Enjoy this super long chapter, you guys! (: it kind of jumps around again, but that can't be helped!

Previously on Everything Changes...

Caroline glanced over her shoulder, and Elena came into view. She expressed the same shock and confusion as her blonde friend did.

"Where's Stefan?" Damon asked innocently, and Elena blinked.

"Uh – he'll – uh – be here soon."

Caroline leaned against the counter and watched Damon with a curious sort of distaste.

At Mystic Falls High, in Alaric's classroom...

"How long have you been aware of me?" Stefan asked, less serious now.

Stefan's guard was still up, but he felt that Alaric was less likely to attempt to kill him now.

Alaric shrugged. "I just learned recently. What about your brother?"

"You met Damon." Stefan said flatly, putting the pieces together.

"Who do you think killed my wife?" the human replied, and Stefan grew somber.

"Are you certain it was Damon?"

Nodding, he said. "I witnessed it." his eyes were hard.

"If you're here for revenge, this is going to end very badly for you." the brother replied, noticing Alaric's expression.

"I just want to find out what happened to my wife."

Stefan cocked his head to the side and glanced down at his pocket where his phone was vibrating before replying. "I thought you just said that Damon..."

Alaric cut him off. "Yeah. I saw him draining the life out of her. He must have heard me coming. He just...disappeared. So did her body. They never found her."

"Damon can never know why you're here. He'll kill you without blinking." Stefan warned, staring intently at the teacher, who raised his eyebrows.

"I can take care of myself."

Stefan scoffed. "No, you can't. I can help you – if you let me."

~0~

Caroline's POV

I carried a stack of plates into the remarkably clean dining room, running into Zach, who had just gotten home from work.

"Zach!" I exclaimed with a smile. "You're home."

He nodded, "Yeah. What's-" he yawned wide. "Going on?"

"Damon had the lovely idea to invite over Jenna and Elena for dinner." I said sarcastically.

Damon walked into the hallway connecting the dining room and kitchen. "Oh, goodie. Zach's home." he brushed by Zach and I, going into the kitchen.

Zach eyed the vampire warily. "I've already eaten, so I'll just stay out of you all's hair." he nodded at me before leaving.

Suddenly, someone bumping me with their hips. "Whoa." it was Damon, smirking.

Why aren't I surprised? I thought with a roll of my eyes, scoffing.

I smiled in annoyance, knowing my smile was probably more of a grimace than anything. I continued towards the dining room and set out six plates – one for Jenna, Elena, Jeremy, Damon, Stefan and myself. I wasn't entirely sure who all was going to be here.

"Don't do that." I said to him as I set out the plates.

"Do what?" he asked innocently, and I glared at him.

"You know what. That move was deliberate."

"Well, yeah, I was deliberately trying to get you out of the way." Damon laid down a spoon, butter knife and fork next to the plate I had just sat down.

I watched him for a moment, silently seething. He glanced up at me from under his lashes, and smirked.

I chuckled quietly and averted my gaze.

I headed back into the kitchen, to help with whatever needed help with.

I could hear Elena and Jenna in the parlor, chatting about something that was on display.

"Speaking of Stefan," Damon suddenly said, even though neither of us had brought up his absence in at least ten minutes."Where is he? He's missing family night, which I am enjoying immensely."

I looked at Damon again, and he smiled at me – actually smiled – not that little cocky smirk that was always plastered on his face.

Averting my gaze for the second time, I went over to the stove and peered into the pot. The water was just beginning to boil, and I stirred it slowly, not wanting the cooking pasta to stick.

"Is it real?" Damon asked, and I glanced over my shoulder at him.

"Is what real?" I furrowed my brows. I was just about to ask him the same thing. He had this whole nice-guy act going on, and it was really hard to tell what game he was playing.

Damon was silent for a few moments before responding. "This renewed sense of brotherhood." he came up beside me and checked the pot of sauce, bringing the spoon up to his lips.

"Damon!" I exclaimed, slapping his arm with the back of my hand. "Don't put that spoon back into the pot!"

"What? I don't have cooties." he smirked at me again, but did what I asked, setting the spoon in the sink. "Can I trust him?"

I took a deep breath, and looked at Damon boldly. "Yes, you can trust him."

I grabbed a handful of napkins and headed into the hallway.

I heard a soft whoosh and suddenly Damon was in front of me. I took a startled step back, and looked up at him.

"Can I trust him?" he repeated, staring intently into my eyes.

Didn't I just answer that question?

"I'm wearing vervain, Damon. It's not going to work."

I should be eating it too... I thought, just now realizing I hadn't been doing so.

"I'm not compelling you. I just want you to answer me. Honestly." I tried to walk around him, but he sidestepped, not letting me pass.

