A/N: SEASON TWO LADIES AND GENTS! I'm beyond pumped, y'all have no idea! I have big ideas for Val, and speaking of:

So, I got some reviews about people finding it confusing and kind of unrealistic how John beat Val in the last chapter. That will be explained partly in this chapter, and more as we learn about Val's history and family throughout this season.

Val WILL gain custody this season! Yay!

And something I want to make very clear cause I don't want anyone being confused or clicking out of the story: We will be learning a lot about Val's ancestors in these next few seasons, so just so everyone knows, VAL IS NOT A DOPPELGANGER. I know there's going to be questions, but she's not. I don't have any problem with the trope, but I just feel like I see it a lot, and didn't really want to use it in this story. Val merely holds a resemblance to her ancestor, something that's very common, especially to those of us who have done research into our history and ancestors. (Genetics are wild, y'all.)

Anyway, moving forward!

Val had no idea what she was expecting, if she was being candid. Maybe a nap, a bite to eat; she honestly would have killed someone for an iced vanilla coffee at that point.

But she wasn't banking on what she found.

She was pretty shaken up after the fight with John and what had apparently been a near-death-experience, and she knew that Damon and Rick needed to know why. She also needed to ensure that Jenna and Jeremy were alright; she knew Stefan had Elena. So that's how she found herself walking up the sidewalk to the Gilbert house when a familiar voice startled her.

"Sofia?"

Val turned to see Elena standing behind her; at the sight of the huntresses face, the younger girls face turned from shocked to confused.

"What?" Val asked, confused, but Elena only shook her head. The huntress turned back to the door and then to the brunette. She could've sworn she hadn't been standing there before.

"Nothing." She said softly, and Val felt her heart rate speed up a little. Something seemed off. She couldn't be sure, but something was different about Elena. At surface level, she looked exactly the same, but there was something about the way she carried herself, her posture, the set of her facial expression…

As their eyes met, brown on amber, Val's hit her so hard the air was knocked from her body a second time that night.

Images of blood and gore flashes before her eyes, the familiar smell of necrosis, the sound of flesh being ripped open and screams. Screams that begged for mercy, for compassion, for life. A slick feeling was on her hands, her arms, her skin, and Val didn't know how, but she just knew it was blood. And as quickly as the sensation started, it ended, and as Val slammed back into reality, her eyes narrowed at the girl in front of her, jaw setting.

"Katherine."

The brunette smirked at her, and Val found herself startled at how much she looked like Elena. She'd seen the picture, but it was so old, it had mostly looked like major family resemblance. This wasn't resemblance, it was like someone had copy-and-pasted the same person into a different time period.

"I bet you're wishing you had your gun right now, don't you, Valentina?" Katherine taunted, and Val had to admit, being caught by a mass murdering vampire without a weapon was not ideal. Her muscles tensed, but the evil double only laughed, shaking her head.

"Relax, Rodriguez, I'm not going to kill you." She shrugged, "It wouldn't make much a difference anyway." She stated vaguely, her eyes on Val's crucifix. Unconsciously, the huntress reached up and ran her fingers over it.

"So, what do you want?"

Katherine sighed, pacing slightly to the right. Val followed her, shifting her body so that she was facing the vampire at all times. "Isobel told me all about Elena's life. It's so complicated," she groaned, looking annoyed, "but one name that really caught my attention was yours; the huntress in town with a long list of valuable skills."

"Why did you call me Sofia?"

Katherine blew air through her nose, now looking irritable. "Let's just say I've had several… run in's with your ancestors. I normally consider hunters to merely be a convenience, but after your great-great-grandmother and grandfather nearly took my head off, I started staying away."

"Shame they never finished the job." Val stuck out her bottom lip mockingly, cocking her head to the side. Katherine giggled.

"I knew I liked you. Word of advice? Your heads not on my list, but it could be. So," Katherine was suddenly in front of her, a hand wrapped around the huntresses throat and her toes brushing the pavement. "Stay out of my way, or my plans for you will change very fast, you got that?"

"I can't make any promises." Val choked out, gripping the vampires wrist and arm. The brunette smirked.

"I know."

