Elena and Jeremy were walking through the town square. A big projector screen was set up and various people were dressed up in period clothing.

"You brought me to see a girl movie?" Jeremy complained.

"We had to get out of the house, Jer," Elena replied. "This is our three hour distraction from reality."

"Is that what we're doing? Pretending like our lives aren't screwed?"

"We need to do this, okay? Breathe, eat, sleep, wake up and do it all over again until one day, it's just not as hard anymore."

Jeremy and Elena unfolded the blanket Elena had been holding and set it on the ground. She knelt down on it just as Caroline, Josiah, Toby and Elowen arrived. Elowen immediately faltered at the sight of Elena and Jeremy and stayed behind as the others approached them. Toby noticed, furrowed his eyebrows and went back to get her.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

Elowen shook her head. "Nobody told me they were going to be here." She took a few steps back. "I need to go."

Toby grabbed onto her arm before she could take another step. "Hey, stop, look at me. Don't look at them. Look at me." He waited until Elowen took her eyes off of Elena and Jeremy, who hadn't noticed her yet. "They don't blame you for what happened, okay? It wasn't your fault. But, if you really want to leave, I'll go with you."

Elowen shook her head again. "No, you should stay here. Don't let me stop you from having fun. I'll see you back at the house, okay?"

Elowen turned around and started to walk off when Elena looked over and saw her retreating form. She quickly got up and scrambled after her, causing everyone to look over at what she was going after. They saw a mess of curls with their back turned to them and realized what was happening. Caroline grimaced.

"Sorry, this is my fault," she apologized. "I should've told her you guys would be here."

"Would she have come otherwise?" Jeremy asked. "Elena's been trying to get ahold of her for days. She's been refusing to take her calls."

"She thinks Jenna dying was her fault," Josiah told him. "It's why she didn't come to the funeral."

Jeremy sighed and watched as Elena caught up with Elowen. Elena grabbed onto her shoulder to stop her from going any further.

"Hey," she said breathlessly. "How are you doing?"

"Fine," Elowen answered shortly as she tried to move around Elena. She stepped in front of her to block her way. "Can I please leave?"

"No, I need to talk to you. I've been leaving you all these messages."

"I got them. Is that it?"

Elena shook her head. "No. I wanted to thank you. You tried to save Jenna's life."

"Yeah, but I failed. She's dead because of me."

Elena shook her head. "No, she's dead because Klaus killed her. You did what you could. We all did."

"Are you forgetting the fact that I did the ritual? Or that I didn't try to stop Elijah from leaving? If I had just kept my mouth shut, maybe we could've stood a chance."

"You did the ritual because you had no choice. It still would've happened no matter which way you cut it. And the whole Marisol thing… it's not your fault. You have no control over that."

Elowen snorted. "That's an understatement."

Elena furrowed her eyebrows. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Damon was right about me being Marisol reborn, except I don't just share her face. I am her, she's in me, and she's slowly taking over my body. Soon enough, I won't exist anymore. I won't be me. I never have been. I've just been some… incubator, waiting for her to hatch. My life isn't even my life, and I just have to live with that until I'm gone."

Elena's face was crestfallen. "There's nothing you can do about it?"

Elowen shrugged and shook her head. "Not that I know of. I haven't even told Stefan and Damon yet. I don't know how. Only Toby knows, and now you."

Elena smiled slightly. "Do you always tell him everything?"

Elowen nodded her head, also smiling. "Yeah. He's my best friend."

"He loves you, you know? Really loves you. I would've never stood a chance."

"He loves me in a way that I'll never love him. He understands that." She glanced back at Toby, who was laughing at something Jeremy said. "But, he did like you. Give it a try, would you? He deserves someone who can give him what he lacks from me."

Elena nodded her head. "Okay, I will. Are we good?"

"Yeah. We're good."

Elena reached over and hugged Elowen, who reciprocated awkwardly after a moment.

"Now, how about that movie?" Elena asked when they pulled back. They both laughed and headed back towards the others.

xxxx

Elowen suddenly sat up from her spot on the grass and looked around. Toby was snacking on some chips and looked around with her when he saw her.

"What is it?" He asked innocently.

"Something's wrong," Elowen blurted immediately after Toby was done talking.

Everyone else heard her and turned to her in confusion.

"What?" Caroline asked. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know." Elowen started to stand up. "But, I'm going to find out what it is. Don't wait up for me."