"I told you already, and I'll tell you again." I held his gaze. "Of course you can."

Just not with this. A little voice whispered, and I hoped my little white lie didn't mess with my heartbeat.

Damon was silent for a moment, considering my answer. After a few seconds, he stepped aside and let me pass.

~0~

Third Person POV

Flashback to 1864:

"You can trust me, Mr. Salvatore. I would never cheat." Katherine said to Giuseppe. "My friend, on the other hand..." she laughed as Chandra exclaimed in protest.

The two ladies and Mr. Salvatore were playing croquet in the garden.

Katherine hit the ball with her mallet, and it sailed under the bridge. Giuseppe sighed and Katherine giggled mischievously.

The two brothers approached the three, and their father called to them. "I'm loosing over here...again!" he took his turn, and the pair stopped walking to watch them play. Chandra and Katherine curtsied at the brothers, smirking slightly.

Klaus Mikaelson wandered in from the front of the house, and Giuseppe called out in greeting. "Mr. Niklaus Mikaelson! What a pleasant surprise!"

As far as he knew, Klaus was just a young man from New Orleans, who had just gotten back from studying abroad, hence the accent.

"Hello, Mr. Salvatore." Klaus nodded politely and glanced at Chandra who curtsied at Klaus' arrival.

"She's good," Damon said to his brother, while Klaus and Giuseppe were talking. "I almost believe she genuinely likes him."

"Perhaps she does." his brother replied, watching the pair.

Damon scoffed, shaking his head. "She knows father would have her killed if he knew the truth. Same goes with Klaus."

"Maybe if we talked to him, explain how we feel. He could help us keep her safe." Stefan suggested.

Klaus walked over to the young men, and shook his head in response, pretending to greet them kindly. "Your father would stake them himself, if he found out."

He shook both brothers hands and stood next to them.

"We can trust him..." Stefan murmured hopefully.

"Not with this. Please, promise me you won't tell him, Stefan." Damon said, looking worriedly at Chandra, who had just taken her turn.

His brother was silent for a brief moment. "I promise."

"Do you mind if I steal away the ladies for a moment?" Klaus asked, surprising everyone.

He only wished to speak with Chandra, but it would have been considered unladylike for a woman to go alone with a man, so he requested them both.

Chandra and Katherine met eyes, before nodding.

"Go right ahead!" Giuseppe smiled, waving his hand.

The girls went over to him, and Chandra met his eyes. "What is it?"

"Pearl's having a fit." He hissed.

~0~

Caroline's POV

Present time:

"There was a time when I trusted him more than anyone." Damon said, getting a serving spoon out from a drawer.

"You gotta give trust to get it." I said with a shrug, reaching in front of him to get a spoon for the angel hair pasta.

"Blondie, are you lecturing me?" he asked, feigning shock.

"Do you need to be lectured, Damon?" I retorted, putting a hand on my hip.

He smirked for a moment, before getting serious. "I just want her back...I'm sure you can understand that."

I nodded I would do anything to have my mom back, so I could indeed understand his situation.

"I can understand that you'd do anything for her, yes." I looked through the near by cupboards, finally finding what I was looking for. A colander to get the water out of the pasta.

Putting it in the sink, I carefully carried to pot over to the sink and poured the hot pasta-water into the strainer.

"Then you understand what I will do if anyone gets in my way." he said dangerously, and I glanced over my shoulder at him.

Suddenly, I felt a searing pain on my arm, as the bottom of the pot touched it.

I yelped in pain, squeezing my eyes partially shut. I shook out the last little bit of pasta, fanning the steam out of my face. I set the pot down on the middle divider of the two sinks, wincing. Leaning against the edge of the sink, I looked down, my hair creating a curtain on each side of my face. Tears pricked at my eyes, and I took a shaky breath.

Damon was at my side. "Caroline?"

I didn't respond, still trying to gain my composure.

"Caroline." he said again, more persistent now. "You really need to get some water on that."

I blinked hard, and stood up straight, looking at my arm. There was an angry red crescent on it, and I turned on the cold water. Damon moved the pasta and pan out of my way, setting it back on the stove.

I hissed as the cold water ran over the dark red burn.

"Care?" I glanced over my shoulder to see Jenna with her head popped in. "You okay? I heard you holler."

I nodded. "Yeah, I wasn't paying attention and the bottom of the pan burnt me." I gestured to my burn and she winced. "Owwww. Why don't you let Damon and Elena finish up all this, and you can keep some ice on it in here?"

I shrugged, and turned to get some ice, but Damon already had some in a Ziploc bag. I looked up at him, startled.

"Thanks."

He grinned lopsidedly. "No problem."

"Elena?" Jenna called. "Why don't you go help Damon?"

