Hey guys! I still can't believe we are on season 3! I know you are all itching for an Alex/Klaus reuinion, but it will happen I promise! Let me know what you think!

Season 3 Episode 2 The Hybrid

I was standing alone, in a dark place. I didn't exactly know where it was. It was too dark to see, and I didn't think I had ever been there before. I looked around, trying to distinguish my surroundings when I heard the snap of a twig. I spun around to where the sound came from, my heart jolting in my chest. I saw nothing, but that didn't stop the adrenaline from coursing through my veins.

"Hello?" I called out. I received no answer, not that I was expecting one. "Is there anyone out there?"

"Alexandra…"

The voice was light and hollow, like what you would think a ghost would sound like. I shivered a bit, hearing the voice again call out my name.

"Who are you?" I asked. I heard a chuckle, closer to me than before.

"I am you." The voice said. I could now tell that it was a female's voice. "And you are me."

"What are you talking about?" I snapped. This prank was getting old really fast. I was still frightened, but I was now beginning to feel my annoyance level rise.

I heard a small giggle, right behind me. I turned, barely catching sight of the person who stood there. I caught a glimpse of brown hair, flowing as she ran, her dress was long and reached the floor. She was still giggling as she ran away from me.

"Hey!" I yelled, but she didn't stop. "Hey! Wait!"

I ran after her, finding dark trees appearing out of nowhere and blocking my path. I tripped up a bit, trying to right myself to see where this girl was going. It was so dark, I could barely keep an eye on her. I called out to her again, but all I received was a giggle and she ran faster.

"Oof." I said, falling to the ground after I tripped on a root. The fall had taken my breath away, and I struggled to roll over. I looked to where I had just been chasing the girl and saw that she was gone. I huffed. Now I was even more lost and the only person around was gone. Just my luck.

"Alexandra."

I looked up at the sound of her voice. Initially I didn't see her, but upon closer inspection she was hiding just behind a tree. She slowly peaked out from behind the tree, eyeing me with bright green eyes. I squinted, they looked familiar. She continued to come out of hiding, showing her pale skin, the light purple color of her dress, two green eyes, light brown hair…..

"Wh-what?" Was all I could say when she emerged fully. She had a small smile on her lips, and when she saw my surprise it pulled up into a smirk. I felt my blood start pumping and head was spinning, like I was going to pass out.

"Hello Alexandra." She said, her voice light and playful. I had to swallow the bile that formed in my throat. She stepped closer, crouching down in front of me, her eyes gentle. I choked out a sound that was supposed to be her name. Her smile widened. She stared at me for a second before she turned and took off again. I sat there, confused and completely mystified. I couldn't move, I could barely breathe. How had she… what was she… what the hell…

"Alissa."

"You look tired."

I looked up to Jace who was standing across the bar from me. We were drying the just cleaned glasses, and stacking them up for use during this fine working day. I say that with the utmost sarcasm. I had woken up, more jolted awake, to find that I had the darkest of circles under my eyes. They had been painted there with the lack of sleep I had gotten the night before.

"I didn't get much sleep." I explained. Jace looked at me curiously. "Nightmares."

"About Stefan?" Jace concluded. I shrugged. He didn't say anything more about the subject, but he did give me a sympathetic look. The night has been plagued by the sight of Stefan, kidnapping me, threatening me, and then dropping me off the roof. Although, if Stefan wanted me dead he would have snapped my neck or he would have stopped Damon from saving me. I tried to think of it that way, but it was much harder when I had seen a person that was my friend hurt me the way he did.

Then there was the dream about Alissa. That one intrigued me more, less frightening then the memory of what Stefan had been, and yet even more so. The way she said that we were one, it was a reminder that she was still part of me. Even after Klaus and Elijah were gone, Alissa was still around. She had been popping up out of nowhere, but she never said why. She just showed up in my dreams, and it was like she was asking me to chase her. Or to follow her. I just wished I knew what she was trying to tell me.

"Do you think he would have really tried to kill you?" Jace asked suddenly. "I mean, Klaus would have been pissed."

