Author's Note: Hey everyone! Here's the last chapter of s1. I'll be creating a whole new story for s2 so this story doesn't end up with hundreds of chapters, so be on the lookout for that! I'll update this one more time when it's been posted :)

xxxx

Elowen had just found Elena when, out of the blue, Stefan dropped to the ground. He was yelling in pain and grabbing his head.

"Stefan!" Elowen dipped down to try and drag him away from the crowd. "What's wrong?"

"My head!"

"What?"

"My head!"

"Elena, help me!" Elowen raised her voice a bit when Elena just stood there. Breaking out of her stupor, she grabbed onto Stefan's other arm and helped Elowen pull him to the other side of the street. They weren't fast enough, because a deputy noticed. He said something into his radio and started walking towards them. Alaric, watching various vampires fall to the ground, noticed and hastily ran over.

"Hey, I got this one," he said, gaining the deputy's attention. "There's one over there. Take this." He handed the deputy one of his stakes. "Go! Go!" He pushed him in another direction. When he was gone, Alaric came over and helped Elowen and Elena carry Stefan out of sight.

"Stefan? Stefan, can you hear me?" Elowen watched as Stefan clutched his head in pain. Elena was explaining that Stefan had just collapsed without warning.

"Yeah, he's not the only one," Alaric told them. "The cops have gotten everyone who's gone out, injecting them with vervain."

"What?"

Elowen looked up at the two of them as realization struck her. "They're rounding up the vampires."

As soon as she'd said the words, Stefan breathed a big sigh of relief and let go of his head. Elowen turned her attention back to him.

"Are you okay?"

"It was like needles were piercing my skull and then it just… stopped," he described. Alaric ventured back up the steps to spy on the deputies. He came back down when he saw where they were going.

"I saw at least five vampires go down. They're taking them to your family's old building."

"It's the Gilbert device," Stefan pointed out. "It has to be."

"But how did he get it to work?" Elena asked. "Bonnie, Esmeralda and Josiah unspelled it."

"Maybe Bonnie didn't," Alaric suggested.

"She did!" Elena defended. "We saw her do it!"

"No, no, no, he's right." Stefan furrowed his eyebrows. He was thinking back to the night they performed the spell. "Esmeralda and Josiah were saying a spell. Bonnie never said anything."

"But why would she do that?"

"Elena," Elowen gained her attention. "This is Bonnie we're talking about. She hates vampires. Why would she deactivate something that would help protect people against them?"

"But, but… she wouldn't…." Elena trailed off. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense.

"Where's Damon?" Stefan asked when he realized that he hadn't seen him since they separated.

Alaric shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't seen him since this all started."

"Okay, here's what we're going to do," Elowen stood from her spot on the steps. "Ric, find Jeremy and take him and Elena home. The less people who try to get to the building, the better. Don't fight me on this," she said when Elena opened her mouth to protest. "I need to find Josiah. I think they're planning on burning the building with the vampires in it. If anyone can help against fires, it's him. Come on."

They all made their way up the stairs. Alaric grabbed Elena and headed in one direction, while Elowen and Stefan headed in another. It was easy finding Josiah. He ran up to them before they could take two steps from the stairs.

"Elle!" He called breathlessly. "What's going on? Mayor Lockwood told Caroline, Matt and I to leave with Tyler and then people started dropping like flies."

"It was the device," Elowen explained. "Bonnie didn't help you de-spell it. She only pretended so that Elena could hand it over to save me and Jeremy. Look, we don't have time for that-"

"Oh my god." Stefan's eyes widened. "You were right! I can hear the fire. We need to move."

The three of them rushed over to the building they knew was Greyson's old doctor's office. John and Luis were standing in front of it, watching as a faint stream of smoke exited from the building. Elowen strutted past without acknowledging either of them. Luis grabbed her wrist violently. The reaction from everyone around them was immediate.

John stepped forward in surprise, grabbing Luis's shoulder to pull him off her. Is this what Elowen had been talking about? Josiah tried to launch himself towards Luis, but Stefan held him back. Now was not the time to draw attention to themselves. Elowen yanked her hand back and used the momentum to backhand him across the face.

"Don't you dare touch me! You don't get to do that anymore." She pointed to the building behind her. "We're going in there to save Damon whether you like it or not, and you aren't going to stop us. Do you understand?"