A loud protesting groan was heard, and she walked into the kitchen.

Jenna and I sat in the parlor, on the longest couch. We could see into the kitchen just barely. Damon was putting pots into the sink

"He is ridiculously hot!" Jenna whispered, and I could tell that the wine had loosened her up a tad bit.

"Shh!" I said with a chuckle, bumping her shoulder with mine. He turned slightly, and I could see a smirk on his face.

I stared at Damon's back. "He's a total ass."

We chatted for a few minutes longer, and I kept ice on my arm.

Once it was comfortably numb, I set the ice on the table. After talking about Elena and Jeremy and school in general, the door opened.

"That must be Stefan."

I got up, and looked through the archway. Stefan and Jeremy walked in. Stefan looked utterly confused, and the look got even worse when he saw his older brother in the kitchen.

~0~

Damon came out of the kitchen a while later, and Jeremy and him headed upstairs. I heard Call of Duty noises a while later, and figured they were up in the little entertainment room/den playing video games.

~0~

Third Person POV

"You said you never played this thing before!" Jeremy protested as he died for the fifth time.

"I'm a fast learned." Damon grinned at the younger Gilbert. "Quick reflexes."

Jeremy's phone went off, and he paused the game, fishing it out of his pocket. He glanced at the screen before tossing his phone onto the couch, and unpasuing the game.

"Who are you dodging?" Damon asked, his fingers moving deftly over the controls.

"This girl, Anna." Jeremy admitted. "She can be, uh, persistent."

"Is she hot?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Little Gilbert laughed in slight embarrassment. "Yeah, yeah...but she can be weird."

Damon shrugged, smirking. "Hot trumps weird, trust me."

Jeremy killed Damon's character and he smiled, chuckling to himself.

Meanwhile, downstairs, Elena got a call from Bonnie, and she and Caroline went up to Caroline's room to talk.

"I don't know what to wear to this date!" Bonnie exclaimed, clearly very nervous. "What if he asks me about something I know nothing about?!"

"Bon." Elena said, glancing at Caroline and rolling her eyes. "Calm down. You're hot, he's hot, you'll get along great!"

Caroline furrowed her brows at her friend. "Yeah, Bon. Just be yourself. You'll do fine, I promise."

Elena hung up and she went downstairs, but Caroline lingered in her room. Pulling the box out from under her bed, she took out the top journal. Care had been reading a little bit of the journals, each night. But she hadn't told either brother of these journals, and she didn't plan on it. Originally, she was going to have Stefan had them for her, but decided against it.

She pulled out the Forbes journal, the one from 1864 – the same date that was one Stefan's pictures of Chandra and Katherine- and placed them under her pillow. She'd talk to Stefan about what the plan was later.

Heading downstairs, for dinner, the group ate without any strange happenings, just normal dinner table conversation.

~0~

Caroline's POV

Afterwords, Stefan, Damon, and Elena were waiting for me in the foyer. Stefan jerked his head towards the front door and I followed them outside.

Stefan told us about his encounter with Alaric and about the missing book.

"Well then who took it?" Damon demanded. I could tell that the complication in his plan definitely didn't help his mood.

"I don't know." Stefan said honestly, shrugging.

"You know what?" Damon said, narrowing his eyes. "It's that teacher. There's something really off about him."

"Mr. Alaric?" Elena asked, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah right."

"No, he doesn't know anything. Somebody got to it right before me." Stefan said, shrugging.

I could tell from the look on his face, Stefan didn't want Alaric getting hurt – or Damon hurting someone who was innocent.

"Who else knew it was there?"

Stefan glanced through the small window at Jeremy, but didn't say anything. His older brother followed his gaze. Without even hesitating, Damon headed for the door.

"No. Damon, leave him out of it!" I exclaimed, grabbing for his arm. I knew Elena wouldn't really care. She expected everyone – vampire or not – to have a consciousness and be nice to her because she was Elena.

"Why, what's the big deal?" Damon feigned innocence as he walked inside

"Dammit Damon!" I huffed, and went after him, Stefan and Elena on my heels.

In the living room, Damon sat on the arm of the sofa.

"So...I heard you found a really cool journal from back in the day. Who else did you show it to?"

"Huh?" he turned to look at him, confused.

"Don't ask questions, just spill." Damon's gaze was intense.

Jeremy laughed nervously. "You're kidding me, right?"

I butted into the conversation before it got anymore...weird. "Jer, did you tell anyone other than Mr. Saltzman about Jonathan Gilbert's journal?"

"Why is everybody so obsessed with that thing?" he grumbled, not answering my question.

"Who else did you tell?" Elena asked, speaking up for the first time.

