A/N: Oooohh ya girl got a new laptop finally! Lmao

Aside from the three month old baby this should make it easier for me to write and update LOL

Can you all tell that this season has been so painstaking for me to write? The ending is gonna be the best and it's gonna kill me to write lmfaooo

xoxo
Kuraki-chan

23: Can You Tell Me It Was Worth It?

"What's going on here?" Nova asked casually as she strolled into the boarding house.

"I'm trying to have Luke use a locator spell to find Enzo but so far he sucks worse than his sister," Damon answered.

"Look," Luke half snapped, "I can find any person on the planet, okay? There's just something weird with your friend Enzo. I can't get a read."

Nova snickered low when she felt Stefan's panicked gaze on her back while she poured a glass of whiskey. "I thought he fucked off to Cape Horn."

"He flipped his humanity switch," the elder Salvatore spoke. "There should have been a body count all the way to the airport."

"Well… why are you looking for him?" came Stefan rather timidly though only Nova noticed.

"Gee, I don't know, Stefan. A vampire with no humanity who wants me dead for killing his girl. Hm."

Nova snickered and sauntered over to the couch nearby, tossing her feet up on the coffee table. "Maybe he was smart enough to get a witch to cloak him." She shrugged. "Does anyone really know what another person is capable of achieving?"

Stefan winced when he met Nova's taunting gaze. Damon asked Luke if a cloaking spell was possible to which he supposed it could be. "That would mean he doesn't want to be found then," the younger brother said quickly. "So, uh why don't you just drop it?"

"Yeah, iubițel," Nova smirked at Stefan rather than looking at her fiance, "just drop it. Like all the other mysterious disappearances in this town."

Before the conversation could be pressed any further, Tyler ran in the front door gathering everyone's attention. "We have a problem - Markos turned one of the Travelers into a vampire, had her drink doppelganger blood, and after some chanting ritual thing she turned human again."

"He cured her?" questioned Damon.

"He cured her to death. The blood took away her vampirism but left her in the state that she was in just before she turned."

"That state being dead," Nova rationalized. "These sons of bitches really are crafty."

"So it kills vampires," Luke shrugged. "What does the spell mean for the witches?"

"No one cares." Nova turned and flipped him a manicured middle finger.

Damon gave her a playful slap on the side of her head. Tyler rolled his eyes. "The point is they feel if they can get rid of all magic that they'll break some lame-ass witch curse."

"Markos said they can't settle anywhere without evoking earthquakes or hell fire, but they break that curse and they just move right on into Mystic Falls."

Nova stood suddenly and cracked her knuckles. "Oh well. Markos had a good week or two in the land of the living. Now, where is he so I can kill him?"

Tyler shrugged. "No idea. They were moving camp when I got out."

"Well, good news," Damon said sarcastically as he pat Luke on the back. "Our friend Luke, here, is an alleged genius at locator spells."

The witch sighed. "Travelers are always moving. They're impossible to track. They'll find Stefan and Elena long before we can find them."

"Alright, so what about a cloaking spell?" The raven haired Romanian suggested. "Is that simple enough for you? Because I think I'm out of favors with Sofia."

Luke's eyes widened suddenly. "S-Sofia Vasile?"

"Yeah, not the time," Damon cut in. "Can you do the spell or what?"

"If both doppelgangers are in the same place, yeah…"

"Perfect." He looked to Tyler. "You: avoid the entire Czech language and figure out how to find Markos."

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"Well, you have a Traveler inside of you. I mean, I have probably misplaced faith that you'll figure it out. Meanwhile," he looked to Stefan and Nova, "I guess us and Elena are gonna go on a little secret trip."

Beads of sweat formed on the back of Stefan's neck. Nova grinned toothily with mischief in her emerald eyes. "Sounds great," they both spoke in unison though in different tones.

Even after discovering that Jeremy had been helping with the Traveler problem, Bonnie just didn't feel the same. At first she was bothered because it was Liv, but there was Matt and Tyler too. She understood why she had to be kept in the dark. But then Zina came out; she had been part of the team too. Then Jeremy went back to infrequently answering his phone. She wanted to let him know that if the Other Side was destroyed then she would be too, but how could she when he wouldn't even answer the phone?

