Review responses:

Only reviewer: I think if they had Elena continuously manipulating people, she would have come across being more like Katherine. Not that necessarily would have been a bad thing, but your right, they didn't do a lot with it. And Alice was never going to get anyone's blood, I doubt many vampires respond well to being asked for their blood. It is there's after all.

And Lol! If you ever don't pull me up for Katie in biker gear, then I'll have to pull you up!

Charmedbycharmed: Thank you very much, I'm glad you preferred it! And I figured Elena needed someone on her side in this argument, and Sarah's reasonable like that. And for the moment, I think it's safe to assume Amelia is on Elijah's side. I also don't think the show started going bad when Elena became a vampire, or rather, it wasn't the reason for it. I actually personally preferred the character once she turned, but I'll agree the first four seasons feel vastly different to the last four. But I love it all!

xQueen-Of-Appelsx: I'm glad you think so, I do my best. More cute moments between them will be popping up.

Sarcasm15key: Thank you for the review and the kind words! And I think there will be a couple more relationships for Sarah, before she gets to Elena anyway. I am drawing it out after all, and I'll have to fill that void with something from time to time.

Leilia-fanfic: Hope you had a good holiday! And for the time being, Scarlett has no desire to be with Tyler like that, she does not wish to repeat what happened with Mason. That said, the full moon is coming up soon, and who knows what will happen...? Nothing good probably. As for Amelia, she looks more like Rebekah than her brothers. If you want to put a face to the name, google Melody Perkins, as she's the one I thought of when coming up with the character. Don't know about her being friends with Sarah though, but they'll definitely have a good few interactions with each other.

And I really appreciate those kind words about not only this story, but the work and effort I put into, and it's reviews like yours that make it all worth the while, so thank you so much! And don't worry, I understood you! ;)

A/N:

First of, thank you for all the reviews on the last chapter guys! I love you all so much! And sorry for being late. Like I said last week, this was intended to be only one chapter, and by the end here I almost thought it was going to become three because of the amount of stuff in here. I also realised some blunders I made with my planning of future chapters so I'm having to rework that at the same time as now starting the next chapter. Just keeping you guys informed.

And since it's the twentieth chapter, I'm going to give a shout out to another story. This time it's a short story (unusual for me, but I read it and ended up loving it, so that's why it's here) entitled, I'm Still Here. It's written by atkesst who has done a few other short stories on this site. But this one was about Elena during her time in the comma after season 6 and it hit me quite hard. It's honestly a lovely little story and I highly recommend you give it a read if you have the time, it's only around 2,000 words.

Any way, that's all for now, so I'll let you all enjoy the chapter. Thanks again for all the reviews on the previous chapter – they always help keep me going if I'm having a bad day, so thank you from the bottom of my heart, and I'll see you guys next...hopefully.

Chapter 20: The Sacrifice

By the time Amelia and Elijah had arrived in Mystic Falls, Jonas had already done as requested. Acquiring everything he needed for his location spell. It wasn't a typical locator spell though, this one was different, as it allowed the witch to project themselves, or another being, to the person they were locating and see them for themselves. It might have been a little over kill, but both Amelia and Elijah had agreed it was necessary. They didn't just need to know where the doppelgänger was, they needed to see her, to make sure the spell had been done right and that she wasn't in any danger or suddenly in Klaus' clutches. They needed her alive, and away from him, for now. And if they were ever to succeed, they'd need her.

But for this kind of spell, Jonas needed a bit more than materials than for a normal tracking spell. That's why across the table he had several of Elena's bracelets, a necklace of hers, a hand mirror, a photograph of her in a cheerleaders uniform and some hair that had come from a hairbrush.

"So how exactly does this spell work?" Elijah asked from behind Amelia. The older of the two subtly rolled her eyes, making sure Jonas couldn't pick up on it. Dissension in the ranks was never a good thing, even if it was from the higher ups.

"It's all right, Elijah. I trust Jonas," Amelia said with a glance over her shoulder, spotting Elijah in her peripheral as he leaned back against Jonas' living room wall.

"As do I, Sister. I'm merely inquiring into the proceedings that are about to take place," Elijah said casually, with a hand gesture and a mild-mannered smile as he pushed off the wall. He could hide behind his facade like a perfect fitting mask, but Amelia knew he was concerned. Magic had never been something he was completely comfortable with. He had no problem with the witch community. But he was a logical man and magic wasn't the most logical thing. He'd come to terms with it over the course of his life, but it still worried him deep down.

That was why Amelia had agreed to do the spell, to spare him from whatever concerns he may have. Apparently it hand't worked. All she'd done was shift his concerns onto her. His only sister. It would be fine though, Jonas was a competent man and Amelia did trust him. He reminded her of Elijah in many ways. A man of his word type. So she knew he'd help them till the end, even if he didn't agree with everything they did. The fact was he needed them both. They could always find another witch.

"I'll need your hand," Jonas stated, answering part of Elijah's question but also instructing Amelia on how to proceed. With a polite and obliging smile, Amelia offered up her hand to Jonas, letting him take hold as he picked up a knife in his other hand. He then moved the blade, holding it above Amelia's palm so that she knew what was to come. She didn't hesitate, staring straight ahead until Jonas cut the skin, deep enough so it'd take more than a few seconds to heal.

Amelia didn't even blink. Pain was something she'd grown used too, so much so that when she knew it was coming, she could practically block it out completely. "Now place it over the picture," Jonas instructed. Amelia turned her hand, placing it down on the photograph as the blood continued to steadily pulse out the tear in her skin.

"Now take my hand." Amelia handed over her other hand, letting Jonas hold it as requested. "Close your eyes. Relax your mind. And look for her," Jonas instructed. Amelia complied, closing her eyes as if she were just resting them, letting her mind open the way she always had for these kind of spells. Everything went black, and she felt herself enter a void as Jonas began to chant from opposite her. All too quickly his chanting began to fade, growing distant as if Amelia was leaving, when in fact she hadn't moved a muscle. Next, she lost all feeling in her body, right before a light began to grow before her, as if she were opening her eyes. And as it grew she saw a room, items fading in as the room took on its own personality, a window in the centre of Amelia's view. And against the window, something else fading into place.

The Doppelgänger.

Stood by the window, Elena watched as the rain trailed off the glass. In some spots it built up on the window's surface, before slithering down as if an invisible snail was leaving a trail behind. The sky had grown grey now, casting a gloomy aura across the city. It suited Elena's mood, gloom and doom, as it were. And yet she was content with it, just as she was content staring out the window watching the rain. It might be the last time she got to see it after all. Such a simple, everyday sight, but one she was only now appreciating as she listened to the pitter patter of the rain against glass.

Then suddenly something began to take shape in the glass. Elena frowned, leaning towards it to try and get a better look. Briefly she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her, that the light had hit it in a certain way creating some strange pattern. But then the pattern grew into a figure and that figure took on features of her own. Elena gasped as she saw a still faced, light freckled woman staring back at her through the glass. Wondering if those cloudy blue eyes were natural or a reflection of the weather.

Elena turned, expecting find the woman behind her but instead was met with Slater's apartment, and Sarah who was frowning at her from her seat. "You all right?" Sarah asked with a confused look as she leaned forward in her seat, playing with her helmet.

Elena briefly ignored the question, turning back to the window to find the woman no longer there. Like a ghost. She turned back to Sarah, studying her frowning face before concluding she'd been the only one to see the woman in the glass. But who was she, and why had she appeared like that?

"Elena?" Sarah said, breaking the young girl from her thoughts.

"I'm fine," Elena blurted out, jumping at her own answer before she met Sarah's eyes. Once she saw that that had been enough to convince Sarah she was fine, she turned back to the window, waiting to see if the woman reappeared. She didn't, and Elena went back to waiting.

