"I don't think he's gonna want me here," Elowen was saying to Elijah just outside the boarding house. He called her to meet him there in the morning, along with Elena, who was already inside with Jenna. Elowen just about had to beg Toby to let her come by herself. He'd spent the night and overheard her phone call.

"Well, that's his problem," Elijah calmly replied. "If Damon truly believes you betrayed him, then it's his loss. Obviously, he didn't trust you as well as he or you thought he did."

"And Stefan?"

"He seems much more understanding. I'm confident that he'll be the one to come around. Maybe he'll even slap some sense into his brother."

Elowen sighed and glanced at the front door. Finally, she nodded her head. "Okay."

Elijah opened the door and they both stepped in. They found Elena and Stefan sitting in the library. Elena stood up when they walked in the room, but Stefan clenched his jaw and averted his eyes away from Elowen. She furrowed her eyebrows slightly in confusion, but chalked it up as him being upset with her about Klaus. She came to stand behind Elijah, who stood in front of Stefan and Elena.

"Tonight is the full moon," Elijah spoke. "We should assume that Klaus is prepared to break the curse."

"Elena said that the sun and moon curse is fake?" Stefan asked for clarification. "That it's actually just a curse placed on Klaus."

Elijah nodded. "Klaus is a vampire born of a werewolf bloodline. The curse has kept his werewolf aspect from manifesting. But, if he breaks it… he'll be a true hybrid."

"Then why are we letting him break the curse?" Damon's voice rang out from behind them. Elowen jumped at the sound and quickly stepped back towards the corner. She felt so unwelcome here and she was honestly thinking about just walking out of the house. They probably wouldn't care either way. Damon didn't cast her a glance. "We can kill him today. With Bonnie."

Elowen perked up at Bonnie's name. She still didn't know if she was alive or not, but judging by Damon even mentioning her, that meant she was fine. Thank god.

"She'd die," Elowen quietly spoke up. "I would, too. We have to time it right or else we're goners. Not that you'd care."

The air suddenly turned tense. Damon finally looked at her, but she wished he hadn't. His stare was hard and ice cold. He really didn't want her here.

"You're right. I wouldn't. I'd write Bonnie a nice eulogy, though."

"Enough," Stefan cut in. He looked at Elijah. "How do we break this curse?"

"Well, the ritual itself is relatively straightforward," Elijah explained. "The ingredients, so to speak, you already know."

"The moonstone."

Elijah nodded. "A witch will channel the power of the full moon to release the spell that's bound within the stone. After that, Klaus, being both werewolf and vampire, will sacrifice one of each."

"And where do I fit into it?" Elena asked.

"The final part of the ritual." Elijah had been holding a small wooden box in his hands and walked over to set it down on the table. "Klaus must drink the blood of the doppelganger to the point of your death." He opened the box and picked up a jar that had been sitting inside. "This is an elixir that I acquired some 500 years ago for Katerina. It possesses mystical properties of resuscitation."

"So, I'll be dead?"

"And then you won't."

Damon scoffed. "That's your plan? A magical witch potion with no expiration date?" He glanced at Elena. "You want to come back to life? What about John's ring?"

"There's a chance the ring won't work on her," Elowen dared to say to him. "Doppelgangers are a supernatural occurrence and the ring only works on humans."

"I'll take those odds over some elixir. What if it doesn't work?"

Elena shrugged. "Then I guess I'll just be dead."

Damon stared at Elena for a long moment before shaking his head and leaving the room. She turned her attention to Elijah and Elowen.

"Do we know if Klaus has everything he needs to do this? Does he have a werewolf?"

"As far as I'm aware, Toby is the only werewolf in town," Elowen told her. "It's why I've got him on lockdown at my house. If he stays in a place Klaus isn't invited into, surrounded by witches, he might be able to survive this."

"Klaus has been waiting to break this curse for over a thousand years," Elijah said. "If he doesn't already have a werewolf, my guess is by tonight, he will, even if it's your dear friend Toby."

xxxx

Elowen was getting ready to take her leave. They had all finished talking and she wanted nothing more than to get out of this house. She felt like she was being suffocated by just being there. Damon wanted nothing to do with her and Stefan had been acting weird the whole time, so she didn't see a reason to stay. Except, however, when she reached the front door, she was surprised to see Stefan standing there.

