A/N Last episode before the finale, which personally, I think you guys will love!

"So these are the specs for the history department. For the Founder's Day float we'll be recreating the battle of Willow Creek. Tyler has been nominated at the head of the production design." Alaric said as he passed around papers to all the students in the cafeteria. Stefan was back to his 'Bambi Diet' as Damon called it. Damon and I were still on human blood from the blood banks.

"By whom?" Tyler asked Alaric.

"By me. I've seen your sketches. They're really good." Alaric told him.

"I'm not into the…"

"Pick you're team, be creative and don't screw up." Alaric told him. Alaric headed towards Elena and Stefan. Tyler turned to Matt.

"You want to help me out with this?" He asked. Matt shook his head.

"Not really, no." Tyler turned to me, opening his mouth to ask the same question.

"I'm not good at building, but sure, I'll help out." I told him. He smiled.

"Thanks."

"Beth!" I turned as Alaric called for me.

"Gotta go." I hurried over to Alaric and he led me into his classroom. Stefan, Elena and Damon were already there, waiting for us.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"I saw Isobel last night." Alaric told us.

"Isobel is here? In town?" Damon asked. Alaric nodded.

"Did you ask her about Uncle John? Are they working together?" Damon asked.

"No."

"No their not working together?" I asked.

"No, I didn't ask."

"What about the invention?" Damon asked.

"The what?" I asked.

"Didn't ask."

"Did she know about the tomb vampires?"

"I don't know."

"Did works completely escape you?" Damon asked.

"No, I was a little distracted by my dead vampire wife to ask my questions!" Alaric snapped. I sat down on the desk top next to him.

"What did she want?" I asked.

"She wants to see me." Elena informed us.

"Alaric is supposed to arrange a meeting. We don't know why or what she wants." Stefan told us.

"You don't have to see her if you don't want to." Damon told Elena.

"I don't really have a choice." Elena told him.

"She's threatened to go on a killing spree." Alaric said.

"And I take it that's not okay with you…?" Damon asked.

"No!" We all said at once. Elena sighed.

"I want to do it. I want to meet her. I'll regret it if I don't."

Later Damon, Alaric and I stood in front of the Grill. Stefan, Elena and Isobel were inside. Damon was pacing back and forth, obviously not happy.

"We should be in there." Damon said.

"She made it clear we were not to set a foot inside. We're pushing it having Stefan inside across the restaurant…" Alaric reminded him.

"I'm not gonna kill her in a crowded restaurant."

"You're not going to kill her, period!" Alaric told him.

"She ruined your life and you still want to protect her?" Damon asked.

"She's my wife… Was my wife… I looked for the woman I married, but she wasn't there. Whoever that is, she'd cold and desolate."

"She must've given up her humanity." I told him.

"Yeah, I don't get that. Stefan's got his a humanity and he's a good guy. You've got your humanity, you're better than some humans I've known. Damon's a-." I ignored the cuss word. Damon shot a look at Alaric. "-but there's something human in him. But with her… There was nothing." Alaric said.

"You can turn it off. Like a button you can press. I mean, Stefan's different. He wants the whole human experience. So do I. The problem is, as a vampire, your instinct is not to feel. Isobel chose the easy road; no guilt, no shame, no regret." I explained. Alaric looked over at Damon.

"You haven't shut it off."

"Of course I have Ric. That's why I'm so fun to be around." He said. Alaric looked at me. I shook my head and mouthed 'no he hasn't' at him. My phone buzzed and I pulled it out of my pocket.

"It's Tyler. I'm not sure how many more 'family drama' excuse cards I can throw at him…" I muttered.

"He wants you to help with the float?" Alaric asked.

"Yep. Can you guys handle this alone, should something need to be handled?" I asked.

"Of course." Damon told me.

"Then I will meet up with you in a while." I answered the phone as I walked away.

"Hey Tyler."

"Hey, I was just wondering if you had those sketches done you were going to do for me?"

"Oh yeah, do you want me to drop them off at your place? I'm going right past it." I said. It was a lie, but I could be there in a couple seconds.

"That'd be great."

"I'll be there in a minute." I darted home, grabbed my backpack with the float sketches in it and then darted to his house. I knocked on the door.

"Here ya go." I handed him the sketches as he opened the door.

"Thanks. You wanna come in for a minute?" He asked, stepping aside from the door. I saw his mom watching us and I shook my head. The last thing I need is to blow my human-cover by doing something stupid.

"No thanks; I have something else I need to get to. But we'll see each tomorrow when we work on the float, right?" I asked. He nodded.

"Yeah, sure." I hurried off the porch, going human speed until I was out of sight of the house and could vamp-speed back home.

The next day almost everyone at the school was working on the float. Tyler put me as supervisor over the girls panting the walls of the shed that would be on the fort. I looked over at Elena and saw her talking to Isobel. Elena saw me watching moved her eyes towards the float, signaling for me to look there. I looked over right as someone jumped onto the trailer. Matt was working on the axel underneath it and it crushed his arm. He yelled in pain. Tyler and some of his friends ran over to lift the trailer. I got there a second later and used my vampire strength to lift it up just enough for Matt to get his arm out. Caroline ran over.