The sound of a door opening up caused the brunette to look behind Val, and she flashed a smile to whoever was in the doorway before she was gone, Val landing clumsily on her feet. She raised a hand to her throat and rubbed it, coughing slightly as footsteps pounded towards her.

"Val." Stefan's voice sounded, and he, Elena, and Damon were at her side, the young girl rubbing her back. Val turned to her.

"So, your ancestors a bitch."

Once they were all in the house again, Val explained what Katherine had told her. Damon was standing in the kitchen while Val was seated on the counter, Elena in a chair, and Stefan standing next to her.

"So, Katherine knew some of your ancestors?" Damon asked, looking more than a little confused. Val shrugged.

"She called me 'Sofia'; apparently it was my great-great-grandmother." She told them, "I guess my families been doing this for a while."

"Yeah, actually," Stefan spoke up, "we have a question about that. John seemed to know why you couldn't be compelled. He mentioned your families 'blessing'?"

"Yeah, and I was awake when he put that necklace on you." Damon interjected, "After he did, he said, "This makes even, Antonio"."" He raised his eyebrows at her, "Is there something you want to share with the class?"

"Look, I have no idea what this is," she told them, holding up the crucifix, "and I definitely don't know why I can't be compelled. I've been looking through all my dads old research books, and I can't find anything." She sighed, and then ran a hand through her hair. "But the reason I came here tonight was because of what happened when John and I were fighting; I didn't expect him to beat me-"

"Yeah, cause you put him right on his ass in the last encounter you two had." Damon smirked, and she shot him a look that said shut up.

"Well, that's the thing. You guys, I learned how to fight from my dad. He knew all sorts of different forms of martial arts, more than I'd ever seen. He started creating his own moves, and," she paused, taking a deep breath, "and I saw those moves when John and I fought. He executed them perfectly, and that only means one thing: John didn't just know my dad; he trained with him and my grandfather."

The trio stared at her in shock, eyes wide. "Wait, wait," Elena interrupted, "so now apparently Katherine knows your family line, and so does John?"

"Which puts me at a disadvantage." Val nodded, face grim. "Which I don't like."

She was gaining too many damn enemies.

Val took a deep breath, walking up the steps to greet the dark-haired, teen boy standing at the top, the skirt of her black dress fluttering softly in the breeze. "Hey, Tyler." She greeted softly, and the boy cleared his throat.

"Hey, Ms. Rodriguez." He returned quietly, "Thanks for coming."

"Of course." She told him, then stepped in and hugged him. He stiffened at first, then returned it, and she could practically hear him holding back tears. Finally, he pulled away, wiping frantically at his eyes.

"Go, uh, go ahead inside, thanks for coming, again." He repeated, and she smiled gently before leaving, knowing pitying the boy would only make it worse.

Inside, her black stilettos clicked against the linoleum as she walked inside, eyes searching for someone she knew or food, whichever came first. Finally, she spotted Damon standing with the sheriff and the mayor's widow. As quietly as she could in heels, she walked over, stopping just within ear shot.

"Your husband is the one who helped John execute his idiotic plan in the first place!" She heard Liz snap.

"Liz-" Damon started, but Mrs. Lockwood interrupted.

"Someone got my husband killed." She whispered tearfully, and Val's heart clenched. She wasn't a fan of the mayor, and it was obvious he and Carol were having issues, but that didn't mean the death of the father of your child was any less painful. She stayed back until the mayor had left, then approached.

"Damon, sheriff." She greeted, and Liz looked over to her in surprise.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Valentina, I need to speak with Damon priv-"

"She knows." Damon told her, and Liz's eyes widened. Val shrugged, and the older woman grimaced, nodding.

"Actually, that makes a lot of sense. How long have you known?" She asked, and Val froze, scared to answer, before Damon spoke up again.

"Who's that?" He questioned, pointing to a man who had just entered. He walked up to Carol, and Val noticed in surprise that he was dressed in a white button-down and some khaki shorts; not exactly funeral attire.

"The mayors younger brother, Mason Lockwood." She supplied.

"Is he on the council? Y'know, like John was when he rolled in." At the mention of the man who'd attempted to kill her, Val's fist clenched on her black clutch.

"No, he's nothing like John." The sheriff answered, looking slightly relieved. "For one, he's not ass, and two, he's not a believer, either. He wants nothing to do with the council." She shrugged, "Too busy finding the perfect wave."

