Review responses:

Only reviewer: Yeah, Katherine's just none stop in this part of the story, as you're about to see. She just won't stop! And Scarlett's problems are just getting started...

LoveDesanta: Thanks for the compliment! I'm glad you enjoyed the first story and this one so far! The Katherine/Sarah moments are ones I"m proud of and love to write so I'm super glad that you're enjoying them, there's another one up ahead here. I imagine Jeremy will be pretty jealous too...but I do love writing them as a couple, although that's about to get a whole lot more complicated. What I'm probably leading up to is Sarah/Elena (or Sarena), but it's going to be a slow burn if I commit to it. Although I guess you could say there will be hints of Katherine/Sarah (Don't have a name for them, Sarena was suggested by a reviewer a while back so I'm just letting people who review come up with the ship names). And I have other plans for Caroline ;)

First off, sorry this is a day late! I promise I'll make it up to you guys, and thank you all for being patient with me.

So this one goes down two very different roads, as you're about to find out. We're diving a bit into Sarah's past, to which I'll be curious to see how people react. And we've got a lot of...awkward moments for Scarlett, in light of what happened in the last chapter. Like I said, things are about to become very difficult for her. But at leas things might be looking up for Sarah...?

So if you have any questions or opinions you want to leave behind, please do, or PM if you prefer. I do my best to reply to everyone and I love having little chats with you all. Again, sorry for the late upload, but hopefully it'll be worth it. So enjoy!

Chapter 7: Memory Lane

Sarah's eyes moved to the door, the easiest escape route. She could probably make it if she was quick enough, but not with Caroline. In fact she couldn't visualise her and Caroline getting out together. But she couldn't just leave her. She was her friend now, and even if she wasn't she wouldn't want to leave anyone with Katherine. Even so they had to get out of here, being along with Katherine was never good and even with Caroline's help there was no way they could take on Katherine. For one thing, Caroline didn't know how to fight…but she did know how to run.

It wasn't a great plan by any means but it was the one she was going with and hopefully Caroline wouldn't let her down. Turning her gaze back on the smirking Katherine, sat at the end of the bed, Sarah leapt from her curled up position hoping to catch the vampire off guard. It failed as she'd expected it too. Katherine had the speed and the strength, both of which she utilised by catching Sarah in mid lunge before whirling around the room in a blur and shoving Sarah against the wall. "Window!" Sarah shouted with a direct look to Caroline. She got the message and ran.

Sarah did what she could to hold on, but Katherine discarded her with ease as she threw her into the corner of the room. By that point, Caroline was halfway out the window, when Katherine suddenly grabbed her ankle and swiftly pulled her back in. She groaned timidly from where she'd landed against her bed, before Katherine then yanked her up by her blonde hair. "Now, Caroline. I didn't say you could leave you," Katherine said, her voice darkening with each word as the frightened girl looked up at the superior vampire.

Again Sarah raced across the room trying to get the jump, but Katherine merely threw Caroline into her. Both girls toppled backwards, hitting the wall so hard that one of Caroline's bookshelves broke, causing several of her favourite childhood books to land on their heads with series of loud thuds. Both groaned, rubbing their heads as they straightened up against the wall, looking up as Katherine's shadow consumed them.

"Well," Katherine spoke up with a chuckle. "That was entertaining… But now we need to get down to business." Before Sarah could object, Katherine pulled Caroline up to her feet and rammed her hand into Caroline's chest forcing the poor blonde to cry out in pain. Sarah knew what she was doing. Without hesitating she jumped up to stop her when Katherine kicked her back down, stamping on Sarah's leg to make sure she remained seated. Bitting down on her lip, she held back a groan of pain. Katherine hadn't broken the leg, but even so it still hurt like hell having her press down on it.

"Now, let me make myself clear," Katherine said aloud over Caroline's whimpers of pain. "I'm the boss around here. You and Caroline, work for me. Do what I want. Everybody gets a happy ending. Don't…" Katherine tightened her grasp on Caroline's heart, causing the girl to scream in pain as she tried to remain still and not lose her heart.

"Alright! You've made your point," Sarah said in defeat from the ground. But that didn't seem to be enough to satisfy Katherine. Now done with her visual aid, she released her hold on Caroline's heart and shoved her off to the side. She landed against the next wall, arms wrapped around her blood stained nighty as she waited for the hole in her chest to heal.

While that was going on, Katherine grabbed Sarah and pulled her up before shoving her against the wall once more, firmly holding her there with a firm grasp around her throat. Sarah fought back for a moment but stopped struggling when she realised it was futile. "Here's the thing, Sarah. I don't think I have made my point. Now, you don't seem to respect the chain of command. It goes, me, you, Caroline." As Katherine listed of the names, she held up a finger on her free hand for each one. "You seem to understand that you're above Caroline. You don't seem to understand that I'm above you. So I think it's time I taught you to respect your elders."

With that she released Sarah, letting her fall to her knees. As Sarah coughed and spluttered on the ground, Katherine checked over her nails, making sure she hadn't damaged them when strangling Sarah. Looking up, Sarah felt her eyes heat up with angry hot tears. She was past her breaking point. She couldn't keep up with this witch any longer. Katherine was single handedly ruining her life, and for what?

"Why?" Sarah whimpered as the first of her tears started to fall. She caught Katherine's attention, but she just glanced down, seemingly uninterested by Sarah's tears. It wasn't like she hadn't seen them before. "Why do you keep doing this to me? Why do keep tormenting me? Why you keep forcing me to play your stupid games? Why do you keep tearing my family apart?! Why do you keep insist on making my life a living hell?! Just why?! Why ME?!" Sarah cried out as curled up on the floor like a petrified child.

Katherine just smiled fondly down at her. "You're so cute when you're crying," she said with a light giggle as she tilted her head. Her manipulative brown eyes watching gleefully as Sarah broke down in front of her. For her it was probably just like old times. Well Sarah was done, she refused to let Katherine walk all over her anymore. This time she was going to get up and she was going to stand her ground. She was done letting Katherine win.

"I'm not doing this anymore," Sarah declared as she stood up, facing off against Katherine who just grinned back, enjoying the show. "I'm done being you puppet and I'm not letting you use me anymore."

"And are you willing to let people die for that decision?" Katherine asked with an intrigued look in her eye, her smile turning into a knowing one.

"I won't let you kill Caroline," Sarah said as she stepped around, now between Katherine and Caroline. She knew Caroline was smiling behind, overjoyed that someone was standing up to Katherine for her. "I'm not going to let you torment her like you did to me for my entire vampire life," Sarah said firmly, the final tears vanishing from her eyes as a fire lit up inside her. The fire that should have never gone out inside her.

