Chapter 8

"Elena," a voice hisses. Elena rolls over, ignoring the voice. "Elena!" It whispers again, more insistent this time. Elena blinks her eyes open and immediately shrinks back at the sight of Stefan leaning over the edge of her bed. She opens her mouth to shriek, but Stefan holds a finger to his lips. "Remember," he mouths. Elena blinks, and a second later, the memories come rushing back to her.

"What happened?" she hisses, sitting up. "It was supposed to be weeks; it's only been two days."

Stefan's eyes darken, "Klaus changed his plans. He's shipping you and Damon off tomorrow and then he and I are apparently heading straight to the Ural Mountains."

Elena hesitates, glancing at Damon who remains soundly asleep next to her.

"Elena, if we're going to do this, we have to do it now," Stefan insists. "If you don't want to do it, I would never force you, but you need to decide right now."

Elena doesn't hesitate this time; she meets his eyes firmly and slips out of bed. "Let's go," she whispers. Not bothering to change out of her pyjamas, she grabs only her shoes and a few blood bags.

With one last look at Damon, she swallows her apprehension and follows Stefan out the door. He offers her his hand and she takes it, grateful for the comfort. But for all her bravado, she knows this plan could still go very, very wrong.

Stefan leads her down the stairs to the door she stood in front of a few weeks ago. This time though, he opens it and they walk down a long, dark corridor, their footsteps echoing on the gritty floors. Elena assumes now they are quite far underground. The stone walls drip with condensation. The corridor twists and turns a few times before Stefan leads her down another set of stairs and finally to a high, steel door. Elena knows who lies behind it.

"Stefan I—" Elena starts before he can open the door.

Stefan lets his hand drop away from the handle, turning to face her. "Elena, you don't ever have to justify your choices to me," he says sincerely. "Even if I don't like them, I'm not in any position to judge you. It is what it is."

Elena bites her lip. "I'm so sorry things have happened this way, Stefan," she confesses, "I never wanted you to get hurt in all this. Please believe that."

Stefan shakes his head. "Elena...we're always going to care about each other, but I know now that we're never going back and I'm okay with that. You were right about what you said before: we're family." He laughs, "A weird, messed up version of one for sure, but family just the same. Just...look after my brother, okay? If anyone can pull him through this, it's you."

Elena looks towards the door again, they don't have much time but she has to ask this. "Stefan, whatever happens to me, will you promise me something?"

"Anything," Stefan responds without hesitation.

"Take care of Jeremy?"

Stefan grasps her shoulder, locking eyes with her. "Elena, I promise you. I will do everything I can for Jeremy. Alright?"

"Thank you," Elena swallows, her voice wavering.

Stefan gives her shoulder a reassuring squeeze and turns the door knob. The door swings open, revealing Katherine languishing on the floor, her head propped up against the wall, her feet stretched out before her.

"I see the cavalry has arrived," she rasps. She doesn't even expend the energy to get up off the floor when she sees them. She merely stares with her blood red eyes, stark against her pallor.

Elena throws her a blood bag from her sweatshirt pocket, afraid to get too close. Katherine grasps it eagerly, pops the lid and begins to down it.

Elena crosses her arms, watching her suck down the blood. "I'll make you a deal. We get you out of here, you get Spike and Willow."

Katherine squeezes the last of the blood for the bag and tosses it aside. She meets Elena's eyes. "You get me out of here and I'll do whatever you want." Elena throws her another blood bag which she starts drinking eagerly.

"Did Klaus compel you to stay in here and never leave?" Stefan bristles. Much like Damon, mere proximity to Katherine seems to irk his every nerve. "Because if he did, this whole plan is moot."

"No," Katherine replies between gulps, "He did for a while, but he got tired of having to de-compel me to leave every time he wanted me upstairs."

"Good," Elena tosses her doppelganger the last blood bag. "So here's the plan. Switch clothes with me and put your hair up. Klaus is going to send us back to Mystic Falls tomorrow morning. All you have to do is pretend to be me long enough to get away." Elena unzips her sweatshirt and tosses it to Katherine, along with a hair tie. "There are more blood bags hidden under the bathroom sink in my room upstairs. Damon has been compelled so leave him out of it." Elena delivers the last words with a warning look, throwing Katherine her camisole and pyjamas without bothering to be modest about it. Katherine rolls her eyes and stands, tossing the blood bag aside. Her colour has improved some, but she is obviously in need of more blood. She steps out of her dress effortlessly and tosses it to Elena.

"Whatever you want, Elena," she replies, pulling on her pyjamas. Elena steps into the tattered dress and pulls it up. It had been cute two months ago in London, but now she flinches at the thought of wearing such a filthy, tattered, bloodstained garment. She tosses Katherine her shoes and comes to stand next to her, flinching at the feel of her bare feet on the grimy floor. Stefan gives them both a once over.

"It won't work for long, but it ought to fool them at least until Katherine gets away," he confirms with an approving nod. "Katherine, you'll need to feed on her a little. I'll make the blood bags disappear, but it has to look like you pulled this off on your own."

"My pleasure," Katherine responds, her veins already revealing themselves on her face. Elena holds out her wrist, wincing as Katherine bites into it. It seems as if she drinks forever, but when Elena's vision starts to blur, Stefan finally cuts in, looking as if he is barely keeping it together himself.

"Enough," he growls, pulling Katherine off and pushing her to the other side of the room. She stumbles, but recovers quickly. After a breath, her fangs disappear and she hovers on the other side of Stefan, watching curiously.