His hands were deep in his pockets and he was pacing around. He stopped when he heard her approaching and waited a moment before he said anything.

"Hey."

Elowen stopped a few feet away from him. "Hey."

"Listen, can I talk to you? In private?"

"Um, yeah… sure."

Stefan walked passed her towards the stairs and Elowen followed him quietly. They ended up in his bedroom. Stefan closed the door behind them as Elowen walked into the middle of the room. An awkward silence passed through them before Stefan said anything.

"If… if anything is happening between you and Toby, you can tell me."

Elowen furrowed her eyebrows. "What?"

"You and Toby. Is something going on between you two? Because I can handle it. We haven't exactly been treating you nicely and if you found some kind of solace in him, then good for you."

"I'm confused. Where is this coming from?"

Stefan jammed his hands back in his pockets. "Last night, I went to your house to try and talk to you, y'know, about everything that went down, and…"

"And?"

"I saw you two kiss. So, I'm gonna ask you again and please, don't lie. Is there something going on?"

Realization dawned on Elowen's face and she immediately started shaking her head. "No, Stefan, you're misunderstanding. I was trying to prove a point."

"And to prove that you had to kiss him? I'm not following that logic."

"What Damon said got to me and I asked him if he was in love with me. I kissed him so he could figure it out."

"And does he?"

"Does he what?"

"Love you."

Elowen sighed and slowly nodded her head. Stefan clenched his jaw.

"And do you love him back?"

"No," she replied immediately. "Not the way I love you and Damon."

Stefan paused and Elowen hadn't realized what she had said yet. She was still staring at him, waiting for his response.

"... Damon?" Stefan asked after a few beats. "You're in love with Damon?"

Elowen blinked in confusion and seemed to finally understand what had come out of her mouth. Her eyes widened.

"I… Did I…? I mean..."

Stefan was looking at her both uncertainly and expectantly. It took Elowen a few minutes to collect her thoughts. She looked at the ground and played with a loose thread that was at the bottom of her shirt.

"I guess I am," she said at last. "I just didn't know it. I don't know when it happened. It's not like it matters now. He hates me."

"He doesn't hate you-"

"Yes he does," Elowen cut him off curtly. "Elijah said that he must not trust me or love me like he thought he did if he was so quick to think I'd double cross you. I'm not Katherine."

"He thinks you are. He said you're no better than her."

Elowen's eyes flickered up towards his and he saw the hurt swimming behind them. His heart twinged a little seeing her like that. After a beat, Elowen shrugged, her head hanging low.

"Who knows? Maybe he's right."

"Look, he's just angry. He'll come around."

"No, he won't. He loved Katherine for 145 years and dropped her like a fly when he realized she abandoned him. He's just doing the same with me." She shrugged. "Maybe I deserve it."

"No," Stefan said sternly. The strength in his voice made her jump slightly. "No. You made a mistake. That doesn't mean you deserve to be treated like gum on the bottom of someone's shoe."

"Was it really a mistake, though? I willingly sided with Isobel and Katherine. It was all my idea. It was me. I was ready to leave my life behind for Elijah without a fight."

"Because of Marisol. That wasn't you."

"And Klaus? Not warning you guys that he was here?"

Stefan kept his mouth shut this time.

"See? Maybe I am no better than Katherine. I did all of this consciously."

"But, you didn't leave with Klaus. Elena said he kidnapped you."

"He did. That doesn't change everything else."

Stefan tentatively walked forward and hesitantly reached for her hands. She let him take them in his.

"I've been thinking. Toby was right. If I really loved you, I wouldn't be treating you the way I have. I would've been trying to be more understanding, would've tried to hear you out first. So, that's what I'm doing right now. I love you, Elle. I'm sorry that I ditched you when you needed me most. I should've been there."

"No, you had every right to act the way you did. I hurt you. You don't blindly love somebody who hurt you. Toby is my best friend. He'll always have my back."

"Yeah, he's your best friend who's in love with you. That's different."

"And you're okay with that? With him being in love with me? There's a chance I could leave you for him."

Stefan faltered. "... Would you?"

Elowen shook her head. "No. Toby has always been my friend. He knows that and he accepts it for what it is. He knows I'd never leave you. He loves me enough to not go there."

Stefan sighed in relief. "I think Damon wants you to choose. He knows and I know that you'd never do that."

