Elowen had quickly dialed Toby's number when they realized Rose was gone and asked him to meet her at her house.

"The more people looking for her, the better," she had told Damon when he complained about it. He really didn't like Toby and he was sure the feeling was mutual.

Naturally, there was a small reunion once Toby arrived. Eliana and Sydney had engulfed him in a big bear hug and immediately started to baby him.

"You've gotten so big!"

"And handsome. I always knew you'd be a heartbreaker."

Eliana and Sydney told him, respectively. Toby grinned widely while Damon rolled his eyes. Binx came running downstairs when he realized there were visitors, wagged his tail enthusiastically at the sight of Toby and even did a little dance. He crouched down and let Binx lick his face.

"Of course he likes you. You're a mutt," Damon jabbed as Toby glared at him. The second Binx saw Damon, he started to growl. Toby smirked at this.

"Looks like he has a good judge of character."

"Funny, she said the same thing when he bit me." Damon nudged Elowen. Toby laughed.

"He bit you?" He turned to Binx. "Good boy, Binx! Good boy."

"Hang on, a mutt?" Sydney asked confusedly. Eliana winced.

"Right, sorry, you don't know. Toby's a werewolf."

"What?! First you don't tell me they exist and now I find out my favorite son is one? This is need to know information, Eli!"

"I'm your only son and I'm not even related to you," Toby pointed out.

"Shut up, Tobias," Sydney quipped.

"It's actually Toby now."

"You're British?" Damon asked Sydney. He contemplated this for a moment. "That's hot." He turned to Eliana. "You didn't mention your girlfriend was hot."

"Because you were too busy laughing at me for calling her Syd," Eliana reminded.

"Okay, enough," Esmeralda cut in. "Why did you call a family meeting?"

"Rose is missing," Elowen started to finally explain. "We were hoping that having more eyes looking for her would be better than three."

Eliana nodded. "Got it. Where should we look?"

At that moment, Damon's phone rang. He went into another room so he could answer it. Everyone else waited for him to come back before anything else was said.

"Well, the good news is, I know where she is," Damon said when he came back.

"And the bad news?" Elowen dared to ask.

"Rose has killed someone."

Everyone in the room went quiet. Esmeralda was the one to speak up next.

"Where is she?"

"The high school," Damon answered.

"Okay. Then that's where we'll go."

They all headed for the door, but Eliana stopped Sydney from going any further.

"I think it's best you stay here."

"Why? I want to help. And don't say it's because I'm human because Elena gets to go."

"I just don't know if you're ready to be thrust into this life. There's a reason I use magic in small portions around you."

Sydney cupped Eliana's face. "I'll be fine. I'm a big girl. Come on. We better go."

xxxx

As Damon talked to Sheriff Forbes, Toby, Elena, Sydney, Eliana and Elowen stood off to the side to seem casual and as if they hadn't seen anything. Esmeralda had gone off to find Caroline and Josiah to fill them in on what was happening. Elowen had tried calling Stefan, but it went straight to voicemail.

"Hey, it's me. I don't know where you are, but please call me. It's important."

Damon came over and joined them just as Esmeralda came back.

"So, what's the damage?" Elowen asked. "Did anyone see?"

Damon shook his head. "No. It's just the one, but we better find her before more bodies get added to the mix."

"I brought these just in case." Eliana had brought a bag with her and pulled out stakes for everybody. "I found them in Esmeralda's study."

"What were you doing in my study?" Esmeralda asked accusingly.

"Snooping, what else?"

"What's this for?" Sydney asked innocently as Eliana handed her one.

"It's a weapon for you to use against Rose if you absolutely have to," Eliana explained. "A stake to the heart will kill her."

"Oh." It was finally starting to dawn on Sydney how serious this was. "How will I know who Rose is?"

"Trust me, you'll know," Damon replied. "Are we ready?"

When everyone nodded, he turned and left. Sydney started to leave, too, but Eliana pulled her back.

