The morning after learning about Mason, Elena, Jeremy and I were all in the bathroom talking. To say it was crowded was an understatement.
"I can't believe Tyler Lockwood is a werewolf." Jeremy said, thinking aloud.
"We're not sure about that yet. The only thing we know for sure is that Mason Lockwood is." Elena reminded him.
"It should be enough easy for us to figure it out." Jeremy said, making me stop brushing my hair.
"There is no us." I told him continuing my morning routine.
"Nicole's right, I said that I wouldn't keep things from you anymore. That doesn't mean that we want you involved in it." Elena told him.
"Elena and I have no choice, but you do. I don't want to take away what little normal life you may still be able to have." I told him.
"By definition of being in this family, I'm involved." Jeremy told us.
"This is dangerous, Jeremy. You have to stay out of it, okay?" Elena instructed him.
"Alright. Just saying." He said walking out.
"You know, you can't just order people around like that Elena. Someday it may come back to haunt you." I told her while starting on my make-up.
"I'm just worried about him and Jenna. Who know's what could happen once the Katherine problem is resolved." She told me.
"Easy. The new problem starts." I told her and she laughed going back to her room.
Elena and I rode together to the Mystic Falls Historical Society Volunteer Day thing at the park and waited for Mrs. Lockwood to finish her speech.
"This is all part of the historical society, continuing efforts to give back to the community. Thanks to the generous donation of the Fell family. We are now standing on the sight of our newest public park. Thank you to everyone who has shown up today to lend a helping hand. Thanks." We all applauded and went to work. Elena, Caroline and I were painting a veranda while talking about any issues we had, as we girls do.
"So suddenly, she's in the running for mother of the year just when I'm trying to avoid her the most. I'm babbling, you don't want to hear all this." Caroline said seeing her face.
"Oh, no, sorry. Then what happened?" Elena asked.
"Well, I was a bitch which is part of the course with us. So, how are things with you and Stefan? Anything?"
"No, not since the fight. He's been pushing me away because he thinks that Katherine might get jealous enough to hurt me. I just don't know how to change his mind."
"Katherine is dangerous." I reminded her.
"Maybe he's got a point." Caroline said.
"Yeah, I know that she's dangerous and I know that he's just trying to protect me but it feels like giving up and I just…" She broke off.
"Just what?" I asked.
"I just thought that we were stronger than that." I focused on the painting we were doing. I noticed Elena looking at Stefan and him looking back.
"Oh, oh. Longing looks are being exchanged." Caroline told her.
"I'm gonna go talk to him." She told us.
"No, Elena. I think it's a bad idea." Caroline told her but she left us only for Damon to join us.
"What's her problem?" he asked us.
"Don't worry about it." Caroline told him while I watched Elena.
"Why are you being such a bitch to your mom?" Damon asked Care.
"Don't worry about it." I told him going back to my work while listening to my sister and Stefan.
"Do you still care about Katherine?" she asked him.
"Don't do this. Please don't turn this into something that it's not." Stefan told her.
"So this is not for discussion. That's what you're saying?" She asked him again as we all listened.
"No, I'm saying that this isn't up for discussion right now because we have ears on us." Stefan said and the three of us pretended we weren't listening.
"Okay, when?" She asked wanting a definite time.
"I don't know." he told her continuing with his work.
"I saw her Stefan. It's like we are the same person. How could you hate her and be in love with me?" She asked and it definitely sounded confusing.
"You're reaching. I'm not… I'm not Damon." he told her, bringing his brother in one the argument.
"How about we don't bring Damon into this right now?"She asked him.
"You know, I can't… I can't do this anymore, Elena." He told her, but the way he told her made it sound like code or something.
"Fine, Stefan. Whatever." That was fake. I knew my sister.
"Relationships are about communication." Damon told us and Caroline left.
"And you got that all figured out, do you?" I asked him. My phone buzzed in my pocket. I looked at the message on it and was shocked.
I found you
"Everything ok?" he asked me.