Luis spit out blood from his mouth. He touched his hand to his lips to see what damage had been done, but John pushed him to the side.

"You take one more step and I'll alert those deputies that they missed a vampire."

"Do that and I'll tell Elena who her real dad is."

John had no idea that they'd already told her, but he didn't need to know that. There was a long pause as John collected his thoughts. "How did you find out?"

"Please, John. It wasn't that hard to figure it out. You really underestimated our group of meddling kids. Now, tell me how to get into the building, or dear old dad gets his cover blown."

There was another long lapse of silence. Finally, John pointed to the side of the building. "There's a utility door around the back. Be quick. If not, well, then I don't have to worry about you anymore."

As the trio left, Luis stepped forward in protest. "You're just gonna let them go?!"

"Be quiet. They're never gonna make it out of that fire. Your kids are just collateral damage. I'm sorry."

"You don't get it, do you? Josiah is immune to fire, John. You idiot!"

Stefan and Josiah ran ahead of Elowen. For some reason, Bonnie knew they would be there and was waiting for them by the door.

"You can't go in there!" She warned as Stefan pried the door open. "The fire will take you out."

"Not on my watch, it won't," Josiah said confidently. Him and Stefan disappeared into the building. Elowen finally made it and was about to run past Bonnie when she grabbed her.

"Elowen, you can't go in there!"

Elowen fought against her grip. "Let go of me, Bonnie! None of this would be happening if you hadn't lied."

"I'm sorry! Let me make it up to you." Bonnie closed her eyes and started to recite a spell. Inside, Stefan tried to open the basement door, but it was too hot. He winced and drew back his hand. Josiah pushed him back.

"Here, let me." Josiah easily opened the door and started making his way down the stairs. The flames licked at his legs, but had no effect. "I'll get Damon and then clear a spot for you. Wait here." He made it to the bottom and searched through the faces of vampires.

"Damon! Damon, where are you?" He shouted out, stepping over a couple of vampires who were still unconscious or already dead. He came across Anna and stopped when he realized it was her. "No…" He kneeled down and closed her eyes with his fingers.

"Josiah…" Damon weakly called out. He was trying to crawl towards him, but he was having trouble. Josiah hurriedly made it over to him and grabbed his arm. He did his best to get him on his feet and then helped him towards the stairs. Before he could use his powers to push the fire away from the steps, the fire diminished on its own. Not having the time to waste, Josiah pushed Damon up.

"Stefan!" Josiah yelled. "Hurry!"

Stefan sped down and grabbed Damon. He zipped them out of the blazing basement, knowing that Josiah would be okay. The fire on the stairs flared up again once they were gone. A vampire who was trying to drag himself over caught fire immediately. Josiah made a face. He looked away and climbed back up the stairs.

xxxx

Elowen and Josiah were in The Grill. Stefan had tried to find Damon after they pulled him out of the fire, but he appeared to have no luck when he entered alone. Elowen got up from their booth and met him halfway.

"No luck?"

Stefan shook his head. "No. He kind of just… disappeared, I guess."

"Figures. He never was one to stick around. I'm so glad that you're both okay, though." Elowen embraced him. She couldn't tell if she was comforting him or herself. While she had been able to stand up to Luis earlier, the encounter still left her a bit shaken up.

"I try… so hard to hate him," Stefan mumbled against her shoulder. He leaned back and looked down at her. "I guess it's just pointless."

"Hey…" Elowen reached up and cupped his face. "At the end of the day, he's still your brother. And you still care about him. I do, too, unfortunately."

"About that…" Stefan trailed off. Elowen already knew where this was going. "It's just... I know him and the trouble he can cause. You two have bonded quite a bit and…. Considering past events, you can't blame me for being a little worried."

Elowen sighed and took hold of his hands. "I'm gonna be honest. I don't really know how I…." She paused to try and find the right words. "... Feel about Damon. We're on good terms and he supposedly really cares for me, but… I don't know what I personally classify him as. He's this weird grey area. What I do know, however, is that I love you, Stefan. You." She lightly shook both of their hands to further try and prove her point. "Don't let Damon or Isobel or anyone else for that matter try to tell you otherwise."