"Oh no, you're coming with me."

"But-"

"Not buts, let's go."

"Toby, you go with Elena," Elowen told him, winking at him when nobody else was looking. Toby narrowed his eyes. He knew what she was doing. Elena, oblivious, turned to Toby and started pulling him in another direction. That left Elowen and Esmeralda. They left, too.

Elsewhere, two students were walking to their car as they were leaving the party.

"Hey, what was going on back there with the police?" The boy asked. His girlfriend shrugged.

"Some maintenance man had a heart attack. He just dropped dead." She got in the car and waited for her boyfriend, but he never got in. Confused, she looked through the rearview mirror.

"Eddie?"

Eddie's body fell onto the windshield with a loud crash. The girl screamed and rushed out of the car, but Rose was already there waiting for her. She sped forward and bit into her neck. Eliana and Sydney arrived and Sydney stopped short at the sight of the two dead bodies. Eliana couldn't let it affect her and quickly cast the spell. Rose fell to the ground almost immediately. It only took a few seconds, but Rose had seemingly gone back to normal.

"Who are you people?" She asked through the pain. "Where's Damon?"

Eliana lifted the spell when it was apparent that she wasn't going to try and kill them. She tentatively walked over and crouched down to her level.

"We're friends of Damon's. We're here to help."

Rose looked over at the dead girl's body and started to cry. "Did I do this? I never meant to hurt anyone."

"I know."

Damon showed up moments later. He glanced at the two bodies, but chose to ignore them and got down to Rose's level.

"Come on, let's get you home."

"No, I don't have a home!" Rose sobbed. "I haven't had a home in so long." She started to cry harder. "Oh, make it stop! Please, make it stop! I hate it, make it stop!"

Damon simply picked her up in his arms and stood. Eliana did the same and made room for him to leave with her. She put her hand on Sydney's shoulder, who had been staring at the bodies the whole time.

"Are you okay?" She asked quietly. Sydney nodded and tried to smile.

"Yeah."

"We need to go before someone finds us."

Sydney only nodded her head and then they followed after Damon.

xxxx

Rose and Damon were back at the boarding house. Esmeralda, Eliana and Sydney had gone back to Elowen's house while Toby escorted Elena back home (Elowen had been the one to suggest it). Elowen, on the other hand, was slowly making her way through the house up to Damon's room.

"Hi there." Damon greeted nonchalantly as he entered his bedroom. Rose was laying in his bed, covered in sweat. Her skin was sickly pale and there were large bags under her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Rose mumbled.

"You went on a murderous rampage. It happens."

Elowen finally made it to Damon's room. Rose spotted her first.

"I'm sorry, Elowen. I don't like taking human life. I never have."

Damon looked over his shoulder at Elowen. "You shouldn't be here," he told her, annoyed.

"I know," Elowen replied. "I just wanted to make sure Rose was okay and then I was going to leave."

"It's the worst part about it," Rose continued talking. "The hunt, the need to kill, the thirst, the pleasure it brings you afterwards. I wasn't meant to be evil. It hurts."

"Stop talking about it," Damon chided.

"Damon's a lot like me. He wants to care, but when he does, he runs away from it. You're the reason he's starting to let his humanity come back. You're the one thing he can't run away from. Please, for me, don't let him go, because it'll crush him if you do." She paused. "I'm sorry for what I've done today."

"I know," Elowen responded.

"And you need to figure out a way to fight. I know you're scared about what will happen if Klaus takes you, but you have to do it anyway." Rose was sent into a fit of coughs. Elowen came closer to the bed and sat on the edge.

"Why are you so nice to me?"

Elowen laughed softly. "Us humans."

"You can never forget it, what it's like to be human. It haunts me. It's the only thing that's kept me going. It doesn't hurt as much anymore."

Suddenly, a wave of pain hit Rose and she started to scream. Elowen got off of the bed and took a step back. She turned to Damon.

