Caroline and Elowen sat across Enzo in a diner somewhere in Atlanta. Caroline was reading a newspaper and Elowen was going over the menu when Elowen's phone started to ring. She looked over and saw Sloan's name flash on the screen and she reached over for it, but Enzo beat her to it.

"Atlanta assassination squad," he answered. "How may we be of service?"

"I take it you haven't located the doppelganger yet?" Sloan asked in a slightly condescending, but also annoyed, voice.

"You told us to find a nameless paramedic that Elowen identified as Tom Avery who worked at Laurel Heights hospital with her late father, but when we went to check, they told us he hadn't worked there in years. It's not exactly as easy as it sounds."

"Which is why I'm calling. I just saw our doppelganger deliver a patient to Atlanta Metropolitan hospital."

"She did the vision thing again?!" Caroline asked angrily in a whisper, having been listening in to the conversation. Hearing this, Elowen snatched the phone from Enzo and put it to her ear.

"We had a deal. I find Tom to take care of our little problem and in return, you stop using Stefan to psychically doppel-bomb him, because every time you link the two, you are frying Stefan's brain."

"I don't give a damn about his brain. It's his blood that matters, and until Stefan and Elena are the last two doppelgangers on earth, their blood is useless to me, so you better believe I'll give Stefan a back alley lobotomy if you fail to kill Tom Avery."

"Funny, it sounded like you just tried to threaten me. I'm not even going to bother playing the witch name game, because you obviously know who my family is, but you want to know what I will say? I've killed more people than you can count on all your fingers and toes, and I have no problem bumping you up to the top of the kill list along with Tom, got it? Do it again, and I'll rip your tongue from your mouth."

Elowen hung up the phone and tossed her phone back onto the table. Enzo studied her for a moment before smirking.

"Well, that was sexy." He glanced at Caroline. "Wouldn't you say? I see why Damon likes you."

Elowen rolled her eyes. "Flirting with your best friend's ex girlfriend? You're all class, aren't you?"

"Ah, a little harmless flirting never hurt anyone, has it?"

"Oh, I'm sure it'll hurt you if Damon catches you." Elowen picked up the menu again. "I'm hungry. What do you think sounds good here?"

xxxx

Damon sat at the bar at The Grill, drinking shots. Matt was working behind the counter and Tyler sat next to him.

"The breakfast of champions," Tyler commented.

"Let me guess, this is about Elowen?" Matt asked.

"To answer your question, it's surprisingly no. My lovely ex girlfriend and I worked something out, and I am therefore not miserable. I'm here because said ex girlfriend, her best friend, and my friend are all off on some mystery mission, and Stefan is nowhere to be found. That means there is nobody in town worth my time, which catches us up to the present."

"Well, at least you're not looking for answers at the bottom of your glass," Tyler said.

"Are you trying to give me advice, despite running your own life into the ground? Because I don't need it. I have a brother with hero hair who has a couple of decades on you, hybrid, and he's a natural do-gooder. Just my luck."

Before anybody could respond, Liv came up and handed some money to Matt.

"Bottle of gin, and let me see you break the seal."

The three of them looked over at her in surprise. Liv shrugged.

"What can I say? I got issues."

Damon tilted his head. "You're Liv, right?"

Liv looked over at Damon. "Who's asking?"

"Damon Salvatore. Friend of Elowen's."

Liv looked Damon up and down. "Huh. Something tells me you're the something serious she just got out of."

"Guilty as charged."

"Hm. Thought she'd have better taste in men."

Matt handed over the bottle of gin and she took it. She glanced at Damon.

"Catch you never."

"Who is that?" Tyler asked once she was gone.

"That's Liv," Damon answered, watching her walk off. "Elowen's ex girlfriend."

Matt and Tyler looked over at Damon with wide eyes.

"What?" Matt asked. "Elowen has an ex girlfriend?"

"I didn't even know she swung both ways." Tyler shrugged. "That's kind of hot."

