Forbes Residence
November 22, 2010

It was the blaring of the oldies channel that pulled her unwillingly away from her well-deserved slumber. It just wasn't fair!

Thanks to Caroline's vampire improved reflexes and speed, her arm would appear just as quick blur as she smashed her fist down, where the snooze button, should have been. Momentarily confused, then annoyed, that her need for five more minutes had not yet silenced the crooning of a aged rocker. If she had been more coherent, she might even liked his particular song but her desire for a few more minutes of blissful sleep.

Grumbling about the woes of suffering from lack of caffeine in the morning, Caroline blinked bleary eyes about her bedroom until she finally localized the offending music emanating from her bookshelf. It was slowly coming back to her fore brain, before she fully remembered she'd moved it sometime before she started staying with Elena and her family. Cursing under her breath for strength, she sat up before stumbling over to the bookcase to hit the snooze, now operating mostly on autopilot.

If she hadn't taken the few precautions as she had, the same thing would have happened to all the previous ones, another alarm clock would have been inadvertently destroyed accidental or not, since becoming a vampire. Maybe it was the lack of caffeine or blood in her system, but she suddenly had a half-formed thought on perhaps writing a beginner's guide to the newly fanged. Shaking herself, she scrubbed her hands over her face. Coffee, she needed coffee, but her bed looked so welcoming, too. Coffee or bed? Bed one out for now.

Only her two best friends and also her current boyfriend Tyler had ever witnessed her without a caffeinated beverage preferably coffee, in the morning it hadn't been a pleasant introduction to all parties involved. With what had become one of her mostly guarded secrets. While she presented herself to the outside world as sparkling and energetic Caroline Forbes during the day, when in truth she was most definitely not a morning person. Being a vampire hadn't changed that aspect of her life, either.

Vampiredom notwithstanding, she had always been a night person. Which was great when she needed to work sometimes late into the morning hours on say a class assignment. Such as she did right after returning home after her little adventure, she naturally had managed to get her paper done. However, it hadn't left her with enough time to take a shower like she'd intended before finally drifting off into dreamland.

Five minutes later, Caroline groggily she pushed herself upright and back out of bed once again. All the while acting on autopilot once again, after turning off the alarm she somehow zombie walked out of her bedroom, then made her way down the hall towards the kitchen where she had expected to see evidence that her mother had already left for the day; but not even her used coffee mug or the empty bowl of oatmeal, which was her usual fare when starting the morning not of that or evidence to suggest otherwise was anywhere to be found. Strange? Had she come home last night? She hadn't heard her mom come home while she was working on her paper.

Still feeling woefully caffeine deprived it took far longer of a effort of her sorting through the Keurig pod carousel, too stubborn to give in too easily she e eventually found not her favorite blend but her second. Cursing under her breath when it finally struck her. She'd used the last one before her stay with Elena's family. After making a quick note on the refrigerator about picking up some more, she popped the pod into the machine, only to growl in annoyance when the machine beeped a warning that the water level was far too low for it to operate.

Seriously someone might actually die if she didn't get her morning coffee and she would prefer not to literally bite off the head of one of her classmates. Getting a recommendation would be next to impossible at that point, for sure.

She was half tempted to just use regular tap water to fill the reservoir, but opted instead to use the bottle of water she convinced her mother to get just for the Keurig machine. Which she'd gotten for her eighteenth birthday as a present from her father and his boyfriend. She'd always wanted one and the amount of time she saved by using it was incalculable, at least in regard to her mental wellbeing.

As she waited for the machine to do its job, she returned to the bathroom and started up the shower, turning the handles to their respective marked indicators that she'd marked out years ago with a Sharpie pen. For her preferred water temperature.

After all, her morning rituals were vitally important.

As Caroline waited for the water to heat up, she stripped off her sleepwear before throwing on the familiar bathrobe she almost forgotten to bring with her. Caroline was considering laying out a different outfit for the day when she was hit with the sudden craving of her necessary caffeine fix and headed back to the kitchen. The machine was cycling itself but hadn't done what it was supposed to, and in frustration power cycled the machine and tried again.

But it quickly became obvious that something was wrong with her birthday present, and she felt her irritation rise. It wasn't even a year old yet, and she was already having problems now? Pressed for time, she resolved to pick up a Grande Mocha Latte from the local Starbucks on her way into school.

On her way to the bathroom, she noticed the flashing light on the answering machine, indicating a new message which hadn't been there when she finally retired for the evening; but decided to ignore it till after her shower. Not wanting to be disturbed while finishing her paper she'd muted her phone as well.

Glancing at the time, she changed her mind and hastily pushed the play button before she vamp sped to the bathroom. Hearing the message wasn't a problem thanks to her vampire enhanced hearing. She shrugged off her bathrobe and collected her shower essentials as she listened to the message from her mother. The tense tremble in her mother's voice wasn't entirely missed, but without further context she waited.

