Review responses:

Only reviewer: Indeed she does, and as always, sorry for torturing you! X) And yeah, no one is safe from Katherine's wrath. Also the actor I saw as Ronnie was a young James Murray, from Primeval if you've ever seen it.

Since I was late last week, I figured I'd upload a little early this week. Surprise! I'll also have another chapter for next week too, just so you're all aware. But anyway, we have the conclusion of memory lane, and things are about to take another turn for the worse. As they always do when Katherine's around.

And as always if you have any questions or thoughts 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. So, enjoy, and I'll see you all, next week!

Chapter 8: I've Got a Bone to Pick with You

It was official. Scarlett wanted to kill herself. She'd thought here limit had been pushed when they went to Duke and she had to sit and read for hours on end. She'd gladly take that now over this. Pictionary. With Mason. Sat in the armchair next to her. And if that wasn't bad enough, Damon, in his infinite wisdom, was making no stop dog jokes. Like right now.

"Dress!" Jenna shouted out as Damon quickly drew what was obviously a dog with a tut, stood on its hind legs with musical notes all around it. "Ballerina!"

"Puppy!" Caroline jumped in as she and Jenna shouted over one another trying to get the right answer. Scarlett was remaining quiet, much like Mason who had already worked it out just like her. It wasn't hard, considering Damon had a theme to everything he did. All of it intending to not so subtly jab Mason and by extension Scarlett. He just didn't know he was doing it to her. "Puppy with a tutu!"

Damon shook his head. "A dog! Hound-dog!" Jenna cried out as Damon pointed to her and began nodding implying she was on the right track. He began stabbing the board with the pen, as if by doing so would help them realise what they were missing.

It was utter torture. But thankfully Mason stepped up to end it. "Dances with Wolves." The two women screaming over each other to answer the question fell silent. Both turned along with Alaric, who was between them, in unison and glared at Mason in disbelief that he'd gotten the answer so easily.

"Mason wins…again," Damon said with a grin to the man who was laid back in the chair. Mason just smiled back before looking over at Scarlett, who turned away from his gaze. She really was starting to hate herself for coming out the bathroom. Even if Caroline had threatened to kick the door down, she could have fought her off and kept the door shut. Maybe she still could. Anything was better than this, the definition of awkwardness.

"How is that a wolf?" Jenna began to protest as she pointed at the board. While she was doing that, Scarlett turned to see if Mason had give up, but he was still staring at her. Again she shied away from his gaze, the itchy feeling beneath her skin returning once more.

"If anything that's a dog," agreed Caroline.

"Why does everyone have an issue with my drawing skills?" Damon said in mock defence. Scarlett cautioned another look and still Mason stared at her. No one noticed though. Damon was too busy getting into a fight over his Pictionary skills with Jenna and Caroline, with poor Alaric caught in the middle, trying to keep well out of it.

"Will you stop looking at me," Scarlett grumbled to Mason, only looking at him long enough to get her message across before then turning away from him again.

"Sorry," Mason apologised politely before turning back to the fight that was taking place. It wasn't like he was a complete bad guy. He wasn't even being a dick about it. He was actually quite friendly. Odds where he'd been forced into doing it too by his instincts, his free will left behind as he succumb to his urges. But that didn't change the fact that Scarlett wanted to tear off her skin every time he was around, or that a new wave of guilt washed over her whoever their eyes had met.

"How about, we do something about dinner!" Alaric cut into the fight as he stood up, looking around the group.

"I think Elena's one step ahead of you there. Actually I think I'll go and help her," Damon said with a curious look before making his way into the kitchen.

He was in the kitchen all of five seconds before Jenna then said, "I'm going go and help them." She went to stand up but ended up stumbling a bit before Alaric steadied her. She sent him a grateful smile before then heading into the kitchen. Shortly after Alaric followed and Mason went off to the bathroom, leaving Scarlett and Caroline in the living room.

"So how's it going?" Caroline asked as she sat down in the armchair where Mason had been, now next to Scarlett.

"Well I'm still alive. Though I'm not sure that's a good thing," Scarlett grumbled before then placing her face in her hands and groaning loudly. "Why am I doing this to myself? What's the point? Should I just go home?"

"No!" Caroline quickly jumped in, making Scarlett jump with the speed she'd answered. Seeing the look of shock on Scarlett, Caroline threw on a smile and back-pedalled. "I mean, it can't be that bad?"

"You remember the part where I slept with the guy right," Scarlett said with a frown. "And now I'm feeling immensely guilty. And being in the same room as Mason isn't helping me a whole lot." She sank back into her chair, curling in on herself as she did. Caroline didn't really have much to say after that, other than offer a sympathetic smile. Jenna eventually came back, telling them the food was ready, but Scarlett said she wasn't hungry and skipped it. Caroline opted to stay with her, probably so that she wasn't alone and could run off. She hated how Caroline was forcing her to stay. The ball and chain saying was starting to make a lot more sense to her, especially when Caroline had dragged her into the living room with an iron grip on her wrist.

They chatted ideally for a while, mostly about school which was helpful. Caroline gave her a few tips for staying on top of things and offered to help tutor her if she needed it on certain subjects she was less confident with. Scarlett figured that could be useful, providing her guilt didn't kill her before the year ended.

When Elena then walked back in, wanting to escape the grownups, she and Caroline began to dismantle the Pictionary stand. They were halfway through it when Elena stopped, turning to the two with a hopeful look on her face. "Would I be the worst friend in the world if I abandoned you and went to Stefan's?"

"Yes," Scarlett answered. "Unless you took me with you, in which case you'd be the best friend ever," Scarlett proposed, hoping that Elena would agree and that she'd finally be able to get away from Mason.

"Why do you would you want to leave though?" Caroline asked, wide eyes fixed on Elena.

