Okay, I know that I am late – very late, but I have a valid reason. I had my exams so I hope you guys can bear with me. I confess that I have holidays for a week from today, so I am just informing you so that you can rail on me or cuss at me and in simple language scold me if I delay. I promise I will try to put up atleast one chapter a week – if not more. Oh and I decided to put little segments of the previous chapter in every chapter so that you guys can keep up with the flow of the story. Okay so here we go….

Note: This is Un-Beta'd so excuse the mistakes...

NOTE: It has been a fortnight since our girls have travelled back in time. The day after the dance (the day of the attack is the 15th day.) This is just so that people do not get confused with the timeline.

Next Morning…

"So, I take it you children enjoyed yourselves?" Mikeal smiled down at his children, which consisted of Elena and Caroline now, as they ate their breakfast.

"You know father," Kol dragged a hand over his face. "I would have enjoyed it a lot more if you had not woken us up at the crack of dawn."

Mikeal smiled at his son. "Men have to do their jobs my son. You are hunting with me today."

"Yeah, if the Denoah tribe doesn't hunt the all the game first." Kol muttered.

Mikeal narrowed his eyes. "That's enough." he told Kol sternly. "Denoahs are ill-mannered, uncultured forest beasts who know nothing other than waving their swords around and screaming."

"Who are the Denoahs?" Caroline asked Rebekah.

"They are a very violent tribe living in the mountains. They say that every full moon, they turn into beasts. Our village has a treaty with them. So they do not attack us, but Father doesn't trust them." Caroline nodded. She looked at Elena, knowing that they were thinking the same exact thing.Werewolves.

That morning, Caroline had told Elena about kissing Klaus and she had confessed about kissing Elijah and his declaration of love for her. They had both agreed to talk to Ayanna about sending then back to the future. They both rose to go to Ayanna.

Just then a wild cry arose. "ATTACK!" Women and children ran helter-skelter.

The Denoahs had attacked.

"Oh shit!" Caroline cursed under her breath. There was chaos everywhere. Men wearing wooden armor and helmets rushed into the valley, their swords and hammers drawn. Mikeal drew his sword. "Go hide!" he shouted to the girls, who gladly obliged. They ran and ducked into a hut, their breathing heavy. Sounds of shouting men and clashing swords filled the air.

"Oh no…" Rebekah whispered.

"What?" Elena hissed.

"This is the armory." Rebekah paled. "This will be the first they will look into to raid." Sure enough, there were swords, hammers, shields, armors and god knows what scattered in there. Elena pulled Rebekah and Caroline out of the house with a hiss. "Let's just get out of here." They ran out into the battle. As far as they could see, there wasn't any causality; the Denoahs seemed to be intent on injuring than killing. Why?

The girls hid behind the bushes, panting. "We need to find my brothers." Rebekah gasped. The other two silently agreed. The three of them risked the battle again, running along the sidelines of the battlefield, next to the huts, ducking and avoiding warriors in battle. Elena was just behind the other two, gasping for breath. "Elena, don't fall behind!"Caroline shouted to her. Elena just managed to nod. The girls sighted Elijah running towards them, Kol at his heels. Elijah seemed to be yelling something at them. "WHAT?" Rebekah screeched as they ran.

"Stop running." Elijah's voice drifted to them as they came in hearing range. Rebekah frowned, confused. Elijah was frantically pointing at a hut that the girls were rapidly approaching. Elena's eyes widened, understanding what he meant just a second too late. She reached forward, grabbed Rebekah and Caroline's hand in both of her hands and pulled them backwards with all her strength. The pull sent both the blonde girls tumbling back into the dirt, but the momentum caused Elena to fall forward. A Denoah warrior sprang from behind the hut, his sword flashing at Elena.

Elena gasped when she felt was a ripping pain in her stomach. She looked down wearily and saw the man's sword embedded in her stomach. Her lips parted in a silent scream when the man tore his sword out of her stomach and she fell to her knees. "NO…" Elijah's shout of horror echoed in her ears and in front of her eyes, Elijah drew his sword, his eyes flashing and thrust his sword firmly in the man's chest, right into his heart. The man's body crumpled to the ground. Elena felt her body giving way to gravity. Elijah leapt over the man and ran towards her.