"Caroline? Are you home? Honey, I've tried reaching your number, but it's only going straight to voicemail and you never did give me a contact number for the Mikaelson's Estate so I could reach you," her mother admonished her daughter as she slid open the glass shower door.

"Anyway that really isn't important. I've been stuck investigating a crime scene and couldn't attend a emergency council meeting late last night. From which I just heard from Ric, Pastor Young has done something terrible I need to warn you and the others about-" there was pregnant pause when Caroline didn't hear anything else she put her hand into the stream of hot water to test its temperature.

Only to snatch her hand back in abject pain. Not able to look away Caroline stared almost transfixed at the steaming hot water she wondered how the hell did she burn herself so badly.

The blistering skin on her hand was already starting to recover thanks to her vampire rapid healing, but she had experienced this pain before. Really it had been something she wished she could forget. The similar occasion had been when she pulled Stefan out of the well he'd entered to retrieve the Moonstone. She'd barely touched him, but what little of him she had on her exposed palm had almost immediately started to painfully blister as well. Like a switch, her confusion quickly morphed to horror and only then did she hear her mother speaking to her from the answering machine.

"Honey, Pastor Young and most of his hand selected deputies have infused the town's water supply with vervain sometime late last night. By now it should be everywhere, so please be careful I'm still trying to determine what else they might have planned," her mother said before promising to call again; the answering machine finally clicked off.

Her skin had already healed, but like her parents she was stubborn and she tentatively extended a trembling finger into the water spray. Perhaps because the flowing water had flushed most of the vervain free water from the house's plumbing, but the effect was more immediate this time. Crying out in a hiss of pain, Caroline quickly withdrew her finger, watching with morbid fascination how the blistering skin immediately too started to heal.

Cursing under her breath, she fumbled for a towel to protect her hand as she reached inside the shower to shut off the vervain laced water. Only after carefully dumping the now soaked towel in the clothes hamper Caroline allowed herself to lean on the wall adjacent to the still open bathroom door.

"This is just great! No coffee and now no shower! What a hell of a way to start a school week!" Caroline growled in growing frustration as she started to consider the full implications of Mystic Falls having its water supply contaminated with vervain.

"Well unless, I want to have a Mocha Latte with a little extra special flavoring. Uh no thank you. Shoot, even now my backup plan is out the window," Caroline complained to no one in particular.

Realizing that she needed to start making some calls she found her phone and after turning it back on she found the number her best friend had given her to call if she needed help. After a slight minute of hesitation, she dialed. The line connected on the third ring.

"Whoever this is, it better be important!"


Mikaelson Mansion
November 22, 2010

She would tease him afterwards about it, but she had said she'd wake up before he did. For now, she fully intended to make due on the promise she made before fading off to sleep a handful of hours before. As an Original, she really didn't need as much sleep as if she had still been human, but for right now Elena had other matters to attend to now.

Elijah was on his side facing her and she smiled as she scooted herself lower. Her eyes lingering on his well defined broad chest and then his abs, but while these were pleasing to look at she had something else she needed.

Even still asleep, his manhood was semi erect, and she felt her mouth water at the sight of it. During their shower only a few hours before, he'd made her climax three times before they retired for what remained of the night. It didn't take too much of an effort on her part to reminisce about the feel of his sensual mouth on her clit as his expert fingers curled inside of her as he sucked and licked her past the point of release. Her pussy was demanding, and he had eagerly accepted the challenge of satisfying her wanton need.

For his efforts, she'd reached her peak not once but twice, both times she was practically begging him to fuck her before he finally gave into her demands. Now it was payback time.

Leaning forward, she took in his musky scent and felt her core start to grow hot with need. She wanted it inside her, but she could wait for now. Her lips touched the tip ever so gently, so as not to wake her slumbering husband- he would pay for not being awake to stop her. He was helpless before her in his glory and she felt like a little minx for what she was about to do to him.

Parting her lips, she took in the head, allowing her tongue to tease the underside of the tip. The gasp, then moan of pleasure, which escaped from Elijah's lips only helped to spur her onward. Opening her mouth and then her throat she bobbed her head halfway down the growing hard thick shaft, not stopping until she reached the base before pulling halfway back and repeating the process again.

The growl he emitted as she picked up her pace only scented the air with her own arousal. She easily followed him still stroking and sucking him as he rolled over onto his back giving her better access.

"Elena… Please… I…" he moaned, but if he said anything further her mind blanked as she focused on her goal to get her ever noble husband to succumb to her ministrations of his cock. She hadn't realized until after being made into an Original Vampire by her now long deceased mother in law, but her vampiric nature had rid her of gag reflex; which she was grateful for, considering the monster her husband sported would have been too much for her if she had still been human.

The other times she'd done this, first with Matt then Stefan, she'd had to admit that both of them had been boys who hadn't reached their prime. Elijah was older and had something she was grateful for as she continued sucking and stroking him, wanting him to lose control. She loved this man more than she thought possible.

