AN: New chapter posted, it took a little longer, I was a little sick and my last weeks were pretty exausting, but here it is. I hope you're all going to like it. As I have a week of holliday, the next chapter could be written more quickly, I hope so. I have to admit I spent a little less time correcting this chapter, so if you think it really needs to be, tell me and I will remake it!

Enjoy :)

"If you fall asleep here, don't count on me to wake you up." Elena quickly opened her eyes and stood straight looking angrily at the tree she was leaning on, then to Damon. She had spent an awful night, and she had slept so little that she wasn't even sure she had. Her night had been fulfilled with nightmares includind her baby bro, and fear when she realised Damon was nowhere around her when she woke up in the middle of the night.

He had told her he had gone hunting but she wasn't sure about that. She was so angry, who knows what could have happened to both of them ? After last night's revelation she had thought he was going to trust her now, or that he would be a little less mysterious about his activities, but she realised he was still keeping a certain distance. Not physically, but she could felt that sometime his mind was evading itself and letting no one enter.

So here she was, fighting against herself to not fall asleep, hungry as ever, closer and closer from Klaus. She stopped and took a deep breath. They haven't even talked of what they were going to do. She knew Klaus would not killed her right away, and maybe not after, but she knew if Damon was caught he would be dead, and the recent vengeance state in which he got she did not doubt he would kill her too. After they got her brother back, they will have to find a way to put a end at his long, long life.

"What is our plan ?" she asked.

He turned back at her and just shugged. He did not look even a little afraid, upset, or anything of what he should probably look right now, even being a vampire. Alaric may have not exagerated when he qualified him as "crazy".

"I had the dagger."

"Had ?"

She live up her arms to remind him their bags were somewhere in the woods, far away. And there was no way they were spliting up again. She suddenly realised she did not have the dagger but none of all the weapons Alaric made for her. She had no way of defending herself.

"No, no ..." she put her hands on her hips as she felt panick ran trough her.

"We look for you brother, we take him, and we go" Damon proposed as if it was evident.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure they will even offer us coffee" she replied bitterly.

"Well, we're lucky there is no door you could knock on here, right ?" Her ears became red under the shame and she grimaced. Okay, that was really stupid. But what Damon was saying was even more. There was no way they would just find Jeremy and flee. She wasn't even sure he was not messing with her, she was honestly to tired to play his games.

"Don't forget Elena, we are not alone here." he whispered. She undestood who he was reffering to immediately.

"What does that change ? He is not with us."

"Do we really need him to say he's with us ?"

She looked questioningly at him, raising her eyebrows.

"He may not be with us, but he is on our side. No matter what he does, it can only help us."he continued.

Elena didn't replied and just stared at him. He stared back as if she was stupid.

"What are you saying exactly ?" she sighed frustrated.

"I'm saying, he is going to help us, that he wants it or not."

"Wh-Why? I mean, why don't we just paired up?" He told them to call him if they have a plan, why couldn't they just try to enter in contact with him ? It would be so much more simple. Stefan always told her making friends of your enemies was the smartest thing to do facing an even more dangerous "thing".

"First, I'm not pairing with a guy who tries to kill me and will probably try again once he got his girlfriend back. Two, why do you think he left us like this ? He is hoping for the same."

Elena sighed. Why do people need to be so complicated ? It was not in her nature to trick people.

"Who says he was going to do anything today? We need to be out before tonight, remember ?"

"I'm saying it." He insisted. Elena was confused but she had to admit it was making kind of sense. If he had wanted help from them, he could have just ask and not tried to kill Damon in the first place. Connor wanted someone back as much as they did apparently. And he did not seemed like the stupid guy, he was not going to stay here for the full moon, and tomorrow, Klaus and all his crowd would be gone. So he needed to act … the exact same moment they needed to either.

"Are you saying we should use him ?" she reproached. Counting on Connor's actions, maybe his death to distract them or make a way for them was very sneaky. And there wasn't any way to know exactly what he was going to do or when.

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Elena closed her eyes trying to think. Damon made a point but she still did not see how they could base anything on this, and it just felt so wrong. And she did not like the fact they did not discuss this, Damon seemed to have came up with this plan alone.

"Why didn't we talk about it ?"

"We are talking about it now."

"So if I don't want to follow this plan …"

"You go alone ?" His eyes were becoming darker and the tension around them was becoming heavier. Damon was not the guy to let himself be told what to do, or to be questionned. His personality was so lunatic, explosive. To be honnest, she loved that.