A pair of warm hands caught her just as her body hit the floor. She felt coldness creeping into her body from her fingertips and her vision blurred. "Elena, stay conscious. Look at me. Concentrate on my voice." A strong voice ordered. Elena blinked hard and her vision cleared for a second, allowing her to glimpse into a pair of worried dark brown eyes. "Elijah…" she managed to whisper before the darkness claimed her. The last thing she felt was a strong pair of arms lifting her off the hard ground.

It was cold; so very cold. It was like lying on a bed of ice. But the coldness was at its peak in her stomach. It was as if someone had plunged an ice dagger into her stomach. Wait, someone had stabbed her. She tried to move, but her body felt so heavy – just like ice. And as cold as ice. Coldness was the only thing that she could feel. She edged away from the coldness, only to find that the other way was plunged in darkness. She knew she had two options – to endure the cold or to give in to the inviting darkness. The second option seemed so easy. Yes, she decided. She would choose the darkness. The cold was too cruel. She almost felt compelled to give in when a warm object enveloped her hands.

It covered her hand tightly, as if urging her to back away from the dark precipice; urging her to choose the hard road – to feel the coldness. The warm matter threaded into her hands, as if trying to tell her she wasn't alone. That it would help her make it. It gave her hope. With a push, she staggered away from the alluring darkness and concentrated on the warm matter. It was all that mattered to her; it was all that was keeping her away from the dark. It was a beacon of hope in her sea of despair. She focused on the warmth with all her strength and with every breath she took, she took one step away from the darkness and one step towards the cold. Only, it wasn't that cold anymore. Warmth began spreading throughout her body. It spread from her hands to her legs, her cold shoulders and made its way through the neck to her head. She could now feel the blood pounding in her neck, a nasty taste on her tongue and a low buzz reached her ears which began separating into clear sounds with every passing second. She could feel the warm weight of the object around her hand. And slowly, the warmth spread to her stomach, cutting through her flesh like knives. She gasped, the sudden movement causing her to cough weakly.

"She had gained consciousness." a voice drifted to her ears, as if spoken through water. "She is a fighter." the voice continued. "The sword was coated with a poison which my herbs could only stabilize. To wake up or not was in her hands."

Elena fought against her heavy eyelids. Her eyes fluttered open to reveal a very worried Elijah sitting next to her with Ayanna standing behind him, a small smile on her lips. She was in a hut – Ayanna's hut. Her eyes travelled to her stomach and discovered a thick green paste applied over the wound. She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. "Elena, do you feel alright?" Elijah questioned her, restlessness evident in his posture.

Elena nodded weakly. Her eyes wandered to her hand, searching for that warm object which had forced her to live. Elijah's hand lay there, his fingers twined with hers. Tears sprang to her eyes. She was alive because of his comforting gesture; she owed him her life. He saw her looking at their inter-twined hands and made to pull his hand away, cursing himself for making her feel uncomfortable. But Elena just tightened her grip on his hand. His surprised eyes flashed up to meet her moist ones. A small smile tugged at her lips.

She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. "Give her some water to drink." Ayanna instructed Elijah. "The concoction I make her drink has a slight paralyzing effect on her tongue." With that, she swept out of the hut.

Elijah shifted to sit next to her and without pulling away his hand from hers, grasped her shoulder with his other hand and helped her to sit up. When her weak torso swayed, he moved his body and pulled Elena firmly against his chest, with her back resting against his chest. Pulling his hand away from hers, he reached for a small mud pitcher full of water, cradled her head and slowly tipped the pitcher towards her lips. Elena drank thirstily. When she was finished, Elijah set the cup down and proceeded to move away from her, but she held onto his shirt firmly. Twisting her torso, she looked into his upset brown eyes.

"Caroline and Rebekah?" she questioned silently. His eyes softened. "They are alright. Just a few bruises." he assured her. His hand unexpectedly came up to cup her cheek. "That was a very brave thing you did there." he said softly.

Elena just smiled. "The attack?" she whispered her question.

"The attack took us all by surprise, but you are the most severely wounded. The other men have just suffered a few skin cuts. But unfortunately, the attack has not yet subsided." he answered her truthfully. On seeing her troubled expression, he added "Don't worry. This is Ayanna's hut. No man dare attack this place. You are safe. I promise." He whispered the last part, gazing into her lovely doe brown eyes, happy that those eyes were looking at him again.