"Elena… If you don't stop… I'm gonna… gonna!" Elijah growled as his hips bucked, thrusting his shaft into her warm wet mouth. Elena moaned as he picked up his pace as the mingled scent of their arousal filled their bedroom. She smiled around his cock, as she could feel him start to lose control. Immortals like they were, they were different from the humans they once were. Like two apex predators, the niceties of humanity temporarily forgotten, Elena wanted to please her mate as well as claim him for her own.

Wanting him to cum in her mouth, she rolled her stretched lips around his thick shaft as her slender hand cupped his balls, urging them to give up their precious nectar. Thankfully it didn't take very long to get her normally stoic husband to lose control. Until recently, it had been days since they were separated and now only mere hours since they were reunited, so they both felt a need to reconnect as man and wife.

She swallowed every drop of his gift to her and she reveled in its taste. Taking one last swallow, she released him with an audible pop, licking her lips as she straddled her husband, trapping his still hard cock between her soaked pussy and his lower abdomen.

"Gods Elena, you're going to kill me if you do that again," Elijah accused when he finally collected himself to speak somewhat coherently.

"Hmmm… Last time I checked that would be rather hard to do since you're an immortal just like me," Elena purred, leaning down to kiss him softly on the lips. Her erect nipples rubbed against his chest, sending a jolt of pleasure down to her toes. He didn't hesitate and even slipped in a bit of tongue before she pulled away to gaze down at her husband.

"So now that you have me where you want me, what other lecherous machinations do you have planned?" The glint of desire in his eye sent her hormones into overdrive.

Leaning forward, she allowed his tip to tease her sopping entrance. Not waiting for him to ask again as she thrust her hips down onto his cock, she gasped for air as he abruptly filled her to the hilt of his shaft.

"Gods… Elena!," he moaned.

Rolling her hips and giving her body just enough time to adjust to the sudden intrusion she slowly lifted her hips till he was halfway out before letting herself to drop back down. Her toes curled as she welcomed the feel of his invasion into her body once more. Working slowly, she built up her tempo until he started to meet her thrust for thrust. Sitting upright she gasped with pleasure as she repeatedly impaled herself on to his cock. Still needing more, she moved her long mane of hair to the side and intentionally selected the side of her neck that didn't expose the scar her brother in law had given her while breaking his curse. Elena leaned forward, offering her neck to her husband.

"Drink from me," Elena's voice was husky with desire. Blood sharing was one of the most intimate actions two vampires could perform, and she needed that intimacy more than ever.

Instead of biting as she wanted, his lips kissed her exposed neck. Laving the tender flesh with his lips and the slightest bit of tongue. It took her a moment to realize what he was doing, and she wholeheartedly approved, as his kisses were drawing her blood to the surface. The fine needle points of his teeth scraped her exposed flesh, but before he could bite down, Elijah's cellphone on his side of the bed abruptly demanded attention. At first, they simply let the first ring go without either of them acknowledging it, but it wasn't until the second that started to put a real dampener on the overall mood.

"We'd better answer that, my elskede. It might be important," Elijah said rather diplomatically, but she knew he was probably just as annoyed as she was right about then as well. The vampire in her wanted to crush the offending piece of technology into junk, but the rational part knew better.

Silently cursing whoever was interrupting their time, Elena leaned forward, allowing her husband to withdraw himself from her needy cunt.

Reaching for his phone she sat back up still straddling him and just as it started to ring yet again, Elena Mikaelson accepted the call. Although not as diplomatically as her husband might have been.

"Whoever this is, it better be important!" Elena growled into the tiny phone mic.

"Elena? Um… why are-? Never mind, Sorry to call but I think we have a new problem with the stupid Founder's Council," her friend said in a rush.

"Care? Whatever are you talking about? What sort of problem?"

"Well, this might sound like a stupid question. But it's not! I promise, but has anyone in your family recently tried taking a shower?" Caroline asked rather cryptically.

"No? Not that I know of, what's going on, Care?"

Elijah and Elena exchanged a perplexed look before responding to her friend's question.

"Well, I was getting ready to take my morning shower, you remember what my morning routine consisted of? Well anyway, I was reaching in to check the water temperature, when-"


Mikaelson Mansion
November 22, 2010

For the longest time, Klaus had gone out of his way sometimes to express what others strongly misconstrued belief, which he also perpetuated that love was a vampire's greatest weakness. Every time he did he was masking the loss he'd felt for centuries over the loss of the woman he had fallen in love with.

But now that same woman was laying next to him in their bed still fast asleep. He wanted to make love to her again, but for now was content to watch her as she slept peacefully next to him.

Tatia, his Tatia, was still alive. The joy that filled his heart every time he thought about it both thrilled and terrified him at the same time.

When he had been introduced to Katerina on his birthday centuries ago, he had masked his longing to touch the Doppelgänger's face he'd long since memorized. It had been hard, but he'd needed so badly to break his curse he had to push down any feelings he might have had at the time. She was a means to an end and although he'd very briefly considered allowing his older brother to use the Elixir he'd commissioned, he'd rejected it because deep down he didn't know if he could live with seeing Katerina happy with his brother.

