Elena shot up with a loud gasp, waking up Toby. They had stayed the night at the boarding house in order to keep a watch on Katherine while Elowen and Damon looked for Stefan.
Toby sat up to rub a comforting hand on Elena's back.
"Hey. Is everything okay?"
Elena shook her head. "No. I had a dream about Stefan."
"Oh."
"It was more than just a pit in my stomach this time, though. It was real. It was like I was there with him."
Toby sighed. "The only thing keeping me reassured about you having dreams about another guy is the fact that he's Elowen's boyfriend and not interested."
"You're right. This is weird. Sorry."
Elena and Toby laid back down. After a moment, Toby sighed again and lied on his side to face Elena.
"Fine. Tell me about it."
She got on her side as well and faced him back. "It was just so vivid. I saw Stefan walking out of this bar. It had a red awning and this broken neon sign, and he was screaming in pain."
Toby furrowed his eyebrows and sat up again, beginning to get out of bed.
"We should tell Elowen and Damon. They'll know what to do."
"Wait, Toby, it's early, and they were up all night. They're probably exhausted."
"Sleep can wait," a voice said from the door to the room. Elena and Toby looked over and saw that Katherine was leaning against the doorsill.
"Route 29. Joe's bar. I think I had the exact same dream."
Toby looked over at Elena. "Want to wake them up now?"
xxxx
Elena, Toby, Elowen and Damon were all downstairs and dressed, all of them (except Katherine), trying to find out the place that was in the dream. Elowen sighed and fiddled with Stefan's daylight ring on her finger when Damon entered the room.
"So, I've found nine bars along Route 29, and none of them are called Joe's."
Elowen shook her head. "This whole thing makes me so mad because I was close to finding him and Silas made me forget. I knew that he was locked in a safe at the bottom of the quarry and he was in my reach, and then Silas just…" She clenched her fists.
"The fact that our only lead is some psychic dream makes this whole thing so bizarre," Toby spoke up. "Can this get any weirder?"
"Probably, but I'm open minded," Damon commented.
"Shotgun," Katherine said as she entered the room. They all looked over at her. "What? I get carsick in the back seat. Another charming, human side effect you stuck me with."
Elena turned to Toby, Elowen and Damon.
"Please tell me that she's not coming."
"Trust me, I have no interest in Katherine's well being, but for some reason Silas wants her real bad, and if Silas wants her, I want her more," Damon replied.
"That's another thing that's frustrating," Elowen said. "I figured out why he wanted Katherine, and he made me forget that, too."
Elena sighed. "Can't we just stash her in the cellar? Or maybe a deep, dark well with a pair of water wings?"
"Do you really think that I wanna take a road trip with you, America's most boring, self righteous vampire?" Katherine drawled. "Just remember, Damon and your boyfriend wouldn't have to play bodyguard if you hadn't shoved that cure down my throat."
"You were trying to kill me!"
"I will admit, though, I take great pleasure knowing that you wasted your one shot at a human life on me."
Toby sighed deeply. "Can't you two play nice? Just this once?"
Katherine rolled her eyes before looking at Elowen. "I wanna find Stefan just as much as you do, and not just because I don't wanna be a pawn that you can trade off for his life. I care about him. I always have."
"And I know that," Elowen replied. "You tried to break us up, remember?"
"Once upon a time, maybe, but I got over it."
"Okay, train's leaving the station," Damon spoke up. "Choo choo!"
xxxx
They had taken Elowen's car because it was big enough to seat all of them. Damon was driving, Elowen was in the passenger's seat, and Elena and Toby were stuck in the back with Katherine. Toby was seated in the middle, acting as a buffer between Elena and Katherine so they wouldn't try and kill each other.
"You sure you know what you're looking for?" Damon asked Elena, looked at her through the rear view mirror. "Last bar has a red awning and a neon sign."
"I'll know it when I see it," Elena replied.
"Me, too," Katherine piped up.
Damon rolled his eyes. "Didn't ask you."
"I'm just trying to make conversation. So, Elena, I couldn't help but overhear. You've been dreaming about Stefan all summer, while Elowen ran around like a chicken with their head cut off, and you didn't think to say anything sooner?"
"They weren't dreams," Elena snapped. "It was just a bad feeling, like something wasn't right with him, and I didn't say anything because I thought it was just an irrational thought as a result of him being missing, like I was psyching myself out."