Both dark-haired people looked over simultaneously to the man, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Val eventually walked off in search of some Pepsi, thinking off-handedly she really needed to start drinking some more water, when Stefan was suddenly at her side, forehead creased.

"Katherine's here." He said grimly, and Val's shoulders immediately tensed as she looked around, eyes searching for the brunette. "Where?"

"I think she may be going after Bonnie, come on."

Val had to jog to keep up with Stefan's long ass legs, something that wasn't comfortable in heels, but when she saw the sight in front of her, her stomach dropped. Katherine had her back to her, a hand enclosed around Bonnie's throat as she was pinned to the wall. Val shoved Stefan slightly, signaling him to go around, the yanked up her skirt, fingers deftly closing around her gun.

Bonnie saw Val, eyes widening, and then threw out her hand behind her, the double doors near them springing open to reveal more party goers. Katherine looked over to see multiple people, then turned back to Bonnie.

"Not bad." She complimented casually as Stefan stepped into view.

"Katherine." He greeted, smiling tightly.

"Stefan." Katherine greeted back, her voice lightening. "And it sounds like my favorite little huntress is behind me." She turned to see Val pointing her gun at her head, hammer pulled back and safety off. The vampire looked up and down Val's dress clad figure before smirking and releasing Bonnie, the witch gasping as she brought her own hand up to her aching throat. After Katherine had followed Stefan away, like a trainer distracting a feral animal with a treat, Val sped over to Bonnie and looped an arm around her shoulders, rushing them both out of the room.

"This is insane," Bonnie hissed as they finally reached safety in the crowd by the snack bar, "it's like a-"

"Copy-n-paste?" Val interrupted, "Trust me, I thought the same thing."

Stefan and Damon soon returned to reassure the two girls that Katherine had officially left the vicinity, but that didn't stop Val from making sure she had a weapon on her at all times. The funeral slowly wound down, and Val gave her final respects to Carol and Tyler before she left.

She needed to talk to John Gilbert.

It seemed that the older hunter was thinking the same thing, because later that night, as she stepped out to check her mail, he leaning against his car in the parking lot, a gauze-wrapped hand against his chest and the other in his pocket.

Val stopped dead, her eyes narrowing and blood beginning to boil at the sight of the man. "You've got some real nerve, showing your face here." She spat, not moving. John gave a breathy chuckle and nodded, pushing off the car with his foot.

"Yeah, well, I got the feeling you might have some questions since you survived the fire." He told her, lips twisted in a sardonic smile.

Val wanted nothing more than to pull out her gun and put a round right between his eyes, but her curiosity got the better of her. "You knew my fathers moves." She accused, taking several steps closer. "And you put this necklace on me, right before I died."

John sighed, licking his lips and looking off in the distance before his eyes met hers again. "I met your father after Isobel left town. It hurt, you know, to see my child being raised by someone else, just cause I couldn't do it. I was eighteen, so I went to Texas; I was planning on crossing the border to train with an esteemed hunting family down in Mexico. While I was passing through San Antonio, I ran into a member of said family, and his little girl."

"My father." It wasn't a question, she already knew who he was talking about. He nodded, confirming her statement.

"Antonio was easily one of the best hunters I'd ever met, and if it makes you feel any better, that means something coming from me."

She said nothing, glaring at him as he grimaced and continued.

"Anyway, he was who I was looking for. You were only around four or five years old, you hadn't really started training yet aside from some bow and arrow hunting with your dad. He took me to Mexico with him to your grandparents house, and that's where I spent the next six months. Your father and grandfather pushed me in ways I had never been pushed before, and still haven't to this day. But, while I was there, your grandfather died."

Val froze, raising her eyes to look at him. "Dios mio," she whispered as realization trickled into her mind.

The funeral, the blue-eyed man, standing next to her father…

"You were at his funeral."

Again, John nodded. "I was worried you might recognize me when I first got to town, but it appears that fifteen years was a little too much time." He paused, looking at her hard. "Do you know how your grandfather died?"

"They say he was jumped; the crime wave was so bad, no one questioned it."

