We found Jeremy at the batting cage, exactly where he was supposed to be. And he was safe..I couldn't help but feel the relief that swelled through me when seeing him, alive and well. It was odd, as he never liked sports much, let alone baseball. It didn't take long to spot him, he was the one who couldn't hit the ball. We watched as he tried to hit a ball after ball but failed miserably. I was happy to see him acting like a normal 16 year old should. Not fighting hybrids, or vampires, but playing baseball. "Jeremy!" I called from outside the cage.

"Remind me If I ever compel him again to make him better at sports," Damon joked beside me, flashing me a grin.

He turned around, shocked to see us standing only few feet away, "Elena?" He smiled and ran over to me. I had never in my life been so happy to see my brother. I hugged him tightly. I was surely choking him, but he'd survive. "Apparently you really missed me." He said as he pulled away smiling.

"As touching as our reunion is. We do have pressing matters, don't we Elena? He looked to Jeremy,"We need your help Jer." Reality worked its way back into my happy moment. Crushing those happy butterflies in my head instanteously.

"Jeremy. He's right. I am sorry we have to meet like this. Why it always has to be about this. But we do need your help." Why did it always have to be like this? I wondered. Isn't that why he left?

"My help?" he questioned. "What can I do you for?" He placed the bat down and we left the cage. I didn't feel like getting hit with a baseball anytime soon, from the machine or Jeremy's terrible back-swing.

"We need you to contact a dead vampire for us, so she can tell us who turned her, so we know which Original our line of vampires traces too so we don't all go kapoof when we dagger the Originals. I hate to rain on your parade Jer but things back home with the 'take out the Originals' plan aren't going as smoothly as we hoped." Damon said with a smirk.

"You mean to tell me you traveled as this way to have me contact a dead vampire?" Jeremy stopped walking and turned to us, raising a brow.

"Dead vampire is redundant but yes. That's why we're here. And as far as we know you're the only one who's phone service reaches the other side." He smirked again.

"And to make sure you were ok," I added. "I hadn't heard from you much Jer."

"Who is it I'm supposed to contact anyway?" he asked. He looked a little taken aback by all this doom and gloom we brought him. Who could blame him.

"Rose" I said simply

"Rose?"

"You didn't meet her. She helped me and Damon. She was a friend. She died protecting Damon from a werewolf". Damon flinched a little beside me. He tried to hide it but those memories of werewolf bites and Rose slipping away still bothered him. His words crashed back into my head "I feel Elena and it sucks". I suddenly remembered what this meant to Damon and what he'd been through lately and … how I've treated him.

"Well I can try" he said slowly." Though can it wait? I'm meeting someone? A friend from school."

"Well well well look what the cat dragged in. The Mystic Falls riff raff and the pretty little doppelganger," said a patronizing voice.

In the blink of an eye Damon was in front of me. I didn't understand why until I seen him. It was Kol. Kol! Standing here with us... In Denver. With my brother! He had a baseball bat poised to strike. I saw it swing and heard the crack as it smashed against Damon's face in front of me. He fell to his knees. "Damon!" I yelled, horrified. Kol already had another bat in his hand and I watched as it once again smashed against Damon's face, knocking him to the ground completely, his hand flew to his cheek. It had happened so fast. I took a step toward Damon who was lying in pain, in front of me. Why hadn't he run, dodge, anything! He was a vampire!

"Uh uh sweetheart," He wagged his finger patronising me. "Your dark saviour stays where he is; as do you. And if you behave you lot might all be alive. Mind you only for a little longer."

I burned with anger and frustration. Jeremy was here to get away from this and it followed him. Klaus's sadistic little brother followed him. And here we were only minutes ago having a semi-normal conversation and now Damon was at an Originals mercy in front of me.

"You may have beaten me after the girl broke your heart. Surprise and emotions were on your side then. But you'll find I have quite the edge, especially when I'm out for a little revenge" he smiled sadistically down at Damon. "That's for saving the tasty footballer. For being the so called 'bad brother' you sure do like to rain on a man's fun parade. "

He was standing over Damon now who was lying in a heap, hand pressed against his head. "Ok I'll give you this that hurt, a little. Though your sister hits harder." he smiled painfully as he slowly got up. Kol smirked again and picked up the bat. "Stop it! Leave him alone. What is wrong with you!" I yelled.

There was a blur, a loud crack and then our capture lay on the ground, motionless. I looked up expecting to see Damon; having pulled off a last minute save. But he hadn't moved, he was still half knelt on the floor in front of me.

It was a women standing above Kol. Her expression unreadable. She was tall, curvy, with striking ebony hair. I had definitely never seen her before. She looked down at him as she spoke, "Now Kol haven't your brothers taught you to play nice with others. 1000 years on this earth and manners is still your weak point. She smiled bleakly. She raised her head and looked at me, her striking blue eyes bore into mine. Then they fell on Damon, who was still knelling on the round, looking up at her. "Damon Salvatore. Your run in's with Originals are really quite tragic and becoming infamous. Though I'm sure you would have gotten the best of the wipper snapper eventually. I did just save you a broken bone or two. Baseball bats, nasty." she said as she shook her head lightly and laughed. "Kol always did have a problem making friends and behaving and not be an over aggressive psycho"

I took a step forward, "Thank you," I said quickly. "Whoever you are."