"Well, clearly you weren't. Hey, Toby, I'm curious, how are you okay knowing that Elena's been dreaming about someone who isn't you, who happens to be your best friend's boyfriend? Oh, by the way, are you still in love with her? Because I always thought that was quite a snag in your relationship."
"Ignore her," Damon said. "As soon as the vervain's out of her system, we'll compel her and we'll put her on mute."
"Oh, I got this." Elowen turned in her seat and reached back for Katherine, who tried to shy away when she realized what was happening, but Toby grabbed her arm and pulled her forward so Elowen could touch her.
"Hey! No, not fair! Elowen, come on, we're friends now, aren't we?"
"No, we have a truce. Doesn't change the fact that you're being annoying."
"But-!"
Before Katherine could get another word out, Elowen cast the compulsion spell. Immediately Katherine's eyes glossed over and unfocused.
"You're going to be quiet until we find the bar we're looking for, okay?"
Robotically, Katherine nodded her head.
"Good."
Elowen let her go and Katherine blinked as she was brought back to reality. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing was able to come out. She kept trying to speak, but wasn't able to say a word. Damon smiled.
"Ah, music to my ears."
Katherine's nostrils flared in anger and she crossed her arms, leaning back in her seat in frustration.
xxxx
Damon, Elena, Toby and Elowen all quietly got out of Elowen's car. Katherine had fallen asleep, and now that they found Joe's Bar, Elowen's compulsion would've ended and Katherine would go back to being a blabbermouth.
"Are we really going to leave her in the car?" Elena asked lowly.
"Elowen's compulsion would've worn off the second we found the bar," Damon replied. "I really didn't want to disturb our peace and quiet."
Elena suddenly stopped in her place and Toby looked back at her as Elowen and Damon continued to walk towards the entrance.
"I thought you said this was the one?" He asked.
"It is," Elena responded. "It looks exactly like it did in the dream. Isn't that a little freaky?"
"Uh, it's a lot of freaky, but we can figure that out later. Let's see if Stefan's here."
They caught up to Elowen and Damon, who were talking to the bartender behind the bar. She had a bandage on her neck and Damon was compelling her to tell them what had happened to her.
"Some sicko attacked me, bit me, told me to run, so I did, and when I looked back, he was on fire," she answered.
"The sun must've come up." Elowen lifted her hand that had Stefan's daylight ring on it. "He doesn't have this."
Damon compelled the bartender again. "And then what happened?"
"Some woman shoved him into a truck, drove away."
"Did you know this woman?"
"No. She was driving Cam Peterson's truck. He lives about ten miles down that dirt road out back. Here. Looks like you could use one of these."
She reached out for a bottle of alcohol and poured Damon a shot. He went to grab it, but Elowen picked it up before he could and shot it back. Damon looked at her with a frown. She leaned over to him.
"Vervain," she whispered.
A woman came into the front from the back room, holding up a gun.
"I'd ask you how you knew that, but you're not really what I'm here for."
Damon furrowed his eyebrows. "Who the hell are you?"
The woman ignored him and pointed her gun at Elena. Toby quickly grabbed her and pushed her behind him. At that moment, Katherine entered the bar, completely oblivious until she saw the gun. The woman shifted it from Elena to Katherine. Katherine stopped and put her hands up when she saw the gun.
"Which one of you is Katherine Pierce?" She asked.
Katherine pointed at Elena. "She is."
"Katherine is a compulsive liar, but I need her alive."
Elena sped at the woman and threw her into a table.
"Katherine, run!" She yelled over her shoulder. Katherine didn't need to be told twice and darted out of the door.
"You really do look exactly alike," the woman said as she stood up, then threw Elena across the room and into the wall before speeding away, after Katherine. Toby rushed over and helped Elena up to her feet.
"Wonderful," Damon scoffed. "Now we've got a vampire bounty hunter to deal with. Let me guess, Euro bitch was not part of the dream."
Elena shook her head. "I've never seen her before."
"Yeah, well, whoever she was, she wants Katherine, which means she's probably Silas's spy."
"I'll go chase after her. You guys find Stefan."
"Wait, what?" Toby asked. "No. She almost killed you."
