Damon was sitting in the library at the boarding house, trying to focus on how to reign in the council, before they sent out another extreme hunter to 'purge' the town of its vampire problem. Klaus wasn't the only threat to worry about. The last thing he needed was for someone to take him out, leaving Elena and their son unprotected. If they ever found out that a vampire had fathered a child, he was sure those fanatical vampire hating morons would see to it that his son was destroyed as well. He wasn't about to let that happen.

As he thought over the situation, his mind kept wandering to the dream he had last night, the dream about his mother's death. Why did I dream about that after all these years? Does it mean something? He shook the thought off and returned to the matter at hand. Killing each council member is out. If too many important members of the town started dropping off, people will grow suspicious. But, oh, would it feel good to snap some of their judgmental necks. Compulsion is out, unless I can somehow taint their vervain supply, rendering it useless. Think, think, think. Maybe we could falsify a psychiatric report saying Ric was mentally ill and delusional, when he named the town vampires. We only need one vampire to be the scapegoat. I'm sure I could come up with one. Hell, I'll even turn someone if I have to.

Mid-thought Damon's mind wandered back to the dream. He sighed heavily, as he leaned back in the chair and ran his hands down his face, trying to clear his head. He picked up the glass of bourbon off of the desk, swishing it around in the glass. He took a big gulp from the glass. He squeezed his eyes shut tight then opened them, trying to regain his focus. He hadn't been there much in the century and a half since he turned. Maybe the dream was telling him to go. He needed to clear his head anyway. There was no way he was going to be able to focus unless he addressed this. Roaming around the old property couldn't hurt.

Damon drove deep into the woods to the ruins of the Salvatore estate. It had been decades since he'd returned. What was the point? All that remained were a few decayed walls of the burned out mansion, the servant quarters, and the family cemetery. He had been to the property sporadically over the years, since he turned but couldn't bring himself to visit the cemetery where his mother was buried. Though he knew his mother would always forgive him, he was ashamed of what he'd become, of what they'd become. He was ashamed that he had closed off his heart for so long, which is what his mother had loved the most about him.

He walked through an area, stepping over downed trees, and pushing aside overgrown brush until he reached the private graveyard, located several hundred yards to the side of the mansion. He approached hesitantly and stopped when he reached his mother's grave. There stood a large upright angel with engraving on the base of the stone. The writing was extremely weathered, but he could still make out her name "Luciana Margharite Salvatore." He stood before it with his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket and looked down at her resting place.

After a moment, he squatted down and ran a hand over the worn out words on her headstone "Beloved Wife, Mother. Born 1822. Died 1853 from pneumonia". He tightened his lips together not knowing what to say. Finally, he said, "I'm sorry I haven't been here in a while Mother. I haven't been the son you remember in a very… long…time. Stefan and I have done a lot of terrible things since you died. I should've protected him better like I promised, instead of allowing our rivalry to tear us apart." He frowned in self loathing. "Hmpf, all over a woman." He bent his head down, feeling shameful. He shook his head, thinking about how far his brotherly bond with Stefan had recently come. He looked back up at the stone. "But someone special brought us back together. She's giving me a chance at the life I threw away. And I'm not going to screw it up this time. I promise." He placed his hand over her worn out name and set his jaw in a straight line of determination, as he let his fingers run down the stone.

He got up to leave, looking over at the headstone next to hers. It read "Guiseppe Arturo Salvatore. Beloved Husband, Father. Born 1807. Died 1864 from an animal attack." Damon shook his head and frowned, remembering that the 'animal', that had killed their father, was none other than Stefan, the 'good son'. "And you always said I was the disappointment. At least I'm not the one that killed you." Damon had nothing else to say to his father. He shook his head in disgust and walked away, heading out of the graveyard to wander the property.

He walked up the broken steps to what used to be the main entrance of the mansion. Two white pillars to the massive front porch stood partially crumbled. The archway to the door was still intact, but the door had long ago fallen apart. Damon stepped carefully through the doorway, where portions of marble flooring were visible from what remained of the grand foyer. To the right, remains of broken steps that once lead to the upstairs living areas were all that were visible of the once winding grand staircase. On the left was another partial wall and archway that led to the study. There was a hearth surrounded by some bricks, indicating where a large fireplace once stood. Damon scanned the area, recalling times he'd spent as a child in these very rooms. He continued on to what used to be the kitchen. Not much remained in this area, but a part of a coal stove, broken pieces of a porcelain sink, and some burned floor boards. Off to the right of the kitchen was the grand dining room, where Damon and his family spent many dinners entertaining guests.

A memory flashed through Damon's head of the 14 foot table and intricately carved wooden chairs. He recalled how the tables were covered with pristine white linens. Placed on them was fine bone china, elegant crystal drinking glasses, and highly polished real silver. Over head was a candle light chandelier. The table was covered with a decadent feast of fruits, cheeses, meats, pasta, fresh bread, and vegetables, basically more food than was possible to eat for the number of guests in attendance. His parents always made sure a large spread was put out for guests to enjoy.

He recalled the servants, as they poured glasses of expensive wine for the adults. Wine? WINE! Damon turned suddenly, walking back through the kitchen, out of the remains of the door frame that lead to the back porch. Off to the left were stone steps leading to a large wine cellar. Damon descended the steps to the wine cellar, stopping when he reached the solid oak door. The door was warped but still intact for the most part, with the exception of the lock and hinges that had been broken off. He pushed the massive door aside to enter and was immediately hit with a musty smell.