Stefan grasps Elena by the shoulders, looking into her eyes, his pupils dilate. "Elena, you're going to forget all about any plan to swap places with Katherine or how you got down here. You have no idea where she might try to go. The last thing you remember is you were in bed—asleep—and then you heard a noise. You're going to know that someone is looking out for Jeremy, but you won't remember how."

Stefan pulls away and Elena blinks. But before she can comprehend anything, Katherine grabs her head and bashes it against the stone wall. Everything goes dark.

Elena awakes to a rough prodding at her side. She blinks once. Klaus is standing over her, looming angrily.

"Get up!" he growls. Elena sits up, confused.

"What–?" she asks, rubbing the bump on her head.

Klaus's eyes flash yellow for a moment, then return to their usual brown. "That is an excellent question, Elena. Start talking."

"I was asleep in bed," she replies, glancing around in a daze. "Now I'm here." She's back in the big room where Klaus forced her to make that choice all those weeks ago. She flinches as she notices the spots of blood on the walls and floor. Tyler's? she wonders, shuddering.

"Do you really expect me to believe that Katherine managed all of this on her own?"

"What?" She asks groggily.

"Katherine somehow managed to impersonate you long enough to make a break for it."

Elena leans back onto her palms in shock. "Is Damon alright?" she asks, worried.

Klaus glowers from above her. He brings back a foot and Elena flinches, expecting him to kick her. Instead, he just brings it down just millimetres from her hand. "You know who is not going to be alright, Elena?" he threatens, "Jeremy."

"I don't know what happened!" she cries, shrinking away from him in fear.

Klaus kneels down next to her and leans in close, his pupils dilating. "Tell me the truth!" he barks.

"I was asleep in bed with Damon," Elena answers blankly, the compulsion taking over. Something she can't quite grip tugs at her conscience, but her brain only moves on to answer Klaus's question. "I think I got up because I heard a noise. The next thing I knew, I was here."

"Where would Katherine have gone?"

"I don't know."

Klaus steps back, releasing her from his compulsion. He kicks the wall angrily and yells a few things at his lackeys in Italian. Stefan arrives moments later.

"Yes?" he asks carelessly.

In a flash, Klaus grabs him by the throat and throws him up against the wall. "What do you know about this?"

Stefan's brow furrows. "Know about what?" he chokes out.

Klaus loosens his hold on Stefan's throat. "This is Elena," he explains gesturing to her.

Stefan's eyes flick to Elena, emotionless. "So?" he remarks as if she means nothing to him.

"So where in God's name is Katherine!" Klaus tightens his hold on Stefan's throat, this time compelling him. "Tell me what you know!"

"I don't know anything," Stefan replies calmly. Klaus steps away, fuming. "Have you tried asking Damon?" Stefan inquires.

"Have I tried asking Damon?" Klaus throws his hands in the air as if he cannot believe the level of idiocy he is surrounded by. "What do you think the first thing I did was? Much more, what do you think the first thing Katherine did was? Whatever he knew, he's forgotten and I haven't been able to get around it."

"Can I go now?" Elena interrupts. "I have a killer headache."

"Kol!" Klaus shouts.

Kol pokes his head into the room, irritated. "What?"

Klaus nods towards Elena. "Take her to Dr. Columbi and make sure she doesn't have a head injury. And then get Damon and take them back to Virginia. I want them both out of my sight. Today."

Klaus leans close to Elena. "You're going to go back to Mystic Falls and you are not going to try and escape. Understand?"

Elena nods obediently.

"Now why didn't you think of that earlier?" Stefan remarks, smirking.

Klaus grabs a sword off the wall and flings it at Stefan, but the younger vampire catches it easily.

"Why don't you just kill him?" Kol asks his brother, nodding his head towards Stefan.

"Because he's still somewhat useful to me," Klaus responds, annoyed. "Just take Elena, please, Kol."

"What are you going to do about Katherine?" Kol inquires. Elena winces at his stupidity.

In a whirl, Klaus is standing in his brother's face. "Just do it!" He barks. Kol rolls his eyes and lifts Elena into his arms.

"I can walk," she complains.

Kol clicks his tongue. "We don't know what the doppel-bitch did to you. Best not move until we get your pretty little head to the doctor." He smirks malevolently at Elena's death glare.

Dr. Columbi diagnoses her with a slight concussion and bandages the bite on her wrist, neither of which Kol feels is worth delaying their departure for. He doesn't even allow her a quick shower and change of clothes, merely hustles her downstairs, out into a courtyard and into the back of a military type jeep. Elena rolls her eyes as she spots it; leave it to Klaus to forgo a normal car in favour of military transportation. The space in the back of the jeep Kol lifts her into isn't large, just two horizontally facing jump seats on either end. Marco follows moments after she has seated herself, escorting a scowling Damon who seats himself across from her. There's a barrier blocking their view from the driver's side and once Kol slams the door shut there is no view of the outside either. Elena can hear him stomping outside, saying something to Marco before he comes around the front and climbs into the cab. The jeep starts to move.

Elena turns to Damon as soon as the jeep starts moving, hoping the noise will block Kol's vampire hearing at least a little. It is semi-dark, but she can tell he sits tensely, his jaw clenched.

Damon breaks the silence, taking in the fact she is still wearing Katherine's grimy, blood-stained club dress. "Are you alright? Klaus didn't hurt you?"

"I'm fine," she answers. "But I can literally see the anger radiating off you."

"Well I had Katherine in my head." He stretches his feet out in front of him rolling his eyes up to the ceiling. "Have I mentioned lately how much I want to rip her spleen out through her back?"

"Damon, she's gone now," Elena lowers her voice to a whisper. "I think maybe she went for help."