"You're right, I wouldn't. It's both of you or none of you, even if it sounds selfish."

"Even though he wants nothing to do with you now?"

Elowen sighed. "I guess that does make things a little different…. Still, I told myself in the beginning that this would be nothing like what happened with Katherine. I wouldn't do that to you." Elowen drew her hands back from Stefan's. "I'm sorry. For everything."

She walked past him and headed for the door. Stefan stood there dumbly for a moment before turning around. It sounded like she was breaking up with him for good and there was no way he'd let her do that. He quickly crossed the room, grabbed her wrist, spun her around and kissed her, hard and passionate. Elowen pushed him away, but he ignored her and went in for another kiss. This time, she let him kiss her. He was holding onto her face with one hand and tightly gripped her hip with his other. She was holding onto his biceps like her life depended on it. When he pulled back, she was breathless. Stefan rested his forehead against hers.

"Please… don't leave me," he whispered. "I'm sorry."

"So am I," she whispered back. "I guess that makes us even."

"Get out!" Came a muffled yell from downstairs. It sounded vaguely like Jenna. Elowen and Stefan both furrowed their eyes, looked at each other, and started to the door of the bedroom.

"Jenna, Jenna!"

Elowen picked up her pace at this and started running down the hall. That sounded like Alaric.

"Get out!" Jenna snapped again.

"Jenna, put the crossbow down, okay? It's me."

"Stay away from me."

"What's going on?" Elena's voice floated upstairs. Elowen made it the end of the hall and started blundering down the stairs. She'd completely left Stefan in the dust and he couldn't keep up with her.

"It's me, Elena," Alaric was saying. "I swear, okay? He let me go. Klaus let me go."

"Prove it," Damon said. Before anything else could happen, Elowen made it to the bottom of the stairs and just about threw herself into Alaric. He barely had time to catch her as she flung her arms around his neck. She could feel a fresh wave of tears pouring down her face, but she didn't care.

"Ric! Oh, you're okay! You're okay. You're okay."

"Hey," Alaric said softly into her ear. He gently pulled her back away from him and held her face in his hands. "Why are you crying?"

Elowen sniffled. "I thought- I don't know. I thought that you were gone. Klaus said you were asleep, in some shape or form, but I didn't believe him. I didn't think we were gonna get you back."

Alaric was wiping the tears from her face with the pads of his thumbs. He was smiling down at her reassuringly and Elowen felt a comforting warmth spread throughout her body.

"Well, I'm here, aren't I? You got me back. I'm okay. Where's Esmeralda?"

"At home."

"I'm sorry, what's going on here?" Jenna asked. The crossbow was still in her hands and she kept it pointed at Alaric and Elowen. "This isn't Ric. Why are we just standing here?"

Elowen finished wiping the wetness from her cheeks and turned around to face Jenna. "It's hard to explain. Elena told you I'm a witch, right?"

Jenna nodded her head warily.

"Well, I know things. It's my specialty power. This is Ric. Trust me."

"You're sure?"

"Yes."

Jenna glanced around the room and saw that nobody else was protesting or fighting her, so she slowly lowered the crossbow. Stefan had made it to the bottom of the stairs a few minutes ago and he just had to ask.

"Why did he let you go?"

Alaric looked up at Stefan. "He wanted me to deliver a message. The sacrifice happens tonight."

xxxx

"So, you don't remember anything that happened?" Stefan asked. Him, Alaric, Jenna, Elowen, and Elijah were sitting in the living room. Elowen had called Esmeralda and let her know Alaric was back. She said that she was on her way and that Toby would be safe with Josiah, Eliana and Caroline. Sydney was there, of course, but she couldn't help much since she was human.

Alaric shook his head. "No. It's like I blacked out and woke up three days later. Katherine was there."

"She's under compulsion. Damon snuck her some vervain, but she can't leave until Klaus tells her she can."

"Where's Damon?" Elena asked suddenly.

"I saw him go upstairs," Jenna replied.

There was a pause before Elowen stood up. She started heading for the stairs. Both Stefan and Elijah sat up taller.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Elijah asked. Stefan side eyed him. Why was he so concerned about what happened to her? Elowen shook her head.

"No."

She continued her way upstairs. Stefan had gotten up to try and stop her, but Elijah swiftly caught his wrist.