"That's very sweet, Sarah," Katherine said patronisingly before a grin began to form. "But I wasn't actually talking about Caroline, or even Damon for that matter. In fact, this person hasn't even stepped foot in Mystic Falls." The fire began to weaken inside Sarah's chest. "Tell me, does the name…Ronnie, ring a bell."

Sarah's heart stopped, her voice going quiet, a reflection on how she felt. "How do you know about him?"

"Oh, Sarah. I know everything about you. I thought you would have figured that out by now." Katherine sighed in delight, having once again beaten Sarah down the way she always loved too.

"Where is he? What have you done to him?" Sarah demanded. Although the thick layer of concern in her voice made her sound like a frightened child rather than someone that was standing up to the devil. She couldn't help it though. She would have thought of all people, Ronnie would have been safe from Katherine's clutches, she'd all but pushed him to the back of her mind and yet Katherine still knew about him.

"Nothing…yet," Katherine answered with a smirk. "But in a couple of hours, he'll be dead." Sarah gasped in horror, hand covering her mouth as a new set of tears pricked her eyes. "Unless you can get to him first of course."

"Where is he?" Sarah pleaded. She'd forgotten about everything else going on in that moment. About the terrified Caroline crouched in the corner behind, about how Katherine was manipulating her. All she could think about was Ronnie and how she had to save from Katherine. It was her fault after all his life was now in danger. It was always her fault.

"You ready to play by my rules now?" Katherine asked playfully.

"Where is he?" Sarah repeated, begging now. She just needed to save him. That was it. Save him and warn him before coming straight back to Mystic Falls. But she couldn't abandon him, not after everything they'd been through together.

"Understand the chain of command now?" Katherine asked, clearly enjoying herself and the power she had.

Seeing no other way out, Sarah caved. "Yes. Okay, yes, I understand, and I promise I won't challenge you again. I'll do whatever you want, I'll play by your rules, just tell me where he is, please!"

"That's more like it, Sarah," Katherine said pleasantly. "You'll find him in Asheville, Carolina. Although if I were you I'd hurry up. Tick, tock," Katherine said with a sharp move of her finger to show the passage of time. "In fact you might even what to take that bike of yours. Your…'Baby'?" Sarah didn't have time to listen to Katherine play more head games with her. She could figure out how she knew all this later, though the obvious answer was Caroline had told her about the bike.

Without thinking she ran from the room, leaving Caroline behind. It shamed her, but she had to believe Katherine wasn't going to kill her. She didn't want to chose between Ronnie and Caroline. If that had been Katherine's goal she'd completely missed it. She was just too hanged up on Ronnie. Katherine had told her she'd been watching her and Stefan for a long time, but if she knew about Ronnie then she must have been watching her even more than she feared. But she'd have time later to think about just how much Katherine knew.

For now she ran, ran until she reached her home, heading straight for the garage. Throwing open the shutter she then whisked off the tarp that covered her beautiful cherry red bike. She might have smiled at the sight had she not been in such a hurry. Grabbing the black helmet from the nearby shelve, she fastened it on before climbing onto her bike and raving the engine. She then let loose, gliding out the garage before swerving around the driveway and racing off towards the main road.

Scarlett had decided she was staying in bed. How could she get up after what she'd done. Just thinking about it made her sick, guilty and want to cry. Not because of anything Mason had done, she only half blamed him. The other half of the blame fell on her. She just couldn't stand to think about how Jeremy was going to take this. It would break his heart, she'd break his heart. Thinking abut it was killing her but she was going to have to tell him at some point.

She kept telling herself she was locking herself in her bedroom as punishment for what she'd done to Jeremy. But really, it was more than likely because she didn't want to face him. She'd betrayed him. After he'd forgiven her and trusted her with so much, after he kept all her secrets and given her whatever she wanted. She couldn't even stand to look at herself in the mirror. She'd spent the whole night facing the door to her room, her back to the window and the mirror next to it.

Unfortunately the ringing phone meant she had to roll over. Buzzing repetitively along her nightstand, getting angry and louder until finally Scarlett couldn't ignore it any longer. In a huff she rolled over grabbing the phone and glancing at the caller. The screen said it was 'Jeremy's house' and that it was almost noon. It struck her as a little odd that Jeremy would be calling her from his house phone rather than his own phone. But she was going to have to talk to him sooner or later, and currently she would rather talk to him without being in the same room as him. At least that way she wouldn't have to look him in the eye when she lied.

Finally she answered, rolling onto her back as she stared up at the ceiling with the phone against her ear. "Hello?"

"Scarlett, hey, I need a favour?"

Frowning, Scarlett said, "Jenna?" in confusion.

"Yeah, hi," Jenna replied in a friendly tone.

"Why are you calling me?"

"Well I'm having this barbecue, and I kinda need you to come over and help me out," Jenna said a little sheepishly.

"Will Jeremy be there?" Scarlett asked, doing her best to hide her nerves.

"No. He's working on this big project with some guys from school, but you're still welcome to come over."

"I don't know, Jenna…" Scarlett said uncertainly. True it was more enticing knowing Jeremy wouldn't be there, but if he wasn't she couldn't see much point in going. Not when she could spend the rest of the day in her room hating herself.

"Please, Scarlett," Jenna begged. "I already tried Sarah and she's not picking up and I really need more girls at this thing. So far it's looking like a sausage only barbecue."

"Should you be talking to a teenage girl like that?" Scarlett asked, stifling a laugh.

"You're dating my nephew, I'll talk to you however I like," Jenna retorted with a laugh of her own. "Come on, you'll enjoy it, I promise."

"Alright fine," Scarlett sighed.

"Yes," Jenna said triumphantly down the line. "I'll see you in a couple hours." Scarlett smiled before then hanging up and dropping the phone back onto her night stand. She was careful not to look in the mirror as she did, rolling back over only to find Elena standing in her door way.

"Hey, Elena. I think Stefan's up in his room," Scarlett said without a second glance as she made herself comfy. When she didn't hear a reply she opened her eyes and saw Elena smirking at her, almost smugly. It wasn't a look that suited Elena or did her any favours. "You alright?" Scarlett asked with a frown. Still Elena didn't answer as she stepped into the room, her heels clicking on the floorboards.

It was then as she got closer, Scarlett got a whiff of her scent. The perfumes and makeup products all smelled the same, but the basic scent beneath all that was…strange. It didn't add up to what Scarlett considered to be Elena's scent. Maybe it was just the extra products she had on, though it all seemed a bit much for Elena. "You seem a little confused," Elena said with a smirk as Scarlett frowned. "Let me explain. You might remember me from the night you and little Gilbert shared a bed for the first time." It took a minute but eventually it clicked in Scarlett's head. "Hello, Scarlett. My name is Katherine Pierce."