"I don't know about that." I replied. "All Klaus wants is power. He doesn't care about me."

"There has to be more to that though." Jace said. I shrugged. "I mean… there has to be some sort of connection there."

"Not anymore." I replied. "Klaus is evil and Elijah's a backstabber. I don't want anything to do with either."

"I understand." Jace replied honestly. I hadn't seen either one of the brothers and I was glad. However, I didn't think that this would be the last I saw of Klaus. He was cunning and he was always ten steps ahead of us. Whatever he was doing with his new found hybrid traits, it couldn't be good.

"Do you…." Jace trailed off. I waited for him to speak, but he didn't seem to want to finish his statement. I leaned closer to him, giving him a curious glance.

"What?" I asked, urging him to continue. He wet his lips, and I noticed that his eyes flickered to mine before they met my eyes again.

"You don't think Klaus will come back for you… right?" Jace asked. His question took me by surprise. I had thought about it, but I wasn't really sold on it. What use would I be to Klaus? Sure, I looked like Alissa, but he made it clear that he didn't care what I wanted. He only cared about what he wanted.

"No." I replied, drying another glass. "I don't think so."

"Good." Jace replied with a smile. "I'm not ready to lose my training partner just yet."

I smirked at him, grabbing another glass. I didn't know what Klaus was up to, and why he was stringing along Stefan. While I didn't think he was coming after me anytime soon, I couldn't rule it out. Klaus didn't make sense most of the time, and I wouldn't put kidnapping past him.

"Jace…" I said suddenly. He looked up, his eyes curious. I swallowed. "I um… I didn't just dream about Stefan…"

"Oh yeah?" He asked with a smirk. "Did you have another wet dream about me?"

"Jace!" I almost shouted. He chuckled. "No… it was… I think it was… Alissa."

Jace seemed taken aback by this.

"So wait… like your twin Alissa?" Jace asked. I gave him a look. "Right stupid question. Well, what happened?"

"Nothing really." I replied with a shrug. "It's weird though… It was like… like she…"

He waited for me to finish my sentence. I was beginning to think I was sounding crazy. I mean who has dreams of someone they have never met, but she looks exactly like you. But then again, nothing made sense in Mystic Falls

"Do you think she's trying to tell you something?" Jace asked, as if he read my mind. I stared at him for a second before nodding. He didn't say anything more. What would she be trying to tell me? Or was she trying to warn me? I shivered at bit at the latter thought.

"Hey Alex."

I looked up and Matt stood in front of us. He looked hung over or at least tired. Maybe both. He carried a tray in his hand, full of empty coffee mugs.

"Can you get table three?" He asked. "They are begging for coffee."

"I got it." I said, grabbing the pot from the bar. I took it over to the table, filling up their mugs. I thought that going to work would make me forget about what had happened last night, but I just couldn't shake it. Stefan was obviously not who he used to be, and this whole Alissa thing… I was a bit of a mess.

The morning rush began to die down, and soon enough it picked up for the lunch rush. We were working like mad, the teenagers rolling in because there wasn't anything else to do. Sometimes I missed the days when I didn't have to worry about vampires, wolves, crazy hybrids, or psycho doppelgangers. I missed the days when I didn't always have plans that I could just draw and go to my therapy sessions without a care in the world. I missed when Elena and I were on good terms, when we would laugh together and cry together. I sometimes missed when all I had to worry about was myself.

But then there were other times when I liked how much things had changed. I had friends, true friends that I knew I could count on. I had a boyfriend, one I loved and who loved me. I had a best friend, for the first time in a long time I had a friend that I went to for anything. It was good, to have the people and the experiences. I was tough before, but I was tougher now. It was a good feeling.

"Elena alert."

I looked up, seeing Jace pass me with a plate of food. He locked eyes with me and nodded to the door. Sure enough, the brunette passed through the door, something she hadn't done the whole summer. I had to admit, Elena was giving me my space and I had to appreciate that. However, seeing her only made my anxiety peak.

