Review responses:

Only reviewer: Yep, Sarah has had it! And I wouldn't say Scarlett is pissed, so much as confused and sad. Hopefully the action will make her feel a bit better.

Charmedbycharmed: I'm glad you enjoyed it, the purpose was to show how angry Sarah is now. She's not completely paralysed with fear like she once was, now she's fuelled by her hatred. And I wouldn't call it minuscule, it was a big deal especially seeing as Sarah was actually asking for Elena's permission. I doubt she would have done that with anyone else. That said, it's still going to be a while, so I'll try and provide more moments like that for you to enjoy ;)

Swan-Redb: I'm glad you enjoyed it. Jenna is important to Sarah so she took what happened to her very seriously.

PPLforeveremison: So many reviews! I'm eternally grateful! :) There's a lot to Ronnie we still don't know about, but I'll be expanding on that in the next few chapters and further along as well. The last chapter was a very a confusing one for Scarlett I think, but it won't make it any easier when she has to tell Jeremy the truth. I'm glad you enjoyed all the little moments between certain characters! And yes, Elena and Sarah are getting closer, but still just friends, although that friendship will get a lot more serious and face some hard tests soon. And I will say so of your scenarios are very interesting...one or two might even be right...but I won't say which! ;)

As for your other reviews, I'll address some of the points you brought up. Back in chapter 5, I'm so glad you enjoyed Sarah solution to Bonnie, I thought that was very her and the bit in the car with Damon, Elena and Scarlett was a lot of fun to write too. I don't know if Sarah sees Scarlett as a sister, or vice versa, but there's definetly a strong connection there, more so than friendship I feel. Sarah feels responsible for her, there's no denying that, and Scarlett does feel she owes Sarah for everything she's done for her. That's about the only reason why I think Scarlett wouldn't bite Damon...but never say never. And I'd agree there's a mentorship going on between Caroline and Sarah, much like with Stefan or Lexi. Thank you, I'm glad you think I got Katherine right in that scene, and yes, Ronnie is important to Sarah, so much so that she did run out on Caroline at the mention of his name. And Scarlett is indeed feeling extremely guilty. You also have a point about Katherine knowing, since Mason might have told her about his time with Scarlett... I absolutely loved writing the ending for chapter 8 so I'm glad you took so much from that, all of which is extremely accurate! Mason is also a good looking guy, so I'd say physical attraction isn't out of the question, but I think Scarlett can't stand him because of what he represents to her. Her betrayal to Jeremy. But at the same time she can't say no to him when he tries to push her towards Tyler, which ironically might not be the best thing for him. :( As for Sarah's interactions with Mason, she isn't looking for a fight, but she'll do whatever she has to defend her family, and to her, Scarlett is family. She's just annoyed Damon and Stefan don't see it that way, thus why she's been stubborn with them both, Lol. No, Jeremy/Bonnie aren't going to be a thing in this story, at least not for a while if I do decide to do them. And I think Sarah and Bonnie have started to reconcile, but with Bonnie being Bonnie, it will probably be an on off friendship.

Thank you for the continued support and I hope you're enjoying Mexico!

Leilia-fanfic: I'm glad you're enjoying it and thank you for leaving a review. My current upload schedule is two chapters for two weeks then a break for two weeks. Hopefully this will change soon now that I'm wrapped up with college for the year!

WHOA! That was a lot of reviews to cover, but I'm super grateful so thank you to all who have reviewed! If you have any more questions or comments to make, please go right ahead! Anyway, now it's time for the Masquerade...! And I can almost guarantee you'll be annoyed at where I end this chapter...sorry. But next weeks chapter is shaping up to be a long one, so hopefully that will make up for the abrupt ending to this one. Anyway, enough form me, go ahead and enjoy, and I'll see you all next week!

And thanks for all the favourites and follows to both this story and the previous one also, they're just as much appreciated as the reviews!

Chapter 14: Masquerade

It was around lunch time when Sarah opened her front door to find Caroline on the verge of sobbing right in front of her. She asked what was wrong but Caroline couldn't say anything, on account of her extreme hyperventilation. Eventually Sarah brought her inside, arm wrapping around her friend's shoulders as she led her through to the study. There she sat Caroline down, fixing her a drink to calm her nerves.

When Caroline denied it, Sarah rolled her eyes before downing the bourbon, leaving a thin layer left for Caroline. She sheepishly smiled at that then took the alcohol. Her face screwed up, the taste stronger than she remembered, like everything else since she'd become a vampire. She finally spoke after that, asking for some blood instead. Sarah asked if she'd be alright on her own while she got the blood to which Caroline nervously nodded.

Not wanting to leave the girl alone for too long, Sarah vamp speeded out the room and came back with a bag of blood. Caroline swallowed half the bag whole before she finally paused for breath. She was in control now, her breathing heavy, but more rhythmic. Sarah had been about to ask her what happened when Damon walked in, frowning at the sight.

"What's going on with her?" Damon asked with a nod to Caroline.

"That's what I was just about to ask?" Sarah said with a pointed look to Damon before her gaze softened and returned to Caroline. "Caroline?" Sarah said gently, watching as the girl clutched the blood bag in hand. Shaking all over, she began to tell them what had happened. It was all frantic and came out far too fast, even for Caroline, but Sarah and Damon got the gist of it. By the time she was finished, the blood bag was empty and she was shaking even more than before. Sarah didn't blame her after hearing what she'd gone through. She might possibly have been the same.

Sarah offered to get her another drink but Damon stepped in, offering her a glass of blood he'd poured during Caroline's story. She took it with another nervous smile, holding the glass in both hands for fear of dropping it. "Look at me, I'm still shaking," Caroline chuckled sadly before she lifted the glass to her lips.

"What happened?" The three vampires looked over to the door as Stefan walked in, frowning as he joined Sarah and Damon who were stood around Caroline.

"Caroline had a meeting with Katherine this morning," Sarah answered as her brother shot to attention, eyes going to Caroline.

"Where?" Stefan asked quickly.

