Review responses:

Sarcasm15key: Much like with Damon, no one finds out right away, but there will be consequences down the road, I promise you that. And I don't know if I could handle Sarah completely off the rails – that's a pretty terrifying thought.

Guest: Yes she is. :)

Only Reviewer: Oh, yeah, Stefan's no one's favourite here, for good reason too. Glad you enjoyed the ending of the previous chapter, and I'll catch you out one day, just wait!

Just a quick note, the update I made to the previous chapter was just a little error in formatting, nothing to require a re-read, so enjoy this week's chapter! And thanks to all the new favourites and followers, you're always appreciated, just as much as a review!

Chapter 25: Daddy Issues

When Sarah returned home, after her night away at Whitmore, she saw little point in climbing into bed. The sun was already well and truly up, and all the hassle of getting changed twice in less than an hour just didn't seem worth it. She did sneak inside the house though, as to avoid questions from anyone. That said, no one was actively looking to talk to her. Scarlett was apparently out for a morning run, Stefan was having breakfast alone in the kitchen, and Damon was up in his room having a shower. Sarah wondered if any of them had even noticed she was gone.

She entered the house, silently moving to the stairs before taking two at a time, dashing along the corridor and sliding into her room where she swiftly shut the door behind her. After that everything slowed down as she took in a breath. She smiled to herself, enjoying the memory of last night. That would keep her dark side subdued for a while, much like Damon's she imagined. She just hoped he hadn't made too much of a mess…unlike herself. But at least she'd remember to clean up afterwards.

Stood against her bedroom door, her eyes moved over to her bed, part of her missing that big soft mattress of hers. She'd be fine without sleep, vampires didn't need it as much as humans. What she did need however, was a shower. A nice hot shower to wipe off…the remains.

She began to strip. First taking of her leather jacket and placing it on her bed. After that she peeled off her hot and sweaty cloths from the night before, including the boots. All of which was in need of clean. Perhaps she'd had a little too much fun, she thought, looking at the pile of dirty laundry she'd left on the floor. But remembering why she'd gone to Whitmore in the first place, she decided it was fair do's.

Now naked, she made her way into her bathroom, stepping into the shower before turning the dial right towards the red. She turned on the water and let the scolding hot liquid cascade along her body, wiping away the sweat and blood and any physical traces of last night all at once. She had to fight the urge to groan in pleasure, especially when she let the water hit her head. Her tangled and greasy raven hair thickening as it absorbed the water, making it feel like she had a carpet attached to her head.

For a while, she didn't even bother cleaning herself. She just let the water run over her, unknotting any tension in her body while also sending spark like tingles throughout her every now and then. Her only regret was not setting up some music before getting in the shower. But nothing was perfect. Even last night had its faults. But it served its purpose, and so had the shower.

Finally finished, Sarah turned the shower off, climbing out to grab the first of six towels that hung from a nearby rack. She started dabbing herself down, getting rid of the lingering droplets of water scattered across her body. Once finished, she wrapped the towel around her chest, then grabbed a separate one for her hair. An hour or so later, she finished drying off and got herself ready for a new day. She threw on a pair of jeans and t-shirt, pulling on her leather jacket and boots, only to then step out her room and find Damon waiting for her. Apparently having been about to knock on her door.

"Everything all right?" Sarah asked, raising her brow at Damon's raised fist.

He rolled his eyes, lowering his arm back to his side before saying, "I'm going to get an update from Stefan on what he got up to yesterday. He already knows about…our day," Damon said, forcing a smile. "You know, Elena. Can't keep her mouth shut for anything. I think I'm starting to see why she and Barbie are friends," Damon said thoughtful, as if finally completing a jigsaw puzzle.

It was Sarah's turn now to roll her eyes, before lightly pushing her brother out of her way so she could leave her room, pulling the door shut behind her. Both then proceeded to make their way up to Stefan's room, where they found him at his desk, writing in his journal of all things. Because he was original like that.

"All right then, we're both here. Now let's here about you epic, divine plan that's going to save Elena and everybody else," Damon declared with his usual charming smugness as he waltzed into the room with Sarah behind him. Seeing them enter, Stefan put down his pen and shut his journal, pushing it away as he stood up from his desk.

"Before I tell either of you, I need you both to promise you won't do anything rash, and that you'll hear me out," Stefan said as he looked each of his siblings in the eye.

"I'm loving this more and more by the second," Sarah groaned, sharing a look with Damon that made him momentarily smirk before looking back to Stefan as they both awaited the news.

"All right, we promise not to do anything 'Rash'," Damon said mockingly with air quotes. "Right, Sarah?"

"Sure," Sarah shrugged, which apparently was enough for Stefan, although he did hesitate before going on to explain what he'd spent yesterday doing…

"You brought back John Gilbert?!" Damon exclaimed once Stefan finished.

"Are you insane?!" Sarah added, glaring at her brother with as much shock and annoyance as her other blue eyed brother.

"That was your big 'Save Elena' move?" Damon continued.

"You remember he wanted us all dead, right?" Sarah asked, giving her brother a look that said she thought he might have lost a few brain cells.

"Yes, I remember," Stefan sighed, eyes momentarily closing as he let his siblings react exactly as he thought they would.