She didn't even make it 5 feet before Stefan walked up to her.

"Tell me what's the matter now, and don't try to lie to me, Stefan," Elowen demanded.

He looked around, gently grabbed onto her arm and pulled her away from the crowd.

"It's Damon, isn't it?" She questioned worriedly. "Stefan, what did he do?"

"It's not what he did, it's what happened to him." Stefan looked down at the ground and tried to find the right words, fully aware that Elowen was looking at him expectantly. "The other night, when Damon was helping Caroline and Tyler… Tyler was starting to transform…"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Stefan."

Stefan looked up and found that there were tears threatening to fall from her eyes. Her voice was already choked up. He pulled her into a hug and rested his chin on her head.

"I'm sorry, Elle. I'm so sorry."

Elowen silently cried against Stefan's shoulder, the only evidence being the slight shaking of her body.

"Hey, listen to me, it's not over." Stefan pulled back from the hug and held her face in his hands. "There might be a cure, but I have to find Klaus to get it."

Elowen sniffled and wiped at her face as she pulled back. "What do you mean?"

"Bonnie contacted Emily Bennett. The witches said Klaus's name, which must mean something, right?"

Elowen nodded her head. "Okay, okay, this is good," she reassured, but she couldn't tell if it was for Stefan or herself.

"Damon told me not to tell you, but, y'know, you hate secrets, and it's not easy to lie to you. You obviously knew something was up when I found you just now."

"Yeah, but I never thought it would be this." She shook her head. "I'm gonna go see him. If this is it, if he dies… he deserves to know that I love him. I don't think I could go to sleep at night if I never told him."

Stefan nodded his head and moved some of her hair out of her face. "Okay. Go. I'll find Klaus."

"There's a chance he'll kill you."

"I know, but he had the chance before and he didn't take it. Whatever Damon's done, whatever had led him here, I'm the one that made him become a vampire in the first place, so if there's a chance for a cure, I owe it to him to find it."

Elowen nodded. She leaned up and kissed him. "Keep me updated. I'll see you later."

They parted ways, Elowen headed for the boarding house and Stefan towards Alaric's apartment.

xxxx

Elowen entered the boarding house and found Alaric sitting on the couch in the living room. He stood up when he saw her.

"Hey," he greeted.

Elowen waved. "Hey, dad."

Alaric smiled at this. "Don't think I'll ever get used to that."

Elowen smiled back. Then, the smile fell off of her face. "Where is he?"

"The cellar. You sure about this?"

Elowen nodded. "Yeah."

Alaric stepped aside and let her continue her way down to the basement. She stopped in front of the cellar door and peered in. Damon was slumped against the wall with his eyes closed. She carefully unlatched the lock on the door and stepped in. She closed it behind her and used her powers to lock them inside, in case Damon tried to get away. He stirred at the sound of her and looked up.

"Stefan told you," he guessed.

"He didn't really need to." Elowen crouched down and sat cross legged on the ground across from him. "There's something I need to tell you before it's too late."

"And what might that be?"

Elowen tried to smile, but found that she couldn't bring herself to do it. Damon watched intently as she reached over and instead grabbed onto his hand. It was radiating the heat of a fever and clammy with sweat, but she didn't care. Before she knew it, she was crying again.

"Hey." Damon gently grabbed onto her face with his free and searched her eyes with his own. "Whatever it is, I can take it. It can't get worse than this."

Elowen wiped at her eyes with the palm of her hand and took a deep breath to collect herself. She wasn't sure why, maybe it was the shock or the denial, but she started laughing. It was better than sobbing.

"I finally fell in love with you," she managed to say at last. "I'm sorry it took so long."

Damon tried to chuckle, but it turned into a cough. "Impeccable timing, Wen."

Elowen sniffled. "I know."

"Listen to me, because this might be the last chance I'll get to say this, but I'm really sorry for thinking even for a second that you sided with Klaus that night. I'm sorry for all the nasty things I said about you behind your back and I'm especially sorry that I almost cost you Alaric. He's been so good to you and I was so blind with wanting to kill Klaus that it never occurred to me that it would crush you, Josiah, and your mom. I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I need it. I need to hear it before I die."

"You're not going to die. Stefan is looking for a cure and he'll find it. I know he will."

"Do you mean that, or are you just saying that?"