For the longest time, he believed Elijah had warned Katerina about the sacrifice and her role in it, but at the time he was the only one who knew precisely where the Moonstone had been secured. Now he wasn't so sure. At some point, he would need to have a long private discussion with his sister in law.

It still angered him how easily Katerina had made her escape while he was out on the hunt for a suitable werewolf for the ritual. The utter rage he'd felt on his return had felt like a raging storm had been unleashed from his chest. He'd slaughtered an entire band of Gypsies he'd happened upon when he learned of Trevor's treachery and worse, the news that Katerina's blood was no longer of any use to him.

It wasn't until he'd taken control of Alaric Saltzman's body and found Elena Gilbert waiting for him in her class that the feeling of hope filled his heart once more. He didn't know why at the time, but something had sparked a memory of his time with Tatia and when it had come to her turn during the sacrifice he'd been honest with his thanking her for her assistance in finally breaking his mother's curse.

Tatia murmured something that not even his sensitive hearing could make out clearly, but that didn't stop him from smiling down at her as she snuggled her naked body next to his.

Ever since Elena's return as well as his altered memories being pushed aside to reveal what had truly transpired over a thousand years ago, then finally his sister's startling revelation that Tatia was still alive. He would have burnt the entire town down to get his Tatia back.

Since their reunion, they had picked up their relation where they had left off as if no time had passed. For her that had been true but for him it had been a shock that she still wanted him even after everything he had done.

To his eternal surprise she had accepted him for who he was, which made him ashamed for thinking she would do otherwise. Even after being made a vampire by his parents Klaus had shown her what he had become and although weary of him at first, Tatia had accepted him.

She even allowed him to feed from her and thanks to his restored memories he'd rediscovered how he managed to gain control over his blood lust so quickly compared to his family. Ironically the puncture scars on her neck were in the exact location he had given Elena centuries later.

Then when he had finally made his first kill and thus revealed his own mother's infidelity, Tatia still hadn't rejected him. She had welcomed him in her bed the same as she had before. To him, Tatia was his angel.

Not able to resist any longer he leaned down to gently kiss her closed eyelids.

"Tatia, my love," Klaus whispered in to the shell ridge of her exposed ear.

"Mmm…"

The stunning dark haired beauty sleeping next to him murmured almost imperceptibly again almost subconsciously. Based on her breathing Klaus was quite sure she was still asleep. He half grinned wolfishly as he gently eased her onto her back and a rather pert nipple was exposed when the satin sheet partially revealed her nakedness to the world. Unable to resist he leaned over to lave his warm tongue over her nipple, earning him a gasp of pleasure from the woman beside him.

His mouth still on her breast still eliciting moans of her growing pleasure his hand snaked under the sheets to cup her sex earning another gasp of pleasure.

"Niklaus…"

One thing he had come to appreciate about the world changing while he did not was how women's attempts to attract attention sometimes introduced surprising results. It was either Rebekah, or more likely the young vampire Caroline Forbes, that had convinced his Tatia to have her legs waxed and then for an added treat, for him at least, was the suggestion for his love to get what he later learned was called a Brazilian wax. Her now hairless pussy called to him in ways he hadn't quite appreciated until he'd finally discovered what she had done just for him.

A little vampire blood and what soreness she had gained from the experience had quickly faded from what she told him after the fact. Something he would have to address later. The only vampire giving her blood would be him if he had anything to say about it.

Teasing her sensitive clit, she squirmed under his touch but still didn't pull entirely away. Instead she seemed to need more of it and the scent of her perfumed arousal only grew more intense. Risking a middle finger, he slipped into her slippery folds to find her opening as he slowly tested her entry, finding it quite slick with her juices. Tatia's breath caught as if in anticipatory build up of what was surely to come next.

"That's my girl," he'd paused in his ministrations of her now fully erect nipple to breathe those heated words into her supple flesh. Her body quaked with need and his nose flared as he smelled the faint traces of her blood through her skin. She was his, and he was hers.

Slipping his middle finger into her; she growled with greedy need for his touch as he continued to lick and suck at her breast. Tatia's breathing started to grow hot, panting with her rising need. Her heart started to beat faster and for a very brief instant he thought he heard a slight echo before becoming caught up in the moment once more. Sliding another finger into her, he continued to finger her on her way to her first orgasm of the day. She rolled her head to the side, exposing her neck to him, his old scar visibly prominent on her lovely flesh called to him.

"Drink from me," Tatia's voice was husky with desire, not aware she was uttering the same phrase someone else had said mere minutes before. Thanks to the magical sound proofing Klaus had insisted on for everyone's apartments, neither did he. He felt the familiar stretching sensation of his fangs elongating before he switched his focus to Tatia's exposed neck.

Taking care not to hurt her, he found his previous scars, and after drawing her aromatic blood to the surface, he sang his fangs into her flesh.

