blaming implies that I'm assigning responsibility for his death. You did it, and there's no ifs, ands, or maybes about it. I've accepted the fact you're a self-serving sociopath with absolutely no redeemable qualities."
He mocked winced. "Ouch. Cranky, are we?"
"This isn't being very productive. We need to figure out a way to deal with Pearl and the others, yeah?"
I grumbled under my breath, standing up. "I'm going to bed. You two have fun with that."
~0~
A loud clack woke me from my deep slumber.
Eyes fluttering open, I groggily looked around the room, trying to determine what had awoken me. After a few moments, I realized my window had blown open. Pulling myself out of bed, I trudged over to the window, shivering when I was hit with the chilly breeze and small drops of rain.
As much as I loved rain, I didn't like driving in it – or going to school in it. I would much rather sit on a balcony or front porch with a cup of cocoa in hand, my favorite blanket draped across my legs.
I stared outside for a second, feeling a strange sense of unease, before shutting the window and heading back to my warm bed.
Third Person POV
A dark figure stood outside the Salvatore Boarding House, staring up at the blonde's figure standing in the window. His hair was slicked against his skin and his jacket was damp from the rain that managed to sneak through the canopy of leaves above him.
~0~
Fredrick sat in the living room, alone. Only the mug of blood in his hand kept him company. Beth-Anne was dead, thanks to those damn Salvatores.
Pearl walked into the room, having suspected he would have pulled a stunt by now. Beth-Anne's disappearance proved her initial thought. She must be dead.
"We're running low on blood," Fredrick said, before Pearl could mention her absence. "You might want to send Anna to the hospital for some more."
"I'll send her out for some tomorrow," Pearl said, leaning over the coffee table to pick through some magazines.
"Maybe I could go with her," he murmured, studying her reaction. "If the storm keeps it dark enough, I could go out during the day, no sun and all."
She glanced over at him, looking displeased. "After your stunt at the Salvatore house? I'm afraid not."
"He and his brother deserved it," he grumbled, staring at the navy mug.
"And where did that get you? Your girlfriend Beth-Anne is dead. You have no one to blame but yourself. We cannot live our lives about revenge. We have to have better control of our emotions."
"I understand, Miss Pearl. I just wish I knew what you were up to," his dark eyes stared at the older woman. She suspected he would try something again.
"I plan on making exploratory visits into town to assess who's under the influence of vervain, and who isn't. Anna tells me that the players haven't changed much. It's still the Lockwoods, the Gilberts, the Fells, the Forbes..."
"We should just kill every last one of them," he growled, causing Pearl to raise a brow.
"We're smarter than that, Fredrick. These people aren't our enemies. We don't hold grudges and resentments. We'll get our town back. We just have to have patience." She left the room, signaling the discussion was over. Fredrick frowned deeply before pulling a wooden stake from his jacket.
"You heard her," he said to the others who had entered the room. "No revenge. Patience. Self-control. She seems to have it all figured out, doesn't she?" he said sarcastically, dragging a pocket knife down the stake to sharpen it.
~0~
The next evening, at the Grill, Caroline was settled at her usual booth in the middle of the restaurant, a book in hand. She was waiting for the to-go order she had promised she would take to Uncle Zach for dinner. He was working the graveyard shift at Salvatore Lumber & Co. Normally she would just have to go down the street to deliver it, but he had to go to their sister company in the next town over.
Matt walked over to Caroline, who he noticed had been there for a while.
"Hey Care, I brought your order," he smiled down at her, holding up a brown bag. "Mind if I sit?"
She glanced up from her book, In Cold Blood, and shut it eagerly.
"Thanks; and please do; I really don't want to read this anymore."
He chuckled lightly, sliding into the booth across from her. Matt sat the container down on the table, pushing it out of his way.
"I yelled at my mom last night," he admitted, his baby blue eyes looking guilty. "You know, I feel like the parent screaming at the screwed up kid."
Caroline smiled sympathetically.
"Well, maybe she needed to hear it. She was with Damon, after all," she scrunched up her nose at the thought of Damon with Kelly, of all people.
"Yeah..." he halfheartedly agreed. "I just...I worry, y'know, maybe she'll take off again. That's her M.O. She's just like Vicky, who I haven't heard from since she left." A guilty pang struck in Caroline's chest, and she took a sip of her cold water.
"You can't control your mom, Matt," she paused, nibbling on her lip. "No more than you could – er, can – control your sister."
Thunder rumbled outside, and Caroline scrunched up her nose.
"I wish that she'd at least try, even if it is just a little bit. Even just trying to try would be okay with me..."
The lights flickered, and Caroline glanced up.