"I mean it." Elowen scooted over and snuggled into Damon's chest, his arm slung over her shoulder. "I forgive you," she said quietly. "And when this is all over and you're better, because you will get better, we can…"

Damon shifted so he could look at her. "We can what?"

Elowen had to swallow down a fresh batch of tears. "Stefan and I have been talking about our future and what kind of life we could have, and I realized we haven't been including you in the conversation and that's not fair. Maybe we can finally have that discussion."

Damon leaned his head against hers. "Why don't we have it now? If Stefan really will find a cure, there's no time like the present, right?"

Elowen couldn't bring herself to look at him and instead, she stared at the wall ahead. "I want a family someday. A daughter. Stefan wants one, too. Evelyn and Claire."

She felt Damon's chest vibrate as he laughed, then coughed again. "Evelyn and Claire? Look at you two. You've already got names picked out and everything."

"Stefan said you wouldn't want kids."

"Kids and I don't have the best relationship, but for you? I'd give you everything you ever wanted as long as it made you happy." Damon was quiet for a moment before speaking again. "I wanted a son once upon a time, when I was still human. Y'know, someone to teach how to play baseball and be a man."

"Can you sound any more sexist?"

"Hey, it was the 1800s. Can you blame me?"

Elowen laughed. She went silent. "... I can give you a son, if you want," she said tentatively.

"What, by adopting? You don't seem like the type to not continue the witch line."

"No, I mean, like… artificial insemination, or something. I want to experience pregnancy. I also wanted to get married someday, but it's illegal to marry more than one person here."

"Then, we'll go somewhere where it isn't, like… Morocco, or somewhere like that."

Elowen smiled and buried herself farther into Damon's chest. His arm around her tightened.

"I just want to make one thing absolutely clear that I've already told Stefan. I don't want to be a vampire."

Damon paused. "I know," he mumbled after a moment. "You'd be an amazing vampire, though." He kissed the top of her head. "We're playing by your rules, remember? You call the shots, little witch. We decided that from the very beginning."

Elowen moved around a little to make herself more comfortable. "I know you'd prefer it if I made a choice, but I don't think I have it in me to do it. Call me selfish for loving you both, but I do, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Neither would I," he whispered.

Elowen could feel Damon's grip on her loosening and knew he was losing consciousness. She looked up and saw his head slumped to the side and his eyes were closed, but she didn't move. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his middle and brought him closer. She'd be here until the end, if that's what it came to. She hoped it wouldn't.

xxxx

Stefan opened the door to Alaric's apartment and stepped in. Katherine was sitting on the bed.

"Hello, Katherine," he said.

She stood up and stomped over to Stefan. "Two days, I've been waiting. I'm supposed to be free of Klaus's compulsion by now. He's supposed to be dead!"

Stefan shifted his weight between his feet. "We ran into… complications."

"Complications?"

"Doesn't matter now. I just need to find him. Do you have any idea where he might be?"

Katherine suddenly sped over to him and shoved him against the wall. She placed a finger to her lips to signal to be quiet. Elijah and Klaus walked through the door.

"Klaus, you're back." Katherine let go of Stefan. "Look who decided to come for a visit."

Klaus looked over at Stefan and smirked. "You just keep popping up, don't you?"

Stefan faced Klaus. "I need your help, for my brother."

"Well, whatever it is, it's gonna have to wait a tick. You see, I have an obligation to my brother that requires my immediate attention." Klaus turned and walked off to another part of the apartment, seemingly to grab something.

Elijah looked at Stefan. "You understand how important family is, or you wouldn't be here. My brother gave me his word that he would reunite me with my own."

"And so I shall," came Klaus's voice from behind Elijah. Elijah turned around and felt the dagger go through his chest as Klaus stabbed him. He groaned in pain as it happened and eventually fell against Klaus, who let him fall to the ground. Once he was dead, Klaus pushed Stefan against the wall.

"Now, what am I gonna do with you?"

He must've grabbed it from earlier, because he had a stake in his hand that he drove through Stefan's stomach. Stefan grunted in pain and leaned forward against Klaus.

"Do you feel that? It's scraping against your heart. The slightest little movement and you're dead."

Katherine, unable to just watch from the sidelines (this was Stefan they were talking about), stepped forward to try and stop it. "He's just trying to help his brother."

"The witches said you had a cure," Stefan breathed through the pain. "Make me a deal. Just give me the cure and I'll do whatever you want."