Amelia's eyes opened as if she'd done it herself, but in fact it had been the spell ending. She knew that because Jonas had stopped chanting, eyes looking back into her own as he said, "You saw her, didn't you?"

Amelia allowed herself a small, satisfied smile. "I know exactly where she is."

Scarlett ran down the stairs so fast that she almost toppled over herself and tumbled the rest of the way down. She probably had her supernatural whatever to thank for that, but right now her mind was on one thing. Jeremy.

When Stefan had phoned her, her mind had blanked out after hearing that Jeremy was in danger. Nothing else mattered but saving him. She'd thrown Tyler and Caroline some lame excuse that she couldn't even remember now and ran off before either could question her. She didn't even give a little time to signal Caroline with a look or anything. None of that had mattered, she just had to get to Jeremy and protect him. Her instinct had demanded it of her.

She'd contemplated changing but it seemed like a needless waste of time. Plus when she normally did it she was relaxed, calm. She'd never done it under extreme stress like this and wasn't even sure she'd be able to stay still long enough to do it. She was fast on her two feet anyway, moving in a blur through the woods as she stamped on anything that threatened to get in her way. Wild animals feed out of her path, and any unfortunate branch or rock that found itself in her way quickly got trodden on.

The whole way her one thought was, get to Jeremy. Save him. Over and over again, repeating in her head until she reached the entrance to the tomb. And when she finally reached the bottom of the stairs, she found Stefan and Bonnie, the latter sat in the middle of the room with four torches surrounding her and a book in hand. Scarlett presumed it was her witchy book of spells, but her mind quickly washed all that aside when both Stefan and Bonnie turned to acknowledge her arrival.

"Where is he?" Scarlett demanded, voicing giving it all away as she braced herself against the stone walls. Feeling as if she might collapse if she found out she was too late. Just thinking about that was enough to make her want to break down. He'd already died once, because of Damon. She'd gone through that grief. She honestly wasn't sure she could do it again.

"Scarlett," Stefan began, stepping towards her. From his tone Scarlett could tell he was going to try and calm her down. She didn't want to be calm. She wanted an extreme. Extreme anger, extreme sadness, extreme joy, extreme relief. From the second she'd heard about Jeremy, everything had turned up a notch, and it wouldn't be turning down anytime soon either.

"Well, look who's arrived," sang out the voice of Katherine. Scarlett turned to look at her, but it was only after a couple of seconds that she appeared at the entrance way to the tomb, unable to cross the threshold. Her own privet prison. Or at least it had been until Jeremy was dragged into view.

At the sight of him Scarlett's heart tightened, a terrified gasp escaping her. He looked so sick, like he'd just gone through a week with the worst cold imaginable. Skin pale, eyelids struggling to stay open. Blood oozing from the unhealed bite on his neck. "Sorry for borrowing your chew toy, Scarlett, but as I'm sure you know, I don't have a whole lot to play with down here."

At her words, Scarlett's emotions flicked like a light switch. All that sorrow, fear and hopelessness turned into anger. Pure hot red anger that fuelled her eyes as they began to burn in a supernatural gold. All she needed was one good bite. Her canines formed, her jaw shifting to compensate for her new teeth while her nails extended and thickened into claws.

She lunged but Stefan caught her in the air, holding her back while Scarlett was forced to stare on ahead at a smirking Katherine, holding the neck of a very near dead Jeremy. That single scene stretched out in Scarlett's mind for a good five seconds before she began thrashing against Stefan. He tightened his hold around her stomach desperately holding on while Scarlett tore at his back with her claws, frantically trying to get to Katherine. And more importantly, to Jeremy.

"She'll kill you!" Stefan shouted over Scarlett's outrage cries. Logic said he was right. Katherine was over five hundred years old. With more than enough experience in survival and fighting. She clearly knew about werewolves and how to handle them, judging by how she'd dealt with Mason and Scarlett herself. And during the few times Scarlett had tried to take Katherine on, she'd been easily bested.

But none of that mattered because this was Jeremy. The wolf didn't care about the odds, it was about killing the threat and protecting her mate. And with that in mind, Scarlett finally gained enough control of herself, to dig her claw into Stefan's lower back. He groaned in pain, jaw tightening to avoid screaming. Scarlett felt his hold loosen and she yanked her claws out.

And as that fresh wave of pain hit Stefan, Scarlett shoved him forward enough to give her space to move. He started to protest once more with words, but Scarlett was beyond listening to him. With a single back hand she sent him stumbling off to the side and out of her path. He was still standing, but disorientated, which gave Scarlett the time to charge on ahead.

Only she barely made two steps before Katherine moved. In a blink she had Jeremy against her, arm around his neck, other poised and ready to snap his neck. Scarlett dug her feet into the ground, skidding across the dirt floor as the wolf inside her did the same. The threat of Jeremy's life more than enough to shut them both down.

"Good girl," Katherine purred, devilishly satisfied smirk sliding onto her face. "Now, let's get rid of this." The hand that had been ready to snap Jeremy's neck shot down, gripping his right hand. He tried to struggle but was dazed and weakened from the loss of blood, making it easy for Katherine to yank off his ring. The ring that protected him from the death when caused by a supernatural. Scarlett then watched, heart sinking even more as Katherine casted the ring out of the tomb.

"Just so you don't get any ideas about sacrificing yourself to help kill me," Katherine snarled into Jeremy's ear as he pointlessly struggled. Scarlett took a step, thinking of pouncing at Katherine's momentary distraction. But the vampire quickly turned back on her, hand back on Jeremy's head, ready to snap once more.

"Uh–uh–uh," Katherine said smoothly, as if unfazed by Scarlett's advance. "Take another step and your boyfriend here gets put on the next train to the afterlife." Her sly smile then grew as she indicated to the ring on the floor. "And it seems he's lost his return ticket."

Scarlett didn't hesitate in backing down. Mouth shifting back to normal as her eyes faded into a tearful blue and her claws retracted. When that didn't seem to be enough for Katherine, she took a step back, desperate to do whatever she could to save Jeremy. Even if it meant behaving like an obedient dog.

Katherine's grip relaxed at that, but not nearly enough for Scarlett to make a move. She'd seen how fast this vampire was, and while she had been doing a good job of keeping up with Sarah during their occasional training sessions, she knew she wasn't ready to take on that kind of speed.

"Now throw over your necklace," Katherine ordered. Shock consumed Scarlett's features, but it was washed away when Katherine roughly shoved Jeremy's head to one side, making him groan in pain at the sudden movement. "I'm not a patient lady, Scarlett. Your necklace, now."

It hurt. Hurt deep down. But if it was to save Jeremy, Scarlett couldn't stop herself. It was all she really had left of her mother, and she never took it off, not for anything. Except for Jeremy apparently. Her hands moved behind her head, going under her long brunette stands to undo the clasp. It felt unnatural, taking it off. Especially when she hadn't done so since she put it on – excluding the times it was snatched from her of course. It took her a second to remember how to do it properly before she finally removed the necklace.

She held it in her hand, staring down at it, unable to let go. Until she heard Jeremy. Instinct forced her the rest of the way as she threw the crystal and chain across the room and into the tomb where Katherine caught it. Hand finally leaving Jeremy's head. The vampire purred in delight. "Thank you, Scarlett. How very generous of you."

"Please," Scarlett began to beg, tears dripping from her eyes now. "Don't hurt him."

Katherine chuckled. "Why would I hurt him, when I can do so much worse," Katherine declared, making Scarlett shudder. She didn't dare ask what she intended to do, but Katherine knew what she was thinking and answered it anyway. "See, I've been sampling little Gilbert's blood for sometime now. And I can feel all that vervain leaving his system. Pretty soon, there won't be any left." Scarlett didn't need Katherine to say it, she knew what that meant. And as the realisation of that settled on Scarlett, Katherine's devious smirk grew.