It was pitch black inside, making it difficult to see anything even with his enhanced vampire vision. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, using the back light to illuminate the steps, as he entered. Shining the phone light along the room, he saw partially rotted racks covered in spider webs, used to store bottles of wine. Though the racks were decayed, the structure consisting of stone walls appeared solid and intact. As he made his way through the cellar, he came upon a heavily dusted bottle of wine, tucked in an inconspicuous spot. It was a Chianti dated 1840. Surprised by the find Damon, said out loud, "Damn, that's older than me. I wonder if it's any good? Hmpf, only one way to find out." He stuffed the bottle under his arm, as he continued to survey the cellar. Nodding his head, he said, "Yeah, this could definitely work, with a little modification." He exited the cellar and walked back towards his car. He took one last glance surveying the area. "Remote, concealed by woods. This could definitely work."

Bonnie and Elena left the lecture hall, deciding to grab something to eat before their next class. They walked through the university courtyard to the student center. Bonnie asked, "Has Damon calmed down any since last night? He was pretty pissed."

Elena was holding her book bag close in front of her, trying to conceal any possible bulge her abdomen might show. "Well, he's moved from being pissed to overprotective mode. He wanted to follow me around to all of my classes."

Bonnie made a face at her. "But that would just raise suspicion."

Elena saw, out of the corner of her eye, someone walking several feet behind them. She turned halfway to look briefly. It appeared to be another student leaving the same lecture hall. Elena said, "That's what I told him. So I volunteered you to protect me while I'm at school. I mean, you are the one who put us in this situation you know."

Bonnie lowered her head, still feeling guilty about what she'd done to her best friend. "I know Elena. But you understand why, don't you?"

"I understand why you did it Bonnie, but that doesn't mean I appreciate someone else making life altering decisions for me. So, are you up for being my protector during the day?"

"Of course. I'll do whatever I can to make sure this plan plays out how it should. Once this supernatural mess is over, we can finally live our lives in peace."

Elena noticed that the stranger behind them had followed them into the student center. She kept her eye on him, as she continued talking to Bonnie. Bonnie had an uncomfortable look on her face. She asked, "Have you had a chance to tell Jeremy yet?"

Elena's stomach was growling, but she was reluctant to eat anything too heavy. So, she grabbed a cheese snack and a Coke, while Bonnie loaded her tray up with a drink, salad, and dessert. As they paid and made their way to sit down, Elena answered. "No, I spent the night with Damon. When I got home, Jer had already left for school. I plan on telling him tonight."

"So, what are you going to tell him?"

Elena sighed. "Bonnie, he deserves to know the truth. Damon wants me to tell him the story we came up with for everyone else, but I don't want to lie to him. Reluctantly, I got Damon to agree. He's coming over later. So, we'll tell Jer then." Elena looked over to see the student from the lecture hall, sitting 4 tables away, pretending to read his notes. She leaned in and whispered, "Is that guy following us? He's been walking behind us since we left the lecture hall."

Bonnie subtly dropped her napkin on the floor and looked over to the table, as she picked it up from the floor. "I'm not sure, but he doesn't look like he's really paying attention to his work. I have an idea." Bonnie picked up her tray and walked over to the garbage can behind the student to dump her trash. In the process, she bumped into the student's chair, brushing against his shoulder. She pretended not to see him because she was walking and texting. "Oh, excuse me. I'm so sorry. I should really watch where I'm going."

The student looked at her unsuspecting. He said, "No problem. It happens a lot these days."

Bonnie dumped her trash and returned to the table where Elena was sitting. She gave Elena a signal with her eyes that they should leave. Bonnie said, "I think we'd better get going. We don't want to be late for our next class."

As they walked out of the student center, they passed by the student Bonnie ran into. Bonnie smiled at him. She said, "Again, thanks for understanding." He smiled and nodded as Bonnie and Elena exited. Once they were outside Bonnie told Elena what she'd learned from her encounter. "He's a hybrid. I got the impression off of him when I bumped into him."

Elena was surprised. "Klaus. Now he has his hybrids following me. But why? He can't possibly already know."

"I don't know, but we need to be more careful with what we say and where we go." They continued walking to their next class, checking periodically behind them to make sure no one was following. Bonnie said, "Now tell me the story you guys are using so I'll know what to say."

Several hours later, Elena pulled into her driveway to see Damon's Camero parked in front of her house. Weird, I just called him like 5 minutes ago. Elena entered the house. "Damon? Where are you?"

Damon yelled back, "In the kitchen."

A delicious aroma wafted through the air, as she approached the kitchen. She walked in to see Damon stirring something on the stove in between chopping vegetables. She walked up behind him, wrapping her arms around his chest in a quick hug. "How did you get here so fast? I just got off the phone with you."

"I was already here when you called. You should lock your windows. That's exactly why I'm staying until you move in."

Elena rolled her eyes. "You're the only one who would even think to come in through a 2nd story window. Besides, no one can enter unless they're invited in, remember?"

"Klaus could always compel a human, you know."

She raised her eyebrows and tipped her head, conceding that he was right. "Why are you making dinner?"

Damon continued to move the chopped vegetables over to the hot pot on the stove. "Because I want to make sure you eat."

"I ate today."

Damon gave her a questionable look. "Really? So, what did you eat?"

Elena tried to make it sound like she had a full lunch. "Bonnie and I ate in the student center for lunch."

"You didn't answer my question. What did you eat?"

She knew she was busted. "I had a Coke and a cheese stick."

"And that's why I'm making dinner. Starving yourself isn't good for you or the baby."

"I'm not starving myself intentionally. It's just I have a hard time holding anything down."

"That's why I'm making foods you should be able to tolerate better. I checked with Meredith, and she gave me a few suggestions." He pointed at the stove, where he had his homemade soup simmering, along with a nice fluffy batch of mashed potatoes, and biscuts.

Elena was confused. "Then what's that in the oven?"

"Oh, that's lasana. You might want to tell Jeremy after he eats."

Just then Jeremy walked in. "Tell me what?"