Klaus ripped the stake from Stefan, who fell to the floor. He then proceeded to walk over to the counter, place the stake on it, and then turned to pour himself a glass of blood.

"Trouble is, I don't know if you'd be any good to me the way you are now. You are just shy of useless."

xxxx

Damon had woken up and found Elowen sound asleep on his shoulder. She was nestled in the crook of his neck and he smiled weakly at her, reaching up to move some hair out of her face so he could look at her better. He suddenly grimaced in pain and rolled his sleeve up to look at the bite on his arm. It had gotten considerably worse.

Alaric had come down to check on him and Elowen and peered it through the cellar door window.

"Well, that looks bad," he commented.

"It feels worse. My subconscious is haunting me, Ric. Please tell me you have something for that."

Alaric put a glass of bourbon and his daylight ring on the windowsill. Damon carefully pulled Elowen off of him and gently laid her across the floor.

Alaric poured more alcohol into the glass. "Double shot."

"That's good." Damon got up and took hold of his ring to slip it back on his finger. He grabbed onto the glass. "So, my brother sent you for suicide watch? Was my girlfriend not enough?"

"Hey, I'm just doing what I was asked. He's just trying to help."

"He's doing what he always does, trying to right the wrongs of the past."

Damon doubled over out of nowhere and screamed from the wave of pain that passed him. Elowen stirred slightly from the noise, but didn't wake up.

"You should want me dead. I'm the reason Jenna got killed. She was your friend."

"I don't blame you for Jenna." However, his actions said something else, as he lifted the bottle of bourbon and took a long swig from it.

"Oh, sure you do. Let's not forget that I turned your wife into a vampire. You must really hate me for that one."

"Okay, give me your glass. Neither one of us is drunk enough for this conversation."

Damon staggered over, but instead of giving him his glass, he reached through the window and grabbed onto Ric's neck.

"Kill me. Please."

"No, especially not with Elowen in the room." He lifted his other hand and injected vervain into Damon's arm with a syringe. Damon fell to the floor next to Elowen, which this time, woke her up. She sat up and rushed to Damon when she saw him down.

"Relax, he's fine," Alaric reassured. She looked up at him. "It's just some vervain."

"I need blood," Damon mumbled. "I need blood."

Alaric walked off, presumably towards the fridge of blood that was kept in the basement, but Elowen pulled her sleeve up and offered her wrist to Damon.

"Here." She lifted his mouth towards her. "Drink."

His fangs had just sank into her when she heard a commotion outside the cell.

"Sheriff, over here," somebody said just outside the cell door.

"I wouldn't go in there!" She heard Alaric yell.

"I just want to talk to him," came Sheriff Forbes's muffled response.

Elowen's heart was beating out of her chest and she quickly used her powers to turn them invisible just as the door swung open. Sheriff Forbes entered with a gun in her hands and looked around the room in confusion.

"You said he was in here," she said to the deputy that was behind her over her shoulder. The deputy shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. Moving as quickly and as quietly as she could, Elowen dragged Damon onto his feet.

"We need to get out of here," she whispered into his ear. "Fast."

As Sheriff Forbes stepped farther into the room and dangerously close to where Elowen was standing, Damon took hold of her waist and sped out of the room.

xxxx

Stefan was still lying on the floor of Alaric's apartment. Klaus had a glass of blood in his hand and crouched down to speak to Stefan.

"I heard about this one vampire, crazy bloke, always on and off the wagon for decades. When he was off, he was magnificent. 1917, went into Monterrey and wiped out an entire migrant village. A true ripper. Sound familiar?"

Stefan shook his head. "I haven't been that way in a very long time."

"Well, that's the vampire I can make a deal with. That is the kind of talent that I can use when I leave this town."

Stefan slowly climbed to his feet as Klaus beckoned Katherine over. She carefully walked over and when she was close enough, Klaus seized her arm and bit into her wrist. She struggled against his grip, but failed to pull away. When she finally ripped her arm back, there was a nasty werewolf bite in its place. Without missing a beat, Klaus bit into his own wrist and forced Katherine to drink his blood. The bite healed within seconds.

"You want your cure? There is it."

"Your blood is the cure," Stefan realized.