"Oh… Gods yes!" Tatia cried out as she climaxed around his two fingers, clamping down as hard as she could as the orgasmic wave rolled through her. Klaus was almost too caught up in drinking her blood to realize there was something different about how it tasted on his tongue. Not unpleasant but still different, and he wasn't entirely sure what it meant. A rather faint memory did tickle at the edge of his perception, but before he could peruse what those memories entailed, the French doors to their apartment slammed open.

"Alright stop with all the hanky panky dear brother, we have a problem!"

"Kol!"


Jeremy's body jerked upright as he inhaled a gulp of fresh air. Looking around the familiar gray, washed out surroundings as far as he could see before a cloud of mist blocked the world beyond instantly clued him in to where he was. Righteous anger boiled in his chest.

"Damon Salvatore, you are such a dickhead!"

It was slowly coming back to him; his memories of this place always seemed muddled, but he knew he'd forget everything he learned on the other side when he finally returned to the land of the living. Which was a shame because the things he learned here would be rather useful, too.

Getting back onto his feet, Jeremy sighed, not wanting to look, but knew he had to at least try. Who knows, his friends might surprise him by not doing something annoying for a change. Gathering himself, he peered around and sighed in resignation; not that he expected to find his body, it would have probably been too convenient, but who was he to judge? Still it would have made things easier. Its absence could only mean someone must have moved it.

Things about this place were slowly starting to trickle back into his head, which was fortunate because as soon as he started for the Boarding House, the creepily familiar background whispering started up very much like katydids during the hot summer months back home. This being, what? His third or no fourth time visiting this place? He had enough sense not to try to listen for any meaning being spoken sub vocally by whatever was behind the whispers themselves. Other than that there were no other sounds, not even of the sound of the breeze moving through the nearby trees, which was still rather disconcerting even if this wasn't his first time.

Although it still amazed him that he could open doors here, which would have been highly annoying if his body was situated behind a door he couldn't pass through. Anything more complicated, like a vehicle or electronic device, was, for all intents and purposes an inert replica of what was in the real word. Which was rather inconvenient when he had to literally walk to wherever his body had been taken. Surprisingly, he did know from previous experience he could ride a bicycle, but none were currently present at the moment. He'd even ride a girl's bike with tassels and hello kitty paraphernalia if it meant finding his body sooner than later.

The one problem he truly disliked about the Other side was the lack of reliable perception of the passage of time. What might have been hours here could be minutes in the real world and it wasn't very consistent, as he learned over the span of times he'd died.

He hadn't even fully stepped into the Den when a familiar voice greeted him from the leather couch.

"So, Jer, what is the tally score this time?" Anna asked from her seat. Sitting next to her, he ran his hands through his hair, temporarily lost in thought as he mentally counted. It was a little game they started the second time he died. At the time, he thought he had his sister beat by how many times he died, but his sister did have an unfair advantage thanks to time travel.

"Um… Not counting the time Sheriff Forbes accidentally shot me," Jeremy said, keeping his eyes closed but he could practically hear Anna rolling her eyes. It had to be an honest to good accident unlike the other times he'd died, so in his mind he didn't see a reason to count it. He didn't remember visiting this place during that occasion, but he hadn't been wearing his family ring either.

"Then there was the time when I was trapped in the tomb with Katherine. She used me as her personal blood bag, completely draining me once before Stefan finally managed to swap places with me. She got me again when she took me on a joyride to find Klaus's father Mikael. So that makes her tally two and with Damon's latest childish outburst, that brings his own tally to match Katherine's small wonder," Jeremy deadpanned.

Reclining back into the leather, Anna shook her head in exasperation. "Remember how she just laughed at you when you asked her why didn't she just knock you out before sticking you in the trunk?"

"Yeah something about 'What fun would that be.' You have no idea how seeing someone who shares my sister's face brings back uncomfortable memories of my sister and then-" Jeremy said using an unfaltering imitation of Katherine's voice before he grew somber.

Anna leaned forward and just barely touched his knee before pulling back. "Should I remind you when I first arrived in Mystic Falls I thought Katherine was up to her old tricks again?"

"No."

"Good. Jer, since we are alone for now can I ask you something? I couldn't really ever since everyone was constantly around us in the land of the living."

Jeremy could tell she was concerned about something, just by how she had taken care in asking. Not that he could blame her. Initially he'd thought she'd missed him mentioning having uncomfortable memories, there was just something about this place that made him feel like he was having an odd sense of déjà vu; it confounded him more than he wanted to admit. But her question only confused him even more.

"Jer, what exactly was going on with that one dream you were having when Elena and I entered your mind? I mean seriously, what was with all the dead vampires?"

Jeremy blinked in mild confusion. He had thought he was mentally preparing for a different question about him not completing his answer. So his answer wasn't the most well thought out response.

"Huh… Dead vampires? I wasn't dreaming about dead vampires?" Jeremy said defensively.