He hits head against the wall lightly in frustration. "I seriously doubt it. She's probably on a beach somewhere compelling male models to indulge her every whim."

Elena gives him a critical look. It's obvious he's hiding something behind his anger. "What did she do?" she utters breathily.

"She compelled me to think she was you," he spits bitterly, his eyes wild. "Isn't that bad enough?"

"What did she really do, Damon?" Elena pushes, even though she thinks she already knows. "Damon, did you sleep with her?"

Damon looks away. "I don't know," he finally mutters. "There are these big blanks in my memory; I have no idea what she made me do. It's Katherine; she loves to play games."

Elena sinks back in her seat, her arms crossed. "I'm gonna kill her. I swear to God I am going to kill her."

Damon moves forward so he is kneeling in front of her. "Just let me get a couple good shots in, okay? Maybe let me at her with some wooden bullets?"

Elena's brow furrows. "That depends: how bad do they hurt?"

"Like a bitch," he says with a faint smile.

"Good." She runs a hand through his shock of dark hair, feeling him release some of the tension he's carrying. "Whatever happened, I know it's not your fault. Let's just forget it, okay?"

He nods, leaning his forehead on her knees. Elena lets him stay like that a moment, then pushes him back so she can sit on the floor with him. She wraps her legs around his waist and crawls into his lap, sitting so they are chest to chest.

"Did Klaus say anything important when he questioned you, like about Stefan and Jeremy maybe?" she asks, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Just that they were staying here in Europe with him." He idly toys with the ends of her hair. "That he had plans for Stefan," he lets out bitterly. Elena fights back the images that come forward of what those plans might entail…what they might do to Stefan's psyche once he has flipped the switch back.

"Hey." Elena cups his face gently, forcing him to look at her. "He's going to be alright," she assures him. "He flipped the switch back once, he can do it again."

"Of course he will, eventually, but that could take decades. And if you hadn't noticed, we're working with a shorter life span here. Last time was...to be honest, it was a fluke. You turning into a vampire was the only reason he was doing half as well as he was, and it's not like I can do much good anymore."

"You're still his big brother Damon. And Caroline can help, she was helping before. Between the three of us, we will get through this." She swallows, twining her hand in his,"All of it."

He smoothes back a lock of her hair, "Well you just named the three most stubborn people in the world right there," he smiles. "Throw in a badass witch and maybe we've got a shot."

Elena glances down at their entwined fingers, his daylight ring sits perched on his index finger. It's been there for the last few days but it is still strange to see.

"Why are you still wearing this?" She asks curiously.

Damon glances at it sheepishly flexing his fingers, "I've had it on every day for a century and half, feels weird without it."

The jeep slows to a stop and Damon grabs her shoulders before she can careen into the side. A moment later, the door is thrown open, revealing Kol and Marco.

Kol laughs loudly at their position. "Oh, I'm sorry, should I come back when you've finished?" Elena blushes at the insinuation, untangling herself from Damon and hopping out of the jeep.

They're on the tarmac of an airfield of some kind. Klaus must have a private jet, which doesn't really surprise her. Kol grips her arm tightly, manoeuvring her towards the plane parked on the runway.

"You're hurting me," she accuses, struggling in his grip as he pulls her across the airstrip.

"She's not going anywhere," Damon calls from behind them where he is restrained by Marco. "Lighten up."

Kol shouts something back in Italian. Elena isn't sure if he's talking to Damon or Marco, but it is Damon who responds, his voice heated. She doesn't understand the Italian, but she's sure it's profane.

Kol keeps his rough grip on her until they are inside the plane. Elena looks around in awe, at the leather seats, large screen TV, and mini fridge. This makes her first class flight to London look like a cattle car. She sinks onto one of the leather couches, realizing just how fatigued she is. Damon plops down next to her, propping his feet up on coffee table. He puts his arm around her shoulder, and inspects Elena's, which is already starting to bruise from Kol's grip.

"You're hurt." He runs his fingers over the bruises. He throws a nasty glare at Kol who is fixing himself something at the bar, but he lets it go as Elena leans into him.

"I'm fine," she assures him. "I'm just tired." She rests her head on his shoulder and falls asleep before the plane even finishes taxiing.

Elena almost sobs with relief as they pull into the Salvatore driveway. It's mid-march March and she has been away from Virginia since December. Kol opens the door to the boarding house, gesturing for Elena and Damon to enter ahead of him. "Well here we are: Home sweet home."

She glances around the dusty foyer. Everything is the same, but yet so fundamentally different from how she left it. "I don't live here," Elena points out. She loves this house, but it isn't her home.

"You do now," Kol deadpans.

Elena turns to him with pleading eyes. "Kol, I haven't slept in my own bed in months."

Kol shrugs. "Not my problem. I want all of you under one roof where I can keep an eye on you. Mia will take you home to collect some of your things later. She should be here soon with Bonnie and Caroline."

"Why don't we all just move to the Gilbert house?" Damon suggests, noticing Elena's crushed expression. "There's plenty of room."

"No," Kol shoots down firmly.

Damon takes a step closer to Kol, placing a hand on his shoulder. To an outsider it might look like a friendly gesture, but Damon's jaw is clenched, his fists tight at his side. "I would reconsider," he states evenly, his eyes locked with Kol's.

Kol meets Damon's challenge head on with an amused curl to his lips. "You're forgetting what you are now, mate." There is nothing Elena can do but watch with horror as Kol grabs Damon by the throat and hurls him into the wall behind him. He hits the stucco wall with a resounding smack and crumples to the ground.

"I wouldn't try that again," Kol warns.

"What is wrong with you?" Elena bursts, she kneels down next to Damon. Her outrage is directed just as much at him as it is at Kol.