"Oh, good, so we can cancel that insanity test then. Instead we'll just send them this month's rendition of Stefan Salvatore's most dumbass decisions. Now including his latest lamebrain scheme, entitled, 'I'm bringing back the guy who wants me and my whole family dead, because I slept with his niece – who's actually his secret daughter'," Damon declared with a little less flare than usual. It was obvious why, but neither Stefan nor Sarah were about to say anything as they let the conversation continue.

"Look, I tried to find Isobel–" Stefan went to explain.

"Because she's so much better," Sarah agreed, voice dripping in sarcasm.

"But in so doing I found John who offered to help instead. And if we're being honest guys, we're desperate."

"Not that desperate!" Damon and Sarah cried out in unison, both blue and green eyes widening at their oddly calm brother. Then again, he was the one who thought this was sensible and logical plan. When in fact it was anything but.

"Look, Bonnie's new witch friend is working with Elijah and Amelia, so we have to assume that the moonstone was never destroyed." As Stefan continued, hammering on his points with a waving arm, Damon began to turn away – not wanting his tired face to be seen – while Sarah let out a deeply irritated sigh, folding her arms as she let her brother say his peace. "Elena is putting all of her faith into some deal, that she made with Elijah and Amelia, to keep everyone safe."

"Which they will," Sarah said, though her heart wasn't in her words and Stefan picked up on that.

"Really, so you trust them then?" Stefan asked, though his green eyes told Sarah he already knew her answer. And he was right, she didn't trust them. But Elena wanted to honour this deal and Sarah had sided with her. Interfering would only further complicate the potentially good deal they had, and make things harder for Elena. Plus the deal was only valid so long as they played by the two Originals' rules. Elena was expected to keep everyone else in check and she'd enlisted Sarah to help her. But even so she couldn't argue with Stefan on this point, not without giving up whatever remaining ground she could stand on argument wise.

"Because I don't trust them," Stefan continued, pointing to himself before then gesturing over to Damon who was making his way back over to them, head lowered in thought. "Damon won't trust them. They're both Originals, and it's not like we can just kill them both, because apparently, they can't die," Stefan exclaimed to his younger sister who took it all. She didn't always like hearing the truth, but she could take it. Besides, he was still the one in hot water for bringing John Gilbert back. Sarah agreeing with Elena on the deal with the Originals could be tabled until later.

"I'm still waiting for the part where John Gilbert is the answer," Damon said lowly, obviously annoyed with Stefan's chosen plan.

"Dito," agreed Sarah as she and Damon glared at their brother.

"He knew about the sacrifice, Isobel told him. He said he knew of a way to keep Elena safe," Stefan explained, calm once more. Now this caught the attention of both his siblings as they suddenly perk-up at this information.

"And how do we do that?" Damon asked with a sigh, when Stefan didn't offer up anything more.

"He's not talking." And just like that, their hopes were dropped. Not that Sarah's had been risen particularly high. It would have had to have been one hell of a plan in order to sway Elena, and she'd made her bed on Elena's side of this life or death argument. Of course she wanted to save Elena, but if she thought her way was better then who was Sarah to stop her, who were any of them. If there was a better option, then sure, Sarah would talk to Elena about it, try and sway her. But for now, she agreed with Elena. One death vs everyone they loved and cared about. It was an easy choice to make when you were the one to die. And as long as Elena was on board fully, Sarah would support her. That however, didn't mean she couldn't explore other options, for Elena's sake.

"Well, there's a simple solution to that," Sarah said with a shrug.

"Which is?" Stefan inquired with an unsure stare at his sister.

"We slice him open, drain the vervain from him and then compel him to answer us," Sarah said with a cheerful and optimistic smile. Which was met by a glare from Stefan. "Not a fan I take it."

"We're not doing anything like that, or anything else that might encourage John to turn his back on us," Stefan said sternly.

"Well, he's the one who offered his help, only to get here and not tell us anything," Sarah pointed out angrily as she in turn glared at her brother. "And how do we know he's not lying anyway?"

"He's not," Stefan stated simply.

"Ah, yes, sorry. I forgot you knew what his plan was… Oh, wait," Sarah said sarcastically as her green eyes clashed with Stefan's momentarily.

"As if we didn't have enough problems," Damon grumbled turning to leave as his younger siblings ceased in their glaring match.

As he walked to open door, Stefan and Sarah quickly traded looks before their green eyes both moved over to Damon. "Hey, I'm sorry about Rose," Stefan called over, having not offered up his sincere condolences about yesterday.

"Whatever," Damon scoffed, playing it off as nothing as he turned back around. "I knew the woman for…five minutes."

"Well, you cared about her…after five minutes," Sarah pointed out, as Damon turned away, from both his siblings and his emotions.

"Listen, if you need to talk…" Stefan offered, taking a step towards his brother only for the eldest Salvatore to turn around sharply.

"I don't. Now drop it," Damon snapped, voice level, but suspiciously close to a growl. He sent one look each to his siblings, making sure they got the message before then turning and striding out.

He made it down the first three steps before another voice said, "Hey, Damon. How are–"

"Don't even try it, Scrappy," Damon snapped once more, pushing past her on the stairs before the dark haired girl climbed the rest of the way up into Stefan's room.

"Rude much," Scarlett mumbled to herself, before turning serious when she found who she was looking for. "Hey, Caroline just texted me, said something about a 911. She wants me to bring you," Scarlett explained, looking to Stefan before then switching to Sarah as she continued. "And she wanted you to…" She paused, looking down at her phone as she re-read the text, and quoted, "'Stay with that pigheaded, bully of a brother and make sure he doesn't do anything Damon-y'. Her words, not mine."

