A/N: and so here it is the last chapter…I'm not thrilled with it but here it is. I hope you like it…the excerpt at the beginning is from Richard Siken's poem "War of Foxes"

Let me tell you a story about war. A fisherman's son and his dead brother sat on the shore. That is my

country and this is your country and the line in the sand is the threshold between them, said the dead brother. Yes, said

the fisherman's son.

You cannot have an opponent if you keep saying yes.

The first sounds he hears are the beeping of the heart monitor and his first reaction is to freak out. He jerks upright his eyes scanning the unfamiliar hospital room. He's looking for her needs to find her has to protect her it was his job but he doesn't find her and remembers just why he couldn't. "Sam." He jerks toward the soft words soft and sweet like the person talking was inviting you to sit and be calm to let her take away your fears. Caroline always said Elena had that way about her.

She sits in a chair beside his bed and Sam honestly just wants to runaway to pull the tubes from his veins and run. He's waiting for her to yell at him to hit him something anything other than the careful concern he sees burning in her chocolate eyes. She crosses one leg over the other and looks at him for a moment longer before she pulls out a magazine (from where he has no idea) and starts to read.

Aside from Caroline, Elena Gilbert is the most confusing woman he has ever met. But at the same time she is as transparent as glass. He knows what she's doing knows she's gonna wait him out she thinks given enough time he'll talk to her open up and tell her all his nasty little secrets and trust him these days he has a few of those in his closet. But she doesn't know him that well doesn't know that he can keep everything he wants hidden, hidden. No matter how long she waits.

Elena will wait him out she has no problem with that. Not after what she heard him whisper while he was out. The same thing over and over again. Dean dead, big brother gone. It breaks her heart. She knew Dean was gone knew what happened Caroline had called and Stefan had gone and checked on her. She was worried as all hell about her friend but Elena knew that she wouldn't get anything out of Sam if she pushed him. She liked Sam wished he would open up to her tell her what was going on and tell her just what happened to Caroline. So she'll wait here for him to tell her he cant keep it a secret for long he'll have to come clean sometime.

Before long Sam gets the doctors to release him she wasn't surprised Caroline told her they had away of avoiding hospitals. This is why she basically became Sam twenty four hour security guard. She'd take the day shift Stefan the night. Granted it was just for one day but Elena knew if left alone Sam would book and they would never get answers then. Stefan looks at her from his place against the wall he's none to happy with this plan of hers if he had been Caroline she would have been all for it but he wasn't Caroline.

Elena sighed and ran her fingers through her hair frustration running through her like wild fire. They needed to find her. She looked through the window of Sam's hospital room saw him sitting on his bed looking frantic and so lost. If anybody needed anyone right now it was him. There was something that was scary about Sam something she saw in his eyes that made her more nervous than Damon ever used to.

"Elena we don't need this right now not with Katharine on the loose." he was right of course Stefan usually was with things like this but when she looked at the younger Winchester sitting on his bed fully clothed looking so lost she just couldn't abandon him not when he was like this. "We owe them Stefan him and Dean if it weren't for them you Damon and Caroline would be dead right now." He nodded and looked away from her but he didn't say more he already voiced his opinion on Caroline personally she thought it was crap Sam Winchester couldn't hurt Caroline even if he tried. Those two were as close as two people could be without a sexual relationship. They were family pure and simple.

But what worried Elena wasn't the possibility that Sam hurt Caroline but that he would abandon the quest to find her for another one that plagued his mind. The quest to bring his brother back the one that involved killing the demon that took him away. That's what worried Elena. She knew that no matter who was watching Sam at the time given just one opportunity he would be gone in a heart beat. They did have one thing working for them though. The Impala. It was still in the shop and would be for another week and she knew that no matter what he would never leave the Impala.

Jenna voiced her opinion about Sam staying in the house and voiced it loudly. But when she explained what was going on without actually going into detail (something she was getting very good at lately) Jenna calmed down. Jeremy of course knew everything but that was because Alaric had started training him in the ways of a vampire hunter Caroline would be so proud of Jeremy just as proud as she was. Even Sam helped on the training telling him about the other kinds of vampires that were out there. And it really shouldn't worry her that he was doing all this but from what she knew of Sam it kinda did.

She sighed and tossed herself onto the couch she hated feeling this way like she was watching a time bomb that was ready to explode a bomb that's time clock was slowly ticking away. She closed her eyes for just a moment just to rest she was so tired of watching Sam and keeping Damon and Caroline's mom at bay was getting harder and harder every moment. And the distrust Stefan and Bonnie felt towards Sam was slowly wearing thin. Trying to be watch keeper and protect Sam was a tough job. But since Caroline wasn't here someone had to do it. But going to sleep would prove to be a bad idea. She just wouldn't know how much until later when it would all blow up in her face.

As it turns out when faced with two angry/worried vampire's a worried witch and a hunter in training keeping secrets was a hard thing to do. And taking a drink offered by said hunter in training was an even worse idea. He knew something was off by the second sip but it was already too late and he was having a hard time standing upright like he had drank too much which was silly since he hadn't touched the stuff in a while. "What did you…what did you give me." he's falling down but arms lift him up his vision is blurry so he can't tell who it is but he has an idea. "Don't worry about it Sam just sleep, sleep and everything will be fine." Bonnie her voice soft melodic luring him to do just that. And before he can utter a protest he's out.