"Got to love mother nature." Klaus put his hand on Stefan's shoulder. "Now, let's talk, you and I."

xxxx

Elowen stumbled through the town square with Damon on her arm. She wasn't able to keep them invisible and carry him at the same time, so they were at risk of being caught.

"Hey!"

Elowen turned and felt a rush of relief when she saw Jeremy, Josiah and Toby running up to her. They immediately took Damon from her and Jeremy and Toby slung his arms around their shoulders to keep him steady.

"We need to get him out of here," Elowen said quickly. "Sheriff Forbes is after him. The boarding house isn't safe."

Jeremy nodded. "Okay. Follow me."

The five of them burst through the doors of The Grill, which was empty, as everyone was out in the square, and helped Damon into a chair. Josiah pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed Caroline.

"Hey, it's me," he said when she answered. "We're with Damon at The Grill."

Damon heard something, stood up and turned around. Sheriff Forbes was standing in front of him with her gun pointed at him and pulled the trigger. He sped away just in time, grabbing Elowen and taking her with him. The bullet hit Jeremy, who was directly behind Damon, and he went down. Josiah and Toby were by his side immediately.

"Oh, god." Sheriff Forbes rushed over and holstered her gun. "Oh, god." She grabbed onto her radio and started to speak into it. "I've got a gunshot victim at The Grill. Get the paramedics here."

Josiah was already mumbling a healing spell under his breath, but he wasn't strong enough for something like a bullet wound, and therefore blood was starting to run down his nose. Toby shook him.

"Hey. Hey! You'll be no use if you're fainted."

Bonnie and Caroline entered The Grill and saw the scene at hand.

"Jeremy!" Bonnie yelled as she ran over.

"Mom. Mom, what did you do?" Caroline asked.

"I was aiming for Damon," Liz replied, her face distraught as Caroline and Bonnie knelt down next to them.

"He still has his ring," Caroline noticed, but Bonnie shook her head.

"She's human. The ring won't work on him. Caroline…"

"I got it." Caroline bit into her wrist and pressed it against Jeremy's mouth. "Come on, Jeremy. Just drink. Go on, Jeremy. Drink."

"What are you doing?" Liz asked as she watched in confusion.

"I'm helping him. Jeremy, drink. Please. Please."

Jeremy didn't make any indication that he was going to drink and stayed lying there, motionless. Alaric entered and immediately rushed over when he saw them all huddled around Jeremy.

"What's going on?" He questioned, then saw the state Jeremy was in. "Oh my god."

"I know what I need to do," Bonnie sat as she sat up. "I need you to grab him, take him with us."

"No, no, no." Liz shook her head. "You can't move him. This is a crime scene."

Caroline grabbed onto Liz's arm when she tried to stop them. "Mom, you let them go."

Liz moved away and allowed Josiah, Toby and Alaric to lift Jeremy. They followed Bonnie out of The Grill and left.

xxxx

Klaus was using a knife to slice his hand open and let his blood accumulate into a small vial.

Klaus nodded at the vial. "There is it. You want to save your brother? How about a decade long bender? And I have big plans for you when we leave this town."

Stefan shook his head. "I'm not like that anymore."

"Well, that's too bad. You would've made a hell of a wingman."

Klaus started to pour the blood into the sink. Stefan quickly leaned forward.

"Wait."

Klaus stopped pouring the blood and smirked.

"Now that's more like it." He set the vial down and grabbed a blood bag. "I want you to join me for a drink." He slid the blood bag down the table towards Stefan, who took it in his hands. He ripped off the top and took a sip.

"Finish it," Klaus told him. "All of it. You do everything I say, and I save your brother. That's the deal."

Stefan brought the bag back up to his lips and drank all of the blood. Klaus slid him another bag.

"Again."

xxxx

Elowen and Damon once again stumbled through the town square. Nobody was answering their phones, not Caroline, not Josiah, not Alaric, nobody. She was trying her mom when the line finally went through.

"Elowen? Is everything alright? Ric told me about Damon."

"I need you to get to the town square," Elowen answered, getting straight to the point. "Now."

"Okay. I'll be right there."

Without any questions asked, Esmeralda ended the call, collected her things and left the house. Elowen walked behind the big projector screen and helped Damon sit against a pole. It was secluded back there and nobody was around. He groaned as Elowen squatted down next to him.

"Hey, my mom is on her way. It's going to be okay."

Damon's head turned to look at her and his eyebrows furrowed. "You're not Katherine."