"Well that doesn't sound like more trouble waiting to happen," sighed Sarah.

"All right lets go," Stefan said to Scarlett as he grabbed his jacket. Going to follow her out of his room, when he remembered Sarah and turned back to her, pointing his finger at her in warning. "And don't do anything to John before talking to me or Elena."

"Whatever," Sarah scoffed indecisively, avoiding her brother's eye.

Before he had a chance to push her for an agreement though, Scarlett spoke up from the door way where she'd stopped. "Hold on, did you say 'John'? As in John Gilbert?! What the hell is he doing back in town?!" she shouted angrily, voice raising as Stefan pushed her out the door – beginning to offer her an explanation as they went down the stairs.

On the drive over to Caroline's, Scarlett got Stefan to explain what was happening with John. Apparently, Stefan had thought it was a great idea to bring her boyfriend's supernatural hating uncle back into town, because… Well he didn't really have a chance to explain himself, as once Scarlett understood that John was back she let lose in a shouting rage. When she finally finished, burning herself out, Stefan mumbled something about her sounding like his brother and sister. To which Scarlett promptly pointed out, they were right.

Stefan took that as his chance to move the conversation along before listening to another rendition of, 'why Stefan's idea to bring John back is stupid'. A tune everyone seemed to be playing right now. He asked Scarlett if she'd gotten anything else from Caroline. She hadn't, and when he asked about the initial text, Scarlett shoved her phone in his face. He quickly pushed it aside so he could see the road again, and Scarlett read out the text.

It really was as she had said back at the boarding house. 911, bring Stefan and meet me at my house and ask Sarah to stay with that pigheaded, bully of a brother and make sure he doesn't do anything Damon-y. Once that was explained, the car fell silent. Scarlett took this opportunity to send Jeremy a quick text, asking how he was doing with John back in town. Jeremy replied, saying he was going to hide out at a friend's for the day, making sure to tell Scarlett where to find him if she needed him. She thanked him, letting him know that she and Stefan were helping Caroline with something. Though she didn't go into the 911 portion of the message, otherwise he'd want to get involved and then John would probably come snooping around, looking to set her on fire again. He reminded her once more to call him if she needed him then sent her a kiss. She sent on back, the put her phone away, noticing a grinning Stefan in the seat next to her.

"Shut up," Scarlett muttered, though she too smiled as Stefan let out a chuckle. However, as he pulled up to Caroline's house, they both turned serious, getting out of the car as they jogged up to Caroline's porch, ringing the bell.

Caroline promptly answered, opening up the door as she ushered them in, looking around outside before quickly shutting the door. "What's wrong?" Stefan asked as Caroline turned to face him and Scarlett.

"Tyler knows pretty much everything," Caroline exclaimed in a panic, with such volume that Scarlett jumped, hands going to cover her ears on instinct before she got a grip. Stefan seemed unfazed by Caroline's pitch, as he quickly lifted his hands to calm her.

"Hold on, hold on. What do you mean 'pretty much'?" Stefan asked, needing her to be more clear before they continued.

"He knows that you, Sarah and Damon are vampires. And he knows that Damon killed Mason," Caroline explained, before then adding, "I didn't say a word," when Scarlett gave her a suspicious look.

"Then how does he know all that?" Scarlett asked unconvinced. She wouldn't put it past blabber mouth Caroline to spill the beans to Tyler, but at the same time she'd done a remarkably good job of keeping all their secrets thus far. It wouldn't make sense for her to suddenly break at this point in the game. And in any case, her heart rate said she was telling the truth. Scarlett just wanted an answer was all.

"It's that woman, Jules," Stefan said with certainty. "The other werewolf that's in town. She had a run-in with Damon." Scarlett had already been told about this update. She'd spent a good part of yesterday trying to find this other werewolf with Jeremy. She had no such luck. But it hadn't been hard to work out that the woman who'd told Tyler that Mason was missing, was the same werewolf who'd attacked Damon and Rose the other night. And now she was spilling all their secrets apparently.

"Tyler was so upset. The look on his face…he was so betrayed," Caroline explained sadly as she looked at them both, Scarlett with folded arms while Stefan ran his hand along his forehead, trying to think. "You're not gonna tell Damon, are you?" Caroline suddenly asked Stefan in alarm, thinking of all the horrible things he'd do if he got his hands on Tyler now.

"No. His relationships with werewolves are already bad enough as it is, no sense in giving him something else to overreact to," Stefan said in as level a voice as he could muster up.

"Are you saying this isn't a big deal?" Caroline asked, briefly considering, and hoping, that she was just overreacting again.

"No, Caroline, it's a huge deal. If Tyler retaliates against us, especially Damon, he'll get himself killed," Stefan pointed out, still trying to come up with a plan on how to deal with all this.

"Well, we can't let that happen," Caroline said firmly to her two friends. "We have to get to him and reason with him before he does something stupid. You guys have to talk to him."

"Hold on, why can't you talk to him too?" Scarlett asked, sending Caroline a questioning look. Though she got her answer when the vampire's cheeks flushed a little.

"I…I–I already tried. He made it clear he didn't want to see me again," Caroline threw out. A lame excuse, but since Scarlett knew the real reason Caroline was keeping her distance from Tyler, she didn't push. "And you should get Sarah too, she's good with werewolf-vampire relations, right?"