"At the Grill. I just stopped by to…gawk and…quasi-stalk Matt," Caroline explained shamefully, before she broke out into a ramble describing the entire scene and all its teen drama in far too much detail. Once she got through her own feelings at the time, she moved onto what she thought Matt was thinking when Damon cut in.

"Skip the teen drama and get to it."

Caroline continued, shifting gears so smoothly it was like she hadn't even noticed Damon spoke. There were certain benefits, Sarah supposed, to being Caroline. One being that once she got talking the rest of the world sort of just vanished until she reached her conclusion. "Then I had to pretend to use the bathroom even though I didn't really have to go because I'm a doofus," Caroline continued. "That's when Katherine came up to me. She was pretending to be Elena. I tried to play along but when I made a run for it she cut me off."

"How'd you know it wasn't Elena?" Stefan asked, curiously, wondering if Caroline was somehow able to spot the difference between the two.

"I just knew she was at home," Caroline explained sheepishly, almost apologising for not being able to tell her best friend apart from her evil doppelgänger.

"Tell him the next bit Caroline," Sarah asked gently.

Caroline nodded before looking back to Stefan, the only one who hadn't heard the full story. "She told me to give you all a message."

"What was the message?" Stefan asked.

"She wants the moonstone," Caroline said, fear in her eyes. "Or else she'll rip the town apart and…something about raining blood–I don't know," Caroline blurted out before her fingers went to her forehead, eyes screwing up in fear that she'd gotten it wrong or mucked it up. Sarah knew what she was thinking, or rather worrying about, that Katherine would somehow find out she hadn't delivered the full message and would make her suffer for it.

"Tell him the rest of it," Damon said.

"She wants to meet tonight…at the masquerade ball," Caroline explained before drinking the rest of the blood she had in hand. With her part done and the message delivered to all three Salvatores, the siblings turned to one another. Stefan spoke first, gears turning as they began to think about what Katherine had said through Caroline.

"She wants to do it in public," Stefan said as he waved a thinking finger. "Killing Mason threw her off guard."

"She's running scared," Damon said more cockily. "What she did to Jenna was desperate. She's out of tricks."

"This is Katherine we're talking about, she might be desperate but she's always got a trick up her sleeve," Sarah pointed out with a serious look to Damon, who dramatically rolled his eyes in turn.

"Can't we just give her the moonstone so she'll leave?" Caroline asked desperately.

"No, Katherine's not getting dick," Damon said before Sarah could say the same thing. "I've had it. I'm gonna go to the masquerade ball and I'm gonna kill her, tonight."

"You're not gonna kill her," Stefan replied.

"Don't start with us Stefan," Sarah growled as she and Damon glared at their goody two-shoes brother.

"He's not gonna kill her," Stefan repeated with a thin smile on his lips. "Because I am."

"Yeah, right," Damon scoffed.

"And you think you have a better chance than me?" Stefan asked in turn, challenge seeping into his voice. Now when it came to her brothers competing against one another, Sarah was all for it. Often found it enjoyable if she wasn't dragged into it at the same time. But this wasn't one of their stupid games. This was serious. This was Katherine.

"Boys, boys," Sarah said gently, one hand going to Damon's shoulder while the other landed on Stefan's. "It doesn't matter who kills Katherine." They both looked at her, confused as to why she wasn't arguing for the right to kill the woman she hated more than anyone. "All that matters is that she's dead by the end of the night," Sarah said with a smile, which her brothers quickly began to share.

After that they set to work, making calls and gathering what they needed. Scarlett and Ronnie joined them and once they were caught up both were happy to help. They set up in the living room, filling a table with a variety of weapons they had on hand while leaving room for the arsenal that Alaric was bringing over. It didn't take him long to arrive, and Jeremy quickly followed. He'd phoned wanting to know what was happening and Scarlett had told him, to which he insisted he be involved. Not wanting to risk him telling Elena, who they were keeping out of the loop, they let him come over but were clear on what his roll would be. Bag boy.

When the doorbell rang after that, they knew it would be the last person they'd called. Caroline answered it, greeting Bonnie as she stepped in.

"I got Stefan's message," Bonnie said as she walked in, following Caroline as she led her into the living room.

"Hey," Stefan said as he stepped over to Bonnie who stopped, while Caroline continued on to join the others by the table full of weapons. "You brought the grimoire, thank you," Stefan said to Bonnie as he put his hands together gratefully.

"What's joining on?" Bonnie asked as she glanced over at the group around the weapons table. Most of the weapons involved wooden stakes but some looked like they were normal guns and Bonnie was sure she even saw a grenade in there somewhere. Around the table stood, Alaric, who was showing Damon one of the guns, while Sarah and Ronnie stood on the opposite side, watching closely also. Caroline stood off to the side, hovering but not fully committed to the lecture Alaric was giving.

"We're gonna kill Katherine," Jeremy answered for Stefan as he passed in between the witch and vampire, Scarlett following behind as they both carried various small boxes filled with more deadly weapons they could use on Katherine. Bonnie's eyes followed them as they too joined the group at the weapons table, before her eyes went back to Stefan.

"I can explain," Stefan said slowly.

"Please," Bonnie replied, waiting for his explanation.

"We're gonna kill Katherine," Stefan then repeated, since it pretty much covered it. Bonnie stared back at him before he then lead her over to the weapons table.

"Now this works with compressed air. The trigger mechanism is up here. I have two of these in a different size," Alaric explained, holding up a stake gun while the vampires watched, noting everything Alaric highlighted, before he placed it carefully back down on the table.

He then picked up another gadget with two stakes attached to it. "For you, I recommend this," Alaric suggested as he strapped the device to his arm. "It fits nicely under the jacket sleeve. You use the trigger when you're ready," Alaric said before then activating the gadget which launched one of the stakes forward and into his hand. He then demonstrated how to use said stake as he thrusted it into the air a couple of times.

The vampires all shared a look before looking back to Alaric who shrugged in response. "You wanted me to show you how to kill a vampire." The vampires all nodded in agreement at that, though they were glad he was helping them and not Katherine instead.