She looked up at me, meeting my gaze. I saw a small, awkward smile crack on her face, and it took everything in me not to do one back. I didn't know if it was Elena's natural likableness or if it was the guardian gene in me, but I wanted to forgive her. A part of me wanted to say it would all be ok, and that the kiss meant nothing. But the other part told me that it was more. A kiss always meant something, and a kiss to the lips, even a small one, meant something. Elena said it was for goodbye, but when I walked in, the way she looked so ashamed told me that she knew it was wrong to do so.

I felt my stomach lurch when I noticed her coming toward me. I turned and was about to go hide in the kitchen when Jace showed up out of nowhere and stopped me. I protested, pushing against him, but he turned me back around. Grabbing my arm, he pulled me the other half of the way over to Elena.

"Hey guys." She said cheerfully, smiling at Jace and then me. "Hey Alex."

"Hi." I muttered, wrenching my arm out of Jace's grasp and sending him a small glare. He rolled his eyes at me, looking back to Elena. I pouted a bit, crossing my arms over my chest like a child. Whatever Elena had to say to me, I wasn't in the mood. Or I was too scared to hear it.

"Is everything ok?" Jace asked. "Alaric told me that you were meeting Tyler here."

"When the hell did you start talking to Alaric?" I asked Jace. He shrugged, looking back to Elena. Jace had been involved in a lot of this mess, but now he was starting to become even more involved. I didn't know if I liked that.

"Damon and Alaric have been tracking Stefan." Elena said, eyes catching mine. I swallowed hard, knowing that Damon had told me all about it and that Elena wasn't supposed to know. "They tracked him to Memphis."

"Yeah, Damon said Klaus and Stefan have been tracking werewolves." Jace said. My head took a sharp turn to him. Damon never mentioned that part, why did Jace know that?

"When the hell did you start talking to Damon?" I asked, even more shocked at that one. Again he shrugged, and I held back a grunt of annoyance. Jace and Damon weren't friends, they didn't even like each other. So why would Damon tell him about the werewolves and not me?

"I'm going to ask Tyler if he knows of any packs in Tennessee." Elena said. "Then we will go from there."

"Sounds good." Jace replied. He then took my arm. "Let us know what you find out?"

"Will do." Elena said, with a nod. She then smiled at me again and went to go find an empty booth. Jace drug me back to the kitchen, the whole while I was fighting him. Whatever had just happened baffled me. It was like they were making a game plan right in front of me. Usually I was incorporated in those plans, and now I felt like an outsider.

"What the hell is going on?" I asked, pulling my arm out of his grasp. Jace sighed, turning back around to me. "You're making plans with her? And talking to Damon? What the hell is going on?"

"We're trying to find Stefan." Jace replied. My eyes widened.

"The Stefan who kidnapped me and almost killed me?" I asked. Jace opened his mouth. "No, the Stefan we knew is gone. That was obvious last night."

"But we can't stop trying." Jace said. "He's still in there."

"Obviously not." I muttered. They could do what they wanted, but I wanted no part in this elaborate rescue plan. Whatever they were planning couldn't be good. And I didn't think I was ready to see Stefan anyway, not after last night.

"He's our friend." Jace said. I met his gaze. "You know you would be doing the same if it were Damon."

I didn't say anything. Instead I just stared. He was right. If it were Damon with Klaus I would do everything in my power to bring him back. I would never stop, I would never rest, until he was back in my arms. So, I couldn't blame Elena for wanting to bring him back, and I couldn't blame anyone else either. Stefan was a good guy, and Klaus… he was messing with his head. We had to get him back.

"Alright." I said. "Whatever you guys are doing… count me in."

Jace grinned and I had to fight my own from surfacing on my face. Instead I rolled my eyes.

"Since when did you and Damon start talking?" I asked. Even though Jace still lived at the Salvatores, I didn't think they were talking, let alone making up schemes to get Stefan back. I didn't even think they liked each other still.

"I don't know." Jace said with a shrug. "We are all in this together. I guess it's time we start getting along."