"I wonder what I'll do with him first," Katherine thought aloud, tilting her head. "Should I compel him to kill himself." Scarlett's breath caught in her throat. "No. Too quick and simple. I know! I'll compel him to hate you," Katherine said, those evil brown eyes looking into Scarlett's as she turned cold. Colder than she could ever be in the middle of a snow storm. She was numb, mind poised on the tipping point, petrified because she was just so damn scared of what might happen if Katherine went through with her plans.

"I could make him forget that he ever loved you. I could compel him to forget you entirely," Katherine continued to list off. Scarlett knew she was just doing it to get a reaction out of her. Playing with her like she had with everyone else. But even knowing that, she could do nothing to stop it. She was at her mercy, just like everyone else. Unable to leave or do anything to save Jeremy. All she could do was buy him some time by offering up herself as Katherine's alternative source of entertainment.

"No," Scarlett breathed out futilely, not wanting to live in a world were Jeremy couldn't remember her, never mind love her. He'd become such a big part of her life, to lose that… Her mind was getting pulled in so many different directions that she couldn't think straight. Unable to do anything other than stand still and listen as Katherine toyed with her in ways she never thought possible. No wonder Sarah hated this woman so much.

"Or better yet." Katherine's voice dropped to a whisper, so low that only the supernaturals with heightened hearing could hear what she said next. "I could tell him the truth."

If Scarlett wasn't as frozen as a rock before, she was now. So much so she was pretty sure even her internal organs had froze, heart stuck in mid beat. She couldn't know. There was no way she could know. Scarlett had only even told a handful of people and Mason would never have…

Katherine broke out into the most terrifyingly happy smile Scarlett had ever see then. She did know. Mason had told her, if not him then Caroline who'd been under duress. Never Sarah though. Not Sarah. Please not Sarah, one of the few people Scarlett probably trusted completely in this world, other than Jeremy. It didn't matter either way she supposed. Katherine knew, and with that information, she had all she would ever need to control Scarlett. Or in this case, make her suffer. Forever terrified of the day when she might just let it slip to Jeremy, about what happened in those woods during the full moon.

"Please…don't," was all Scarlett could say, silent tears now streaming down her face in the thousands. It had to be her to tell him. She would, she was going to. He just couldn't find out like this, not from her, not from anyone but Scarlett herself. If it came from anyone other than her, she'd lose all hope of fixing it.

"Oh, don't worry, Scarlett. I won't," promised the mockingly sympathetic Katherine, before she returned to her sinister demeanour. "Just so long as you get this tomb open." She then shoved the weakened Jeremy back into the recesses of the tomb. "Tick, tock," Katherine then said with a click of her tongue before vanishing into the tomb after Jeremy. Scarlett raced to the entrance, but by the time she got there they were both gone from sight.

She wheeled, turning towards Stefan who was back on his feet, stood alongside Bonnie. Both with very sorry looks. "Please. Please, help me get him out," Scarlett begged through her own sobs, now powerless to do anything. She could do nothing and it was killing her, never mind the extra baggage of what Katherine might do to Jeremy, or say should she grow bored enough. She felt like she was about to collapse and in fact would have had Stefan not stepped forward, catching her shoulders with both hands as he met her gaze.

"We'll save him, I promise," Stefan declared, filling Scarlett with the first spark of hope since she'd entered the tomb. He offered her a supportive smile. She couldn't return it, but nodded to show she appreciated it. He then guided her off to the side, setting her down before nodding to Bonnie who sat back down, taking up the same position as she had when Scarlett first arrived.

"Bonnie's working on lowering the spell," Stefan explained, knelt down next to Scarlett, hand still on her shoulder.

"How…How long will that take?" Scarlett whimpered, meeting Stefan's gaze so she knew he wasn't lying to her.

"Hopefully not too long," Stefan said as he tightened his grip on her shoulder, doing what he could to comfort her. But nothing could comfort her, not until Jeremy was out of the tomb and far away from Katherine. And even then, who knows what would follow. Especially if Katherine told him all about Mason.

"So…when am I getting your blood?"

Sarah turned from her seat, glaring at the girl that stood over her. Everything about her screamed desperation. The position of her feet, the way her leg twisted so her knee pointed towards her other leg, the way she played with her hands, that irritably annoying smile.

"You're not," Sarah stated bluntly. "And you're lucky you're not dead after what you did."

"But I did what–"

"You want my blood? Then leave me the hell alone until these guys arrive. Assuming it doesn't go horribly wrong, I'll considering giving you my blood." Sarah of course, had no intention of letting Alice anywhere near her blood, not after what she'd done. Alice didn't need to know that though, and it'd shut her up for the time being which was what Sarah really wanted.

"Okay. Thank you," Alice said, willing to take any chance at becoming a vampire. These desperate ones never got turned and if they didn't they didn't last long. The change from human to vampire was pretty hard to comprehend and even harder to describe accurately. You could only experience it and you rarely came out as the same person because of all the heightened emotions and bloodlust. This girl thought she knew what she wanted. Give her a year as a vampire and she'd either flick her switch or end up dead, from a vampire hunter or one of her own kind or through sheer stupidity. With this one, Sarah would bet stupidity.

Hearing a gasp, Sarah's head swung from the retreating Alice towards Elena. Who had turned towards the door to find Damon stood in front of her.

Crap.

"What are you two doing here?" demanded Damon without missing a beat. His question was obviously directed at both Elena and Sarah, but his steel blue eyes where locked with Elena who was still catching her breath.

"What are you doing here?" Elena through out. Damon didn't answer though, just continued to glare. Feeling the pressure of his gaze, Elena quickly looked back, eyeing Sarah who had stood up from her seat, taking a few steps over towards her. "Did you call him?" Sarah tilted her head, glaring in response, annoyed that Elena thought so little of her. She might be many things, but Sarah Salvatore was no snitch, even if she did have her doubts about Elena's end game.

"I did," Rose declared as she walked into the room.

"What? Why?" Elena asked, utterly confused.

Because she's sleeping with him. Sarah wanted to say, but she didn't. She didn't want to turn into some catty girl just because Rose had tattled on them. She was doing what she thought was right, just like all of them. And whatever was going on between her and her brother had obviously influenced that decision. Before she might not have minded, and if she thought it was dangerous she would have talked to Sarah. Instead she'd gone behind her back and told Damon, who she'd only just met. And that spoke volumes to Sarah. Especially how the two might really feel about one another. Whether Rose and Damon knew, or acknowledged this, was a whole other question, for a whole other time.

"Doesn't matter," Damon said, dismissively as Elena swung back around to face him.

"Damon Salvatore!" Alice cried out as she began marching towards him like a crazed fan girl, which she absolutely was.

"Rose," Sarah said with a sharp look. The older vampire didn't need another word. She got it all from that one and Sarah's look alone. Before she could pass her, Rose grabbed hold of Alice's arm and dragged her off towards the kitchen. Alice didn't even bother to fight, too starstruck by yet another Salvatore.

"Come on. We're leaving," Damon said as he gestured to the door behind him with his head, turning to leave until Elena spoke up.

"No," the young brunette declared firmly.

"I said we're leaving," Damon snarled, turning back as he squared up to Elena, making sure she understood who it was she was facing. Not her boyfriend's brother, Damon Salvatore, who had feelings for her and was possibly even her friend. No, this was the vampire, Damon Salvatore, the vampire who never took no for an answer and who was feared by all his victims. The one you didn't cross or challenge. Ever.

"I'm not going with you," Elena snapped back.

"You do not get to make decisions anymore," Damon replied, wishing he could just compel her to do as he said. Sarah could see it in his eyes.