Elena faced Toby. "We don't have time for a detour, Toby. We need Katherine, and Stefan's life is at stake. Go."
Toby shook his head. "No. I'm coming with. Let's go." He turned back to Elowen and Damon. "You got this?"
Elowen nodded. "We'll be fine. Go find Katherine."
Toby nodded back, and then him and Elena left the bar.
xxxx
Elowen was out of the car the second they pulled up to the cabin. All caution was out the window as she ran up to the door and pushed it open. The sight of Stefan tied to a chair, surrounded by a circle of herbs, should've worried her, but instead, relief flooded her face. Stefan saw her and couldn't help the grin that broke out on his face.
"Stefan! Oh my god." Elowen quickly crossed the room, trying to keep herself from crying. "You're okay. Sort of. What's going on?"
"You're really a sight for sore eyes, Elle," Stefan replied. "I'm glad that you're okay."
"You're glad that I'm okay? You're the one who was missing all summer! Seriously, though, what in the world have you gotten yourself into?"
Damon had finally caught up to her and entered the still open front door.
"Wen, I can't believe I have to say this, but diving head first into a suspicious cabin in the middle of the woods is how you get killed in horror movies. Whoa. Uh, want to explain what all this is?"
"Stefan was just about to tell me," Elowen said.
"Silas's ex girlfriend decided to come back from the other side," Stefan explained.
"Qetsiyah?" Elowen asked as Damon tried to untie Stefan from the chair.
"At least someone knows my name," a voice said from behind her. Elowen turned around and came face to face with Qetsiyah. She looked over at Damon.
"Take it from someone who also has a very uncommon name," Elowen replied. "I used to wish I was named Emma when I was a kid."
"Wen, would you stop indulging the bad guy for once?" Damon asked from behind her.
"Indulging the bad guy is how you're still standing, genius."
Qetsiyah looked at Damon from over Elowen's shoulder. "You won't be able to break those vines. The spell won't release him until I get what I want."
"Well, I guess the rumors are true. You are a ray of sunshine." Damon turned around to face Qetsiyah. "Question, why is my brother wearing your compost pile?"
"I'm going to link Stefan to Silas. Casting a spell on his doppelganger will neutralize Silas's mental powers. Once he's weakened, I will force him to take the cure."
"Well, that's a great idea, force the cure down his throat. The cure is gone, done, it's ingested."
"Katherine, you mean? I'm aware of her condition. She was supposed to be with you."
A look of confusion crossed Stefan's face.
"Wait. Katherine took the cure?"
Elowen grimaced. "Yeah, we have a lot to catch up on once we're out of here." She turned her attention to Qetsiyah. "I take it you're the one who planted those dreams."
"So, where is she?" Qetsiyah asked.
Damon and Elowen shared a look.
"We ran into a little snag," Damon responded.
"Then I'll get started without her."
She started to chant a spell over a bowl. Elowen nudged Damon.
"Okay, well, thanks for the hospitality, but we should really get going if we want to beat traffic," Damon said.
Elowen nodded at Damon. "Yeah, what he said."
"Probably don't wanna get on my bad side," Qetsiyah told them.
"You realize you're not the only one with a bad side, right?" Damon asked rhetorically. "And my girlfriend is sort of like… really strong."
Qetsiyah laughed. "Aren't you brave? And I'm assuming you mean the hundred dead witches she's been channeling that could kill her if she's not careful? Not so powerful sounding when it's put into perspective, is it? Without Silas's mental powers, he is an immortal nobody. We can defeat him. Isn't that what you want?"
"Just do it, alright?" Stefan spoke up. "Just get it over with. Do it."
Elowen opened her mouth to protest, but Stefan shot her a look. Instead, she took a step back, pulling Damon with her. Qetsiyah dipped her fingers in the bowl and then pressed her fingers against either side of Stefan's temples, chanting a spell. As soon as she touched him, Stefan gasped loudly and started yelling in pain. Elowen tried to step forward to stop Qetsiyah, but the circle of herbs suddenly caught fire, stopping her.
"What the hell are you doing to him?" Elowen asked hotly, causing Damon to grab her arm and pull her away from the flames before she did something stupid.
"I'm frying Silas's brain," Qetsiyah explained. "No one said it could be pretty."
Elowen started to struggle against Damon when Stefan began to bleed from his eyes. Stefan's head started to roll to the side as he lost consciousness, and Elowen struggled harder.