"Maybe she'll surprise you. People tend to do that." She slid out of her booth, tossing down a five to pay for her snack and drink. "I better get going, before the roads get even worse from the storm."
Shouldering her bag, Matt got to his feet as well.
"Yeah," he looked out the tinted window at the rainy streets. "Sure you should be driving in this, right now?"
She nodded. "I promised Zach I would bring him his dinner."
"Okay. Well you know the drill. Buckle up, don't speed, etc etc." He said jokingly, but deep down, he was actually serious.
"I know, I know, my mom was Sheriff for a while, remember?"
Matt's joking expression grew somber and he smiled tightly. "Yep. See you later, Care."
"Bye!" she gave him a quick, one armed hug before leaving.
Caroline's POV
The storm had already washed out Hwy 55, the route Zach usually took when heading to work, and my GPS had detoured me on this random backwoods path to hell. Of course this meant I had to drive slower, which also meant it was already dusk.
Just dandy. I thought.
My lights shone through the dark woods, lighting up even more poorly paved road.
Again I wondered, how long is this 'detour' anyways? Zach's burger was no longer filling my car with its delicious scent. All I could smell now was just a faint odor of food.
My phone rang, and I coasted to a stop. Not like I could get much farther anyways. The road was crazy muddy, and I knew it would be a matter of time before I got stuck or something else ridiculous happen to me.
I fished it out of the cup holder, and answered it.
"Hey Zach, sorry it's taking so long."
"Where are you? Are you alright?" his static-y reply came.
"I can barely hear you!" I said over the thundering of the rain against my car. "I'm on some random back road, headed your way!"
"You're breaking up! Don't – it – just – back." Zach responded, his voice fading out every few words.
I strained to understand, but wasn't able to, and suddenly the call was dropped.
"Dammit!" I groaned, sliding my car back into drive. I stepped lightly on the gas, and wanted to scream when it didn't move.
Getting out of the car, I gingerly picked my way through the mud; my hair and clothes soaked the minute I stepped foot outside my metal shelter.
My back wheels were in deep mud puddles, the bottom half of my tread covered by the milky brown.
I scrambled back into my car, shivering.
The rain continued to hammer down, and I bumped up my heat, deciding to turn the key so I wouldn't waste gas. Not like I could go anywhere...
I must have dozed off, because the next thing I know, someone is knocking on my window.
I glanced up to see... Kelly Donovan...?
Kelly? A look of confusion passed over my face before she seemed to realize I was awake.
She held a jacket above her head, and she waved.
I unlocked the doors and she went around the front, getting in to the passenger side.
"Caroline Forbes!" She exclaimed with a small smile. "I was wondering who was holding up the road!"
I smiled slightly, nodding. "I'm stuck."
"I can see that, honey. Want me to give you a ride back into town? I have Matty's truck..."
Glancing into my rear-view, I saw this to be correct. I also noticed it was almost 9 pm, and I'd talked to Zach almost two hours ago.
"Yes, please."
"Well, alright, get your stuff and c'mon." she hopped out of my car, shutting the door behind her.
Turning around, I gathered my things and took my keys out of the ignition. With a side-long glance at the bag, my stomach rumbled.
Food is food. I decided, shoving it into my backpack before climbing out into the light drizzle.
I locked my car and jogged through the mud to Matt's truck.
"You live at the Salvatore Boarding House now, right?" Kelly asked. We had finally made it back to the main road.
"Yep." I bobbed my head and she looked at me for a second. "How're they taking care of you?"
I thought of Zach, and grinned slightly. "Pretty good. Zach's my godfather and we get along."
Her lips turned upwards, but that's the only part of her face that seemed to smile.
"That's good."
The rest of the ride was kind of an awkward silence. Once she dropped me off at the Boarding House, I thanked her and scurried inside, soaking wet.
"Where've you been?" Damon demanded when I entered, flashing in front of me.
I sighed, motioning to my wet clothes. "I'm cold and tired Damon. I got stuck on some damn backwoods road to hell."
"Have you talked to Stefan, seen him even?" he continued, not even hearing what I said.
"No." I went over to the hall table and set my purse and backpack down underneath it. Fishing out the bag, I searched through it to find something that was still edible. "Why?"
"He went out in the woods this afternoon and hasn't came back. I can't get a hold of him on his phone, so I figured he was with you or Elena."
I frowned, pulling my phone out of my pocket and calling him. It went straight to voice-mail after a single ring.
"Maybe he just wanted some alone time?" I suggested. "God knows I would kill for some to get away from you." I added as an afterthought.
