To be honest I had writer's block for forever.

Disclaimer: Oh God, I'm deluded aren't I?

Damon paced back and forth incessantly, replaying Katherine's words over and over in his head. He couldn't decide which issue to face first; Elena's impending distress of Veronica's. He didn't have enough information on either of their dilemmas however, and he knew that some snooping was in order.

Stefan was getting tired of watching his brother stress over this decision. In all seriousness, he was more worried about Elena, whom he hadn't heard from since earlier that evening. Even though they had departed on a sour note, he had at least expected a text to say that she had gotten home safe.

He decided not to think about, and instead made his way up to his bedroom for a good night's sleep.

Alaric was getting bored. He hadn't actively been involved in anything for a while, and babysitting Elena did not count. Granted, he was also taking care of Jenna, who had recently stabbed herself in the abdomen as per Katherine's compulsion, but he missed being a core part of each plan.

So, he supposed, all that would explain why he practically jumped for joy when he saw that Damon was calling him. But, for the sake of his pride (of course) he pretended to be pissed off that Damon was calling him at such an hour and frustrated that he was getting pulled into something again.

"Quit your whining I know you have nothing better to do."
"Oh you know, do you?"
"Yes, and that is why you and I are going on a little fact finding mission."
"For what?"
There was a pause on the other end before Damon spoke again.
"I don't know yet." The line went dead.

Alaric could barely contain his enthusiasm when Jenna came to sit next to him on the couch.
"You alright?" She asks him and he only nods.

He's worried that if he opens his mouth he'll sound way too eager to be going on a road trip with Damon tomorrow.

Damon slammed his trunk closed as he looked around for Alaric, who was late. As if he could expect any differently. He was probably off having morning sex with Aunt Jenna.

Sensing a presence Damon quickly turned around, getting ready to taunt his study buddy about being late (and why ). What he did not expect was for Veronica to be standing right behind him.

"When did you learn to sneak like that?"
She just smiled at him before walking around to the passenger side of his car.
"Since you didn't see it fit to inform me of your little plan last night I think it's only fair that you let me, what is it that Tyler said...tag along with you on this one? After all, it could involve information about me."
"That brother of mine, he sure knows how to open his big, gossiping mouth doesn't he?"
Damon replied, glaring at his brother's bedroom window. Veronica just chuckled and stepped closer to him.
"Don't blame Stefan. To be honest I think he just wanted to set your mind at ease. Now that I'm coming you can choose to go find information on me."
"How much did Stefan tell you?"
"Oh he was very, very honest."
"Yeah well, it seems that vampires aren't the only ones who can compel people. But you seem to be able to do it over the phone."
"To me it seems like there's a lot that vampires can't do." Damon playfully glared at her.
"Now you're just bullying me. That's racist. Or...specist?" She smiled coyly at him.
"Perhaps I am." She said as she got into the car without another word.
Damon laughed a little to himself. 'Just like old times.' He thought.

Just then, Alaric finally decides to turn up.
"Sorry I slept through my alarm." He said as he began loading his things into Damon's car.
"Yeah, or Jenna pushed the snooze button. Ten times." Damon smirked at him as he got into the driver's side. Alaric stopped loading his things.
"What?"

"I still don't think it's a good idea to bring her. Remember what happened last time, with Elena?" Alaric expressed his concerns from the back seat.
"You mean that time I got shot in the back with an arrow? Yeah that was the greatest day of my life." Damon replied rolling his eyes. "She wanted to come. She's very persuasive. End of story."
Alaric sat back, knowing that he wasn't going to get any more than that our of his surly, sarcastic vampire friend. "I still don't understand why she gets to sit in the front."
Veronica giggled and turned to face him.
"I am a lady. We always get the best seat. Even in this monstrous metal contraption."
"Don't diss the car. It's the greatest invention of the twentieth century and you're lucky to experience it!" Damon told her.
"It's amazing how far mankind has progressed. Tyler was telling me about all these wars and new weapons. Sounds ghastly."
"When have wars not been ghastly?" Alaric asked.
"Good point. I certainly remember in my time, well, our time," she said gesturing between herself and Damon, who rolled his eyes, "the Civil War was raging on and everybody was forced to take a side."
"Kinda like football." Damon elaborated.
"What?" Veronica seemed confused by the reference; even though she knew what football was, the fierce loyalty to teams and rivalry between teams was foreign to her. She simply waved her confusion away and continued. "Anyway, Damon decided to go off to fight for the confederacy."
"That's right and as I remember it you weren't very happy about that."
"Well of course. You knew full well that my family and I were strong supporters of the North and the movement to free the slaves."
"Yet I still went against your advice. THE NERVE." Veronica glared at him after his condescending remark.
"Yes well, you were a slave yourself. To your father's ridiculous adherence to propriety and social honour. I know you Damon Salvatore. The only reason you ever ran off to join those imbeciles was because you wanted your father's approval. Although why you would ever vie for such a nonsensical thing continues to escape me."
"You seemed to agree with Giuseppe on the subject of vampires."
"And were either of us wrong?"
"Kinda."
"Oh this is NOT about you this is about Katherine and you know it. We had every right to be cautious of her." Veronica sat back and stared out the window. "I was right in the end though wasn't I? Tell me, did it take you long after she murdered me to let go of her?"
At this, Damon remained silent, too ashamed of himself to admit the truth to her. But he already knew that she could see right through him. She knew.
"You haven't changed one bit, Damon Salvatore."