"Yea. I'm going to make a quick call ok?" I didn't wait for his answer I just walked away from him. I made sure I was out of his hearing range. I called K.
"What is it?" K asked.
"I sent you a copy of a text I just received. They found me. What should I do?" I asked. We hadn't planned on this. As far as they know I was dead.
"Calm down. This changes nothing. Don't worry about them." K told me, trying to calm me down.
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"Yes, now calm down."
"Ok, I gotta go. We've this thing at the park."
"Ok, be careful." we hung up.
I watched Damon walk over to Mason. I walked over to both boys.
"Hello, Mason. Working hard?" Damon asked Mason.
"Doing my part." Mason simply answered him.
"I heard you talked to Stefan." Damon said.
"Nice guy." Mason commented.
"Yeah, a lot nicer than me." Damon pointed out.
"No kidding." I alerted them to my presence.
"Nice is overrated." Mason told us.
"That's what I think." Damon said, continuing the unless banter.
"You have a good day, Damon." Mason said smirking at the man next to me. He nodded his head my way and left leaving Stefan room to talk our ears off.
"Please tell me that you were just bonding."
"Of course, Stefan. What else would they be doing?" I asked him sarcastically.
"So what's up this faux drama in your relationship?" I knew it.
"What are you talking about?" Stefan asked him, but his voice gave everything away.
"Oh come on, Stefan. You and Elena don't fight, especially not over me." Damon pointed out.
"Drop it, Damon." I told him.
"With pleasure." He told me. A little girl walked up the three of us and I looked up to see the sheriff watching us.
"Would you like some lemonade?" She asked Damon, handing him the lemonade.
"Thank you, sweetie." He smiled at her and took the cup. She walked away and he took a drink but spit it back out.
"What's wrong?" Stefan asked trying to help him.
"Vervain. Vervain." I moved to grab a water while trying to see if anyone was watching us. When I moved back to Damon and I handed him the water and he chugged it down.
"I'm gonna kill him." Damon told us.
"Listen to me! Sit! Sit!" Stefan said, trying to calm him down a little.
"I'm not listening anymore of your "give peace a chance" crap. He's dead!" Damon told him angrily.
"Okay. I don't like it. He's making threats. He could expose us. We need to put him down." Stefan agreed.
"Alright. Let's do it." I said looking for Mason.
"Woah, Princess, what makes you think that you're coming with us?" Damon asked me.
"I just said I was." I told him.
"No you're not." Stefan told me.
"Make me stay." I told him, challenging them both. Damon looked behind me.
"Woods. Trash duty. Come on." Both Stefan and I followed him to the woods.
When we walked further in the woods we found Mason.
"Don't look so surprised. You knew this was inevitable. Go ahead, run. I'll give you a head start." Damon told him. Mason bent down and we were all shot.
When I woke up I heard Damon screaming.
"How did you fool us? How do you walk in the sun?" I heard Sheriff Forbes ask. I opened my eyes in time to see her shoot Stefan.
"Sheriff Forbes? What are you doing?" I asked her lightly. The pain in my stomach stopped me from moving around to much to see the boys.
"I will drag this out painfully." She said ignoring me.
"But you're my friend." I heard Damon tell her.
"Our friendship was a lie. Answer me and I'll kill you fast." She told him.
"Liz you need to call an ambulance for Nicole." Damon told her as I applied as much pressure to my stomach as I could.
"How stupid do you think I am? That's Katherine Pierce not Nicole Gilbert. Nicole died a few months ago." I laughed a little before crying out in pain.
"So that reached here, huh? Didn't expect that." I told her.
"Let's do this." She handed two of her deputies a stake and held on herself. "Each with a stake in the heart, then burn them all." We heard a noise at the entrance of the cell. "Check it out." She ordered. One of the deputies went to check it out. "Elena! What are you doing?" I looked and saw my sister and nearly cried out in joy of seeing her.
"You can't kill them. I'm not gonna let you." She told her. We heard another noise at the top then heard the door close by itself.