"Seriously? Look, I would tell you to confirm it with your sister later when you find your body; but as we both know, you won't remember this conversation and I can't tell you about things that we discuss here on the Other Side."

Apparently they had both learned that particular facet of this place from the first, or was it the second time he had died? It had to do with something about the natural rules of this place that prohibited it. That was how Jeremy rationalized it. Which was a shame, considering all the things he learned just by being here. He would tell everyone to give them a peace of mind if he could. Suddenly feeling uncomfortable, also in need of a change of scenery, he suggested they start looking around for his body. Unfortunately she refused to let the matter go.

"Jeremy, there were like twelve vampire bodies in various degrees of mutilation. I mean it was a bloody massacre and then there was that Tattoo going from your hands all around your chest and back," Anna continued as he tried to pay attention but was strangely keen on finding his body to end this uncomfortable critique of a dream. He had no memory of even having one, as she was describing. So far they hadn't found his body in any of the guest rooms, which was aggravating in of itself. Abby's RV had not been outside, so might have Bonnie taken his body? It was possible, but it was just as possible that his brother in law Elijah had taken him and his sister. The problem with the last option was he didn't quite know where the Mikaelson mansion was. He heard from Elena's friends the general location, but not the exact address.

It wasn't like he asked Klaus for his phone number or address when he made that stupid proposal to him, which now felt like ages ago and was more or less irrelevant.

They had made their way back to the foyer and having exhausted their options here, they needed to scout around elsewhere. He was already opening the front door but was facing his former girlfriend.

"I don't know what to tell you, Anna. I just don't remember this dream you said I was having."

"Jer-"

Suddenly curious by her abrupt stop he turned to look outside for the cause.

He took a single step back before he stopped himself. The blonde fortyish woman who was wearing a homespun dark green dress looked oddly familiar to him; he didn't know if it was his memories of this place trickling back or something else. The odd déjà vu he'd felt earlier had returned, and Jeremy really didn't understand why. He didn't feel threatened by this woman; in his heart, he knew she would never hurt him.

"Hello Jeremy," she nodded towards him, then at the former vampire standing off to the side behind him.

"Annabelle dear, could you please excuse us? I wish to speak with young Jeremy now."

"Uh… Yes Ma'am," Anna responded a little too quickly. There was something that felt like both awe and fear. His memories were still muddled, but from what he remembered of her he knew he didn't fear this woman. He took one step forward, then another step until he was standing within arms reach of the older woman. He could feel that he knew her name, but using it didn't quite feel right. Almost too disrespectful, in his opinion.

"I'll talk with you later, Jer."

Before he could even say goodbye, she had closed the door behind him, leaving him alone with a person that almost radiated a matriarchal authority. Feeling brave, he decided to take a risk. Whatever memories he had of this place were taking too long to recover for his taste.

"My apologies Ma'am, but I still haven't fully recovered my memories. I apparently only gain access to them here in this place, so I don't quite remember your name just yet."

Worried that he might have offended her, he was mildly surprised by the sad but still pleasant smile she was giving him.

"No apologies are necessary, my boy. That, regrettably, is one of the few drawbacks of that ring of yours. Very powerful magics were used in creating it, but like all things that are formed from black magic it does have a nasty sting in the tail."

They started walking, and he trusted her to lead the way, although he didn't quite remember why he felt he could trust her, he just did. He wanted to ask what her name was, but her last statement caused him to twist his family's ring around his finger with concern.

"You mentioned something about a nasty sting in the tail, um… what did you mean by that?"

Jeremy hadn't realized that he had been playing with his ring until the older woman glanced down at his hand with a hard to read expression.

"What do you know about the Gilbert family history?"

"Um… If you mean everything pertaining to the supernatural? Most of my initial knowledge would have come from the Gilbert Journals. I believe I've read most of them, although I'm pretty sure that some of them are missing. Why do you ask?"

They walked in silence and just before he repeated himself she answered him; although she seemed to be rather reluctant to answer him directly at first.

"Did you, by any chance, read any journal entries from Samantha Gilbert?"

The question she asked seemed, at least to him, rather unrelated to his family's ring, but he did recall skimming through them. "Yes ma'am, she was the granddaughter of Jonathan Gilbert and although the rings were intended to be passed onto the eldest Gilbert son, her Ring was intended for her son I believe. To be honest, I really didn't read her journal entries after a certain point."

"Oh… Out of curiosity, why didn't you finish reading all of her entries? Did something happen?"

There had been a reason, but it was a purely selfish reason. When he was writing up his first report on vampires, he discarded it because of the recent trauma he and his sister had gone through the previous school year, but there was something about his companion that just made him want to tell her so he did. What harm could it do, after all? It wasn't like she could leave whatever this place was, he thought absently.

"Remember when I told you on one prior visit to this place that my family has a history of hunting vampires?" he asked, feeling rather relieved he'd remembered that particular detail.

"Yes, and I still think it's not a very wise course for you, son. Your mother wouldn't approve."