"Caroline, call an ambulance." I told her. She got on her phone and came back a minute later.

"The ambulance is saying it'll take fifteen to twenty minutes to get here."

"I can drive you to the hospital." Tyler offered.

"Caroline can take me."

"I didn't drive!" She cried.

"Then I'll wait!" I kneeled down in front of him, compelling him.

"You need to go to the hospital. Let Tyler drive you."

"Fine." He agreed under the compulsion.

"I'll bring my car around." Tyler said before running off to do so. Elena ran over to me and grabbed my arm, pulling me away from the crowd.

"Jeremy's gone!"

Bonnie, Elena, Stefan, Damon and I stood in the Salvatore living room.

"Absolutely not!" Damon protested.

"Just hear me out!" Elena pleaded.

"I'm not gonna give the device to Isobel so she can turn it over to John so he can kill me! I like being a living dead person!" Damon told her.

"What device?" I demanded.

"You start dating the mayor's kid you get put out of the loop!" Damon told me.

"Whoa, you're dating Tyler?" Bonnie asked.

"Kind of."

"Focus! And Damon, it'll be useless; Bonnie can take its power away." Elena said.

"I don't trust her." Damon said.

"I can remove the original spell." Bonnie told him.

"John and Isobel will never know." Elena added.

"No, I'll get Jeremy my own way." Damon decided.

"Really? How are you going to do that?" Stefan asked.

"Isobel is a vampire; thanks to you might I add. She could kill Jeremy the second that you walked in that door!" I reminded him.

"Are you even up to this? I mean, no offense, but you're no Emily Bennett. Emily knew what she was doing!" Damon reminded Bonnie.

"I've been practicing!" Bonnie told him.

"It's not piano lessons, honey!" Damon snapped.

"What's your favorite book?" She asked Damon.

"What?"

"Name a book."

"Name a book… Call of the Wild. Jack London." Bonnie turned to the library behind us and held out her hand. A book flew off the shelf and into Damon's hands. He looked at the title.

"Jack London. Great parlor trick." Damon told her.

"We're doing this, Damon. And we're doing it my way! Now give me the device; we're wasting time!" Elena told him, holding out a hand.

"I don't trust you; I tried to kill you!" Damon told Bonnie.

"You're right. You can't trust me." Bonnie agreed.

"But you can trust me." Elena told him. He looked around at all of us and then handed Elena a small box. She took it gratefully.

"Thank you."

Bonnie did a quick spell to make it useless and then we went to the town square to trade it to Isobel. Damon, Stefan and I stayed out of sight.

"Where's the device?" Isobel demanded Elena.

"Where's my brother?"

"This isn't a negotiation. Give me the invention!"

"Where's my brother?"

"You really think I came alone?" Two vampires stepped up behind Elena. She didn't even look behind her.

"You think I came alone?" Damon and Stefan walked up behind Isobel. I went over to Elena. I turned to the vampires and growled, letting my fangs extend. They took a step back. I smiled. Newbie's, what a waste of Isobel's time…

"For god sakes, call home!" Isobel told Elena.

"What?"

"Call home and ask to speak to Jeremy." Elena pulled out her phone and dialed her home. I listened in as someone answered the phone.

"Hello?" Jeremy. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Jeremy, are you okay?" Elena asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Uncle John hit his head, though. It was an accident." He informed her.

"We're all laughing!" Jenna said in the background.

"But yeah, I'm fine." Jeremy told Elena.

"I'll be home, soon, alright?"

"Yeah, okay." Jeremy hung up. Elena looked at Isobel.

"You were never gonna hurt him." Elena told her.

"No, I was going to kill him. Don't look for any redeeming qualities in me. I don't have any." Isobel told her.

"But you took a risk with Damon… How did you know that he was going to give it to me?" Elena asked. Isobel smirked.

"Because he's in love with you." Everyone looked at Damon. He looked down, uncomfortable. Elena handed the device over to Isobel.

"Thank you." Elena told her.

"For what?"

"For being such a monumental disappointment. It keeps the memory of my real mother perfectly intact!" Elena snapped.

"Goodbye, Elena. As long as you keep a Salvatore on each arm, you're doomed. Katherine was smart. She got out. But we all know you're not Katherine." Isobel darted off, as did the two vampires behind Elena. Stefan went over to hug Elena. Damon just looked down and darted off. I followed.

Later that night, I was just going to sleep when my phone rang beside me. I picked it up to see who was calling. Elena… I answered it.

"What? It's late, I'm tired…"

"I know, I'm sorry." It sounded like she was crying. I sat up in bed.

"Elena, what happened?"

"Jeremy…"

"Jeremy what?" I demanded, instantly worried.

"Jeremy knows."