Hey guys. First of all, I would like to apologize for the delay in updating this fic and all my other works. I had a really busy January, semester exams, competitive exams and all, then I updated my works, then it was turn for this one but bad timing, I got sick, maybe because of stress or whatever, but now that I am fine, here is the chapter. I hope you like it. Once again, before starting I would like to apologize for the delay.
Mystic Falls High School
Jeremy was at school, walking in the hallway when he got a call from Jenna.
"Jeremy, I got a call from Elena's school, there was an accident there, she has been severely injured, I am going to Dallas, the house keys would be under the doormat…"
Jeremy panics concerned for his sister and asks "Jenna hold on, what happened, what sort of accident?"
"I don't know much details Jer, all I know is that she fainted, something heavy dropped on her and there was blood all over, her roommate informed me. Luch money and money for other needs is kept in your drawer, I am leaving now, bye."
Disconnects.
Jeremy turns around and sees Caroline standing right behind him, "Elena is injured."
Jeremy nods. He doesn't say a word but how tense he is after losing his parents and almost losing his sister in one such accident, Jeremy doesn't voice it out. Caroline understands what inner turmoil he is going through and hugs him, she says, "Oh don't panic, your sister is very strong, she will make it out of this."
She says so hiding her own concern for her best friend, because Jeremy didn't only almost lose his sister those months ago, she almost lost her best friend too. Caroline thinks, 'Bonnie why didn't you come to school today.' She decides to pay her a visit after school and update her about Elena being a victim of yet another horrible accident and maybe ask Bonnie if she could do something magical about it.
Salvatore Boarding House
Stefan was looking through Damon's things, looking for some proof, something, anything, that could lead him to his killer. When a very familiar voice calls from behind.
"You won't get wat you're looking for there, because you're looking at the wrong place."
He turns around and sees, that same face, which was his undoing a century and a half ago. There stands Katerina Petrova aka Katherine Pierce with a slight tilt in her head, open long curly hair flowing down her head, in black top, black jeans, black leather jacket, black boots. She looks at Stefan as if she hadn't faked her death and abandoned him the day he transitioned, the day he died. She stays there and stares at him as if nothing happened, nothing.
Stefan speeds to her, grabbing both her arms pushes her to a wall and a bit angry from her says, "Katherine"
She chuckles, "Miss you too honey."
"It's not funny."
"Oh of course it is."
"Stop the nonsense and tell me why you're back."
"I came back for you Stefan." He doesn't believe it. "I heard about Damon."
Damon's name melts all anger away, his grip loosens on her and he just stares at her blankly and could tell that she is not lying. He drops his hands down and Katherine envelopes her arms around him, then pats his back, while silent tears flow down Stefan's eyes, him not realizing yet that he is crying until she says, "It's okay Stefan, I came back for you. We'll find the culprit and get Damon justice. I am here for you."
Grams' house
Bonnie opens the door and there stands Caroline holding a big bowl in her hands, "I come bearing gifts."
Bonnie shrugs and says, "Please say it's not chilly."
Caroline walks into the house saying, "No, it's not, it's chicken noodles soup actually. When you told me that Grams almost fainted last night which is why you didn't come to school today, you were taking care of her so I thought why not bring something healthy."
Grams walks out and says with a pleasant smile on her face, "That's really nice of you girls but I told you that I am fine."
"No, you're not" Bonnie says from behind, then adds, "You should rest."
"Oh honey, I have rested more than I have my entire life in this little time." She then turns her attention to Caroline and says, "Caroline dear, I could feel the vibes from you, I could tell that you were worried even before when you came here, tell me what is it?"
Caroline was continuously staring at an axe kept at a corner and she answers, "That axe, it looks familiar."
Bonnie and Grams share a look and then Grams nods. Bonnie sits beside Caroline and tells her, "That's the weapon with which Damon died, Stefan found it and brought it here."
Caroline acts surprised, "Wait Stefan found the weapon and my mom didn't."
Bonnie looks at Grams and then back at Caroline and says, "Caroline, I think we have a gap in our memories, all three of us."
"I wear vervain all the time and witches cannot be compelled, why would you think that."
"Because when I and Grams we touched those weapons, we saw this." Bonnie keeps her hand on Caroline's and shares a vision of Caroline beheading Damon. She removes the hand and Caroline gapes, "Holy fuck. When did that happen and why don't I remember any of that?"
"That's what we were thinking about, I think someone has compelled us, or a vampire has used a very powerful witch to alter our memory."
"Who could that be?"
"Well, that raises the question Caroline, I think not only the two of us, even Elena, her memory might have been altered too."
On mention of Elena's name Caroline recalls why she actually came here in the first place. She reveals to them about Elena's accident in Dallas and that she has been hospitalized.
"And you're telling this to me now?" Bonnie says, worried about her best friend.
Dallas
By this time Elijah had got those men arrested and was watching silently as the cops took them in custody. He had compelled the man who sabotaged the light to be a witness to their intentions and had sent the tape to the police, a little compulsion could get these humans straight but this, this thing they did, that's not human and to kill them would just make them the object of pity before the society, so Elijah chose the best revenge, which was revealing their true colors to all, he made sure that the details of this news would be published in every newspaper and shown in every news channel so that these men get what they deserve.
He was looking at the time in his watch when someone calls him from behind.
"Excuse me, are you the one who took Elena to the hospital."
The mention of her name interests him and he uses compulsion immediately, "Who are you and what do you want from her?"
"Oh" The man looks away and then back at him and starts to speak, this gesture alone tells Elijah that he was not compelled, because had he been compelled, he wouldn't have broken eye contact but now that he has, Elijah must focus on his heartbeat to know if he's telling the truth.
