Wisdom

Bonnie was getting increasingly nervous. She and Alaric were going deeper into the trees, there was less and less sunlight – really none anymore.

She had picked up on what she thought was Damon's trail, but that was long gone. They were following another vampire now.

Bonnie was leading the way, Alaric was following, ready to act when needed. She was impressed – he seemed as fearless as Elena, as trusting of her as Elena.

But she was starting to lose faith in this. Not in herself or her power, just in the wisdom of following an unknown, probably hostile vampire out of the protection of the light into the trees.

"I think we should go back and wait for Stefan," Bonnie said, stopping and turning to face him.

"But you said we were following Damon and that he might need help."

"We were, but something's changed. I don't have Damon's trail anymore, if I ever did. I don't know who we're following."

"OK," Alaric said. "If you think so. But there are two of us. You apparently pack quite a punch, and I have vervain darts and stakes that have taken out quite a few vampires. Couldn't we handle one vampire?"

"That's just it. I'm getting better at telling where they are and where they've been, but not their numbers. If they're spread out, like Katherine's were, I can tell them apart. But if they're close together, I don't think I could. There could be one or five, just close together. I don't know. I think we should at least go back to where there's sunlight."

"Fine, but if we're getting out, lets get out. I think that, if it's paying attention and sees us turn around, it will come after us. How fast can you run?"

Obsessed

Stefan was walking next to Elena, obsessed. Not with their mission or the recent deaths, not even with her. He was obsessed with her bracelet. She almost never had anything on either wrist, and it was much too nice for her to have bought for herself anyway.

He was barely registering what she said as they walked.

"Can you tell if Damon went this way? I think he did, but he left so fast."

"There's a trail here," Stefan said. "He was here."

"And Bonnie?"

"Bonnie and Alaric came this way as well."

"Anyone or anything else?"

"I don't think so. But would you expect anything out here? Maybe when we get to the trees."

Elena nodded. "Are we being followed?"

"Behind us and to the left of us. They're Katherine's?"

"Yeah. My protection, it seems. I couldn't talk her out of it this time. But only two sides? Does that mean there's only two of them?"

"Yes. Two. How many did you think?"

"There were four. Did the others stay behind?"

Stefan shrugged his shoulders. "That I don't know. I can tell what's near us pretty well, but I don't have much range."

Elena nodded, and wondered what happened, and what to do next. Her musings were interrupted by a question which, though expected eventually, was unwelcome at the moment.

"I see you have a bracelet. Did it come from Katherine?"

"Katherine?" Elena asked. "No. Why would you think that?"

"I just don't know all the details of your deal with her. And I don't know who else would …" He decided it might not be wise to finish that statement.

She knew the questions would come, and not just from Stefan. And she had no intention of hiding it or her "agreement" with Damon from him or anyone else. But now?

"Not Katherine," she repeated. "And please, use your super hearing and seeing and smelling or whatever to find Bonnie or to tell if there is danger near, not to brood over what is not being hidden. We'll talk about it when this is done."

"'Talk about'. Every guy's favorite words."

"Please Stefan. Concentrate. Is there no sign of trouble with Bonnie or anyone?"

"I'm not hearing them at all."

"Then we need to go faster. Would you be willing to carry me and run until you do hear or sense something?"

Really, it was more to get the subject away from the bracelet than for any worry about Bonnie and Alaric or Damon, though she was thinking things were moving too slowly.

Stefan nodded, and she let his arms lift her and hold her close as he increased his speed.

How Could She Not Have Known?

Katherine was furious. Not at Elena, not at the vampires she had sent to watch over Elena, certainly not at Damon, but at herself. She knew Elena well enough to know that she would react to what seemed like a couple of random killings like this. And she knew Damon and Stefan well enough that they would do whatever Elena asked, no matter how risky.

Damon was in trouble, so she had sent two of the vampires she had watching over Elena to find and help him. She knew they would be fast, she hoped they would be fast enough. At least she knew that Bonnie and the teacher were there as well. More power, if needed.

As she entered the woods she wondered if she was being just as reckless as Elena seemed to be. Probably an overreaction - there was not much that Katherine could not handle by herself, let alone with the help of people that were already in the woods and that she knew were on her side.

She pushed such thoughts out of her mind and concentrated on getting to where she knew Damon to be. She would have to trust Elena's safety to the two she had left to protect her.

Saved by the Light - Maybe

Damon had been caught. He knew it was just a matter of time. He had finally seen some sunlight – a break in the trees. Not a very large spot, but enough to give him some breathing room.

Now that he was still, he could see – two vampires. At least one of them looked familiar, but he could not remember where from.

"Can't come into the light? Must be awfully inconvenient. You don't know the right people."

"The sun won't last," said one of the vampires.

It was true. The light was just a spot – a break in the woods. It would eventually disappear – long before sunset. The trees would eventually block all of the light.

Damon reached for his phone. Gone. He didn't know if it had made it back into his pocket when he had called Katherine or not. Hopefully it had, and it had just fallen out recently. Not that it mattered. For now, he had two vampires near him, and his job was to keep them here – away from wherever Elena was now.

"You could tell me why you're chasing me." Damon said.

"You chased us," a vampire replied.

"I followed you. There's a difference." Damon said.

No response. Not very talkative. Damon's words would not hold them here.

One of them turned around – it looked like he was leaving. The other glanced briefly in his direction, away from Damon. Damon jumped out of the light and knocked him over. The vampires were quickly back next to each other as Damon backed into the light again. Hopefully the message was clear – they both needed to stay there with him.

Trails and Idiots

Stefan stopped. He still held Elena. He couldn't bear to put her down, and was afraid she would ask him to. She didn't, but she did give him a quizzical look.

"The trails separate here, Elena. Damon went in one direction, Bonnie and Alaric in another."

It was time. She had to decide who might need help more. She didn't spend much time on it - humans and witches were much more vulnerable. She didn't like the idea of leaving contact with Damon until later, but she felt she had to.

Elena spoke softly, hoping her vampire protectors would not hear. "Stefan, follow Bonnie, but slowly at first. When I squeeze your shoulder – go at top speed to them. OK?"

"Why?" he whispered.

"Need to lose these guys, at least for a little bit. If there's something bothering Bonnie, I want it to move away from them to us. I'm not sure it'll do that if the idiots are too close."

"They'll be faster than me," Stefan said.

"Then we'll need surprise to give us a head start."

"It won't last Elena."

"Still, Stefan, try. Please?"

Stefan nodded and began to move in the right direction. Slowly, as she had asked.

How Long?

Alaric and Bonnie hadn't made it out of the trees. He had been right again – shortly after turning around, the vampire they were following was on them.

Vampires, actually. There were two. But Bonnie had been had been careful enough to keep here wits about her as they were walking quickly towards the safety of the light. She had sensed the vampires in time to call Alaric to a stop and to start the protection spell again.

Now they stood still next to a tree in a very small area surrounded by 'moving air'. She was wondering how long she could keep this up. He was wondering if he could shoot one of his vervain darts through the air movement without disrupting the spell or having it deflected from its target.