"What was that?" One of the deputies asked.
"Who else is with you?" the sheriff asked my sister. Elena never got to answer as both deputies fell and Caroline stood where the last one fell.
"Hi mom." She looked at her mom with blood dripping down her face.
Damon was then feeding on one of the deputies before giving me his blood to heal me. As he fed me his blood he looked at Stefan.
"You need to drink some deputy blood." He told his little brother.
"No. I'm gonna be fine. It's just gonna take a little bit longer." I pulled away from Damon's wrist and nodded at him in thanks.
"Damon's right you know. If there's ever time to break your diet…"
"He said he didn't want it, okay?" Elena interrupted Caroline as she sat next to Stefan, helping him clean up.
"This is a most unfortunate situation. Two deputies dead and you." Damon said looking at Liz. "What am I gonna do with you?" He asked her.
"You won't tell anyone, will you? Mom? Mom? Please. Look, I know that we don't get along and that you hate me but I'm your daughter and you'll do this for me, right? Mom, please. He will kill you." Caroline begged her.
"Then kill me." She said looking up at him.
"No!" Caroline told them.
"I can't take this. Kill me now." Liz told him.
"But you were gonna drag it out so painfully." He told her then pulled her up to face him forcefully.
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" Caroline begged, crying.
"Damon, don't!" Stefan told him.
"Damon, please!" Elena begged.
"Damon, no!" I ordered.
"Relax guys. No one is killing anybody." He told us then looked at Liz "You're my friend." He told her, then looked at the deputies on the ground. "We've got to clean this up."
"No shit." I told him.
At the Salvatore house Elena and I waited for Caroline to come back with luggage for her mom's stuff.
"Hey, sorry that took forever. I just didn't know how long my mom was gonna be here." she told us as she walked in.
"Damon says it'll take 3 days' tops for the vervain to leave her system. Maybe even sooner." Elena told her hopefully as Stefan joined us.
"Hey! You get some bunny in you?" Caroline asked him.
"Yeah, I'm feeling much better, thank you." Stefan told her.
"Come on, I'll go with you to see your mom." I told her and we walked to the basement cell.
"A stomach bug. Yeah, it came on fast. I'll definitely be out tomorrow." She was saying on the phone as we walked closer. "Or longer. I'll text you. Yeah. Good night" She hung up and I saw her give the phone to Damon.
"Thank you. It's not exactly the Ritz, but it's secure. Brought you a good thread count. And once the vervain is worked out of your system, I will compel you, you will forget everything and you will be a free woman." Damon told her as I walked in the cell.
"Can you keep Caroline far away from me please? I don't want to see her." She asked looking between Damon and myself.
"She's your daughter, Liz." Damon told her.
"Not anymore. My daughter's gone." She said looking down.
"You have no idea how wrong you are about that." He told her looking to the door.
I sat in the back looking at the moon. It was peaceful out which was almost the only reason I loved coming home.
"So, I heard this rumor today." I looked behind me to see Damon and rolled my eyes.
"And what would that be?" I asked him looking back to the moon.
"That you are dead." He said sitting next to me.
"In a way, I was." I told him.
"What happened?" he asked me and I looked at him.
"I had to get away from someone, so I faked my own death to get away." I told him.
"Why go that far? Why not just move away?" I smiled at the question.
"He wasn't the kind of man I could just move away from. Faking my death was the only way to come home." I told him looking back at the moon. We sat in silence for a while before I got up and left the house to walk home.
As I walked home my phone rang with an unknown number.
"Hello?" I answered it.
"Hello, Nicole." I froze. "Did you really think you could get away from me?"
"Well I obviously tried." I told the man on the phone. He was silent on the other end and I could almost hear his anger.
"I know where you are now. It wont take long for me to find exactly where you are every day." He told me and I looked to the ground in sadness.
"It wont matter, I don't want you around here." I told him. At those words I felt my chest tighten, so I did still...
"I'll see you soon lover."