Alaric went through a few more tutorials about the weapons before Stefan then noticed Bonnie withdrawing from the room. Grabbing Sarah's attention, he motioned for her to follow him while Alaric got the others, particularly Jeremy and Scarlett, to go over what he'd told them about each weapon and how they worked.

"Everything alright Bonnie?" Stefan asked as he and Sarah joined her in the hallway.

"I'm just not sure about all this," Bonnie said nervously, glancing over at the others as Jeremy held a weapon and explained it back to Alaric who was watching carefully, hand on chin as he nodded along. She then looked back to the two Salvatores, speaking to Stefan as she said, "I know you love Elena, and you want to be with her, but it's risky. Too many people could get hurt."

"Look, I want Elena back," Stefan admitted. "Yes, but it's more than that."

"When Katherine went after Jenna it crossed a line," Sarah explained firmly, arms folded as she stared back into Bonnie's eyes. Her point coming across perfectly as Bonnie stared back. "And if for nothing else, she has to be stopped for that reason. It just proves what she'll do if she doesn't get her way."

"I don't know guys," Bonnie said unsurely.

Stefan placed his hands together, trying to think of how best to convince Bonnie before he started to recite the plan again. "Katherine knows me, right? She knows that I'm not gonna try something in a crowd full of innocent people. I wouldn't risk their lives and I wouldn't let Sarah or Damon do it either. But that gives all of us the advantage. We can catch her by surprise."

Bonnie bit down on her lower lip, torn by her decision to stay out of it and her need to protect the innocent. She glanced back over into the room, watching as the group began to pack away the weapons they were taking into a gym bag. Sarah believed Bonnie would make the right decision, she had seen the damage Katherine had caused and had to know this was for the greater good, even if it meant helping other vampires. "I could do a spell to trap her, like the tomb spell," Bonnie suggest.

"Right. We can isolate her, away from the others," Stefan said eagerly.

"You trap her in a room with us, and we'll do the rest," Sarah said determinedly, to which Bonnie nodded in reluctant agreement. "Great, then looks like we're almost ready." The three returned to the living room and Damon showed the filled bag to his siblings who approved of the contents before they all gathered around the coffee table. The Salvatores stood at one end, facing the hallway with Ronnie at Sarah's side. On their left was Bonnie and Caroline, and on their right was Scarlett, Jeremy and Alaric.

"Are you sure you guys don't want me there tonight?" asked Alaric, his arms folded, though hardly angry about being benched. He was all for getting Katherine, especially after what she'd done to Jenna, but given the choice between killing Katherine and being with Jenna, he was going to pick Jenna every time. He trusted them all to handle it and Sarah and the others wouldn't let him, or Jenna, down.

"No, I need you to stay with Elena. I don't want her to know about this," Stefan explained, stood at the head of the coffee table with Damon and Sarah on either side.

"Okay, well, I'll make sure she doesn't leave my sight," Alaric promised, to which Stefan nodded thankfully.

"Alright, if anybody wants to back out, I'll understand," Stefan said, addressing the rest of the room.

"Yeah. Cold feet speak now. I don't want this going wrong if someone chicken's out," Damon declared before honing in on Caroline. "Caroline," he then added pointedly.

"I won't," Caroline said determinedly, matching Damon's gaze with her own. "Look, she killed me. Fair's fair. As long as there's no werewolves trying to sink their teeth into me." Caroline then rolled her head in the direction of Scarlett, giving the werewolf a pointed look.

"Hey, the only one I'm sinking my teeth into tonight is Katherine," Scarlett replied as her eyes flashed, the wolf inside eager for the fight ahead.

"And since it's not a full moon we won't have to worry about Tyler or any other werewolves either," Jeremy pointed out.

"Bonnie?" Stefan asked, noticing the uncertainty returning to the witch's eyes. "Are you with us?"

Bonnie glanced around the group, seeing how determined they all were to stop Katherine once and for all. She was a key part to their plan, the only witch they could trust and relay on. If she pulled out they might never kill Katherine, and this was their best opportunity. Slowly, she stepped in line with Caroline, declaring to the room firmly, "But no one gets hurt."

"Except Katherine," Damon pointed out with a smirk.

"Tonight that bitch finally gets what's coming to her," Sarah said with a smirk of her own which she shared with Ronnie. Alaric left after that and the others returned home to grab their cloths for tonight. The Salvatores, Scarlett and Ronnie remained behind, waiting until nightfall before they got dressed up for the party. Once they were all ready, they grabbed the bag of weapons and made their way to the party, meeting up with the others as soon as they arrived.

Sarah was certain then that they would succeed tonight. She could see the determination in all of them then and there, not just in herself or in her brothers. They were all prepared to do whatever it took to get ride of this evil that had infected all their lives. She handed the bag over to Scarlett who then took off into the Lockwood mansion with Jeremy and Bonnie. They would set up while the others searched for Katherine. They split up, heading in different directions and in different groups, making sure to find Katherine before she found them.

With each step Scarlett took, she swore her dress was going to rip apart. It was short, but not short enough, hugging her knees and pulling them back to one another as if she were in chains. If she focused hard enough, she would probably be able to hear the lace fabrics snapping one by one as she walked through the Lockwood house. If it wasn't for Sarah, she wouldn't be in the stupid thing. As a matter of fact she would have torn it apart the second Sarah gave it to her. The dress wasn't ugly by any means. It was a nice simple thing, completely black, a solid dress covering her chest and reaching down to her knees with a laced floral pattern over the top that reached down past her knees and completely covered her otherwise bare arms, shoulders and upper chest. But Scarlett had never been a dress girl. Give her jeans and a t-shirt any day.

However, she couldn't deny how good Jeremy was looking, in his sharp suit and mask. Okay, maybe the mask was a bit stupid, but it blended in with everyone else and it was a last minute buy, but he did look good in a suit.

Shaking the thoughts on how Jeremy looked, and more importantly what she wanted to do with him, away, Scarlett proceeded to follow him as he led the way through the house. Once arriving, Bonnie had explained she needed an isolated room to seal Katherine in, one that no one would enter and end up getting killed in. Jeremy, having been in the house most recently, suggested a room and the Salvatores were fine with it. Bonnie still wanted to check the room out first though, which was fine since Scarlett and Jeremy needed to plant the weapons first anyway.