"I think it's best we let them talk. We can hear them, remember?"

Slowly, Stefan took his seat again. Alaric looked at everyone expectantly.

"So, what else did I do?"

Elowen carefully stepped foot into Damon's room. He was standing by the window, looking out of it. He heard her come in, but didn't look back at her. Elowen stood there for a long moment before taking a few tentative steps farther towards him.

"You should leave," Damon said at last. "I don't want you here."

"I know," she mumbled in response.

Damon turned around with his eyebrows furrowed. "Then why are you here?" He asked sharply.

Elowen shrugged her shoulders. "You disappeared."

"I didn't want to hear anymore."

"Since when do you care what happens to Elena? I thought you were playing along to protect me."

"I don't care what happens to her, but that doesn't mean they aren't being stupid. Some 500 year old elixir? Really? They must really want her dead."

"I think it'll work."

"You think, or you know?"

Elowen stayed quiet.

"Exactly." Damon turned back towards the window. It was silent for a few minutes. Elowen stood there dumbly. Finally, she started to leave the room when Damon spoke up again.

"Why did you do it?"

Elowen slowly turned back around. "Do what?"

"Leave with Klaus."

"I didn't. He kidnapped me."

"That's what Elena told Stefan."

It was Elowen's turn to furrow her eyebrows. "And, what? You thought I was lying?"

Damon didn't say anything. Elowen scoffed.

"It's like ever since this Marisol thing started, you've been waiting for a moment to strike. You don't trust me. You never have."

"That's not true."

"Yes! Yes, it is true. You don't think I can make my own decisions. You think I make all the wrong ones simply because they're not what you want. It was my choice to leave with Elijah. It was my choice to side with Isobel and Katherine. It was my choice to protect Klaus that night."

"But why?" Damon asked loudly, whirling around to face Elowen. "Why did you do any of that? I'll tell you why. Because of Marisol. You did all of that because of this… this girl living inside you. A girl who already had her chance at life."

"A girl who had her life taken away from her. That's not my fault, Damon."

"She's clouding your judgement. Making you think that Elijah and Klaus are the good guys, and you're letting her! You're not even trying to fight it. You protected Klaus, Elowen. Protected him!"

"Because he was in Ric's body!"

"Is that really all it was?"

"Yes! Because Alaric is the closest thing to a dad to me, Damon. He's been good to my mom. He's giving her what she deserves. He makes her happy. Makes me happy. I wasn't just gonna let him be killed. Klaus would've just jumped into someone else's body and he would've died for nothing. So, yes, I protected him." Elowen wet her lips. "Let me ask you this. If it had been Stefan, if Klaus had been in Stefan's body, would you still be questioning my motives?"

Damon clenched his jaw, but didn't say anything. Elowen continued.

"Would you still have been willing to let him die the way you were going to let Alaric die that night? Answer me, Damon!"

Still, he didn't say anything and Elowen closed both of her hands into tight fists. She was starting to get frustrated, angry. She felt her voice raising by itself.

"Goddamnit, answer me!"

"No!" Damon finally exploded. "No, because he's my little brother and I don't know what I would do without him! I love him and I would never say it to his face and sometimes I should, but I don't. Okay? Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"Yes, because now you know how I feel. Now you understand. I wasn't protecting Klaus that night. I was protecting Ric. You can think what you want. You can believe what you want. But you and I both know that's not the truth. Yes, maybe Marisol is fucking with my thoughts, but I know one thing she's not. I want Klaus dead. He's a threat to me and my family. And forgive me for admitting this, but I care about Elijah, and maybe that's just Marisol talking, but Elijah's the good guy here, Damon, whether you want to believe it or not.

"I get it, you hate me now. You want nothing to do with me just because I protected somebody I love and you didn't agree with it. Whatever. You're really good at casting people you supposedly love away. Katherine, Stefan, and now me. Eventually, Stefan is gonna get tired of your bullshit. You're gonna live the rest of your life alone, and it's going to be no one's fault but your own."

Elowen shook her head and started walking backwards towards the door. Damon tried taking a few steps towards her, but she turned around and left.

She was surprised to find both Stefan and Elijah waiting for her at the end of the hallway. She slowly came to a stop in front of them.

"Are you alright?" Elijah asked her. Elowen sighed.

"You heard everything?"