"Just that girl Anna." he shrugged, glancing down at his phone.

"The hot, weird one?" Damon's gaze was on little Gilbert's phone as well.

"Yeah." Jeremy said.

"Wait, who is Anna?" Elena asked, looking from Jeremy to Damon.

"That's what I want to find out." Damon got up, and my phone rang.

I excused myself to go answer it.

"Hey Bonnie." I answered with a grin.

"Are you alone?" she asked, and I left the foyer, heading up to my room.

"Alright, now I am." I smiled, plopping down onto my bed. "Give me the 411 Bon! I'm dying!"

I heard Bonnie giggle. "It's going great. He's a perfect gentleman."

"Gentleman, huh?" I asked, not pegging Ben to be the gentlemanly type.

"I know! Boring, huh? I just want to grab him and lay one on him." Bonnie gushed

"So, why don't you?" I asked, smiling wide, already knowing the answer.

"'Cause I'm a chicken." she grumbled, and I heard someone singing off key in the background, but I didn't comment on it.

I laughed. "You're a powerful witch goddess. Come on, seize the day, Broomhilda."

"Okay. I'm going to text you later with more details." she said nervously, and I heard her fiddle with something.

"You better! Good luck!" I replied, and then hung up.

Stefan entered my room with a hesitant knock.

"Hey, did you find the Forbes journal?" he asked, sitting on my desk chair.

I glanced warily over his shoulder, but no one was in the hall. "Where's Damon?" I definitely didn't want to spill the beans about the journals with Damon near by.

"He left to track down Jeremy's friend Anna, see if there was anything there." he explained, and at my worried expression, he said. "Elena said she'd go with him, don't worry"

"Aren't you going to go too? If he gets to the journal before we do, then our plan is..."

Stefan pulled out a stack of papers, smiling slightly. "Doesn't matter."

"Is that what I think it is?" I asked, looking curiously at the papers in his hand

Stefan nodded, still smiling. "Mr. Saltzman made a copy and was kind enough to loan it to me."

I raised an eyebrow. "He loaned it?"

Stefan shrugged mysteriously and I chuckled, knowing he probably took it without asking.

"So, did you get the journal? I don't think it's in the Gilbert journal." he explained. "I looked over it on the way home, and it's mostly just his ramblings."

I smiled, and pulled the journal out from under my pillow. "Ta-da!"

~0~

Third Person POV

Anna entered the bar, looking around for Jeremy. When she found him, she grinned widely, walking over to him.

"You just couldn't live without me, huh?"

"Well, I kinda miss my daily dose of cute stalker chick." Jeremy said, laying on the charm.

"Oh, funny." she retorted, leaning against the pool table.

"Let's play." Jeremy set up the pool table, smiling contently.

Damon, meanwhile, was at the bar, watching the pair with interest. After staring at Anna for a moment, recognition spread over his face.

~0~

Flashback to 1864

Katherine, Pearl, Damon and Chandra stood inside the apothecary, chatting. They would have already left, but it was pouring rain outside, and decided to stay for a bit.

"The sheriff was here earlier. He bought large volumes of the vervain elixir." Pearl said.

The vampires and Damon met Pearl here right after Klaus had informed them on her every increasing worry.

"Did he try to put his hands on you again?" Chandra asked, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.

"Doesn't he always?" she nodded, smirking as well.

Chandra looped her arm through Damon's sending butterflies straight to his stomach. "She's saving herself for Jonathan Gilbert."

"I'm beyond saving. We know that." chuckled Pearl.

The girls chuckled as well, and Chandra felt Damon tense.

"How can you be so calm? They're getting closer to you every day." wide-eyed Damon looked from one girl, to the other, waiting for an explanation.

"We are the respectable ladies of Mystic Falls. Thanks to Emily, we walk the streets in daylight. No one will ever suspect us." Katherine said, a confident smile still on her lips.

Peal eyed Damon warily."Not unless a human tells them."

"I'd sooner die!" he exclaimed.

Chandra squeezed his arm, smiling possessively at him. "And soon enough, you will."

Chandra and Damon kissed, but the jingling of the storefront bell made them look up. It was Anna.

"Mrs. Fell is approaching." she informed, her hair damp from the drizzling rain.

"Thank you, Annabelle." her mother cooed, and gave her daughter a hug.

~0~

Present Time:

Damon shook his head, getting out of his memory. He glanced back at Jeremy and Anna, finally fully realizing who she was.

~0~

Caroline's POV

Stefan and I sat on my bed, pouring over the journal. I had found something on Emily before, but never got around to bookmarking it.