"It's just that he hasn't gotten back to me and I'm starting to get this bad feeling," Elena explained as she began to frown.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Elena," Caroline said, shaking her head frantically.

"I think it's a great idea, let's go now," Scarlett countered more eagerly as she stood up.

She didn't get far though as Caroline quickly pushed her back down into her seat, only to then gesture wildly at her. "Are you seriously going to listen to her. The girl that just cheated on her boyfriend." A stunned silence fell over the room as Elena looked shockingly at Caroline before looking to Scarlett with a sympathetic look. Caroline glanced back, apology flooding her eyes as Scarlett stared back at her with clear hurt on her face.

"That's not fair," Scarlett said quietly.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry, I didn't mean…" Caroline stammered before taking a breath. "It's just–" She turned back to Elena. "–Do you really think this is a good idea, I mean, you don't want to come off as clingy."

"I'm not being clingy, Caroline, I'm just concerned. And Scarlett clearly doesn't want to be," Elena explained before gesturing to the poor teenager girl. "I'm just going to take her home and check on Stefan. I'll be right back I promise," Elena said as she stepped towards the hallway only for Caroline to step out and block her path.

"No, no," Caroline said before she began to squirm. "How–How about I drive you? That way no one has to stay behind," Caroline said optimistically, switching gears rather drastically.

"Actually that doesn't sound like a bad idea," Elena admitted before looking over to Scarlett. "Would you be okay with that?"

"As long as Blonde-zilla, doesn't make any more snide comments. It should be fine," Scarlett said angrily from the chair.

"Okay, I deserved that," Caroline admitted as she turned around, sorry written all over her face.

"Yeah, you did," Scarlett agreed as she got up, making her way into the hall with Elena and Caroline behind her. Once Elena grabbed her keys and told Jenna what was happening, the three made their way out to Caroline's car. Elena and Scarlett got in on the passenger side while Caroline walked around to the drivers side, kneeling down when she dropped her keys. After that they were on their way. But as the drive went on, Scarlett began to smell something. Her nostril flared and she turned her head towards Caroline. She was sweating. She could smell it on her. And her heart rate, now that she was actually listening to it was a little fast.

"You alright, Caroline?" Scarlet spoke up from the back.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" Caroline said with a forced laugh as she looked at Scarlett through her mirror. But the signs were still there. She was nervous, but about what? Elena looked back with a questioning look, and while Caroline focused on the road ahead, Scarlett indicated to Caroline with her eyes. Elena then looked to Caroline, a line growing across her forehead.

"Are you sure everything's alright?" Elena asked.

"What is with both of you, I'm fine!" Caroline exclaimed, giving them both a look before turning back to the road. Besides it's you two we should be worrying about.

"I'm sorry?" Elena asked with a frown matching Scarlett's.

"Well, I mean, come on. It's not like you've got the best of odds," Caroline pointed out.

"Best of odds for what?" Scarlett added from the backseat.

"For lasting. I mean, why do you think Matt and I broke up. It obviously wasn't going to work. I'm immortal now, never ageing. Matt's going to get old just like you," Caroline said with a look to Elena. "And I'm not sure what the werewolf statistics are like, but you're now going to be trying to kill Jeremy twice a month. And never mind the fact that you've slept with another guy just a week after sleeping with Jeremy. Sooner or later that's going to blow up in your face."

"Yeah, Caroline, you remember I can kill you with a single bite right?" Scarlett asked as she leaned forward, arms folded.

"Yeah," Caroline said nervously, glancing her her rear view mirror to see what Scarlett was doing.

"Then shut it," Scarlett snapped, before letting her back hit her chair as she glare out the window. Caroline bit down on her lip before then looking over to Elena who frowned back at her before looking out the window as well. The awkward silence lasted for a couple of minutes before the car made a clunking noise and began to slow down. The three girls all sat up, looking around to see what had happened.

"Crap," Caroline groaned as she pulled over to the side, before getting out to see what had happened. "Oh, come on!"

"What is it?" Elena and Scarlett asked as they climbed out the car, looking over the roof to Caroline who was pouting.

"My tires burst," Caroline explained as she looked over to them.

"I didn't know Karma could work that fast," Scarlett said, smirk forming as Caroline glared back at her. Even Elena was grinning at the remark, she just had the decency to hide it behind her hand as she pretended to cough. "Don't you have a spare in the car?" Scarlett suggested.

"I did. Until I burst my tire two weeks ago," Caroline said sheepishly. Elena and Scarlett sighed aloud. "I was meaning to change it!" Caroline exclaimed defensively, but it wasn't going to change anything now. It looked like they were going to be in the middle of the road for a while.

Back at the Gilbert's, Damon was doing his part to clean up in the kitchen. It was a little thing that would hopefully help get him on Jenna's good side, where he ideally wanted to be. Not because she meant anything to him, just because it would make his life over all easier. And cleaning the dishes wasn't so bad. It also gave him time to snoop around and find the good booze. So once he was done cleaning, he threw the dish towel aside and poured himself a drink, right as Mason walked in.

"Jenna just brought out Guitar Hero. It Might be time to mutiny," Mason joked with a grin, stopping at the counter as he tapped his knuckles rhythmically against the wood.

"Well, I just happen to like Guitar Hero. So you, my friend, are barking up the wrong tree," Damon declared as he sipped his drink.

"Okay, enough with the innuendos, you win, you're hilarious," Mason said, raising his hands as his humour began to leave him.

"Thank you," Damon replied with a not so modest grin.

"Come on, man. You don't think I know what this barbecue is about?" Mason said angrily as he leaned towards Damon.

"How do you know about me?" Damon countered, glaring back as he inched closer towards Mason. "Your brother was completely clueless."

"It doesn't matter; I'm not your enemy, Damon."

"You tried to kill my brother and sister," Damon shot back.