"Alright, we're done here," Damon said loudly, keeping his hold on Elowen.
"You're right. We're done." Qetsiyah let go of Stefan. "It worked."
The flames died down and Elowen immediately ran to Stefan's side, taking his face in her hands and lightly shaking him.
"Stefan. Stefan! Stefan, wake up." She turned to face Qetsiyah. "Whatever you did to him, undo it."
Qetsiyah rolled her eyes. "Relax. I just burned through his conscious mind. He'll wake… eventually. Are you sure you want to take him home? Because the second your save Stefan mission ends, you'll have to face what you've been putting off all summer. Josiah."
Elowen faltered at the sound of Josiah's name. Damon had walked over and started pulling the vines binding Stefan to the chair off, but looked over his shoulder.
"Spying on us from the other side?"
"Don't flatter yourself. It was like watching a soap opera, except boring and with no volume control. You know, there was one thing worse than being on the other side and watching Silas resist the cure."
"Oh, yeah? What was that, realizing your plan totally sucked?"
"Century after century, I watched versions of Stefan and Elena find each other, like magnets. Always the same story. Conquering all, falling in love. You didn't think your brother was Silas's first shadow? Destiny has been trying to get the doppelgangers together forever."
Elowen paused. Stefan had come back to Mystic Falls for Elena. He was interested in her first, and Elena had been interested back until she realized Elowen had caught his eye, but that was only after Elowen managed to befriend him first. In the beginning, Elowen had a suspicion that Elena was still secretly crushing on Stefan until Toby entered the picture, and maybe she had been right. Maybe what Qetsiyah was saying was true.
Damon looked over at Elowen.
"Don't let her get into your head. Destiny is a load of crap."
Qetsiyah studied Elowen for a moment.
"You don't want to hear it, but the universe is working against you, and you're starting to realize that, aren't you? You and I are the same, Elowen. The obstacle standing between two fates. You and Toby both. Silas had his true love, and Stefan has Elena. We're merely the conflict that makes it interesting." Qetsiyah's eyes flickered to Damon, who had stopped untying Stefan and was looking over now. "You've got to admit, deep down, you're still not okay with sharing your girlfriend with your brother. Part of you still wants her all to yourself."
"So, what are you suggesting?" Damon asked. "I leave him here with you while I run off and live happily ever after with Elowen?"
Qetsiyah shrugged. "I'd keep him safe."
"There's one problem," Elowen spoke up. "I'd never leave Stefan behind. Damon might, but I never would."
Elowen could feel Damon staring at her the second that sentence left her mouth. Qetsiyah sighed.
"It's a lost cause. The moment you and Toby are out of the way, Stefan and Elena will naturally find their way to each other."
"You don't know that."
"I've had a front row seat for the last 2,000 years. I think I know a thing or two."
"... No one would have to know?" Damon asked from behind Elowen after a beat of silence. Elowen whirled around to stare at Damon in disbelief.
"What?"
Qetsiyah and Damon ignored her.
"No one has to know."
Elowen started shaking her head.
"No! No, I'm not leaving him! Damon!"
Elowen tried to make a b-line for Stefan, but Damon grabbed her. She struggled against him, trying to push him away.
"Damon, stop! Damon, let me go! Damon!"
Damon walked over to Qetsiyah and pushed Elowen away from Stefan. She tripped and fell forward, landing onto the ground with a soft thump. She looked up at Damon in disbelief, who had stopped in front of Qetsiyah. He paused for a moment.
"... Or you could just go to hell," he said before his hand shot out to seize Qetsiyah's throat.
Elowen felt herself breathe a sigh of relief when she realized what was happening. Qetsiyah choked, but managed to cast a spell that caused Damon to release her and grab his head. She threw Damon off of her and turned to Elowen.
"Really a shame." She shook her head. "Your relationship is doomed. Don't say I didn't warn you."
Qetsiyah walked around Elowen and left the cabin. Elowen realized her two options were: go after Qetsiyah, or go to Stefan. You can imagine which one she went with. Elowen scrambled up to her feet and rushed back over to Stefan.
"Stefan! Hey! Stefan, hey. Stefan, can you hear me? Stefan! Wake up! Oh, please wake up. Don't be dead. I did not waste the last three months of my life for it to end like this!"