They both nodded. Vaguely, Elowen registered her mom's voice coming from downstairs, but she wasn't focused on that right now.

"I just… don't like to be treated like a liar. I'm not a liar. He's been saying horrible things about me behind my back, too. I know that."

Stefan reached forward and brushed some hair out of her face. "I want you to go somewhere with me. Take your mind off of things."

Elowen started to shake her head. "No, I can't. Toby-"

"Is safe with your brother, your aunt and your vampire best friend. He'll be okay. Please?"

Elowen sighed again. After a moment, she nodded. "Okay."

"I'll be back before nightfall," Elijah told them. "We'll proceed as planned."

Elowen nodded her head. "Okay. See you then."

Elijah bowed his head and left. Stefan grabbed onto her hand and pulled her downstairs.

"Come on."

"Wait." Elowen stopped. "I need to talk to Alaric. Wait for me outside, I'll be right out."

Stefan nodded and left her at the bottom of the stairs. Elowen walked back into the living room and towards Ric. He looked up from his spot on the couch when she stopped in front of him. Elena and Jenna were sitting across from him and Esmeralda.

"Can I talk to you?" She asked quietly. He glanced at Esmeralda, who nodded. He stood and followed Elowen outside of the room.

"What is it?" He questioned once they were alone. Elowen chewed on her lip as she figured out exactly what she wanted to say.

"I really thought you were gone and that broke my heart. It broke me because I thought mom was going to lose the one person in her life who treated her like a human being. You're so good to her and I'm so grateful, because I wouldn't be able to live with myself if she got hurt again. It broke me because…. Because you've become a father figure to me."

Alaric's eyebrows shot up in surprise and his eyes widened when she admitted this. She continued on as Ric was sent into a shocked silence. He didn't know what to say to that.

"Luis stopped being a dad to me the second he hit mom. I didn't realize it at the time because I didn't know that wasn't normal. That was my normal until I started noticing whatever friends I had left weren't experiencing the same thing. He ruined me, ruined us, and you've been slowly helping us pick up the pieces. You were the thing we didn't know we were missing." Elowen took a deep breath as she mentally prepared herself to ask her next question. "Would you mind if I… can I…." She took another deep breath. "Is it alright if I start calling you dad?"

Alaric still wasn't sure what to say. Words had escaped him. He started stuttering out a response as he stared at Elowen's vulnerable eyes, expectant stare and fidgeting hands.

"U-Uh… I-I mean…" He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He was absolutely stunned. This wasn't something to take lightly. "... Are you sure?" He asked at last. "This is big stuff, kid. It isn't something that's fun and games. Are you absolutely sure?"

Elowen nodded her head determinedly. "I'm sure. Almost losing you made me realize just how much I've come to care about you."

Alaric smiled lightly. "I've come to care about you a lot, too, kid. I love your mother very much, I want you to know that, even though you probably already do." They both laughed at this. "I'd do anything to protect you, her and your brother."

"So? Can I? I only will if you're comfortable with it."

"Well, I didn't think I'd be adopting a 17 year old at 33, that's for sure." They laughed again. Alaric suddenly turned serious. He placed both of his hands on either side of her shoulders. "I'd be honored for you to call me dad."

Elowen smiled and extended her arms to hug him. He hugged her back. "Thanks," she said into his chest, so her voice was muffled. She pulled back with a smirk. "... Dad."

"That's really gonna take some getting used to."

Elowen patted his shoulder. "You'll be fine. I've gotta get going. Stefan's got some sort of surprise planned."

"You're back on?" Alaric asked curiously. Truthfully, while Damon was a good drinking buddy, he much preferred Elowen with Stefan. He thought she was good for Damon, but Damon wasn't good for her. Case in point: how he'd been acting recently. Maybe it was the dad instincts in him kicking in already, but he only wanted what was best for her.

"As of an hour ago, yeah."

"And Damon?"

Elowen sighed and shook her head. "No. I think it's over between us, for good this time."

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that."

"Yeah, me, too."

Elowen smiled sadly and took her leave. Alaric watched her go and then walked back into the living room. Esmeralda was looking at him with a questioning look on her face.

"What was that about?"

Alaric took his seat directly next to her again and grinned widely and giddily now that it was really starting to set in. "She asked me if she could call me dad."