Blood pours form his nose and he tries so hard to keep his dirty little secret just that a secret but Bonnie is more powerful than he remembers. And soon he's telling them everything they want to know. Tears spill from his eyes he maybe out like a fucking light but he can still feel the guilt the pain of loosing his brother and loosing Caroline. It his fault all of it is his fault. The door crashes open and he hears scream's and the words that will haunt him. "She's dead you morons! Precious little Caroline is dead!" angry words are tossed about as he's lifted up and carried out of the house. He's tossed into a car as the door closes familiar smells surrounds him. Dean, Caroline, Impala. It smells of life and death of love and friendship.

But it just makes him weep all the harder because the only thing he'll have in his life now is death. It's the only thing a friendship with a demon will bring. Death. Well bring it he welcomes it now. There was no bringing back Dean that was a fool's errand Caroline is gone now the only thing he has left is to kill the bitch that was responsible for this. He knew what his job was now. He has to kill Lilith even if it means he dies as well.

Elena was furious. Well furious really didn't begin to describe just what she was at the moment if they had just listened to her then this shit wouldn't have happened. And no amount of telling her that he was working for a demon or with however you looked at it was going to convince her otherwise. "We need to tell his friend that guy that Caroline talked so highly of." Jeremy murmured at least he understood. What they had done was so wrong Caroline would be so mad. But that was a moot point wasn't it? Caroline was gone now and she was never coming back. And yet Elena was still trying to do her job of protecting Sam. "We'll call him but we can't tell him everything.""And why not?" Damon asked for once his normal smirk was gone. "Because then I would have to tell him what you did. Bonnie you're a witch and you two…" She sighs changes her tone and tactics they didn't know how could they living in this town they were protected to a certain degree Sam and Dean where the only hunters to come to this town since the civil war. As far as she knew at least. "Look that little stunt could bring a world we have no clue about down on our heads. If we tell Bobby or Sam decides to tell anybody or even take revenge… tell me what do you think will happen."

Well hallelujah they finally got. Elena just hoped that what they did wouldn't have any adverse effects. "Excuse me I have to go and break the news to Caroline's family." soon when this day was over she could finally grieve for the friend that she had just lost. She could curl up into a ball and cry until she couldn't anymore.

At this point in her life Elena is more than used to loss. She lost her parents in an accident that should have killed her to if it wasn't for Stefan and now she lost one of the best people she has ever had the pleasure of knowing. Calling Bobby had been harder than she thought it would be. He told her just what to do to the body and just why they had to do that. At least they could thank the demon for that much if it wasn't for her they wouldn't have a body. Telling Caroline's mother was harder than telling Bobby what surprised her though was that she had completely agreed with Bobby telling them they had to salt and burn her.

Elena had been happy not knowing any of this she missed her old life she missed a time when she didn't know about angry spirits and that Caroline could turn into one. "It's a bloody life she led Elena. A bloody and hard life." she really wanted to ask her how she knew all this but thought better of it. Liz Forbes will tell what she wants to tell when she wants to and not a moment before. So they had a very public funeral where practically the whole town came. What they didn't know as people sobbed and cried about the unfairness of such a short life cut down in the prime that they were doing it over an empty coffin.

When darkness fell over Mystic Falls over a little spot that was peaceful and pretty all the things Caroline didn't get to have in her life a place where she liked to run and hide when she was a kid was where the real funeral took place. Jeremy her sweet little brother had made a hand made cross small nothing special but Caroline would have loved it. Bonnie put some sorta spell on making it invisible to people that just might come across the spot. Liz poor Liz sat on the ground Caroline's head in her lap brushing away the golden strands of hair from her face.

Damon, Stefan and her brother dug the grave and piled dried wood in it Bonnie, Liz and her wrapped the body in linen with care like they were afraid they would hurt her. As they laid her body in the ground and poured the salt and kerosene over her body Elena prayed Caroline was in a better place. They watched the flames consume the body of their friend and then covered it up with dirt.

When it was all said and done and they were walking away from Caroline's final resting place Elena couldn't shake the feeling that she was failing Caroline in some way. That this was all somehow wrong. So she lagged behind but since everyone was so lost in their own grief no on noticed except for Damon but he always noticed what she does. "Do you get the feeling we're failing her some how?" she ask. She expects him to laugh her off to tell her that this was just a figment of her imagination. That Caroline was long gone and she was never coming back. But all he would say is, "If I were you and Sam I wouldn't trust everything that demon had to say."

Her heart is pounding beating so hard she's afraid that it will beat right out of her chest. With dirty hands she pushes her hair out of her eyes and looks around the small dank cell. She has no idea where she is or what's happened to her. The door to her cell burst open slamming against the wall she cringes away from the light scurrying up against the wall trying to get as far away as she could. Standing in the door way is a woman with shoulder length black hair and black eyes. Ruby.

"What have you done?" She snarls. Whishes she had her strength but it seems to have fled at the moment. "What was needed." She says a smirk playing on her face. "With you out of the picture I have a clear path to the boy king." Sam. Oh God Sammy. Ruby stalks closer to her and kneels down in front of her their noses almost touching. "They'll use you bleed you dry and then maybe they'll turn you but personally I hope the kill you." Ruby grabs a handful of hair and yanks back making her grunt. "Now stay and be a good little blood donor. Elijah is going to like you I think."

Ruby abruptly lets go and walks away but pauses at the door when she calls out. "If…if it's the last thing I do Ruby I will kill you. I'll get free and I will kill you." Ruby throws her head back and let's loose a laugh that has her skin crawling. "I'd like to see that Blondie I would dearly like to see that." With that she walks out of the room and slams the door shut plunging the cell into darkness. She refuses to cry no matter how much she wants to she refuses to cry. Sam and the others needed her she had to get free had to get out of here. And if it's the last thing she does she will get out of here.

The End…or is it?