"You would leave me alone here ?" she asked defiantly taking a few step closer. She could smell him. She was not sure what was happening to her around him.

"In a heartbeat." he whispered back.

"Stefan-"

"I'm not Stefan."

She bit her lips. Okay, she had no chance to win this, and she wasn't sure she wanted to. No he was not like Stefan. She caugh herself trying to imagine what Stefan was doing, after the phone call he must have been so mad. Feeling the victory, a devilish smile spread on Damon's face.

"Let's get your brother back then." and she felt instantly the loss of his presence in front of her. In what did she get herself into?

I'm coming Jeremy.

"Told ya" he smirked.

Connor was a few meters away from them but he wasn't able to see them from where he was standing. Klaus's camp was settle in the hollow of a kind of cliff. The landscape was weirdly adjusted but here, they could only thank Mother Nature for that. That Klaus had prefered this place to make his little experimentations wasn't surprising. Elena could see people sitting on rock or walking around. They were probably waiting for tonight. She tried to find her brother but her miserable view did not permit her to see disinctly the silhouettes.

"Being here doesn't mean he is waiting for us to make a move first." she replied stubbornly.

She turned back to Connor. He was hiding and looking around. Maybe Damon was right after all, he was waiting for them. She couldn't believe after all she's been trough, she was still that naïve. Her eyes took a glimpse of his bag and an idea poped in her head.

"Whatever. Stop talking so loudly, they could hear us."

Elena turned to him an insult on the mouth but managed to resist the urge to throw it at him. It's not like he had been the one making her talk. Damon was smiling predatorily and seemed happier than she had seen him since they met. It's like he was thrilled by the fight that was bound to happen, he couldn't stand in place, like a child. She poked him to make him look at her and nodded silently at Connor, pointing at his bag.

Damon squinted and seemed to be thinking about this, but after a moment he turned back to her and shook his head from right to left. No. He leaned into her with a smirk and brilliant eyes.

"You lose your weapeons. So you stay here, you watch, and you admire." He looked like a fox. Suddenly he stood up, not even bothering to hide and ran to the slope. Elena jupmed of surprise and her eyes immediately turned to Connor. As Damon had predicted, he quickly took his stuff and followed him. Elena lived a sort of flash-back of when she was left alone in the car, but this time, despite the precise order, she did not wasted a single minute and ran to where Connor was a few minutes before.

He had sorted his things while he was waiting, there was nothing more than sticks, but it was still better than nothing at all. She took a deep inspiration before heading to the rugged slope the two man had taken. It took her a few minutes to get to a safe spot where she was able to advance safely. She was pretty sure she hadn't be attacked because they were too preoccupied dealing with Damon and the hunter, the combinaisaion of her none-discretion and their super hearing was not really good.

She stopped when she hears talking, and movements caught her attention a little further. She took a few steps, and her eyes widened as culpability was starting to run through her. Connor was surrouding by what she supposed were hybrids or werewolfs, he was fighting like a lion but there was no doubt left about the end of it. As she was thinking this, he indeed end up being cruched to the ground, firmly immobilized by laughing men. She looked around her but there was no sign of Damon.

He had really left him here to die ? She felt culpabily be replaced by sadness as she realised she was about to do the same. If any of her friends would habe been here right now, they would have gone to help him. Stefan, Caroline, Boonie, … But she was there fo her brother. For Jeremy. They were not going to kill him, with a little chance when she finds Damon and her brother she could came back for him.

Her arm was suddenly gripped by a hard hand puttingan end to her thinking. She felt like she had just received a cold shower, she couldn't even breath. The grip hardened as she heard a sobber. She turned around to face the girl she finally recognized. Hayley. She only knew her face because of Miss Mystic Falls, she had saw her hanging around with Tyler. For the little she had stay in Mystic Falls she had caused lot of troubles. Her eyes weren't fixed on her but on the fight behind, and this is when she realised it was fear shining in her eyes. He came for her! But she was an hybrid, she was with … well, not that with, but still. Why would he came here, there was nothing he could do to help her. But then, was she able to do anything for Jeremy ?

Hayley looked at her hopelessly as if she was waiting for her to have a magic solution.

"I'm helping you if you help me" she blurted out no really sure what she was expecting, realising only after she was supposed to stay quiet. Hayley frowned and her eyes tainted with rage. She was clearly not happy with the turn of events. Me neither, sweet heart. Elena was completely aware Hayler was not a choire girl. Hayley moved closer to her, her menacious face inch from her.