"She's with Damon at the moment, per your instruction," Scarlett pointed out.

"And better she stays there in case this Julies woman or Tyler try anything against him. With her there she might stand a chance at keep everyone alive," Stefan explained before looking to Scarlett, finger wagging between himself and her. "You and I will talk to Tyler. Try and get him to see some sense."

"A little, werewolf cop, vampire cop?" Scarlett asked with an amused grin and raised brow.

"Something like that," Stefan said, ghost of a smile on his lips as he reached past Caroline to open the door.

"Just…try not to hurt him," Caroline said softly, worry in her eyes.

"Don't worry Caroline, he's our friend too," Scarlett said reassuringly. "Worse thing I'll do is break his arm," Scarlett said as she walked out the door.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure Tyler doesn't lose any limbs…or bones," Stefan said, once again reassuring Caroline as he slid outside, closing the door behind him.

Sarah wasn't exactly happy by how easily Damon had manipulated her into coming with him to kill John Gilbert. That said, was it really manipulating when she was planning on doing it herself? It was probably more like encouragement. And Caroline had asked her to stay near Damon for whatever problem Stefan and Scarlett were now off dealing with. So technically she was still doing some good while also doing some bad. Maybe that trip to Whitmore had done more to mess with her moral compass than she first thought?

When they arrived at the Gilbert house, Sarah had to yank Damon back by his jacket to stop him from barging in – reminding him that just because they were here to murder someone, didn't mean they could forget their manners. He'd grumbled about that, right up until Elena answered the door and he stormed in with Sarah behind him. "Where's John?" was all Damon said, marching on through the house will Sarah stopped in the hallway with Elena.

"He's not here," Elena answered, but Damon made a show of searching the other rooms anyway, just in case she was lying. She wasn't though, Sarah could tell she was the only one in the house, which was a shame. Because if John had been here and Jenna was out, then there was no real reason for her to hold back on him.

"Where is he then?" Sarah asked, looking to Elena.

"No idea," Elena sighed, letting the stress of her morning show in one breath. "He just blew in this morning, then announced to Jenna that he's my dad, and then took off," Elena explained with an exasperated wave of the hand at the door.

"Hold on, that's public knowledge now?"

"Apparently?" Elena shrugged with a surprised look that matched Sarah's.

"How you doing then?" Sarah asked after a pause, folding her arms as she leaned back agains the wall, Damon rejoining them as he walked back into the hall.

"Okay I guess," Elena said as she scratched her neck, hands needing something to do as she spoke. "Jenna's heads spinning, but I'm okay."

"And where did she go?" Sarah asked, worried for her friend after her horrible brother in law dropped a bomb on her lap without any warning.

"She went out with Ric, I think they're at the Grill," Elena said, to which Sarah nodded. At least she wasn't alone, Sarah could catch up with her later and see how she was doing then. For now, best to stay with Damon and on the job at hand, killing John…and also finding out what his plan was but that was a side job to the main one.

"John tell you what he's doing here?" Damon asked, blue eyes still looking around as if this could be a trap comprised by John.

"No," Elena groaned, not happy about it either. It was good to know she was on their side about the John matter too. Probably not the kill bit, but at least she was unhappy like them. "You know, Stefan thinks that he's telling the truth about wanting to help me."

"Do you believe him?" Sarah asked curiously.

"No, I don't believe him for a second," Elena answered instinctively, giving them both a look that said it should have been obvious.

"Us neither," agreed Damon finally seeming to be at peace, now that he'd surmised that this wasn't all a trap to kill him.

"All right, so what are we going to do?" Elena asked, looking between the two vampires.

"Kill him," Damon said plainly.

"Damon," Elena sighed. As predicted, she wasn't for the killing plan. Oh, well, there was always plan B, Sarah thought.

"Fine, I won't kill him," Damon grumbled as he pushed past Sarah and Elena, heading for the open door.

"So what's the plan then?" Elena asked again.

"Well, my plan was to tie him up, cut up, drain him of vervain, compel the truth out of him and then do something really nasty," Sarah said with a grin, only to be met by a glare from Elena. "Though I take it you too are not fond of that plan," Sarah said disappointedly as she deflated.

"I just think maybe we should talk to him before we resort to torture," Elena said calmly as she grabbed her jacket.

"It's only torture if it's painful," Sarah pointed out.

"I'm sure you'd make it painful," Elena pointed out as she pulled on her jacket, heading towards the door as Damon walked out to his car.

"I would not." Elena looked back at Sarah with a raised eyebrow. "All right fine. We'll try it your way," Sarah mumbled as she marched out the door, followed by Elena who locked the door behind them. Okay, the Whitmore trip had definitely mess about with her moral compass.

It hadn't been hard to find Tyler. He was at home, the first place Stefan and Scarlett had decided to look, possibly hiding out since he now knew all about the other supernaturals in town. Stefan had parked at the edge of property and the two had gone on foot until they arrived at the back of the house. From there they listened and Scarlett also did a little sniffing around. She was able to confirm that another werewolf had been there but couldn't say if she still was, although from what they were hearing it was likely the only two people in were Tyler and his mom. They then waited until Tyler was on his own, and moved.

He'd gone into what had been his father's study, now just a study since his father no longer used it, bag of chips in hand before he started to search something on a computer. Scarlett had thought they'd wait a little longer before going in, but then Stefan was suddenly in the room, having entered through the open door that lead to the outside.

