Aunt Jenna eventually asks why she hasn't seen Stefan around. Elena admits that she and Stefan broke up, and they hug and watch sappy movies and eat ice cream. (Stefan never does return to school. Elena can't help but miss him – but she's also glad that he's making the split easier for her.)
The weeks pass in a blur of classes, and volunteering, and research with Bonnie, Aunt Jenna, and Ric. Katherine appears to be keeping a low profile, at least for now.
Aunt Jenna and Ric occasionally meet Mason Lockwood for dinner or drinks at the Grill, even as they continue to try to figure out as much about werewolves as they can. The research is muddled. Some sources say silver is fatal to werewolves; others say that is just a myth. Some sources says aconite – wolfsbane – is the source of the werewolf curse, others say it prevents someone from being turned into a werewolf if they're bitten, and still others say it's toxic – that wolfsbane is to werewolves what vervain is to vampires.
Ric coats a few of his stakes and crossbow bolts in silver, and buys a set of silver knives, and they all start carrying wolfsbane around, just in case. Elena doesn't like the uncertainty, but Mason doesn't appear to present an immediate threat. (And Tyler seems just the same as ever when she sees him in school and around town.)
Part of her just wants to let sleeping dogs lie (pun very much intended). She sees no need to confront any werewolves – not when they can just carry silver and wolfsbane for protection and stay inside on the full moon.
And then one afternoon, Bonnie finds a sketch of Elena in one of Isobel's old books. Or at least – she finds a sketch of someone who looks iexactly/i like Elena. Elena wonders if it's supposed to be Katherine – or if there are yet more people walking around wearing her face. (Maybe there's a werewolf somewhere with her face as well?)
"The book says that a shaman cursed werewolves to only turn on a full moon, and vampires to be burned by the sun. It's called the Curse of the Sun and the Moon. According to this legend, the werewolf part of the curse is sealed with something called a moonstone, and the vampire part of the curse is sealed with the blood of a doppelganger," Bonnie tells them.
"Doppelganger?" Aunt Jenna asks, and Elena watches as she frowns down at the sketch of Elena's – or Katherine's – face. Bonnie nods and points to the sketch, her face solemn.
"Elena – and Katherine, I suppose. How old did Stefan say Katherine was?" Bonnie asks Elena.
"He told me that she turned around 1500 or so," Elena replies. "Why?"
"Because if this book is right, the legend pre-dates Katherine by a couple hundred years," Bonnie tells her.
"So there was another doppelganger before Katherine?" Ric speculates. Bonnie nods.
"If the book is right," Elena reminds them. "We've seen so much conflicting information.
"I've seen references to doppelganger blood before, as an ingredient in some very powerful spells and rituals – including curses," Bonnie admits. "And typically, to reverse a curse, you need the sealing object."
"You never mentioned it before," Ric says, almost accusingly.
"I just never knew what – who – the doppelganger was," Bonnie replies defensively. "Anyway, almost every grimoire where I've seen it mentioned described it as a very powerful sealing agent."
"Would Katherine's blood work too?" Aunt Jenna asks.
Bonnie shakes her head. "Not to break a curse as seemingly strong as the Sun and the Moon. I recall reading that ihuman/i doppelganger blood is the most powerful."
"If Katherine's blood won't work, maybe… maybe Katherine hasn't killed me because she needs my blood – whether to reverse the Curse of the Sun and the Moon, or for some other spell," Elena speculates. It's as good of an explanation as anyone has come up with so far – she knows she'd be dead at least twice over if Katherine wanted her to be.
"You don't think Katherine wants to reverse the curse?" Bonnie asks, her tone curious.
"Katherine can already walk in the sun, and she knows the secret of the daylight ring – she was the one who asked Emily Bennett to make Stefan a ring," Elena reasons, shying away from thoughts of the other vampire to whom Emily Bennett gave a daylight ring. "If I had to guess, Katherine likes having that advantage over other vampires. Why would she want to lift the curse?"
"According to this book, legend also says that if one side reverses their side of the curse, the other side is stuck with it – forever," Bonnie says. "Maybe Katherine wants to lift the curse for the vampires so the werewolves are stuck?"
"But the werewolf side wasn't sealed with doppelganger blood, right? That's that moonstone thing?" Aunt Jenna asks.
Bonnie points to a sketch of an oval stone. "Yes, the moonstone is what is supposedly sealing the werewolf side of the curse. If the curse is reversed for the werewolves, they could turn whenever they want, not just during the full moon."
"That sounds dangerous," Ric says, stating the obvious.
"For vampires especially, if Katherine was being honest when she said that a werewolf bite will kill a vampire," Elena points out.
"It also means that we have to assume that any werewolf who knows about the curse will want you dead," Bonnie points out. "No human doppelganger, no reversing the vampire curse. And remember at the picnic – Mason was looking at you weird."
Elena nods, remembering Mason's strange fixation on her face. Aunt Jenna curses, and Ric pulls her into a hug, murmuring something in her ear. She takes a deep breath, and nods – her expression becoming resolute.