"Aha!" I exclaimed. "Here it is. This is the reference I found about Emily before: "The Fell family believed it should be I, not Jonathan, who protected the witch's spell book. But I feared she would haunt me from the hereafter. They mocked my fear, but it was Giuseppe Salvatore who-" I paused, looking at Stefan. "That's your father, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah." Stefan hesitantly took the book from my lap, and I nodded at him. "No, please, go right ahead."

He took it from me, and read aloud. "It was Giuseppe Salvatore who removed my fear. He told me he would protect the secret of the spell book. He said he would carry it to his grave."

Stefan read the last sentence in confusion, turning his head to look at me.

~0~

Stefan's POV

I thought back to 1864, glancing at the journal entry's date, I decided I would tell Caroline my memories. This particular memory was probably right before Katherine and Chandra were found out.

~0~

Third Person POV

Flashback to 1864

Stefan knocked quietly on his father's door before entering. Sticking his head inside, he saw him close a book at his desk, before turning to him.

"Stefan. To what do I owe this pleasure?" he smiled at his son, but obviously still had stuff on his mind.

"Did I interrupt your writing?" he asked, entering the room. Stefan didn't go any farther then past the doorway, however.

He shook his head. "These are the dull musings of my troubled mind."

"A great mind." Stefan murmured respectfully, and his father smiled.

"Still. I will carry the real secrets with me-"

"To your grave." Stefan responded, having heard this sentence countless times before.

"And a full grave it will be." he replied, nodding to himself.

His father gestured towards the chair next to him, and Stefan came over and took a seat, fidgeting.

"Now, speaking of troubled minds, what's on yours?" asked Giuseppe.

Stefan looked down, picking his words carefully. "I have concerns about your plan for the vampires."

"And why is that?"

"We are making the assumption that all vampires are as evil as they've been characterized, but what if that's not true?" Stefan said, still choosing his words carefully. He didn't want his father to be suspicious about Katherine or Chandra.

Despite his careful choosing, his father still asked, "Do you have any evidence to the contrary? Do you know of any vampires?"

"No. No, of course not." he said quickly. "But are we to take what others say at face value? You always taught us so differently."

Giuseppe got up, and poured himself, and Stefan, a drink.

"Stefan...These creatures are of the darkest parts of Hell. They have the ability to control your mind, seduce your spirit. They are deadly. They must be destroyed." he sat back down, handing the other glass to his son. "Those who stand with them; those who bring shame to their families will be destroyed as well." he added, almost as a warning.

His father raised his glass to Stefan, who clinked it with a weak smile. Stefan obviously wasn't settled completely.

~0~

Caroline's POV

Suddenly, it seemed to dawn on Stefan.

"I know where it is." he said, quickly getting up.

I stood up as well, surprised at how quickly he figured it out.

Take it to his grave... I thought to myself, and then it clicked.

~0~

Third Person POV

Anna and Jeremy parted ways, and Damon silently tailed the girl back to her hotel room.

Unknown to Damon's presence, she unlocked the hotel door, and entered the room. While she was shutting the door, Damon appeared, jumping through the doorway. He grabbed Anna by the throat, and slammed her into the wall. Anna, despite being shorter, also grabbed Damon's throat. They both groaned and coughed, trying to get air. As they were from the same time frame, they were about the same age, thus having the same strengths.

Still choking, Damon coughed out. "OK, I give. OK."

They released each other, rubbing their own necks.

"Damn. You're strong for a little thing." Damon commented, surprised.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to find me." she said, staring up at him.

~0~

Meanwhile, in Mystic Fall's cemetery, Stefan, Elena and Caroline stood at Giuseppe's tombstone. Stefan had decided to explain the situation to Elena, who was surprised and wary of Damon finding out.

Stefan walked around the grave, solemnly taking out torches and supplies, getting ready.

"Why isn't your father buried in your family's tomb?" Elena asked, leaning against a tree. She had already voiced her opinion on grave digging. She wasn't planning on helping, and Stefan was okay on that. Caroline, on the other hand, wasn't going to make Stefan dig up his own father's grave, alone.

"It wasn't built until well after he died." he explained, rubbing the dirt off his hands.

"And are you sure the grimoire's in there with him?" Elena asked, scrunching up her nose and looking down at the grave.

"As sure as I could be." Stefan said, seemingly oblivious to Elena's disgust.

"Great." she replied sarcastically.

Stefan picked up a shovel off the ground, and started to dig. Caroline grabbed a shovel as well, and helped.

"Care. I can do this on my own." he said, and she looked at him incredulously.

"I'm not letting you dig up your own father's grave alone, Stefan."

He stared at her for a moment, before nodding.

"I'm sorry that you have to do this." Elena said softly, rubbing Stefan's shoulder. He smiled weakly at her, and they began to dig.

When they were digging, Stefan allowed himself to drift back to the past.

