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Bornkiller9: I never actually thought of it like that to be honest. But yes, now that you've said it, Elena is definitely being at least a little selfish, because while she wants Stefan to come back for Sarah's sake, she herself also wants him back for her own reasons. But Elena also knows how much Stefan means to Sarah (And her family as a whole), so I wouldn't say it's entirely selfish, because Elena's thought process would most likely be: Sarah sad. Bring Stefan back = Sarah no longer sad. It's most definitely naive and while she might criticise Damon for not listening to her, she is definitely not listening to what he's saying too, about how much the whole experience hurt Sarah. But as I said, Elena's optimistic and thinks she can bring back Stefan, and thereby end Sarah's suffering.
Chapter 12: Camp Werewolf
Leiah had started the day out full of enthusiasm. That enthusiasm didn't last long however, as she, her brother, Stefan and a dead werewolf had spent all morning wondering around the smoky mountains in search of a werewolf pack.
"Here's a crazy idea. How about next time, before you kill the werewolf that's supposed to lead us to his pack, you get a better location than, I don't know, the smoky mountains?" argued Leiah, as she traipsed her way through the woods behind her brother and Stefan.
Klaus groaned, rolling his head towards Stefan as he said, "You see what I have to put up with."
"Hey, I'm having to put up with it too," said Stefan with a shrug of his shoulder. Which was something considering the werewolf slung over them.
"For that I'm sorry."
"We wouldn't even be having this probably if you'd gotten GPS coordinates off of him," Leiah pointed out, scowling at her brother like she had been for the past couple of hours.
"Look, you can keep whining, or–"
"I chose to whine," Leiah answered.
Klaus sighed. "Wonderful."
"These are new boots you know," Leia continued, waving down at her feet – a pair of knee high, brown leather boots on display. Though despite her claim, they hardly looked new. The boots were already covered in scratch marks and dirt from their time spent in the woods. "There'll be nothing left of them by the time we're done here."
"There won't be anything left of us if we don't find this pack before the full moon rises," pointed out Stefan, a critical glance sliding Klaus' way.
"Oh, don't you start," grumbled Klaus. "It's bad enough having one of you brooding."
"I'm not brooding," Stefan said, forcing a smile.
"Really, you could have fooled me," snipped Leiah, arms folded over her spaghetti strap top as they started up another hill.
"I'm not brooding," Stefan repeated, glaring back at her, and having to turn his whole body to do so.
"Then this would be the first time this entire summer that you haven't," Leiah replied as they approached the top of the hill.
"Well, if I've been brooding, maybe it's 'cause I'm a little tired of hunting werewolves."
"You and me both."
At the top of the hill, Klaus stopped. Lagging behind him, Leiah pushed her way up the rest of the way, coming to a stop beside him.
"Well, thanks to our pal Ray, the hunt might be over," Klaus mused, a grin sliding into place. Down below them, in a small clearing with a couple of dozen people roaming around, was a campsite. Tents were being set up around the clearing, a fire pit had been made and the people seemed content. To anyone else they might have just seemed like ordinary campers. But from the way their heads started to lift one by one, inhaling the scent of foreigners, Leiah could tell they'd finally found their werewolves.
They hadn't spotted them yet, so Leiah motioned for Stefan to follow her in. He did so, while Klaus lingered atop the hill. Leaving him to make his own entrance, Leiah lead Stefan into the camp, as all eyes swung towards them. "Don't mind us," Leiah announced in a taunting tone. "We're just here to drop something off." She nodded to Stefan who then dropped Ray on the ground before them.
"Ray! Oh my God!" one woman shouted, while everyone else looked on in horror. The woman ran forward skidding on her knees as she dropped down to check on Ray. A man followed her, sticking close. He watched Leiah and Stefan while the woman attended to Ray.
"I'll save you some time, he's dead," Leiah said smugly, stood along side Stefan as the woman sharply looked up. Fight in her eyes. Definitely a werewolf.
