The Vampire

Elena was regaining her composure. She knew Katherine would not hurt her, so she tried to just have a conversation.

"That's not who the Gilberts are anymore. No one is trying to hurt you now."

"John Gilbert killed my best friend and her daughter. It was not just about tomb vampires. It was about all of us. And he did not act alone."

"I know," Elena said, trying keep her voice steady and sounding reasonable. "But he's dead. He was the instigator. No one else will fight you. But we're not talking about them anyway. Jeremy would not do that."

The vampire was not moved. "You're very reliable, Elena, when you make promises for yourself. But you're trying to make promises you cannot keep."

"He tried to become a vampire. He was in love with Anna, he wanted to protect her. When he found out that Vicki was a vampire, all he did was think of how he could have helped her. He doesn't hate vampires. If anything, he wants to help."

"Elena, you are asking for too much. The ring did not protect John Gilbert from me and it would not protect your brother from me."

Elena was keeping her voice steady, though it was getting harder. "I don't think he needs protection from you. You have promised me you will leave him alone if he does not attack you, and I know you will. It is protection from others that he needs."

"Too much, Elena. Even if you are right about him, the ring could easily fall into the wrong hands. Even now, there is one ring that is not in Gilbert hands. The teacher helps you now and I do not feel the need to take the ring from him. But to give back the ring I have? A ring used to protect people trying to destroy me? You ask for too much."

Elena had turned to almost pleading now. "You know I'll do whatever you ask me to. I just ask for this one favor. He's all that's left of my family."

Katherine stared at Elena. "Putting aside the blatant insult to Isobel and myself, that is no reason to give him the ring."

Elena closed her eyes and took a breath, knowing she had made a mistake. She tried a different tactic.

"How long will this go on?" Elena asked Katherine. "Pearl and Anna are dead. All they wanted was their life. You say that all you want is to live in peace, that the town attacking you is the problem. The town only reacts when people die. How long will this feud go on?"

"Until they leave me and mine alone."

"Will I be caught in the middle? Who will kill me first - the town for helping you, or you for protecting Jeremy? When will the feud end?"

She almost thought Katherine was considering her words. Almost. Katherine waited a moment or two before speaking.

"There's only one Gilbert left in Mystic Falls. That feud could end anytime."

And Katherine was gone.

The Other Vampire

Elena was distraught. Was that a threat? From what she remembered, Katherine's threats were much more specific – burn Mystic Falls to the ground, blow up Bonnie's house. Nothing like that here.

But she couldn't take the chance. She called the only one who she thought knew Katherine better than her – Damon.

It went straight to voicemail. She didn't leave a message.

She did get a text message within seconds" "Hunting. Need me?"

She replied: "No. Call when done"

She briefly wondered if he was hunting for animals or humans. She really wasn't in a mood to care even if it was humans - they would live. And even though she knew from personal experience that it would hurt, she also knew they would recover. She called Stefan.

"Elena. Hi."

"Will you come over, Stefan?"

He could tell her voice was strained. "Now?"

"Please."

Elena went to the porch to wait for his arrival.

She greeted him with a hug when he arrived.

"You sounded upset."

"Yeah. You remember that Katherine killed John Gilbert? And that he had a ring like Alaric's?"

Stefan nodded.

"She took the ring when she killed him. You know I've been worried about Jeremy, and it's my family's ring anyway, so I asked her to give it back so I could give it to him."

The vampire understood. "Didn't go well?"

"No." She said, accepting another hug but cutting it off quickly. "I don't think she'll hurt him, but she won't let me do that for him."

Stefan knew it was probably the wrong place to go, but…

"Elena, I told you …"

"No." She cut him off. "Do not criticize my decision again. I have no problem with anything she has asked me to do. I will keep my promises to her."

He could tell that Elena was getting irritated. "I know. I just worry about you. I just want you to be safe."

"Quit trying to keep me safe from Katherine. I don't need that. I need to know how to keep Jeremy safe."

"He'll make his own decisions, Elena. You tried to keep him out of it all, but he came in on his own. Just like you. And he'll have to deal, just like you do."

"But he's made so many bad choices, and he's lost so much. He's right when he says he's lost more than me."

"Then don't let him lose you." He advised. "Did your talk with him earlier go OK?"

"He asked us to take him to the last place I saw vampires, so I did. I took him to where it all happened last week. And he saw some stuff."

"Stuff," Stefan repeated. If he had learned anything since the bracelet appeared, it was that he was not allowed to pry. She would tell him or not.

She didn't.

"Yeah. He says he'll talk to me now, but I don't know how he'll take it."

"Then maybe you need to talk to him."

"Yeah, but he's gone right now. I will when he comes back." Elena did feel a little better now. "And you're right, I need to make sure he knows that whatever happens, he won't lose me. Taking to you has helped. Thank you."

Stefan nodded. "Winning any brownie points? I kind of think I need them."

He had been better lately, and she knew the subject would never go away.

"Yeah, you've earned a couple of points. But I'm still nowhere near…"

He let her not finish the sentence. "Just don't give up on me."

"I won't if you won't give up on me. Show me what you've got – if you haven't already. But Stefan, I'm 17. What do you expect me to do? I'm not making any life-long decisions yet."

"The bracelet just has me spooked. That and that you're spending more time with him than me."

"I'm keeping my promises to him," Elena was careful to look into his eyes as she spoke. "As I told you before, he earned it. Don't make this harder for me."

"Maybe you are like Katherine."

He knew he thought it, maybe whispered it. He really didn't think he had said it out loud. He didn't expect Elena to hear it, but she did.

And it did not go over well. She almost made a show of getting up to go inside.

"Thank you for your help. Please call on me again when you think I might be more reasonable."

The Witch

Damon hadn't called yet, Jeremy was still gone, so Elena decided to see Bonnie.

Bonnie invited her to sit at the table.

"Katherine turned me down – about me giving the ring to Jeremy," Elena said. "I understand why. I just can't get her to see that Jeremy is not a threat to her.

"You don't know who he is lately, Elena. He may be a threat to her - or you."

"No," Elena denied with a shake of her head, "he's hurt. He's confused. But he's my brother. The worst he's ever done to me is ignore me. I've done much worse to him."

They sat in silence a minute before Elena asked the question both of knew would come, and which both feared.

"Will you charm a ring to protect Jeremy, Bonnie? Will you do it for me?"

Bonnie paused before answering. "Remember when Katherine put me in the hospital? And you saved me?"

Elena nodded.

"And just before I was released, you noticed the bracelet blocking my power was gone – but I didn't want to talk about it. You let me get away with that."

"I remember."

"Katherine took the bracelet off. But she made me promise to use my power to protect you. You saved me. I would have done that anyway, so I promised. And I will Elena – anything you ask of me that will help protect you, I will do. I would even charm a ring or necklace for you if you asked, though I am not sure it would work. But I can't do that for Jeremy."

Elena had closed her eyes by now. Bonnie could tell that what she was saying hurt.

"It's not that I don't want to. I don't know who he is. I don't know if he will fight the vampires like the other Gilberts did. And Emily did this at the peak of her power. Mine is still growing. I really don't know if it would work, and wouldn't want you to rely on it. After some time has passed, after we know what he will do, after my power has grown, ask me again. But I can't now, Elena. I'm sorry, but I can't."

Elena nodded and left her best friend's home, wondering what else she could do to protect Jeremy.