Flashback to 1864 – Stefan's room:

"And this." Katherine said, her eyes turning red. She sunk her fangs into Stefan's shoulder, causing him to groan loudly. Suddenly, she pulled away, coughing and gasping for air.

Sitting up, he stared at her in worry. "What? What?"

"Vervain." she wheezed, and his eyes widened, confused.

"What?"

She fell off the bed the bed with a thump, and Stefan jumped off the bed, kneeling next to her.

"Katherine! Katherine!" he called in shock.

Suddenly, his father burst through the door, meeting his son's shocked expression.

"Go get the sheriff. Tell him we have a vampire." he ordered.

"What? No!" Stefan argued, patting Katherine's face, trying to revive her.

"Do as I say, son! Nothing that you feel for her is real. She's a vampire, Stefan! A monster! I fed you vervain hoping that it would expose her." he yelled, pointing out the door.

"How did you know?" asked Stefan in disbelief.

"Your sympathy for their plight. I didn't raise my sons to be so weak." he sneered, and threw Stefan a clean shirt. "The sheriff, now. Go, quickly! Now, son!"

Stefan hesitated for another moment before scrambling to his feet and running out the door.

I'm sorry, Katherine. Was his only intelligible thought.

~0~

Present Time:

Anna took her purse off and set it on the side table.

"How long have you been here?" Damon asked, leaning against the entertainment center.

She looked at Damon. "I arrived around half-past comet, watching you screw up every chance you had to open that tomb." she shook her head, still shocked that someone so old could make such simple mistakes.

"How did you know about the spell?" Damon asked. Even he had to go looking for the spell, it didn't just come to him.

Anna grinned slyly. "I didn't say much back then, which means I heard everything."

Damon moved closer, looking down at her, trying to intimidate her.

"So if you've been here the whole time, then why are we just crossing paths right now?"

Anna moved away, and a smirk passed over Damon's face. She began to pace the room.

"I like to use others to do my dirty work."

"Like Logan Fell? Oh, yeah, thanks for that, by the way. Little bastard shot me." Damon rubbed his chest, and Anna rolled her eyes.

"Logan was an idiot."

"Mm-hmm. So was that other guy, Noah." He studied her, gauging her reaction.

Anna nodded. "Obsessed with Chandra's twin, yeah. He was a little obsessive." she paused, and moved onto Logan. "We slipped him some blood when he started getting all poser slayer with that compass. I needed his family's journal. I couldn't let him die."

"What'd you want with the Fell journal?" Damon asked, moving to plop down on the bed.

She shrugged. "I thought it contained the location of the witch's spell book. I was wrong. According to her journal, Honoria gave the grimoire to Jonathan Gilbert. And, according to this..."

Going over to the other bed, she pulled the journal out of the bag.

Anna: "He gave it to William Forbes – but he didn't want it and gave it back – supposedly. It's kind of hard to read. The guy raved like a lunatic. So now you're going to help me find it."

Damon leaned back onto his hands, and raised both his eyebrows. "Why would I help you?"

"'Cause you and I both want that tomb open." she confidently said, handing the journal to Damon, and he read the page Anna pointed out.

"Hmm." he shut the journal, and put it back on the bed. "Sorry. I work alone."

And he was gone with a whoosh.

~0~

Bonnie's POV

I headed towards the restroom, glancing happily back at Ben.

For some reason, I quickened my pace and glanced back, hoping he wasn't following me. I continued walking, and suddenly, Ben was inches in front of me, right in front of the door to the bathroom. My heart thudded in my chest.

He was a vampire!

I gasped, but before I could even scream, Ben clapped a hand over my mouth and dragged me into the restroom, without anyone noticing.

~0~

Caroline's POV

We continued to shovel dirt out of the grave. Elena stood beside the deep hole, beaming the flashlight down so we can see what we were doing. At least she was being helpful...

I suddenly laughed, shaking my head. Stefan looked over at me, confused.

"What?"

"Never thought I'd be digging up my best guy friends' father's grave." I laughed ironically again, and he smiled.

Elena made a grossed out face, but stayed silent.

We continued to dig. I paused, wiping sweat off my forehead. Suddenly, I heard a clank as Stefan's shovel hit something solid.

We looked at each other with apprehension.

After scraping the dirt off the top, Stefan and I threw our shovels out of the hole.

Stefan knelt down on the coffin, and wiped away the rest of the dirt with his hands.

Elena got onto her knees to get a better look, holding the beam steady for us. Stefan opened the lid of the coffin, the wood splintering.

"Is that it?" Elena whispered, and I glanced up at her nodding.

Taking a deep breath, Stefan retrieved the grimoire, which was cradled in his father's arms.