Scarlett knew exactly who she was. The woman who had tormented Sarah and made her life a misery every time she showed up. The protective instinct inside of Scarlett kicked in and she leapt from her bed, fully intent on killing Katherine then and there. And with her lethal bite, she could. One bite and the most evil vampire in history was done for. She let her eyes flash amber in rage and had expected her canines and claws to follow suit. But they didn't.

In fact she felt weaker than usual and her eyes weren't glowing nearly as brightly. She was actually moving so slowly that she was able to watch Katherine smirk away for a whole second before the vampire kicked her back down onto the bed. Landing safely on the bed, Scarlett looked down at her body only to find that her necklace was gone. As a rule she never took it off, even when sleeping and she always checked every morning she still had it. But right when she needed it the most it was gone.

"You know, you really should be more careful with this." Scarlett looked up at Katherine, holding the necklace in her hand, admiring the slim black crystal. "I mean, anyone could steal it, like say, me." She giggled, amused at her own joke. But even without her extra werewolf powers, Scarlett wasn't about to let Katherine get away with everything she'd done. It was just personal now because she'd taken Scarlett's necklace.

She clambered over the bed and ran at Katherine who whacked her aside with ease. It had hardly been anything, and yet Scarlett found herself crashing into her desk before Katherine was over her once more. Pressing the heel of her shoe down on Scarlett's neck. The teenage werewolf tried to get up, but Katherine had the strength and weight to hold her down without even batting an eye. Even so Scarlett refused to back down and continued to lash out, using everything she had to try and move Katherine's immoveable shoe from her neck.

"I've got to say, I like the fight in you," Katherine said with an admiring smile. "I can see why Sarah likes you."

"Listen you crazy bitch. You better tell me what you're doing here or else I swear to God I'll…" The last of Scarlett's words vanished into thin air as Katherine pressed down on her throat, cutting her off.

"Although that mouth of yours can sure get annoying," Katherine said disappointedly, irritation crossing her face as she stared down at Scarlett. "But at least Sarah wouldn't have to listen to it for a while."

"Where…is she…?" Scarlett croaked out, still refusing to give in.

"She's fine. I just sent her on a trip down memory line," Katherine said, sounding quite pleased with herself. "Now, what should I do with you until she gets back?" Katherine wondered aloud as leaned down, soaking up the power she held as Scarlett continued to definitely struggle. She wasn't going to give Katherine the satisfaction.

"Let her go, Katherine," Stefan ordered from the doorway, ready to run over and intervene should Katherine not do as she was told. Thankfully though, Katherine was happy to play along to Stefan's tune – for now at least – grinning away as she removed her heel from Scarlett, who gasped for air as she sat up. Katherine paid her no attention though, her entire focus on Stefan as she stepped towards him, crossing her arms. Scarlett's necklace still in hand.

"What have you done with Sarah?' Stefan asked simply, not giving into Katherine games like he had before. Not until he knew his sister was safe from Katherine's clutches. He wouldn't be made the fool again.

"How about you ask nicely and then I'll consider answering?" Katherine suggested, folding her arms as she patiently waited for Stefan to play along. With a glare, his jaw clicked to the side before he let out a heavy breath through his noise. He was going to cave, Scarlett could see it. There wasn't much else he could do and she wasn't any help, not without her necklace. All she could do was sit on the floor like some weak little child and watch the grownups do all the talking.

"Katherine…could you please tell me where my sister is?" Stefan asked grudgingly.

Katherine beamed back in delight before saying, "Anything for you Stefan." Since Stefan couldn't roll his eyes in front of Katherine, Scarlett did it for him. "You remember Ronnie, right?" Stefan tensed at that, making Scarlett frown, curiosity growing at this new player in the game.

"Yes… How do you know about him?" Stefan asked slowly, clearly trying to get ahead of Katherine and her mind games.

"Who's Ronnie?" Scarlett cut in, eager to get involved in the conversation and get some answers.

"He's an old…" He hesitated, eyes narrowing on Katherine as he contemplated revealing the whole truth. He didn't know how much Katherine knew about Ronnie and didn't want to give her anything else to use against his sister.

"Let me, Stefan," Katherine said dramatically as she placed her hand on her chest, turning to face Scarlett with a knowing grin, happy to have the spotlight on her. "Ronnie Gibson – Really good looking guy – Is an old flame of Sarah's. They've been on and off over the years and almost got engaged once…right, Stefan?" She looked back over, confidence flowing off her in waves as she grinned at Stefan. He could only glare back in defeat. Yet again Katherine was ahead of them and knew more than they did.

Seeing Scarlett's questioning gaze on him, Stefan slowly nodded, his eyes remaining on Katherine who soaked up his defeated odder happily. "If you ask me though, it was never going to work. Hardly surprising Sarah turned him down. She just doesn't have it in her. But she'll realise that soon enough."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Stefan with his questioning glare as he stepped towards the older vampire. Katherine didn't even glance his way, turning to Scarlett instead, amusement leaving her eyes. Scarlett was now beginning to realise just what kind of woman Katherine was. One that did what she wanted and only answered when she felt like it. She had all the power and she was damn well going to use it, just like she was just now. Stefan had no control, Katherine was walking all over him and Scarlett, anyone could see that.

"Why don't you go out for a walk or something?" Katherine suggested to Scarlett, making a point to ignore Stefan and his glare. "Or better yet, go to Jenna's barbecue. To be honest I don't care where you go as long as you give me and Stefan some alone time."

Her flirtatious look too Stefan quickly vanished when Scarlett spoke up in defiance. "I live here. If anyone's leaving then it's you Bitch." Katherine turned swiftly back on Scarlett, a scowl forming. Scarlett wasn't intimidated…at least until Katherine's eyes began to fill with blood and the veins around them turned a throbbing black. She faced off against vampire's before, but Katherine was something else. Her glare alone was enough to kill, especially with her reputation to back her up.

"It's fine, Scarlett. Katherine's my guest," Stefan said with a plastered smile. Scarlett glared at him, unable to believe he was defending this evil woman. Katherine on the other hand was every pleased with Stefan and turned to him with a smile, her features returning to their natural beauty.

"Thank you, Stefan."

Stefan forced himself to continue smiling before turning back to Scarlett. "I can take care of this. You just go and relax for a bit. You look like you need it." It was nice that Stefan was noticing her drained state and was trying to help, but she didn't feel comfortable leaving him with Katherine. Sarah wouldn't. And since she was going after this Ronnie, it was up to Scarlett to protect her brother until she got back.

"Stefan–"

"Go," he interrupted firmly before lowering his head to give her a pointed look. "I'll be fine. I promise." Scarlett trusted him. She didn't trust Katherine who seemed all to happy that things were going her way. And if Scarlett had learnt anything from the stories she'd heard about Katherine Pierce, it was never a good thing when she got her way. But she did trust Stefan and he clearly wanted her to go. She just hoped he knew what he was doing.