"I just can't see it." I replied, imagining the two hanging out. "You two as friends just doesn't make sense."

"We are far from being friends." Jace replied with a laugh. He shrugged again. "Just… getting along.

"Right." I replied, shaking my head. I could feel the chain around my neck move as I shook it. I then looked down at my chest. John's ring, the Gilbert ring that he gave me hung around my neck. I grabbed the chain and tugged. I stared at it for a few minutes. Because I was supernatural, the ring wouldn't work on me. But it would work on a human. I held it out to Jace.

"What are you doing?" He asked, eyeing the ring. I shrugged, pushing it closer to him. "I'm not taking your dad's ring."

"It's not doing him any good." I replied, meeting his gaze. "Come on. Take it. It will give me some piece of mind when we go hunting these werewolves."

Jace eyed the ring and when he didn't take it I huffed and grabbed his hand. He seemed surprised that I did so, but I ignored him, flipping his hand over and putting the ring in his palm. I closed his fingers around it and met his gaze again. We stared at one another, having a silent conversation. The ring would protect him from any supernatural death. He was my best friend. I couldn't let him die if I had to power to protect him.

He grinned, putting the ring on his right ring finger and I smiled. We went back out on the floor, and by that point I could see Elena talking to Tyler. Alaric was sitting at the bar, looking over his shoulder at Elena and the werewolf. Whatever we were going to do, it was going to happen soon. I looked at the clock, my shift was about to end. Now was as good a time as any.

Jace and I headed over to the bar where Alaric sat. Elena came up too, but I kept my distance. She must have noticed, because she looked down sadly before her determined expression returned.

"Did you get anything?" Alaric asked, turned around to see all of us. He looked shaggy, not like his usual professional teacher self. I couldn't blame him though, Jenna was gone and he felt guilty about not being there to protect her. I sometimes felt it too. If I had just gotten free a little earlier could I have saved her? Or would we both be dead?

"How do you guys feel about a little hike through the Smoky Mountains?" Elena asked, a little humor behind her voice.

"I'm in." Jace chimed in first. I was a little reluctant but nodded none the less. Alaric looked at us all like we were crazy.

"You wanna hunt down a pack of werewolves on a full moon?" Alaric asked. I shivered a bit, thinking about the danger that came with this. I was specialized in killing vampires, not wolves. But, if Stefan was out there… we had to try and find him.

"We'll be out of there before the moon is full." Elena replied. "Besides, we are going with or without you."

Alaric looked at all of us again before he sighed shaking his head.

"Alright fine." Alaric said, then pointed at Elena. "But you are driving."

The ride up to Tennessee was fairly quiet. I could feel the very awkward tension that was in the air, because first of all there was Elena, and second both Alaric and Jace knew that Elena and I were tense. To add an extra sprinkle of awkward to the situation, Damon was calling and texting me nonstop.

We all agreed that involving Damon in this was a bad idea. Damon was volatile and I knew that if he knew we were going after Stefan then he would try to stop us. He was all about fixing things by himself because he was so afraid that someone he cared about would get hurt. But I would rather we go without Damon because there was power in numbers. And I hated to admit it, but Elena needed to talk to Stefan. She was probably the only one who could get him to return and turn his emotions back on. So we needed her.

When we parked the car, Alaric pulled a large duffle bag out from the back. He began handing out weapons of all sorts. Most I was trained in, or knew how they worked. However, Alaric had been busy and he had come up with some new weapons that sparked my interest.

"A vervain grenade?" I asked, picking up the large grenade shaped device. I turned it over in my hand, the liquid inside sloshing around.

"Wolfsbane." Alaric corrected. I nodded in approval, sticking the grenade in my bag. "In a couple hours, the full moon's gonna rise just above that Ridge."

We all looked to where his finger pointed. It was midday, and we only had a few hours before the moon would come up and we would be dog food. I held back a shiver at the thought.