Apparently Tyler's senses were improving, as he sensed the threat of an intruder and quickly tried to run. Stefan got in front o him though, cutting him up as Scarlett muttered a curse. She should have know this wasn't going to be easy. She did a quick check with her eyes, hearing and nose to make sure she wasn't going to be spotted then moved silently into the house. It was during that check that she realised why Stefan had moved so suddenly, as Mrs. Lockwood was on her way towards the study. He was probably trying to avoid a scene and if he got to Tyler quickly and shut him up, then maybe they could avoid dragging her into all this.

"I'm not gonna hurt you," Stefan said calmly, making no move to attack Tyler. He was just stood there, blocking his path while Tyler sized him up, currently unaware that Scarlett had now joined them. So his senses could still use some improvement then.

"We just want to talk," Scarlett said, making Tyler jump as he turned around to see her. The surprise quickly vanished and betrayal flashed through his eyes. The same betrayal that Scarlett constantly feared she'd see in Jeremy. And if it felt this bad seeing it in Tyler, seeing it in Jeremy would surely break her.

"Yeah, well, most people who want to talk use the door," Tyler snapped at her, making Scarlett cringe as she backed down.

"Would you have let us in if we'd done it that way?" Stefan asked, bringing Tyler's gaze back around to him. Scarlett realised Stefan was right, this had been the best way to do it. An approach like that definitely would have ended in a scene that would have caught Tyler's mom's attention.

"Tyler?" called out his mother as she walked into the front hall. Seeing a way out, Tyler reacted foolishly, but Stefan cut him off as Tyler tried to run past him. He grabbed hold and swung him around into the wall, holding him there with his arm against Tyler's throat. He shushed him, reminding him how dangerous he was as he let his vampire features subtly come out before letting them fade. He didn't want to hurt anyone, but right now he needed Tyler to believe he would if he didn't stay quiet. Seeing sense at last, Tyler quietened down so that his mother wouldn't get drawn into all this, but annoyingly she kept coming.

"Tyler? I'm leaving for the memorial," she called out again, walking into the study right as Scarlett ducked out of sight behind the desk. When she saw nothing, not having come in enough to see Tyler and Stefan, she shrugged and backed out. As she left, Scarlett stood back up, and all three remained still until they heard the door close behind Mrs. Lockwood.

Then Tyler started to struggle against Stefan's hold, making more noise now since his mother was out the way. "Just calm down, and I'll let you go," Stefan snarled, a little meaner than he'd intended. But the message got through, and Tyler calmed, still glaring at the vampire until Stefan pulled his arm away, releasing Tyler as he put on a friendly smile. "Maybe we're getting off on the wrong foot here."

"What happened to Mason, huh?" Tyler snapped, finishing his direct question with a look to Scarlett who bowed her head in shame.

"I tried to stop it, Tyler," she said, voice weaker than usual as the memory of that day came back to her. She had, she really had tried. She'd begged Damon not too but he'd never planned on letting Mason live after what he'd done to them. Still, it had been hard losing him, but she couldn't very well say that to Tyler, she wasn't going to be getting any sympathy from him now.

"Well you obviously didn't try hard enough," Tyler growled.

"That's enough," Stefan said calmly, putting his hand on Tyler's chest, subtly warning him not to push the matter.

He ignored the warning and continued anyway. "If you'd wanted to, you could have killed every one of them."

Scarlett meant his eyes with her own outrageous blue ones, the though of the idea clearly making her feel disturbed. And after what she'd been told happened to Rose, she wouldn't wish that on any of her vampire friends, meaning she was now going to be doubly careful from now on. "I would never bite them, Tyler. That would be a death sentence. In fact it might actually be worse than that. And they're my friends," Scarlett explained with a more firm, but still delicate, voice as she stepped towards him and Stefan.

"You can give me all the excuses that you want, I'm not going to believe you," Tyler declared, glaring at her before then doing the same to Stefan as the vampire sighed regrettably.

"Tyler, there's a lot for us to talk about. So why don't you just sit down and…" Stefan began to say before Tyler abruptly tried to make a run for it. Stefan caught him easily though, a combination of his reflexes and speed. Grabbing onto Tyler's shirt before yanking him back towards him him, a warning glare now on his face. "I wouldn't do that. Without a full mon, you're no match for me, and your definitely not a match for her," Stefan explained with a nod towards Scarlett. "So like I said, we're gonna sit down, and have a talk, you and us," Stefan declared as he led Tyler to the couch forcefully, before letting him go and motioning for him to sit down. He did, on the edge of the couch while Stefan sat back against the desk next to him. Scarlett took the couch across from Tyler, hoping he'd just listen for once in his life.

The search for John started at the park in centre of Mystic Falls where the marmoreal for several recent murder victims was being held. Of course most of those had been people Rose had murdered during her mental break down, though Sarah suspected a few had been done by Damon after she passed. She didn't say anything though, and Elena appeared none the wiser as they searched. It made since to start here, since council members would be lurking around like they always were at these events and John would undoubtedly want to speak to them since he was back in town. When they found nothing outside though, they started going through the open buildings, seeing if he was hiding out in one of the nearby restaurants. In the end they all spotted him in the Grill right as they walked in, stood at the table Jenna and Alaric were occupying – both probably wishing he was anywhere else but here, or that they were anywhere were he was not.

"We just need answers. So, please, both of you, don't do anything stupid," Elena whispered to the vampires on either side of her.