Kol only smirks. "The only reason I'm here babysitting is because my brother promised me a favour," he tells them. "But I could go back on that in a second if I decide it's worth it to me. Consider this your only warning." He strolls out of the room and up the stairs whistling lightly.

"Are you alright?" Elena inquires, trying to get a good look at Damon. He must have avoided taking the brunt of the hit in his head because he's conscious, his eyes filled with anger and humiliation. There's blood on his arm though; he must have cut it on the wall sconce. He struggles to sit up and pushes her away from him.

"It's nothing," he snaps.

"Let me look." She reaches out, trying to grab his hand. Damon twists from her grip and stands.

"Elena, just drop it," he calls over his shoulder, storming out of the room. A moment later, the slamming of his bedroom door echoes throughout the house. Elena bites back tears of anger and shock and makes her way to the living room. She wants to cry more when she sees how it is just the way the boys left it, down to the empty tumbler sitting on the table. Definitely Stefan, she thinks. Damon is downright pathological about using coasters. She sinks into one of the chairs and stares at the ceiling for some time.

She glances up some time later when she hears the front door open. A petite girl with a long black braid strolls in, glancing around critically. She's young, probably not much older than Elena, but she walks with the authority of someone much older.

Bonnie and Caroline follow her, each clutching a bag. Elena jumps off the couch and rushes towards them, wrapping her arms around both of them and holding them tightly.

"I've missed you both so much! Are you okay?" she asks, pulling back and getting a good look.

Bonnie sighs from exhaustion. "I'm alright, Elena. Look at you, you're human," she marvels with a sad smile that doesn't quite meet her eyes. "I missed you."

Elena eyes Caroline curiously. While she should look grief stricken, the blonde vampire looks immaculate. "Caroline? I'm so sorry about Tyler." She brushes her shoulder gently, comforting her.

Caroline smiles blankly. "Who?" she asks cheerfully.

Elena's eyes flick to Bonnie's in confusion.

"One of the Originals compelled her," Bonnie explains. "She's been like this since Mia brought her back."

"She wouldn't stop crying," Kol explains standing in the living room with a blood bag in hand. "I compelled her on the way to the airport. I see it's working properly."

Elena glances at Caroline, then back to Kol. "What exactly did you compel her to do?"

"All I did was make her forget her little hybrid. It improved her mood a lot as you can tell." Elena takes an angry step towards Kol, her mouth ready to spew insults.

"Stop talking about me like I'm not here," Caroline demands as she lays a hand on Elena's shoulder. Elena closes her mouth and turns back to her friend. "I'm fine, Elena. Don't worry, okay?" Caroline tells her brightly. "Can I have Stefan's room?" she asks eagerly, changing the subject. "It has the best light in the house."

"It's all yours," Elena replies, distracted as Kol ushers Mia into the house, conversing in Italian. "C'mon, I'll help you guys get settled."

"So where are you sleeping?" Caroline asks her as she unpacks her bag. She is trying to be nonchalant, but Elena knows her better than that. Bonnie sits perched on Stefan's bed, impassively writing something on a scrap of paper from his desk.

"Um…" Elena balks at the loaded question, trailing off as she notices the piece of paper Bonnie is holding up.

Act normal, we'll explain everything when we can

Elena nods once and turns to Bonnie. "Take whatever room you want. I'm going to go talk to Damon real quick. He hit his head, long story." She gives her a significant look as she slips from the room.

Stopping in front of Damon's closed door, Elena discerns Patti Smith's throaty voice lilting from his top of the line stereo. She winces; she's known Damon long enough to know that Patti Smith, circa 1975, usually signifies he's in a mood.

Elena slips into the bedroom, closing the door behind her. Damon is lying on the bed with a bottle of bourbon balanced on his chest, staring up at the ceiling morosely. Elena strolls forward and anxiously perches herself on the edge of the bed, biting back all the words that want to come spewing out. She peers at him, trying to get a look at his injuries.

"I'm fine," he replies to her non-question curtly. "Pretty sure my entire body is bruised, but that's why they invented bourbon." He gives the bottle a jiggle.

Elena figures she might as well start this conversation at least trying to be positive. "Bonnie and Caroline are here, want to come say hi?"

His face darkens. "Not particularly."

Elena stands, his mood is even fouler than she expected. "Alright. I'm just going to go then."

"Don't leave on my account," he grumbles.

"Sulking isn't really a two person activity, Damon."

"Really, Elena? Sulking?"

Elena shrugs. "Lying in bed drinking and listening to Patti Smith is the Webster definition of sulking."

Damon sits up, propping himself up onto his elbows. "Don't patronize me."

Elena rolls her eyes, recognizing his transparent attempts to irk her. "I didn't come in here to fight."

"Didn't you?" he challenges.

Halfway to the door, Elena realizes this may be what Damon really needs. She turns back around. "Believe it or not, I didn't. I came to check on you because I know you've had an extremely rough day and I wanted to make sure you didn't have a concussion. But you're obviously gunning for a fight right now, so fine." She crosses her arms. "Want me to start? What the hell were you thinking, challenging Kol like that? You've always been reckless, but that's a new level of stupid."

Damon sits up and walks towards her, the bourbon sloshing in the bottle. "You're the one who wanted to go home."

"It sure as hell isn't worth that," Elena growls. "You can't be doing this kind of thing anymore Damon. God, you've been home an hour and you're already drunk and picking fights."

Damon eyes her, slinging back a sip of bourbon. "I see we're wearing our judgey pants today."

"Don't be such a dick. It's beneath you."