Truth be told, Jeremy found a strange interest in Zina. She had been focusing on studying more magic and, unlike Bonnie, eagerly let him join her in her world. Zina rather enjoyed having a hand while practicing. She had been teaching Jeremy more Latin and even other languages like her native Romanian, Hebrew, Arabic, and French. Together they learned about healing and poisonous herbs, and ancient spells from old Vasile grimoires and even some from Lucifer's. Jeremy made her feel so oddly human and at peace with herself.

"You never thought you could feel 'love', did you, Zina?"

She looked over her shoulder to find Oblivion while she sat in a chair reading. She gave the celestial a sorrowful smile. "I still don't know how the word feels. I never will. To feel 'love' is to have a heart in your chest."

"How could you not feel such a thing when you've made a strong enough connection to imprint on a human soul?" Zina's eyes widened suddenly. "You care quite deeply for the young Gilbert boy. You've used it to fuel your abilities rather than it causing you to sink. I find myself impressed with you, child."

She looked down at her lap with hurt in her dark eyes. "I… I can't feel for him. I couldn't have imprinted on his soul; he's got Bonnie. I shouldn't even be alive, let alone considering anything romantic. Who would want to be with a girl that was risen from the dead after a century? A girl who got her heart ripped out and can never have another."

"What do you find more important, Zina - having a beating heart in your chest, or the sensation of love across your body?"

She blinked a couple of times while thinking of a response. Truthfully, she couldn't find one. It was a difficult question; could she even feel love without a heart in her chest? When she remained silent because she could not answer the question, Oblivion continued.

"You could have a heart if that was what you truly desired, but it would have to be that over love."

"Why?"

"The only heart that could fill the hole where yours laid is the heart of the one you love. Truth be told, any of you Vasiles could use it to your advantage." She shrugged. "On the brink of death? Eat your lover's heart."

Zina's eyes had widened to the max. "You've got to be joking."

"I do not joke much, if at all, child. Do you want a beating heart in your chest which will increase your power and protection, or do you want that human boy by your side?"

She stared at the celestial for a solid minute when a thought occurred to her. "But you… you said you don't have a beating heart in your chest."

"And I do not. You know my current power level; imagine if I were to take the heart of the one I love."

Zina wasn't sure if she should ask the question nagging at her, but she soon found that she couldn't stop it from coming out. "Who… who is it that you love?"

Oblivion stared long into the girl's curious, onyx eyes. At least as a psychic and her anchor she knew the well kept secret was safe with Zina Vasile. An unusually peaceful smile tugged at her lips. "A nephew of mine who did not deserve the treatment he got from my brother. In my opinion, I could have raised him far better."

Zina gulped but she tried not to make it too noticeable. She knew exactly who Oblivion cared about.

Lucifer.

Nova was returning inside from having a cigarette (or three) when she heard Damon teasing Caroline about something. "Area 51?"

"Stop!"

"J.F.K. Assassination? What the hell is that-"

"You're ruining the game!"

"What game?" the Romanian chimed in.

"Charades. Our theme is secrets that people think they're getting away with."

Immediately a large grin spread across Nova's face. She dropped beside the blonde eagerly. "Ohh, sign me up. What have you got so far, blondie? Because I've got years worth of secrets."

She knows something's up, she thought mischievously. I can almost respect you for this, blondie.

"Well, Meryl Streep, I'd love to know how we're gonna act out Watergate."

"Well, I'm sure team 'Stelena' will figure it out."

Nova burst out laughing suddenly. It was the old Nova laugh; the one that could fill a whole city and get everyone laughing with her. She even had to catch herself from falling off the couch. Caroline looked up at Damon and found him smiling at his fiance with a look of peace in his eyes. When she finally caught her breath she pat Caroline on the back. "Ah, Stelena. That's fucking golden."

"Well, don't you guys think that Stefan and Elena have been a little… you know?"

"No." Damon replied with a small snap. "Clearly I don't."

Caroline shifted uncomfortably under their sharp gazes. "Secretive? I caught them being all hushed and whispery at the car this morning, and now they're getting firewood out of the shed together, which apparently takes 20 minutes."