"That was a mistake. I wasn't able to chain myself up in time and I have no control once I shift," Mason said defensively, to which Damon snorted not buying it. "And to be honest, I don't get why you've been riding me all day when you seem perfectly fine with Scarlett."

Damon frowned, locking his gaze with Mason's once more. "Who says I'm fine with Scrappy?"

"Oh, come on. I've been talking to Jenna about her, I know she's staying with you and your family."

"What of it?" Damon asked, frown deepening in confusion, failing to see how this all connected.

Mason chuckled. "I don't know why you're trying so hard to keep it a secret, but I know alright. I know Scarlett's a werewolf like me."

Damon did his best to keep his eyes from widening. So that was it. It all made so much sense now. Why the Gilbert device had effected her but not the vervain. Why she had been able to beat Mason when Stefan couldn't. Because she was a supernatural…and more to the point a huge danger to him and his family.

"So come on. If you can put the werewolf thing aside for her, why not me?" Mason asked, taking on a more pleading tone. "I'm sorry about attacking your brother and sister, and the blonde. But Scarlett would have probably ended up doing it herself if we hadn't both been there and gotten distracted by each other's presence." Another piece of the puzzle clicked for Damon. He'd been wondering what family Scarlett had in Duke and more importantly why she hadn't come back with him, Elena and Alaric. It was because on the night of the full moon she'd come back to Mystic Falls ahead of them.

"But nobody got hurt. And I can't shift like her when it's not a full moon." Another piece of information for Damon to remember. So the moon part of the curse was true, just not for Scarlett. "She's more of a threat to you than me and to be honest with you, she could probably take me in a fight. So if you're that worried, just let her have a few goes at me," Mason joked with a chuckle as Damon forced himself to grin along with the werewolf.

"Seriously though, let's not spark some age-old feud that doesn't apply to us. I'm just here to help my family through this difficult time. So what do you say?" Mason said as he extended his arm towards Damon. The vampire eyed it curiously for a moment, before then taking the wolf's hand and shaking it. Mason grinned back at him before then heading back into the living room to join Jenna and Alaric. But the second he was gone Damon's frown reappeared.

Nothing had changed for him. Now he just had two targets instead of one. Mason and Scarlett. And from what Mason was telling him, Scarlett was the one to watch out for. Not only could she shift at will, making her a constant threat because of her bite, but she was supposably stronger than him and by extension Stefan. There was of course only one major problem with that. His sister, who was now basically a guardian for the mutt. That was going to be challenging. Mason however, didn't have his sister's protection. Making him a much more easier target. Not a preferable target, but one he could at least hit for now. He would deal with Scarlett later.

It wasn't long before Elena resulted to pacing back and forth. What surprised Scarlett was how long she paced for. She kept going long after the sun set and was still going as the stars started to come out. But while she paced, Caroline and Scarlett leaned back against the car. It was silent for the most part, bar when Caroline had called the tow company and when Elena complained about the wait time. Which she was doing again.

"Are you sure the tow's coming? We've been waiting forever."

"I know, it's weird. They said they'd be here by now," Caroline agreed, tapping her phone against the palm of her hand as she stared off into the distance.

"I'm just gonna call Jenna," Elena conceded, finally sick of waiting after so long.

"No!" Caroline cut in. "Just let me try the tow people again. And I'll use my agro voice."

"Shame you can't compel down the phone," Scarlett muttered from her leaned back position, her arms folded. Caroline giggled at that while she got ready to dial, Elena however wasn't in as good a mood.

"We can just walk from here," she decided, about to set off on foot when Caroline jumped in front of her to block her path.

"I can't just leave me car," Caroline said defensively.

"We'll come back for it," Elena said simply.

"Just give me a minute, Elena," Caroline growled as she typed away at her phone.

"Caroline, what part of 'I'm worried about Stefan' didn't sink in?" Elena said, worry seeping into her voice as she tried to get her point across.

"What's the rush? Why are you hurrying to get to a relationship that will never work?" Caroline snapped suddenly.

Elena stared back at her friend for a moment before saying, "Okay, look, I know that you're upset over Matt but will you stop projecting it onto me and Scarlett please?"

"I'm not projecting anything!" Caroline snapped again. "You're human, just like Jeremy. He's a vampire and you're a werewolf," Caroline pointed out, her gaze now shifting between Elena and Scarlett as both frowned back at her. Now being pulled into the drama, Scarlett pushed off the car and stood alongside Elena as Caroline spoke. "You're gonna be 70 and in diapers and he's still gonna be smoking hot." She turned on Scarlett. "And do you really think Jeremy's gonna want to do it with a dog the rest of his life? Especially a chatting one?"

A fist to the face then shut Caroline up as she stumbled backwards, just managing to stay on her feet and no more. She held her face before the lowering her hand to find it covered in blood. It was a broken nose, and already healing, but even so Caroline couldn't help but glare back at Scarlett, anger fuelling her eyes at an uncontrollable rate. "What the hell, Scarlett?!"

"I told you to shut it!" Scarlett barked, eyes flashing amber and the whites of her eyes darkening. Caroline back down at that, turning back into the timid animal she had been before. "You think I don't feel bad enough? Without you throwing my mistake back in my face, over and over again. Ever since I slept with him I've been so confused and I'm scared and I don't know what to do! And you think just because you broke up with your boyfriend, that gives you the right to shit on everyone else's relationships? Well it doesn't! You have no idea what I'm going through. Cause you're not the only one that's become more emotional since they became supernatural!"

"I'm…I'm…" Caroline stuttered, unsure of what to say as Scarlett glared back at her, barely able to hold back the tears she'd been keeping in ever since this morning. She should have spent half the day crying in her bed. Instead she'd been dragged over to some stupid barbecue, during which she'd had to spend time with Mason and all Caroline had done was insult her.