Esmeralda, Jenna and Elena's mouths all dropped open in surprise. Elena was the one who collected herself first in order to speak.

"Well?" She asked expectantly. "What did you say?"

If it were possible, Alaric's grin got bigger. "Yes. I said yes."

Esmeralda finally caught up with what was happening and actually squealed in excitement. She grabbed onto Ric's hand and squeezed it tightly.

"This is great! Oh, this is wonderful."

In her bout of absolute enthusiasm, she leaned over and peppered Alaric with kisses. Jenna laughed loudly and pretended to cover her eyes.

"Alright, alright, calm down. Enough. Seriously, though. Congratulations."

Esmeralda and Alaric couldn't stop smiling after that.

xxxx

Caroline had heard about what happened with Carol Lockwood and wanted to go pay her a visit. It took a lot of convincing with Josiah to let her come by herself.

"If we both leave, that just leaves Toby more vulnerable," she had told him. "I'll be right back, okay?" She had kissed him and then managed to make it out the front door.

That's how she found herself walking through the parking lot of Mystic Falls Hospital, and how she found herself coming face to face with Tyler Lockwood. She stopped dead in her tracks in shock.

"Tyler?"

A woman came from behind him and Caroline faltered slightly when she recognized her.

"Jules."

Jules looked between Caroline and Tyler. "I'll give you a few minutes."

"Thank you," Tyler said.

"Just a few, Tyler."

"I got it."

Jules walked off towards her car and left them alone. The air was tense and a little awkward as Caroline and Tyler stood there. Tyler spoke first.

"She's just making sure I'm safe."

"So, what, are you two, like, friends now?" Caroline asked, taking full offense that Tyler had ran off with the woman who caused her and her friends so much trouble and pain.

"She's been helping me. How are you?"

"Toby could've helped you. He would've made sure you were safe. And you just left him and your mom and ran off with Jules of all people. Did you forget what she did to me?"

Tyler looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry."

Caroline crossed her arms. "I heard about your mom. I just came to check in on her."

"What, without your love sick puppy boyfriend following your every move?"

"Excuse me?"

"Nevermind. Mom's banged up, but she'll be okay."

"... And you?" Caroline asked quietly after a moment. "How's everything with you?"

"I'm hanging in there."

"Good."

"Yeah. I should get going. Jules and I need to get on the road."

Caroline deflated a little bit. "You're leaving again?"

"I left for a reason, Caroline."

"Your explanation must have gotten lost in the mail, along with your goodbye. You just disappeared, Tyler. You could've at least said bye to Toby."

"He wasn't around when I left. He was at the lake house with Elena." Tyler shrugged. "I left a note."

"A note for your mom that didn't even mention Toby. He thinks it's his fault, y'know."

Tyler cleared his throat and changed the subject. "Take care of yourself, okay?"

Tyler started to move around her and Caroline reached out to stop him when she suddenly clutched her head and started screaming. Tyler looked down in confusion, but couldn't dwell on it for long, because he, too, started screaming in pain and went down. Maddox and Klaus's other witch, Greta, came out of hiding. Greta injected Caroline with vervain and sent her towards the ground.

Greta looked around to make sure nobody saw and then started to grab Caroline. "Let's go."

xxxx

Damon walked up to the bar at The Grill and ordered a drink. Alaric came up behind him and ordered the same thing.

"I screwed up," Damon said after a beat of silence. He glanced at Alaric. "I heard the news about you becoming a dad."

Alaric did his best to not break out into another smile. He still couldn't believe it. "Yeah. I heard about your fight with Elowen. You screwed up the second you doubted her."

"Yeah. I'm starting to realize that the hard way."

Someone came up beside them and Alaric and Damon didn't pay him much attention until he spoke directly to them.

"Gentlemen, why so glum?"

Alaric and Damon looked over at him and Damon immediately groaned.

"Ugh. Klaus, I presume."

Klaus smirked. "In the flesh." He looked at Alaric. "Thanks for the loner, mate."

Damon got up from his seat in annoyance. "Any reason you stopped by to say hi?"

"Just thought I'd remind you to not do anything you'll regret tonight. I've also been told you and your brother fancy the witch." His smirk widened when Damon's eyes set into a deep glare. "Ah, yes, you know the one. I think you already know what I plan on doing with her. I've heard you've already screwed up, so don't screw it up any further." Klaus made to leave, put a finger up as if something dawned on him, then turned back. "I want to make sure I'm being clear here. I have my vampire, I have my werewolf, I have everything I need. The ritual will happen tonight. So, if you want to live to see tomorrow, stay in your place."