"You've got this, right?"

Damon nodded. "Go."

"You know you've got to…"

"I know. Now go."

With one last glance, Elowen left, her heart heavy. She knew what Damon was going to do and she definitely didn't want to be there when it happened.

xxxx

Sydney was sitting at the dinner table, a cup of tea in her hands, but she was just staring at the table, unmoving. Eliana came over and sighed. She took a seat across from her.

"Are you okay?" She asked her again. She knew she was lying earlier when she said she was fine. Sydney jumped slightly at the sound of her voice, but forced a smile on her face anyway.

"Of course I am."

"No, you're not. You don't have to lie to me." Eliana sighed and placed her hands over Sydney's. "This is why I suggested you stayed here. In theory it sounds fine, but to actually experience it is a whole other ball game."

Sydney looked down. "You were right. I should've stayed." She looked like she had more to say and Eliana waited patiently for her to speak. Her eyes started to water. "It's just, seeing those bodies, it was like a slap to the face that this world is real. It's serious, not some fun play thing you can dabble in."

Eliana had to work up the courage to ask her next question. She wasn't sure she wanted to hear the answer. "Are you sure you can do this? Be with me, I mean, and all the supernatural baggage that comes with it? Because you know the real weight of this now and I'd understand if you couldn't do it."

It took Sydney a long moment to answer. Eliana waited with a bated breath. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she waited to Sydney to answer. In the end, Sydney nodded her head.

"I can do it. I'm willing to stay, because I love you so much that it hurts and nothing could ever get in the way of that. Not even this. I love you, Eliana, and I always will."

Eliana let out a sigh of relief. "God, you had me worried there for a second."

Sydney let out a small laugh. "It's a lot to take in and think about. But, I'm prepared to learn the ropes with your assistance."

"Well, I'm glad to hear it."

Eliana leaned over the table and kissed Sydney.

"Okay, lovebirds, that's enough." Esmeralda walked into the kitchen with a knowing smile. "I'm ordering in for dinner. What should we get?"

xxxx

Elena stopped in front of her door. Toby was standing just behind her. He was beyond nervous. Elowen had only told him that Elena said he 'seemed nice', which wasn't much to go on. Still, he decided he was going to ask her out anyway. He cleared his throat to gain her attention.

"Uhh…" He started awkwardly. "So, I know we don't know each other that well, but I'd really like to get to know you. If you're open to it, would you maybe like to get lunch sometime?"

Elena looked over in surprise. It must've read quite obvious on her face, because Toby started to step away.

"Look, nevermind. Forget I even asked-"

"Wait! Sorry, it's just, you're right, I barely know you and I just wasn't expecting you to ask. Um," Elena pushed some of her head behind her ear, "yeah, I'd like that. Lunch, I mean."

A smile broke out on Toby's face. "Yeah?"

Elena nodded, also smiling. "Yeah."

"Okay, great, um, The Grill, tomorrow, let's say noon?"

Elena nodded again.

"It's a date." Toby pointed behind him. "I'll get going now. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

xxxx

"Who would have thought you'd be a nice guy?" Rose asked. Damon was laying in the bed with her, Rose settled in his arms.

"I'm not nice. I'm mean. I like it."

"You're lying."

"Shh, just sleep. Just sleep."

Rose fell asleep and Damon took it as an opportunity to get inside her head. In the dream, Rose had longer hair and she was wearing a dress. She was walking through a paddock with horses. She ran through the field and came to sit next to Damon.

"This was my favorite place to come as a girl. How did you know?"

"Word gets around," Damon replied. He shrugged. "You told Elowen and Elena."

"Am I dreaming?"

Damon shrugged again. Rose closed her eyes and breathed in the air.

"The sun is so warm. I miss this. I miss being human."

"Humanity is not all it's cracked up to be."

Rose opened her eyes. "I had friends, I had a family. I mattered."

"You still do."