"Did you made him come ?"she whispered dangerously.

"No" she whispered back. She couldn't hear anything from behind and she wondered if they had gone away but she did not dare to turn away.

"What do you want ?" she asked pursing her lips.

"I want my brother."

Hayley let out a bitter laugh making Elena shiver. "That's too bad. By the way, where is your friend ? It would make my day to scratch him." Oh god, that was a good question, where the hell was Damon ?

"Look, you help me get my brother I help you save your friend." Does that offer seemed familiar ?

With a little chance she was going to be more reasonable than the other. Hayley did not gave an answer immediately but after a moment she sighed and Elena almost cried and danced in joy.

"Okay. Come with me, not all of them know who you are, if you stay close to me and hide more or less your face we should pass easily. But so you know, getting out of here with your brother and Connor, is going to be a lot, a lot more difficult."

"I'm ready" she assured her.

"Hm... Don't talk." And on that she turned around and made her way quickly thourg the woods, Elena followed her trying to be as silent as she could. She had now a chance to get directly to Jeremy. If they could do their way to him, they must be a way to made it back.

Elena lowered her head, her hair floating around her. She was trying to keep up behind Hayley but she was petrified. They had attained the camp and they were now walking in the middle of it. The camp was not that huge, but Hayley was stopping by every person she was crossing. Very discret. From outside it could look like a random camping reunion, no blood, no bodies, nothing special.

She jumped when she heard a scream, but exept her, it doesn't seem to bother anyone. She quickly understood it must some hybrid experimentations. This place was giving her goosebumps. After a few minutes they both entered in a tent, Elena looked around her expectingly but her eyes did not fell on Jeremy as they should have but on Connor. She turned to Hayley with peircing eyes.

She trapped me. Hayley trapped her. She could not do anything exectp help her and believed she would kept her word, but Elena was not that fool, the werewolf did not like her, and the only thing that seemed to matter for her was the hunter, once he was free … She couldn't even tell a word. Damon, where are you ?

Hayley rushed to Connor to untie the rops that were firmly attaching him to a colomn. Without even thinking twice about it, Elena grabbed the fisrt thing that was around her which looked like wood, She crossed the distance between them and stabbed clumsilly Hayley in the back who fall to the ground, more by surprise than hurt. She then grabbed the stick she had and punched at her. She was completely crazy there. Her punches and particulary her weapon were of course, not enough and in a few second Hayley was in front of her, and she didn't look happy. None of them dared to make a move, afraid they would attract the attention of the hybrids outside.

Hayley smiled sufficiently looking at her with a "what are you going to do now" look. She was getting on Elena's nerve. She oppened her mouth and faked to scream to make her understand what she was threatening to do. The sound of a fight would immediately alert the others and she knew it was the last thing Hayley would want right now. Meetings with Klaus were so lovely. The werewolf girl started to advance toward Elena but before Elena's eyes could even enregistered what was happening, Hayley's neck was slapped and she fell on the ground. Elena repoduced the same self-sufficent smile of her and restrained herself from letting her vanity explode. She looked up to Damon who didn't look that pleased. He never looked that serious. He turned to Connor.

Oh no, Connor.

This one screamed so loudly every living thing on this forest must have heard him. She had been so concentrated on Hayley she had almost forgotten him, but he didn't. They just slapped her friend in front of him. What was going to happen now ? Time seemed to stop, Elena could only hear his voice. Everything seemed to go in slow motion, even when Damon took her hand and violently pushed her with him out of the tent by behind, even when supernatural creatures appeared one by one in front of them.

"What do we have here ?" sneered one of them. Elena was still holding Damon's hand and squeezed it to make sure he was still at her side. What was scaring her the most right now was what they would do to Damon. She would never forgave herself. He was here because of her, and in this situation there, because of her. Why did she always have to cause trouble to the people who were helping her ? She was starting to ask herself if she was cursed or something. She had wanted to do this alone, she should have refused to involve him. Right know she was just happy Alaric wasn't with them.

"Yeah, what do we have here" said a voice in a delightful tone. A voice Elena knew too god damn well. Klaus. He was now in front of them, looking at them in all his glory. If Elena didn't know him better she could have thought he was hot but his crazyness was removing all of his charms.