"Watch it, Lockwood," Damon warned. "Elowen playing both teams is her most well kept secret. You could've gotten a hot threesome out of Veronica if you hadn't screwed it up."

Tyler scowled. "I didn't screw it up. I was ran out of town, remember?"

"Right, and then she moved on with Katherine. Go figure. That must've been a hit to your ego." Damon took his last shot. "Well, boys, it's been nice, but it's time for me to take my leave."

He threw a couple of dollar bills onto the bar, and then got up and left.

xxxx

Caroline, Elowen and Enzo were at the hospital, looking for Tom. Caroline came back from the front desk and met up with Elowen and Enzo.

"So, the receptionist doesn't know Tom personally, but I compelled him to call someone who does."

Elowen nodded before wordlessly taking a seat in the waiting room. Enzo sat next to her and Caroline settled down on her other side, putting her in the middle of them. Elowen blew a raspberry and threw her head back on the chair, before feeling a set of eyes on her. She turned her head and found Enzo staring at her. Without saying anything, she went back up to looking at the ceiling. Enzo sighed loudly.

"Okay, I give up. I can't tell if you're avoiding the mission, or me."

"Just you," Elowen replied without looking back at Enzo.

"I'm rather offended. I believe I've earned some company, after hand delivering the antidote that kept Damon and Elena from eating any of your friends."

"That doesn't mean I have to like you. I've already made my opinion of you clear."

Caroline looked over at Enzo. "I still don't understand why you're even here."

Enzo shrugged. "Damon's trying to be a good boy these days, which means I'm in need of a new murder buddy."

Both Elowen and Caroline shot him unamused looks.

"I'm joking!" Enzo laughed. "A joke. British humor."

"I made nice with one of the most British men out there and I don't remember him being this dull," Elowen deadpanned. "He was actually fun."

"Again, offended."

"Try telling someone who cares."

"You know, something tells me that you'd be a wonderful torture partner if you weren't so judgy."

"I'm not judging. Judging means I would disapprove of your lifestyle. I don't. I'm just refusing to make friends with someone who's a bad influence on my ex boyfriend."

"Heavy emphasis on the ex."

"Ugh!" Caroline turned towards Elowen and Enzo. "Will you two cut it out? We're here to find Tom, not listen to you two bicker like an old married couple."

Enzo glanced at Caroline and sighed. "Fine. I'll knock it off, for your sake. You know, if we're being honest, you remind me of someone I once knew. She worked for the Augustine's."

Caroline blinked. "You mean she tortured you? What a compliment."

"Maggie was only there to observe my behavior in captivity. I quite liked her, actually."

"And let me guess, she made you want to be a better man."

"Not at all. She just reminded me that I was good all along."

This answer took Elowen and Caroline both off guard. They looked at Enzo before sharing a look, but neither of them could respond, because a doctor came walking up to them.

"You were asking about Tom Avery?" He asked.

Caroline, Enzo and Elowen all stood. Caroline nodded.

"Yes. We need to see him as soon as possible. It's a matter of life or death."

"I wish I could help. Tom Avery was a pain in my ass, but he was also the best paramedic I ever met."

Elowen tilted her head. "What do you mean 'was'?"

"He disappeared four months ago. No one knows where he is."

Elowen, Enzo and Caroline all shared a look before Elowen turned back to the doctor with a smile.

"Thank you. Sorry to take up your time."

The doctor nodded and walked off. Caroline huffed.

"Well that was a bust."

Elowen had already started walking towards a quieter corridor so she could call Stefan to update him on what was going on. When the phone answered, it was definitely not Stefan's voice on the other line.

"I hope you're calling me to tell me the doppelganger is dead," Sloan said.

Elowen sighed. "Your stupid doppel-visions gave us bad information. Put Stefan on the phone."

A second later, Stefan spoke up.

"Elowen, what happened?"

"Tom's been missing from the hospital for months. Is there any other things that you noticed in your visions? Any small details that could maybe help us out?"

"No, I can't remember anything. After the spell happened, it's like I blacked out."

