A/N: I'm loving reading everyone's theories and thoughts about where S5 is headed. Thank you again for the incredible responses to this fic! xoxo

"I'm just saying," Damon said through gritted teeth, "That's what must've happened." He shoved Caroline's phone into her face, "Now, call Klaus and demand that he hand Stefan over!"

"Oh yeah, making demands to Klaus—that's really going to work out," Jeremy snorted, leaning against the bar next to Matt. "Why are you so sure that he took Stefan, anyway?"

"Because this is exactly what happened the last time I got a werewolf bite," Damon answered in exasperation, "He took Stefan as payment and disappeared for months." He paused to look over at Elena before he spoke again, this time choosing his words more carefully. "I just don't want history to repeat itself."

"Klaus wouldn't have taken him," Caroline insisted, "He was willing to cure you without asking for anything in return. He would've told us if there was a price to pay!"

"Not if he wanted to impress you."

"That's just my point," she leaned over the counter, gesturing for Matt to get her a bottle of vodka from behind the bar. "If Klaus is trying to change and be a better man and everything, then why would he drag Stefan off to New Orleans?"

"Well, we'll never know if you don't call him and find out," Elena took the phone out of Damon's hands and slid it down the length of the bar to Caroline. "Look, we're not accusing him of anything, we're just asking him a simple question."

Caroline took the phone, but didn't make a move to do anything with it. "Yeah," she muttered, "I'm real sure he's going to see things from your perspective."

"Alright, that's it," Damon snapped, "What's going on? What aren't you telling us?"

She hesitated but then heaved a sigh, "Okay, fine. The reason I don't want to call Klaus is because he…well, before he left, he sort of gave me a graduation gift."

"A gift?" Matt repeated incredulously, "What kind of gift? Money? A car?"

"No," she answered, her eyes lighting up, "He told me he was going to let Tyler come back home!"

Elena's eyebrows rose in surprise, "What? He's not after Tyler anymore?"

Damon looked like he was straining not to roll his eyes, "How touching."

The door to the Grill dinged open at that moment, and they all turned to see Rebekah saunter in. She paid no attention to the small group gathered at the bar, and instead made a beeline for Matt. "The bags are all packed in the car," she informed him, "Ready to go?"

"Go?" Caroline interrupted, turning to gape at Matt in bewilderment. "Where are you going?"

"Well," Matt hopped over the counter and landed neatly beside them, "I guess you could say that this is Bex's graduation gift to me."

"But—" Jeremy began, but then fell silent when Rebekah turned to look at him questioningly.

"I know," Matt's brow furrowed as he met Jeremy's gaze. "You just got back from the dead, and Bonnie is off visiting her mother, and now this whole Katherine thing...I should stay, shouldn't I?"

Rebekah looked alarmed.

"What? No," Jeremy shook his head firmly, "You don't have to feel responsible for everyone, Matt. You're the one that brought my sister back from the brink of losing her humanity completely. You've already done more than enough for everyone in this town...Trust me, I'll still be here when you get back. We'll all still be here. It's about time you did something for yourself." He glanced over at Rebekah, whose expression had softened after his speech. "It's just for the summer, right?"

She nodded, watching as Matt reached over to give Jeremy a hug. "You better still be here when I get back. Don't go dying on me again, alright?"

Elena smiled slightly, exchanging a glance with her brother. "Don't worry, I won't let him."

"Um, can we just hold on a second here?" Caroline exclaimed, "Matt, you're really going on a road trip with her!?"

"Yeah," Matt answered slowly, "I think I am." He joined Rebekah at the door before turning back around to face them. "Look, I know you guys probably think I'm crazy…but I've never been anywhere in my entire life. And I don't want to be that guy—the one that sticks around his tiny town, never going anywhere, never seeing the world. I…I want more than that."

Caroline's gaze dropped to the ground then, almost guiltily. Elena, on the other hand, came forward to envelope Matt in a hug. "I understand," she whispered into his ear, "Just be careful, okay?"

"I will," he promised, before digging into his pocket and producing a set of keys. "Could you do me a favor and give these to Tyler when he gets back to town? It's still his house, after all."

"I'll do it," Caroline's heels clicked against the ground as she came forward to receive the keys. She embraced Matt, but then turned to look at Rebekah sternly. "If he comes back ANY less human than he is now—"

"Yeah, yeah, you'll have Klaus dagger me," Rebekah rolled her eyes, "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to him."

Damon blurred forward suddenly, blocking their exit. "Before you go," he said to Rebekah, "You wouldn't happen to know where Stefan is, would you?"

"No," she replied shortly, "Why? Has he gone missing?"

"Yes, now that you mention it, he has." Damon glanced over his shoulder at Caroline, "And someone is too scared to call Klaus and find out if he's taken Stefan again."

"Oh please," Rebekah scoffed, "My brother has no use for Stefan at the moment. Elijah is with him in New Orleans, and—" She broke off, also glancing over at Caroline speculatively. "And...he has quite enough to be dealing with at the moment."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Caroline demanded, "What is he dealing with?"

"Nothing for you to worry your pretty little head about," Rebekah smiled indulgently, "Have a good summer, Caroline."

The door dinged shut.

"I just want to know what she was insinuating!" Caroline grumbled as they all filed into the Salvatore house twenty minutes later. "I mean, she wouldn't have mentioned it if Klaus wasn't up to something, right?"