The man puts his hand in his trousers pocket and grabs something, then looking at Elijah says, "See, Elena is my biological daughter." Elijah was baffled on the term B-I-O-L-O-G-I-C-A-L D-A-U-G-H-T-E-R, he was so shocked on the mention of that term, he got confused whether to comfort this man and tell him that all will be fine or what to say, he was so confused in the head, given the fact that he cares for all his student and Elena, at the moment, made a special place in his heart, he had so many mixed thoughts that he didn't see the dagger coming until it hit his heart.
Once John stabs Elijah in the heart, the last thing he hears him say before he actually shuts his eyes is, "And she is not going to be used in a blood sacrifice by any originals."
Elijah falls to the ground and John Gilbert puts him in his SUV and drives away.
Grams' House
Bonnie was searching her Grimoire vigorously looking for a spell that could heal her friend. While Bonnie was searching for the healing spell, daggering of Elijah was starting to show it's effect, Caroline's memory starts unfolding and she recalls the man who walked in to her house just the night Elena went to her other school, she recalls the man first compelling her memories away.
"Oh my God." Caroline exclaims and Bonnie looks at her, "What?" she asks confused.
"I know what happened, I remember everything…"
"Care how can you remember anything even mine and Grams' memories are not clear, all we remember is what we saw."
"No, it's compulsion"
"Witches can't be compelled Care."
"But humans can be and I remember vividly now that the night Elena joined her new school, the same night there was this man dressed in a suit he visited me, asked me to show my singing skill and then he subtly removed my vervain and compelled me to forget about Damon's death. About how we plotted it and I was the one to execute it."
Bonnie and Grams look at each other and then at Caroline.
Grams says, "But vampires can't compel witches, that would mean…"
"A witch is helped him to compel us." Bonnie completes.
Grams casts a spell and the Grimoire jumps from Bonnie's hands to hers, "This as made it a serious matter Bonnie, we need to remember what we forgot, there is only one way to get those memories back which have been magically erased."
Grams opens a page, it has a pic of a rare flower, "We need to procure this flower Bonnie, because if someone has altered our memory once then there is a chance that they would do it again."
Bonnie nods then says, "Grams, the healing spell."
"We'll do it on once we have procured the flower."
Bonnie nods.
Salvatore Boarding House
"So what Stefan, she said she didn't kill Damon and you believed her."
"I compelled her Katherine and why would she do it."
"Well, for starters, Damon did use her as a blood bag and a sex toy, she has every reason to."
"No, she wouldn't, Elena would have told me, she would never help anyone in killing my brother."
"It's not about Elena anymore Stefan, it's about who killed your brother, I say you compel her again."
"I will do no such thing Katherine; Caroline is my friend and I will not kill the trust between us by questioning her on this again."
"If you won't, I will." Katherine gets up but Stefan stands just in front of her blocking her way. "Katherine, no."
Katherine smirks and sits, "If you say so, but I would like to investigate it on my level."
"How?"
"Bring me those gloves."
"What will you do of them?"
"Just bring them here Stefan" Stefan goes towards his car keys but Katherine speeds there and snatches the keys away, "Ah ah ah, Vampire speed quick Stefan, time is not the luxury I have." There is a pause, Stefan wants to question her why, Stefan wants to ask her why she left all those years ago and why is she still leaving now, why is she in a hurry but the look in Katherine's eyes tells him that she will tell him all of it, once she is ready to.
In a blink Stefan goes to Grams' house, lifts the gloves and speeds back to his house, he throws the gloves towards Katherine, she catches then starts looking at them, she turns them inside out and takes a magnifying glass and looks at it carefully.
Stefan, who had been watching her do all this, asks, "What are you doing?"
Katherine looks up to him then says, "Oh this, see when you mentioned the brand of the rubber gloves, I recalled that this company keeps separate codes for all the pair of gloves it manufactures and that by that number we can trail back to who bought it."
"If that's your big move Katherine then slow down, because I already know who bought these, and her name is Caroline Forbes."
"Really" she says quirking an eyebrow then focuses back on the gloves, she turns the gloves around, finds the code number and notes it down.
Meanwhile Stefan smirks thinking she is foolish. Katherine opens the desktop computer in his house and places the trace of that number, then looks up at Stefan and says, "Since when is Caroline spelled, L-E-E."
"What?" Stefan says then stands beside her, looks at the screen, he is shocked to see this, "Katherine but this would mean that…." He couldn't finish the sentence.
"That your girlfriend's best friend is the killer."
"No." Stefan says again, "It can't be, I compelled her myself, there is definitely a misunderstanding."
Katherine rolls her eyes, "Ah, seriously, well, here's the thing Stefan, I got three cruise tickets, how about you, I and Caroline, we go to the cruise and once I make sure that the vervain is out of her system, you compel her again to know the truth."
"Fine, but you won't hurt her."
"I won't have to. Because once you learn the truth you will be the one she will need saving from."
Stefan scoffs, "Fine, but if she is proven not guilty, then you will not bother her again."
Katherine places a chaste kiss on Stefan's lips and winks, "Your wish is my command."
PREVIEW:- I was painting on the rooftop of my castle when I heard you scream, genuinely, I was curious, I went there to see who it is, thought I could get another maid for the castle so I went to rescue you.
Care sits up and is genuinely irritated at the blonde man staring at her, "Okay, let's be clear on one thing, I am not your maid, never was, never will be, you saved me, thank you, but I didn't ask you to save me, I would rather be shark bait.
Klaus chuckles.