Stefan grinned lightly. He removed one of his hands from her hold and and brushed her hair out of her face. "I love you, too." He leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead. "C'mon. Let's get you and Josiah home."

xxxx

Elowen really couldn't wait to take her makeup off, shower to get all the hairspray out, change into a pair of pjs and crash. She only got as far as washing her face. She had turned on the shower to let the water warm up and went into her room to grab clothes. Except, when she flipped the light on, she found Damon sprawled out on her bed.

"What are you doing here?"

Damon lifted his head briefly to acknowledge her presence, but plopped it back on the bed. "Tried to make a failed and feeble attempt at doing the right thing."

Elowen went to her dresser to pull out a fresh pair of clothes anyway. She sifted through her drawer to find get to her sleepwear at the bottom. "Which was...?"

"I guess it's not important now." Damon sat up and sighed. "Y'know, I came back to this town wanting to destroy it. Tonight, I found myself wanting to protect it. How does that happen?" He paused. "I'm not a hero, Wen. I don't do good. It's not in me."

Elowen had a loose shirt in her hand and had paused at his words. She slowly closed her drawer and turned to face him. "Everyone has good in them, Damon. No matter how big or small."

Damon shook his head. "Nah, that's reserved for my brother. And you and Josiah, and…. Bonnie, who, even though she has every reason to hate me, still helped Stefan save me."

"No idea why," Elowen mumbled under her breath. "She hates me, too."

"No, she doesn't." Damon got up from the bed and came to stand in front of Elowen. "Because she still cares about you or else she wouldn't have helped you tonight." He dropped his voice to a soft whisper. "Somewhere along the way, you decided I was worth saving. I wanted to thank you for that."

Elowen felt as if all the air had been sucked from her lungs. They were very close in proximity and Damon being… vulnerable and sweet and so personal certainly wasn't helping the situation. Her heart skipped a beat when he leaned in and kissed her cheek. She wanted to slap herself in the face. Why the fuck was she so nervous?

Damon pulled back, but stopped a few inches away. He must've felt it, too; the sultry, charged environment in the air, just like it had been during the Founder's Court, but much more intense this time. It made Elowen's hair stand up on her arms. Slowly and hesitantly, Damon grabbed her chin as he tilted his lips back down towards hers. Elowen was frozen in her spot. At the same time, she was on the brink of hyperventilating. Was she really going to let this happen? An image of Stefan smiling at her lovingly popped into her head. This had to stop.

She finally gained feeling back in her limbs and put a hand on Damon's chest. His lips were mere centimeters from hers, just barely brushing up against them. His breath was lightly hitting her face as he gazed into her eyes deeply. She shook her head.

"I can't. I'm sorry."

Damon stepped back and put some distance between them. He looked disappointed, but at the same time…. Not. Like he knew this was how it would happen. They stared at each other for a long moment. Neither said anything else.

A loud yell pierced through the quiet house, startling Elowen. It was Josiah looking for her.

"Elle!" He'd heard the shower on and checked there first, but saw no sign of her. "Where are you?"

"In here!" She called, not breaking eye contact with Damon. "What is it?"

"Caroline's in the hospital."

"What?" She turned to peer out into the hallway. Josiah was heading her way, frantic and distraught. She felt a rush of air and knew Damon had left. Josiah reached her room and started pulling her towards the stairs.

"She was in a car accident. I don't know what's happening, but we need to go. Come on!"

xxxx

When they arrived, Josiah was out of the car and running into the hospital before Elowen had even shut off the ignition. She joined him by Tyler and Matt, who were sitting alone in the hallway. Tyler stood up when he saw them enter.

"Hey," he greeted. "I'm so sorry, man. I'm not really sure what happened. I was driving and then the next second, we were crashing." Tyler kept apologizing profusely and trying to explain himself. Josiah grabbed onto his shoulder to shake him out of it.

"It's okay, dude. It wasn't your fault. How is she?"

Matt hopelessly shrugged his shoulders. "We don't know. Sheriff Forbes has been back there forever. We haven't heard a word."

Conveniently, Elizabeth came walking down the hall. All four of them turned to her expectantly.

"Well?" Josiah bombarded her with questions when she got into earshot. "What's going on? Is she gonna be okay?"

Liz gave a long sigh. She wasn't as involved in Caroline's life as she should've been, but she knew about Josiah. He was a good kid. She was glad Caroline had someone like him looking after her daughter when she couldn't. It crushed her to have to give bad news.

"There was some internal bleeding. They had to take her into surgery. They tried to bend the rules for me since I'm the Sheriff, but…." She shook her head. "I couldn't stay back with her."