In the backseat, Alaric felt like he wasn't even there. Or worse yet, like he was eavesdropping on their very private and sensitive conversation.

An hour or so later, Damon pulled up in front of Isobel's old university.

"I can't wait to see that girl's reaction when she sees that we're back. Hopefully she's run out of arrows."
"Arrows?" Veronica asked Alaric.
"Long story." He replied.
"She tried to kill Elena with a crossbow and I stepped in the way. Got arrowed in the back." Damon summarized.
"Apparently, not that long." Alaric reiterated to her as they made their way inside.

Once inside, Damon casually broke into Isobel's old office.
"Like taking candy from a baby." He bragged as he strutted in looking around. "Hmm, no girl. Must be in class or something."
"Great, then it's easy pickings." Alaric said as he started to rifle through Isobel's old things.
"I still don't understand what you say sometimes." Veronica directed at both of them as she hauled a massive tome from the far bookshelf and sat down at the desk.
"You'll get used to it." Damon said as he read through a file quickly before tossing it away, deeming is useless. Suddenly, Veronica stopped reading.
"Wait, I don't understand what we're looking for." She looked to Damon for an answer. Alaric also halted his rifling and looked to the dark vampire.
"She's right. What are we here for Damon? I doubt there's anything about witches in these. Or at least anything in depth. Isobel was obsessed with vampires, remember?"
"Katherine said that lots of our kind are going to be after her. But she didn't think to tell me why as I was locking her up. Didn't think to ask to be honest. Knew we could find it ourselves."
"Great, so now we're grasping at air looking for anything suss?" Damon slammed the book he was reading down so hard onto the desk that is shook and made both Veronica and Alaric jump in fear.
"YES!" Damon hissed. "Because if we don't find something, anything that will help me keep her safe from harm then I will just start decapitating anyone who comes within an inch of her that I do not trust. Do we all have an understanding." They both nodded. "Good, now get back to studying."

Back in Mystic Falls, Jeremy walked into school looking for Stefan. He didn't mind covering for Elena but he wished that he had been given the heads up if she was going to spend the night at the Salvatore's. Even though it was a little gross to think about.

Spotting the vampire in question Jeremy jogged up to him. After exchanging some words they both realised that Elena hadn't come home last night, and obviously wasn't at school today.

Something was very, very wrong.

After hours of pouring over countless files and texts and computer documents, Damon sat back in one of the lounge chairs situated in Isobel's old office. He was getting frustrated that, for all her obsessive work and research about vampires, damn Isobel didn't have anything to do with resurrected humans.

It had to be somehow relevant? Vampires come back from the dead and so do those who are resurrected.
"If there are any others." Alaric had not so helpfully pointed out around the two hour mark. Damon was beginning to agree with him now. What is Veronica was the only one? What if Bonnie had done something that others had attempted, but never achieved?
If he wasn't so agitated, he would be impressed at the witch's power.

He was ready to go find some of Isobel's students and beat them for information, when Veronica suddenly piped up from her position in front of the computer. Damon nearly groaned as he remembered trying to teach her its basic functions. As much as he adored her, he wanted to knock her out then and there.
"I think I've found something." That got both men at her side instantly as they all peered at the screen. "Here." She pointed to a footnote under the section marked Diet. Alaric read aloud;

" 'Though thought to be more of a myth than vampires themselves, resurrected humans are said to be prey with the largest vampire bounty placed upon them.
If they do indeed exist, the blood of these people is said to make a vampire invincible. (No stakes, no sunlight, no werewolf bites, no vervain etc.) However, this effect is temporary and so the blood would need to be constantly consumed for them to be ongoing.
It would be a fate worse than death.'" Alaric finished on a heavy note and looked at Veronica who was staring intently at the screen and then to Damon, who looked like he was going to hurl it out the window.
"Well you were right about one thing Alaric. Isobel is very good at finding things out."

OOH so the mystery is out. Veronica's blood is a goldmine for vampires and once word gets out (if it already isn't) that she exists she'll have a bounty on her head so high that everybody will be out for her.

STAY TUNED.