"Well, yes and no. He was jumped, but not by humans. See, Val, your family has a much longer history than you realize when it comes to the supernatural. Your great-great-grandfather is the only one on record that was hunting; a book went missing that contained evidence of your families involvement in hunting, and partnerships with witch covens."

"Who killed my grandfather?" It was the only question on her mind, the only thing she wanted to know right then.

"It doesn't matter, he's already dead. Your father and I hunted him down, it was your grandmothers wish. To be honest, I think Maria would have gone after him herself, but she was a little too old. After that, I left to travel some more. I didn't hear anything else from him until about seven years later; your grandmother called to tell me that he'd died."

"Sounds like my family really liked you."

John let out a snort, shaking his head. "Oh, hardly. Your grandfather wanted me trained because he thought I'd be helpful; Antonio and Maria, er, tolerated me."

"Well, I'm sure she'll be your biggest fan after I tell her what you did to me." She put her hands on her hips, cocking one out to the side. John, surprisingly, only smiled again.

"She will once she knows I gave that back to you." He nodded at her neck, and her fingers flew up to the crucifix, running the pads of her fingers over the imbedded rubies. She held it in her hand, staring at it for a second, before looking back at John.

"What is it?"

"It's an incredibly old family heirloom that was stolen from your great-great-grandfather, Lucas Rodriguez, along with the book I mentioned."

"Why is it so important?"

"Why don't you ask Katherine, seeing as she's the one who stole it."

The answer actually shocked her, and her eyes flew from the necklace to his own, surprise coloring her features. "You stole this back?"

"Yep. I stole it from Isobel, who stole it from Katherine, who stole it from Lucas. See, it's incredibly powerful, but it only works for a Rodriguez."

"Works? Works how?"

He paused, staring at her again, and she hated it. Whenever he stared at her, it was shockingly intense, and a little too personal. Finally, he spoke.

"It works just like the rings, but different. I'm not sure how, but I do know that as long as you wear it, you cannot die a supernatural death. When I left Mexico, I swore to Antonio that if I ever came across it in my lifetime, I'd return it to either him, or the nearest heir." He gestured with his non-injured hand to her, and she understood.

"But then you tried to kill me."

"Because you betrayed your family." He growled, features darkening. "Your family not only would have helped me with that plan, but they would have made sure those vampires suffered much, much longer. You think what I did was cruel?" He shook his head. "Look up more about your family history. The things your ancestors have done, not just to vampires, but all supernatural creatures, will shock you beyond your wildest dreams."

"Kinda sounds like you're attempting to justify killing me because I interfered with your 'master plan'." She snapped, growing tired of John's excuse s. It was obvious he didn't know much else, and was just trying to save face.

"Kinda sounds like you don't like me telling you how disappointed your father would be in you."

That's it.

Her gun was in her hand before John could even blink, the barrel level with his heart. He froze, staring at the gun and then her, jaw tensing in panic.

"I've entertained you being here because I need answers." She growled lowly, pulling back the hammer. "I haven't forgotten that you left me to burn alive, and I especially don't forgive the fact that you are attempting to use my father against me. Now, from what I understand, Stefan's blood is still in your system. Meaning, if I pulled this trigger right now, you'd become the thing you hate the most. And," she made a bit of a show looking at his hand, pouting mockingly as she looked back up at him, "looks like there's no ring on your finger to bring you back this time, is there?"

"You really need to learn to think your actions through, you let your anger control you too much." John accused, though his eyes were wide and his face was pale.

"Yeah, you're right. And y'know what other flaws I have? I can hold a grudge for a very long time. So, here's what's gonna happen. I'm not going to shoot you where you stand because you did, after all, return the crucifix to me. Instead, I'm going to walk back into my apartment. From the time I close the door, you will have one minute, to get in your car, drive away, and never come back. And once that minute is up, the game is back on. If I ever see you after tonight, I will put a bullet in your fucking skull." She dug the muzzle into John's chest before pulling back, clicking the safety back on. She glared at him one more time, before turning around and walking calmly back into her apartment building.