"When have I ever made a decision? You and Stefan do that for me. Now this, this is my decision," Elena said, planting herself firmly and refusing to move as Damon continued to glare back at her.

He was speechless for a moment – which genially shocked Sarah – before he then found his voice again. "Who's gonna save your life while you're out making decisions?"

"You're not listening to me, Damon. I don't want to be saved." That made Damon shut up, even if it was just for a moment as his gaze dropped to a frown. Elena then continued with, "Not if it means that Klaus is gonna kill every single person that I love."

It didn't do anything for Damon thought. His mind was made up, and not even Elena was going to change that. "Get your ass out the door before I throw you over my shoulder and carry you out myself," Damon declared, leaning in right against Elena's face. Whether Elena knew it or not, Sarah did, and she knew Damon wasn't joking. He really would drag her out kicking and screaming if it came to it.

Elena stood her ground though, meeting Damon's glare and refusing to cave. She was determined, Sarah would give her that. But this was more than just a battle of wills. If it was just that, Sarah could actually see Elena giving Damon a run for his money. But there was a physical element to it as well, and Damon had the strength to make Elena do what he wanted.

His hand shot out, grabbing Elena's arm as she squirmed feebly in his grasp. She threw her fist at his chest, but it bounced off like nothing and Damon didn't waver. She continued to pull against him, trying to get away, but he had too good a hold and turned to drag her out.

Only a sudden twist to his arm broke his hold on Elena as he yelped in surprise pain. He went to turn around only to find himself stumbling back before he found his feet. Coming face to face with his sister next. "Leave her alone, Damon. Let her make her on God damn decisions," Sarah said, fixing her brother with as equally a stubborn stare as his own. Now stood between him and Elena, who was just as surprised as Damon by Sarah's intervention.

Now it was Sarah who Damon squared up too, closing the gap while Elena remained behind her. Blue steel eyes meeting green steel eyes. Both just as old, and both just as stubborn. "It's a stupid decision," Damon sneered. "And you're an idiot for letting her go along with it."

"No she's not," Elena snapped defensively, poking out for behind Sarah while the two siblings remained locked in a battle of wills between their eyes. Damon pausing every few seconds to give Elena a swift glare before returning his blue eyes to his sister. "She's the only one that's actually listening to me, while you and Stefan ignore everything I say and make every little decision for me."

"That's only because you're clearly not capable of making them yourself," Damon snapped gaze swinging to Elena.

"It's her life, Damon," Sarah cut in, echoing Elena's words from earlier.

"You think I give a damn about that," Damon replied, eyes back on Sarah. "Now I'm going to go and deal with the wannabe vamp in there and then we're leaving." Before either Sarah or Elena could object, he strode past them both and into the kitchen to join Rose and Alice, slamming the sliders shut behind him. It was so hard that they actually slid back open enough for Sarah and Elena to peer in if they wanted to.

Neither did though. Both just glared at the doors Damon had vanished behind. Elena glaring in outrage while Sarah just glared, face still before her gaze lowered. "I'm sorry," Sarah murmured to Elena, turning just enough so she knew she was talking to her.

"It's okay. I'm used to it," Elena grumbled in response before stomping off towards the seats and throwing herself down in a huff as she folded her arms. Sarah joined her, sat next to her as they both waited in silence for Damon to deal with Alice.

"Bonnie's about to start." Scarlett jumped, snapping from her thoughts before then realising Stefan was right in front of her. Not only that, but he had his hand on her shoulder. She hadn't noticed any of it. She'd just been waiting for Bonnie to finish setting up and in so doing got lost in her own mind.

It had started out as just listening, focusing on her weakened supernatural abilities. It was still heightened levels of hearing, but without her necklace, it felt like Scarlett had lost part of her hearing, like suddenly becoming partially deaf despite the fact her hearing was beyond average. She adjusted though, slowly, picking up snippets from within the tomb. Unfortunately none of it was good. She heard Katherine continue to tease and feed off Jeremy, pointing out how much longer it would be until she'd be able to compel him. What made it worse though, was that he kept fighting back. Trying to get Scarlett's necklace from her. She mocked him consistently for that, asking him if it was really worth it. He maintained it was. And Scarlett knew every time he said that she was considering spilling her secret.

It was like a car crash, watching because you needed to know the outcome, unable to look away, or in this case, stop listening. Her heart was racing inside her chest, breath laboured at points. Scenarios began to ran through her head, all horrible nightmarish visions she'd had before. All of how Jeremy might react if he found out what she'd done. In some he just left, never to be seen again. Those were the better ones. Others he exposed her. Sometimes he slept with other girls to get back at her and she had to watch. In others he tortured her for weeks before finally killing her. One he even sold her off as a dog, somehow trapping her in her wolf form forever. They were all just nightmares, she knew that. But now that she was at the mercy of Katherine, she couldn't help but think they were all about to become reality.

That was when Stefan had snapped her out of it.

"Everything alright?" Stefan asked with a concerned frown at Scarlett's startled jump.

"Yeah… I just want to get Jeremy out of there," Scarlett said sheepishly, only meeting Stefan's gaze after she'd finished speaking.

He offered her a reassuring smile. "Hopefully we're about to do that," Stefan said as he stood up, offering a hand which Scarlett took. He hauled her up to her feet and by the time he had Bonnie had began to chant. Stefan turned and Scarlett peered past him to see Bonnie now stood up in the centre of the four torches, book held open in both hands with dog tags dangling from one hand alone.

As she continued on with this, Stefan moved towards the entrance to the tomb, ready to move once the spell was done. Scarlett followed but hung behind him, knowing she was now of little use without her necklace. If she couldn't fight Katherine with it, she'd get slaughtered without it. But she still had to follow him in, she had to go in and get Jeremy out.

Now both in position, Bonnie's chanting grew in strength and volume, the torches around her flaring up as passion filled her voice. Scarlett subconsciously took a step towards Stefan who also stared in mild shock at the flames and Bonnie. Then came the voice that made Scarlett and Stefan swing back around to the tomb entrance. "Oooh, something's happening," Katherine cooed as she made her way along the tunnel, Jeremy still in her clutches. Even more blood coming out of his wound now. So much in fact that it masked the scent of blood coming from behind her. Had she had her necklace, she might have been able to pick it up, but Stefan did regardless and as he turned, so did Scarlett, both finding a trail of blood sliding out of Bonnie's nose.

"Bonnie," Stefan said, trying to get her attention but she continued on chanting regardless. Stefan began to move towards her, but Scarlett remind where she was, her instinct to protect Jeremy prioritising him over whatever danger Bonnie was now in. "Bonnie?" Stefan repeated, louder but the result was the same. She either couldn't hear him or was ignoring him as she focused on the spell. Voice echoing around them as the blood continued to flow from her nose. It was by no means gushing out, but it looked painful, and now that Scarlett was aware, she could sense the deadliness of the sign.

"Stop her," Jeremy called out from the tomb. "I'll be fine. She doesn't have to kill herself for–" At the abrupt end of his sentence, Scarlett swung back towards the tomb, finding Jeremy on the floor and Katherine with her elbow raised.

Quickly realising what had happened, Scarlett began to run towards her downed boyfriend, making a messily two steps before Katherine lifted her other hand. In it, Scarlett's necklace, dangling by its chain, and a playfully warning expression on Katherine's face that Scarlett knew better than to test. She backed down, and Katherine smirked, lowering her hand as Jeremy lifted himself up onto his elbows, hand covering his more than likely broken nose. Seeing he was still conscious, and more importantly alive, Scarlett let out a breath of relief before looking back to find Stefan still trying to get through to Bonnie.