"No, Damon, it's me. It's Elowen."

Damon reached out and touched her face. "Why do you look like her, but at the same time don't? Who are you?"

"Elowen," she told him helplessly. "It's Elowen. Damon, please. I'm not Katherine."

"No, you're not. Where is she?"

"She's not here. Damon, she left you, remember? She abandoned you."

Damon weakly shook his head. "No. Katherine would never do that."

"But, she did." Elowen placed her hands on either side of his face. "It's me. It's me."

Damon blinked and squinted his eyes. "Elowen?"

"Yes. Yes, it's me."

"Where are we?"

"The town square. My mom is on her way."

Esmeralda came up behind them at that moment and knelt down beside them. She touched Elowen's arm to get her attention.

"We need to get him out of here." She gestured behind her. "Come on."

Both of them grabbed one of Damon's arms and hoisted him up. They managed to get him to Esmeralda's car and they set off for the boarding house.

xxxx

Elowen and Esmeralda had helped Damon into bed and Elowen went downstairs to get a washcloth. Esmeralda followed her.

"Do you want me to stay?" She asked in a low whisper.

Elowen nodded as she wet the washcloth. "It would be nice. I don't think I could handle him alone, not like this."

"Okay. I'll be in the living room."

Elowen went back to Damon's room and stopped in the doorway for a moment. She sighed deeply and continued her way towards the bed. Damon looked worse for wear; his face was deathly pale and he was drenched in sweat. His head lolled to the side at the sound of her.

"Elowen."

Elowen came over and sat on the edge of the bed. She carefully dabbed the wet washcloth over his forehead. "Hey. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

"You should go. I could hurt you."

"I have the power to take you down if that's what it came to. I'm not leaving you."

"Get out of here."

Damon screamed in pain and coughed as he clutched his stomach. Elowen shifted her weight on the bed to where she could take Damon in her arms and laid him against her. She held him tightly against her chest and kissed the crown of his head.

"Hang in there, Damon. It's going to be okay. I promise you, everything's gonna be okay."

"It's not okay," Damon weakly mumbled. "It's not okay. All those years, I've blamed Stefan. No one forced me to love her. It was my own choice. I made the wrong choice. You tell Stefan I'm sorry, okay?"

Elowen nodded her head. "I will."

There was a long lapse of silence before anyone said anything again.

"This is even more pitiful than I thought." Damon coughed again as he spoke. Elowen had rested her head against his and refused to let go of him.

"There's still hope. Stefan will be here any second with the cure."

"I've made a lot of choices that have gotten me here. I deserve this. I deserve to die."

"No," Elowen immediately said. She moved to where she was lying down next to Damon, facing him. "You don't deserve death. Not you. Anybody but you."

"But, I do, Wen. It's okay, 'cause if I'd have chosen differently, I wouldn't have met you. I love you so much, Wen. So, so much, and I can die happily knowing that you love me back."

Elowen started to cry, but nodded her head nonetheless. Damon tried to smile and brushed some of her hair away from her face. She was wearing contacts today, so he could properly look into her eyes. He'd come to love her brown eyes that had golden flecks in the middle, and he especially loved the way the sunlight would hit them sometimes. It would just make her all the more beautiful.

"You should've met me in 1864. You would've liked me."

Elowen wiped some of her tears with the back of her hand. "I like you now, just the way you are."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Elowen leaned over and kissed him. When she pulled back, it was evident that he'd fallen asleep again. As quietly as she could, she slipped out of bed and went back downstairs. Esmeralda was sitting in the living room with a book from the library in her lap. She looked up when Elowen walked into the room and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?"

"To get the cure," Elowen replied determinedly. "I haven't heard back from Stefan and I don't think Damon has much longer. Keep an eye on him for me."

Esmeralda nodded her head. "Of course, honey. Anything I can do to help."

"Thanks, mom. I'll be back soon."

xxxx

Elowen approached the door to Alaric's apartment and raised her hand to knock.

"Come in, love," Klaus's muffled voice came from inside before her hand could make contact. She grabbed onto the handle and walked in. The scene in front of her made her pause, only for a second. Stefan was on his knees in the middle of the floor, surrounded by empty blood bags. He had blood smeared down his face and had just finished drinking one and dropped it when he saw her enter.

"Elowen? What are you doing here?"