"Don't give me the patented 'you're better than this' speech. It's beneath you." He pauses, taking in her icy glare. "And lose the Katherine glare. It's not going to work."

Elena loses words for a second, her mouth forming an O of shock at his low blow. "Don't you dare compare me Katherine," she finally retorts with dignity.

Damon raises his eyebrows, challenging her. "If the stiletto fits," he quips. "Besides, I thought the two of you were best of friends now. Braiding hair, comparing Salvatore swaps. C'mon Elena, she's the sister you never had."

"You really are better than this, Damon," she insists.

"Did you really think that making me a human again would make all the things you didn't like about me just go away, Elena?" he questions. And there it is; she knew this fight would come eventually, but his words still hit her harder than expected. "I hate to break it to you, but being a human doesn't make me an entirely different person anymore than being a vampire made you one. Fangs or not, this is what I am."

Elena straightens. "Yeah well, if you aren't careful, all your stupid, reckless self-destructive tendencies are going to get you killed for real this time."

Damon lets out a laugh. "My self-destructive tendencies? Last time I checked, I wasn't the one who sacrificed my life for the quarterback was I? If Klaus wanted me dead, I'd be dead by now, Elena." His eyes flick to her, then away again quickly. "And as you so kindly pointed out, I am the opposite of dead."

"Yes, but Klaus isn't here, and Kol doesn't care."

Damon moves towards her until they are standing toe to toe. "What do you want to hear?" he asks, his eyes boring into hers, "That I screwed up? Would that make you happy?"

"Don't just tell me what you think I want to hear," Elena spits.

Damon steps back. "I don't know what to say to you then."

"Just tell me the truth," she pleads softly, "Whatever it is you're feeling about Kol or Katherine or being a human, whatever it is, just tell me. Don't just get drunk and pick a fight with me because it's easier than talking to me."

Damon sashays back to the bed and plops down. "Sorry. The feeling sharing portion of our evening has ended."

Elena eyes him carefully. He seems slightly less on edge before, as if he's worked something out of his system. Perhaps later he'll actually talk to her. "Fine," she submits, "Have a nice evening with your bourbon."

She turns on her heel and leaves the room, shutting the door quietly behind her.

Elena then finds Bonnie and Caroline in the kitchen trying to cobble together a human dinner. Or at least Bonnie is. Caroline sits perched on the counter sipping a blood bag and explaining why she thinks onions should not count as a food. Mia sits at the table in the corner, flipping through a magazine.

"Hey, there she is!" Caroline exclaims.

Elena pulls out a stool and takes a seat. "Sorry, I was talking to Damon. He says he'll see you guys tomorrow when he's more awake."

Caroline raises her eyebrows but surprisingly doesn't comment. "We were trying to figure out what to do for dinner."

Bonnie gestures to the fridge, "All I've found is a bottle of wine, two moldy onions and a bag of frozen peas. Want to order a pizza?"

Elena laughs. "I'm surprised they have that much. I don't think anyone has bought food in this house since I became a vampire."

"Pizza it is then."

"I'll order it," a voice sounds from the corner. Elena had forgotten Mia was even there.

"Y-you speak English?" Elena stammers, surprised.

Mia flips a page of her magazine, not bothering to look up. "I would hope so, given I was born and raised in Newark. You guys aren't allowed to have phones; tell me what you want and I'll order it."

The girls quickly agree on a large pepperoni and make their way to the living room with the wine while they wait for it to arrive.

"So how is humanity suiting Damon?" Caroline asks, perching herself on the edge of a chair by the fire.

"He's…he's adjusting," Elena replies, pouring a glass of wine and handing it to Bonnie. The witch takes it with a small smile and settles onto the couch next to Elena. "He sleeping right now. I don't think he got any rest on the plane."

"So what, are you two like back together now?"

"Caroline…" Bonnie warns. "Remember that conversation we had about Damon and being tactful?"

"I can't help it! And I'm sorry, the words Damon and tactful just don't belong in the same sentence."

"Yes, we're together now," Elena interrupts, cradling her glass. "Or back together, whatever you want to call it. It's complicated." She stares gloomily into her glass. Picking a fight with her is one thing. Hell, she might have even deserved the remark about expecting his more difficult qualities to just disappear, but if there is anything she can't accept, it's him comparing her to Katherine.

Caroline bites her lip. "Well it is Damon. But for what it's worth, I'm sorry I called him a sociopathic narcissistic man slut."

Elena swears she hears a stifled giggle from the kitchen where Mia remains. "Thank you. I know this is hard for you, Care, but it means a lot that you're trying."

"Aw, what are friends for? Hey, I moved the TV into Stefan's room. Want to watch Clueless after dinner?" Caroline asks, giving her a significant we need to talk look.

Elena shots one back at her. "Of course," she says evenly.

As soon as the pizza arrives, the girls gather their food and head up to the bedroom.

On her way upstairs, Elena peeks into Damon's room. The music remains on, but Damon lies fully clothed on his bed. On the night stand next to him, the bottle of bourbon remains mostly full. Elena tiptoes inside quietly flicking off the stereo and throwing a blanket over him. Her anger abates slightly as she sees him this way, quiet and peaceful with those long eyelashes of his dark against his skin. She leans down and plants a kiss on his cheek. She's about to turn away when he grabs her hand. He doesn't say anything, just gives it a soft squeeze and lets it drop. She smiles, brushing a dark strand of hair off his face.

"Love you too," she whispers. "Get some sleep."

She flicks off the light and joins her friends at the end of the hall.

As soon as Caroline has the movie on, adjusting the volume so it's as loud as possible, she lets out a sigh of relief. "Oh thank God!" she cries, "I've been dying to tell you so much!"