Stopping at the base of the staircase, Jeremy made sure it was clear before motioning Scarlett up. She passed him, weapons bag in hand and with Bonnie right behind her. Jeremy followed up, watching out in case anyone from the small groups around the stairs noticed. They didn't, even thought Carol Lockwood had made it clear on arrival that no one was to go up stairs. She'd bee to busy socialising anyway to notice, and Tyler was off getting drunk with Matt and some girls when she last spotted him.

Once up stairs Jeremy took the lead again, taking them towards the central room which seemed like a smaller secondary living room. Probably used for Carol Lockwood's book club or whatever, but thankfully for them the room didn't seem to be in use at the moment. It was nicely decorated like the rest of the house, but cut of from the festivities downstairs. Perfectly isolated.

"I thought this room could work," Jeremy explained as he opened the glass doors to the small living room, leading the way inside.

"It's perfect," Bonnie said as she sat down on the couch, opening up her spell book as Scarlett placed the bag down next to her. Opening it up, she grabbed a handful of weapons and passed them over to Jeremy. She took some for herself and then the couple set to work, hiding weapons in cupboards, drawers, under tables, behind the couch and even behind a set of curtains.

As they worked, Jeremy asked Bonnie, "Is that the spell book I read about in my family's old journal?"

"It's my ancestor, Emily's. The spell I'm doing here is similar to the one that sealed the vampires into the tomb," Bonnie explained as she flicked through the grimoire, searching for the right spell.

"Will it trap me inside too?" Scarlett asked, looking over as she closed a cupboard door after hiding a weapon inside.

Bonnie shook her head. "No, it just works on vampires," she explained.

"Can you do everything in that book?" Jeremy asked with a curious glance over his shoulder as he stashed the empty bag away in another room.

"It takes practice," Bonnie answered. "And I've only worked on a few small spells. Spells that only do good." As she spoke she turned a few more pages before stopping having found the spell. "Alright, I've got it, now just give me a few minutes and watch the doors," Bonnie said before she closed her eyes and quietly began to chant to herself.

Scarlett watched the witch for a moment, frowning as she tried to make sense of what Bonnie was saying but to no success. It wasn't long before she gave up trying to understand what Bonnie was doing and made her way over to the open double glass doors. Moving to her side, Jeremy stood next to her, fingers sliding in between her own as he took her hand. She smiled over to him but almost laughed when she saw his mask once more.

"That mask is just the most stupidest thing ever," Scarlett sniggered, failing to hold back the mocking amusement in her voice.

"Well, yours isn't exactly any better," Jeremy shot back with a grin.

"I know how stupid this looks," Scarlett said, pointing to the similar black mask she had on her own face, much like Jeremy.

"Yeah," Jeremy teased. "But you're still cute."

"Cute?" Scarlett questioned with a mock offence look as she stepped away from Jeremy, grin forming no matter how much she tried to conceal it.

"Alright, hot?" Jeremy guessed, grinning at the joke.

"The feminist in me doesn't like that much either," Scarlett retorted, folding her arms.

"Okay, how about, beautiful?" Jeremy settled on finally, stepping towards Scarlett as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Oh, I like that," Scarlett admitted as she let Jeremy take hold, leaning towards him as she clasped her hands behind Jeremy's neck. She smiled back at him, leaning in for another kiss as she pulled him down towards her. Their lips touched and Scarlett felt the rest of the world fade away for a moment. She loved kissing Jeremy, it made everything so much simpler, even everything with Mason. Each kiss put that memory further and further away. She just needed to be patient, and soon it'd be like it never happened. Like a bad dream from long ago.

The teens parted, continuing to smile at one another, until they felt eyes on them. Following their senses, they turned to find Bonnie up on her feet, grimoire in her hand and staring right at them. "Great job on keeping watch," Bonnie said with a grin as she eyed the two.

"Sorry," they both apologised, Jeremy's checks even reddening a little.

"Count yourselves lucky no one came in. Otherwise that could have been really embarrassing for you two." Still grinning, Bonnie made her way out with Scarlett and Jeremy following. Once they were out the living room, Jeremy pulled the glass doors shut, leaving the room as it was before they entered, only now it was ready for Katherine and the others. "We need to let the others know the room's ready," Bonnie pointed out as she and Scarlett headed for the stairs with Jeremy bringing up the rear, looking back to make sure no one had noticed them.

They made their way down, rejoining the party like they'd never been absent when suddenly Bonnie came to a stop in the middle of the room. A tingle, a feeling, passing through her. She stood still looking around as if trying to see what had triggered the feeling, the feeling of someone she knew standing nearby. "Did you feel that?" Bonnie asked the young couple that stood ahead of her, staring back in confusion.

"Feel what?" Scarlett asked in turn, answering Bonnie's question at the same time.

"Are you cold?" Jeremy asked, offering a suggestion to what she might be feeling. It made sense, it was still winter and the Lockwood's had the doors to their home wide open so that the guests could easily flow in and out of the house. Of course, that then allowed the cold air to swoop in and the hot air to drift out, but no one seemed to be complaining yet. Too high class for it, Scarlett guessed. The only reason she herself wasn't complain was because of her werewolf abilities. Much like vampire's, mildly high and low temperatures didn't effect her all that much, in fact it was almost unnoticeable.

Bonnie didn't answer. Instead she did a full one-eighty, making her way past the stairs and into another room of the house. Sharing a baffled look, with Jeremy, Scarlett followed, nose on high alert as they watched Bonnie approach a woman who was facing away from them. Once she was close enough, Bonnie made her presence clear to the woman as she tapped her on the shoulder. Turning around, the woman revealed herself to be dark skinned, not that different in shade to Bonnie, gold mask covering her face and in a slim fitting black dress. Her light brunette hair straightened and flowing down her back and over her shoulders.