Grudgingly, Scarlett got up from the floor, heading for the door until she stopped, turning back to face Katherine. She held out her hand, meeting Katherine's gleefully eyes. "My necklace," she said simply, refusing to take one more step until Katherine gave back what was hers.

"Of course," Katherine said with a pleasant smile, before dropping the necklace into Scarlett's palm. "Oh! And before I forget," Katherine explained with a grin that screamed checkmate. "I've compelled one of your boyfriend's little friends to kill him if you kill me. And since of all those annoying, sweet, dorky little kids are human, he won't be coming back this time if he dies." Scarlett's eyes widened in fear as Katherine spoke, but she was far from done. "Also, if they see you at all, they will kill him. If you try to warn him, they will kill him. And if you tell anyone what I'm up to or where I am, they'll…" She smirked. "Well, you get the idea."

Scarlett was speechless. She saw it now, saw Katherine exactly as how Sarah had described her. A cold calculating devil with a face exactly like Elena's. She was completely screwed and couldn't do anything about it. If she did Jeremy would die. She couldn't fight back in any way without risking his life, and Katherine knew she wouldn't take that risk. And further more she couldn't even get Jeremy away from danger, without endangering him even more. She had no alternative but to do as Katherine said. And the smug vampire knew it all too well.

"Enjoy the barbecue."

With no other choice, Scarlett wrapped her finger around her necklace, lowered her head in defeat, and backed away until she was out of the room.

For the first time throughout her entire ride, Sarah finally stopped, pulling over next to the sidewalk and taking stock of her surroundings. She'd been going full throttle for hours, racing across the state line until she'd finally reached Asheville. She'd only encountered a few problems along her way. One cop car had tried to catch up to her, but she'd lost them. She could compel her way out of a fine later if they ever did track her down. She'd almost crashed twice, running through red lights and had almost been taken out by a truck pulling into her line as she flew by him. But none of it matter now that she was in Asheville.

Of course now she was presented with her next challenge. Where in Asheville was Ronnie? Glancing around she saw a variety of buildings consisting of shops, apartments, a cinema complex and several expensive looking restaurants. But Ronnie wouldn't be out and about during the day like this. It was sunning without a shadow casting cloud in the sky. Not the best weather for vampires without daylight rings.

Groaning, Sarah tried to remember what she could about where Ronnie liked to hang out during days like these. But all she could think about was how much danger he was in. And what they'd once had. The love they had shared, the memories, the passion fuelled nights where they'd done nothing but… She had to focus, push aside the romantic memories, ignore the star filled nights they'd spent eating chocolate strawberry or the late night swims along the beach or…

She slapped herself, whacking her helmet until she thought of nothing but the pain she was conflicting on herself. She had to focus. His life was in her hands. It was odd though, Ronnie staying in Asheville. He preferred to be near the sea. He had a love for it almost. As Sarah recalled, once more hotel's started having their own pools, Ronnie had claimed he'd only ever stay in a hotel if it had a pool.

Pulling out her phone, Sarah began to google the local hotels. He also needed them to be indoor pools, otherwise he'd only be able to swim at night, or risk burning alive in a pool of all places. What else? What else? Sarah thought, trying to provoke her brain to think of something else to narrow down her search. Gyms! He liked to work out, even despite his vampire strength. Another thing that kept him busy on days when he was trapped inside. Then there was that brand he liked. A string of hotels with the same name they'd gone to multiple times because he approved of them. It had become his favourite…if only Sarah could remember what the brand name was.

With a groan of frustration she looked up, ready to scream until she saw a search result that had come up on her phone. The Hilton. That was it. The Hotel Ronnie had always wanted to stay at, provided it had a pool installed. And there was one right around the corner from where she was.

Starting up the bike again, Sarah pulled out onto the road and raced around the corner, pulling to a stop in front of the fancy, yet ordinary hotel. As she stood from her motorcycle, Sarah hit the kickstand, making sure the bike was securely standing on its own before letting go. Then before entering the hotel, she pulled off her helmet and grabbed a passing pedestrian. "Hey, where you going?" Sarah demanded bluntly.

"Eh…to my mother in laws for lunch," the man stuttered out, looking unsurprisingly worried as Sarah held his jacket collar in her hand.

"Change of plan," Sarah said with a grin, before letting her eyes do there thing. "You're going to stand her and watch my bike until I come back or tell you otherwise. Anyone tries to move it. You stop them. Understand?"

"I understand," the man replied dazedly.

"Good. And hold this," Sarah added, forcing her helmet into his hands before stepping around him and heading into the Hilton hotel.

The reception was gleaming, not a speck of dust in sight. The pale yet majestic walls lacking any sense of art, as apparently the wallpaper was good enough for their guests. There wasn't even single planet in one of the corners. The most colourful thing about the room was the pattern on the floor tiles, but Sarah didn't have time to admire any of that. She made a beeline for the four dark brown, wooden, reception desks with a crisp black top. Only one of the desks was maned by a young attractive blonde.

"Hello there, and how can I help you today?" the receptionist asked with the standard 'how do you do' smile you get from these sort of places.

"I'm looking for Ronnie Gibson," Sarah stated, stopping before the desk.

"Excuse me?" the receptionist replied, frowning while still maintaining her smile to the best of her abilities.

"Ronnie Gibson, is he here?" Sarah demanded.

"I'm afraid I can't give away that information until–"

Fixing her eyes on the woman's pale blue ones, Sarah didn't hesitate in compelling her to get what she wanted. "Is Ronnie Gibson here, and if so, where?"

"Let me just check our system," the receptionist said with a compliant smile as she looked down. She ran her fingers along the keyboard, typing away before pausing to look at the dim blue screen behind the desk. Once she finished reading she looked back up at Sarah, her smiling growing slightly. "Mr. Gibson has booked our pool for a privet session. So as far as I can tell you, he's still there." Sarah was about to ask how he booked the entire pool to himself when she remembered he was a vampire. He'd have done what she just did. He did always like a peaceful swim.

"Thank you," Sarah said before running off into the hotel at vamp speed. There was no one else around and frankly she didn't care. If they had any real power to expose her they'd confront her now or later and she could compel them or kill them. Right now her only thought was getting to Ronnie before it was too late. She raced through the corridors, guessing which way was right and trusting her gut until finally she stopped.

She'd ended up in long corridor with windows along one side and extravagant art along the other. But the windows didn't look to the outside. They looked into the swimming pool, and the tropical like atmosphere the colours and plants around the pool gave off. It was a simple enough design. 'L' shaped. A descending stair case leading into the pool which connected to the long lane where you could swim back and forth in. Around the pool was a few blue and green chairs here and there with a couple of wooden tables, all matching that tropical theme. In the far corner was a hot tub and beyond that was the changing rooms.