"The link connects us to the doppelganger's mind," Sloan explained. "If we're seeing old memories, that means we have to go deeper."

"What? No, no. If he's blacking out, that means the link is destroying his memories."

Nobody said anything in response and a moment later, Elowen heard Stefan's cries of pain as Sloan began to cast the spell to link him to Tom once more.

"Stefan?" Elowen called out worriedly. "Stefan! Are you still with me?"

When she got no answer, Elowen felt herself start to panic.

"Stefan, I'm still here, okay? Listen to my voice. Can you hear me?" She asked emotionally. Behind her, Caroline watched on helplessly. Next to her, Enzo wore a sympathetic expression on his face. "I'm right here, okay? Just hold on."

Elowen's breathing picked up when she still didn't get a response, instead hearing more of Stefan's painful screams.

"Can you hear me? Just say something, please!"

The line went silent for a second, before Stefan's voice came through the line.

"Elowen, I'm here."

Elowen breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank god."

"6643 PeachTree Drive," Stefan told her. "There was, uh, a redheaded woman. Her name was Hazel."

Elowen nodded. "Thank you. I won't let you down."

"Elowen… he's a good person. Don't do it."

Elowen faltered slightly, but before she could respond, Sloan's voice cut in.

"Clock's ticking."

Then, she hung up.

xxxx

"You know, you two are lucky you're roaming around Atlanta with someone who grew up in the area," Elowen said to Caroline and Enzo as they walked up the walkway of 6643 PeachTree Drive. "I knew exactly where PeachTree was the second Stefan said it."

"Yay for us," Enzo commented sarcastically.

Elowen shot him a glare as they reached the door. Caroline reached for the mailbox and pulled some of the mail out.

"These look old," she mumbled. "Like, four months old."

Enzo grabbed onto the doorknob and turned, but found that the door was locked.

"70 years in a cage," he said. "You'd think I'd learn to pick a lock by now."

"Give me that." Elowen pushed his hand away from the knob and wrapped her fingers around it. She mumbled a spell under her breath and the sound of the lock clicking open was heard. She twisted the knob and the door swung open with a creak.

Enzo looked impressed. "Guess having a witch handy isn't so bad after all."

Elowen pretended to dust her hands off. "Thank you."

They all looked in the house and saw some kind of design etched into the flooring before their eyes came to rest on a red haired woman on her knees, her eyes a milky white. She was in a trace, seemingly performing a spell.

Caroline nodded at her. "Red hair. That's her. She's a witch." She stepped forward, but was stopped by an invincible force. "And she must own the house," she deducted in annoyance.

"And this is why you always bring around a non vampire when breaking and entering," Elowen remarked, stepping through the threshold. She walked over to Hazel and gave her a once over. "Sorry about this."

Caroline frowned. "Elowen, what are you-"

Before Caroline could finish her sentence, Elowen summoned a knife and plunged it into Hazel's throat. She fell over, dead, a second later.

"Now that's more like it," Enzo stated in approval, walking into the house.

"Why did you do that?" Caroline asked loudly, obviously not as happy as Enzo was. "She was our only lead!"

Elowen looked over at Caroline. "How else were you guys going to get into the house?"

"You could've searched around without us! Or woken her up from whatever deep sleep she was in!"

"When a witch is in self induced trance like that, there is no waking her up unless she brings herself out of it. Second, what's the point in bringing along two vampire bodyguards when you can't take them with you into a mysterious house that could potentially have enemies lurking in the shadows?"

"You're you! You could've taken them on by yourself! You and I both know that."

"I don't believe I agreed to being your vampire bodyguard," Enzo said as he stopped in front of Elowen. "But if it'll get you to speak to me, I'll take it."

Elowen smiled sarcastically. "Bodyguards don't have to-"

She stopped and started looking around the house. Enzo watched her in confusion.

"What?"

"Basement. Where's the basement?"

"What's the bloody basement got to do with any of this?"

"Someone's down there."