"Ouch. Wounded again." he held the back of his hand to his forehead sarcastically. "Stefan likes his alone time, but he likes Elena time even more." Damon pointed out. "If he's not back by tomorrow, I think I know where he might be..."
I stared at Damon, who was staring at the boarded up window.
"I have faith he's fine." I said, mostly for my own benefit.
Damon called his brother's cell again, before groaning. "I'm calling Klaus."
"And... that's my cue to leave." I said, popping the mint I'd found in the bag into my mouth.
He rolled his eyes at me and I headed upstairs.
~0~
Third Person POV
The next afternoon, around one p.m., Damon and Caroline headed to where Pearl and her vampires were staying.
Banging on the front door, he yelled, "Pearl! Open this door! I swear to God I'll bust through and rip your head off."
A movement later, the door swung open, and a smug looking Frederick stood behind the threshold.
"Pearl's not home, Damon. Hmm. Beautiful weather. Not a ray of sun in the sky. I see you brought a snack."
Frederick's dull eyes stared at Caroline, whom was sitting in the passenger seat, staring up at the house.
Meanwhile, Caroline felt the older vampire stare at her, and looked away uncomfortably. She really hoped Stefan wasn't here like Damon suspected.
"Where's my brother?" Damon retorted tightly, ignoring the quip about Caroline.
"Billy," He called over his shoulder, a devilish grin present on his lips.
Two vampires dragged Stefan into the hallway, right in Damon's view.
His fist collided against the barrier and he snarled. "You're dead."
"Whoa, I'm sorry. You haven't been invited in." he smirked. "Miss Gibbons?" Frederick stared into her eyes. "Never let this bad man in," he compelled her.
"I'll never let him in," she replied in a dreamy tone.
Stefan groaned, his body hanging slack in the two vampire's grip.
"145 years left starving in a tomb, thanks to Chandra and Katherine's infatuation with the two of you," he turned up his nose in disgust. "First few weeks without blood, every single nerve in your body screams with fire. The pain can drive you mad...I figured your brother might want to get a taste of that before I kill him." He glanced over his shoulder at Stefan. "Billy," he called again, and Billy stabbed Stefan with a long wooden stake. "You have a nice day now."
While this was all going on, Elena pulled up behind Damon's car, out of view from the house, and ran up to the driver's side window, furiously knocking on it. Caroline glanced up, mentally cursing.
How'd she find out we were here?
"What happened? Where is he?" Elena slid into the driver seat, staring at Caroline expectantly.
"I don't know, Elena," she said in annoyance. "I'm down here, and he's up there."
Her friend huffed in annoyance, and after a moment Damon walked down the hill. Caroline climbed out, while Elena simply scooted over to the passenger side, rolling down the window so she could hear.
"I was right," Damon said, not yet seeing Elena. "They have him," he saw Elena and he growled, "Dammit, how'd she get here?" he asked, directing the question to Caroline.
"Beats me." she shrugged.
"Why don't you get Stefan?" Elena asked, ignoring the question.
"I can't get in, Elena. I'm not invited." Damon replied, sounding as if he was talking to a child.
She snorted in frustration.
"I can get in!" Her face lit up, and she started to open the door, but Damon looked at Care pointedly. Her hand darted out, and she shut the door.
"You're not going in there, Elena." Damon murmured dangerously low, staring at Elena.
Caroline waited for Damon to add something about her not going in either, but it never came.
If Damon can't get in, then I'll have to. I'm strong enough.
"I'm-" The brunette started.
"No, Elena. You aren't," Damon said firmly again.
"Why are they even doing this? What do they want with him?" Caroline asked. In a way, she already knew the answer.
"Revenge," An annoyingly familiar voice said, and Klaus walked around the back of Damon's car. "They want revenge."
"Oh, so now he decides to do the right thing." Caroline grumbled under her breath, remembering how he'd been working with Anna to get into the tomb.
Never even got an apology. She recalled glumly.
"I heard that, love," Klaus smirked arrogantly at her, and she resisted the overwhelming urge to shove her fist in his face.
"We gotta do something," Caroline said instead. "It's Stefan we're talking about. He'd do something if it was you, Damon. Or even one of us!" She looked at Elena, and then motioned to herself.
The elder Salvatore's brow furrowed, and he looked down, knowing she was right. "I know, Blondie."
"We can't let them hurt him! We gotta get him outta there!" Elena tried to open the door again, but she pushed it shut once more. "Caroline!" she growled. "Let me out!"
"I know, Elena. I know. But I don't know how to get him out of there," Damon said, still looking conflicted.
"Why doesn't Caroline have to be in the car too?" Elena wondered aloud in a whiny tone.
"Because." Damon replied condescendingly. "She's not trying to fly off the handle like you are."