"Bonnie. You need to stop. Bonnie!" Stefan said, grabbing her arms when she still don't acknowledge him. She shook him off, chanting harder and louder, as if subconsciously telling Stefan to back off. She wasn't going to give up, even if it was killing her. Scarlett was admittedly shocked. True she didn't know that much about Bonnie, and barely spent anytime with her outside of being trapped in a motel room, but it still shocked her to see this woman putting her life on the line for her boyfriend.

Then suddenly she was on the floor, Stefan beside her as he called out her name, begging her to wake up. "Bonnie, wake up, please. Bonnie, wake up. Bonnie," Stefan called out as Scarlett watched on from the entrance to the tomb, waiting for her to wake up with bated breath.

"Yes, please because I'm still in here," groaned out an impatient Katherine from behind.

"Will you shut up!" snapped Scarlett as she whirled back around.

"Maybe I should go and have a little chat with Jeremy instead?" Katherine suggested, shutting Scarlett up instantly as her head shrunk in towards her shoulders, gaze dropping. She knew her place and wouldn't be making the mistake of lashing out at Katherine again. Even if it was to defend the witch who was willing to give up her life to save her boyfriend.

"Are you okay? You all right?" Stefan asked from behind, holding Bonnie as she awoken. Looking back, Scarlett watched as Bonnie staggered back up to her feet, supported by Stefan as she stared on with teary brown eyes. Both full with failure.

"It didn't work…" Bonnie breathed out in defeat, leaning on Stefan as he took her weight. Her gaze then moved over to Scarlett before quickly dropping in shame. "I'm sorry." She broke out into a sob. "Even with help, I'm not strong enough. I can't do it."

"Well, that's too bad," Katherine declared as Scarlett yet again turned around, eyes widening when she saw the vampire lifting Jeremy up to his feet with one hand. She shoved him against the wall, the boy probably one drink of blood away from total unconsciousness and then death. Katherine looked her way, smile forming as she said, "And here I am, still hungry." In a split second her features changed to that of the vampiric monster within. Fangs extending as they dove down towards Jeremy's defenceless neck. Scarlett screamed in horror, ready to throw herself in and at the mercy of Katherine – anything to save Jeremy – when something else shot past her.

It was Stefan.

He raced in, shoving Katherine off Jeremy. Scarlett caught it all like a flip book of pictures. Katherine staggering back, but regaining her footing as Stefan shoved Jeremy at full forced towards the exit. Scarlett found herself moving, catching him before he toppled onto the ground. She crumpled beneath his weight though, relief at his escape causing her muscles to loosen up and give way under the sudden pressure. They collapsed onto the ground together, Scarlett tightly clutching him in her arms as Katherine ran towards them. Stefan cut her off though, shoving her into the wall, hand yanking Scarlett's necklace away before throwing it to her. It landed next to her and Jeremy, as she dragged him back, out of the tomb and the reach of Katherine.

And just like that, Jeremy was safe. In Scarlett's arms as she clung to him, like she had when Damon first killed him all those weeks ago. She reached out grabbing her necklace before her arm rewrapped itself around Jeremy's shoulders, refusing to give him up for anything. It all seemed like a happy ending. Until Scarlett realised Stefan was now trapped in the tomb with Katherine. And even as he held her against the wall, preventing her from trying to get at her or Jeremy. Scarlett could see the satisfied vampire smirking up at Stefan as he stared on with a solemn frown.

She might not have gotten out, but she had a new toy. A better one even in Stefan. One she would be more than happy to use until they got her out, because she knew they'd get her out now. Because they couldn't free Stefan, without freeing her. And there was so much more she could do with Stefan than Jeremy, so many more ways to hurt not just Scarlett and Jeremy, but all the Salvatores and Elena. Even when she was trapped, she was still winning. A fact Katherine obviously knew, as she curled up against Stefan's chest, the younger vampire too distracted by his new situation to notice.

And as Scarlett clung to Jeremy, grateful he was back in her arms, she couldn't help but think that it was all their fault. His for going into the tomb, and hers for not handling this herself. Because of her weakness Bonnie was now hurt, and Stefan was trapped in the tomb with Katherine. She could already picture Sarah's face, her heart breaking at the thought. She'd let so many people down. Her and Jeremy both.

As the double doors to the kitchen opened, Sarah looked up from her seat to find Damon striding back in as he pulled the doors shut behind him. Next to her, Elena straightened up, scowl reforming as she glared at Damon. He hardly cared though, saying, "Time to go," as he made his way over to the women. Rose stood alongside the seated Elena and Sarah, more neutral than the irritated two next to her.

"Alice is soundly sleeping and won't remember a moment of this horribly stupid day," he explained before suddenly the front doors burst open. Sarah stood, along with Elena as the four turned to find three vampires marching into the room.

"We're here to meet the doppelgänger," the leader of the trio declared, the one Sarah assumed was Cody.

"Thank you for coming," Elena said as she tried to step forward, only for Damon to grab her arm and shove her back behind himself and Sarah who were stood in a united front against the vampires, but for different reasons. Damon because he was dead set against this, while Sarah wanted to have at least a discussion before they tried to take Elena.

"I will break your arm," Damon snarled at Elena. Sarah shot her brother a look but he merely smiled back before both turned their attention back to the three new vampires. Cody and one of his friends had advanced forward to meet them, while the third stood guard by the doorway.

"Let's get one thing straight here," Sarah began. "We're just looking to talk, with Klaus himself ideally."

"Ignore her," Damon then cut in, slapping on his irritably charming smile, while Sarah and Elena glared at him. "We were just leaving."

"You're not leaving with the doppelgänger," Cody growled, his side man stepping up to block Damon's path after he took a single step.

Damon did his best to hid the irritation, holding back the threat as he stared at Cody. "There's nothing here for you," he said, threat seeping into his voice as he and Cody narrowed their eyes at one another.

"I beg to disagree," Cody replied.

"You'll be doing a lot more than begging if you don't get out of my way," Damon snapped back, blue eyes igniting.

"We didn't invite you here to fight," Elena cut in, trying to step forward once more only to get shoved back by Damon.

"We just want to talk with Klaus," Sarah repeated.

"I'm willing to give myself up," Elena added.

"No she's not. And the only thing I have to say to Klaus is drop dead…oh, wait…" Damon said before turning smug as Cody cocked his head to one side, obviously not amused. What a great way to start negotiations, Sarah thought with an internal sigh. She was just about to begin apologising for her idiot brother when suddenly the vampire by the door stiffened and dropped straight down onto the floor, dead. And if that wasn't strange enough, the vampire that was stood behind the corpse was the one Sarah and Damon killed not a few days ago. The Original vampire, Elijah.

As the two other vampires turned, everyone stared on in shock as Elijah suddenly sped forwards, stood in front of Cody while a blonde freckled woman had appeared before the other vampire. She had pale blue eyes, a polite smile about her and a raincoat that covered up most of her body. Hearing another gasp from behind, Sarah looked back to see Elena staring at the woman.

"What is it?" Sarah mumbled to her.

"I…I saw her earlier," Elena explained, before jumping a little when the woman's gaze moved to her along with Elijah's.

"Yes, you did," the woman agreed, obviously having heard what Elena and Sarah were saying. Then suddenly a whoosh of air blew by and Sarah saw a blurred figure race out of the room. When she looked back, she saw Rose was gone. She wasn't shocked. The only reason she'd probably stayed that long was out of shock. There was a history between her and the Originals, a history Sarah understood, though she'd be lying if she said it didn't hurt to have her friend abandon her like that.

"We killed you. You were dead," Damon declared pointedly at Elijah as the two met each others eye.

"For centuries now," Elijah replied with a ghost of a smirk. "Now excuse us," he added before he and the woman looked back to the two vampires before each of them. "Who are you?"

"Who are you two?" Cody snapped in response.

"I'm Elijah, and this is my sister Amelia," Elijah explained while gesturing to the woman next to him. Her smile had faded however at the harsh and impolite tone Cody was using.