The truthfulness in his eyes caused Elena's control to break. She put his arms around him, buried her head in his chest and hugged him tightly, clinging to him as if her life depended on it. At one point, it had.

Elijah wrapped his arms around the girl he loved. This kind of intimate embraces were forbidden between an unmarried couple because the feeling of one's arms around each other was more intimate that a kiss. Elijah had though it to be rubbish, but now he believe it to be true. Her body snugly fit with the contours of his body. It seemed like they were just made for he each other. That thought only caused him to tighten his arms around her.

"I'll keep you safe. I promise." he whispered into her hair. Those words just made Elena cling to him more tightly, a few stray tears escaping from her closed eyelids. She never wanted to leave those arms. Ever.

Caroline was still trembling slightly because of the suddenness of the situation. She swallowed hardly, hugging her knees. Rebekah too was sitting next to her, whispering silent prayers for Elena. "I can't even begin to think what would have happened if Elena hadn't pulled you both back." Kol whispered. He was sitting on the floor across the girls. "If anything had happened to you both, Father would have burned the village of the Denoahs to the ground. I suspect he will do the same if he learns of Elena's condition. I just hope Elena survives because if she doesn't -"

"Kol!" Rebekah scolded him. "Do not ever say anything like that, ever again. Elena is strong. She will be alright."

Just then, Ayanna swept into the hut grandly. "Do not fear. Your friend is alive and well." she announced. The three youngsters shot to their feet.

"Oh god, we need to see her. Now. Please Ayanna, can we go meet her?" Rebekah insisted, with the other two backing her up with their own prayers. "I would not advice it." Ayanna cut them short. "She has just regained consciousness and needs her rest. Besides, Elijah is with her at the moment Naturally, I would not leave them alone, but I was wondering if I could converse with Caroline her for a while. I plan on giving a few herbs to Elena to help her regain her strength, but some people's body rejects or reacts violently to a few herbs. I would like to know if Elena's body rejects any herbs in that manner." Seeing that the Mikealsons were not going anywhere, Ayanna hinted "I have a few more questions which I would like to ask. In private." She added the last part when the two siblings still refused to budge. Finally getting the message, the two walked off to the other part of the hut.

Ayanna held Caroline by her arm and dragged her to the other side of the hut. "I clearly underestimated the wolves." she hissed to Caroline. "They have a witch on their side and he or she has felt the power I have been collecting to send you and Elena back to your time. You know what that means don't you? This war that is being fought outside is happening because of you both. If you both hadn't travelled to this era, I wouldn't have to collect my power and they wouldn't have sensed it and attacked. Thankfully, the Denoahs do not seem to want to kill. But we cannot anyone to die, do you understand? That could change lots of things in the future. Do you understand me?" Ayanna instructed Caroline. Caroline nodded.

"Got it." Caroline whispered back to the witch.

The witch's eyes suddenly widened, blue-black spidery veins appearing around her eyes. For a moment Caroline feared that Ayanna was a vampire – original family made vampires yet or not. But as quick as they had appeared, the blue-black veins vanished. Ayanna's hands flew up to cup her throat and she let out a strangled scream. And just like that, she let her hand fall to her sides. Her usually brown eyes were pitch black. "Tatiana played an important role in your future, did she not?" Ayanna demanded.

Caroline rolled her eyes. I won't even ask how she knows that Caroline thought. Witches knew things that many people did not. Don't ask how or why. They just did. "I guess." Caroline shrugged. Tatia had nothing to do with Caroline, but she was the Original doppelganger and if not for Tatia, Ester might have used some other person as the sacrifice and Elena and Katherine would have gone ka-boom. They might not even exist.

"She is in danger. This attack was launched because of your presence. So that makes this attack an unnatural event which would not have occurred if not for you two." Ayanna spoke rapidly.

"Are you trying to accuse us?" Caroline crossed her arms and demanded angrily.

"No." Ayanna hissed. "I am just trying to tell you that this attack should not be happening. So Tatia should not be in danger. If anything happens to her in this fight, it may change your future."

Caroline's eyes widened. Without another word, she stormed out of the house in search of the doppelganger devil.