"Same reason you're here," Elowen forced herself to say in a steady voice.

Klaus hummed in interest and turned around to face her. "Your boyfriend is being very cooperative. It's almost like he's enjoying it." He walked over to her and stopped directly in front of her. She could feel his breath hitting her face and did her best not to flinch when he raised a hand and touched her hair. "I was just about to make a deal with him in exchange for the cure to his brother's problem. Isn't that right, Stefan?"

"Leave her out of this," Stefan snapped.

"Oh, but she came here so willingly and on her own accord. Why should I just cast her away?" Klaus faced Elowen again. "Now, what should I do with you, hmm? What can you offer that your lovely boyfriend can't?"

"I can get you Marisol back," Elowen told him confidently.

Klaus's hand dropped from her hair. "What?"

From behind him, Stefan furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Elle, what are you talking about?"

Elowen closed her eyes briefly and when she opened them, she looked from Klaus to Stefan.

"Jeremy and Bonnie found something in one of the grimoires. It said that when a witch dies an unjust death, their soul waits for another to latch onto and slowly begins to take over until their host is gone." Her eyes found Klaus's again. "If you wait long enough, she'll take my place. I won't be alive anymore, but she will. You'll have her again."

"No…" Stefan whispered from his spot on the floor. He quickly got to his feet and started towards Klaus and Elowen. "Listen to me, get out of here and find a way to stop this from happening, you hear me? Go!"

"I wouldn't take another step forward if I were you," Klaus told him. Stefan stopped a few feet away. Klaus stared at Elowen for a moment before turning around and picking up a glass full of blood. He took a sip and placed it back on the table. "I am a bit, well, lacking in the witch department, so to speak. How about we make a deal? You two can either remain here living your lives in Mystic Falls, or you," Klaus pointed at Stefan, "can embrace what you truly are, and you," he pointed at Elowen, "can live to your full potential, leave town with me, and save Damon's life."

Without missing a beat, Elowen nodded her head. "Okay."

Klaus smirked. "That's the spirit."

Stefan looked on helplessly. He knew there was nothing he could say to either Klaus or Elowen to get them to change their minds. Klaus turned around towards Stefan.

"And you? What do you say?" Klaus took a lone blood bag that was sitting on the table next to his glass and tossed it at Stefan, who snatched it from the air, tore it open and drank viciously. Klaus's smirk widened. "I'll take that as a yes." He walked over and took the vial of his blood in his hands, then went over to Katherine. "Sweetheart… take this over to Damon and come right back."

"You want me to leave?" Katherine asked eagerly.

"No!" Stefan cried from behind them.

"Yes, and if I were you…" Klaus trailed off.

Katherine took the vial and tried to speed out of the apartment, but she hit an invisible force at the door and hit against it a few times. She turned around.

"What the hell?"

Klaus shrugged indifferently. "It's not me, Katerina."

From beside him, Elowen's nose was beginning to bleed. "You take that right to Damon, or else I will personally find you and kill you myself, Katherine. I have the power to do it. Don't underestimate me." She nodded towards the door. "You can leave now."

Katherine slowly waved a hand through the open door. When she found she wasn't stopped, she vanished down the hall.

xxxx

Esmeralda was sitting on the edge of the bed, wiping another damp washcloth around Damon's face. His eyes fluttered open and he looked around the room.

"Where's Elowen?"

"She went to get the cure. She'll be back before you know it."

Damon coughed and some blood dribbled down his chin. Esmeralda ran the washcloth over it and cleaned it away. He groaned in pain and, without meaning to, tightly gripped onto Esmeralda's wrist. It was taking everything in her to not throw up. She could feel every bit of Damon's pain and she had no idea how he was handling it.

"I'm sorry," Damon apologized suddenly. "For everything I've done. You're a good person, Esmeralda. You raised an amazing daughter."

Esmeralda smiled slightly. "Yeah, yeah I did. Y'know, I thought she was crazy at first for taking a chance on you. I was worried that she was putting herself in another abusive situation because that was all she'd ever known. I remember thinking to myself, 'Why him? Stefan has everything she needs'. I know better now. You would never hurt her, and neither would Stefan."

"I would die for her if that's what it ever came to."

"I know you would. Thank you."

Damon tried to smile back. "You're welcome."

"Well, it's me you should be thanking."

Esmeralda looked over her shoulder and found Katherine leaning against the doorframe of Damon's room. She was holding a small vial in her hand.

