Disclaimer: This story is a creative exercise using characters from The Vampire Diaries.

Author's Notes: This is the first of several interludes in the story. I think it's important to have these interspersed in the main story because it gives more insight into the other side characters —how they feel and what they are doing— outside of the Kol and Bonnie dynamic. These chapters also further the plotline, and therefore do not necessarily adhere to the one-scene chapter rule.

Interlude: Elena

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"You were going to lie to us? Give us some bogus story about how she went on vacation with her mom?" Caroline shouts, standing toe-to-toe with Jeremy.

"I didn't want to, but she made me promise," he replies heatedly.

"Oh, as if that were a good reason to keep it from us!"

"What did you expect me to do, Caroline? Say no? She gave her life up for me!"

"She's my best friend, and she's dead because of you!" Caroline shoves him away, sending him crashing against the front door.

"Caroline!" Elena shrieks as her brother sails through the air.

Jeremy rises with a supernatural grace, unaffected by the fall. Elena sees the tension in his shoulders, sees his eyes sharpen with a focus that puts her on alert. She's seen this before. He had the same look on his face right before he tried to drive a stake through her heart.

"Don't push me Caroline. I'm still a hunter, remember?"

Caroline widens her stance and narrows her eyes. "I can take you."

Elena rushes between them, arms outstretched to dissuade them from attacking. ""Stop it! Both of you! Jeremy, get yourself under control. This is Caroline, remember? She our friend."

He shakes his head, as if to clear it, and takes a deep breath. The tension leaves his body. Elena turns to Caroline, immediately noticing that she didn't relax her stance. Caroline crouches forward half an inch. Elena, sensing an attack, charges at her and pins Caroline against the wall.

"Don't you dare lay another finger on my brother."

Caroline glares at her, eyes hot with rage, before breaking free. She spins Elena around and slams her against the wall, one hand on her throat and the other twisting Elena's arm behind her back at an odd angle. "Or you'll do what? Don't forget, I'm older than you. Stronger than you." Caroline tightens her grip, and Elena winces, feeling her bones creak in protest.

"We can destroy this house trying to prove who's stronger, but this isn't going to help. We need to think clearly," Elena rasps, trying to reach through the anger enveloping her friend. "This isn't what Bonnie would've wanted, Care."

A tear drop slips down Caroline's chin, and the rage inside of her breaks, revealing an immense grief.

"She wouldn't have wanted to die either," Caroline cries as more tears slip down her face. Her grip loosens around her neck. "Oh god, Bonnie's dead."

Elena reaches up and hugs her, feeling her own sorrows crest inside her heart. "It's okay. We can fix this," she assures in a watery voice. "We'll find a way. If she can bring Jeremy back, we can bring her back too."

"How?"

"All we need is a witch strong enough to perform the spell she cast."

Caroline laughs bitterly, shaking her head against her shoulder. "I killed twelve witches, remember? There aren't a lot of them left in Mystic Falls. And even if we found one, we have no idea what kind of spell Bonnie used."

"One problem at a time," Jeremy says, walking up to the girls. He places a gentle hand on Caroline's shoulder. "We need to find a witch. We'll move forward from there."

Elena nods firmly, trying to keep the panic at bay. Caroline was right. There aren't many witches left in town. They'd have to go somewhere else, but even then witches didn't exactly advertise their abilities. "Where do we start?" she asks.

"New Orleans?" Caroline's eyes flicker down under the weight of their stares. "Klaus told me there were witches plotting his demise, or something equally dramatic. That's why he left town. If we need a witch, we can find one there."

"I doubt he'll be happy to see us." Jeremy glances over at Elena. "It's unlikely Klaus forgot we killed Kol. We don't have a choice though. We need to move fast if we're going to bring Bonnie back. She's in trouble. I saw Kol drag her away."

No. They can't risk it. She can't put her brother in danger again. Elena squeezes her eyes shut, trying to think of another solution. Who did they know that could find a witch? Something itches at the back of her head, a memory half-buried by time. She tries to force it to the surface, grasping at every stray thought she unearths along the way, until finally she remembers.

She remembers sneaking out to a party and deadly, spontaneous wounds. Above it all, she recalls what Bonnie had said. There was a witch at the party who linked you two together. I got her to break the spell. It turns out she's some sort of distant cousin of mine. Small world, huh?

Elena's eyes snap open. "We don't need to go to New Orleans. I know someone who can find one for us."

Caroline looks away, shoulders slumping fractionally.

"Who?" Jeremy asks.

"Katherine."