"But, she's gonna be okay, right?" Josiah's words were rushed and distressed. Elowen wrapped her arms around his shoulders to try and comfort him.

"They're doing everything they can," Liz reassured as confidently as she could. She had to keep a strong front up for the kids. "I promise." She turned to Tyler and said something, but neither Josiah or Elowen were paying attention.

"She's gonna be fine, Joey. She's gonna be fine," Elowen assured. Josiah sniffled and latched onto his sister as a wave of tears overcame him. He cared about Caroline so much it almost hurt. He might've even loved her. He didn't quite know yet. It didn't help that his emotions were at an all time high right now.

"Elowen!"

She looked up and saw Stefan running through the doors. Elowen panicked for a second. How did he even know what was going on? As if reading her mind, he explained himself.

"Damon told me what happened. How's Caroline?"

"Damon-? What?"

Josiah pulled away and wiped underneath his eyes. Matt took over consoling him so Stefan and Elowen could talk.

"He said that you tried to call me, but I wasn't around to answer. I came as soon as I could." Stefan wrapped his arms around her and gave her a tight hug. "I can't imagine what you're going through."

Elowen pushed him back almost immediately. She couldn't stop thinking about what had happened between her and Damon. "Stefan, listen. I need to talk to you."

Stefan looked at her expectantly. Elowen glanced around their surroundings and shook her head. She grabbed onto his hand and dragged him back outside.

"Not here."

They were back in the parking lot, alone. Elowen could feel her anxiety level spike. How was she supposed to even tell him? She was shaking her hands, as if trying to get rid of any feelings of fear or anxiety. He had just expressed his feelings of worry only mere hours before. She felt almost as if she'd lied to him. Stefan could feel the nervousness radiating off of her and grabbed her hands.

"Hey, hey," he muttered softly. "Is this about Caroline? She's gonna be okay."

"You know I love you, right?" She blurted instead. Stefan recoiled a bit at the very sudden change of pace.

"Of course I do. And I love you, too."

"And I would never do anything to hurt you on purpose."

Stefan furrowed his eyebrows. He was confused. What was she talking about? More importantly, what was she trying to tell him? Based off of her behavior and mannerisms, he already knew he wasn't going to like what she was going to say. Hell, he already didn't like the direction this conversation was going.

"Yeah…." He trailed off uncertainly.

"And that I would never lie to you. Which is why I'm telling you this-"

"Elle, you're rambling. You only do that when you're trying to stall. What is it? Whatever it is, it can't be that bad. I can take it."

"Damon tried to kiss me."

Any and all expression left Stefan's face. It took a quick second of processing before anger replaced everything. He started to head in the direction of the boarding house, but Elowen rushed to jump in front of him. She had a hand pressed to his chest, trying to stop him from leaving.

"Stefan, wait! Stop, please! That's not everything. I still have something to say!"

Stefan stopped fighting against her and scowled. She knew it was directed at Damon, but in a second, it would most likely be meant for her instead. She opened her mouth, but closed it again. She repeated this a couple times. She knew she probably looked like a blubbering fish out of water.

"Spit it out, Elowen."

"Damon tried to kiss me, and… I….. I almost let him."

xxxx

Katherine discovered very quickly that it was so easy to impersonate annoying little Elena. That or John was a complete idiot. He didn't realize who he was talking to until it was too late. Katherine used the knife in her hand to sever his fingers off his hand. A bit dramatic, but it did its job in getting that stupid ring off. John screamed in agony as blood splattered over the kitchen island.

"Katherine?!" He shouted when he finally put the pieces together. Katherine smirked. Her eyes went vampiric as she held him against the sink.

"Hello, John. Goodbye, John." In one swift movement, she stabbed him in the stomach and let him crumple to the ground with a loud clatter.

"John?" A new voice sounded from upstairs. "Is that you?" Luis entered the kitchen and saw the scene in front of him. He darted for one of the spare knives on the table, but he didn't stand a chance. Katherine zoomed over and sank the blade in his chest. He collapsed, taking nearly everything on the counter with him. Multiple kitchenware items crashed to the floor. It was a miracle Jeremy hadn't come down to investigate.

"I barely know who you are, but I can't have any witnesses walking around, can I?"

The sound of the front door unlocking caught Katherine's attention. She was gone before it even opened.