"Who are you two?" she snarled.
"The important question is who am I," said Klaus, as he arrived in a split second. Stepping ahead of Leiah and Stefan, all eyes moved on to him. From behind, Leiah narrowed her eyes at him, annoyed at him for stealing her spotlight. But she remained silent all the same, knowing how he'd react if she tried to take it back this early on. "Please, forgive the intrusion. My name is Klaus."
At the mention of his name, all the werewolves tensed and backed up. Even the woman who'd been ready to fight, rose up sharply, fear dashing through her eyes as she pushed herself and the man with her back. "You're the hybrid,"
"You've heard of me," Klaus said with a grin. "Fantastic."
As Scarlett entered, she kept her head low, hands shoved in the pockets of her hoodie – hood pulled up of course – and her hair positioned to try and shield her face from sight. It might have seemed juvenile, on the verge of paranoid, but Scarlett didn't want to be seen at the Grill. It might be one of the few hangout points in the town, but after she started working there it'd lost its appeal. That was why when Elena had asked to meet her there, Scarlett had begged her to pick somewhere else. But since Tyler was already there and Elena was on her way – coming from Alaric's – she was vetoed. Thus why she'd pulled on the hoodie as a weak ass disguise and had proceeded to quickly walk in and over to the booth where Elena and Tyler were waiting for her. She took Tyler's side of the booth, shoving him over to make space as she quickly sat down, head propped against her arm to provide another layer of camouflage from her colleagues.
"Everything all right?" asked Elena, frowning as she stared at Scarlett tapping her fingers against the wood of the table.
"Yeah. Fine," Scarlett said quickly. "What'd you want?"
"Are you sure? You seem a little–"
"I'm fine!" Scarlett lowered her head half an inch after rising her voice, praying she hadn't caught anybody's attention. She waited, and when no one proceeded to approach her, her head moved back up that half inch. "I'd just rather not be here."
"Why, because of Jeremy?" It was a fair enough question, especially after some of the discussion points at her party last night. While it might not have been clear to her or Jeremy, everyone else had noticed and assumed they'd been avoiding each other at the party. When asked about it, Scarlett hadn't been sure of herself, but then that was how she usually felt around Jeremy these days. Unsure.
"It's not about Jeremy," Tyler answered cockily. "She just doesn't want to be seen at work."
Suddenly Scarlett felt the hood on her head pull from behind. In a panic she bolted up and quickly yanked the hood back down while Tyler laughed. A quick, and hard, jab with her elbow had him shut up, before she ran her fingers through her hair, trying to shield her face again. After a look to make sure no one had taken too much notice, especially the staff, Scarlett looked back over to Elena's raised brow.
"He's right. I just don't want to somehow get dragged into work on my day off is all. Sorry," she said sheepishly.
Elena, thankfully, gave her a reassuring smile. "It's okay." Then a pause, her gaze darting down as she considered something. Then she looked back up, meeting Scarlett's blue eyes. "Have…Have you gone home today?"
Scarlett shook her head. "No. I've just been hanging out at yours. Why?"
"Was just wondering if you'd seen Sarah today."
"No, sorry. By the way, do you know what was going on with Damon last night?"
Elena's eyes turned grave, and Scarlett knew it was serious. At first she'd thought Damon was just in a mood over the party, That someone had drunk too much of a certain bourbon or too many things had been broken. But seeing Elena's solemn gaze, Scarlett could tell this was something big. "Andie's died."
Scarlett's face fell. Her mouth opening and eyes widening along with Tylers. A pang of guilt hit her for not somehow knowing. But then, how could she? Damon had kicked her out, and not for the first time, wanting to be alone with his sister. Maybe that was were the real pain was coming from, at least for her. She hadn't been particularly close to Andie. She'd liked her and been happy for Damon, finding a bit of happiness after everything with Rose. And while she would morn for Andie and what Damon had lost, what really hit her was that she'd been cut out of it. Selfish? Probably. But after being told by Sarah that she was part of the family, and Damon eluding to it at several points, this acted as a reminder to the fact that she wasn't, not really. When the real stuff happened and Damon wanted to be with his family, she got pushed away. Passed off to whoever would take her.