"Excuse me, do I know you?" Bonnie asked as she looked up at the taller woman. The older woman stared back, as if thinking the same thing Bonnie was before plastering on a smile.

"No, I'm a plus one, I know no one, but it's a great party though." It sounded almost rehearsed, either that or that the woman was just as thrown by Bonnie as she was by this mystery woman. Forcing her smile up one more time, the mystery woman stepped past Bonnie and walked straight past Scarlett and Jeremy. However, as she passed, Scarlett turned her head, gaze following the woman and deliberately sniffing her as she passed. It was all she needed to get the woman's scent, and she hadn't even noticed. Tracking her would be tricky in this environment, especially since it was a new scent she'd just picked up, but she'd be able to recognise her again if she picked up her unique smell.

Watching the woman vanish into the partying crowd, Scarlett turned back as Bonnie joined her and Jeremy. "Are you okay?" Jeremy asked Bonnie.

"I just got a weird vibe," Bonnie shrugged before proceeding to march off with Jeremy behind her and Scarlett taking a second before following, still committing the scent of the mystery woman to memory. Once done, Scarlet shoved the woman to the side of her mind, refocusing on why they'd come here, to kill Katherine. Now the room was ready, and all they needed was the Salvatores and Katherine.

Standing on the large back porch of the Lockwood house, Sarah scanned the crowds of people, all in masks. Some where dancing to the slow music, some where chatting away and others were happily nibbling at food or drinking, all without a care in the world. None of them having a clue as to what was going down right under their noses.

It was for the best, a scene was something Katherine could easily manipulate to her advantage. Best to keep it privet and finish her off quickly, like the plan was. However, if Sarah saw a window before then, she'd take it, and strike that bitch down once and for all.

"There's no sign of her," Ronnie said from beside her, dressed in a sharp suit much like the rest of the men on their little team, wearing a plain purple mask that dulled his blue eyes. If she'd had the chance, Sarah would have found him something more fun, something that brought out his blue eyes. But this was serious, and she couldn't waste time on something so trivial. They'd have time to do fun little things like that after tonight, once Katherine was finally vanquished from their lives.

"Well keep looking then," Sarah replied, her voice coming off a little harsher than she intended. Realising this, Sarah looked over, looking through her mask at Ronnie who was carefully looking back at her. "Sorry," she apologised, before going back to scanning the crowd. She could still feel his eyes on her though, concerned. She'd preferred how he'd looked at her when they first arrived, eyeing her up in her long black, shoulder less, ballroom dress. So long it concealed her black heels beneath. As for her mask, it was a tiny thing, with a spiderweb pattern that covered her eyes and nothing more. Her hair ran down her back and shoulders, a straight river of raven hair that cascaded over her. She had thought she looked good, but Ronnie had confirmed it for her with one look.

That longing look was gone now, just concern in its place. When Sarah continued to ignore his linger eyes, she found his fingers wrapping around her arm, grabbing enough of her attention to force her to turn back to face him. "Hey," he said calmly, blue eyes sparkling in the light that reflected off them. Enough to make a girl's heart melt. Even if the mask dulled that shine Sarah loved it so. "One way or the other, we'll end this tonight. And then we can go away for bit, just me and you before coming back to your brothers." Sarah smiled at that idea, allowing herself a moment of happiness, despite knowing that Katherine was lurking nearby.

"That sounds nice," Sarah said dreamily, hand reaching up to Ronnie's check. Holding her hand against his face, she leaned up, planting a kiss to his lips as his arm slid around her waste. God, it was so tempting to get lost in this, in their passion, to forget about Katherine and just have fun with him. But that then meant that Katherine could end that happiness whenever she wanted. Sarah had to do this, had to end this so she could finally be happy and stop looking over her shoulder, knowing no matter what she'd never be happy, so long as Katherine lived.

Pulling back, Sarah continued to smile until she spotted a disturbing sight over Ronnie's shoulder. At this sight her smile dropped clean of her face, which turned to a snarl as Ronnie followed her line of sight. Bellow the porch, underneath one of the sent up tents, Katherine was dancing away with Stefan, grinning over at them both.

"I'll kill her," Sarah snarled, going to run at her when Ronnie caught her arm, holding her back.

"That's what she wants you to do. Get emotional so you charge at her without thinking. You do that and she'll wipe the floor with you," Ronnie pointed out, hand tight around her arm. He didn't have the strength to stop her if she challenged him, but his logic won out and she backed down. Standing her ground as she glared back at Katherine, with Ronnie's hand still on her arm. He was right though, completely, last time she'd gone at Katherine like this had been when she first came back to Mystic Falls. That had ended up with her trapped in a cave, and Katherine playing all sorts of mind games with her, an experience she did not wish to repeat.

"Just stick to the plan," Ronnie said lowly, voice barely audible in case Katherine was listening in on them while she danced with Stefan, which she more than likely was.

"Alright," Sarah said simply as she turned towards Ronnie, keeping Katherine out of sight while focusing her hearing on what she and Stefan were saying.

"I think your sister's jealous that I'm dancing with you," Katherine chuckled as she and Stefan swayed to the music, slowly turning in a circle. She knew exactly what she was doing, knowing that with a few simple words she could push Sarah over the edge, like she'd just done. Her fingers dug into her palms, and had Ronnie not been with her, whispering calming words to her, she might have ran over there and started the fight right now.

"Leave her alone," Stefan said lowly, brow lowering in a glare behind his mask. It only made Katherine smirk all the more, seeing she was getting to not one, but two of the Salvatores. And her favourite two at that.

"Alright. Tell me, how's Jenna?"

Sarah turned, vampire features coming out as she began to hiss in Katherine's direction, only for Ronnie to grab her and pull her into his chest. Her animal like sound vanishing into his chest as he held her tightly. She struggled for a moment before finding herself relaxing in his scent, letting him hold her and whisper sweet nothings. She needed this, needed him. He anchored her, kept her in check when she couldn't do it herself. She wished Lexi was here to help but Ronnie was the next best thing. Not because of his power or strength, they were all stronger than him, but because he helped her emotionally and mentally. He was a good defence against Katherine's evil manipulative mind games.