NEXT EPISODE: BRAVE NEW WORLD

Val flew forward, slamming her right fist towards Rick's face, but he brought his right wrist up, knocking it to the side as he ducked the other and went into to sweep her leg. She cartwheeled over his leg, coming up to slam her fist into his side. He gasped in pain and she took the distraction to roundhouse kick his other side, just above his hip, sending him to the ground. Rick grunted as his back met the dirt, and Val jumped on top of him, hand at his throat, panting.

"Told ya." She smirked, before straightening, stick out a hand to heave him up off the ground. They both strolled to their water bottles sitting on an old tree stump a few yards away, out of breath and covered in sweat.

"Y'know, I'm pretty sure it's not healthy to train this much." Rick told her, brining his bottle up to gulp down a few swallows. He pulled it away, wiping his face with his shirt as she shrugged.

"Hey, exercise is good for you. I'm just trying to follow healthy guidelines, that's all."

"Right, and it has nothing to do with John Gilbert beating you."

"That was a fluke." Val nearly snarled, tired muscles already tensing. Rick held up his hands in surrender as she continued, roughly unwinding the wrappings from her hands as she continued. "He surprised me; I haven't seen moves like that since my father. Fair fight, my ass." She muttered the last part, and Rick bit back a chuckle.

"Alright, well, I need to go shower in case they need help at the carnival. You're helping with the clean-up crew, right?"

Val groaned, staring at the sky. "Remind me why I did that?"

"Because you love Caroline, Bonnie, and Elena very much and also like to make sure you have an eye on the children of Mystic Falls at all times."

Val lowered her gaze back to Rick, muttering, "Shut up." Before throwing him a towel as they began their trek back to their cars, talking and joking.

She had to give the girls some serious props; the carnival was a big hit. Ring toss, ferris wheel, actually good prizes, and the pretzels were awesome, she'd already had at least four. She was just finishing helping some of the girls from the previous years soccer team mop up some soda when a hand was on her arm and yanking her away. She sighed in annoyance.

"Ok, you have to stop doing that." Val growled as Damon stopped her outside of Rick's classroom. He turned to her, smirking.

"Oh, you know you secretly love it." He taunted before pushing open the door, Val grinding her teeth in annoyance as she followed him in.

Hearing that Caroline had transitioned was enough to make Val want to cry. As in, genuine tears and hiccupping, the whole thing. As the trio sat discussing why the hell the anti-Christ herself would do such a thing, only one thought was going through Val's head.

I failed.

"Val?"

She looked up to see Stefan standing near her, eyes soft in concern. "We were just talking about how we're going to help Caroline."

"Right." She said, voice cracking slightly. She cleared her throat as the brothers raised their eyebrows at her, but she ignored them and straightened slightly.

"So, what do we do? Can we train her? I mean, Vicki wasn't exactly simple, but Caroline's not a drug user."

"Look, we have to find her." Stefan decided, throwing his hands up.

"Yep." Damon chimed in. "And kill her."

"You're not gonna kill Caroline."

"Um, excuse me?"

Both Val and Elena spoke simultaneously, glaring at the eldest vampire brother. Damon rolled his eyes at them like the answer was the most obvious thing in the world.

"She knows who we are! She's officially a liability, and I say we need to get rid of her." He offered his two cents, but was met with vehement opposition.

"You are not killing Caroline." Val practically growled, her fingers twitching. Damon turned to her, eyes narrowed.

"Need I remind you all of the tragic story of a girl named Vicki Donovan?" He asked sarcastically, and at the mention of the girl, Val's words caught in her throat. Both Stefan and Elena appeared speechless as well as Damon continued, "Yeah. Caroline, of all people, will not make it as a vampire; her mother's a vampire hunter. Guys, come on, we all know how this story ends, so can we just flip to the last chapter and-"

"It's not an option, Damon!" Elena interjected as Val stood up, storming over to the door.

"Uh, you're going to go hunt Caroline by yourself?" Damon asked, sounding doubtful of her skills. The huntress twirled around, amber eyes blazing.

"Look, I failed Vicki. I was supposed to look after her, have her best interests at heart, and I didn't. And because of that, her younger brother is on his own." She glared at the eldest Salvatore as she spoke again.

"I'm not failing another person that needs help. I'm going to look for her."

Val ran into the crowd, her heart beating frantically. Caroline was a newborn vampire and in a crowd of people; the last time they were in this position, Vicki nearly ripped out Elena and Jeremy's throats.