Without another word, Elowen walked off towards the basement. Enzo watched her intently before looking at Caroline. She shrugged.

"You're new here. Just trust her."

Caroline walked off to follow Elowen and a second later, Enzo followed after. They all carefully made their way down towards the basement, where they found someone lying on a cot with IV bags surrounding them. Upon closer inspection, they discovered that it was Tom Avery in some sort of coma.

"Why would a witch go to such lengths to keep a man alive and off the grid for four months?" Enzo asked.

"Four months ago, Silas died," Elowen explained. "The original Stefan-ganger."

"He's a dead ringer, alright. Or rather, soon to be dead."

Caroline walked over and crouched down next to Tom.

"Tom?" She called out, waving her hand in front of his face. "Tom? Tom Avery?"

Elowen came over and knelt down on the other side of the cot. "Caroline, I got this, okay? I'm the one who made the deal."

Caroline looked over at Elowen and gave a small nod. Silently, Elowen summoned another knife in her hand and held it over Tom's chest. She drew it back slightly and was about to stab him when he suddenly gasped and shot up, ripping the tubes out of his nose. Elowen quickly made the knife disappear before he could see it.

"What's happening?" Tom asked wildly, his eyes darting between Elowen, Caroline and Enzo. "Who are you people?"

"We're angels, mate," Enzo replied. "Come to deliver you to the sweet hereafter."

Caroline put her hands on Tom's shoulders and started to compel him.

"Calm down. You can trust me."

"Caroline, this is a bad idea," Elowen spoke up, worry in her voice. "We should just-"

"Ssh! Let me do this." Caroline focused her attention back on Tom. "I'm your friend and you mean the world to me. Do you trust me?"

"Of course," Tom responded automatically in a dazed voice.

"Good. Now, I promise, you won't feel a thing."

Before anything else could be said, Caroline sped over and snapped Enzo's neck. Elowen's eyes widened.

"Caroline! What the hell?"

"What's going on?" Tom asked, both in fear and confusion.

Caroline turned back towards Tom. "I'm getting you out of here."

Elowen shook her head. "Caroline, no-"

"Shut up," Caroline barked, causing Elowen to go silent in shock. Caroline crossed the room, grabbed onto Tom's arm, and pulled him to his feet. "Come on."

As Caroline was pulling Tom quickly towards the stairs, Elowen sighed, getting up.

"Caroline, wait up! I'm coming with. I promise I won't do anything."

Caroline looked over her shoulder. "Okay. Come on, quickly."

Together, the three of them rushed up the steps to the main house and hurried out the front door.

xxxx

Caroline and Elowen sat across from Tom in a random diner, watching Tom eat. Actually, the diner wasn't random, at least not to Elowen. She used to come here with Toby all the time when they were younger. It was walking distance from their school, and almost everyday, they'd come here to eat and maybe study a little bit if they remembered to, before either Esmeralda or Mick picked them up to bring them home. It became a little tradition of theirs, and a good escape for Elowen to stay away from Luis for longer periods of time. She remembered them having good milkshakes, so one was settled between Elowen's hands as she nursed the straw, chewing on the tip of it with the front of her teeth, while Tom talked.

"Hazel seemed nice, so you know, I figured, why not have dinner? So I showered, picked her up, and that was it. That was the last thing I remember for four months." Tom's eyes found Elowen's, which were spaced out. "I know you, don't I? You look familiar."

Caroline lightly elbowed Elowen in the side when she didn't answer. Elowen blinked, her eyes refocusing.

"Huh?"

"I said, you look familiar," Tom repeated. "Have we met?"

"Oh." Elowen laughed awkwardly. "Picture me with brown hair, dorky glasses and braces. I was 14, and you were fresh out of your paramedic program, brand new on the job at Laurel Heights."

"Laurel Heights. Wow, I haven't heard that name in awhile." Tom tilted his head as he quietly studied Elowen. "Yeah, I think I remember you now. You're Luis Ortiz's daughter, right?"