"Katherine," Stefan warned in a growl at the implied threat.

"Yes, Stefan?" Katherine replied flirtatiously, teasing him as she always did.

"I don't want anyone to get hurt tonight," Stefan said, voice returning to a level and calm tone, doing his best to not let Katherine get to him.

"Okay. Then give me the moonstone and nobody will," Katherine explained as they continued to sway slowly.

"Well, you see, I don't have the moonstone on me. So, you and I will have to go and get it together," Stefan pointed out with the same level tone.

"Hmm," Katherine said in sarcastic thought. "I have a better plan. You go fetch it, and me and Sarah can share a slow dance until you get back." Thankfully for everyone, Ronnie still a hold of Sarah, hugging her as she bit down on her lip, blood bursting into her mouth from the force she was exerting. She couldn't stand Katherine making these careless jokes, how everything she'd done to her just seemed like a game and in fact was to Katherine. But she hadn't gotten to Ronnie yet, bar the failed attempt to kill him, and he was still with her, stroking her hair soothingly as he watched Stefan and Katherine, knowing full well his girlfriend was listening in.

Taking a stand, Stefan met Katherine's gaze, and firmly said, "I will not let you near my sister ever again."

Katherine chuckled at that, causing Sarah's blood to boil to the point that it was turning into gas inside her. She was practically exhaling blood of rage at this point. "Whatever you say, Stefan," Katherine replied as they began slow in their dance, both knowing it was almost at an end as Aimee approached them.

"Hey, Stefan, I can't find Matt," Aimee said as Stefan and Katherine parted, only then did the high school student notice Katherine, or rather who she looked like. "Oh my god, Elena. You look so pretty. I love that dress, you like gorge," Aimee gushed as Katherine smiled back, in her Elena like way. Enough to convince someone like Aimee that she was the really Elena and not her evil doppelgänger impersonating her.

"Thank you, I love your necklace," Katherine replied, keeping up the Elena act as she hung onto Stefan's arm.

"Oh, thanks," Aimee replied with the usual high school blush that followed any compliment.

"Oh, it's twisted," Katherine pointed out with a soft frown. "Here, let me," Katherine said as she moved from Stefan's side and stepped behind Aimee. She made a show of fixing Aimee's necklace, the silence prompting Sarah to look up from Ronnie's chest. They both looked up, watching closely along with Stefan as Katherine stood behind Aimee. Then her Elena facade vanished in a wicked smile and she snapped Aimee's spin. All three vampires who were watching suddenly dropped their jaws as they watched Katherine hold up the paralysed Aimee who was gasping in horrified shock.

"Paralysed from the waist down," Katherine explained to them all. Another jab to Aimee's back, another snap of bone, and the girl's head dropped as Katherine's smile grew in delight. "And dead." Sarah watched in horror from next to Ronnie as Katherine shoved the dead body towards Stefan who clumsily caught Aimee, holding her up as if she was still alive.

Sarah was lost for words. She knew Katherine was many things and had seen the lengths she'd go to a few nights ago with Jenna. But to kill Aimee, a nobody who just happened to be passing by, over nothing other than to prove a point. It was monstrous. And so was Katherine. Even now she smiled as if it was nothing, just an every day occurrence. When she then grew tired of Stefan's shocked look, she glanced over at Sarah and Ronnie, soaking up their surprise. "The moonstone, Sarah," Katherine said as she looked across the yard and into Sarah's eyes, since Stefan was busy with the dead body. "Tick tock," she teased before then turning on her heels and striding off into the party.

Not wanting to lose her, Sarah started to move only for Ronnie to tighten his hold on her again. Looking up to him, Sarah snarled, "Let me go."

He looked back down, eyes serious before he glanced over at Stefan pointedly. "Stefan needs our help." Looking over, Sarah saw what he meant. With Katherine having fled, Stefan was now stuck in the middle of what was effectively the dance floor, dead body in his arms. He did need help, but Ronnie could handle that, she had to stop Katherine before she killed again. She gotten close to Jenna and now she'd killed some from the high school. Next it would be someone she cared about, and she wouldn't allow that.

Ronnie didn't loosen up though, and he wouldn't until she agreed with him and let Katherine be. "Sarah. Sarah, listen to me," Ronnie said firmly until finally she looked back up into his cool blue eyes. "Don't play her game. Just keep to the plan." She knew in some part of her mind that he was right, but she couldn't stand letting Katherine get away with all this. She just had to kill her, and better sooner than later. "Sarah, Stefan needs our help. Now come on." With that Sarah nodded, conceding since she'd lost sight of Katherine and because her brother needed her now.

Letting his hold on her loosen, Ronnie led Sarah down towards the dance floor, pushing their way past the other dancers and making their way to Stefan. "Here, here, I've got her," Ronnie said as he took Aimee's body from Stefan, tension leaving him once he passed the body over. It wasn't ideal but she looked a lot more natural hugging Ronnie's body than Stefan's.

"Thanks," Stefan said sincerely, Ronnie nodding as he held Aimee's body against his own, as if they were slowly dancing and Aimee was just clinging to her boyfriend. If only that was the truth. With Sarah then leading the way out and Stefan behind Ronnie, they carefully and slowly made their way off the dance floor. Once at the edge, they headed for the tree line, Ronnie managing to put on a very convincing performance that Aimee was just crying into his shoulder, as if he was soothing her.

Once hidden by the trees of the forest, Ronnie dumped the body and turned to Sarah and Stefan, the former still shaking a little from what had just happened. "You alright there, Stefan?" Ronnie asked with a concerned look, eyes going to Sarah briefly.