Ok, ok, think; where would Caroline go? Maybe if I can find Matt- would she have her cellphone on her? Honestly in this noise, would she even be able to talk to her? Would she listen?

Without meaning to, Val raised her hand and grabbed her crucifix in concentration, absentmindedly stroking it. Suddenly, goosebumps ran over her skin, like a breeze rushing over her, and something in her mind turned and pointed like a compass.

Danger. That way.

She couldn't explain it. It wasn't a direct voice, but like an extra sense, almost. Her head snapped to the left, and she ran, sneakers pounding against the concrete as she neared a trailer. As she ran, her heartbeat sped up, and the imaginary breeze rushed over her skin again. She rounded the corner just in time to see Damon standing in front of Caroline. A new sense of urgency overtook her, and suddenly she was racing forward. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw Damon step forward and pull Caroline into a hug, raising a stake to stab her in the back. She pushed harder, a shout ripping from her mouth in desperation.

"Damon, don't-!"

And then Stefan was there, yanking the stake from Damon's hand and shoving him away. Elena rushed forward, she and Val approaching Caroline at the same time as the blonde sobbed, her face and hair smeared with blood.

The huntress placed an arm around the girl, shushing her quietly and rubbing her upper back as gently as she could, attempting to turn her around and lead her inside. But upon the sight of her dark-haired best friend, the blonde shrieked, shoving her away. Val approached her again as the girl sobbed.

"Get away from me, you did this to me!" She sobbed, and Elena tried to get her to see reason.

"No, Caroline, you know that wasn't me, it was Katherine." She said softly, looking heartbroken.

"Then why did she look like you?!" Caroline cried hysterically, "What's happening?"

"Caroline, hey," Val put her arms around the girl again, struggling slightly due to the height difference. "Deep breathes, ok?" She soothed, rubbing her back softly. "Deep breath in your nose, deep breath out, just like that honey…" She looked over at Elena and Stefan, "You guys, I need your help getting her inside, please-"

"She will die," Damon spat as Stefan grabbed Caroline's other hand, the small group beginning to trek into the building. "It's only a matter of time."

"Yeah, but it's not going to be tonight." Stefan said firmly, face set in determination.

"Oh, yeah it is."

Damon was suddenly surging forward again, stake raised as he went for Caroline's heart, and Val scrambled for her own, but the Elena jumped in front of Caroline, face set.

She and Damon stared at each other, deep into the other's eyes for several seconds before Elena spoke, voice trembling. "Damon, she's my friend."

Th dark haired vampire stared at her for several seconds before backing off. "Whatever happens, is on you."

"Caroline?" Val's heart dropped at the sound of Bonnie's voice, and they both turned to see the witch, staring at Caroline in horror.

"No, not you, you can't be…" she whispered, before surging forward and grabbing her friends arm. At the contact, she let go suddenly, her face going white as her eyes began to fill with tears.

"Bonnie?" Caroline started hoarsely, but Bonnie began to back away, shaking her head. Quickly seeing the situation spiral, Val reached out, putting a hand on Bonnie's shoulder.

"Bonnie, that's enough, you're not helping," she started gently, but firmly, determined to get the blonde inside and away from the body. Finally, the witch jogged to the body, and Val took that opportunity to turn Caroline around, nodding to Stefan to help her lead Caroline inside. Together, they brought the blonde into the bathroom, and Val immediately switched on the warm water, pulling Caroline's hair out of her face as Stefan began to wipe off the blood.

"She hates me," Caroline hiccuped, her body racking with sobs, "Bonnie hates me!"

"No, no she doesn't, she's just in shock." Stefan soothed. Val gathered Caroline's hair back with one her spare elastics and started wetting a paper towel as Caroline spoke again.

"And Matt- what- what am I gonna do about Matt?" Caroline asked them, her voice rising in hysteria again. Val's heart was breaking as she stared at the normally vibrant and confident young girl, shattering to pieces right before her eyes.

Was this her fault? Was John right? Had she truly failed her families legacy already?

"One thing at a time, Caroline, let's just clean this blood off." Stefan continued, and Val placed the warm, wet paper towel on the back of Caroline's neck, rubbing her back as she grabbed another one and started helping with gently wiping off her face. Caroline grabbed a towel and started frantically wiping at her hands, sniffling.