"Stupid? Annoying? Self centred? Self absorbed? Obnoxious? Over compensating? A loud mouth?" Scarlett listed off. "Or are you just simply a bad friend?"

"I'm scared…" Caroline then whispered.

Scarlett stared back in disbelief. "You're what?" she snapped.

"I'm…I'm scared," Caroline said a little louder, allowing Elena to hear this time.

"Of what?" Elena asked, sounding more sympathetic than Scarlett. Caroline didn't answer though. She might have done after enough time had passed, but before that the tow truck arrived. It's lights illuminating them as it pulled up on the other side of the road. "There's the tow, I'm gonna walk," Elena decided before beginning to make her way down the road. She stepped past Caroline only for her friend to then grab her arm.

"No, Elena, don't!" Caroline said firmly as her grip tightened, vampire strength taking hold.

"Caroline, you're hurting me," Elena said.

"Don't leave me alone," Caroline whispered, pure terror in her voice. And it wasn't just in her voice. Scarlett could hear her heart racing like crazy. She truly was terrified.

"Caroline, what's wrong?" Scarlett asked, compassion somehow finding its way into her voice. Caroline swung around to face her, still holding Elena's arm, refusing to let her leave. Her eyes screamed for help but still she didn't say anything. Fear was keeping her quiet.

"Hey there, someone called about a flat tire?" the tow guy said as he approached the three of them.

"She did," Elena said with a nod to Caroline, who finally loosened her grip enough for Elena to pull herself free. She looked back with a confused look before then heading off into the night, following the road towards the the Salvatore house.

"Do you just need me to change the tire then?" the tow guy asked.

"Yes, please," Caroline muttered before the man set to work. As he did that, Scarlett watched Caroline, trying to figure out if the fright had been genuine or just an act. Judging by Caroline's heart though, it had been real. Her face was neutral now, stone still as she stared off into the night. That was until a shiver passed over her and she began to rub her arms, her heart rate picking up again.

"Caroline," Scarlett spoke up, grabbing the blonde's attention as she turned to her. "Is there anything you want to tell me? Anything that might explain the way you've been acting today?" For a moment, Caroline looked like she was about to answer, then she turned away, marching off towards the tow truck and leaving Scarlett by the car. Scarlett could practically smell the secret on her. But more than that, she could smell the fear. The pure, utter, terrified fear.

Lying in bed, Sarah smiled as Ronnie took her hand, their fingers intertwining. She was lying against him, her head resting in between his arm and shoulder, her right hand holding his right as a white sheet covered their naked bodies. It had been a while since Sarah had last done what she just had, but judging by Ronnie's reaction, she'd done a fine job. As proof by how long they'd managed to go and how many times. Not a record for the two, but they were never going to come close to that number again, at least not with everything else going on. But Ronnie had picked up a few new tricks, much to Sarah's delight.

"Where did you learn that?" Sarah asked, referencing what they'd done on their last go, something completely and utterly unexpected.

"This Asian girl. You'd have liked her."

"Try again," Sarah said knowingly.

"Alright I got it off the internet," Ronnie chortled out. Sarah joined in his chuckle as she tilted her head back to see him looking down at her. "You try being stuck inside for hours on end with nothing to do."

"Yeah. The private swimming pool, gym, bedroom, and the equivalent of an all hours blood bank must be real boring. And let's not forget the ultimate porn collection," Sarah added, prompting Ronnie to laugh.

When he stopped, he took her hand, playing with the delight ring on her finger. He'd never take it, he knew the deal. It was spelled to her, and would only ever work for her. They'd tried a few times to get him one, just like they had with Lexi, but no witch they ever ran into was willing to fork one over. Slightly rude considering the wild parties that the vampires would throw for them. But without compulsion all they had was their charm to try and win the witches over. They'd come close a couple of times, especially with Lexi, a natural people person. But coven after coven had ended up pushing her away or threatening to banish any witch who attempted to give her a daylight ring. For all those witches, the risk was too high for Lexi, no matter how much they liked her. But Lexi never held a grudge about it. She'd been around long enough – even then – to know that bearing grudges never got you anywhere…unless it involved Katherine.

"Bitch," Lexi's voice corrected in her head, making Sarah grin as she watched Ronnie's fingers continue to play with her ring.

"You know, I think you take this thing for granted at times," Ronnie said in relation to the ring. Sarah had to agree, humming as she did. It was like breathing to her. She never took the ring off, and as a result she never had to think twice about going out into the sun. But then she only had to see Caroline, terrified of the light before getting her daylight ring, jumping at the mere sliver of sunlight breaking through a crack in the curtains.

Ronnie had more self control than that. Then again he'd been around longer. He wasn't as old as Sarah or her brothers, but still old enough to have learnt to live with it. For the most part he seemed perfectly natural as a vampire, playing his role as a human who just happened to never put a finger in the sunlight. Normally he pulled it off with ease, but ever now and then, Sarah would catch him, watching a line of sunlight across the ground, tracing it to it's origin and seeing if it was a riskm or if he could ignore it. And always that look of longing in his eye before it was briskly wiped away.

Looking to the window, the bright light behind the curtains had faded away. The only light artificial, reflecting off the curtains and back at them. His eyes then moved to the bedside clock, having memorised when the sun roughly set.

That was one thing Sarah had never had to do, organise her life around the rise and fall of the sun. She doubted she would have survived those early days if she'd had to. But many vampires did it, and some where even happy, content with it like Lexi. But Sarah wasn't stupid enough to believe that there were those that had probably taken their lives as vampires, unable to or unwilling to live in a world where they could never step in the sun without a magic ring. A ring that could be impossible to get unless you were as fortunate as Sarah and her brothers.

"Sun's gone down," Ronnie declared, though neither were in a hurry to move. Sarah knew she ought to get back to Mystic Falls as soon as possible. But this, what she hadn't had in so long, was too good to run away from that quickly. She wanted to savour it, even if it was just for a few more minutes, or even seconds. There was no telling when she'd feel like this again. At peace and simply happy. Thanks to Ronnie.