"Ye-Yeah," Stefan got out before running his hand over his mouth, a single droplet of sweet making it's way down his temple. He was nervous, second guessing himself now, Sarah was going to have to work fast to keep him on the game now. They'd come to far, suffered to much to throw away such an opportunity. No, they were seeing this through, even if she had to temporarily take Stefan out of the equation. But hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

"We've got to go and update Damon and the others, let them know that Katherine's getting jumpy," Sarah explained to Ronnie. That what that had been back there, Katherine showing off her feathers, trying to scare them into backing down and giving her the moonstone. And while Sarah had been shocked to see Aimee die, she'd get over it, the girl was an acquaintance to her. But being back in Mystic Fall with her family, new friends and Ronnie, she was opening up more, caring more, like Stefan. Damon was the same even if he wouldn't admit it, and neither would Sarah. But like with Jenna, Katherine was making desperate moves, and Sarah saw right through them. They had her on the ropes for the first time ever, it was time to finish it.

"Can you handle this?" Sarah asked Ronnie. He nodded back, before picking up the body and slinging it over his shoulders.

"It'll take a while but I'll be back as soon as I can," Ronnie said.

"Thanks," Sarah said before leaning over and kissing him. Once they parted, Ronnie took off into the forest in a blur, going to burry the body while Sarah and Stefan returned to the Lockwood house. Stefan was still a bit shaken up but he kept it together as they made their way through the party and into the Lockwood house. They made straight for the stairs, Sarah texting Damon as they went. He must have vamp speeded upstairs though because he was in the upstairs room before they were.

"What's all this about?" Damon asked, gesturing to his phone as he slipped it into his pocket, frowning as his younger siblings entered the room.

"Katherine's killed a girl, right in front of us," Sarah explained as Stefan quickly began to pace back and forth. Damon remained stood, watching as Stefan continued to pass him over and over, while Sarah stood by the door, ready to block Stefan off if he decided to chicken out.

"So?" Damon scoffed, earning a glare from Stefan before he returned to his pacing.

"Ronnie's taking care of the body now, burying it somewhere on the Lockwood estate. He'll come and find us when he gets back," Sarah explained to Damon who nodded as he followed her words.

"This is exactly what I didn't want," Stefan suddenly spoke up, clearly unhinged by what Katherine had done.

"Stefan, its collateral damage," Damon said with a dismissive smile as Stefan walked past him, heading towards Sarah. Though he looked back to Damon as he said his next words, knowing he'd be the least mad out of his two siblings.

"Which is why we need to call it off," Stefan pointed out, still walking as he looked back to Damon. He turned back to face the front, heading for the doorway when Sarah stepped out in front of him, arms folded, immovable glare mixed in with a pout on her face. Stefan planted his hands on his hips, eyes going everywhere but Sarah's as he sighed. He knew what was coming next.

"We're not calling this off, Stefan," Sarah said sternly. "This is the woman that took everything from us, and will do it again if we don't stop her. Now if you want out, then leave, but me and Damon are ending this tonight, no questions asked." Her tone then softened, along with her gaze as Stefan finally looked to her with his matching green eyes. "But I'd rather have you with us."

"Come on brother," Damon said as he planted his hand on Stefan's shoulder, stepping up beside him. "We can do this, together." He looked to Sarah, determination in his eyes. "As a family." Sarah smiled, grateful for what he was saying and doing. This was it, what she wanted, their family working together to end the woman who broke it up in the first place. "I've got your back."

"And I've got Damon's back," Sarah added as Stefan looked back towards his sister, knowing what his job was. "So who's going to have my back?"

Stefan needed no more than two seconds to decide his answer to that question. "I do," Stefan said firmly. And just like that, they were back on schedule.

Standing on the back porch, Scarlett checked her phone for the fifth time that minute. It was taking too long. They'd told Sarah and the others they were ready almost three quarters of an hour ago. They should have been upstairs by now, beating the crap out of Katherine and killing her for everything she'd done. Instead, Scarlett was stood outside, tapping her foot as she unlocked her phone, shifting through her recent texts. Nothing new, no matter how many times she refreshed it.

She'd come out side to cool off, to help her stay calm as they waited for the signal, turns out, it wasn't helping. Letting out something suspiciously close to a growl, Scarlett forced her phone back into the discreet pocket off her dress. At least Sarah had had the foresight to give her a dress with pockets, a rare thing it might be, but Scarlett would rather die than carry a purse and she couldn't very well carry her phone about in her hand all night.

"Hey," Jeremy said, hand going to the small of her back as a comforting smile formed on his face. Scarlett did her best to smile back, but it fell short, her mind too focused on the plan and the delay that was growing by the second. "Take a breath," Jeremy said soothingly, his breath tickling her ear when he leaned over.

"But what's taking them so long?" Scarlett asked, fingers digging into her palms as she looked back to the Lockwood mansion, as if she'd see Sarah there, waving her over. She just couldn't stand all this waiting, it put her on edge, waiting for things to go wrong, which seemed more and more likely with each passing second.

"They're over a hundred years old, I'm sure they know what they're doing," Jeremy said comfortingly as he turned Scarlett back towards him, taking both her hands with his own as he smiled at her unsure blue eyes.

"Apparently you remember nothing I've told you," Scarlett teased with a grin as she looked back into Jeremy's soft brown eyes. "They may be old, but they're hardly evil geniuses." Jeremy chuckled at that, and Scarlett managed a smile before it softened, remembering why they were here. But it had been enough to give Jeremy an idea on how to distract her from the constant waiting.

"Do you want to dance?" Jeremy suggested, still holding onto Scarlett's hands, swaying them back and forth ever so slightly.

"No, Jeremy, no. I–I don't want to–" Scarlett began, unnaturally nervous, as her gaze averted from her boyfriend's.

"Come on, you'll love it," Jeremy said as he gently began to pull her hands, stepping towards the dance floor.

"Jeremy, now's not the time–" Scarlett moaned but yet again Jeremy cut her off, now more forcefully pulling her. She could have stopped him by little more than digging her heels into the ground, but she let him guide her, caught up in whatever whirlwind he was throwing at her now.

"One dance, please," Jeremy said, gentle but pleading smile at his lips. "We're gonna have our first dance at some point and it's either now or at our wedding," he joked. And Scarlett knew it was a joke. But it didn't stop the thoughts drifting into her head. Distracting thoughts that took her mind completely off of Katherine and put her body on autopilot. Did he really think they could go the distance? Did he think about stuff like that often? Why was her mind stuck in the past, on what had happened with Mason when Jeremy's was so far in future? And why wasn't she more freaked out by what he was talking about? Maybe because she knew he was just joking…and maybe because the idea wasn't entirely crazy to her ears.

