a/n: I never planned on getting twenty chapters which makes it that much better in my book...to answer questions I know are coming, yes, this is indeed the end of this story. However, I have decided to add a fourth installment. Don't worry, I'll update just as quickly once I have the first few chapters ready to go :) Thanks again to all my readers and reviewers for helping me get to this point :)

TWENTY

By Sunday night, we had nine witches, twenty wolves, fifteen vampires, and two mortals who couldn't die. Needless to say, the living room didn't have nearly enough seating for everyone. It was strange to see the room split into three distinct groups. Pearl was giving instructions to the vampires, Bonnie was informing the witches, and Tyler was taking care of the werewolves. John, Alaric, Damon, and myself were standing apart from the groups and just watched as the plan came together right before our eyes. "You're really going to bring her back?" John asked as he looked at me.

I nodded. "He's only after me because I killed her. If I bring her back, he should just go away." Even as I said that, I didn't believe it. Bonnie waved me over to her side and I joined her with the other witches.

Bree smiled at me in a way that told me it wasn't genuine and she hated being here. "Elena."

I nodded at her and looked at Bonnie. "We're going to bring her back tonight. That way, we have an immediate bargaining chip."

"And the invention?" Bree asked.

"After Klaus leaves," I assured her. Pearl had been reluctant to give it up, especially to witches, but she knew she had no other choice. Had I not demonstrated that I was stronger, her answer would have been different. "Whatever happens, you will not return empty handed."

Everyone pitched in to clear the living room of all furniture and with the amount of people doing so, it only took about two minutes flat. The witches started drawing a large circle in a way that I had never seen before. "What's that?" Tyler asked as he moved to stand next to Damon and I.

"It's a containment circle. Nothing can get out of it once the spell is said until otherwise specified by the witch who did the casting," Damon explained.

I looked at him with narrowed eyes. "For someone who keeps telling me witches and vampires hate each other, you sure do know a lot about them."

His grin was sly as he kissed my forehead. "Trust me, this is not a conversation you want to have right now."

I sighed and rolled my eyes as I continued to watch. The witches spread out among the circle each holding hands as if to protect it. Bonnie approached me with a glass and extended it to me. "I need your blood," she said awkwardly.

"Alaric, do you have the vervain?" the youngest witch, Autumn, asked. She had auburn hair and the sweetest faces I had ever seen. Her eyes were a vivid green that I was sure she wore contacts, yet it didn't seem right. Her skin was a deep olive color and her smile was infectious.

He nodded and stepped forward, gathering his duffel bag from the formal living room. There were two others on that couch as well, each of which was jam packed with nothing but vervain needles. The plan was to keep in injected. John and Alaric had stocked one of the cells in the basement with live vervain at Damon's suggestion. He had glared at Stefan, obviously reliving that memory of when Stefan had done that to him. We had a schedule of three guards outside her door, one of each "group" at all times until tomorrow night. "Would you do the honors?" I asked Damon and held out my arm.

He grinned mischievously as his canines came out from their sheathes and dragged across my skin. I held the glass underneath my wrist once he pulled away and put enough blood to fill the glass halfway before I allowed myself to heal. I handed it back to Bonnie who practically darted across the room to the circle. She set the glass on its side in the center and then took her place on the perimeter and joined hands with Autumn and another witch. There was an empty spot in the circle where Bree had yet to close it. "Let me make myself very clear. No one is to say anything and the path to the basement is to be clear at all times," she said for the fifth time tonight. She met my eyes and nodded. "Get ready."

Damon let go of his hold on me and I stepped up to Bree. I was standing slightly behind the circle as she finished it and took hands with her coven members. My job was to stand close in case something went wrong and I had to kill her. I had a stake in my hand from Alaric's bag and I was poised and ready to go.

An eerie silence filled the room moments before Bree began saying the spell. One by one, the other witches began to recite it along with her. All of their voices combined was truly frightening, but everyone was watching in awe as Katherine's body rose from absolutely nothing, my blood instantly disappearing as it seemingly absorbed into her body. I couldn't help but think about the last time I had witnessed this event and I was still having a hard time believing it was real. Just like last time, she was bare. When the scared, newborn look in her eyes faded as she realized what was happening, her face transformed and she tried to launch herself at everyone. She screamed in frustration as her feet seemed to be super glued to the floor and she couldn't move. Her eyes scanned the room and rested on me; her chest was heaving in frustration. "You," she seethed and snarled as she tried to go after me.

The witches dropped their hands all at the same time, signaling the spell was complete, but Katherine was still rooted in her spot on the floor. I smirked, reveling in the feeling of her being helpless as I approached, swapping the stake for a vervain needle. "I win," I breathed as I injected it into her skin.

She cried out and crumpled to the ground. I thought about catching her, but in the end, decided against it. Pearl and Anna stepped forward with the clothes that we had brought to clothe her and then Bree began the releasing spell so we could bring her to the basement. She was conscious, but the vervain in her blood-starved system was causing her immense pain. I felt like a sadist as I watched her from outside the cell before I closed the door. She lifted her head to snarl at me and I simply shut the door on her. I shook off the effects of being that close to that amount of vervain and headed upstairs after the others. "That was awesome," Bonnie said as she looked around at everyone.

I couldn't help but smile because I knew how she felt about finding others like her. It allowed for a great sense of pride to know you weren't alone. "Now what?" Darren asked.