"You still want to go back to Mystic Falls?" Ronnie asked, eyes staring down at Sarah's head while she remained entranced by the curtains, or rather what was outside. The night. Freedom. The freedom to do whatever she wanted, take whatever she wanted and go wherever with whoever. But she already knew what she would do. What she always did.

Finally Sarah moved. It was partly in reaction to the question, showing that she was going to do as she said. She pulled her hand from Ronnie's and sat up before rolling over on to her front, using her elbows to hold her up as she looked Ronnie in the eye. She had too for this. "I have too," she answered simply. She could see the disappointment in Ronnie's eyes. He rarely said anything, but he always had that look of disappointment when it came to Sarah deciding between him and her brothers.

"Believe me," Sarah said with a fond and sorry smile, as she took his face in her hands. Her thumb running affectionately down the side of his rough cheek. "I wish I could stay here, with you, in this bed for the rest of my life…but–"

"–But your family needs you," Ronnie finished. The words all too familiar as his gaze dropped down to his hand, fingers drumming soundlessly against the mattress. All Sarah could offer him was the same fond and yet sad smile. He smiled softly back in forgiveness. Like he always did. "So we going to lie around all night or am I going to have to drag you back to your brothers myself?" Ronnie teased as he leaned towards her, the two grinning before gently pressing their lips to one another. With smiles they parted, shifting into gear before gathering all they needed. Sarah got dressed and Ronnie gathered what was worth keeping, leaving behind a messy room with discarded items here and there. He'd compelled the staff to take care of everything once he left, and then to forget him and erase all the footage off him. No loose ends.

Once ready they made their way out to the front, the man Sarah had compelled still standing by her bike, holding her helmet. "Thanks for that," Sarah said teasingly as she took the helmet from the compelled man who stared blankly back at her. "Now." Her eyes locked with his and she then commanded him, "Forget all of this, forget me, forget the bike and everything that has happened since I stopped you. You tripped and bumped your head. You passed out and have been at the hotel the entire time. If you're asked any other questions about where you've been or what happened, you'll just repeat the story."

Once the compulsion was finished, the man walked off, rubbing his head after he got a few feet away before rounding the corner at the end of the street. With him dealt with, Sarah turned back to Ronnie with a feisty grin, spinning her helmet around in between her hands. He smiled back before looking to the bike. "You kept it I see."

"Of course I kept it," Sarah stated, as if it were obvious. "It was from you." He appreciated that, and watched Sarah mount the bike before placing her helmet on. "Where's yours then?" Sarah asked, adjusting the strap beneath her chin.

It had been a matching pair at one point, one of his more extravagant gifts. A gift for her and present for himself. Both bikes had been identical when they first got them, only Sarah's was cherry red and Ronnie's had been full on black. Shortly after that though, they'd parted ways but Ronnie had insisted she keep the bike as it was intended for her, so she had. And he'd taken his and driven off along with her until they parted ways once more.

Ronnie tilted his head, grimacing a little as he scratched the back of his neck. "It kind of got trashed," explained Ronnie. Sarah frowned, unhappy with the news. While it had been a gift for her and she'd fallen in love with the bike, Ronnie'd had his heart set on a motorcycle for ages, but had held out for the right model. That Ducati 1098 had been his dream bike, and if Sarah could, she'd kill whoever took that from him.

Knowing what Sarah would be asking, Ronnie continued with, "It was a couple of vampires outside New Orleans. Something about me not being welcome and never to come back."

"So in order to make sure you leave and never come back, they took your method of transportation and smashed it to bits?" Sarah asked, the irony clear as day, before the sarcasm took over her voice. "They must of been a pair of geniuses."

Ronnie shrugged, the past now behind him. "I got my own back. I snapped their necks and burned their little bar before borrowing their very new car." Sarah laughed at that, prompting Ronnie to smile back. "I made it across the state line before then accidentally crashing the thing." Sarah laughed some more, before sobering up.

"Well, since you got me it, you can use my bike while you're in Mystic Falls," Sarah said as she motioned for him to climb on with her.

"That's generous," Ronnie said with a smirk as he climbed onto the back, his arms warping around Sarah's waist. "I heard the last guy that tried to take your bike for a ride ended up with his heart shoved down his throat.

With a look back over the shoulder, Sarah grinned devilishly. "It's true," Sarah declared before looking ahead and starting up the engine. "But if you try and steal it or damage it in anyway, you won't make it out of Mystic Falls alive."

"I'll keep that in mind," Ronnie replied before Sarah raved the engine and pulled away from the sidewalk. Taking off down the street, only slowing to veer around the corner before then accelerating once more towards the highway. The journey was the same length of time, but it didn't feel nearly as bad or as long on the way back. Sarah assumed that was because there was no longer an immediate threat, or perhaps it was because Ronnie was with her now, and she could final smile again. She wasn't sure if she'd done that properly since Katherine showed up. He gave her a sort of hope.

When they finally arrived home, Sarah stopped outside the house to let Ronnie off. He whistled taking in the house Sarah had been staying in. It was odd how he'd never seen it and yet it felt like it'd always been her home now. A place she could always come back too. Or maybe that was just Mystic Falls. "Nice place," Ronnie said, tilting his head back as he looked up at the three story boarding house.

"It's home," Sarah said with a laidback shrug. "Wait here, I'll be back in a sec." She turned the bike around before then parking it back in the garage, careful to cover it up again before closing the door. She'd check it over completely tomorrow, during the day when Ronnie couldn't come out. That way she'd still be close but could go out and attend to her baby.