"For heaven's sake," Damon whirled around to face her, towering over her threateningly. "How about you spend less time worrying about Klaus, and a little more time finding a way to let Tyler know that it's safe to return to Mystic Falls!"

"Well?" Katherine's voice interrupted their argument, and they all turned to see her haughtily descending down the staircase. "What did you guys find out? Does Klaus have Stefan?"

"We're not sure yet," Elena crossed her arms, watching her through narrowed eyes. "But on the plus side, we found you a place to live."

Katherine paused, "Excuse me?"

"Rebekah has left town for the summer with Matt, so the Mikealsen house is empty," Elena informed her doppelganger sweetly. "So how about you clear out of here and go deal with your humanity someplace else?"

Caroline pursed her lips as she stared down Katherine with disdain. "Remind me again why we can't kill her?"

"Because that would make us no better than her," Elena replied, glancing over at Caroline. "Look, I know that she's responsible for turning you into a vampire—"

"Yeah," Caroline replied forcefully, "She was. And she deserves to pay for everything she's done, Elena! She doesn't get to have a free pass just because she's human and vulnerable now—did she care that I was human when she killed me? Did she care that Jeremy was the last of your family when she killed him?"

Damon smirked over at Katherine, "And the list of people you've screwed over begins. I warned you about this yesterday, didn't I? If you had any good sense, you would be halfway across the world by now."

"Not until I find Stefan!"

"Stefan isn't going to save you now!" Elena shouted, losing her composure completely. "Get out, Katherine!"

"Or what?" Katherine challenged, her eyes flashing. "You already said that you won't kill me. What do I have to be afraid of?"

Elena's gaze hardened, and she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. "You don't want to push me, Kat."

Katherine placed her hands on her hips, a sneer on her lips. "Don't try to threaten me, Elena. It doesn't suit you. The doe eyes are a dead giveaway."

Elena ignored the jibe. "I'll do it," she warned, her finger hovering over the talk button. "I will call Klaus right now and inform him that his hybrid dreams just became a reality again."

Katherine stiffened, "You wouldn't."

"Oh yes," Elena's voice was cold, "I would."

There were a few moments of silence during which time Katherine's eyes darted around the living room, as though hoping someone would speak up. When no one did, she abruptly stalked out of the room. "Fine," she snarled as she passed them, "I'm leaving."

"Bye," Elena waved cheerfully, "Don't let the door hit you on the way out."

"Are we sure her switch is back on?" Caroline asked doubtfully as she peered at Elena. Behind them, the front door slammed shut with a bang. "Only, it doesn't really seem like it."

Elena's posture relaxed and she turned towards Caroline with a smile. "Trust me, my humanity is back," she assured her friend, "I just don't see any reason to show kindness to someone who has never shown it to me or anyone else that I care about." As she spoke the words, she wandered over to Damon and placed herself firmly at his side, her arm sliding around his waist.

Caroline's expression flickered.

"Before you say anything," Elena said softly, "You can't choose who you fall in love with. Once your heart decides it wants someone, you just have to take a leap and follow wherever it may lead you." She smiled up at Damon before looking back over at Caroline, "I would've thought that you, of all people, might be able to understand that."

"Alright, fine," Caroline crossed her arms, avoiding her gaze. "Well, but...did Stefan know about your decision?"

"Yes, he did."

She frowned, "Then what's not to say that he decided to leave town himself?"

Damon looked away, but didn't reply.

Elena glanced up, confused. "Damon? What is it? You think Stefan left?"

"He did mention that he would leave town if..." Damon admitted, trailing off at the end. "Well, you know."

She extracted herself out of his arms so that she could face him accusingly, "Why didn't you say anything? This whole time we thought Klaus had taken him, but he could've just decided to leave voluntarily?"

"Stefan wouldn't leave without saying goodbye," Damon said in a low voice, "I know him. He wouldn't."

"How are you so sure?" Caroline asked tensely, "Maybe he thought his last job was to get rid of Silas' body, and then he just took off! You said Lexi was with him; maybe she convinced him to just leave without a long drawn-out goodbye."

"No," Damon snapped, "He wouldn't do that. And I'm going to find out what happened, with or without your help."

Katherine grumbled to herself as she nudged open the door to the Mikealsen house. Everything was impeccably clean, probably the result of Rebekah's need for perfection combined with Elijah's penchant for tastefulness. She mindlessly walked through the rooms, ending up in Klaus' art studio. She picked up various paintings, sometimes wrinkling her nose in distaste, but other times acknowledging the unmistakable talent.

She had just picked up an abstract piece to examine it, when she heard it: a clatter of noise from the kitchen. Her heart began thudding dully in her chest—and for the first time in hundreds of years—adrenaline shot through her body. It was a strange feeling, leaving her momentarily light-headed. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, desperately trying to keep her wits about her.

Then she heard another noise, this one sounding much closer than the last. Frantic, she let her gaze sweep the room for a weapon she could use, finally finding some sort of sharp metal art tool lying on the edge of the desk in the corner of the room. She tiptoed forward to get it.

The floorboard below her gave a particularly loud creak.

Throwing all caution to the wind, she rushed forward to grab the tool. Once it was firmly in her hand, she spun on her heel, brandishing it in front of her with a lot more bravado than she actually felt.

A second later, there was a clatter as it fell loosely from her hand. Her mouth dropped open in shock, "S-Stefan?"

Silas stood in front of her, his eyes glinting as he treated her to a slow smile, "Hello, Katherine."