Elowen nodded. "We met once, at the hospital's Christmas party. You know, the one for charity?"

Tom's fingers snapped in recognition. "Yeah, that's right! Well, you certainly grew up to be a beautiful young woman."

Elowen tilted her head, grinning. "Are you trying to flirt with me, Tom?"

Tom grimaced. "That's weird, isn't it? I'm sorry. I'm almost a little too old for you, aren't I?"

Elowen laughed, shaking her head. "Nah. You're in luck, I like older men."

Tom smiled. "Perfect." He took a bite of his food. "So, I'm not exactly sure why I'm telling you my whole life story."

"It's because I compelled you to," Caroline explained. "And to stay calm and to not worry."

"Hm. Why do you want to know so much about me?"

Caroline shrugged. "I just want to make sure you're a good guy. No skeletons in the closet, that sort of thing."

"And?"

"And… you are just about one of the nicest people I've ever met."

"Well, likewise, because I do remember you saving my life, so, if there's anything I can do to repay you, let me know."

Caroline cleared her throat. "Um, what I need from you isn't something I can take."

Tom furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't understand."

"It's not something we can really explain," Elowen cut in quickly when she saw Caroline falter. "You just… remind us of someone who's really important to us."

"Well, he's one hell of a lucky guy."

"Yeah, well... he's my ex."

"Ouch. Well, he's an idiot for letting you go."

"Actually, I broke up with him. It's complicated."

"Ah, it's one of those. I was in one of those in college. It didn't end well."

Caroline suddenly leaned forward and looked into Tom's eyes.

"And you're going to get your chance to find happiness. You are going to get on a train, ride until you find a place you like; meet a pretty girl, settle down, and be happy for the rest of your long, long life."

"Caroline!" Elowen hissed under her breath as Tom merely smiled and went back to eating his food.

Caroline didn't look Elowen in the eyes, instead leaning back in her seat. Silence fell over their table, and nobody said anything else.

xxxx

Toby and Elena stood in the workshop at Mystic Falls high. Today had been Jeremy's parent/teacher conference when Elena stepped away for a split second. Liv found her and was seconds away from plunging a stake through her heart when Toby found her and knocked her unconscious. Now, Liv was tied to one of the workshop tables with a rag stuffed in her mouth. Damon entered the classroom and paused at the scene in front of him. He looked at Toby.

"Okay, wolf boy, explain. You said on the phone that you needed my help and that it was urgent. I'm here, and I'm a little confused."

Toby nodded at Liv. "She just tried to kill Elena. I'd like to know why."

"Oh, I get it. You want me to beat it out of her, because you're too squirmy to do it yourself. Well, I hate to break it to you, but I can't touch her."

"Come again?"

Damon sighed, pointing at Liv. "Meet Olivia Parker, Elowen's ex girlfriend."

Elena's eyes widened while Toby looked at Liv in surprise.

"Wait, you're Elowen's Liv?"

"Now do you see why I can't hurt her?" Damon asked. "I'm trying to get back into Elowen's good graces and if she found out I tortured her ex, I'd go back to the top of her shit list. I don't want that. You're on your own here."

Damon turned to leave, but Toby quickly stopped him.

"Wait!" He sighed. "Can you at least just help me interrogate her? Nobody has to get hurt."

Damon rolled his eyes. "Fine."

Damon walked back over and pulled the rag out of Liv's mouth.

"Talk."

Liv looked up at Damon, but didn't say anything.

"Okay, this was a bust. Bye!"

"Damon!" Toby hissed.

"Ugh." Damon turned towards Toby. "If I tell you how to effectively hurt somebody, will you follow my instructions?"

"Do I really have a choice?"

"Toby!" Elena shot him a look. "We can do this without hurting her!"

Toby gestured towards Liv. "She's not gonna talk! I have to do something."

"Ugh."

They all looked over at Liv.

"If I talk, will you guys shut up? You're giving me a migraine."

Damon crossed his arms. "We're listening."