"I'm a murderer," she cried, "I'm a monster!" Stefan stepped in again as Val began to run Caroline's fingers under the water, washing them as firmly but calmly as possible.

"Your emotions are heightened right now, it's part of the transformation. I promise you, alright?"

Caroline looked up again, and Val met her eyes right as they took on their hungry appearance, black veins filling the sockets as they turned a shockingly dark red. Caroline shoved her away, sobbing.

"Why does this keep happening to my face?! I'm hideous! Please Val, please go, I don't want to hurt you!" She shrieked, but Val only moved closer slowly, calmly as Stefan grabbed Caroline's shoulders and shook her slightly, bringing her back to reality.

"Caroline! Caroline look at me, look at me! Look at my face, shhhh!" When the girl calmed down, Stefan spoke again. "When you feel the blood rush in, you tell yourself that you're going to be strong, that you're going to get through it, ok?" Caroline began to frantically shake her head, her breathing picking up again, but Stefan nodded. "Yes. Yes, no matter how good it feels to give yourself over to it, you fight it. Try it."

Caroline stared over at Val, and Stefan gave her a look that said, Step back, be careful. The huntress stayed within arms reach, but watched cautiously as the blonde tore her eyes away and took several deep breathes, each one growing steadier as the veins finally disappeared. Val smiled, stepping forward again, and grabbed the girl's hand. Slowly, she raised it and placed it over Caroline's own chest, right above her heart.

"You feel that? That's you, Care." She said softly, and the blonde looked at the huntress tearfully as she continued. "You are still Caroline, do you understand? Still loving, still passionate, still stunningly beautiful." She soothed.

The three sat like that for several seconds before Caroline looked up at them, eyes red. "Why did Katherine do this to me?"

At the mention of the original doppelganger, Val's blood boiled. That bitch had been in town for days and she'd already managed to ruin several lives, and the huntress did not appreciate that.

Stefan stared at her for several seconds, clearly trying to come up with a good answer before he finally told the truth, "I don't know. But hey," he raised her gaze back up to his, "me and Val? We're not gonna let anything happen to you." Val smiled at Caroline comfortingly, watching as the two embraced.

As the raven-haired woman walked up the sidewalk to her apartments entrance, she felt a presence behind her. Scowling, she turned, crossing her arms at the sight of the anti-Christ.

"What do you want, Katherine?"

The five-hundred-year-old vampire was smirking, as usual. "I heard you talked to John." She told the huntress casually, "Find out anything interesting?"

"You mean other than the fact that you're the one who stole my ancestors records?" She nearly snarled, and Katherine actually laughed. Val's fists clenched as Katherine finished laughing, shaking her head.

"Oh, I didn't steal them, Valentina, they gave it to me."

The youngest Rodriguez's mouth parted in shock, not believing the words. If my ancestors hated vampires, why…?

"You're lying."

"Nope." Katherine shook her head, brunette curls bobbing. A twisted smile formed as she stared at her, "Sofia and Lucas, as much as they hated me, owed me a debt. When I came to collect, they backed out of our original deal and offered up something I wanted much more."

"Why the hell would you want our old records? And what is this?" She asked, frustration beginning to transition into fury as she gestured to the crucifix. She was getting tired of all the riddles and the double-meanings; if someone didn't give her a straight answer soon, she might be one doing the killing.

"Wow," the vampire commented, staring at her in awe and almost taunting, "that book really did hold everything, didn't it?" She scoffed, "You truly have no idea who you really are."

"Why did you take the book and crucifix, Katherine?" Her voice hardened, but the doppelganger only shook her head again.

"Look, all I'll say is this; Sofia, Lucas, and their children were in serious danger from a very powerful man." She shrugged, "We shared a common enemy, so I did them a pretty big favor. When it was over, I named my price, but they bartered with me." She smirked, "You Rodriguez's are quite charming."

"Who was after them? After all of you?" Her chest tightened, breathes becoming shorter and faster. She needed to know…

"Someone I truly hope you never meet, Valentina."

Uh-oh, who was after Val's ancestors? And what's so important about the necklace and the book? See you guys soon!