Rose shook her head. "No, but you do. You built a life with Elowen, whether you want to admit it or not. I spent 500 years just existing."

"You didn't have a choice. You were running from Klaus."

"There's always a choice."

"Y'know, you're ruining a perfect day with your strange philosophical babbling."

Rose leaned over and wrapped her arms around Damon.

"I'd like to enjoy the fresh air. Would you enjoy it with me?"

"For awhile."

Damon shifted positions so he was holding her in his arms. He grabbed her hands and interlocked their fingers together.

"Thank you," Rose said after a moment.

"For what?"

"The pain's gone."

"I'm glad."

"... Will I see them again? My family?"

"I think you'll see whoever you want to see."

"That would be nice. Maybe I'll see Trevor, too. I'm not afraid anymore."

Outside of the dream, in reality, Damon pulled a stake out and positioned it over Rose's heart. A lone tear fell down his face while he did it.

Back in the dream, Rose stood up from Damon's embrace.

"I'll race you to the trees."

"Well, you'll lose."

"I'm older and faster."

"Oh, you think?" Damon got up from the ground as well. "Well, I'm controlling this dream. Maybe I'll cheat."

"On the count of three. One, two…"

On three, Damon drove the stake through her heart. Her skin started to turn grey and then, she was dead. Damon let the tears flow and he started to cry. Damn humanity.

xxxx

Damon opened the trunk of his car as Sheriff Forbes met up with him.

"Here's your vampire."

Rose's dead body was lying in the trunk. Sheriff Forbes looked on his surprise.

"How did you find her?"

"It doesn't matter," Damon replied shortly. Sheriff Forbes didn't seem to notice. "What matters is that it's over."

"Thank you, Damon. Once again, you've helped keep this town safe."

"I'll take care of burying the body."

He closed the trunk.

xxxx

Toby found himself sitting across from Jules at The Grill and next to Tyler. Truth be told, Toby was actually kind of pissed off at her about Rose. He was only here because Tyler asked him to be. Jules immediately picked up on Toby's anger and wasn't quite sure what he was angry about.

"Thank you for coming," she told the both of them.

"So, what do you want from me? From us?" Tyler asked.

"Just to be your friend. Toby knows me already. Mason would've wanted that. I'm assuming Toby's told you?"

"Told me what?"

Jules looked at Toby, who only simply stared back. "I know you're a werewolf and I know your little friend Caroline is a vampire."

Tyler looked slightly alarmed. "How do you know about Caroline?"

"... You mean you can't sniff them out?" Jules questioned. Toby mentally cursed. Damn it. She really was ruining everything, wasn't she? Tyler didn't answer.

"Oh my god," Jules breathed. "You're brand new. How many times have you turned?"

"Last night was his first," Toby answered when Tyler didn't. Jules leaned over and placed her hand on Tyler's.

"Hey, I can help you."

Tyler, feeling uncomfortable, took his hands off of the table. "I don't need your help. I have Toby. Look, do you know where Mason is?"

"He's dead, Tyler. He was murdered."

Toby felt his heartbeat spike. No.

"You wanna know who murdered him?" Jules asked rhetorically. "Your little blonde vampire did."

"No, Caroline would never do this." Tyler shook his head. Toby had to say something before this got even worse than it already was.

"Caroline is a newbie," he interjected quickly. "Why would she have a reason to kill Mason?"

Jules sat back in her seat, shaking her head. "I can't believe you're covering for them. I know you've smelled them out by now. You were always good at that."

"'Them'?" Tyler asked. "Who's them?"

"Do you want to tell him, or should I?"

When Toby refused to answer, Jules took the pleasure. "This town is crawling with vampires, Tyler. But don't worry, we'll get them."

"They're good people, Jules. And you killed one of them. She was an innocent woman."

Jules scoffed. "She wasn't the one I meant to kill. And vampires aren't innocent."

"And you are? Caroline was just protecting her friends."