But just like with the lobby, Sarah had seen none of that. Her eyes went straight to the man in the pool. Casually swimming back and forth as he did his laps. His short, dark brown, almost black hair, soaking wet. Sticking to his head in awkward ways until he went back until the water, where it floated around him as if he were an angel. And beneath the waves in the pool, she could still make out his fine firm body. She couldn't clearly see his face as he swam back and forth, but she remembered it clear as rain and it hadn't changed a bit. His jaw line still firm like the rest of him, with a trimmed stubble that reached up around his perfect lips. A thin, delicate nose that had been broken on more than one occasion, sometimes even by Sarah herself. And the kindest blue eyes she'd even known. That was Ronnie.

She'd been so caught up in getting to him in time, she hadn't thought how she would react when she saw him again. Now that she had him in her sights, all she could do was stand and watch him. It was all she wanted to do. She could just stand there, in the corridor, watching him swim back and forth until he noticed her. Looking at her like he had all those times before. She really had missed him, more than she thought.

A fond smile was playing at her lips, reminding her of what they once had, or perhaps still did. Their love had rekindled before. Who was to say it couldn't again... But she had her family, she had to keep them together, protect them from Katherine. Ronnie had always understood that, but his concern had only ever been for her. He got along with her brothers, but he would turn on them in an instant if they upset Sarah, which they often did. It had been hard trying to bring her family back together with Ronnie in the picture. She wasn't focused enough, spending too much time with him and getting distract, and when she did focus, he made it harder for her to advance her goal. That was why they had broken up so many times, but they always ended up getting back together sooner or later. He wasn't her only boyfriend over the years by any means. But he was the one that had left the most impact.

Still standing, Sarah couldn't make up her mind on whether to go in and reveal herself, or just stand and watch until he noticed her. He'd finished his swim now, and was climbing out the pool. If he'd just turn around, he'd see her. Their eyes would meet, and she'd know if they still had that spark.

She waited for him to turn around but he instead made his way over to one of the chairs. A folded towel waiting for him. He picked it up, running it over his head as he began to dry off. Just turn around! Just turn around! Sarah screamed from the inside. She didn't have the strength to run in and announce her presence. What if that was part of Katherine's plan? What if she'd already sprung her trap by stepping into the building. Her mind began to run ramped with 'what ifs', so much so that she only barely heard the opening and closing of a door from beyond the glass wall that separated her at Ronnie.

Ronnie, however, did hear the door and looked up with a frown as two men in all white outfits approached him. Looking closely, Sarah spotted the hotel's logo on their polo shirts, and assumed they were part of the pool service, life guards or whatever.

"Sorry guys, did I stay over the limit again," Ronnie apologised with a friendly grin as he wrapped the towel around his waist. "It's just so easy to lose track of time when you're in there. But I'll get out of your hair and you can open up the pool again." It seemed ordinary enough and everything was fine as Ronnie turned to head into the changing rooms. But then the two men quickened their pace, one pulling out a needle which he then stabbed into Ronnie's neck.

"No!" Sarah shouted as she ran up to the window, pressing her palms against it as she watched Ronnie groan and fall. He'd been hit with vervain. Without giving him time to even breath, the two men grabbed an arm each and dragged Ronnie towards the hot tub. Once at the edge, the tipped him over and pushed him down into the water. Sarah quickly spotted the steam coming up from the water…and from Ronnie's skin.

The hot tub was full of vervain.

This was Katherine's plan, right here. She'd compelled these two to kill him by drowning him in vervain water. He was screaming in pain, but the two men held his head under as he hunched over the side, his screams being held in by the burning water that filled his lungs.

Sarah made her choice. She ran for the emergency exist, kicked open the glass door and ran in. She was behind the two men in the blink of an eye, grabbing them both by the neck and snapping them at the same time. The two men went limp and collapsed on the floor as Ronnie pulled his head from the vervain water. Adrenaline had pushed him to do that but Sarah could see him already falling back towards the deadly waters.

Grabbing his shoulder, she pulled him back, running over to a nearby chair with him in a blur. She pushed him into the chair and then watched as he groaned and hissed, his skin healing while his eyes remained shut. Despite the circumstances Sarah couldn't help but smile at him, watching as the scared and burnt Ronnie faded away, and her Ronnie returned. He made a few more noises, mixed in with a couple of 'ah's' and 'oh's', but already sounding less painful than when he'd first sat down.

A few seconds later he was completely healed, shaking off the last of the burning sensation. Lifting his hand to his face, he ran it over, rubbing his eyes before doing the same again. His hand dropped, and he looked up ready to thank his saviour, when he saw Sarah. Their eyes connecting. Her forest green with his bright blue. He chuckled quietly, a joyful chuckle as he smiled up at her. Sarah grinned back, but that quickly evolved into a full on smile.

"I don't suppose you can pass me that towel?" Ronnie asked, pointing to the towel on the floor.

"I could," Sarah said. Deliberately looking down at his waist. "But I have missed the view." He chuckled, unable to contain his smile as he moved his arms to conceal his privet parts. Sarah's eyes flicked up from his hidden waist, connecting with his mildly embarrassed eyes. "Maybe that will teach you to stop swimming naked." She smirked at him before heading over to pick up his towel.

"If you couldn't stop me doing it before, what makes you think you'll be able to now?" Ronnie shot back as Sarah picked up his towel. She just laughed, throwing the towel over to him. He caught it, smiling along with her as he stood up to wrap the towel around his waist. Then for the next few seconds, they just stood, smiling reminiscently at one another. That was when Sarah knew for certain, she had missed Ronnie.

Standing on the porch to the Gilbert house, Scarlett smiled when the door opened and Elena greeted her. "Hey, Scarlett. Come in." She motioned for her to follow and Scarlett thanked her before heading into the house, closing the door behind her. Elena lead her into the kitchen where Jenna was waiting for her, smiling away as always.

"Scarlett!" Jenna said eagerly as she quickly engulfed the girl in a hug. "Thank you for coming."

"It's fine, Jenna," Scarlett said with a smile as she let the friendly woman hug her. They then parted and Jenna returned to work preparing for the barbecue. Scarlett offered to help but Jenna and Elena quickly hushed her, claiming it was their responsibility to cater since it was their home. It was a little awkward but Scarlett sat herself down at the counter top, making ideal chatter while Jenna and Elena worked to get things ready. "So have you heard from Jeremy?" Scarlett asked, deliberately keeping her eyes on the bowl of chips in front of her. Not wanting Elena to catch the worry in her eyes.

"Yeah, I phoned him just before you arrived. Says he probably going to be working late on this project so he apologises if you came for him," Jenna explained with a sympathetic smile.