But despite knowing this, she did still care. Damon, while not seeing her as family, had still agreed to take her in after finding out she was a werewolf. It had been him, not just Sarah, to come and bring her home. And that was why she did feel sorry for him, despite what she was feeling about herself.
"How is he?" Scarlett asked quietly.
"He's hurting. And he's being stubborn. That's actually part of the reason that I asked to speak to you guys. I want to keep looking for Stefan but Damon doesn't." At this Scarlett frowned. While she hadn't been involved in the search, she'd known about what was going on and couldn't see Damon giving up so easily... Unless Andie's death was because of that search.
"How can we help with that?" Tyler asked, not seeing how they could himself.
"Yeah, we didn't know anything about the search for Stefan," Scarlett agreed, waving her thumb between herself and Tyler. It was a small lie. She had known about the search, but she hadn't been involved or known the details. And saying otherwise would just get Elena's hopes up, or worse, make her mad at her.
"I know. But you're both werewolves," Elena pointed out.
Scarlett and Tyler shared a confused look. They then looked back at Elena, and Tyler asked, "Well, how does that help?"
"Because Klaus has been searching for werewolves all summer," Elena explained.
Scarlett frowned. "Why?"
"I don't know. But I figure if I can find some werewolves then I'll be able to find Klaus."
"Well, every werewolf I know bar him," Scarlett jabbed her thumb in Tyler's direction, "is dead. So I don't think I'll be much help." Tyler however, wasn't as quick to protest, instead squirming a little in his seat. Elena caught it though, as did Scarlett as both turned towards him. He remained quiet for a moment, though, fully aware the two were staring at him. He seemed to be thinking over something before finally coming to a decision.
He leaned forward on the table, Scarlett and Elena doing the same. "While I was with Jules, she told me a lot about us. She also told me its privet, and that I shouldn't tell just anybody."
"You can trust me, Tyler. I won't abuse whatever you tell me. I just…I just need a little to help me find Stefan," Elena pleaded.
Again Tyler went quiet. Eyes locked with Elena's as he considered the choice before him. Finally, he nodded, continuing in an even softer voice than they'd already been using. "A lot of us like to keep to ourselves for the full moon, chain ourselves up. But there are some werewolves that like to gather in places were they don't have to do that, where they can enjoy it."
Like I do. Scarlett thought to herself. But then she had an advantage that most werewolves didn't. Her necklace.
"What kind of places?" Elena asked.
"Mountains, state parks, deserts, that kind of stuff," Tyler listed.
"Anywhere in Tennessee?"
"Yeah. Here, give me your phone, I'll try to pull up a map." Elena handed over her phone and Tyler quickly set to work bringing up the map while Scarlett leaned over to watch. She saw that he'd typed in, 'Tennessee, Smokey Mountains.' But after that he started zooming in and swiping so fast that she couldn't keep up.
"Thank for this," Elena said from across the table. "I know it's asking a lot."
Tyler's gaze flicked up, offering a weak smile. "As Caroline likes to remind me, Stefan's in this mess because I bit Damon. I figure I owe you one."
"Maybe more than one," Scarlett suggested light heartedly. He offered her a soft grin as he saved a location he'd pinged on Elena's phone. Presumably the location of the werewolves.
"Have either of you talked her today? Caroline, I mean." Tyler than asked.
"No," Elena answered, sounding distant. Her mind obviously else where.
Scarlett however, was completely there. And grinned right at Tyler as his eyes found hers. "What?" he asked uneasily.
"Nothing," Scarlett said smugly. Leaving a pause before then adding, "So, what did you get up to after the party last night?"