"Are you sure you really know these people, Toby?" Jules leaned forward again. "One of them is particularly…. Well, he's an ass. He'll be the hardest to get rid of."

"I know which one you're talking about. He's the one you meant to bite, isn't he? He was only doing it to protect the people he cares about, Jules. You're far more alike to him that you want to admit. You would've done the same thing. You're not getting rid of anybody."

"Who are you talking about?" Tyler questioned hopelessly. He felt so out of the loop. Toby and Jules ignored him.

"It's too late, because I've already called the whole pack here."

"You called the whole pack?" Toby scoffed. "Good luck, Jules. They've got witches on their side and, well, me, because there's someone I care about who cares about them, which means I'm willing to fight for them. This is a battle you're going to lose."

Jules crossed her arms, but before she could say anything, Tyler asked a question that felt like a sucker punch to the gut.

"Wait… you didn't seem surprised when Jules said Mason was dead. Is that true? Did you know?"

Jules was staring at him in mock anticipation. He wanted nothing more than to smack her across the face.

"... He tried to kill somebody. Somebody human." Toby didn't elaborate as he stood up. "She almost died. He messed with the wrong group of people, which is where you'll end up if you go through with this. Back down, Jules."

"You're not alpha, Toby. Mason was. And now that he's dead, that makes me next in line." Jules stood up as well, standing close to Toby. "And, as far as I'm aware, you've betrayed us. You better watch your back."

"And you better watch yours." Toby looked down at Tyler. "Choose wisely, Ty."

Then, he left.

xxxx

Elowen didn't even make it halfway home before Toby called her and filled her in one what happened at The Grill. It was enough to make her u-turn and go back.

"You were supposed to leave," Damon remarked as she entered the boarding house. He'd heard her pull up.

"I did, but then Toby called me and told me something that's worth telling you and since Stefan's not back…"

"I'll have to do. What's up?"

"Toby said Jules has called her entire pack from Florida to Mystic Falls. They're planning on taking you down because you killed Mason."

Damon snorted as he took a sip from his drink. "Well, they'll lose."

"Toby said that's what he said, but Jules isn't giving it up."

"That mutt was defending me? I'm the one who killed his dad."

"Maybe, but he cares about me too much to let anything happen to you."

"Are you sure he isn't still in love with you?"

Elowen blinked. She started to shake her head. "Toby and I were never in love. We only dated out of peer pressure. He was my best friend."

"Just because you never loved him doesn't mean he never loved you."

Those words hit Elowen like a ton of bricks. She never stopped to think about it that way. She'd known Toby since 1st grade. He was her best friend. He was her only friend. That's how she'd always seen him, even when they were dating. A friend. She had to shake her head again to clear her thoughts.

"Even if he did, he just asked Elena out and it's been years since we were together. He has to have moved on by now." She sighed. "... Do you want to talk about it?"

"Talk about what?"

There he went, playing dumb, not wanting to face the situation. He was awfully good at that. Although, she guessed she was one to talk.

"You know what I'm talking about."

"What do you want to hear, Elowen? That I cared about Rose? That I'm upset? Well, I didn't and I'm not."

"If that's what you want to tell yourself so you'll feel better, then okay. But we both know that isn't true." Elowen sighed and started for the door.

"Thanks to you, I feel things again," Damon spoke up when she reached the door. Her hand was on the knob when he said something. "Rose was right. Because of you, I'm letting my humanity come back. And it sucks, big time. What sucks even more is that it was supposed to be me. Jules was coming after me."

Elowen turned back around to face him. "You feel guilty."

"Yes, Wen. Yes, I feel guilty. It's so human of me and I hate it. I hate what you've done to me and I hate that I let you. What I hate the most, though, is that I'm not upset about it. The problem? The problem is, when people see good, they expect good. And I'm not good. It's easier for people to hate me than to let them down."