"It's cool," Scarlett said, hiding the gratefulness from her voice as she picked at a chip before dropping it in her mouth. She chewed on it for a moment before then looking up and smiling when Jenna and Elena looked her way. She had to keep up the appearance. She couldn't have them worrying about her, especially Elena. She was to in-tuned with everything going on and would figure out Jeremy was in danger which in turn would kill him. She just had to relax and enjoy herself. How hard could that be?

"Thanks for letting me invite Caroline by the way," Elena said to Jenna as she poured the chips into another bowl. "She could use a day of distraction."

"How's she doing?" Scarlett asked, wondering what the update was on the new vampire front. She hadn't really seen or heard from Caroline since she turned. After all she'd been doing other things. First she was hanging out with Jeremy, then she'd learnt about Mason, then she'd been going to Duke, then she'd been hiding out in her room. There just hadn't been time to find out about Caroline and how she was doing.

"Good. Good actually," Elena said with a smile that confirmed her words. Scarlett smiled back, happy someone in the group was having some good luck recently.

"Well, she's not the plus one I'm worried about," Jenna declared as she joined the two at the island, leaning down as she glared at Elena.

Scarlett frowned, looking between the two before asking, "Who else is coming?"

"Damon," both nice and aunt answered in unison. That sure cleared everything up for Scarlett, plain and simple. And if anything it made her want to leave. Katherine didn't say she had to stay here to keep Jeremy alive. Just that she couldn't go near Jeremy, tell anyone that he was in danger, or go home until later that night.

Why is Damon coming?" Scarlett asked, frowning at the two. Jenna clearly didn't like him and Elena wasn't on good terms with him either, considering he'd killed Jeremy and all. If Jenna knew that then she'd lose it and probably kill him, vampire or not.

"That's what I'd like to know," Jenna growled as she continued to glare at her niece.

"Because Alaric is a pity taker," Elena said with a look to the two before honing in on Jenna who was still glaring. Scarlett was glaring too, but Elena knew she wasn't going to change her mind any time soon. Her opinion on Damon was practically set in stone by this point. But Jenna she could influence. "Come on, Jenna, be nice," Elena asked as she took a chip from the bowl.

"I'll be nice, when Damon learns to keep his paws off you," Jenna said, the anger clear in her tone.

"Or when he's dead," Scarlett added with a raised brow to Elena. She gave Scarlett a knowing look, letting her know she agreed but was putting on a facade for now. Jenna however didn't know this and was grateful for the support.

"I knew there was a reason I liked you," Jenna said as she shared a grin with Scarlett.

"So who else is coming to this thing?" Scarlett asked, picking out another chip.

"Well, Alaric, seeing as it was his idea." Elena shot Scarlett a look, making it pretty obvious it had not been Alaric's idea. That left only one other suspect as to who had initiated this little gathering. "And–"

"Good news!" Scarlett's eyes widened at the sound of the voice, the voice that had plagued her mind all through the night. The voice that wasn't Jeremy's. "I found the shot…" The excitement left Mason voice the second he saw Scarlett. His hands lowered from the air, where they had once triumphantly held the shot glasses, now shocked at the sight of Scarlett. She began to cough, the shock of Mason's presence causing the chip to catch in her throat. A bang of her chest set that right, but nothing was going to change what she and Mason had done.

Looking at him now, it was still too much. "I need some air," Scarlett muttered as she practically ran from the island, heading out into the hallway. As she made for the front door, she heard Elena calling after her as she followed. But she had to get outside, get at least a couple of walls between her and Mason. She reached for the door, only for it to open on its own as Damon stepped in.

"Scrappy? What are you…" Scarlett was in no mood, pushing past him as she made her way outside. Damon tried to get a reaction out of her, not liking that his presence was being ignored, but Elena pushed him inside and shut the door behind her as she joined Scarlett on the porch. Spotting Scarlett curled up on one of the porch chairs, Elena offered her smile as she joined her.

"Is something wrong?" Elena asked carefully, a frown lining her brow. Scarlett's eyes flickered to Elena, her arms tightening around her legs, pulling them into her chest. She wanted to tell her, more because she needed to tell someone. Last night she hadn't been ready talk and had pushed Sarah away. But now that she was ready, Katherine was playing another of her games and had sent Sarah away, leaving Scarlett with few options. Elena was a good trustworthy person who had kept her secret, but this was about her brother who she loved. Could she really trust her with this?

"Scarlett," Elena said reaching over and placing her hand on top of Scarlett's, letting her know she was there. "You can trust me. Whatever it is, you can tell me. I know I'm Jeremy's sister but I'm also your friend too." Scarlett smiled at that, grateful Elena was offering to help. She just wasn't sure she could.

"Okay, but before I tell you anything, I need to know if I can trust you not to tell Jeremy," Scarlett said as she unfolded her legs, placing her feet on the ground as she leaned towards Elena, who leaned over in turn.

"As long as it doesn't hurt him, you can trust me." Scarlett hesitated at that. This would hurt Jeremy, but only if he found out. Ignorance was bliss, but at the same time, the longer it went unsaid the more it would hurt him later. Would Elena rip of the bandaid now, or leave it to soak?

In the end Scarlett caved and told her. She had to, the guilt was eating her up and she had to tell someone, just to hear what they thought. If Elena did tell Jeremy, well, then maybe it was God setting things right, and if not, then she'd at least have someone to talk about it with, to tell how sorry she was without hurting Jeremy or having to go near Mason.

"Alright…here it goes…" Scarlett looked Elena in the eye, before deciding she just couldn't do it. Not while looking Elena in the eye anyway. She averted her gaze, lowering it down to her hands as they played with her necklace. The one constant in her life since she'd turned wolf and her world along with her. "I…had sex with Mason."

If Elena's jaw could have gone any further, it would have hit the decking and gone straight through the ground. Scarlett could see that without even looking up. Eventually though, she did find the courage to meet Elena's gaze, lifting her head to see the shock in Elena's eyes. But beneath that she could see the disappointment, the sadness, the contempt for what Scarlett had done and how she'd wronged her brother… Or maybe that was just Scarlett seeing her own reflection in Elena's soft brown eyes.

"But it wasn't like we did it in the traditional sense… We…did it as wolves," Scarlett explained, only then realising just how high her voice had gotten, to the point that she was almost squealing as Elena stared back at her with wide shocked eyes.

"What was that like?" Scarlett jumped, worried who might have just stumbled upon her deep dark secret, only to find Caroline walking up the steps to join them. A large packet of chips in hand as she munched away. Her stupid vampire hearing had probably allowed her to hear Scarlett's whole confession. "Werewolf sex I mean?" Caroline asked as she sat down, joining the two while continuing to eat away at her chips.

Sarah had told Scarlett on their way back to the boarding house last night, that Caroline had found out about her secret and they'd told her everything. She'd apologised for slipping up but at the time Scarlett hadn't really cared and hadn't even given the matter much thought. She'd been concerned with other things. "Was it better or worse than human sex?"