The door to the cabin opened from behind her and Elena and Toby came in.
"Oh my god," Toby said when he saw the scene in front of him. Elowen turned to face him.
"Toby, help me," she told him frantically, on the verge of tears. "Stefan won't wake up! Qetsiyah did something to him-"
"Qetsiyah?" Toby asked, cutting her off. "As in, Qetsiyah from the bedtime story Qetsiyah?"
Elowen nodded. "She's here, and she messed with Stefan's head, and-"
Damon groaned from his spot as he slowly pushed himself up.
"Just get Stefan back to the car," Damon spoke up with a cough. "We'll worry about everything else later."
Toby nodded and then walked over to haul Stefan onto his feet. Elowen took a deep breath and walked over to help Damon once Stefan was taken care of.
"Are you okay?"
Damon nodded.
"Yeah. Let's just get Stefan home."
"Okay."
Placing a comforting arm around her, Damon led Elowen over to the door to the cabin and they, along with Toby, Stefan and Elena, all piled into the car and left.
xxxx
Stefan lied on the couch in the living room, still unconscious. Toby and Elena had left awhile ago, so it was just him, Elowen and Damon. Elowen was sitting by Stefan's side, holding his hand. She remembered about his daylight and took it off her thumb so she could slip it back onto Stefan's finger. Damon walked into the room.
"Well, he's got his daylight ring back. We're all set for a picnic."
Elowen sighed and stood up. She turned to Damon and saw that he had a look on his face. She tilted her head.
"Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, everything's fine… it's just, what you said, back at the cabin, about how you'd never leave Stefan behind, but I might…"
"Oh." Elowen sighed. "I mean… you've done it before. I know you two have kind of patched things up, but… who's to say you won't do it again the second you two disagree on something? Something like… me."
Damon looked down at the ground and was silent for a moment.
"Qetsiyah was right," he said at last, looking back up at Elowen. "Part of me still hates that I have to share you."
"I know," Elowen replied quietly. "And I know that I would've torn you two apart if I chose one of you over the other, so I told myself a long time ago that if that ever started to happen, I'd choose neither of you. A girl isn't worth ruining brotherhood over, and you two idiots already did it once. I wasn't going to let history repeat itself."
"And that is what makes you different from Katherine."
Elowen could still see that he wanted to say something. She sighed.
"What is it, Damon?"
"Not to… you know… reopen old wounds, but… when you and your double were talking about Stefan and you were describing everything you loved about him and how he made you feel…"
"Stop," Elowen interrupted. "We're past this. I love the both of you. Yes, I loved Stefan first, and I love you two in different ways, but I don't love one more than the other."
"Are you sure about that? Because sometimes I feel like I'll always be second best. It'll always be Stefan."
"Damon." Elowen walked over to him and placed her hands on either side of his face. "You have to let this go. I get that it's an insecurity of yours, that you're used to not getting the girl, but I would never do that to you. Alright, yes, maybe Stefan and I have a connection that goes deeper than what we have, but that doesn't mean I love you any less. Like I said, Stefan came into my life when I needed someone the most. He reminded me that life was worth it."
"And what about me?"
Elowen gave a small smile.
"You made me question everything that I thought I knew, in a good way. You showed me how to look at things differently and to see things in a new light. You reminded me what having fun was like, showed me a little danger, how to live on the wild side. You both helped me, in drastically different ways with equally drastic techniques, but it wasn't all Stefan, Damon. You were there, too. You've been there for me, just like he has, and I'm forever grateful that I have you both, because sometimes I don't know what I'd do without you two."
Damon's hands came up to brush some of Elowen's curls from her face, and as he leaned down to kiss her, Stefan started to groan and stir on the couch. Elowen and Damon turned to see that Stefan was slowly standing up. Elowen started to smile at him, but her smile started to slip into a frown.
"Something's wrong," she mumbled to Damon. Damon looked down at her and then over at Stefan.
"You feeling okay, brother?"
Stefan looked over at them and confusion crossed his face. Elowen felt a sinking feeling in her stomach as she watched him look between her and Damon blankly.
"Uh… I'm sorry." Stefan shook his head. "I… I have no idea who you people are."
Elowen and Damon shared a look of surprise. Elowen opened her mouth.
"I told you something was wrong."