The stunned Cody stared on in shock while Damon leaned over to his sister, muttering, "Great, now there's two of them."

"We were gonna bring her to you both. For Klaus," Cody quickly began to explain before pointing over to Elena who was still stood behind Damon and Sarah. "She's the doppelgänger. I don't know how she exists, but she does." He turned back to the two Originals. "Klaus will want to see her."

"Does anyone else know that you're here?" Elijah inquired.

"No," Cody answered.

Elijah and Amelia both smiled. "Well, then, we must thank you both for your service," Amelia said gratefully, before her hand suddenly thrusted forward into the vampire's chest. Elijah did the same with Cody, both taking hold of the vampires' hearts before pulling them out as both vampires dropped dead. Elena gasped in shock, while Damon and Sarah both frowned, all staring as Elijah and Amelia each held a heart in their hand. Then just as carelessly as they'd removed said hearts, they discarded them to the floor.

Damon then stepped forward, ready to fight. Sarah however remaining beside Elena as she spoke up. "We don't want to fight. We just want to talk."

"We will," agreed Amelia, polite smile returning. "But not right now," she said, pulling out a handkerchief and using it to wipe her hands clean off the blood. Then when she was done, she let the handkerchief drop, only to vanish along with her brother out the front door without another word. Damon and Sarah both frowned yet again, looking at each other before looking back at Elena who was equally as confused as the two vampires before her.

After dealing with the immediate problem, Amelia and Elijah lingered around, watching until finally the doppelgänger and her friends left the apartment. It took them a while though, confused by what had happened. Of course they would be, they had no idea what was really going on. Elijah would have preferred to keep it that way, but Amelia was certain that by not telling them, the doppelgänger in particular, they were just making things harder for themselves. It was a discussion they'd had at length on the way back to Mystic Falls, but eventually Elijah came around to Amelia's way of thinking. It was in their best interests after all. It'd be a lot easier to control the doppelgänger if she knew they wanted the same thing…in a way.

They returned to Jonas' apartment, not that they were staying there. They had their own place already arranged, but they wanted to give him an update. However when they arrived they found him tending to his son. Amelia offered her assistance in attending to him, but Jonas said he was fine now, just having made a stupid mistake. Amelia couldn't help but ask what and when he didn't answer Elijah repeated the question, demanding an answer. With a sigh Jonas had complied, explaining that his son, Luka, had allowed the local witch Bonnie – who was friends with the doppelgänger – to channel him to the point that he'd almost died. The witch had probably almost killed them both, but Jonas had cut the connection before that could happen.

Another thing for the two Originals to keep an eye on.

They'd headed into the living room of the apartment then, waiting for Jonas while he freshened up. When he entered the room, still wiping his hands dry with a towel, Elijah and Amelia had already made themselves comfy. Elijah was stood by the window, leaning against the frame with his arms folded as he stared out in thought. As for Amelia, she was sat at the small dinning table, facing the door Jonas had entered from, hands resting on her lap. The second the door opened, Amelia's eyes were on Jonas, watching him like a hawk as he walked in, while Elijah continued to stare out the window.

"How's Luka?" Amelia asked as Jonas made his way over to the dining table, resting his hands on the back of the chair opposite Amelia.

"Asleep," Jonas answered with a sigh, tired from the days events.

Amelia nodded, glancing down as she played with the daylight ring on her index finger of her left hand. After a moment she looked back up, meeting Jonas' steady eyes. "Your shadow spell was successful," she informed him, placing her joint hands on the table before her. "We were able to track the doppelgänger."

"Good," Jonas said, glad he'd been able to help.

"However," Elijah spoke up from the window without turning away. "We did have a run in with the brother and sister that killed me."

Jonas chuckled quietly at that. "I assume they didn't live to talk about it," he said as he folded the towel he'd been using to dry his hands, before placing it down on the table.

"Actually, we spared them," Elijah informed him, prompting Jonas to look over to him sharply, confusion flashing through his eyes. He didn't question it though, he was smart enough not to do that. "They'd both die before letting anything happen to the doppelgänger. The other one too. She'll be kept safe with them around."

"The sister might be a problem, however," Amelia spoke up from the dinning table, prompting Elijah to finally turn around and face her along with Jonas. "She seems more determined to help the doppelgänger than protect her."

"Yes," agreed Elijah slowly. "But I'm sure a little chat with her and the doppelgänger would fix that," Elijah said, a smirk beginning to form.

"I agree entirely, Brother," Amelia stated, a smirk of her own forming.

Time had lost meaning for Scarlett. She had no idea how much time had passed since she entered the tomb. All she could say with absolute certainty was that the sun was up when she went into the tomb, and it was down when she came out. She wasn't sure how long she, Jeremy and Bonnie had remained down in the tomb after Stefan got trapped. It felt short, but also long, though that might have just been because of Katherine's gloating and Stefan's solemn looks. At some point though, Scarlett had lifted Jeremy and Bonnie up, taking them home. Bonnie cleared away most of her stuff as they left, before they took her car home. She dropped Jeremy out at his home, and Scarlett followed him out before thanking Bonnie and saying she'd speak to her later. Or rather she'd get someone like Elena to speak with her later. She already had her hands full.

Jeremy made his way around the back, heading in through the back door. More than likely so he didn't wake Jenna who was asleep. Whether he knew that or not, Scarlett wasn't sure, but she didn't question it as she followed him in through the rear door. As he walked in, Jeremy discarded the cloth Bonnie had given him to cover up the bite on his neck. The bleeding had subsided, but it still look nasty, possibly even infected. Blood occasionally oozing out when Jeremy moved a certain way, such as when he angrily threw the cloth across the kitchen.

"That make you feel better?" Scarlett asked, the attitude obvious from her tone.

Jeremy snorted but didn't say anything else, as he opened up one of the cabinets and pulled out a first aid box. Opening the thing up, he grabbed himself a large white badge and placed it over the bite before then searching through the box for something to help with the pain. When he grew agitated, unable to find what he was looking for, he shoved the box towards the wall the contents spilling out as it tipped over.

"Need a hand?" asked Scarlett, a tad more sympathetic and less sarcastic as she took a step towards Jeremy.

"No," he snapped with a glance over his shoulder. Letting it sink in before he turned to face Scarlett. "I'm home, okay. You don't need to escort to my room."

"You sure about that?" Scarlett snipped back, glaring at Jeremy as she folded her arms. "Because there's still a good ten feet or so to your bedroom – plenty of room for you to try something even stupider than running into a tomb with Katherine frickin' Pierce!" Scarlett shouted angrily as she squared up to Jeremy, who did a good job of not flinching.

"I already feel bad. I don't need you to berate me." Jeremy snarled as he leaned in towards Scarlett, refusing to let her treat him like her inferior.

"No, you see, I think I do need to berate you. Clearly I don't do it enough, otherwise you wouldn't be so stupid as to try and take on Katherine yourself," shouted Scarlett in anger as she shoved her finger into his chest, forcing him back a single step with her final jab.

"What else was I supposed to do?" Jeremy snapped.

"You could have called me," Scarlett answered, pointing to herself. "I could have helped you. We could have talked it through, we could have come up with a better plan. But heck, anything is better than you doing it alone Jer," Scarlett emphasised loudly.

"I can look after myself, Scarlett!" Jeremy shouted.

"No, Jeremy…you can't," Scarlett said seriously, voice quieting as she realised just how fragile and delicate Jeremy's human life was in comparison to her own and the vampires she lived with. "You're human. I'm supernatural. You know what that means?" She didn't give him the chance to answer. "It means you're pretty much always going to be in danger. You're not equipped to handle the supernatural world like I am."