"We will clean up the circle, but the focus should be on making sure Katherine stays down in her cell," Bree said and the first three people went downstairs to take their post. Stefan, Damon, Pearl, Anna, and I had been excluded from babysitting because of obvious reasons.

"And now we wait," I said and everyone was silent for a moment.

All the next day, the gloom of what was to come seemed to have settled over everyone. Damon and I had remained upstairs, afraid to leave each other alone. More so on my part then on his. When the sun was no longer up in the sky, we made our way downstairs to join the others and I went to the basement with Bree, Autumn, Damon, Alaric, and Darren. Darren bound Katherine's wrist with rope laced with vervain so that if she tried to move, it would weaken her further. He had tied it so hard, there was blood trickling from her wrists already. He did the same to her ankles, but left enough slack in the ropes so she could walk. She was groggy from the injections, but once she was out of the basement, she was a little more aware of her surroundings because she was away from the plants. "Don't try anything," I warned her as I put a gag in her mouth.

She glared at me, her brown eyes spitting rays of hate. It made me smile. He still wants me she thought in my direction and I had to step back from her in shock. I was unaware that she knew about my ability. Her eyes flickered to Damon and she smirked despite the gag. My fangs came out, a wave of possession washed over me, and I slapped her, drawing blood from her nose. Damon pulled me back by my shoulders and stepped in between us. My face softened and went back to normal as I looked at him. "What was that?" he asked, aware everyone was watching. "Not that I care."

"She's just a bitch, that's all," I said and kissed him briefly before smirking in her direction.

"Where are we going?" John asked. "Did he ever tell you where?"

I shook my head, "No, but wherever we end up, he'll follow." I hadn't been sure of that thought until I voiced it. "Let's go."

Damon was the one to shove Katherine out the door and into one of the cars parked in front of the house. He put her in the back of his car and sat beside her, vervain needle poised and ready to go at her side if she tried anything. Alaric got in on the other side of her with another needle. John got behind the wall and I slipped into the passenger seat. The coven and Bonnie were split between two SUV's and the wolves changed and ran through the woods after we gave them directions. The other vampires just simply used their speed to get to the ruined church. Everyone was supposed to remain unseen until we knew what Klaus' reaction to Katherine would be. We drove slower than Bree so they would have time to set up before we arrived.

About a half an hour from leaving the house, everyone was in position. Everyone was scattered in the trees, armed with whatever weapon they needed. The only ones out in the open were Katherine, Damon, John, Alaric, and myself. Katherine was standing in front of us, John and Alaric behind her with stakes and needles pointed at her. Just when I thought we were all absolutely paranoid, the air shifted and Klaus appeared with Roarke at his side. They were standing about a yard or so away from us. Roarke is standing two feet behind Klaus on my left side I communicated to Bonnie.

I can see him, she returned and I felt better knowing we had a chance of at least taking him down.

Klaus was looking at Katherine with an unreadable expression on his face. "Get back," I muttered to John, Alaric, and Damon. They stepped behind me, releasing their hold on Katherine. She swayed, but she was able to stand on her own. "I have a counter offer," I said loud enough for Klaus to hear me.

He inclined his head. "I see that. Well done."

"You wanted Katherine back, so here she is. On one condition."

His eyes sparkled with amusement. "And what is that?"

"That you leave us alone. All of us," I said, knowing he could tell there were others waiting to strike at him.

I could see Roarke become irritated as he looked at Katherine and he kept shifting his weight. I have him Bonnie announced.

Klaus extended his arm and I removed Katherine's gag before shoving her forward. She went to him, enthralled by his presence. He removed the rope at her wrists and looked at her adoringly. "Do we have a deal?" I asked as I watched him run his hands over her as if in disbelief. His hands rested on her neck and my blood turned icy. Something was wrong. NOW! I shouted to Bonnie and watched in horror as Klaus twisted Katherine's head and severed it from her body as if she were made of clay.

I had seen a lot of horrible things, but that sight made my stomach lurch. Especially when her body fell to the ground and he tossed her head down. His eyes met mine and his smile was cruel. "She is not as special as you are."

My stomach churned at the greedy look in his eyes and I stepped back. "No."

Roarke's scream filled the air and though not everyone could see him, they definitely heard him. Blood poured out of sores that now covered his body and he landed on his back, twitching erratically until he stopped as suddenly as he had started. His death didn't seem to phase Klaus and in the blink of an eye, the clearing was filled with everyone who had come to fight. I felt sick to my stomach. How could I have been so stupid? I asked myself over and over again as wolves and vampires started launching themselves at him.

"Elena, come on!" he hissed as he pulled me away so we could get out of everyone's way.

"Of course he doesn't want Katherine. He knows what I can do Damon. He wants me because I'm...I'm... Why didn't I see that before?" I asked through tears of frustration.

He turned my chin to watch as the large mob of supernatural beings had surrounded Klaus and appeared to be winning. "It's over."

There was the sound of a twig snapping behind us and I screamed at the sight of Klaus. He had blood on him, but if there were any wounds, they had already healed. I stepped in front of Damon and started moving backwards. "You should have just agreed to my terms," he said and faster than I could keep up with, he was behind me. I whirled around to see him holding Damon so tightly Damon couldn't even move.

"No," I breathed, tears streaming down my face. "Let him go."

"Katherine is not the only one that liked to play games," he said with a cruel smile. "I will give you a year to come find your king. If you do, I will leave you both alone for the rest of eternity. Fail and he will die and you will become my queen." My eyes locked onto Damon's and I tried to reach for him, but Klaus moved.

And just like that, they were gone.