Once she rejoined Ronnie, she led him inside, only to find Stefan and Scarlett waiting for them. Waiting probably wasn't the right word, it just seemed that way at first glance for Sarah. After a few seconds she pieced together that they'd been talking, judging by where they were stood, and how they were facing each other, and not the door. Also the surprise on their faces as she walked through the door.

"Sarah, where have you–" Stefan began before lying eyes on Ronnie as he walked into the living room with Sarah leading him. The blue eyed vampire smiled in greeting at Stefan and the Salvatore smiled back with a nod. Ronnie and her brothers didn't have much in terms of a relationship. They got along for the most part, but other than that they didn't say much to one another. The only thing they had in common was Sarah herself.

"Stefan," Ronnie said.

"Ronnie," Stefan greeted in response.

"Ronnie who?" Scarlett asked, frowning as she was left out of the loop. Before anyone could answer however, Scarlett seemed to work it out for herself. "Wait. The Ronnie, the one Katherine mentioned earlier?" Sarah's eyes widened at the name, realising that both Scarlett and Stefan had spent time with Katherine in her absence. It had been a diversion.

"Katherine was here?" Sarah gaped, eyes staring back at her brother as he raised a reassuring hand.

"She didn't do anything. She apparently just wanted to spend time with me…alone," Stefan explained. His words – though intending to – did not reassure his sister. Once again Katherine had been playing them all to her tune, just so she could get what she wanted. Stefan. "But there is somethings I'll tell you about later," Stefan said.

"Why not tell me now?" Sarah demanded, taking a step towards her brother. She was in no mood for secrets, not between her and her brothers. They needed to work together to take down Katherine, that was the only way to do it. If they held information to themselves then they were at a disadvantage, and Katherine already had a leg up on them. There was no sense in giving her even more of an edge against them.

"Because you've had a long day and need to rest," Ronnie said for Stefan as he stepped up beside her, subtly sliding his fingers through her hand before they interlocked with her own. She turned him, defiance still in her eye. "Whatever it is he can tell you in the morning, right?"

"Right," agreed Stefan.

Sarah could see she wasn't going to get what she was after. Part of her wasn't even sure she wanted to know, at least not right now. She was tired, exhausted from the travelling and worrying. Anything else piled on to that would only make it impossible for her to sleep. So she conceded and backed of, for now at least.

"So how long is your boyfriend staying?" Scarlett asked with a teasing grin.

"He's not my boyfriend," Sarah corrected, smiling back but subtly warning Scarlett not to push on the subject. It was the least she could do seeing as she'd held back on all the teasing. And she still had plenty of ammunition to use against her if they got into a row of this nature. Such as her and Jeremy sleeping together with Katherine in the same house as them and then being caught by Elena afterwards.

"I don't know, I kind of like it," Ronnie said in sarcastic thought.

"Not funny," Sarah said simply, as she turned to him with a no nonsense smile and a bat of the eyelids.

"I'll just go and find myself a room then," Ronnie said as he backed up, his rucksack still slung over his shoulder with what little he'd packed inside. "I assume we're not sharing a bed again, since I'm not your boyfriend."

"Maybe I should have let those guys kill you," Sarah snorted, though she continued smile as Ronnie made his way towards the staircase, heading up to find himself a room to stay in. Though they both knew they'd end up in the same room, or rather, bed. She'd tell him what room was hers later. There was no need for a repeat of what happened last time, when they'd been staying at a hotel with a few vampire friends. He'd not known the room she was in, but insisted he did. Long story short, he ended up in the wrong room, in the wrong bed, with the wrong woman. And yet it had been hilarious.

"So what else did I miss out on while I was away?" Sarah asked, turning back around to her brother and ward.

"Well Damon is still annoying Mason from what I can gather," Stefan explained. "He set up this barbecue at Elena's to try and learn more about him. Jenna and Alaric where there and so were Caroline and Scarlett."

"It was boring," Scarlett supplied, summing up the affair.

"And…" Stefan continued, his gaze lowering as he spoke. "Me and Elena broke up."

"Stefan," Sarah said sadly, not understanding why or how. The pair had seemed to be in such a good place, though he was also taking this remarkably well, consider he'd clearly been in love with her deeply. Something about this didn't add up, but Sarah kept up her act of feeling sorry for her brother because she genuinely did feel sorry for him.

"It's fine," Stefan said, shaking his head as he pushed his hands into his pockets. He then turned to Scarlett, smiling at the teenager. "Scarlett's been a good shoulder to cry on."

"Yeah, but now you're here, I'm going to bed," Scarlett said as she began to leave the living room. Sarah was already to start joking around again, eager to keep up the light hearted mood for as long as possible after the day she'd had, when the front door flew open. It was so fast it banged off the wall, leaving a small web of cracks in the wall before it swung back, almost hitting who was walking in as it did. But he caught the door in his hand. Then stepped in and slammed the door behind him with a thunderous bang.

"Damon?" Stefan asked in worry as he and Sarah stepped forwards. They stopped however when they saw Damon wasn't even looking at them. Rather he was glaring at Scarlett who had picked this up right away apparently. Sarah and Stefan shared a concerned look before looking back to the vampire werewolf face off.

"I've got a bone to pick with you," Damon suddenly declared after an awkward silence had fallen, pointing an accusing finger towards Scarlett. "Or rather throw at you." Everyone caught the meaning behind his words then. Scarlett remained still, staring back at Damon while trying to keep her eyes from giving anything away. Stefan and Sarah however, sent each other extremely worried looks from the corner of their eyes before turning their attention back to their brother, who was still focused on Scarlett.

Again the silence stretched out, no one daring to say anything until Damon confirmed what they were all thinking. And since no one was stopping him, he continued, advancing on Scarlett as he did. "You're a werewolf, aren't you?" Scarlett didn't answer. "Aren't you?" Damon said louder this time. Sarah could see Scarlett shrinking in the face of him. He was hardly a danger, she could kill him with a single bite, but even so Damon was clearly angry and Scarlett was scared by that.