Caroline swallowed, and looked up at the house, feeling a bit awkward. Before all of this vampire stuff happened, she would have probably been in the car, and Elena would have been out in the open, staring in at her.
"But, Damon!" She protested before noticing his stubborn expression. She growled and crossed her arms, turning away.
Elena knew fighting with Damon would end up with them both just talking in circles.
Meanwhile, in the basement of the house, Frederick and two of his goons were tying up Stefan. Vervain ropes, vervain eye drops, and even slicing a knife across the young Salvatore's chest.
Stefan was screaming in pain, and Klaus and Damon could hear it, but made no movement to show they did.
Another vampire, Harper, came into the basement.
"This isn't right!" He stared hard at Stefan, whom he felt no hatred towards.
"He killed Beth-Anne," Frederick said, like that justified his actions. "One of us, Harper. And don't you think for a second he wouldn't kill you if he had the chance. Pearl says we're not here for revenge, right? I say that's exactly what we're here for."
He drug the tip of the blade across Stefan's chest again.
He screamed in agony, writing in his bonds.
"And then his brother, and anyone else that gets in our way. Vampire or not." His dark eyes twinkled in the dim light.
"This isn't right!" Harper darted forward, gripping his fingers into Frederick's jacket.
"You're going to want to let go of me now," He growled dangerously.
"Miss Pearl will be home soon," Harper said in return.
"Miss Pearl," He sneered. "Is no longer in charge. Tie him up! And then stake him down."
The two cars that were once at the end of Ms. Gibbons' driveway were now gone. Damon, Klaus, Elena and Caroline had decided to go to Alaric for help.
~0~
It was the end of the day, and a few students were still milling the halls, chatting.
Damon and Klaus stood behind the wall, listening for Alaric's footsteps. Once the last of the teens cleared out, they walked around the corner, a smirk plastered on Damon's face.
"Well, don't you look...alive?"
Alaric stiffened, and stopped in his tracks. "You can't hurt me," he stated and Damon rolled his eyes.
"Oh, I can hurt you all right."
Caroline heard Damon's threat and sighed. Coming around the corner, she smiled weakly Ric.
"Alaric. We need your help."
He contemplated her request for a moment, before leading the three of them into the classroom to talk.
Caroline's POV
I went back to get Elena before joining Damon and Klaus in Alaric's classroom.
Damon explained to Alaric what was going on, but it was taking much too long.
"Stefan's in the house," I summed up. "Damon and Klaus are vampires, and thus they can't get in. We need you, Ric." I stared earnestly at my teacher. "I would go, but..." It was when I trailed off that Elena seemed to suddenly think of something.
"Wait! Klaus! Why don't you try to get in?"
"Not invited in, love." he replied smoothly. "Pearl and Frederick both know that Damon and I are friends. And Stefan and I were friends at one point as well. It would be too easy for them to figure out that I'm helping you."
"Yeah, not possible." Damon nodded, shooting down the idea as well. "Plus, Blondie's life is valuable," Damon finished, looking at me. "Yours, on the other hand..." he shrugged at Alaric.
"Stefan told me about your ring," Elena added.
"What about it?" He feigned confusion.
Alaric had willingly explained the ring to me after Damon had killed him, but he hadn't told anyone else other than Stefan, and Damon must have figured out on his own. Klaus was the only one left in the dark, and that much was evident by the confused look on his face.
"Let me recap," Damon said. "You tried to kill me. I defended myself. You died. Then, according to my brother, your magical ring brought you back to life. Am I leaving anything out?" He looked to Alaric, to me, and then to Klaus.
Klaus looked interested, his eyes locked onto the ring on the teacher's hand.
"Yeah," Ric said dangerously, staring at Damon with hatred. "The part where I try and kill you again. Only this time, I don't miss."
Ric stepped forward, and I quickly stood between the arguing 'alpha males'.
"Mr. Saltzman." I pleaded, getting formal. "Please. Stefan's never done anything to harm you..."
"I'm sorry, Caroline, Elena." he said, stepping back. "It's not my problem."
Klaus hummed lowly. "Ah, what a shame. The woman in charge of the crowd can help you find your wife."
Elena's eyes widened.
"You're lying!" Alaric obviously didn't buy the act, and he looked to Elena for conformation.
She couldn't offer any.
"Am I, mate?" He grinned wolfishly. "Why don't you ask her yourself? Coward." He turned to us. "C'mon, Caroline."
We started to leave, and just as we were out the door, he huffed.
"Alright! Wait, I'll go."
Third Person POV
Jeremy and Anna sat at the library, discussing vampirism.