"Yeah, me too," Elena waves off hurriedly. "Why don't you guys start, though? What happened after I left?"

Unsurprisingly, Caroline cuts in before Bonnie can begin. "Okay, so after you left I was mostly just trying to keep Stefan together because he was seriously approaching a Lindsay Lohan level breakdown, and Damon left town with Jeremy not long after you did. Then right after Christmas, Damon just shows back up here with Jeremy, manages to convince Stefan to go find the cure with them and tells us we should leave town. I was ready to do it but—"

"Matt and I thought we should maybe we could try and un-dagger Rebekah," Bonnie interrupts, "But before we could get to her—"

"Klaus showed up all growly faced waaaay before he was supposed to and he had this creepy witch with him," Caroline continues. "I mean Damon told me we had at least two days and it was more like two hours! I don't even know how they even got to the cure before him.

"But anyways Klaus compelled me to tell him everything I knew which basically consisted of 'Damon and Elena had sex' which he didn't really care about, but he was really interested to know that you were in London and that Damon took Stefan and Jeremy and went after the cure.

"And then he somehow got around Damon's compulsion on Matt and figured out where they went, so then we were really screwed. Klaus compelled me to go to Italy with him, but when I was packing I remembered that I still had the vervain necklace you gave me when I was a human. I tried to give it to Matt, but Klaus took my phone and I couldn't get to him so I wound up leaving for Italy with it."

"Is Matt okay?" Elena interrupts.

"He's fine," Bonnie assures her, "He's really broken up about Tyler, but physically...he's fine. It was just the two of us after Klaus left, but he's managed to get Jeremy's vervain bracelet back from April so at least he has that at least. Luckily, Klaus doesn't seem to think he's much of a threat because he's a human, so he left him completely unguarded. But he…Klaus's witch did something to me, Elena. I haven't been able to use magic since they left."

"What?" Elena cries in disbelief. "No." She wraps her arms around her friend, holding her close. Bonnie pats Elena's arm awkwardly.

"It's okay. They're not gone forever. I can feel them, they're still there. They've just been bound so I can't use them. I think I can find a way around it."

"Really?" Elena pulls back. "What is it?"

"Do you remember that necklace you used to have? The one Stefan gave you?"

"Of course, why?"

"Well I remember Esther saying that the witch who made it was my ancestor. I might be able to use it as a talisman to unbind my powers. We were hoping Stefan might have it in here. That's why Caroline wanted this room."

Elena shakes her head. "As far as I know, it's in the cave where no vampires can get in. Rebekah was wearing it the night Esther tried to kill me. She pulled it off and flung it at me, but I'm pretty sure it's still there."

Bonnie leans back, pondering this. "Maybe Matt can get it. I don't think there's anyone watching him. If I can find a way to talk to him at school Monday without Mia or anyone in my way…"

"Have you guys been going to school?"

Caroline nods. "We've been trying to keep a low profile with all the Council stuff that happened. With all of us in Europe, they had a nice, quiet couple of weeks but...Mom is seriously worried and there's nothing she can do without bringing down the wrath of the Originals."

Elena gives her a sympathetic look, "I might have some good news on that front: Katherine managed to get away. Damon doesn't believe me, but I think she went to get help."

"Elena that's….that's the best news I've heard in a while." Caroline tosses her head, smiling widely. "And it involves Katherine. Who knew?" Elena cringes, trying not to think of all the ways she wants to string Katherine up and run her through with a broadsword multiple times.

"What else happened in Italy, Caroline?" she asks, trying to distance her thoughts from Katherine. "You seriously don't remember anything about Tyler?"

Caroline shakes her head sadly. "It's like I never met him. Bonnie showed me pictures of him and everything, but he's just…gone. I don't know if I saw him in Italy or not. Then I came back and Bonnie and Matt were asking about him and I just don't..."

"Mia told us all he was dead. Is it true Elena?" Bonnie asks, her voice filled with hope that Mia is lying.

Elena bows her head. "I wasn't there, but Damon is positive he heard him…die. I'm so sorry." She puts one hand over Bonnie's, the other on Caroline's. "I wish I knew more, but all I know is he was there and Klaus killed him. Damon seemed…reluctant on the details. Has anyone told Mayor Lockwood?"

Bonnie shakes her head. "Only Matt and I know. I didn't want to put her through it unless I was sure. She hasn't been asking questions because she thinks he's on the run from Klaus. Maybe...maybe it's better if she doesn't know."

Elena bites her lip. She wishes that were true, but she needs to know. "We can afford to wait, but someone has to tell her eventually. I'll..." She hesitates. "We should talk to Damon about what he remembers before we do anything."

Bonnie nods grimly.

"Elena, did you by any chance see Stefan?" Caroline cuts in curiously.

Elena hesitates. "Yes. But, Caroline, he's…he flipped the switch."

Caroline shakes her head, smiling. "No, he didn't, Elena. I managed to slip him my vervain necklace. He faked it before Klaus could compel him to."

Elena's eyes widen. "You mean, he's not really…"

"He's still there. I bet he's had a lot of the human stuff, but Stefan is still there, Elena."

"Why didn't you tell me before? I have to go tell Damon!" She moves to get off the bed, but Caroline stops her.

"Elena, you need to listen to me. We can't let Kol get suspicious, okay? That's why Bonnie and I waited so long to get you up here. It had to look natural, like we were just hanging out. You can tell Damon, he should know. But not until later, okay?"

Elena sinks back into the bed. Caroline is right. Not to mention, there's no reason to wake Damon up over it. "Fine."