The first thing Caroline saw on the battlefield froze her. Tatia was being pulled by a Denoah soldier who had her by the arm. She didn't know what she could do against that mountain of a man but she bloody sure was going to try to put him down. As she ran towards the duo, she sent a silent prayer to the gods that all her bones and organs remain intact after her poor excuse of an attack and thanked the gods that the dresses in that time were so practical.

With a wild war cry, she threw herself onto the man and clung to his back for all she was worth. Hell. The man wriggled like a bloody wet dog. Holding Tatia in one hand, he swatted at her with another arm but Caroline quickly (and out of habit) bit the poor man's wrist. Mind you, he was anything but poor and hey! Old habits die hard. She had been human for just fifteen days and that was not enough time to stop her from biting people.

Tatia, quickly seeing the opportunity, twisted around and sent her knee flying upwards to meet his stomach. The man let go of the brunette and fell to his knees, clutching his stomach. Wow, must have been a hard kick, Caroline thought. Nodding at each other, the girls took off to hide behind the bushes, but not before giving the man a good nice kick as their compliments to him. As they both dove behind the bushes, Tatia rubbed her hand where the man's firm grip had given her bruises. "Thank you." Tatia breathed. "Not many people would have done that."

"I'm not most people." Caroline mumbled. "Come on; let's go to Ayanna's hut."

Tatia nodded. "It looks like we have the upper hand. In no time, we will overpower them." she stated.

"Okay, not let us get out of here." Caroline hissed and grabbed Tatia by the arm. The girls rose, but immediately fell back down to the ground. "Shit! Shit shit shit shit!" Caroline swore underneath her breath. A group of burly Denoah warriors were searching the bushes for hiding people. And they were slowly making their way towards the girls. And they were too near for the girls to try to make a dash for it.

"What does that mean?" Tatia asked, curiosity dancing in her eyes.

"What? Shit?" Caroline asked. Tatia nodded. "Nothing you should know." Caroline replied, rolling her eyes. "Now how the hell do we get out of here?" Caroline groaned.

Tatia slowly rose to peek from behind the bushes. The men were nearer to them. Caroline pulled Tatia to the ground. They had no choice. They had to stay there and hope that the men wouldn't look there. The girls held their breath waiting for the inevitable. Suddenly, there was a shout. The girls peeked to see the burly men storming away from the hidden girls. On the other side of the clearing, a huge Denoah was holding someone by their arms. Klaus.

"Niklaus." Tatia breathed. The girls watched as the jeering men tied Klaus's hands behind his back with ropes. A man took out his sword and pointed it at Klaus and announced something that made his men laugh. "Oh no…" Tatia breathed.

"What?" Caroline gulped, fear clenching her heart.

"He is a spoil of war. They are going to make a show of killing him." Tatia trembled.

"Where the hell are our men?" Caroline hissed.

"They are leading the women and children to safety." Tatia's eyes widened. "That can mean only one thing. The Denoahs have reinforcements."

Caroline groaned. Could this get any worse? Apparently, it could.

"Oh no." Tatia whimpered. "Niklaus did not get caught. He let himself be caught in order to protect us."

What? Caroline whopped her head around to see Klaus directly looking at them. On eye contact, he mouthed run at her. Caroline shook her head furiously. "We need to get out of here." Tatia whispered forcefully to her, but Caroline just looked at Klaus with wide eyes.

The laughter of the men grew louder. The show was at its end. Run he mouthed at the girls. He knew he didn't have much time left. He had bought them time, but he could only distract them for so long. "Run" he mouthed at them one last time before the man with the sword pointed the sword at him.

The girls ran. But as the brunette ran away from him, Klaus watched with horror as the blonde girl ran towards him. Caroline ran towards him, barreling through the men. The men were so shocked that none of them even thought of attacking. Caroline threw her arms around Klaus, nearly knocking him off his feet in the process. "Caroline, what are you doing?" Klaus whispered, sighing. Caroline just tightened her arms around him, pressing her body to his in the process.

"Rescuing you." she breathed, smiling to herself. At that point of time, all Klaus wished that his hands were untied so that he could bind himself to her and never let go.

She let go of him whirled around to face the astounded men. With her back to Klaus, Caroline spread her arms holding Klaus lightly in a protective stance. The man with the sword recovered first. He pointed his sword at Caroline. "Leave girl." he warned her. "We do not hurt women but we will do what we have to. He is our entertainment after this weary battle. Move." he added a little forcefully.