"If Tyler's right, that's where the pack'll be." Alaric finished. We continued loading our bags full of weapons that Alaric had brought. I had my trusty stake by my side, ready for action if need be. It had saved my ass a couple of times, and I was glad to have it. I rolled it over in my fingers, smiling a bit at the hand carved Gilbert crest. I thought about John then, what I hadn't got to say to him before he sacrificed himself for Elena's life. I never thought I would be sad about his death… but there was a feeling of solemnness when I thought about him.

"Ah!"

My head snapped up and I saw Elena's form flying in the air and landing in a nearby river. My guardian instincts jumped into action and I held my stake up, ready for attack. However, when I saw the raven hair, pale skin, and dark clothes I lowered my weapon.

"Damon?" I said his name in disbelief. He turned his glare from a sopping wet Elena to me. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here?" He barked. "What are you doing here?"

I didn't answer, instead I looked in disbelief at him. Then my eyes traveled to Jace who looked just as shocked to see Damon as I was. Then my eyes landed on Alaric. He didn't look surprised to see Damon at all, proving his guilt.

"You sold me out!" Elena yelled at Alaric, climbing out of the water and up the bank. I looked down at my bag, knowing I had an extra set of clothes inside. I bent down, unzipping it and then I tossed it to her. She seemed surprised by the gesture and smiled a bit as she looked at them.

"You think I'd take you to a mountain range of werewolves on a full moon without backup?" Alaric asked. I should have known he would have called Damon. They were partners in crime now, and whenever the other one needed back up they were there.

"Alright. Come on you're going home." Damon said, grabbing my arm. I wrenched it out of his grasp, earning myself a warning glance. "Alex, take Elena and go home."

"No!" Elena shouted. "I'm not going home."

"You're both idiots you know that?" Damon said. I bristled. "You are going to get yourselves killed."

"This is the closest we've been in months." Elena said. "I'm not going home."

"Yeah, neither am I." I added. Damon's icy eyes flashed to me. I stood my ground, narrowing my own at him. It wasn't that I was taking Elena's side, or that I wanted to charge into a camp full of werewolves on a full moon, but I didn't want Damon doubting me. I was strong, I was tough. I had been practicing for months, and I could do this. I could handle myself, and I wanted to prove to him that I could do it.

"Damon." I said, my voice soothing and calm. He eyed me as I reached my arms for his arm. My hold was firm, but gentle enough to not put him on edge. "We can do this. We will find Stefan and be out of here before the moon comes up."

He stared at me for a long time and I stared back at him. He eventually sighed, succumbing to my calm demeanor and confident air. I smiled at him, squeezing his arm for assurance.

"Fine." Damon said. "But we have to get out of here before then, or I'm werewolf bait."

"Trust me, I'm getting you out of here before then." I told him. He grinned at me. I didn't want to relive what happened last time he was bitten by a wolf. Not only because of the whole Elena thing, but also because this time I didn't believe we would get the cure. And I wasn't about to let Damon die.

We hiked up the mountain, climbing up the steep hills and rocks. A few months ago, I would have been out of breath and crying for a break, but now with all of my training, I was in the best shape of my life. I had a few struggles here and there, but I was getting along fine. Every now and then, Damon would help me climb a big rock, or he would just grab me for the sake of doing it. I blushed when he caressed me or grabbed my back side.

"Can we keep the PDA to a minimum please?" Jace called out, his voice irritated and on edge. Both Damon and I turned, and my face burned with embarrassment, while Damon just smirked.

"Why?" Damon asked, putting his hand on my hip. His thumb was rubbing circles into my skin. "Jealous, farm boy?"

"No." Jace retorted, making a face. "Disgusted is more like it."

"Sounds to me like you need to get laid." Damon replied. Jace muttered something under his breath, passing us on the trail. When he was far enough away, I turned around and smacked Damon on the chest. "What?"

"You don't have to go flaunting that we… did stuff." I said, whispering the last part. I wasn't ashamed or regretful of taking that next step with Damon, but I was more on the conservative side when it came to talking about it. I hadn't even told my mom, although I think she assumed that it had happened.