"Maybe we should ask him?" she suggests.
"But if he doesn't actually know about the curse, we don't want to tip him off," Bonnie disagrees, shaking her head.
"Let's continue to wait and see about Mason," Elena tells them. "We don't want to make any more enemies if we can avoid it – Katherine is more than enough for me. What other kinds of spells and rituals use doppelganger blood?" she asks Bonnie.
"All sorts," Bonnie tells her. "I'll have to look through the grimoires again, but off the top of my head – spells for protection, rituals to boost physical or magical strength, linking spells, sealing spells."
"How much blood do those spells need?" Aunt Jenna asks, paling.
Bonnie doesn't respond right away, seemingly focused on the page with the sketch of Elena's face. Elena calls her name to get her attention, and they lock eyes. "It depends on the strength of the spell," Bonnie admits. "For something like a linking spell, a few drops might be enough. For an ancient curse like the Sun and Moon? Almost all of it."
Elena closes her eyes. Somehow, she isn't surprised. (Why should she get to live, when Jeremy and…)
"We're not going to let you die. So get that resigned look off your face right now," Aunt Jenna says fiercely, interrupting Elena's thoughts. When Elena opens her eyes, they're all staring at her.
"I'll figure something out," Bonnie promises. She swears it like an oath – like if she just believes enough, she can do anything.
She can. Bonnie can do anything. (The question is whether she will survive it.)
For now, Elena doesn't bother to argue. "You mentioned doppelganger blood being used in protection spells," she notes. "What kind?"
"I'll need to look through Emily's grimoire," Bonnie replies, her expression thoughtful. "I think she may have used Katherine's blood to make the Gilbert rings."
"I thought you said that human doppelganger blood is strongest?" Ric asks.
"From what I remember, it is," Bonnie tells him. "But Emily had access to Katherine. Vampire doppelganger blood probably isn't as powerful as human doppelganger blood, but some of the mystical properties might survive transition. That just means that if I use Elena's blood to make a token of protection, it should be even more powerful than the rings."
Elena goes to grab a knife. Before she can pull one from the butcher's block, Bonnie grabs her hand. "I don't need your blood yet," she says. "I'm going to read through Emily's grimoire to find the right spell, and I'll also need some sort of celestial event."
"Also, maybe let's use a needle to draw blood, instead of a knife," Aunt Jenna suggests, her tone not quite teasing.
Elena nods in agreement.
She doesn't say that she'd open her veins without a second thought for Bonnie, and Aunt Jenna, and Ric. It's true, but she knows they won't be comforted by the thought. (The same way Elena isn't comforted by the thought of Bonnie using too much magic for her, or Ric or Aunt Jenna trying to protect her.)
"Anyway, we're expected at the Lockwood Mansion soon to help set up for the Masquerade Ball," Aunt Jenna reminds them. "Mason – I think he's a good guy, Elena, but maybe keep your distance. And please don't go anywhere alone with him."
Elena agrees, promising to be careful.
Later, as Aunt Jenna and Elena are helping Mayor Lockwood "organize the volunteers" (that is, boss around the guys as they do the heavy lifting), Elena's phone beeps with an incoming text. It's Bonnie.
She just bumped into Mason and had a vision.
Elena and Bonnie lock eyes across the foyer, and Elena nods. She texts back to ask if it is an emergency, or if they can talk later. They still have no idea about the limits of werewolf hearing, and she doubts they want Mason (or Tyler) overhearing their conversation.
Bonnie indicates that it can wait, and Elena tries to turn her attention back to Mayor Lockwood and Aunt Jenna. She's only partially successful – hyperaware of Mason as he moves around the Lockwood Mansion on the Mayor's orders.
"What did you see?" Elena asks Bonnie later that night, after they walk inside Bonnie's bedroom and change into their pajamas.
"I saw him kissing you," Bonnie says, a curious look on her face.
Elena thinks for a moment. She doesn't say she wouldn't kiss Mason – there's nothing she wouldn't do to protect Bonnie or Aunt Jenna. If she needed to kiss him to distract him, or manipulate him…
"Me, or someone who looks like me?" Elena asks.
"Katherine," Bonnie practically growls. "Katherine told Stefan that vampires and werewolves are enemies – that a werewolf bite will kill a vampire. Why would she be kissing him?"
"Why does Katherine do anything?" Elena questions bitterly, allowing herself to fall back onto Bonnie's bed. "I'm sure she has another trick up her sleeve, somehow."
"They did get to town around the same time," Bonnie points out.
"And Mason was fixated on my face," Elena says. "He hadn't seen me since I was little – he probably wasn't expecting me to look like Katherine's twin." She sighs, texting Aunt Jenna and Ric that they need to all talk in the morning.
"If I can get close enough to touch his skin again, maybe I could get more information," Bonnie offers, lying down next to Elena.