"Nothing," Tyler muttered.
"Really? 'Cause I could have sworn I saw you leave with–"
"There you go," Tyler quickly said, handing Elena back her phone. "That's your best bet."
"Thanks," Elena said, grateful smile on her lip. Apparently having been zoned out during Scarlett's teasing. It was fine though, the blush on Tyler's cheeks was clear enough for everyone to see. "I'll talk to you guys later."
As Elena moved for the booth, Scarlett followed. They made it halfway to the bar before Elena stopped and turned around, realising that Scarlett was following her. "What'd you think your doing?" she asked with a frown.
Scarlett cocked an eyebrow from beneath her hood. "You're going after werewolves on the one night of the month were they'll lose control and kill anything in sight. I'm pretty sure it'd be a good idea to bring along the one werewolf who'll still have control, don't you?"
Internally Elena debated. But it wasn't long. Time was precious after all. So she nodded and they started walking towards the bar again. It was only as they approached, Scarlett noticed Jenna and Alaric sitting there. They'd probably been there the whole time, but she'd been too worried about being spotted to do a proper sniff when she'd first entered. Now, she couldn't believe she'd missed their clear scents. Sarah would say she was getting sloppy.
"No," Jenna said as they approached, perched on her bar stool next to Alaric as he drank a coffee. At her answer to the question yet to be asked, Elena and Scarlett stopped. Scarlett half thought they'd interrupted a conversation between her and Alaric, but when the amber blonde turned towards them, she knew the newbie vampire had been listening in.
"But–" Elena began.
"No, Elena," Jenna said firmly, meeting her eyes. A protectiveness swirling around inside of them. "I'm responsible for you, so no, I'm not going to let you go and hunt for werewolves on a full moon." Her gaze then swung over to Scarlett. "And I'm pretty sure Sarah would kill me if she found out I let you go as well."
There was a silence for a moment, as if the conversation had ended. It hadn't though, Scarlett could see Elena's jaw working. Taking in what her aunt had said and figuring out how to respond. No, not an end to the conversation, just a pause between turns.
When Elena decided on her next move, she claimed the seat next to Jenna with smooth confidence. Offering up a distant gaze of someone who knew exactly what they were doing but trying to pretend they didn't. "Well, I think Sarah might also kill you if she found out you stopped us from bringing Stefan back."
"You can't be certain he'll be there," Jenna pointed out. She was going for calm, but there was an edge to her voice. A defensive edge.
"But he might be," argued Scarlett.
"And if he was and we missed him, Sarah would be really mad at all of us for not bringing her this lead," continued Elena.
Jenna smiled, as if she'd found the plot hole in their story. "Fine, I'll pass the tip onto her," Jenna said reaching for her phone which she'd left out on the counter. As her hand grabbed hold though, Elena's landed on top of her, preventing her from lifting it.
"She won't pick up," Elena said, a slight shake to her eyes as she tried to think of how to explain that fact. "Damon will have turned off her phone, and even if he hasn't he won't let her answer. Not today. That means we have to go after this lead, now. Sarah can't and Damon won't so it's up to us."
Jenna's jaw shifted. Now it was her turn to pause and think up a suitable response.
"Fine, me and Alaric will check it out."
"Not without us," Elena countered.
"Elena…" Jenna said softly. But her softness gave Elena the chance to cut in before Jenna could continue.
"I'm eighteen now, remember. That means I get to start making my own decisions."
"Who told you that?"
"You did," Elena said, a pleading look to her eyes.
Jenna's head swung around towards Alaric on her other side. "Did I say that?"
"Pretty sure you did," Alaric said, doing his best to hide a smirk.
Jenna grumbled something beneath her breath, turning back to her niece with an irritated frown in place. But at the same time, there was something beneath it. She was proud of Elena, Scarlett sensed it. Proud that her niece was standing up to her and standing her ground. It meant she hadn't completely screwed up her sister's kids. That said, she'd prefer it if Elena wasn't arguing to go into the wolf's den, literally.