"Oh come on pretty girl." Damon said with an eye roll. "It's not like it's a secret."

"So? That doesn't mean you have to talk about it." I said, arms crossed over my chest. Damon rolled his eyes again, gripping my hips, pulling me to him. I felt myself gasp at the sudden movement and how close we were.

"You're such a girl." He murmured. Before I could say anything though, he planted a kiss to my lips, successfully silencing me. I closed my eyes, putting my arms around his neck out of habit. The kiss started out playful, but it soon turned into one of those kisses that had my heart pounding and my knees weak. Even after how long we had been together, Damon still made my head cloudy and made me forget how to breathe. I never got used to it, and every day was an adventure with him. I loved it.

"Come on love birds!" Alaric called. I pulled back, breathless, meeting his clouded blue gaze. He himself even looked a little mystified. I smiled, kissing him lightly one more time before spinning out of his gaze and rushing to catch up with the others. I turned over my shoulder, winking at him. He smirked, running past me with vampire speed.

"Show off!" I called after him. I finally caught up to Jace, who looked a little pissed to say the least. My smile faded. "Hey, are you ok?"

"I'm fine." He barked, moving quickly away from me without another word. I furrowed my brows, but didn't push the subject.

The sun was beginning to set, the night coming closer and closer. I was beginning to feel a bit anxious, and I found myself holding tightly to Damon's hand. He didn't protest, instead whenever I would look to the setting sun he would squeeze my hand. It was his way of silently comforting me. I was grateful for it, knowing that if we didn't get out of here before the sun set that he could be wolf chow.

"We have about a mile left." Alaric said. Jace had kept up with him, barely saying anything. He seemed very much on edge, and his hands were constantly in fists. I wanted to ask, but I didn't think he was in the mood.

"The suns about to set." Damon said nonchalantly. I bit my bottom lip leaning closer into Damon's side. He let go of my hand and put his arm around my shoulders. I took a deep breath, remembering his scent.

"I can see that, Damon." Elena said, annoyed. She knew her time was running out and we hadn't even seen Stefan yet. I couldn't help but feel a little for her.

"I'm just saying." Damon replied.

"The moon doesn't reach its apex for a while." Elena said. "We have time."

Damon opened his mouth to reply, but soon afterward the sound of twigs breaking made us all freeze. We all turned to where the sound came from, trying to see with the little light that was being given off.

"What was that?" I asked, reaching for my stake. Damon pushed me behind him, a protective maneuver that would usually piss me off, but I was too focused on the fact that someone could be in the shadows.

Slowly, and clumsily, a man shuffled out from the tree line. His face was covered in blood, streaks of it coming from his eyes. I winced seeing his state.

"Don't move!" Alaric yelled, pointing his cross bow at the man. I gripped my stake, pulling my backpack off my back. The man looked between all of us, sniffing the air for a second. He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again, his eyes were yellow.

"Vampire." He murmured, eyes locked on Damon. With quick reflexes, Damon shoved me out of the way as the werewolf charged for him. I stumbled, but was caught before I could fall. I looked up and it was Elena who was steadying me. I nodded to her, turning back to the action.

The werewolf had Damon pinned against a tree, trying to bite at him. Damon was holding him off, but the jagged teeth were getting closer and closer. Alaric shot an arrow into the wolf's back, making him stop his assault on Damon for a second. I looked down to my bag, grabbing the grenade I took from Alaric.

"Damon!" I yelled, tossing the grenade to him. He pulled the pin, the wolfs bane exploding into the man's face. He yelped, the liquid burning his face, and jumped backward away from Damon. He fell to the ground, falling unconscious.

Breathing hard, Damon looked at the man on the ground. He wasn't moving, except for the rise and fall of his chest. He was still alive. Damon kicked him slightly, but again he didn't move. Damon and Alaric shared a concerned glance.

"Let me guess." Jace said, voice surprisingly even. "Hybrid."