"Alanna," she said in return. "We'll have plenty of time to get to know each other Elena. I'm no enemy of yours, or Damon's. But you can judge that for yourself. As for me I have one spoiled little original to deliver to his big brother."

"Aren't you a little old to be babysitting?" Damon said as he finally stood up.

"Your one to talk." She flashed him a smile.

"Big brother? Who? Klaus" I questioned. My gratitude subsiding.

"Don't worry yourself Elena. Klaus will get nothing from me but a good lesson in manners. Elijah would like a word with his reckless little brother, to make sure he keeps his paws of yours." She said, still smiling.

My eyes snapped behind her as I looked to Jeremy. He was ok. He looked shocked as he continued to stare at Kol. How did he befriend an original and not even know? How did this even happen!

"Damon, you best get these two out of here. You have pressing matters to attend to. Tid bit of advice for you. Don't play god. Remember for every Original you kill, hundreds, thousands maybe, die along with them. And though many perhaps deserve death, many do not. And those deaths should weigh heavily upon both of your consciences. Tell that to your brother as well." She said firmly, looking from Damon to me. "Stefan's vendetta against the Originals will get you all killed should you not be able to keep him in check."

"How did you know we were killing Originals?" I asked. Was this common knowledge? Was it being advertised to every vampire out there?

" Now Elena, don't play dumb. When an Original is involved in anything those who value their lives pay attention. Especially when an Original is killed and all those of his line along with him. Besides, just like Katerina before you, your searching for a way out from under Klaus's control. As know one, not even Rebekah, can control Klaus. Your left with the extermination option. Really, for anyone who pays attention and watches enough movies, your master isn't that hard to figure out. And I do have a few eyes and ears who keep me in the loop." She winked. How did this women know so much! And if she did know so damn much where the hell was she when this started. Vampires..

"Are you going to Mystic Falls?" I questioned. Intently wondering all 5 W's when it came to this woman.

"Naturally. When you both come back, find me. Operating on next to know information will get you lot killed. There is too much you don't understand." Her face took on a hard expression, her eyes serious. "There are worse things in this world than Klaus"

"So you're going to be the one to answer all our questions and be our personal ? Where have you been all my life?" Said Damon jokingly.

I shot him a look. Always joking.."So how do we contact you then?"

"Patience Elena," she handed me a paper. "It's called a cell phone. You put in the number, dial, ring ring ring.. You get the picture. Till next time. Elena, Jeremy...Damon" She smiled. She bent down and picked up Kol and sped off. I still couldn't believe how effortlessly such a slender woman could pick up a grown man. Vampire or no vampire, it wasn't something I ever got used to seeing.

I turned to Damon. "Who the heck was that? What is going on?"

Suddenly Jeremy spoke up. "What is going on is right? What have you two been keeping from me! This isn't just about me contacting a dead vampire.. This is bigger and you aren't telling me!" He was upset; betrayed even, "Why did my friend pick up a bat and beat Damon with it? What is going on? He threw his hands up, confusion and anger emanating from him.

I just stared at him, my mouth hung open as I failed to form the words to explain this to my brother. Suddenly Damon was behind me, his hands on my shoulders, comforting me. "We need to get out of here. It's going to be ok, Elena" He turned to Jeremy "I promise Jer, we'll tell you everything. But we need to get out of here. Don't make me drag both of you; I'm strong but Mr. Trigger Happy decided to knock my brains about and I'm not in the mood for dragging or arguing. My heads pounding like a kid with drum sets already."

Jeremy nodded and followed Damon and I out, reluctantly. But he understood that out in the open was likely not the best place to discuss all this.

We returned to the car, determined to get out of here. We needed to get a hotel room. Somewhere safe and private. I just sat there, barely listening to the small conversations between Damon and my brother. I just couldn't comprehend how this had happened! Kol had been here all along! Everything Damon and I had done to keep him safe and the danger just followed him. At least in Mystic Falls he had us but here he was alone and uninformed. I felt like breaking down in frustration! Everything we tried was for nothing, being separated from my brother was for nothing. I looked over at Damon beside me. His face was concentrated and grim. A blank slate. I've put him through hell, I thought. All these weeks spent hating on him. I never did try to understand or reach out to him. He's built those walls up again, blocking even me out. I don't blame him. Not after what I did the night of the party, the rejection, the betrayal, the hurt I caused. And now he's been tortured and beat with a bat and what's he doing; faithfully protecting me, as always. I felt awful and ashamed. That wasn't me- I didn't treat him like that. Everyone else may judge the surface but I was his friend, I didn't do that... And that women! Who was she? What was she? And how does she know about the Originals and me and how… how does she know Damon? I looked out the window, my hands clenched in fists, hoping the answers would come to me, but they never did.

This is my first fan fic in awhile. I don't own the characters. It is based on a fantasy plot associated with 3x19. Alanna is an original character; one I do own and who will be featured in many of my Fan Fics. She has QUITE the history and is the character I created to connect loose dots, especially where the Originals are concerned. Reviews are helpful and greatly appreciated. A new chapter will be up soon. And yes this is a 100% Delena Fic; though respect is paid to all characters. I don't hate Stefan by any means.