"Elena's the last female doppelganger. After tonight, there might only be one male doppelganger, and if that happens," Liv looked over her shoulder at Elena, "the travelers will come for you, Elena, to use you. The witches can't let that happen."

"Don't hurt her!"

Damon, Toby, Elena and Liv all looked over as Adriana rushed in, followed by Jeremy.

"She can help," she said quickly. "Without her, Elena won't stand a chance."

"Adriana's right," Jeremy agreed. "Liv knows more than she's letting on."

"She tried to stake your sister," Toby pointed out. "If we let her go, she'll just try to do it again."

"No, she won't. She's gonna help keep Elena safe. Adriana and I will make sure of that."

Damon scoffed. "How? Something tells me that you can't even get a passing grade in penmanship!"

Jeremy looked over at Elena. "Trust me. I won't let anyone hurt you."

Elena shook her head. "Jer, after all of the things you've been pulling at school, how can I trust you? You haven't exactly been making good decisions, okay?"

Toby made a small noise of disapproval, but kept his mouth shut. Elena frowned and looked over at him.

"What?"

Toby cleared his throat. "It's just… not fair of you to expect him to focus on school when we always have some supernatural danger looming over us. I told you we should've just homeschooled him."

"Toby's right," Jeremy cut in before Elena could say something. "How do you expect me to care about school when this is my life? I mean, take a look around! It's not like I can bring my teachers a note saying, 'Hey, sorry I missed class today. We were under doppelganger invasion', but I know what I'm doing. Please."

Elena paused for a moment before sighing and walking past Toby.

"Let's go, Toby."

Toby's mouth dropped open. "Elena, you can't be serious!"

"Yes, less impressive version of Elowen," Damon piped up. "You're being stupid."

Elena turned to glare at Damon, before settling on Toby. "I trust him, okay? And right now, I really need you to trust me."

Toby stared at Elena for a second before giving in. He nodded, moving to leave with her. Damon rolled his eyes, but started to leave as well, leaving Jeremy, Adriana and Liv in the workshop.

xxxx

Caroline, Elowen and Tom all walked through an underground parking garage, walking towards their car. Caroline was in the front, followed by Tom, leaving Elowen in the back.

"I don't think I've ever eaten so much in my life," Tom said with a chuckle.

Caroline laughed as well. "Yeah, I don't think anyone has."

Silently, Elowen used her powers to summon a knife, her heart clenching at what she was about to do.

"I'm sorry," she spoke up suddenly, grabbing Tom's hair before he could turn around and yanking his head back so she could slit his throat. Caroline looked back a second too late. The knife sliced across his neck and blood sprayed in the air for a split second before Tom fell to his knees, falling face forward, dead.

"No!" Caroline yelled, darting down to his body. A pool of blood was spreading across the concrete, but Caroline didn't care about that. She looked up at Elowen. "Why the hell did you do that for?!"

Elowen kept her face neutral, but her eyes were glossed over with unshed tears. She hoped to god that her voice came out steady when she spoke. She wet her lips.

"It was him or Stefan, Caroline. I think my choice is obvious."

"Well, well, well."

Caroline and Elowen looked over and saw Enzo approaching them. His eyes were on Tom's body, before flickering up towards Elowen.

"Looks like you beat me to it, gorgeous. I didn't doubt you for a second." He glanced at Caroline. "Her, maybe, but you? Never."

"You're welcome," Elowen told Enzo emotionlessly, keeping her eyes off of Tom. She knew that if she looked down at his face, saw how his eyes were open in a frozen state of shock, she would lose it. Enzo tilted his head at Elowen.

"What for?"

"You're here because the travelers promised to tell you where Maggie was if Tom died. You were the backup plan. If I failed, then you would've stepped up to the plate." She looked over at Enzo. "So, you're welcome. Go find her. You deserve it."

Without another word, Elowen turned and walked past Caroline towards their car, leaving Tom's body sitting there in the empty parking garage.

xxxx

Elowen made her way through the junkyard the travelers had settled down in that was just outside Mystic Falls. She found Stefan, alone, lying in the back of an abandoned car.