"You know," Nova drawled, "now that you mention it, they have been getting cagey anytime Enzo is brought up."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "No, no; I'm not talking about Enzo. I'm talking about Stefan and Elena."

Just then, the pair entered with the said firewood. Nova grinned toothily. "Let the games begin, shall we?"

After a painstaking intro with charades where Stefan and Elena relentlessly guessed one another's clues perfectly, Damon spoke up. "How about we switch to a fun game called 'never have I ever'? Hm?"

Nova immediately lit up and spoke over the timid protests. "Sounds fucking fantastic to me. I'll go first: never have I ever died."

"Cheers to that one." Damon smirked and they clanked their glasses together before drinking. The other three shrugged and followed suit by drinking. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad then?

"Okay, uhm… never have I ever been possessed by my evil doppelganger." Stefan said.

"Never have I ever had a gods damn doppelganger," came Nova which caused Damon and Caroline to snicker.

"Never have I ever kissed a Salvatore brother." Caroline spoke. Elena started to laugh and raised the glass to her lips. Nova also began to raise the glass, but much slower. She felt something behind the blonde's words. Just then, Caroline added, "Today."

Nova smirked while she sipped her whiskey, her eyes tauntingly on Stefan and Elena. Caroline asked if Elena was gonna drink, to which Elena asked if she was implying something. "Oh, let's be real here - no one gives a fuck if Stefan and Elena are making out anymore. We just wanna know what the fuck is going on, yeah? So how about a better one: never have I ever lied about where Enzo is." She smirked again while sipping her whiskey.

Caroline's eyes widened as she looked around at the four. "Okay… what is going on?"

"Nothing obviously, because no one else is drinking. I'm the only one who wants to follow the rules of the game."

"Oh, no," Stefan started slowly. "We understand the rules."

"So why don't you take a drink?"

"Alright," Elena stood suddenly, "this just got weird. I'm officially buzzed so I'm gonna go and get ready for bed."

When Elena vanished upstairs, Damon looked to his fiance sternly. "You wanna explain what the hell is going on?"

She shrugged. "I think your brother might be able to explain it better than me. I was just a witness so maybe I saw something wrong."

"Maybe you just didn't see anything, Nova," Stefan insisted.

Her eye twitched. Decades upon decades and Saint Stefan had to be the biggest liar she knew. So desperate to protect his image. She rose slowly as the anger boiled in her blood. "I am going to beat the holy fuck, fucking fuckety fuck out of you if you don't start admitting you're fucking toxic, Stefan." Her grip tightened so much on her glass that it shattered in her hand and made Stefan and Caroline visibly jump.

Before their argument could ensue any further, Elena's scream of fright tore through the cabin. Stefan went running first with the other three behind. Well, Damon had to give a shove to Nova, but they all ended up upstairs just after Stefan wrapped Elena in a towel. She had tried to take a bath to calm down when she swore someone pushed her under the water.

"Why would a ghost be targeting you?" Nova asked her mockingly.

Stefan pulled himself from the room to make a call to Bonnie quickly. It gave him and Caroline a chance to talk after in which he finally told her what happened to Enzo. In the meantime, Elena stared timidly at Damon and Nova. "Stefan was just threatening him because he tried to hurt me," she practically sobbed. "He wasn't trying to kill Enzo."

"Well, he did a great job at fucking up." Damon replied harshly. "Get dressed." He swiftly grabbed Nova's upper arm to haul her and her manic grin away. "You knew about this?"

"Thought I might get some amusement from watching him squirm because I knew. I was just having a smoke when it happened." She shrugged. "If the Other Side is falling apart then it's probably Enzo dicking with us." She commented when they met Stefan and Caroline back in the living room.

"But if Enzo wanted to kill Elena, drowning her wouldn't have worked," Caroline commented.

"Maybe he's just trying to scare us," Stefan feebly suggested.

Nova snorted. "Morons. Drowning Elena was just a distraction."

"She's right," said Damon. "He figured out a way to kill us all in one fell swoop."

The latter two vampires' eyes widened and they ran to the front door where Luke no longer sat to perform the cloaking spell. "Where's Luke?" Stefan asked with panic.

"Who knows?" came Damon. "Better find him before the Travelers find us."