I took it from him, and I saw him shaking. Handing the book to Elena, I gave him a hug.

"It's okay." I whispered, hugging him tight. "I know."

He pulled away, giving me a tight lipped smile.

His eyes were watery and he shut the coffin, regaining his composure. Stefan stood up and we carefully scrambled out of the grave, inching away from the edge. Elena shined the beam on the grimoire and Stefan ripped off the cover. I carefully turned the pages of the grimoire, looking for the spell.

"Well, what do you know?" a voice said from the darkness, and my heart thundered in my chest. Klaus and Damon stepped into the torchlight, and we got up, walking towards them. Stefan cradled the grimoire protectively to his chest.

Damon's lips were curled up into a snarl.

"This is an interesting turn of events." Klaus murmured, his eyes narrowed. He looked from me to Elena, and then finally to Stefan.

"I can't let you bring her back, Damon. I'm sorry." Stefan said, avoiding his gaze.

Damon laughed dryly. "So am I. For thinking for even a second that I could trust you."

Stefan rolled his eyes, and the tension grew. "Oh. You're not capable of trust. The fact that you're even here means that you read the journal and you were planning on doing this yourself."

"Of course I was going to do it without you!" he exclaimed. "Because the only one I can count on is Klaus! Not you! You made sure of that many years ago, Stefan. But you..."

Damon looked at me, and his eyes betrayed his angry expression. He actually was hurt.

"You had me fooled." he scowled, and looked at Elena. "Both of you."

I felt so ashamed, despite Damon's moral standing. He was my friend, I had to admit, and I betrayed him.

"So what are you going to do now? Because if you try and destroy that, I'll rip her heart out." Damon said, not specifying who 'her' was.

"You won't kill her." Stefan said lowly, and Damon nodded.

Damon vamp-sped over to Elena and grabbed her in a choke hold. I stepped back, and the floor was not longer there. I fell backwards, into the grave. With a shriek, I hit the coffin, the old wood crackling. My head ached, and my back felt bruised. I was partially amazed I was still conscious.

"I can do one better." I heard Damon say, and he glanced down into the hole at me.

I heard the biting of flesh, and squinted. My world was beginning to spin and my head pounded. Damon shoved his bloody wrist at Elena's lips, making her drink. She squeaked, and scratched at his arms.

"Give me the book, Stefan, or I'm snapping her neck. And you and I will have a vampire girlfriend."

~0~

Third Person POV

"Let her go first." Stefan said, not trusting him.

Damon pulled his wrist away from Elena's mouth, and gestured at Klaus. He ran by Stefan and picked up the stunned Caroline.

"Caroline!" Stefan exclaimed, and Klaus stood by Damon. Caroline was on her feet, only barely conscious. Klaus held her to his chest, not letting her go anywhere, but he didn't have her in a choke hold. Part of him didn't want to damage her farther than she already was.

"The book!" Damon firmly demanded.

"I'm not going to give this to you until they are standing next to me." he countered, and Damon chuckled.

"Problem is, I no longer trust that you'll give it back!"

Elena weakly struggled in his arms, her face turning slightly pink. Damon loosened his grip ever so slightly, not wanting to hurt her. A hurt girlfriend would not make an easy trade.

"You just did the one thing that ensures that I will." he said solemnly.

Damon and Klaus met eyes, and suddenly Damon nodded at Stefan.

"Ok." Stefan said nervously, looking from Caroline to Elena.

Stefan, eyes filled with terror, slowly set the book on the ground. He kept his gaze on Elena and Caroline, who was now a bit more conscious, and wriggling in Klaus' iron grasp.

Damon slowly let go of Elena, and she ran into Stefan's arms. Stefan wraps her in a warm embrace. Elena looks at Damon, terrified, and Stefan turned to Klaus.

"Klaus." he said, slowly.

Caroline wriggled again, and Klaus dipped his head, burying his nose into Caroline's hair. He breathed deep, before looking at Stefan.

Damon had the book in his hands now and Stefan stared pointedly at Klaus, who finally gave in and let go of the blonde, who staggered over to her friends.

~0~

Flashback to1864

Jonathan Gilbert and William Forbes were at the head of the pack of the men, a compass in William's hands. They were on a hunt for vampires.

"Make sure the two of you stick together!" a companion said, and the pair nodded.

"Go and check those woods over there!" another called.

The men continued to talk and order each other around.

Meanwhile, at the Salvatore House, Giuseppe watched the Sheriff place a muzzle over Katherine. Another man came over and they carted her off. Damon bolted into the room.

"What's going on?"

Damon gasped when he saw Katherine, his mind immediately jumping to Chandra.

Katherine looked over at Damon, to weak to do anything.

Save me! Her eyes said, but Damon was more worried about Chandra to notice.