"Caroline!" Elena exclaimed at her friend, glaring at her as she indicated for the blonde to stop talking.

"Sorry. I was just curious was all," Caroline scoffed, shoving another handful of chips in her mouth.

"I don't even remember it all, but I know we did it. I tried to stop myself but it was like…I wanted him because he was like me," Scarlett explained before looking to Elena. Desperately trying to make her understand so that she wouldn't tell Jeremy. "I swear I never wanted to do it. And I really did try to fight it. But it was like instinct had completely taken over and I lost any free will I had." She could feel the tears coming now. "I never wanted to do this, I didn't want to hurt Jeremy. I love him and I just…

"It's okay, Scarlett," Elena said as she leaned forward to rub the girl's shoulder. "I'm not blaming you. There's still a lot we don't know about what you are. Maybe this is a common thing among werewolves and you just need time to get used to having another one around," Elena suggested hopefully.

"So all werewolves are sex maniacs?" Caroline asked. Elena sent her a 'not helping' glare before turning her attention back to Scarlett.

"Can you guys just, please, promise not to tell anyone, especially Jeremy," Scarlett begged, eyes switching between the two older girls as she wiped the tears away.

"We won't tell anyone," Elena promised. "But you really should tell Jeremy."

"But how? How could I possibly tell him without hurting him?" Scarlett asked, begging for Elena or Caroline to give her a useful answer to that question.

"I don't think you can, Scarlett," Elena said with a sorry look on her face.

"But…But it technically doesn't count as cheating, right? I mean, it wasn't me that had sex with Mason. It was the wolf that had sex with his wolf. That's not cheating right?" Scarlett proposed as she glanced between Elena and Caroline. Neither looking too convinced by her logic. Scarlett knew it had been a long shot, but even so, it still hurt when she didn't get the response she wanted. She looked back and forth, hoping one of them would change their mind, but the two just continued to stare back at her. Silently telling her that she wasn't going to find a loop hole out of this.

With a groan, Scarlett then stood up and marched back inside. Groaning louder and louder as she approached the door, shoving it open as she made her way inside with Elena and Caroline staring after her. Still groaning inside, Scarlett jogged up the stairs and made her way into the first bathroom, closing the door behind her and locking it. At least in there she didn't have to put up with Elena and Caroline's critical stares.

The room Ronnie was staying in was more like an apartment than a hotel room. It had its own small living room when you walked in, a tiny cute kitchen off to the side, a huge bathroom with a walk-in shower that Ronnie was now using, and a master bedroom with a walk in closet. Ideal for a vampire who wasn't looking to put down roots. All he had to do was compel the hotel staff for a few days and he had privet room which he could use as he pleased. And from the blood stains Sarah had spotted on her way in, he'd enjoyed himself quite a bit.

She was currently stood by the window, holding the curtain open as she looked out at the street below. The man was still stood there, guarding her bike like he'd been told, but otherwise there was people. People living ordinary lives free from everything supernatural. Sarah would never be able to go back to that life now, not after her long life, but even so, she was envious of one thing. These people had no idea who Katherine Pierce was, and if they were lucky, they never would.

Hearing the door to the bathroom door open, Sarah let the curtain fall close as she turned to look into the living room area. All the curtains had to be closed during the day, reminding Sarah of the luxury she had with her daylight ring. She stepped out of the bed room to find Ronnie fully dressed in jeans and a plain t-shirt. He looked like any other muscular average joe. You wouldn't even know he was a vampire, or that he'd almost been killed.

He'd called the staff and compelled them once he was ready, getting them to discreetly dispose of the bodies and then forget the whole thing. By that point he was fit enough to go and grab his cloths, but he wanted to have a shower in his own room. He hadn't taken long, but it'd allowed Sarah to do her usual snooping whenever she ran into him after extended time apart. He was well aware she did it, caught her multiple times before joking about it. In fact, Sarah was sure that had been the reason he'd come back up to shower, to let her snoop.

There wasn't anything personal though, nothing new anyway. As a vampire that liked to travel, you had to travel light. That meant no personal belongs, bar the cloths off your back and one or two treasured items you took everywhere. She had smiled though when she found an old sketched photo of the two of them. It was simple pencil, but it was a very realistic drawing, something an aspiring artist had done for them when they first started dating. It was of the two of them on a bench, Ronnie's arm wrapped around Sarah as his other hand held hers, both smiling at each other as they leaned in for a kiss. He had that old crusted piece of paper for a long time now, held onto it no matter how many times they broke up or parted ways. And that photo had always let her know one thing. That he still loved her.

Now leaning on the back of the couch, Ronnie glanced over with a grin as Sarah stopped in the archway between the living room area and the bedroom. "So what are you doing here then?" Ronnie asked only to then immediately back-pedal. "Not that I'm not glad to see you. I'm just curious is all?"

Sarah smirked at him, lovingly reminiscing over how Ronnie constantly back-pedalled to make himself sound more polite, or to refine a point. It was a bad habit of his that he'd often complained about along with everyone else. It'd even became a bit of a joke, but Sarah had always found it cute.

"Well, I'm kind of the reason those two guys just tried to boil you in a vervain hot tub," Sarah admitted with an apologetic look to her old flame.

"Ah," Ronnie nodded, thinking he understood. "Still mad about that time mistook Lexi for you?" Sarah couldn't help but laugh along with him at the memory. That was how it always started between them, by reminiscing. "'Cause as you know I was very drunk."

"Lexi's blonde you idiot," Sarah playfully shot back with an eye roll.

"So where you at one point if I recall," Ronnie pointed out modestly with a head tilt. Smirk playing at his lips.

Sarah then threw out her delicate finger in a fearsome warning. "We agreed never to talk about that again." Ronnie burst out laughing and Sarah cracked up too before settling on a smile as she returned to the main issue. "And no. I didn't compel those guys to do that too you."

"Yeah, I kind of figured. And thanks by the way, for saving me," Ronnie added on a more serious note as he straightened up, taking a few steps towards her. "But then who wanted to kill me?"

Sarah sighed, gearing up to tell him everything he'd missed since they last parted ways. Though she had a few highlights she wanted to get out the way first. "You remember how I told you about that demonic bitch who turned me and my brothers?"

"You mean the one that Lexi insisted we call…?" Ronnie asked slowly, catching the serious edge to Sarah's words.

He didn't need to say the last word, everyone who knew the story – or even Lexi for that matter – knew what the word was. "Yes." Sarah paused, taking a deep breath. Every time she had to explain it out loud it killed her a little inside. As if she was reliving her own discovery of it all over again. "Well, she's the one that just had those two guys try and kill you."

Ronnie frowned. "But isn't she dead? I thought your dad and the rest of that town had her burnt alive in their church," Ronnie pointed out, explaining the events as he knew them.