Elena grips her hand and looks her in the eye. "It's too dangerous," she says. She doesn't know what she'd do if she lost Bonnie too.
"I didn't get the sense that he was… evil, or anything," Bonnie tells her. "Maybe if we told him the truth about Katherine, he'd help?"
"Maybe…" Elena responds. "We'll talk about it with Aunt Jenna and Ric tomorrow. Aunt Jenna knows him best."
"He was ikissing/i Katherine?" Aunt Jenna asks, a look of disgust on her face.
"Yeah, who'd want to kiss Katherine?" Elena tries to joke.
"She looks like a teenager – like you," Aunt Jenna says, clearly disturbed. "And if he's attracted to her, then he's attracted to you. He's thirty. He shouldn't be perving on my niece."
"She's 500 years old," Elena points out. "And she dresses differently than I do – she can pass for older than 17."
"Maybe 20," Ric scoffs. "But more importantly – this means that Mason might be working with Katherine. What do we do about that?"
"I need to talk to him," Aunt Jenna says. Elena protests immediately – it's too dangerous. "I won't go anywhere alone with him, but I need to talk to him," Aunt Jenna says again, a determined look on her face. "I'll ask him to meet me for a few drinks at the Grill."
Elena protests again, turning to Ric and Bonnie for support. They just look thoughtful.
"We could grab dinner at the same time. I'll give him an aneurysm if it looks like he's going to do anything," Bonnie says. "But maybe – maybe it's a good idea to try to talk to him before we go a more violent route?"
"Do you want me to come too?" Ric asks. Aunt Jenna shakes her head.
"No – you guys are becoming friends, but I've known Mason all my life. I think he's more likely to tell me the truth if you aren't there. And I don't want him to feel cornered," she explains.
Ric sighs, looking unhappy. He says he'll wait for her at the house, but asks that they reach out immediately if they think they'll need him. "And you're going to take wolfsbane and one of the silver knives," he says. "Just in case."
"Just in case," Aunt Jenna echoes.
Elena and Bonnie watch from a booth as Mason walks into the Grill, joining Jenna at the bar. Elena wishes she had super hearing right about now – or that Stefan was sitting next to her, telling her what Mason and Aunt Jenna are saying.
She appears to be easing him into it – Mason's body language stays relaxed and casual. After a while, he gets up, walking towards the restroom. Bonnie stands up too.
"What are you doing?!" Elena hisses, trying to grab Bonnie's hand as she walks away from their booth. Bonnie dodges her.
"Going to the bathroom," she says, her express too innocent to be real.
"I'll come with you," Elena offers immediately. Bonnie shakes her head and laughs as she says she's a big girl and promises she won't fall in. Matt stops by the booth to refill their water glasses before Elena can say anything else.
"Everything okay?" he asks quietly. Elena nods, not sure what to say to him. They haven't really talked since Caroline's funeral.
"I miss you, Lena," Matt tells her, after a moment of awkward silence.
"I miss you too," Elena responds, even as she looks over his shoulder towards the hallways that leads to the restrooms, waiting anxiously for Bonnie to come back.
"Maybe we can hang out some time, like we used to?" Matt offers tentatively. She sees Mason walk back to rejoin Aunt Jenna at the bar.
"I'd like that," Elena agrees, smiling at him and relaxing as Bonnie appears and starts walking back to their booth.
It's the truth. She wishes they could be friends again, like they were before they dated and had sex and messed everything up. But honestly, Matt's absence from her life has faded to a dull ache at this point.
At least he's still alive. (Unlike Jeremy, and her parents, and Caroline, and Uncle John…)
"I gotta get back to work, but I'll text you," Matt tells her, nodding at Bonnie as he moves to help another table.
"Well?" Elena asks as Bonnie sits down. Bonnie texts her that she bumped into Mason again and had another vision, but it isn't anything urgent. Elena nods, and the waitress brings their dinner as they go back to watching Mason and Aunt Jenna.
They're drinking coffee – the bill is already paid, but they drink slowly to stretch out their use of the booth – when Mason suddenly raises his voice. He jumps out of his bar stool, scowling at Aunt Jenna. She says something to him, a plaintive look on her face, but he just yells at her again, throws some cash on the bar, and leaves.
Elena and Bonnie get up and join Aunt Jenna at the bar.
"Everything okay?" Elena asks. Aunt Jenna just shakes her head.
"Let's go home," she murmurs, offering a weak smile to the bartender as she pays her tab. When she stands up, she's a bit unsteady on her feet, so Elena takes her keys and drives her home. She lets Bonnie take her car.
Ric meets them in the driveway, helping Aunt Jenna out of the car. She leans on him as the three of them walk back to the house. Elena walks in first, holding open the door for Ric and Aunt Jenna to follow.
As they pass the threshold, Aunt Jenna stumbles.
Just a little bit.
Just enough that Katherine - who appears behind them so suddenly – is able to grab the back of her shirt and pull her away from Ric and onto the front porch, away from the safety of the house.