"Stupid like, draining him off blood and compelling the truth out of him?" Sarah asked with a forced smile to Elena who glowered back at her.

"I said no," Elena repeated sternly, as Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Fine, I'll play nice," Sarah said, forcing sarcastic enthusiasm into her voice.

"And you?" Elena asked, looking to Damon who was glaring at John from across the room.

"Don't count on anything," Damon growled, ready to move off until Elena grabbed his arm pulling him back.

"Damon, please. Just try and keep it together. I know it's hard but please," she begged, looking up at Damon who continued to keep his eyes on John who was looking back over at him.

"Fine. But you owe me one…friend," Damon said with a forced smug smile, not unlike his sister's before the three made their way over to John, Jenna and Alaric together. "John, buddy, how you been?" Damon announced as he walked over, plastering on one of his infamous charming smiles.

"I've been all right, Damon. It's good to see you," John said with his own thin smile, stood next to Jenna who was glaring down at her menu so hard it seemed like fire might actually shoot out of her eyes. She looked up though, catching Sarah's eye who John then greeted also, as this was the first time he'd seen her since returning. "You too, Sarah."

Sarah forced her smile up, then stepped forward and swung, fist colliding with John's face as he staggered back, hand clutching his bruised cheek. "That was for Jenna, since she's obviously been wanting to do it," Sarah said simply, once again smiling sweetly when John looked back up at her. She then looked down at Jenna, winking when she saw how amazed Jenna was, to shocked to laugh at something she'd clearly enjoyed seeing.

John merely nodded, as everyone in the restaurant went back to minding their own business. Jenna did her best to keep her laughter contained as she looked away from John, Damon and Alaric shared a smirk and Sarah looked to Elena who was once again scowling at her, though not as strongly as before. "For the record, that was me being nice," Sarah whispered to Elena, who couldn't help but smirk a little, after seeing John get what he deserved. "Now what's everyone having to eat?" Sarah asked as she grabbed a seat and sat down next to Jenna, forcing John to step aside for her. "I'm starving."

Stefan had tried talking to Tyler, tried getting him to get involved in the conversation, but he wasn't having it. Scarlett had been more or less silent, deciding it was better to let Stefan handle negotiations, seeing as Tyler was still harbouring strong feelings of betrayal towards her.

"Look, about Caroline," Stefan said from his spot against the desk opposite Tyler. "No matter what her flaws are, when push comes to shove, you're gonna want that girl on your side. She's your friend, stop being a dick to her." His eyes flicked over to Scarlett, before returning to Tyler. "The same goes for Scarlett."

"They lied to me," Tyler snarled, not even willing to look Scarlett's way as his eyes narrowed at Stefan.

Stefan pointed over to Scarlett. "And she went through the same thing you did, when she tried to spare you from your first change."

"That was her own damn fault," Tyler muttered, looking away, before his gaze snapped back to Stefan as he rose above him, glowering down at the him.

"It's one thing not to trust us. It's another to treat something – that you know is a beyond painful – as nothing. She went through that for you, willingly. You both went through it together. And when she could have abandoned you, she stayed to help you, through everything. Caroline too. Or did you forget who helped you through your first full moon," Stefan growled, angry at Tyler for his blatant disregard for everything his two friends had done for him. Yes, they'd betrayed him, but they'd also done so much for him.

"It's all right, Stefan," Scarlett spoke up, both men turning to look at her, across on the other couch. "He does appreciate what we've done. He's not that much of a tool. He just doesn't think it makes up for all the lies." She offered Tyler a friendly smile. "But that's why we're here, to talk about it and get it all out."

Stefan leaned back then, a soft, but notably proud smile on his lips, as he leaned back against the desk once more. Tyler just scoffed, rolling his eyes as he looked back to Stefan. "I thought vampires and werewolves were enemies," he pointed out.

"That's some sort of leftover idea from another time. It doesn't have to be that way anymore," Stefan explained as he leaned over once more, friendly tone returning.

"Just look at Stefan and me," Scarlett agreed, jumping in while Stefan gestured over to her in order to back up her point. "We're friends. Heck we live together. And Sarah helped me through my first few months as a werewolf, like how me and Caroline helped you." Another unappreciated snort from Tyler. Scarlett saw Stefan's eyes light up in an irritated fire, but he kept himself still rather than threaten Tyler again. There was only so many times he could do it while claiming to be on his side, before Tyler caught onto the mixed signals and rejected them completely.

"All this is proof, that vampires and werewolves aren't enemies. All we need to do is be careful on full moons and everyone is happy," Scarlett concluded.

"Exactly," agreed Stefan before looking back to Tyler. "I mean, we go to the same school, we have the same friends, we keep the same secrets," Stefan listed off as he leaned forward, smiling when he saw that Tyler was slowly beginning to nod along with what was being said. "This can work, Tyler. I mean, it's your home, it's our home too. We want this to work."

Scarlett smiled, thinking that they were finally making some progress with the Tyler matter, when suddenly his phone began to ring. Silence fell between the three, as they all listened to Tyler's phone. Scarlett felt herself begin to tense, the calm before the storm. Stefan was watching Tyler, not denying him the right to answer but waiting to see how he would react, if he'd blink. He did.