Elowen started making her way back towards Damon. "But this means you can feel all the nice things that come with emotion. Happiness. Joy. Love." She stopped just in front of him. "That's the greatest emotion of all, isn't it? Love." She carefully took the glass out of his hand and placed it on the nearby table.

"Look at me," she said gently. She didn't say anything until Damon looked at her. "You can feel guilty and you're allowed to mourn. This is what comes with emotion. So, let yourself mourn. It's okay."

Damon hated that he actually started to cry in front of Elowen. He hated crying. He hated feeling so vulnerable. This wasn't his M.O. Still, Elowen didn't judge. In fact, she did the exact opposite. She embraced him and let him sob into her shoulder without another word.

xxxx

Later, Elowen left Damon alone, as much as she didn't want to, because Stefan finally called her and asked her to meet him at Elena's house.

Elena had answered the door and let her in.

"Is Stefan here yet?" She asked. Elena shook her head.

"No, but he told me he was on his way. Um.." She looked down at her hands as the two of them walked towards the kitchen. "Toby asked me out earlier."

"I know. He told me on the phone a few hours ago. I think he really likes you."

A blush slowly made its way onto Elena's cheeks. "Oh. Uh, I just thought I ought to tell you, because I know you're friends."

"Thanks for thinking of me."

There was a knock at the door. Both Elena and Elowen started in that direction, assuming it was Stefan. It was.

"Hey," he greeted when they opened the door. "Rose?"

Elowen shook her head. "She didn't make it."

Stefan sighed and cleared his throat. "So, I called Isobel."

"We know. Did you find her?"

"Not exactly," another voice from behind Stefan rang out. He stepped to the side to reveal John. "Hello, Elena."

Elena and Elowen stared in shock.

xxxx

After Elowen left, Damon got drunk. Really drunk. Or at least, as drunk as he could get for a vampire. Now, he was lying in the street in the middle of nowhere. After what felt like ages, a car finally drove down the road and came to a stop when they noticed him. The driver hopped out and rushed over to him.

"Sir, are you okay?" She asked frantically. "What happened?"

"I'm… lost."

"And you're laying in the middle of the road?"

"Not that kind of lost." Damon sat up. "Metaphorically, existentially."

"Do you need help?"

"Well, yes, I do. Can you help me?" Damon took a flask from his pocket and took a drink. The woman's demeanor changed when she realized he had been drinking.

"You're drunk."

"No. Well, yes, a little. Maybe."

The woman shook her head and started to walk back towards her car.

"No, please don't leave. I really do need help." He used his speed to stand in front of her and started to compel her. "Don't move."

"I don't want any trouble."

"Neither do I, but all I've got is trouble."

The woman tried to move, but found that she couldn't. "Why can't I move?" She asked. Damon took another swig from the flash and then placed his hands on her shoulders.

"What's your name?"

"Jessica."

"Hi, Jessica. I have a secret. I have a big one that I can't even tell my girlfriend and I've never said it out loud before. I mean, what's the point? It's not gonna change anything. It's not gonna make me good, make me adopt a puppy. I can't be what other people want me to be, what she wants me to be. She knows that I don't do well with expectations. I hate expectations. This is who I am, Jessica."

"Are you gonna hurt me?"

"I'm not sure, because you are my existential crisis. Do I kill you or do I not kill you?"

"Please don't."

"It would really disappoint my girlfriend if I did. She'd say that I've come too far to fall back into old habits and that I'm running away from it all and y'know what? She'd be right. I told her that I was starting to feel again because of her and it's the truth. And I hate it. I hate it because I'm not human and I miss it. I miss it more than anything in the world! That is my secret, but there is only so much hurt a man can take."

Jessica sobbed from her spot. "Please, don't hurt me."

For a split second, Elowen's face flashed in his mind and his shoulders slumped. "Okay. You're free to go."

Jessica started to run towards her car, but Damon changed his mind last minute and sped in front of her. He roughly grabbed her hair and bit into her neck.

She fell to the ground, dead, leaving Damon standing there on his own.