"I know. I'm finally starting to remember. Well, my ancestor Samantha, for reasons of her own, decided to embrace that aspect of our family legacy. Although her writings didn't come right out and say it, I think she was trying to prove to herself and the founder's council that she was a Gilbert. Prior to the year nineteen twelve she had an impressive kill total of between six and eight vampires."

The witch seemed shocked and Jeremy was equally surprised that he finally remembered that she was a witch, or had been.

"How, by the gods, did she accomplish such an impressive feat? Killing one vampire is difficult enough, but six?"

He had to agree, but what he had pieced together from her recounting of her supposed feats Jeremy could almost feel the bile rise up his throat.

"She used what she rather vehemently described as her perceived weakness as a mere woman to her full advantage." Jeremy stopped, gathering what he could recall and piecing together an array of journal entries. He noticed the first time reading them that her entries at one time had been consistent; but as she hunted her entries would skip a few days, then months. The longest gap was eight months.

"While her methods might change from one kill to another, she was always the bait. Either she consumed vervain so any vampire that fed on her would become temporarily disabled or she allowed them to kill her. Thanks to the resuscitative powers of the ring, she would come back and more often than not she'd surprise the vampire, staking most of them before they could recover."

They walked in silence having departed the Salvatore property awhile ago. Jeremy frowned when he realized she was leading them away from Bonnie's home.

"Shouldn't we go in that direction?"

"Your body is not with your Bennett witch allies, or perhaps it's more appropriate that I should call Bonnie one of your sister's closest childhood friends."

"How the fuck do you know about my sister and who her friends are?"

Jeremy hadn't expected the witch to react the way she did, but the older woman had grabbed his forearm and brought them to a complete stop, standing in the middle of the road. It was probably a good thing that cars didn't work in this place, he rationalized. However it was harder to overlook the admonishing glare she had pierced him with that had caught his breath like a vise. There was something very familiar about it that Jeremy couldn't shake the memory of. Had she done this to him before in this place?

"Jeremy, I didn't tolerate my children using foul language when I was alive, and I'm not going to stand for it now even though I'm dead. As for your sister and her friends Bonnie and Caroline, you have more than once talked about them with me before," the witch's stern voice made him feel like he was ten years old again.

Feeling like an idiot, he should have considered the possibility that they might have talked about things and people he knew, but by whatever quirks of this strange place had fully recalled just yet. A flash of what felt like a long forgotten memory of him playing in the woods as his sisters were busy gathering the tiny edible berries for supper later. It was gone before he could consider what it meant because he knew for a fact that he didn't have more than one sister. What was going on with this place?

"Come, we shouldn't dawdle. You were telling me about Samantha Gilbert's accomplishments. I sense you learned something about her that perhaps puts her in a less than flattering light?"

There was something about the witch's voice and mannerism that put him at ease, which was probably a good thing. What he had found out about his ancestor he felt ashamed for having accidentally dredged up her failings. Taking a breath, he collected himself.

"Around the year nineteen twelve her journal entries started to become disjointed and the best I can describe it was like reading entries that were being written by two different people. Samantha herself even wrote feeling like she didn't feel like herself or something about her losing time. Shortly after she stopped writing in her journal, I don't think she started a new one, considering there were plenty of blank pages remaining. The family never really talked about her, so I eventually had to go to our town archives and find out what happened to her."

"What happened to her?" she asked, but Jeremy got the strangest feeling she knew more than she was letting on. Pushing that thought aside for now he continued.

"Ten years after her last journal entry, so around nineteen twenty two, she confessed to a string of murders until then, had gone unsolved. She was later committed to a mental asylum. While she was there she tried to do a lobotomy on herself with a knitting needle and bled to death," Jeremy coughed out still feeling the shame and pity for his ancestor he had felt sitting in the town hall archives after learning something so tragic and horrific about a former member of his family.

"I had suspected as much. My apologies for making you retell that tragic story but I believe I understand why she behaved that way and it is sadly related to your family ring and its nasty sting in the tail. Which I brought up earlier."

The icy ball that suddenly materialized in his chest caught his heart in its ice covered grip. He wanted to pull his ring off and throw it away, but if he did that while still on the Other Side it would trap him here. His mind was still reeling when he felt her warm hands cupping his face as she peered into his eyes. The look she was giving him helped calm him down, but there was something else behind her blue eyes.

"I would never let that happen to you. What magic I have I used to keep you safe from their influences while you are here, fear not. Regrettably I can't say otherwise for your teacher."

The witch was protecting him. Why? Unable to answer that his mind latched on to what else she had just said.

"Oh my god Ric! Why can't you protect him? And what or who is influencing us in this place?"

"It's not that easy, child. I don't share the same connection with your teacher as I do with you. I would if I could, but I can't!"

Even Jeremy couldn't miss the sound of regret that tinged her strained voice he wanted to feel for her, but he still needed answers. Oddly enough, he felt that what he learned now wasn't something that he knew about from all the other times he's visited this strange place.

They continued walking.