"Stefan?" She called out softly. "Hey."

Stefan looked up at her. "Hey."

Elowen crawled into the back with Stefan and laid down next to him. She stared out the top of the car at the stars twinkling in the sky, just thinking. Stefan studied her for a minute before trying to say anything.

"Are you…?"

"No," Elowen whispered. "That was one of the hardest kills I've ever had to do. Harder than those two dozen high school kids." She turned her head to look at Stefan. "Caroline… she compelled Tom to be our friend and I got to know him as a person. If she hadn't done that and I killed him when he was just a stranger, it wouldn't have been so bad. I don't blame her in any way, she was just… being Caroline, but…" She closed her eyes. "Stefan, Caroline compelled Tom to leave town and live this happy life." She opened her eyes, and Stefan found that they were watery with tears. "And I promised her that I wasn't going to hurt him, but I did anyway. And then… Tom, he remembered who I was."

"Right. You said that you knew him."

"Sort of. I met him for maybe five minutes and spoke three words to him. Hi, an introduction, and then bye. Luis dragged us to this charity Christmas event at the hospital so he could show off his perfect family, and I hid in the bathroom for most of it. When we got home, he got mad at me for disappearing. I had a black eye when I went to bed that night. It's why I didn't recognize you on the first day of school. The meeting had been so brief that I didn't remember him."

Elowen blinked and a tear spilled over. She sniffled, wiping it away quickly. Stefan reached out and gently caressed her face.

"Hey," he said quietly. He waited until she looked up at him. "It's okay to feel guilty. I know that it's easier to feel detached from the situation and to not care, but sometimes allowing yourself to feel those things is better than blocking them out. Emotions are powerful, and it's what makes us who we are. I've spent decades falling off the wagon and getting back on again because I was consumed with guilt, and instead of learning to cope with it, I would take the easy way out. I would turn it off. Truth is, it's a cheat. You're just avoiding the inevitable. You need to accept what you did, accept that what you're feeling as the aftermath is okay and only normal, and learn to move on. It's not easy, but you're not alone. I'll always be here for you. Always."

Elowen rolled onto her side and naturally cuddled into Stefan. He didn't mind, wrapping his arms around her and bringing her closer into him without a word.

"I'll figure out how to get you out of here," Elowen mumbled against Stefan's chest. "I promise."

"We'll do it together." Stefan's voice vibrated against Elowen, comforting her into tranquility. "We gather our strength and wait for an opportunity to get the hell out of here."

'I love you' hung on the tip of Elowen's tongue, but she decided not to say it. She didn't need to. Stefan knew, and she knew that he knew, so she kept quiet. Instead, she snuggled her face into the crook of Stefan's neck and closed her eyes.

"Goodnight," she said quietly.

Stefan looked down at her sleeping form and smiled.

"Goodnight."

xxxx

Sometime later, Elowen and Stefan were woken up by the sound of the travelers chanting. Stefan's arm had been draped around Elowen's waist and her hand had been holding his, but they detangled from each other and sat up in confusion.

"What the hell is that?" Elowen asked with a frown.

Her and Stefan both got up and out of the car to investigate. They quietly ducked behind the other cars and pieces of junk until they reached where the travelers were. The chanting got louder and louder as they approached, before the group came into sight. Hiding between two other abandoned cars, they watched as the travelers passed around two buckets and all drank from it.

"Those buckets," Stefan mumbled. "They're drinking my blood, and Elena's."

"Oh my god," Elowen breathed.

Sloan walked over to the fire with a torch and lit it, before walking over to a man and setting him on fire. Suddenly, everyone else went up in flames. Their screams of pain echoed in the night, and Elowen had to stop herself from cringing.

"This is it." Stefan held out his hand. "Here, take my hand."

Without hesitation, Elowen grabbed onto Stefan and he quickly sped them off and away from the junkyard, back towards Mystic Falls to safety.