"That's why the vervain didn't effect you at the Founders Day Kick Off, that's why you were still effected by the Gilbert device and that's why you are a danger to me!" Damon exclaimed now standing right in front of Scarlett, glaring down at her as she stared back up, still managing to keep herself together.

"Damon," Sarah began to protest as she stepped forwards, only to have him glare over at her instead.

"She's a werewolf Sarah." His gaze moved back to Scarlett, their blue eyes clashing. His ice cold ones freezing her fragile blue ones. "And from what Mason tells me, she can kill us any time she likes, not just on a full moon." There was a pause as he looked to his siblings, trying to see if they gotten the message but neither reacted. "Her bites are always fatal!" he shouted, as if his point hadn't already been made clear.

"I would never–" Scarlett began to explain but Damon was on her before she could finish.

"I don't care!" Damon roared, Scarlett's quiet voice vanishing beneath the storm that was Damon's. "I don't care if you knew or what, but you're a danger to us. So it doesn't matter if Sarah's like the mother you never had, or you have it under control, or you promise you won't ever dig up the back garden again! You are getting the hell out of this house, now!" Damon demanded as he threw his arm out, pointing towards the front door.

"Damon," Sarah said more firmly as she stepped closer to them, but again he shot her down.

"It's me or her, Sarah. 'Cause there is nothing you can say that will make me stay in the same house as a werewolf. In fact, you're lucky I've not killed her yet," Damon warned with the look to back it up.

"Damon, I knew!" Sarah shouted over her brother, just to get him to shut up and listen.

"What," Damon breathed out.

"I knew. Ever since she came here to stay, I've known. And Stefan's known for months too, and Elena. Heck even Jeremy and Caroline know now too." Damon stared back at her, not quite willing to believe what he was hearing. His eyes slowly moved over to his brother who nodded, signalling it was the truth. Damon's wild blue eyes began to move back and forth between his siblings, no longer willing to trust them.

"She's not a threat. She never has been. If she'd wanted to, she could have bit you months back. You'd be dead if she had. But she's never hurt any of us, and has saved all of us at least once," Sarah explained in her ward's defence. "I'm the reason her uncle's dead, that makes me responsible for looking after her."

"She's sixteen!" Damon finally shot back at his sister. "Give her a damn stick and a rock and let her fend for herself."

"Come on, Damon!" Sarah snapped back.

"Alright!" Damon snapped, throwing his hands up in the air. "If you knew, this whole time, then why didn't you tell me?"

"Because we knew you'd react like this. Or even worse you might kill her," Sarah said bluntly.

"This is a completely justified reaction," Damon said defensively as he pushed his way past Scarlett and beelined for his sister. "She can kill us with one bite." He held up his finger to indicate the number of attempts the werewolf would need to kill him or his family. "On a whim she can do it. She can promise never to do it all the livelong day, but it just takes one bite. One wrong move and she can kill anyone of us. I'm not living in a house with that… I want her out. Now."

"She's not leaving," Sarah said firmly, standing her ground as she glared back at her brother who glared back in turn.

"Then I guess I'll just kill her like you thought I would," Damon said as he turned around to take care of his problem. Before Sarah could grab him he was over and had Scarlett. He shoved her back catching her before she fell. Her head tilted back and Damon bared his fangs ready to sink them into her exposed neck and kill her once and for all.

Then he hesitated, confused as to why Scarlett wasn't struggling. She just stared up at him, her eyes silently begging him not. But she wasn't fighting, even when she could so easily win.

By this point Sarah and Stefan were shouting at him to not kill her, but Damon was so focused on Scarlett he'd barely noticed. He just couldn't understand why she wasn't fighting back. Then he was pulled back and Scarlett dropped to the floor as Sarah stepped in between Damon and her. He stumbled back and Stefan grabbed him from behind, holding back his arms and holding him in place. Damon struggled for a moment but then stopped, so confused over Scarlett's reaction to him that he'd lost most of the fight in him. His anger however, was still burning away.

"Stop!" Sarah shouted angrily. "No one is leaving this house! We've been living together for months now, why go and break that up. We just have to be more careful now, but other than that nothing has changed between the four of us. So you're not leaving," Sarah declared as she pointed at Damon. "And you're not killing her," she then pointed to Scarlett with her other hand.

Seeing as he wasn't putting up a fight, Stefan relaxed his hold on Damon who then shrugged it off before marching up to his sister, stopping before entering her kill zone. "Get her out of here. Now!" Damon ordered as he and his sister entered another battle of wills mixed in with a good dose of glaring.

"For the last time. She's. Not. Leaving!"

"Sarah," Stefan stepped in, taking a step towards his fighting siblings. A look of sorrow written all over his face as he braved a look at his sister's angry green eyes. He took a breath, needing it before he reluctantly said, "I think it would be best if Scarlett found somewhere else to stay. At least for the next few nights." Sarah couldn't believe what she was hearing. And it was made even worse by what followed. "Maybe indefinitely."

"What?!" Sarah shouted. Her eyes shot back and forth between her brothers, unwilling to believe this was happening. "Are you kidding me. After everything we've been through, and I mean the four of us. After all that, after she helped save your life, Stefan. You're going to kick her out!"

"Sarah…" Stefan tried to explain his stance, but Sarah wasn't having it.

"No! It's not happening. No one is getting kicked out this–"

"I'll go," Scarlett spoke up, everyone turning to face her. Damon and Stefan only had to move their heads slightly, but Sarah did a full one eighty towards the teenager, shock all over her face. "I'll go if that's what you want," Scarlett repeated, in case they thought they'd misheard her. When they all continued to stare at her with varying degrees of shock, she explained. "I'm on your side. I owe a lot to all of you, and not just for putting me up and giving me a bed and food. So if you want me to go, I'll go."