"What are these dark influences you are somehow protecting me from?" Jeremy asked, breaking the awkward silence that had sprung up around them.

He looked up expectantly at the witch to find her smiling at him, but then her expression quickly changed to a more somber one.

"I'm surprised you never asked about what this place actually is, but I guess you can't always be curious about everything," the witch said, but muttered the last part of her statement. If he hadn't been carefully listening to her, he would have missed it.

"The Other Side is like what those who follow one of the Christian sects would call a sort of purgatory for all beings who are supernatural, who have committed crimes deemed punishable by the Spirits of Nature."

This time Jeremy didn't stop, but he did study the woman's sad features. If what she said was true, what did she do that warranted her being punished? Putting aside the question, he waited for her to continue.

"When a supernatural creature dies, they come here and are judged. Your vampire friend Annabelle and others like her are here because, at some point in their existence, they took an innocent life. The fact they regret their actions as well as having connections to the living world is the reason they haven't progressed to becoming what we call Shades."

"Shades? What are they? Why haven't I seen them before?"

The older woman laughed, but it wasn't an unpleasant one, and he found himself smiling in return. "Oh, but you have seen and heard them, child. I'm sure you have seen those columns of smoke that always seem on the periphery of your vision?" She paused when he nodded in sudden understanding. "Those are Shades and unlike your friend Annabelle who can move to the living world as a spirit, they can no longer do that remarkable feat."

A thought occurred, and he decided now was the best time to wet his curiosity. Something that he wondered about in this place. It surprised him that he had never asked Anna about it, either.

"Are these Shades also behind the whispers that I can't seem to localize? What? Did I ask something wrong?"

"No, Jeremy. You didn't ask anything that was wrong, and to answer your question no those whispers you hear are not Shades. They are something far worse. If I wasn't shielding you from their influence, I would be more urgent to encourage your swift departure from this place. If I wasn't trying to help you remember, I would also tell you to never wear that accursed ring ever again," the witch hissed bitterly, and Jeremy wondered why she was taking his well being so personally. It could be because she didn't have anyone to talk to. His former girlfriend had expressed something similar once before as well.

"What are they then, if not these Shades?" Jeremy asked, feeling a little afraid to know but still curious enough to ask, anyway.

"They are called Remnants. They are dark spirits that infest this place. They, like the Shades, are trapped here. Unlike Shades, they can, given the right circumstances, find a way back to the living world. I'll tell you before you can ask, they accomplish this feat by manipulating human souls that visit here unprotected to the degree that they can latch themselves to these tainted souls to travel back to your world. If they accomplish that, we then call them Revenants. I regret to tell you, but that is what happened to Samantha Gilbert."

To say that Jeremy was stunned would be a frank understatement, but his thoughts quickly refocused on the meaning of what she had just informed him and his worry for his father figure since the untimely death of his father grew to one of desperation. Before he realized he was even doing it, Jeremy had grabbed the witch's hand, halting them both. They had been walking for what felt like minutes, or maybe hours- it was still difficult to measure any sort of time here- but he didn't care. Based on the large mansion visible from the gate house they had been walking towards, his body was most likely inside.

"I need to save my friend Ric, sorry Alaric, Saltzman. Is there a way to help him? Please!"

She surprised him by pulling him in for a hug and kissing him on the top of his head. Why did this feel so familiar, he couldn't help wondering.

"I'm already doing what I can to help in so many ways, child, but I will do what I can. For now, come let's find where my other children have placed your mortal body."

Taking his hand, she led him towards the large Estate building. As a founding family member, he had been dragged to the Lockwood mansion before, but Tyler's parents had nothing like this place. It was massive and spoke of vast wealth and he didn't know anyone in Mystic Falls that could even own such opulence- but that wasn't exactly true. He did know someone. Like a lightning bolt striking him on his head, everything came rushing back into his mind. His memories. All his times he had been in the supernatural purgatory, but then there were other memories and it hit him like a sledgehammer. Suddenly he knew the witch's name, but more importantly why she was so familiar to him?

"Mother?" Jeremy asked, still rather dumbfounded.

It was all coming back to him, his older sister Bekah taking care of him when he was younger, when their mother was busy with meal preparations.

Then there were the times, he'd sat with his favorite brother he'd so idolized in spite of their father's repeated belittling of him. It was worse when Mikael had thought about the two of them alone. Still, Niklaus had always made him smile with his, fanciful stories about brave warriors and their honorable deeds on the battlefield. Then there was a time in celebration of his tenth season from his birth, Niklaus had given him a carved wolf figurine, he'd made from a single block of wood. It had been one of his most prized belongings.

But then there was his brother's wedding to his paramour Elena Petrova. Wait! Elena, but that- No, she was really his older sitter! Jeremy's mind reeled at the far-reaching implications.

"Hello Henrik, my precious little boy," Esther cried, before enveloping him into her embrace. Her facade cracking as she broke down in tears. How long had she known, and why hadn't she told him before? He started to cry as well, but his own tears were from joy.