"A pity turn?" She exclaimed after Jeremy tried to convince her to turn him. "I don't think so."
"You should turn me because I don't have anything else..." He continued, and she shook her head.
"Do you even know why we turn other people? It's not to give someone a one-way ticket out of loner-hood. Ok? One – we need someone to do our dirty work. Two, revenge. Three, boredom... but, you know, that never turns out well. And then you know there's the obvious one. You love someone so much that you would do anything to spend all of eternity with them. Ahem. I'm sorry, but you don't fit any of those categories yet." She stopped mid rant as her mother entered the Grill. "So, yeah, just make sure your thesis is clear, and she'll love it. See you later," she quickly said, leaving.
Jeremy sighed, his phone beeping a second later.
Anna had texting him, explaining why she had taken off so fast.
Pearl and Anna went over to Mayor Lockwood, who was clearly checking out Pearl with interest.
Tyler got up and left to play pool, clearly annoyed by his father's actions.
~0~
Back at the school, Alaric pulled a duffel bag out of a locked cabinet. Caroline had always wondered what he kept in there, all locked up.
"Teacher by day, vampire hunter by night," Damon said. "Nice."
"I've you to thank for that," Alaric grunted with the weight of the bag, setting it down on his desk.
Damon didn't respond simply stared down at the black duffel.
"What are these?" Elena grabbed a long cylinder with a cap on one end. It was about the size of a Epi Pen, with a needle just as long, if not thicker.
Caroline stared curiously over her shoulder at the object.
"Those are tranquilizer darts filled with vervain, be careful," Ric explained, taking it from her gently.
"Just get me in. I'll get Stefan out," Damon said to Ric, and Caroline raised an eyebrow.
"That's your plan, Damon? Seriously? Just gonna go in there and take them all out on your own?"
Klaus chuckled. "Of course not, love. I'm going to go with him."
"Well, we're going to be a little stealthier than that, hopefully." Damon took a couple of stakes and vervain darts, twirling them in his hands.
He smirked at Caroline, who turned slightly pink. She was not aware of this, but Damon was, and it only made his smirk grow.
Elena reached again for one of the vervain darts.
"Woah, what are you doing?" Ric asked her, looking confused.
"I'm going with you guys!" She said like it was already decided.
Caroline's POV
"No. No. No. No. No way," Damon said incredulously, then swung to look at me. "That goes for you too, Blondie."
I blinked innocently, although by this point, I had already slipped a wooden stake into my pocket. Klaus may have seen me, but if he did, he made no point to say anything.
"You need me!" Elena protested. "I'll get in. You can distract them, and I'll get Stefan out!"
"You'll get yourself killed, Elena. You aren't going in there," Damon said seriously, shaking his head.
""Lena," I laid a hand on her arm, gently. "You can stay out in the car with me. We'll be more efficient outside."
"Outside?!" I heard Ric mumble to himself.
Damon echoed his disbelief, but when I shot him a very stubborn glance, he shut up.
"I'm going, Caroline," She pushed again, and Damon rolled his eyes, ignoring her.
"So," he said to Klaus and Ric. "When you get me in, get out as quick as possible. I know how to sneak around where they can't hearme. You'll basically be in the way."
"Now is not the time to be the Lone Ranger, Damon."
I pushed my hand through my hair nervously.
This could end badly in so many different ways.
Damon exhaled harshly. "Fine. Elena, you and Blondie can drive the getaway car. Neither of you are going into that house."
"You can't stop me..." Elena grumbled childishly, and I rolled my eyes in annoyance. "Stefan is...extremely important to me. You couldn't possibly understand."
"Oh, I understand," Damon said sarcastically. "He's the reason you live. His love lifts you up where you belong. I get it."
"Can you just not joke around for two seconds?!" she scowled, crossing her arms across her chest.
"Elena." I touched her arm and she turned to glance at me. "They can't protect you in there. You and I both know that neither of us stand a chance against however many vampires are in that house."
She didn't look persuaded so Klaus spoke up.
He snapped his fingers. "That's how long it takes for you to get your head ripped off, love. Damon and I need to get in and out, without being worried about anyone's safety."
Elena sighed submissively, agreeing.
"This would end up in a bloodbath none of us can walk away from. Including Stefan. I get it. I understand." Damon said, acting uncharacteristically gentle.
Ric glanced at his watch. "Guys, if we're gonna go, then let's go."
QOTC: What do you predict will happen in the next part?
If we get 400 reviews, I'll do my very best to have a chapter up by Oct 3rd! xxx
one day after uploaded chapter~I have the next chapter written, and I'll post it as soon as my beta gets finished with it! xoxo