Sarah was speechless. But even so she stepped towards her ward, resting her hands on Scarlett's shoulders as she stared back in shock. It took her a moment to find the words, lost in the surprise that Scarlett was will to walk out and never come back, just to prove she was on their side and that she cared about them. "You don't have to go," Sarah finally got out.

"If it's what Stefan and Damon want, then I'll go," Scarlett said. A saddened gratification coming off each of her words, and yet she kept her face neutral, trying to show as little emotion as possible.

"But that's not fair," Sarah said, pleading with Scarlett to stay.

"Neither's my life. Or any of yours," Scarlett said with a nod to the Salvatores. "Plus if I stay then I put you in a position I don't want to see you in."

"What's that?" Sarah asked, genuinely confused.

Scarlett smiled, finding it sweet Sarah hadn't figured it out yet. "You'd have to chose between me, and your family."

"You are part of this family," Sarah said, the statement confirmed by her eyes. "I don't care what those idiots have to say, your family to me and by extension them. Whether they like it or not."

Scarlett smiled back gratefully, but Sarah knew it hadn't swayed her to try and fight her brother on this. "Thank you, Sarah… But I'll be fine on my own. You'll see." There was nothing more to be said after that, she would say her goodbyes when she was ready, and even then it wasn't really goodbye. She'd still be in their lives hopefully, but she was leaving their home, her home now. And that would change things.

With a small smile, Scarlett stepped backwards, out the living room and made her way out into the hallway, looking Sarah in the eye one last time before heading up to her room. Sarah stared after her until she heard the creak of the stairs, followed by Scarlett's foot steps as she ascended them. Then she turned on her brothers, 'deadly' too kind a word for for the type of look she was giving them. "You two are complete idiots you know that."

"It's for everyones benefit–" Stefan began to say calmly.

"Shut up!" Sarah snapped.

"We can't trust her," Damon then chimed in, needing to get his point of view in again, just in case it hadn't been clear the first ten times he'd stated it.

"I trust her!" Sarah shouted, stabbing at her chest with her own fingers. "That should be enough for you."

"Yeah, well, it's not," Damon shot back with a glare to match his sister's. "You like dogs, I'll get you a puppy. You like having a teenager about the house, I'll get a couple to move in with us. But neither of those is capable of killing us with a single bite," Damon explained, his anger seeping into his words as he walked over to Sarah. "So you can trust her with your life for all I care. I'm not putting my head on the chopping block for her." And with that Damon walked out the living room, heading for the study and a drink that he desperately needed apparently.

Once they were alone, Stefan stepped towards his sister, trying one last time to get her to just listen to him. "Sarah–"

"I don't want to hear it," Sarah declared simply, shaking her head at her brother before storming off.

It wasn't exactly easy being kicked out of the Salvatore home, but Scarlett was handling it pretty well considering, or at least she thought so. She didn't have much in the ways of luggage, despite Sarah having gotten her a full wardrobe and whatever else she could need for school and such. She'd just grabbed a rucksack and packed a few cloths and what she'd originally brought to the Salvatore house when she first moved in. Of course she didn't have her guitar. Anna had broken that. She'd been fully intending on getting a new one at some point but life just kept getting in the way. Probably a good thing now, one less thing for her to carry around.

She hadn't been sure where she was going to go at first. She mostly just thought about wondering around the forests, looking for somewhere were she could shift into a wolf and sleep while keeping her belongings dry. But on her way out Sarah had caught her and within a minute she had a new destination in mind.

Sarah's knuckles rang out in the night as they gently knocked the front door. Loud enough to be heard but not loud enough to wake anyone who might be sleeping. It was just to get the attention of whoever was up.

"Oh, hey guys," Jenna said, mildly surprised by Sarah and Scarlett's presence on her front porch at midnight.

"Hey, Jenna," Sarah said, her tone instantly giving away the seriousness of the situation.

"What's up?" Jenna asked frown forming naturally from the tone she was getting, never mind the vibe the two supernaturals were giving off as they stood before her.

"Would it be okay if Scarlett stay with you for a bit," Sarah asked mournfully, still not okay with what was happening to her ward. It shouldn't have been happening, but Scarlett wanted to leave and Sarah couldn't very well lock her in her room. For one thing she could just jump out the window, but morally she just couldn't justify it to herself. So she'd done the next best thing and taken her to the Gilberts, knowing they'd never turn her away.

"Eh, sure…why?" Jenna asked, baffled as she squinted her face at Sarah, fishing for more information. She deserved it though, seeing as she was taking a teenager under her roof, which was just another mouth to feed, and this one wasn't even related to her.

"We've got some guests staying with us and things are a little crowded," Sarah explained. It wasn't the best excuse, but there was an element of truth to it without having to tell Jenna the full story, which Sarah was sure would enrage Jenna, since she'd obviously be on her side. "I know it's last minute but it'd be a big help."

"Yeah, of course, come on in, Scarlett. Jeremy can help you set up," Jenna said as she opened the door a little further so that Scarlett could enter. The teenager nodded with a thankful smile before heading into the house and making her way up the stairs where Jeremy was waiting for her, having been eavesdropping. The two adults waited until she and Jeremy where in the guest room and then turned back to each other.

"Thanks for this. Really, I owe you one," Sarah said to her friend who just smiled back.

"It's no problem. If you want though she can come in and we can have a chat about what's going on."

It almost sounded like she knew something was up, but Sarah dismissed the thought and took the option to leave with a small smile. "I have to get back, but thanks." She turned and stepped off the porch before turning back to Jenna who was still watching her, leaning against the door frame to her house. "I might take a recheck on that talk though," Sarah decided on second thoughts. It was always nice talking to Jenna, and it made a nice distraction from the supernatural, talking to a human.

"Deal," Jenna said with a smile before they said goodbye and she then shut the door. Keeping the darkness at bay, at least for now.