His gaze lowered down to his feet at that, her worlds hitting harder than she'd meant them too. Her shoulders slumped, and the young werewolf deflated a little. Maybe she had gone too far with what she was saying, but how else was she supposed to make this clear to him. Jeremy wasn't suited for the supernatural world, not like her or the other vampires that lived in Mystic Falls. She could at least put up a fight. Jeremy didn't stand a chance, and his only life line was a ring that could easily be ripped off.

Even so, she still felt an overwhelming need to comfort him, and so she stepped into his personal space, reaching forward as she placed her hands on the side of his face. She didn't lift his head though, instead she lowered hers to try and peered up into his eyes, not wanting to force him into meeting hers. "You have nothing to prove to me, Jer," Scarlett promised, offering him a tender smile.

"I know," admitted Jeremy as he slowly met Scarlett's blue eyes. She smiled, until he opened his mouth to continue. "But I have to do something to help. I have to at least try and protect the ones I love. I have to protect you," he stressed, placing his hands over Scarlett's. That is, until she pulled her hands from his face, placing them on the side of her head as she groaned in frustration.

She turned around, pacing before she found herself facing Jeremy once more when her groaning finally ended. "God damn it, Jeremy! I don't want you to be a hero for me!" Scarlett yelled as she threw her arms out at her side.

"And I don't want to leave you to handle things alone!" Jeremy replied as he advanced on his girlfriend, closing the gap between them. And somehow, at the same time, it defused the tension and anger between the two. It was like their two fires of anger had met, melting an ice wall that was dividing them, before the ice turned to water and wiped everything away.

Once more Scarlett's hands found their way up to Jeremy's face, only this time they slid over it, meeting behind his neck before she pulled him in for a kiss. At the same time however, Jeremy placed his hands behind Scarlett's head, also pulling her in. And yet their lips touched gently, as if a bird had landed on a branch in the middle of summer. A smooth and gentle kiss that came to a natural end as they parted, both staring into each others eyes as they watched the last of fire inside them fade away.

"I haven't been alone since you found out about me, Jer. No matter where you are, I know you're always with me. I know that you have my back no matter what. I just don't need you right by my side, or throwing yourself into danger so that I don't have too. That's not helping me Jer. That terrifies me.

"Like today. I was just so…I thought Katherine was going to…" Tears quickly began to flow from Scarlett's eyes as her words began to break down. It wasn't just about Katherine exposing her secret with Mason. She could have done so much to Jeremy before killing him. She could have inflicted so much pain on both of them. Every nightmare she'd ever had had almost come true today. And it had truly scared her.

"I'm sorry," Jeremy said quietly, placing his forehead against Scarlett's as he too began to softly cry.

"I know," Scarlett whispered in between quiet sobs. "I know."

Once she reached the house, Sarah pulled up to the curb, kicking out the stand so that when she relaxed the motorcycle remained upright. She unclipped her helmet and went to remove it, feeling the bike push up as the rear lost the weight holding it down. The arms around her waste left her and as Sarah pulled off her helmet, shaking her hair out, she glanced over to see Elena doing the same with her own helmet, now stood on the sidewalk. Luckily they'd managed to get another helmet before leaving Richmond. Elena had not liked the idea of having to ask Damon for a lift home. They'd managed to give him the slip though, and sped away before he could do anything about it. Rose had already left too, taking the tinted car as she fleed the scene. Thus way Elena had hitched a ride with Sarah on the back of her bike.

"Thank you for bringing me home," Elena said, soft smile to back up her words as she handed the spare helmet over to Sarah. She took it with a small smile of her own, placing it on the handlebars along with her own helmet.

"No problem," Sarah said, still sat on her bike.

"Do you think Rose will be okay?" Elena asked, folding her arms, looking a little guilty for dragging the vampire into her messed up scheme.

"I imagine so. Hopefully she'll show up in a day or two," Sarah answered, glancing around in case Rose suddenly appeared at the sound of her name. It was night now after all, so she could be out and about without the aid of the car. Still, Sarah couldn't see many reasons for her to come back to Mystic Falls now. She'd turned on Sarah and Elena in telling Damon what they were up too, and had embarrassed herself in front of Damon by running away when Elijah and Amelia showed up.

Even so, she still hoped Rose would come back. She liked having her around.

"Hard to believe Elijah's alive," Elena continued, nervously brushing a loose strand of her hair, back behind her ear.

"Or that he has a sister," agreed Sarah, a small confused look spreading across her face. There was no reason why he shouldn't have siblings. It just seemed, odd, that he did.

"Why do you think they killed those vampires and just let us go?" Elena questioned, looking up at Sarah curiously.

"Who knows," shrugged Sarah. "My advise, get some sleep." Elena smiled at that.

"Night, Sarah," Elena said as she turned making her way onto the porch of her home, right before a car came skidding round the bend at the end fo the road only to then screech to a halt right behind Sarah's bike. Literally an inch from crashing into it.

Looking back, the headlights of the vehicle blinded Sarah, forcing her to shield her eyes until they were shut off. The sound of the driver's side door opening and closing sounded, but Sarah was still temporarily blinded and couldn't tell who had gotten out. After a few blinks, her vision cleared and she saw the car now parked behind her. Damon's car.

"Oh, brother," groaned Sarah as she lowered her arm, turning to find Damon glaring over his shoulder at her, stood on the steps that lead up onto the porch Elena was stood on.

"Yeah, me," snarled Damon before turning his attention back to Elena. "The three of us are gonna have a talk."

"No thanks," Elena muttered, turning to head into her home. She didn't take a single step before Damon's hand shot out and grabbed her arm, stopping her from proceeding. With a roll of the eyes, Sarah climbed off her bike, making her way onto the porch at normal speed to join her brother and friend. "Let go of me, Damon," Elena snapped, struggling against Damon's hold on her until Sarah yanked her brother's arm away, meeting his glare when he turned to face her.

"Enough with the macho act, we get it, you're pissed off," Sarah drawled out as she released her hold on her brother's arm.

"Damn right I am," Damon spat back, yanking his arm back down to his side before swinging back onto Elena, finger in her face. "What you did today was incredibly stupid." Then his finger was on Sarah. "And you're just a stupid for helping her do it."

"You said that already," Sarah snapped back, and from the heated glare her brother threw at her, she knew she was one more comment away from throwing down with him right here on the porch. "I don't care if you think it was stupid, Damon. It was the right thing to do and I stand by it." She could see the vein on his forehead throbbing now which was never a good sign. His fingers were flexing as well, rolling into a tightly clenched fist. Sarah could see the fight coming now.

"Actually the only stupid thing we did was getting caught," Elena corrected, Damon's glare once again on her as his fist loosened just a little. Enough of his anger leaving so that he wasn't pushed into starting some pointless physical fight with his sister. Now that she had his gaze, along with Sarah's, Elena continued with, "I don't question why you and Stefan and everyone else tries so hard to save me. You shouldn't question why I would try to save all of you."

Just then the door opened and Elena said, "Goodnight," once more before turning to find Jeremy and Scarlett stood in the open doorway. Staring sadly at all three of them.

"What's with the puppy eyes, Scrappy?" Damon snapped, coming off more hostile than he probably meant too. Sarah rolled her eyes, awaiting Scarlett's comeback. But nothing followed. Frown quickly forming she looked back to the doorway, finding Scarlett's sad little blue eyes staring back at her – making her look a whole lot younger than she was. Jeremy was the same, only his eyes looked older as he stared into his sister's, but there was shame in them too, as with Scarlett's.

"Sarah…" Scarlett got out before she began to sob, confusing Sarah even more.

"What is, what happened?" Sarah asked.

Scarlett couldn't do it, and suddenly her face was buried in Jeremy's shoulder as he held her hand. His mature eyes moved between the three people on the porch, meeting them all before he said, "It's Stefan."