"Over my dead body." Caroline snarled. With a loud war cry, the man swung his sword at her neck. There was a scream of horror from Klaus "No…" Caroline flinched, waiting for the blow to land. But just as the cool metal touched her skin, a loud voice thundered "Stop!"

The sword immediately stopped but Caroline bit her lip when her skin broke. A group marched into the clearing. The man who lead the group pulled off his helmet to reveal his face. "We do not harm women and children." he thundered at the man who still had his sword touching Caroline's neck. The man dropped the sword, hanging his head. "Greetings Alpha." the man murmured, getting down on his knees. The rest of the men too fell down on one knee, murmuring their greetings. The Alpha walked up to Caroline.

"I apologize, fair lady." he said, his eyes flashing. He took out his hunting knife. "If I may?" he asked looking pointedly at Klaus's bound hands. Caroline huffed and held out her hand. A smile tugging at his lips, the Alpha placed the knife in her hand. Without turning around, Caroline reached for Klaus's hands and felt for the binding ropes. Not taking her eyes off the Alpha, Caroline gently kept the knife on the ropes. As she cut through the ropes, her eyes flashed to look at her progress before returning to rest on the Alpha.

After cutting through the ropes, Caroline placed the knife back in the Alpha's hands. "You don't trust me." he observed with a wry smile as he slid his knife into his shoulder strap.

"No." Caroline agreed.

"Good." The Alpha commented before turning to his men. "Ayanna has agreed upon an audience with me. There will be no more battle." he announced before turning back to Caroline. "That was a very brave thing you did young lady." he commented lightly. His men trudged back to their camp.

"What you men did was totally uncalled for." Caroline crossed her arms defiantly. "Your people have made a treaty with our people and you broke it by attacking us."

The Alpha chuckled. "I'm sorry my lady. The attack was a misunderstanding on our part and we regret it deeply."

"Your regret will not cease the damage Alpha." Klaus snapped.

"Ah! What do we have here?" The Alpha smirked lightly. "A pair of young mates. And please, I insist on your calling me by my name. Nicholas the son of Leander." he introduced himself.

"Caroline, you are bleeding." Klaus stated, narrowing his eyes at the Alpha. "Come, let us proceed to Ayanna." Caroline nodded and let Klaus lead her away. Nicholas watched them walk away with a feeling which comprised of joy and pride.

Caroline sat huddled around the fire with the rest of her family, a cup of warm milk in her hands. The attack had not been severe and it had taken their tribe a few mere hours to regain its natural glory. Rebekah sat next to her with Henrick on her lap. Caroline smiled seeing Henrick sleep peacefully. Her thoughts were distracted when strolled into the family fire circle. Elijah came in next slowly, supporting a pale Elena. Caroline smiled upon seeing them. They were just perfect together. But she lost that smile when the next person sauntered in, followed by his two bodyguards. Nicholas.

Nicholas was a man of imposing stature, his lustrous hair, dimples and a bloody irritating smirk just added to his royal features. He smiled at her in greeting. She just huffed and turned her head away. That only caused his smile to widen.

"Welcome to our fire." Mikeal greeted, standing up. "Please do take a seat."

"I thank you for it." came the reply. "I do deeply apologize for the inconvenience cause and hope that our friendly relationship is not harmed by this misunderstanding." He sat down next to Mikeal. Elena patted the seat next to her and silently called Caroline to her side. Caroline tiptoed to her side and sat down.

"Ah! And who might these lovely ladies be?" Nicholas smiled at the two girls.

"There are my daughters." Mikeal replied. "Caroline and Elena."

Nicholas raised an eyebrow at this reply. "I do not remember -"

"They are my daughters." Mikeal replied firmly, interrupting him.

"But that doesn't make us brothers to those lovely ladies." Kol interrupted, grinning. Nicholas smiled, amused.

"But I am their father." Mikeal fumed silently at Kol, silencing him immediately.

Caroline bit her lip. The matters of 'Father' had been very sensitive for her. She had lost hers because of the bloody vampires in town and Elena too had lost her parents. Mikeal calling himself their father just made Caroline want to belong to this family more. Apparently, Elena felt the same way Elena squeezed her hand slightly. There were both touched by Mikeal's argument.

"Caroline?" Elena whispered.