Suddenly Tyler was up, phone being pulled from his pocket. Scarlett muttered a curse as she stood up and Stefan moved to snatch the phone form Tyler, but he was too slow. Tyler had already answered and was shouting, "Help! Help!" into the phone before Stefan snatched from him and ended the call. When Tyler then turned to run, Stefan once again grabbed him, hauling him back towards him, as he threw the phone over to Scarlett. She caught it, and instantly looked at the screen, seeing the number of the person that had called on the screen. It was just a number though, no name.

"Who was that that just called you?" Scarlett asked, frowning as she held the phone screen out towards Tyler. He just stared back, a hint of smugness to his lips. Only turning his gaze to Stefan when the vampire suddenly slapped his free hand against Tyler's chest, capturing his attention.

"Damn it, Tyler. We're trying to save your life, can't you see that?" Stefan snapped, but Tyler said nothing. Frustrated Stefan shoved him down onto the couch, telling him to sit and wait as he turned to Scarlett.

"So what now?" Scarlett whispered, lowly enough so Stefan had to use his supernatural hearing to pick it up. Of course Tyler would have been able to eavesdrop if he'd mastered his senses, but Scarlett already knew he hadn't and would struggle to hear what they were saying if he tried to use them.

Stefan thought for a moment, hands on hips as he bobbed his head slowly in thought. "We wait. Give it a few minutes then go back to trying to convince him."

"And if someone shows up to help him?" Scarlett asked with a mildly concerned look.

"Then we'll deal with it," Stefan said before walking behind the desk to stretch, giving Tyler and himself time to cool down before they took another run at trying to persuade him to play ball with them. Scarlett looked back to Tyler seeing him hunched over with his head lowered, avoiding them both. She let out a sigh, then threw his phone down onto the desk, before sitting herself back down on the couch opposite him. Great. More waiting.

They ended up having a decent meal, with Sarah, Elena and Jenna on one side of the table while Damon, Alaric and John were on the other side. For the most part, John was smart enough to keep his mouth shut while the rest of the group made chit chat. Was it harsh to exclude him? Yes. Was it deliberate? Yes. Was everyone still mad at him for everything he'd done? Yes. And other than his presence, everyone had a good time.

After the quick one course meal, John excused himself to go and light a candle for those who'd died at a small marmoreal that had been set up by the Grill. Damon nodded after him and Sarah nodded in understanding before excusing herself. Though before she left, Jenna whispered that if she was going to punch John again to let her know. Sarah pointed out she was more likely to kick him, and not in the face, to which Jenna said she wanted a video of that. They laughed, and then Sarah walked off with Damon to have a word with John. Elena tried to follow, by Alaric, covered for the vampires and quickly got Elena engaged in a conversation between him and Jenna, preventing her from leaving temporarily.

John was just finishing lighting his candle, waving out the match, when Damon and Sarah approached from behind. "So, John," Damon said as he leaned over the man's shoulder. "Rumour has it that you know a lot, and won't say anything,." He kept his voice low, before moving around John to stand along side him, next to the table while Sarah stood at her brother's side, arms folded.

"How do I know either of you can be trusted?" John asked as he sat down the box of matches and turned to face the vampires. "Originals can compel vampires. And according to Stefan, that's why Katherine's still the tomb, because an Original compelled her to stay there."

"And I think we can all agree that's a good thing," Sarah said with an easy smile that lit up at the thought of Katherine's suffering.

"Besides," Damon said, smirking along with his sister as he lit a match – picking up a candle of his own to light as he continued, "That was only because all of the vervain had left her system. Whereas, Stefan, Sarah and I, on the other, are chock full." Having lit his candle, Damon then blew out the match in John's face, letting the whiff of smoke dance up between them, as John's face dropped into a frown.

"You guys are drinking vervain?" John asked, sounding uncomfortably surprised. And he ought to be, drinking vervain meant they were building up a tolerance for it, meaning he'd have to get his hands on more if he wanted to do any damage to them using the herb.

"It's an acquired taste," Damon said smugly, dropping the box of matches back onto the table.

"I personal take mine with a health dose of blood," Sarah added, licking her lips as she leaned in towards John, letting blood briefly fill her eyes for a moment before they returned to normal. It was enough though to make John step back, realising he wasn't as safe as he might think.

"And I don't see that magic little ring on your stitched finger," Damon began, leaning over as he whispered the rest to John, which Sarah listened in on. "So if you know something about Klaus, you better start talking, or we will kill you in your sleep," Damon warned before pulling back, smiling once again.

John smiled back, confident, which irritated bother the Salvatores. Nothing was more annoying than when you tried to intimidate someone and all you got was a flinch from them. "Is that any way to convince me that you and I are on the same side?"

Sarah let out a short and a quiet, hallow laugh, before then closing the gap between her and John. "We're not on the same side John. In fact, if I could, I'd build a wall between us, and make sure you were as far away from that wall as possible. And if I ever saw you near it, I'd kill you." When that didn't face John, Sarah got pissed, turning off the playful banter and throwing on her aggressive face. "The only reason I'm entertaining the idea that you might be helpful, is because I don't want Stefan to feel like he's wasted his time bringing you back. And the only reason I've not already killed you, is because Elena and Jeremy – although they hate your guts – don't want to see you dead. So start talking, or I'll start killing people until you do," Sarah growled in warning.

"Excuse me, I'm the psychopathic murderer in this family," Damon whined from behind as he pulled Sarah back, breaking her intense glare with John. "But like my baby sis says, start talking or we'll give you a reason to start."