"This is just… wrong." Zina shook her head. She agreed to help Jeremy find the Travelers' real bodies and, of course, they were hidden in a creepy cave. You know what else is wrong? She chastised herself. The fact that you're still hanging around Jeremy. He's got a girlfriend and here you go, coming back from the dead to be a homewrecker. Or a heart eater if I choose that path. Nova is right; our lives are a circus…

"All of these Travelers are passengered inside of people in Mystic Falls?" Jeremy asked with bewilderment when they found the hoard of bodies. "This is wrong and creepy…"

Zina made a face as they began to walk through the bodies. "You said this Julian fellow has an eagle tattoo?"

Jeremy shrugged. "That's what he said." He knelt down beside someone with a tattooed arm and shined his light over it.

"I'm pretty sure that's a dove." Zina shrugged as she hovered above him.

Jeremy chuckled. "Let me guess, you know about birds too? I didn't figure you spent as much time learning on the Other Side as you did seething."

She flicked the back of his head as he stood. "I happened to learn about various birds while still alive, thank you. I rather like most of the creatures. Magpies actually have a nursery rhyme based off of them."

"A nursery rhyme about birds called 'magpies'?" He laughed.

"They're actually quite lovely birds. And yes; Ring Around the Rosie was actually about the plague."

"Well, let's hear this rhyme then since we're walking through bodies in a cave."

"One for sorrow,
Two for joy,
Three for a girl,
Four for a boy,
Five for silver,
Six for gold,
Seven for a secret,
Never to be told.

Eight for a wish,
Nine for a kiss,
Ten a surprise you should be careful not to miss,
Eleven for health,
Twelve for wealth,
Thirteen beware it's-"

"It's what?" Jeremy questioned when she stopped abruptly. He even bumped into her back finding her not walking any further. Had the air around them gotten colder or was it just the cave? Looking around Zina he found a strange man with sandy blonde hair and blue eyes having joined them.

"It's the devil himself," the man replied with a devilish smirk. "Hello, Zina."

The ravenette's face remained unreadable. "What do you want, Lucifer? How are you here right now?"

"Well, I brought you back, didn't I? Also, you seem to be in cahoots with a relative of mine." His tone was taunting and knowing. "If you value the life I gave you back then I suggest you get out of here because Travelers are coming. You can't protect Lockwood right now."

"And you just decided out of the goodness of your heart you would come here and tell me that?"

"Oh, of course not. I'm here to make sure you don't get yourself murdered like a dumbass. And also, my darling Rya is rather unwell thanks to that mirrored Mark she got from Dean." He sneered.

"What's wrong with Zarya? Do we need to go get her?"

"No, you know as well as I do that she would only run. I was actually pondering something - since Dean loves my Rya so much, perhaps it would be enough strength to protect her."

"What are you talking about…?"

He smirked again. "The same moral dilemma you seem to be having. Unless the day comes when Rya actually wants to be a dhampir, I'll do everything I can to keep it from happening. Including force feeding her Dean Winchester's heart if I have to."

In a whisp of golden smoke he vanished, leaving Zina alone with Jeremy again. Her mouth was partially open until her ears picked up the sounds of footfalls growing nearer. She hastily grabbed Jeremy's hand and took off running at a quick but human enough pace. "He was right - we were about to be ambushed," she told him as they ran through the caverns.

"What about Julian's body?" Jeremy argued.

"Forget it! Lucifer is right - we can't save Tyler right now." A drastic thought occurred to her then. "But we can soon."

"What are you talking about? And what the hell was Lucifer talking about; making Zarya eat Dean's heart because he loves her?"

Zina didn't answer until they were back outside and away from any Travelers. She kept her back to him, not wanting to answer at all. "If a Vasile eats the heart of someone she loves then she will be protected from Death and at her maximum strength. For how long, I don't know."

Jeremy was appalled. "So you're all destined - fated - to fall in love with someone, and then given the opportunity to kill that one person to evade Death for a questionable amount of time?" She nodded solemnly. They were silent for a minute before he spoke again. "Well, we know most of them. What about you? Do you know who your fated love is?"

"No," she lied as her eyes closed to shut away the tears threatening to escape. "And now that I've been resurrected without a heart I never will."