"Tell us about you," Caroline insists, squeezing her hand. "What happened? Why did you leave? All I could find out when I was still in Italy was Klaus nabbed you in London and made you and Damon human again. I get you, but why would he turn Damon back?"

Elena takes a breath, reeling from all the questions. Why would he turn Damon back? It's a question she has pondered for days with no answer. She fills Caroline and Bonnie in where she can with why she left, her time with Katherine, and finally, the last few weeks in Italy. They stare at her, open mouthed as she finally finishes.

"So you broke the sire bond?" Bonnie says in awe. "That's pretty amazing Elena, even if it was less than ideal circumstances."

"How is Damon handling all of this?" Caroline asks. "I mean he's never exactly been pro-human."

"He's..." Elena reaches for the wine and stops, realizing this essentially the same thing she was yelling at him for…or part of it anyways. "It hasn't been easy for him. I need to you to be nice to him. Please, Care?"

"Of course, I mean I'll try. I'm sure it's been really hard for him. I mean, I can't imagine going back now, much less after one-hundred and forty some years. How are you doing it so well?"

The answer flows off her tongue like honey. "Because I wanted this," she answers simply. "I will always regret how many people got hurt because of it, and if I had known that Stefan was going into league with Klaus to do it, I would have stopped him. But I can't say I miss it much." She looks at her friends as she elaborates. "I don't think there's any denying that I'll always have supernatural elements in my life. But I was never cut out to be a vampire."

Bonnie takes a ragged breath. "You know we love you either way."

Caroline puts a hand over hers. "And I should tell you, too, that I realize now I should have been more understanding about the sire bond. Neither of you asked for it."

"Thank you, Caroline." Elena glances out the window for a moment. "So what do we do now?" she asks.

Caroline shrugs and turns to the movie they're already halfway through. "We watch Alicia Silverstone fall in love with Paul Rudd?" she suggests.

Bonnie shakes her head. "Again? Seriously, Caroline. I know you like this movie, but I can't believe that with ten minutes to pack you actually brought it with you."

Caroline snickers. "I didn't bring it with me; I found it in the 'Elena Floorboard.'"

"The what?" Bonnie asks, puzzled.

Caroline grins and moves towards Stefan's dresser, kneeling next to it. "There's a loose floorboard in here where Elena hides all her girly stuff."

"Seriously?" Bonnie looks at her with mock disbelief.

Elena shrugs. "Damon kept eating all my chocolate. I had to hide it." She smiles faintly. "And…maybe I hid a couple of chick flicks in there, too, after he took a permanent marker to my DVD of Pride and Prejudice."

"Milky Way?" Caroline asks, tossing Bonnie one. Elena laughs lightly as Bonnie catches it. She knows her life is an absolute mess but somehow just forty minutes with her friends uninterrupted by hybrids, vampires or otherwise, gives her a wonderful sense of calm.

Elena wakes the following morning to a face full of blonde hair. She pulls back, confused for a moment at her surroundings. Caroline lies stretched out on one side of her, arms wrapped around one of Stefan's pillows and taking well over her share of the bed. On her other side, Bonnie is curled up, trying to stay on the bed. Elena sits up, rubbing her eyes at the bright morning sunlight streaming through the windows. She's woken in this bed plenty of times, but never quite like this. She wonders if Stefan would be amused by the strange turn of events. Damon certainly will be.

Damon.

Elena's mind turns back to their fight the night before. She hadn't meant for it to be a real fight. She'd given into it because she knew he was trying to irk her and he just needed someone to care enough about him to argue with him. But somewhere along the way it became very, very real. Maybe he's right; maybe she was hoping too much that his more difficult tendencies would just evaporate. She sighs and slips out of the bed. There are so many things they haven't talked about yet, things they've been afraid to touch in their former close quarters. It's time now, though.

She glances down at herself; unable to believe that she has been distracted enough to spend this much time in this grimy, disgusting dress…much less without a word about it from Caroline. Quietly, she gathers some spare clothes she keeps in the bottom of Stefan's dresser drawer. She never had a chance to move them before she left town; everything happened so fast with the break up and things progressing with Damon and the sire bond on her mind. She showers in one of the spare rooms and scurries downstairs. The bottom floor of the house is deserted with the exception of Mia sitting in the living room, her nose buried in a copy of Great Expectations.

Elena strolls past her, heading for the front door. She doesn't have her car here, but she knows there is a spare key to the Camaro in the drawer of the table in the hall. Damon will be pissed she took his car; he hates anyone driving it but himself. But then again, he's already angry with her; she might as well take the Camaro for a spin while she's at it. She rummages around, finding the key and screams in shock as she turns to find Mia standing right next to her.

"Jesus Christ!" She brings a hand to her chest. "I'm not a vampire anymore. Make a noise or something."

Mia eyes the key in her hand. "I hope you weren't thinking of going somewhere."

Elena crosses her arms. "And if I was?"

"I would have to tell you that Kol says none of you are to go anywhere without an escort."

"You're kidding me."

"Nope."

Elena sighs heavily. "I was going to head home and grab a few things. Would you like to come with me, Mia?" she utters with forced politeness.

Mia smiles. "I'd love to." She strolls towards the door. "And I'd abandon any illusions you have about driving," she calls over her shoulder, jingling the key Elena had in her hand seconds ago.

Yep, Damon is going to kill her.

They make it to the Gilbert house and back in less than an hour with the Camaro thankfully in one piece. Elena hates inviting Mia into her home, but Mia made it very clear that either she comes in, or Elena doesn't go at all. Elena has to hand it to Mia, though: as far as compelled babysitter vampires go, she isn't half bad. She merely lurks quietly while Elena packs her things, neither taunting her nor forcing her to make conversation. Back at the boarding house, Elena finds everyone else awake and seated at the dining room table.