Stefan ran into the room, tears streaming down his face. "Father! No!"

"Do you know what they'll do to you if you're branded a sympathizer? You'll be killed along with them!" Giuseppe yelled, and Stefan grabbed his father by the shoulders.

Looking him dead in the eye, he said,"Then let me be killed!"

~0~

Caroline's POV

I sat on Elena's bed, watching Elena search her bathroom drawers for aspirin.

Stefan was leaning against the doorway and watching Elena as well.

"Aspirin must be downstairs." she groaned dramatically. "Is my head supposed to hurt like this?"

"Oh, you'll be fine." Stefan chuckled quietly, earning a glare from Elena. "That was just a small amount of blood. It should pass out of your system by tomorrow." Stefan said

Elena looked to me. "Are you OK?"

I nodded slowly. "Yeah. I think I might have a concussion and a bruised back but I'm fine."

"Damon was right. This is, uh...this is my fault." Stefan suddenly admitted, and I looked at him in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

Flashback to 1864

Two men carry Katherine to a cart and place her in it. Stefan runs toward the cart, Damon close behind him. They stopped close to the cart, tears streaming down Stefan's face.

A pair of men were struggling with a gagged blonde, and when they got closer, Damon realized it was Chandra.

A strangled gasp escaped his throat, and he started to run to her. Stefan stopped him, saying. "Damon! Damon! Stop, stop. I'll help you. We'll get her back."

The elder violently shoved away Stefan. "Help me!? Don't you think that you've done enough? You promised you wouldn't tell him!"

"I didn't think this would happen." he stuttered out, and the cart with the girls in it slowly left.

Damon glared at Stefan.

Stefan had never seen his brother so angry before. With an intense look in his eye, he snarled, "You did this. This is your fault." before running off into the woods.

Present Time:

"I put my faith in my father, but Damon put his faith in me, and I destroyed that. This is my fault." Stefan finished looking down.

~0~

Caroline's POV

Elena caressed Stefan's face, a sad look on her own. "You didn't do anything wrong. Don't forget that."

"Okay." he mumbled, and looked at us thankfully.

I smiled sadly at Stefan, and hugged him sideways with my left arm.

Elena suddenly let out another dramatic groan, her hand going to her head.

"Let's go get you that aspirin." Stefan said, and they got up, leaving me in her room.

~0~

Third Person POV:

"Oh, hey, Stefan." Jeremy greeted walking into the kitchen were Jenna was looking for Aspirin, Elena was drinking water and Stefan was leaning against the door frame. He glanced around the room, his brows furrowed. "Where'd she go?:

"She went to the bathroom." Jenna said, still digging through a very cluttered drawer.

"Where'd who go?" asked Stefan, looking at Jeremy.

"He has a friend over." Jenna said, fishing out a pill bottle and handing it to Elena.

"Anna." Jeremy said, blushing slightly

A look of recognition washed across his face, and Stefan quickly ran upstairs.

"Caroline!" he called, and when he peeked in, she was asleep on Elena's bed.

He sighed in relief, going back downstairs.

Little did he know, someone was leaning against the wall, out of Stefan's gaze.

Hey guys! I was in the mood to write today, which is why you all got this!
I'm not gonna lie, this took about five hours to write - more than usual, but I wanted it to be perfect!
So, how did you like it? I originally wasn't going to have Elena go dig up the grave with Stefan, but I figured it would make more sense in the long run...;)

And answering LoveTheKlaroline's question: [which was Slightly confused with Klaus though- does he still have the curse? Does he need a doppelganger to break it?]

I promise, you will have your confusion cleared up when the doppelganger comes into play. All I'm saying for now, is no, he doesn't have the curse, so he IS indeed a hybrid, but he can't figure out how to make more hybrids. He has a great big plan brewing, but someone from his past will try to mess it up in the future, and just might drag the gang into the mess. ;) It's gonna get real intense here in a while! And like I said earlier, you'll learn more about the whole doppelganger needed/not needed whenever it pops up in the story line, so stay tuned! ;)

QOTC: Any questions? Leave it in your review! ;)

Can we start shooting for a certain # of reviews? I'd like to shoot for 10 reviews next chapter, because I'm going to be honest with you guys - when I spend five hours writing something, and I have 200+ alerts, but only four people review, I start to wonder whether or not I'm wasting my time! :(

And, it says I have over 200 visitors who actually click on the link, but I don't get many reviews!

Remember - it takes hours to write a story, but only a few seconds to write a review or fav/follow! ;)

Love you guys! xx

P.S. I've really started to LOVE writing one-shots- any pairing- so request away, if you'd like one! (: (I'll dedicate it to you and everything, promise c; )