After that Sarah found herself running down into the tomb, finding the four torches from before still lit. She raced past them, heading right towards the open tomb when suddenly two strong arms were wrapped around her waist, lifting her off her feet as they continued to move as if she was still running.

"Let me go! Let me go, Damon!" Sarah cried out, kicking and screaming as Damon dragged her away from the entrance to the tomb.

"Listen to me. Listen to me!" Damon shouted over Sarah's shouts until finally she quietened down enough to so that he could hear himself think. She might not have been shouting anymore, but she did continue to struggle against her brother's hold around her waist. "If you go in there you'll just be trapped with her too."

"I don't care, Damon! I can't just leave Stefan in there with her!" Sarah shouted as she started to kick her heels against Damon, but his hold didn't waver. He'd already let one sibling screw up today, he wasn't about to let another. But then another problem came running in. Elena ran straight past them, barely noticing Damon and Sarah as she ran for the tomb entrance. Thinking fast, Damon hurled Sarah back towards the cave wall, before rushing forward and grabbing Elena with one arm around her waist, lifting her up with ease like he did with Sarah. Then, as he predicted, Sarah came running at him, trying to get past and into the tomb. He was quicker though, arm shooting out and catching her around the waist before he carried both women across the room, shoving them against the cave wall where he held them with a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Shut up, both of you, Now!" Damon shouted at them, finally ending their screams and shouts of protest. Somehow it even managed to stop them struggling too, though his eyes remained vigilant as he watched them both. Waiting for either to make another stupid attempt to get into the tomb.

"Stefan's in there, Damon!" Elena shouted out in hurt. Not at what Damon was doing or had done, but at the fact her boyfriend was trapped with the most horrible woman she'd ever know. "How could you let this happen?"

"What are you talking about? I was too busy saving you from your crazy kamikaze mission," Damon snapped back.

"You didn't even have to go after the moonstone in the first place!" Elena shouted.

"It was the right call, Elena."

"The right call? How was any of this the right call?!"

"Because I say it is," Damon growled, looming over Elena. His eyes didn't leave his sister though. She might be quiet for the time being but she might just be biding her time. Or maybe she was as terrified as her face suggested, at the thought of Stefan being trapped with Katherine for God knows how long.

Suddenly Elena made a move to try and get past him, but Damon shoved her back against the wall, his hand placed over her chest. "Damon, let go of me! Damon, let go of me! Let go of me! Let go! Let go!" Elena shouted out over and over as she tried to push Damon's supernaturally strong hand off her chest, but it was as if it was held in place by steel. He wouldn't budge, and just let her struggle until finally she tired herself out.

"Please," she then said quietly, looking up into Damon eyes as he glared back at her.

"Are you done?" was all he asked. He didn't need an answer though, he could see she was. She was still horribly upset, but she'd tired herself out and couldn't fight anymore, at least not against a vampire.

Damon let his arm drop, releasing Elena so that now he only had his hand on Sarah's shoulder. Still she remained still, staring into the tomb like a child terrified of the dark shadowy closet in their room. Once again Elena tried to move towards the tomb, but Damon's finger cut her off. "Don't," he said simply, finger waving back and forth before then pointing towards the stairs that lead out of the tomb.

With one last pathetically quiet growl, Elena snarled angrily at Damon, running her hand through her hair before stomping out of the tomb, leaving him and his sister alone. It was only after she was gone, that Stefan appeared, walking down the tunnel that lead into the tomb until he could go no further. The invisible wall preventing him from reuniting with his siblings.

"Of all the idiot plans, Stefan," Damon sighed out as he turned to face his brother along with Sarah who was stood back against the wall. "We'll find a way to get you out."

"Ah, it's all right. I'll handle myself," Stefan said as he placed his hands against the fame of the tunnel he was in. "Bonnie has the moonstone. Work with her. Try to figure out how to de-spell it," Stefan instructed. Obviously he didn't know about how Elena had gone off to sacrifice herself. He should know, and they'd tell him eventually, but like Damon, Sarah knew this wasn't the time for that.

"You martyr yourself in a tomb and me and our sister get partnered with a semi-competent witch. Wonderful," Damon said sarcastically, but there was no humour in those blue eyes.

"Keep Elena away from here," Stefan said.

"Yeah. 'Cause that'll be easy," Damon muttered sarcastically with a roll of the eyes.

"I want you to stay away too, Sarah," Stefan added meeting his sister's eye.

"No way," Sarah said, her voice firm, but overpowered by sadness.

"I mean it. It's not going to do you any good coming down here. We both know how it'll end, especially with Katherine here too." He was right, Sarah knew it. But it didn't change anything. She couldn't just leave him alone down here, never visiting just because of Katherine. She could control herself, even if it was just five minutes a day. She could come and see him and–

Katherine then appeared at the end of the tunnel, smiling away as she waved her fingers in a flirtatious greeting. From that moment Sarah knew she couldn't even last five minutes. Stefan was right, sooner or later, she would get provoked and would run in there and end up trapped too. Then she'd forever be at the mercy of Katherine along with her brother.

Stefan then stepped into Sarah's line of sight, blocking her view to Katherine. She met his gaze, and knew he'd done it to prove his point. He didn't want her in there with him. Or rather, he didn't want her in there with Katherine. Because out of the three of them, it was Sarah who would suffer the most in that environment. Stefan was actually probably the best one to be in there, emotional control wise anyway.

"Promise me. Both of you. No matter what happens. You'll protect Elena," Stefan said, bringing Sarah back to the conversation.

"Promise," Damon agreed.

When Sarah took longer to answer, Stefan and Damon looked to her. "Sarah?" Stefan prompted.

Sarah still hesitated in answering. "I promise to get you out of there. That way you can look after her yourself," Sarah said, which was enough for Stefan who nodded. But he couldn't see Damon's eyes, and he knew exactly why Sarah had said what she said. He didn't address it though, merely walked out to go and deal with Elena, leaving Sarah alone with her brother…and the Devil who was creeping up behind him.

"That right there, was the biggest mistake you've ever made," Katherine purred out from behind Stefan. He ignored her, glancing back before he strode past his sire and further into the tomb, encouraging Sarah to go when he looked back. And then he was gone, hoping his lack of presence would make Sarah leave, as she was now alone with Katherine. A one way wall between them. But even that wouldn't stop Katherine from playing her games. "Do you want to join us?" Katherine asked, putting on a seductive purr to her voice as she draped herself against the stone wall of the tomb.

Sarah glared, remaining against the back wall. Fingers curling against the stones, as if gripping them to stop herself form lunging at the woman who now held her brother captive. "You're going to miss out on all the fun," Katherine sang out teasingly, her playful grin coming out. "Just think of what we could get up to if you came in here too."

"I'm not coming in, Katherine," Sarah growled.

Katherine put on a pout in turn. "Shame," she said, pulling away from the wall with a dramatic sigh. "I guess now I'll just have to make up my own fun with Stefan." Her devilish smirk returned, her eyes lighting up as they met Sarah's. Then she turned, heading back into the tomb, humming away cheerful as she did.

"If you even think of hurt him in any way," Sarah began, pushing off the wall and making it halfway across the room before willing herself to stop. "I'll come in there and kill you myself. Spell or not." Katherine twirled back around, teasing grin in place as she leaned forwards. Deliberately letting her cleavage show as she thrusted her chest towards Sarah.

"Please, do," Katherine drawled out seductively, a longing in her voice that made Sarah want to peel her skin right off. Seeing she'd gotten to her once again, Katherine relaxed, lifting her chest as her smug smile broke out. "See you tomorrow, Sarah," Katherine said with a flirtatious wave, before vanishing out of sight, leaving Sarah to fight the urge to follow.

"Try not to think about all the fun you'll be missing out on."