"Elena, it's always a pleasure to see you" he said looking right in to her eyes. He had cold, and cruel eyes. He then turned to Damon and his smile widened as his eyes became terrifying, anyone who knew him could know now things were going to get ugly. "Damon Salvatore"

"Always a pleasure" replied this one with a fake smile. Elena wanted to look at him, at least to glare at him but she couldn't kept her eyes off Klaus. So he had met him? Maybe he was not going to kill him then, she hoped. Klaus reponded to him with another faked smile and his smile suddenly disapeared as it always did.

"I don't remember us having a proper goodbye last time"

"I was in a bit of a hurry." Klaus suddenly stepped forward and thrust his fist on Damon's chest, making their hands fall apart. Her heart skipped a beat as she heard the sound of broken bones. Don't touch him!

"No, wait please!" she screamed.

Klaus raised an eyebrow at her. "Don't you think I have already done enough for you and your little friends back then ?" he asked. Klaus and his unlogical logical. He esteemed leaving them alive was a gift and an help.

"You took my brother" she reminded him.

"But I did not killed him" he said happily as if it was a proof of his goodness. Still it warmed up Elena to know his brother was alive.

"Took him" Klaus ordered to his hybrids, pointing Damon with his finger. "No wait." He took Damon's face in his hands and looked at him with all the unwarmful emotions he could gave him and when Damon replied with a smile he slapped his neck. Elena let out a cry of terror as two hybrids took Damon's corpses and dragged him behind them. She tried to follow but Klaus put himself just in front of her.

"If you came here for your brother, it is going to be my misfortune to tell you I'm not letting him go right now. I need him to do something special for me."

"But why him ? If it's because he is a hunter, you have another one here!" she screamed, tears coming in her eyes.

They had made all the way here, and now Damon was inconscious somewhere in the same situation that her brother, exept they will not hesitate to kill him, and she was there helpless, in front of this monster.

"It would not be as fun." Elena closed her eyes in despair.

"Look, I'm not a bad guy. You can go home, oh say hi to Stefan for me. But I'm keeping this one, we have some thing to catch up, buddy to buddy." he said, choosing specifically his vocabulary.

But something in the air seemed to change and Klaus suddenly started screaming, getting on his knees and taking his head between his hands. No one around them seemed to understand what was happening, some even looked at Elena as if she was the cause of it. She took the opportunity to take some steps away looking for a way out. Werewofls and hybrids were now seeing their heart being rippep out of her chest. Elena thought it had became too much of an habit in her life.

She raised up her head trying to have a look to the person, or persons helping her. One of them crossed her eyes and she sighed in relief depsite the unexplicable irritation she felt. Stefan, Boonie, and … Caroline.

"Oh my god Elena, you're okay" cried Caroline, suddenly in front of her, taking her in her arms. She took her hands and tried to make her follow her. "Come on, we don't have time to waste."

"What, wait, Jeremy!"

Stefan appeared at her other side. They were looking at her as they always do, like she was a little girl. "He is not here anymore Elena." She ripped her arm out of Caroline's grip.

"What do you mean he is not here anymore?" She looked seriously at them. Klaus was still screaming but she wasn't even hearing him. Boonie was standing at his side.

"Look, if we go now, we could be able to catch them and Jeremy, but we need to go now" said Stefan, looking at Klaus. Boonie was not going to last a lot longer. And she did here something she had swore herslef she would not do anymore, and something, even if she didn't knew it right away, she would never did again.

"Okay."

Stefan took the stake he still had on his hand and made his way behind Klaus. In a movement he stabbed him, in the heart. Klaus would not die from this, but that would give them the lead they needed. Boonie started running away with Caroline, and Stefan took a last look at the scene before following them.

"Stefan!" she screamed. "We need to get Damon out of here" She ran to Damon who was still lying on the ground. All of them have acted as if he wasn't here. She didn't care about Stefan and Damon's arguments, he was not staying here.

"Why ?" asked Stefan in a somber voice.

"Why ?" She did not even know what to answer to that, the answer was so evident. "He helped me, he-he is your brother"

"This is not the word that came to me when I think of him."

"Stefan, please." She could not carry Damon all the way out the woods, and there was no way she was letting him here, she would rather stay here and face Klaus's rage. Stefan glared at her like he never did and finally sighed in defeat. He made his way to Damon and put him on his back. She whispered a thank you to him and they flee the scene as fast as they could.

What a hell.

"Is taken the one who thought he was taking"