"Yeah, well, it's a long story," Sarah grumbled as she made her way over to the couch. Sitting down in a huff as she folded her arms. "The point is, she's back. And she just tried to have you killed."

"Yeah, still curious as to why that is exactly," Ronnie said, joining Sarah on the couch with a curious, but no pressure, smile.

Sarah turned to him, smiling apologetically again. She really was sorry for having dragged him into this. "She's just hurting you to get back at me. I wasn't playing her stupid little game and I pissed her off." She pushed, the feeling of being played suddenly washing over her. "Although, now I'm thinking there's probably another reason for her sending me out here. Or maybe she just wanted to get me out of Mystic Falls?" Sarah screwed up her face in serious thought before then groaning as she dropped her head into her lap, groaning even louder.

She was starting to get paranoid, over thinking ever little thing. But of course that was what Katherine wanted, to unhinge her and make it harder for her and her brothers to fight back. And as always she got her way. Still messing and control them even after all this time.

"Hey, hey," Ronnie said soothingly as he rubbed Sarah's back, leaning forward so his head was in line with her own. "Look, if you want I can come back with you. That way you don't have to worry about Katherine secretly plotting to kill me behind your back because I'll be there with you."

"You really want to go to Mystic Falls?" Sarah asked, sitting back with a frown, and yet still smiling when Ronnie grinned back.

"I know I'm not the biggest help in a fight or anything, but maybe I could help. And, I mean, she did just try to have me killed, and she's going after you. I think that constitutes as personal."

"You don't have to do that," Sarah said with a fond smile as she stared back into his compassionate blue eyes.

"I know. But I want to," Ronnie explained. He then let the silence take over, and Sarah didn't stop him. They both stared into each others' eyes, smiles both growing and shrinking at the same time. Old feelings reemerging after being ignored for so long.

But that was why Sarah couldn't bring him back with her. Before she hadn't realised how much she'd missed him, now she knew, and that made him an even bigger target for Katherine. Before it was just a warning shot to prove her point, to remind Sarah that she could get at anyone she'd ever cared about. But if she brought Ronnie back and let her feels reform, that made him even more valuable to Katherine, someone else she could hold over her if she didn't comply. And if she had both Damon and Ronnie, she could afford to kill one, just to prove to Sarah that she would.

"I can't let you do that," Sarah said, sadness seeping into her voice. She didn't want to say goodbye again, not just yet, not after they'd just started talking. She'd missed their chats, his voice, his mere presence. She wasn't ready to let it go again for who knows how long. "It's too dangerous. The closer you are to me and Katherine the more she'll try to use you to get at me. It'd be better for us both if you just moved on."

"But I care about you Sarah," Ronnie said firmly as he reached over, taking her hands with his. A passionate fire lighting in his eyes. "You know how much I care, how far I'm willing to go. And I don't care about risking my own life, as long as I can help protect you from her, it'll be worth it." A smile wormed its way onto Sarah's face. "And after everything we've been through, all the years we've been together, you can't just ask me to run away." He reached up, placing his hand on Sarah's face as he pleaded her to listen to him. "Just let me help. Wait until sundown and then we can go back together. We can face her together."

Sarah tried to fight her emotions, but that was the problem with being a vampire. Fighting you emotions could be damn near impossible when you had as much history as Sarah and Ronnie had. Despite every logic thinking cell in her body, she caved into her emotions, to her needs. She just couldn't part from him, not when every fibre of her being was screaming for her to stay with him, just like with Ronnie. Neither wanted to leave the other.

She sniffed, pulling what little tears had formed back in, before blinking away what remained. "Okay… But if we're going to be stuck in this room until sundown, we're going to have a lot of time to kill."

"I guess so," Ronnie said with a flirtatious grin.

"You wouldn't happen to have any ideas would you?" Sarah asked teasingly, her primal needs flaring and pushing everything else to the side. It had been far too long since she'd gotten some, and now that she was here with Ronnie, after so long. She was more than happy to give into those needs.

Ronnie didn't need another invitation. He placed his other hand on her face, pulling her into him as his lips pressed against her for the first time in what felt like an eternity. The kiss quickly transcended into a full on make out as Sarah pushed Ronnie down onto his back, laying on top of him as she reached up slowly to take his face in her hands.

They then paused, parting enough so they could see into each others eyes. Both smirked, knowing what traditionally followed their laid back make out sessions. "Want me to speed things up?" Ronnie asked teasingly.

"I'm inclined to say it's rude to keep a girl waiting," Sarah replied before she descend on him once more. Their lips had hardly touched when she found herself shoved against the wall, Ronnie's hands pinning her wrists to the wall.

"Well, I've certainly waited long enough for this?" Ronnie said as he stared back at her with longing eyes, only inches from her own.

"Then what are you waiting for?" Sarah whispered. Ronnie took that at face value and leaned forward, capturing Sarah's lips while keeping her pinned to the wall. That didn't last for long though. Sarah was older, which meant she was stronger and faster than Ronnie. So once he was truly distracted by her lips and his grip loosened, she turned to the tides, quickly switching their positions as she threw him into the wall. But rather than pin him like he had her, she grabbed the collar of his shirt with both hands, ripping the fabric away before enclosing her arms around his chest, pulling him into another heated kiss.

After that she pulled off her leather jacket, throwing it over the back of a nearby chair. She advanced on Ronnie again, going for his jeans, unbuckling his belt. As she did that, he tried to tear of her t-shirt, but that wasn't how she played. Before he could get a decent hold, she grabbed him, throwing him around her and sending him onto the couch which skidded back as he landed flat on his back, mildly winded.

He blinked and then Sarah was on top of him in a blur grinning down at him. "Sorry, Ronnie. But you're going to have to earn the right to see these again," Sarah said with an obvious indication. He grinned up at her before pulling her down to him at vamp speed, making Sarah squeal in delight before the noise vanished in the heat of their make out.

"God…I missed you," Ronnie groaned as Sarah ran her hands over his bare chest while continuing to kiss him.

"Oh, I can tell," Sarah replied, looking down at what lay beneath her as she straddled him. It had been a good thing she unbuckled his belt. "You ready to move this to the bedroom already?"

"Bed room? Bathroom? Hallway? Reception desk?" Ronnie listed off teasingly as his grin grew. "I'm good wherever you are."

"In that case…" Sarah trailed off, leaning down slowly as she prepared to plant another kiss on him. But again he was robbed, the room moving in a bur of motion before he then found himself being pushed backwards onto his bed. He landed comfortably on his back, staring up at a feistily grinning Sarah who now stood over him. "The bed it is," she then declared before jumping up to straddle Ronnie once more. Descending on him like the blood thirsty predator she was before their lips crashed together in a blaze of glory.

It was all just as Sarah remembered it.