"I mean, I'm the one who brought the cure."

Esmeralda stood up defensively. Katherine rolled her eyes.

"Oh, calm down." She started walking towards the bed. "I'm here to help."

"You got free," Damon wheezed weakly.

"Yep. Finally." Katherine had made it over to the bed and poured some of Klaus's blood into Damon's mouth.

"And you still came?"

"I owed you one. Besides, your girlfriend sort of threatened to kill me and the last thing I want to do is piss off a witch channeling that much power."

Katherine got up and started heading back over to the door.

"Where's Elowen and Stefan?" Esmeralda asked before she was gone. She turned back around and lifted the vial.

"They're paying for this. They gave themselves over to Klaus. I wouldn't expect either of them anytime soon."

"Gave themselves over to Klaus?" Esmeralda clenched her jaw. "You better not be saying what I think you're saying."

"Oh, but I am. They just sacrificed everything to save Damon, beloved brother and the love of Elowen's life. By the way, if you ever see her again, tell her that it's okay to love them both. I did."

Katherine tossed the vial over to Esmeralda, who caught it, then disappeared out of the room.

xxxx

Klaus, Stefan and Elowen were standing in a warehouse, surrounded by various wooden crates. There were two men standing nearby that had been compelled to help them. Klaus was standing over Elijah's body, who was lying in a coffin.

"I suppose, brother, you've been reunited with our family." Klaus closed the coffin and looked at the two men. "Put him with the others. We're leaving town tonight."

Elowen furrowed her eyebrows. "Others?" She whispered to herself. Klaus heard her, but didn't say anything. "Kol?"

Klaus snapped his head over in her direction just as she started dreamily walking towards the rest of the coffins that were sitting neatly inside one of the open moving truck cabins. His hand shot out and tightly grabbed her arm.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Elowen blinked and looked around her surroundings. "Huh?"

"Stop." Stefan walked over and removed Klaus's hand. "She doesn't know what she's doing. Look at her."

Klaus looked at her dazed face and cloudy eyes and roughly let her go. She stumbled slightly and Stefan took hold of her waist to steady her. Finally, she seemed to come out of her stupor. She rubbed her eyes with the heels of her palms and shook her head.

"Everything's starting to get fuzzy," she said to Stefan. "I think I'm gonna faint."

"Here, just sit down. Take a break."

Stefan led her to a chair that was sitting nearby and helped her into it. She leaned over and held her head in her hands. She could feel her temples pounding against her fingers. Her phone buzzed and she barely managed to look at the text. It was from her mom.

Damon's okay. Please be safe. We'll get you back, I promise.

"So, did Katerina make it in time?" Klaus asked as Elowen put her phone away.

"You won't be seeing her again, you know," Stefan told him.

"Because she's on vervain? I've been around a long time, Stefan. I rarely get played for a fool. Besides, she won't get far. You'll both help me see to that."

Stefan walked closer to Klaus and lowered his voice so Elowen wouldn't hear. "What is it that you really want from me?"

"All will be explained in time, once we leave this tragic little town."

"Then are we done here? Can we go?"

"Not quite. You see, I have a gift for you." Klaus turned around and beckoned someone over. "Come here, sweetheart. Don't be afraid." A girl walked out from behind a crate. There was fear in her eyes and she approached Klaus and Stefan. "See, I wanna make sure you honor our deal, that you'll be of use to me." Klaus leaned down and bit her neck, exposing the smell of blood into the air. "I could've compelled her to behave, but a real ripper enjoys the hunt."

Elowen looked up as the girl ran away screaming. For a moment, Stefan made no movement, but then he suddenly sped in front of her and sank his fangs into her neck. He drank until she fell to the floor, dead. Elowen watched on sadly. There was nothing she could do about this. Taking a deep breath, she wobbled back onto her feet and walked past Klaus.

"Let's just get out of here."

Klaus smirked. "Good idea, witch. Now we can go."

xxxx

Author's Note: So, we have officially met the end of season 2! I hope y'all enjoyed this one. Season 3 will be posted soon. S3 has so far been the most fun season I've written due to being able to write Klaus more, and I worked hard to portray him correctly and as accurate as I could, so I hope you guys can appreciate that. All of the Originals were super fun to write actually, especially Rebekah, who I also did my best to get right. Till next time, goodbye!