Once again, John just stared at them both, doing an irritably good job of hiding his thoughts and emotions right now. "Once I know that I can trust you all, then we'll talk," John simply said, before walking away, leaving Sarah snarling and Damon glaring after him.

"Remind me again why we didn't just rip his head off?" Sarah growled, struggling to hold in her anger and frustration.

"Because Elena asked us not to," Damon sighed, clearly wishing he'd never agreed to go along with her peaceful ideas. "And if we're gonna keep it up, then I'm getting a drink," Damon decided, as he made his way over to the bar, leaving Sarah to glare daggers after John until she calmed down and rejoined Jenna and Elena. Not so subtly whacking John on the back of the head as she passed him to sit down. Petty? Sure, but it still felt good to Sarah. And she had to get her kicks somehow, since draining John dry of blood was off the table.

As the hours passed, Stefan and Scarlett continued to try and convince Tyler that they were all the same side and that they could work together. Before, he'd begun to open up to the idea of peace. Now that door had been well and truly shut. He was barely engaging with them, mumbling half the time while avoiding their eyes. Or rather he was looking at the windows and doorways, as if waiting for someone to arrive.

No one did, though Scarlett was still concerned about who'd phoned him earlier. Surely they must have known it was genuine, otherwise they would have called back to see what was going on. And yet no one had come by the Lockwood estate. If they had, Scarlett and Stefan would have heard them, but the property was silent. No one was coming to rescue him, and it was nightfall now, so he'd probably given up on that idea too. Thus why he was now trying to get rid of them both on his own. By lamely trying to convince them he was on their side.

"You want to be friends, great, we're friend. Will you go now?" Tyler sighed, as if that was all it should take to get them to leave. Of course, both Stefan and Scarlett knew he was just saying it for that reason, to get them to leave. He didn't mean it in the slightest.

"I don't know what else to say to you, Tyler," Stefan explained with exasperation, as he sat down along side Scarlett on the couch opposite Tyler. "I came back to this town because I wanted a life, I wanted to exist where I could have friends and where I could build a family. I have that here, and so does Scarlett, you've seen it. We can all have that," Stefan stressed, trying to make Tyler see the proof that was right in front of him. But he only shook his head, too far gone, too committed to his argument to turn tail and abandon it.

Hearing his phone buzz inside his pocket, Stefan shook his head also, frustrated with Tyler as he pulled it out. Scarlett glanced over, seeing it was Caroline calling him. Stefan motioned for Scarlett to watch Tyler and she nodded, while he stood up to answer the phone. "Hey. Is everything okay?" Stefan asked, going to walk out the room before he stopped at the unfamiliar voice that came down the phone.

"That depends. How badly do you want to keep her alive?" Scarlett frown, looking over to Stefan as he turned back, confusion in both their eyes.

"Who is this?" Stefan asked slowly, which then caused Tyler to look up, now interested in what was going on.

Not that he could hear it, but the woman on the phone then replied with, "Ask your brother. Where's Tyler?"

It clicked for Stefan before it did for Scarlett, but once he said the name, Scarlett realised how obvious it should have been. "Jules," he said, and Tyler sat up, frowning now just as confused as the rest of the room. "Where's Caroline?" Stefan asked carefully.

"You made a mistake, Stefan. I'm gonna give you a chance to fix it."

"Where is she?" Stefan quickly asked, frown deepening.

"Right here. Want proof?" Jules snapped back down the line, before the sound of a door opening drifted down the line. Metallic, car like. Scarlett tried to pick out other sounds but the connection wasn't that good and she'd only just heard the car door opening. It sounded like she was climbing in, but then the sound of footsteps followed before Jules' voice came back, but further away from the phone. "He needs proof."

A few seconds of silence, then a shot ran out, followed by Caroline's scream. Scarlett shot up to her feet, eyes flashing gold at the attack on her friend. Stefan began making his way back over, free hand landing on Scarlett's shoulder as to try and calm her down. Already he could see her werewolf features coming out, the extra hair, the canines. But the truth was he was just as angry. "What's going on?" Tyler asked, unable to follow the conversation and only able to see Stefan and Scarlett getting angry at Jules for some unknown reason.

"Hurt her again and you're dead," Stefan warned.

"I hurt her again, and she's dead," Jules growled back. "Bring Tyler to me, the clearing by Wickery Falls. You have twenty minutes until she dies," Jules then fired out before hanging up the phone. Stefan checked his phone to make sure the call had definitely ended, then looked sharply to Tyler, anger in his eyes.

"Get up," Stefan ordered plainly, not giving Tyler enough time to do it on his own before he grabbed his arm and pulled him up.

"Hold on, we're not just going to hand him over are we?" Scarlett asked with a frown to Stefan who was tightly holding onto Tyler.

"No, that's his choice, but we need him if she's going to give us Caroline, now come on," Stefan said as he shoved Tyler towards the door, following him out with Scarlett behind him.

"Hold on, will someone tell me what the hell is going on," Tyler shouted as Stefan gave him another shove.

"We'll tell you in the car," Stefan declared, before then muttering under his breath, "Then your new werewolf friends can give you either version." Scarlett didn't say anything. She knew Stefan was just venting, anxious and worried about Caroline. He had no beef with the werewolves, but if he had to drag Tyler there in order to save his friend, he would. After that he'd try the peace talk strategy again. Although, regrettably, Scarlett was thinking they'd gone beyond that point now.