"What do we do with him?" Elena asked concerned. Damon looked like he was trying to think of a plan. Klaus was the only known hybrid, but it made sense now why he was tracking wolves. He was trying to make more of them. This poor soul was his test subject, and by the looks of it, it didn't look good.

"You got any rope?" Damon asked. Alaric pulled some out of his bag, handing it to him. "Soak the other ones in vervain."

Elena took that job while I helped Damon tie the hybrid up to the tree. I looked over his arms, making sure he had no bite marks. He caught me mid assessment, catching my gaze.

"I'm fine." He said calmly. I still looked him over, and when I was sure I saw nothing I nodded. He tied the ropes in a secure knot. "These aren't going to hold him."

"Here Alex, take these." Elena said, handing me the vervain ropes. I was about to take them when Damon's hand reached out. He touched the ropes, hissing when they burned his hands. "I said Alex."

"That's the last of the vervain." Alaric said. "I don't think we're gonna make that Ridge before the full moon."

I wrapped the vervain ropes around the guy's chest, making sure I wasn't too close to him if he woke up. I tied it tight, making sure that he was secure against the tree. I was pulled back by Damon, who was making sure I wasn't close to the hybrid. He started convulsion, his body bending in ways it shouldn't.

"Is he turning?" Damon asked.

"That's impossible." Jace said stepping forward. "It's still daylight."

"He's a hybrid." I said, wincing as the guy started to scream in pain. "He can turn at will."

Damon stepped forward, holding the man against the tree by the shoulders as he fought against his bounds.

"There aren't supposed to be werewolves out here until the moon is full." Elena said. I turned to her.

"Yeah?" I asked sarcastically. "Tell him that."

"You know, those ropes aren't gonna hold the wolf." Alaric said. The man snarled and screamed while Damon tried to hold him with all his might. I could see the ropes move, and knew they didn't have much longer. The sun was set, and the moon was coming out. I took a cautious step forward.

"Damon, we've got to get out of here." I said. "We gotta get out of these mountains now!"

He didn't move. I huffed.

"Damon now!" I yelled. He turned, letting go of the wolf before he grabbed my arm and started running with us.

We moved as quickly as possible for humans to be able to move. Damon's grip on my arm was tight and he was fighting the urge to just pick me up and take off. I could tell because he continued to look back at the other humans and huffing. I was watching as the moon started to come up and felt my stomach lurch. If Klaus got to the other wolves, they were now transitioning and they could very well be in wolf form right now too. One wolf was one thing, but a whole pack was another.

"Ow!"

We turned, seeing Elena fall to the ground. Jace looked like he was about to help her up, but he froze in his place. I followed his gaze, seeing our friend the hybrid in his wolf form, looming over Elena. My guardian instincts pushed me to go help her, but Damon's grip on me stopped me.

"Don't move." Damon ordered to Elena. She looked at him confused before she slowly turned to where we were staring. She gasped, the wolf right in her face. It snarled. Damon released his hold on my arm and started waving at the wolf.

"Here, doggie doggie." He said. My eyes widened and I tried to grab for him, but he had already taken off, the wolf on his heels. I felt my stomach fall and my legs started moving before I could comprehend what I was doing.

"Damon!" I yelled after him, running toward the way he was running. However, before I could get anywhere, arms curled around my waist and stopped me. "Let me go!"

"We have to go!" Alaric yelled. I fought against the grip on my waist. I assumed it was Jace, and although he was muscular and had a good hold on me, I was fighting hard.

"We can't leave Damon." I called back. "Let me go!"

"Alex, you are going to get hurt." Jace said in my ear. I elbowed him in the gut, making him let me go. I took off, but I didn't get far before I was taken down to the ground. The wind was knocked out of me and there was grass in my mouth, but I still fought against him.

"Come on!" Elena called. "We have to go!"

"This is all your fault!" I yelled back at her. Jace turned me over, trapping me to the ground with his body. "You and your stupid rescue missions!"