Caroline is studying her nails while Bonnie and Damon concentrate on their cereal as if it is the most interesting thing they've ever seen. Kol sits at the head of the table with his feet propped up and head thrown back. Elena wonders if Esther fed her children obnoxious levels of arrogance in their morning porridge, or if they just banded together one day and decided they were the most exceptional psychotic beings on the planet.

"Excellent," Kol grins as Elena walks through the door with Mia behind her. "Now that everyone is here, we can have a chat about the ground rules."

Elena rolls her eyes and drops her bag in the corner. She hopes Katherine comes back with help soon. Possibly with every Slayer ally she can find. Elena seats herself at the table across from Damon and reaches for a bowl, filling it with cereal. Damon refuses to meet her eyes, but she can feel his gaze on her as soft and heavy as a blanket.

"The rules are quite simple," Kol continues. "No phones, no internet, no iPads. You will not leave this house without an escort. You will do as we tell you or you will regret it. I'm aware that you still can't be compelled, Witch, so I wouldn't try anything."

"How are we supposed to do our homework with no internet?" Caroline complains.

Kol shrugs. "Students managed for centuries without the internet. You'll survive. And you can still use the computer. Just know that I crushed all the modems and cancelled the Wifi."

Damon glares at him, but bites back his anger. He destroys his own possessions at an alarming rate, but certainly doesn't like others to do the same.

"How long are we stuck under house arrest?" Elena asks, pouring milk into her cereal.

"You, Elena? I think we can both pretty safely say forever. But when my brother returns, he might be willing to strike a bargain with the rest of you. For the time being, though, he wants you all here and protected."

"Are we done here?" Damon inquires irritated. Kol gives him a curt nod. Damon stands, holding his half empty cereal bowl in his hand and strolls into the kitchen without saying anything else. Bonnie quirks an eyebrow at her, but Elena just shrugs, finishing her cereal.

"Great," Caroline mutters sarcastically. "Well I'm hungry, so..." She blurs away, presumably downstairs for a blood bag. Kol shoots to his feet. He pauses for a moment, listening, and then sits back down.

Elena stalls in the dining room, giving Damon another twenty minutes before she treads upstairs with her bag. She isn't sure yet where she's sleeping, so she tosses it in one of the spare rooms without thinking about it.

His bedroom is empty, so she flicks on some music and lies down on the bed to wait. She loves this soft gigantic bed. She can't believe they only had one night in it together.

She hears the door click open and shut. Damon pads across the room. She feels the bed shift next to her as he sits, then lays down next to her.

They lie in silence for a minute, side by side. "Contrary to popular belief," he finally begins. "I don't actually like fighting with you."

"Well you could've fooled me."

"Elena, I—"

She rolls over to face him. "You compared me to Katherine, Damon. Do you understand how that is for me? To have you tell me I'm like her. Especially right after she compelled you and made you forget God knows what?"

"Elena, I wasn't..." He lets out a frustrated breath, remaining on his back.

"I get that you were angry and hurt and we needed to have that fight," Elena continues, "But you can't just compare me to Katherine every time you think I'm being a bitch. I would never throw Stefan in your face like that."

He finally rolls over to face her. "You're right. Elena, I'm sorry. Okay? When I said that, I didn't mean to compare you to her. I was just lashing out. You are not her."

"I know that," Elena replies, her eyes flashing. "But when you do things like that, I wonder if you do. I'm not perfect. I've done some things that I'm not proud of. But those actions are mine. I own them. Not her. And if you can't accept that, we have a big problem."

He takes one of her hands. "Of course I know that. You're reading more into this than you have to. I was drunk and I was mad at everything and I just needed someone else to be, too."

"Well it worked," she says bitterly.

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Look, I don't expect you to be an entirely different person. But you have to be more careful." Her eyes plead with him. "Kol is not worth dying over, Damon."

He doesn't say anything, just looks at her with dark, haunted eyes. "I don't expect this to be easy for you," Elena continues. "But you have to talk to me, okay? I know it isn't your favourite thing to do, but at least try, alright?" She lays a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"I'll try," he replies softly, putting his hand over hers.

"Thank you. There's something else you should know. Caroline told me Stefan..."

Damon puts a finger over Elena's lips, cutting her off. "She already told me this morning. We had a...conversation. Well, Caroline did most of the talking, but I was there."

Elena raises her eyebrows. "Are you two, like, BFF's now?"

"No. But I think we can manage to not kill each other."

"I guess that's progress."

He wraps an arm around her waist. "You didn't come to bed last night," he murmurs into her hair. "I knew you were pissed, but it was weird to wake up alone."

"I fell asleep with Bonnie and Caroline in Stefan's room," she confesses. She can feel his laugh reverberating from his chest. It's nice to hear him laugh.

"Do you want me to stay in here? I mean, this whole being forced to live together thing is really...soon."

He leans back smiling, his hands brushing up the side of her arms. "Are you kidding? It's pretty much the only perk."

"I'll take that as a yes, then."

He plants a series of soft kisses up her throat, hesitating right over her mouth. "If you want some space though..." he teases.

Elena grabs his head, pulling him down to her lips in response.

A/N: I'm so sorry for delay in this chapter everyone! I know it was kind of a slow one, but it's a necessary transition chapter. We have lots more action and some Buffy people coming up very soon, hang in there : ) Thank you to everyone who has read/reviewed/followed etc so far, you are all lovely. Special thank you to Skye Venomatic for the beta and encouragement. Chapter 9 is nearly done and coming soon.