Either way, next thing she knew she was on the dance floor with Jeremy, too far in to make an easy escape. Had he said that deliberately to distract her so he could get her on the dance floor? Maybe Jeremy was more crafty than she'd been giving him credit for.

When he saw the dazed and distant look in her eye fade his smile grew. Scarlett's eyes narrowed back playfully in return and he began to laugh a little. "Are you really that scared?" Jeremy asked as he held out his hands for Scarlett to take.

"Let's just say wolves aren't natural dancers," Scarlett said as she awkwardly took Jeremy's hands. Glad that it was down to him to lead and all she had to do was hang on and hope for the best.

"I don't know," Jeremy shrugged, grinning as the two began to sway along with the other couples to the slow melody that was playing. "I saw a pretty good youtube video that says otherwise." Scarlett laughed at that, finding herself lost in the simple and slow movements. Despite its simplicity though, Scarlett hit Jeremy with her knee several times by accident, and once on purpose when he was making her laugh too much.

After that she managed to get a hang off it and with Jeremy's lead they managed to avoid crashing into any of the other couples. She did try more than once to edge them away from the dance floor, but Jeremy tactfully moved them back in, chuckling when he saw Scarlett glare at him. It turned into a bit of a game between them. Both fighting for control in the most subtle ways possible, both bursting into laughing fits that no one else understood. It was nice. And just what Scarlett needed as a distraction. She could always count on Jeremy to distract her when she needed it, and help her focus when she needed that too. It seemed that Jeremy was always just what she needed. She could only hope she was the same for him, despite her betrayal.

The buzz from both their pockets, told Scarlett the dance was over. Keeping one arm around each other, they both grabbed their phones to find they had the same message from Damon. It simply read, 'Now,' which was all they needed to know. It was time to make their move.

Taking in a breath, Scarlett moved her hand into Jeremy's, holding it tightly as she lead him from the dance floor. Once they were clear of the dancers, she looked to him and he nodded. She then closed her eyes and inhaled, a mixture of scents, fragrances and aftershaves all filling her nose. She picked through them one by one within seconds, hardly even realising she was doing it, as the wolf searched for its prey. Finally it found the scent it was after, Katherine's.

Opening up her eyes, Scarlett followed the invisible trail that hung in the air. With her hand still holding Jeremy's, he was pulled along too, stumbling until he found his footing and remained close by Scarlett's side. It was less than a minute until they found Katherine, by the main back door, talking with the woman from before, the one Bonnie had pointed out to her. Scarlett's gaze narrowed, inhaling the mystery woman's scent once more, double checking that she definitely had it stored in her head for later.

"You okay?" Jeremy asked, giving Scarlett's hand a squeeze.

"I was about to ask you that," Scarlett said with a brave smile. "After all, you're the one whose about to go and talk to the girl who looks identical to his sister."

"Maybe, but she's not my sister," Jeremy said with certainty in his eyes. A certainty that filled Scarlett with confidence. "Let's do this," he said as they made their way towards Katherine. "Elena," Jeremy called out, catching both Katherine and the mystery woman's attention. She really was getting good at this impersonation thing, so good that she could even respond to Elena's name.

The couple came to a stop before Katherine and her friend, both looking pointedly at the mystery woman. Noticing this, Katherine gave her friend a pointed look of her own before nodding, motioning for her to leave. The woman plastered on a smile, muttered a goodbye, and then left. "What is it Jeremy?" Katherine asked in her best Elena impression. Or at least Scarlett assumed it was her best, because if it was half-assed then it was pretty damn good.

"We've got a message from Sarah," Jeremy answered calmly. It was pretty incredible how well he was doing, especially since Scarlett was practically crushing his hand in hers, scared to loosen up even a little.

"Oh?" Katherine asked intriguingly, eyeing them both up, lingering on Scarlett's necklace just long enough to make the werewolf reach up to make sure it was still there with her free hand. It was.

"She, Stefan and Damon want you to meet them at the edge of the lake by the woods," Scarlett continued, voice calm like Jeremy's, even under Katherine's gaze. It was only when her gaze moved over to Jeremy and he started talking, that her heat skipped a beat.

"And they brought the moonstone," Jeremy added.

"You know with messenger pigeons you're supposed to separate the love birds, right?" Katherine pointed out condescendingly, mirthful eyes moving between the couple. It didn't hit home though, since neither Scarlett nor Jeremy had any clue how carrier pigeons worked. It still held that classic Katherine sting though, like all her words did.

"I wouldn't know," Scarlett shot back, forcing a feisty grin onto her face. "I eat pigeons when I'm feeling peckish." She knew Jeremy was grinning along side her, could see it from the glare Katherine was sending them both. But the vampire tensed when Scarlett let her eyes flash, reminding her that she could kill her just as easily as she could kill her. One bite was all it took, and Scarlett was very tempted to take that bite.

Once her eyes faded though, Katherine relaxed again. She continued to glare at the couple for a moment before sighing, rolling her eyes at the pair before stepping back. Her eyes remained on Scarlett though, until she was a few paces away, then she turned and sauntered off towards the woods. It was for show, as both Scarlett and Jeremy knew, but that was part of the plan.

"Have you sent the text?" Scarlett asked Jeremy, eyes remaining on Katherine as she weaved through the crowd, making sure she wasn't trying to eavesdrop on them.

"I have now," Jeremy said, grinning as Scarlett turned to face him. She smiled back at him but it didn't hold up for long. Her face soon became serious and his much in the same. "Be careful," he said hands cupping Scarlett's face.

"I will," Scarlett replied before leaning over for a kiss. She didn't have time to make it one worth remembering but she did her best. But she had to get moving before Katherine got there first. Regretfully, Scarlett pulled back, sharing one last smile with Jeremy before she slipped out of his grasp and briskly made her way back into the house. In a few minutes it'd all be over.