For a moment all Jenna did was glare at them. Admitting defeat without actually saying it. Now while Scarlett might have gloated about it, Elena was silent. Smiling softly at her aunt for understanding, but refusing to say anything that might make her come across as smug. The silence did eventually end, when Alaric chose his side of the fence.
"As long as we're in and out before the moon rises, we should be fine."
Jenna turned around, their eyes meeting. As if having one of those telepathic conversations couples always seemed to have. In that moment Scarlett wondered if it ever seemed that way with her and Jeremy. Or even if it did, did the conversation look as loving and caring as it did with Jenna and Alaric. Him comforting her and reassuring her. With her and Jeremy, it probably looked like they were screaming at each other mentally. A statement that somewhat rang true in Scarlett's mind.
When Jenna turned back around, she sighed, "All right, fine. We'll go."
Elena grimaced. "Actually, Jenna… I think it would be better if you didn't come along."
Jenna's eyes went wide. "What?"
"It's just it'll be dangerous for you–"
"Dangerous for me!" Jenna snapped, head whipping back and forth between all of them. As if she was so shocked that she didn't know who to look at. "If it's so dangerous for me, why would I let you go?!"
"Because we're not werewolf prey," Scarlett said in a low voice. But Jenna heard her, and more importantly, the seriousness to what she was saying. "From what we know, when in wolf form, their natural instinct is to hunt their prey of choice. Vampires."
"You're the only vampire here," Elena pointed out softly, placing her hand on Jenna's once more. Jenna glare back with still wide eyes.
"They're not wrong, Jenna," agreed Alaric, who immediately looked away when Jenna's deadly gaze swung around to him.
"It'd be different if we had Sarah or Damon coming along. They're experienced but your still…" Scarlett trailed off, as if what she was about to say might offend Jenna.
"Still new," Jenna sighed, rolling her eyes. "When am I not going to stop being the 'newbie vampire'?"
"Don't know," Scarlett said with a sympathetic smile. "But don't worry, I'll be there to look after them."
"And who's going to look after you?" demanded Jenna, the protective nature in her coming out. "You're sixteen! You shouldn't be the one doing the protecting."
"I'll be there too, remember," Alaric said, placing his hand on Jenna's. She turned to look at him, and Scarlett pictured the clear worry in her eyes. But Alaric smiled back, nothing but reassurance in his own. "We'll all look after each other, promise. But if you come along, I'll be worrying the whole time about you getting bitten. And if you do…" He trailed off, not wanting to think about that possibility.
"I'll end up dead," groaned Jenna, shoulders slouching. "How did this go from no body goes to everyone but me gets to go?" she pondered aloud.
Elena leaned over, giving her aunt a one armed hug as she placed her head on her shoulder. "Because you're the best aunt ever. And because you know that we can handle this. But also that you're not ready for it. Sorry."
"Any chance of me somehow turning this around?" Jenna mumbled in defeat.
"Nope," Scarlett said, pushing away from the bar. Elena quickly followed her, giving her aunt a kiss on the cheek before she dashed off. Jenna grumbled to herself once more, but stopped when she felt Alaric squeeze her shoulder. She looked over, seeing him stand up. But he hesitated in leaving, looking over to see Scarlett and Elena head out the door before he leaned back down towards Jenna.
"While I'd love to convince you that I can handle those two and a pack of werewolves on my own, it might be a good idea to call me some backup."
"But Elena said Sarah won't pick up," Jenna whispered back.
"So call the other vampire who will answer his phone," Alaric replied. He then kissed Jenna on the forehead. She smiled at the gentle action, before watching him head out the door after the kids. Once he was gone, her gaze turned to her phone. She chewed on her lip for a moment, partially tempted to let them try on their own and show that she believed in them. But her fears won out and she grabbed the phone, dialling the vampire's number.