"Alex-"

"No!" I yelled to Jace to get him to stop. "Don't defend her! I swear to God Elena if he dies-"

"You two can fight later!" Alaric yelled. He helped Jace pick me up and the two men grabbed me and drug me away from the scene. Elena stayed close behind, and it took everything in me not to hit her and run to find Damon. I felt frustrated tears fill my eyes. One bite from that hybrid and Damon would be dead. We couldn't convince Klaus to save him a second time. I had to find him. I had to know he was safe.

The two men shoved me in the back seat of the car, and Jace sat next to me to make sure I didn't take off. He was staring at me, his hands ready to catch me if I tried to move. I knew that it was no use. I couldn't get away from all three of them, and what was the point? Damon was long gone and the damage could already be done. I couldn't save him. I glared out the window, my hands balled into fists in my lap. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Elena shift slightly in the seat in front of me.

I swallowed, thinking about how I had just blamed her for this whole thing. Elena had a tendency to put herself in bad situations. It was different from me, I was always brought into danger, but Elena sought it out. But thinking about it, Elena didn't even want Damon here. Alaric had called him. I was searching for more reasons to be mad at her, and I felt a little guilty for blaming her. But I wouldn't let her know that.

"I'm sorry Alex." Elena said. I didn't reply. Instead I just glared out the window and tightened my fists. She sighed, sinking into her seat.

We sat there for what felt like forever before I saw Damon coming down the hill. I sat up straight, my heart leaping out of my chest. Without warning, I wrenched open the door and ran off into his direction. He seemed to be expecting it, but he also was rushing. I jumped into his arms with enough force to get the wind knocked out of me because of his rock hard chest.

"You bastard!" I yelled at him, gripping his hair. "Don't you ever do that to me again."

"I'm ok." Damon replied, lifting me from the ground. "Come on, we've got to go."

"Wait, what happened?" Elena asked, stepping out of the car. Damon shoved her back in the car. "What's going on?"

"We got to go." Damon repeated. "Rick, did you see where I parked my car?"

I was holding on to Damon so tightly, with my chin on his shoulder. I opened my tear filled eyes, their gaze falling on the top of the hill. My eyes were blurry, but for some reason, I felt that someone was watching us. I blinked, the tears still blurring my vision, but I did see something. Or someone rather. When I blinked again though, they were gone. I furrowed my brows, but didn't think too much of it, holding on to Damon for dear life.

I stepped out of Damon's bathroom, my hair damp from the shower I had just taken. I had a towel around my torso, and I was using another one to pat my hair dry. Damon was laying on his bed, no shirt and a pair of pj pants his only clothing. My eyes scanned over him, his arms behind his head and his eyes staring at the ceiling.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked him. He was silent for about a minute, still staring at the ceiling.

"I talked to him." Damon said. I furrowed my brows. "To Stefan."

"What did he say?" I asked. I thought back to who I saw on the hill. It must have been Stefan.

"He can be saved." Damon answered. "I thought he was gone… but I was wrong."

"How do you know?" I asked, tossing the towel I used to dry my hair into his hamper. He sighed, bringing one hand to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"Even in his darkest hour…" Damon said, his voice a little solemn but also annoyed. "My brother can't let me die."

I was silent, trying to process his words. Stefan must not have actually turned the switch. In truth, if he had, he wouldn't have let Damon save me when he dropped me from the roof top. He wanted to make us think he wasn't worth saving, so we wouldn't come after him. He was trying to save us from Klaus. But he was still Stefan.

"Hey." I said, trying to catch Damon's attention. I padded across the floor, climbing into the bed and straddling Damon's hips. Automatically his hands found their way to my thighs that were seated on either side of him. "Damon look at me."

He opened his eyes, meeting my gaze. As much as he would deny it, Damon loved his brother just as much as Stefan loved him. And the idea that his brother could come back and everything could go back to normal… I could tell he wanted that.

"We are going to bring him back." I told him earnestly. "I promise."

He stared at me for a long while before his eyes flickered from my eyes to my lips. He sat up, meeting our lips together. I sighed into the kiss, my arms going around his neck. Slowly, he turned us over, so that he was on top of me and my towel was soon gone as well.