"Hmm?" Caroline took a sip of her milk.

"Nicholas is Klaus's biological father."

Caroline choked on her drink, coughing Elena rubbed her back.

"What the hell makes you say that?" she hissed furiously.

"It's obvious. The dimples, the smirk, the hair, the regal air. And Ester is avoiding this meeting."

"Huh. When you put it like that, I guess you're right."

Caroline sat hugging her knees next to the river. A tear escaped her eyes. Family was one thing she had never had and this mistake of Elena's had given her just that. Mikeal's argument had really touched her. Her dad had left her but when she was around Mikeal, his stern and loving gazes and words of wisdom made her feel like her father was with her.

"Hey." a voice said from behind her. She turned her head to see Klaus standing there, his frame outlined against the trees. "Hey." she whispered, turning back to the river.

Klaus came and sat down next to her. "Why did you do it?" he asked, biting his lip.

"Why did I do what?"

"You risked your own life to save me." He reached out and brushed his fingertips on the wound had that been cut by the sword.

"I don't know." she replied truthfully. "I guess I feel at home here."

He looked at her curiously.

"I never had a family." she explained. "My mother was too busy and my father left us; not that I blame him, but I grew up alone without any siblings and I guess that has just made me lonely. But being here, with your family, makes me feel at home again."

"It's your family too you know."

Caroline smiled. "I guess."

Klaus shuffled closer to her and hesitantly put his arm around her shoulders. "Is that alright?" he asked.

Caroline laughed at his wide eyes, the sound causing him to laugh, revealing his cute dimples. He was so innocent. "Its fine." she assured him. "It more than fine." She snuggled into him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"This is the first time you have put your arm around me, you know." she laughed. "You are quite the gentleman."

Tatia watched with seething anger the young couple on the banks of the river. She had felt something for the blonde earlier that day when she had risked her life to save hers. Admiration. She had been foolishly brave to play with her own life to save Niklaus's. The blonde had earned a new respect in the brunette's eyes. Tatia had wanted to become friends with her. But not at the cost of losing Niklaus to her. That wouldn't do. That wouldn't do at all. She strode back to her hut, determination clear in her eyes. She was a woman on a mission.

Caroline happily skipped to her hut. It had been two months since she and Elena had first arrived in Mystic Falls at that age. She and Klaus were kinda going out, but he had been too much a gentleman. They had just shared a few kisses now and then. His innocence and playfulness always made Caroline giggle. Klaus claimed that her giggle was the most beautiful sound in the whole world and of course, that just made Caroline giggle even more. She and Elena had forgotten everything about going back home. They just weren't interested. And Ayanna too hadn't called them in these past months.

Elijah and Elena were the ultimate couple. Elijah worshipped the ground Elena walked on and Elena just loved him back even more. Those two were inseparable. Caroline always called them 'lovebirds of the town' and they didn't seem to disagree. The two girls had become much attached to the family and had no intention of leaving it.

Caroline ducked into her hut with a grin on her face which only widened when she saw a person standing with his back to her. "Nik." she laughed happily and made a move towards him, but he turned towards her his face as grim as death.

"What is this?" he asked her silently, hurt evident in his eyes.

Caroline's smile fell. He was holding her laptop.

Hope that was interesting. Who am I kidding? That was freakin' awesome! I am SO please with this chapter! Hope you guys agree with me. And I'm so sorry I haven't been able to update properly. The last few months have been torture. I have loads to study and my sister has an attitude problem. She is withdrawing herself from the family and this is affecting everyone (especially my father because she is closer to him) because she is (or atleast was) the sunshine of the family. She is just a year younger to me – 14 years. She has too much attitude and believe me, I tried to be there for her but hey! I can't force her to choose her family. She gives much more attention to her friends than to family. I seriously decided that I don't care anymore I have spent enough nights crying myself to sleep because of her hurtful words.

Dammit! I wish I had a sister like Rebekah! She may have many faults but that one thing ingrained in her brain makes her the strong woman she is – 'Family above all'. And this is to all my reader who bother to read my author's note; NEVER take your family for granted. They are precious. Preserve them (and I don't mean that you put them into boxes like Klaus!) :D Just value them…

Anyway, enough of my ranting…

Thank you to all the readers who follow, favorite and review! And those who haven't pressed the favorite button, I think it's finally time!