Mild panic filled Damon's chest as Klaus left. He had a werewolf? Him and Toby may not have gotten along, but Elowen cared about him and he knew that if he died, she could be devastated, and that was enough for him to suddenly be worried about that damn mutt. He quickly shook Alaric's shoulder after Klaus left.

"Call Josiah and ask him about Toby. Make sure he's okay."

"I'm sure he's fine. If Klaus had him, we'd already know about it."

Damon's grip tightened on Alaric's shoulder enough to make him grimace uncomfortably. "I said, make sure the mutt is okay."

"Okay, okay, just let me go."

Damon released Alaric's shoulder and he rolled it back to bring some feeling back to it. He pulled out his phone and dialed Josiah's number. He picked up on the third ring.

"Is everything okay?" Josiah asked the second he answered. "Please tell me you guys are headed back to the house."

Alaric furrowed his eyebrows. That didn't sound good and certainly was not reassuring, considering what he was calling for. "Why? What's wrong?"

Damon was listening intently to the call. He made a motion to keep the conversation going and Alaric waved him off.

"Caroline left to go check on Mrs. Lockwood at the hospital. She got in some kind of accident, but now we're one person down with Toby. She was supposed to be back by now. I'm getting kind of worried."

"Your mom is on her way now. She should be back any second. As for Caroline… have you tried calling her?"

"Of course I have!" Josiah took a deep breath. "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell. It's just, y'know, Klaus needs a vampire to sacrifice and it could be any of them. Caroline, Stefan…. Damon," he added at the end. "I shouldn't have let her go. I should've gone with her."

"Hey, let's just take a minute and calm down, alright? I'm sure she's fine. How's Toby?"

"He's fine. We're clearing out the attic so he has a place to turn tonight. We're gonna spell the room so he can't get out and soundproof it so our neighbors don't freak out. Look, are you sure that I shouldn't worry about Caroline? I mean, where's Stefan and Damon?"

"Damon's sitting right next to me and Stefan is with your sister. I'm sure he's safe with her."

"But, Caroline's still unaccounted for. Look, I'm just gonna go and try and find her-"

"No, no, stay there with Toby, okay? Keeping him safe is our top priority right now. Damon and I will look for Caroline. I'll call you when we find her."

"Okay. Oh, mom's home. I think that's my cue."

"Alright, talk to you later, bud."

"Yeah."

Alaric hung up and Damon couldn't help the amused look that crossed his face. Ric looked at him and then innocently furrowed his eyebrows.

"What?"

"'Bud'? You're calling him bud? You must really want this father role, don't you?"

"Oh, ha, ha, very funny. Let's just find Caroline, okay?"

"Whatever you say, dad."

"Shut it."

xxxx

Author's Note: okay, usually I'd wait a little longer to update, but there were some reviews I got last chapter that for some reason didn't post, so I couldn't reply to them privately. I wanted to address them real quick.

animelover78861: technically, Elowen didn't cheat on Stefan since they were broken up when she kissed Toby! And Stefan was never cheated on in the show either as far as I can remember, Elena just slept with Damon immediately after their breakup (which was something I personally never agreed with).

silentmayhem: Elowen isn't stringing Toby along at all, she was just trying to help him figure some things out as he is her best friend and she cares about him. The only time she ever maybe "led him on" was when they were dating, but as it was said before, they only dated due to peer pressure, not because they mutually liked each other, and Elowen also had no idea how he felt back then. She isn't stringing Stefan and Damon along either. They all talked out the trio relationship like adults and decided it was something they wanted to do, and they were all very honest about it. In this story arc, they just disagreed on a lot of things and were in the middle of a big argument/fight that led to what happened. I never wanted them to have this picture perfect relationship because I knew it was unrealistic, and that they were never going to all agree on the same things during the different events of the show. Stefan, Damon and Elowen are all very different people with very different ideals. They have many more disagreements as the story progresses, so this isn't the last.

Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter because that helps motivate me to continue writing and lets me know that people enjoy this story! I hope you review this chapter as well and that you liked it :)