The Worry

"Have you met her?" Jenna asked Jeremy, referring to Isobel. "You said Elena trusted her."

"I just saw them together once. It looked like she was helping Elena decide something. And they talked again just before we left."

"Do you know where Elena is?"

"No," the nephew responded.

"Why won't they tell me? How do I know she's OK?" Jenna asked.

"We'd know if she wasn't. She has a lot of people looking out for her. Including that lady with Mr. Saltzman."

Jenna just stared at Alaric. He was sitting up by himself now, almost looking normal now, though his clothes were a mess. He hadn't even glanced in her direction, his attention focused on Isobel, though she barely spoke to him.

"How can he be better now?" Jenna asked. "I saw him when he came in. They said he was dead, and he looked it to me."

"That, I really don't know," Jeremy said as he fingered his own ring. "I guess someone's looking out for him as well."

"Someone needs to explain all of this to me."

"You'll just get upset if I say Elena again, so ask Stefan or even Bonnie. They might tell you something."

Unspoken Feelings

Alaric had noticed Isobel even before he managed to open his eyes. He heard her voice, felt her touch. He couldn't speak, and he didn't know what he would say anyway. But it was her – at her best. Not the distant, cold Isobel that he had seen recently. This was the Isobel he loved.

But now that his eyes were open, now that he could see her clearly, now that he could speak, he didn't want to. She was withdrawing. What little she said was again cold and indifferent.

He had lost her again. He wanted her back as she was more than anything, but for whatever reason, she wouldn't do it.

"Thank you," Alaric whispered. He knew she would hear and she did. She caught his eyes briefly, and nodded.

"Still claiming you do not care about me?" Alaric asked.

"I never said that," Isobel replied, looking at him. Not cold or distant – this was good.

"Not with words. But you did some things."

"Everyone does things."

"Are you saying you do care?" Alaric was speaking softly. He had noticed Jenna was in the room. Not that he was hiding anything from her – this moment was just a little too intimate to be freely shared.

"Does it matter?" she asked. His Isobel was back. "We are in totally different places now."

"Not totally. Sometimes you are here helping Elena. Sometimes I help her. Not totally different."

"It's not enough, Rick. I am so happy to see you where you are, to see you doing what you want. To see others in your life you care about. But you can't be where you are and where I am at the same time. And you love where you are. You help take care of Elena. I could ask nothing else for you or of you."

"Are you happy where you are?" Alaric asked.

"That doesn't matter," Isobel said as she stood and picked up the remaining supplies used to help him. "I can't come back. I'm really lucky that I get to see you once in awhile, that I get to help my daughter sometimes. Given what I've done, I can expect no more."

The Witch and the Queen *****_(yeah, you fill in the blank)

Bonnie received a text from Elena – 'can we talk – alone?'

She understood, moved into a different room and called.

"Hey Bonnie. Is everyone safe?" Elena asked.

"Yes, everyone is. Even Alaric has recovered from being shot."

"Him too? I was only told that Jenna was attacked. What happened?"

"I wasn't there, but Stefan said that two humans forced there way into your house and pulled Jenna outside where there was a vampire waiting. Stefan and Damon were near – apparently as you asked them to be – and went to help. Alaric came a little later. One of them had a gun and shot him. Then they ran away, Stefan carried Jenna and Damon carried Alaric here."

"And Damon was shot too?"

"I don't know. He didn't stay."

Elena took a breath to try to keep her temper under control. "You mean you wouldn't invite him in. Bonnie…"

"Elena, you know how I feel. You know what there is between us. And you know he feels the same about me."

"But he was hurt and he was helping. Bonnie. You know he's not the same as he was."

"No, Elena, I don't know that. I know he brought Alaric to us when he had died and then he took off. But I did let Isobel in when she asked to see Alaric."

The human wasn't consoled. "You let Isobel in, but not Damon. You're picking sides, Bonnie. Everyone but Damon."

"Grams wouldn't let him in. How can I?"

"Emily helped him. You know that when he became a vampire, she helped him until he changed."

"I know, Elena," the witch replied, her own anger audible, "and I know you are picking and choosing. Damon did not always get along with Emily, and he never got along with Grams."

"Could it be because she trapped him in the tomb that she knew he could not get out of?"

"And he never meant us any harm?"

Elena switched tactics. "He helps me, Bonnie. He protects me."

"I do too. I told you I would do anything you asked of me to protect you. I made a promise and I will keep it. But I think you need to be protected from him."

"He does anything I ask of him without question, without hesitation. I don't need protection from him. He'll do anything for me."

"Yes he will, Elena." Bonnie confirmed. "No matter who else gets hurt."

The Reveal

"Vampires?" Jenna said, totally shocked. "That's just a bunch of old stories – fables to explain away deaths in the woods. There's no such thing."

"Are you so sure?" Stefan asked. "Even after what you've seen today? Did you see nothing unusual?"

"Yeah, you were fast, so was she," Jenna said, pointing at Isobel. "But I was in shock. Maybe I didn't see things as they were."

"And Alaric?"

Isobel had heard enough – she retreated to a corner of the room away from Rick and the others. She couldn't bear to be near him anymore – afraid of what she would do. And this other conversation was insane. She thought she should just provide a demonstration – an object lesson so to speak.

"What, Alaric's a vampire too?" Jenna asked.

"No," Stefan said, beginning to think it would have not been such a bad idea to tell her to just ask Elena, like everyone else had done. But Elena didn't need to deal with this as well. "He's not. But what happened to him is extraordinary. It is related to all of this. And one of the guys attacking you was trying to bite you when I got there."

Jenna closed her eyes and shuddered as she remembered. If nothing else he said was true, this was. Stefan had saved her.

"Please tell me that Elena is safe, that no one is attacking her."

"She's safe," Bonnie said as she walked in the room, holding the phone. "Safe and bitchy as ever."

Bonnie carried the phone to Isobel. "Elena would like to talk to you."

"Would she?" Isobel asked, taking the phone. She almost assumed her icy tone, but how could she after her talk with Rick?

"Hello Elena."

"Hi." Elena wasn't sure what Isobel was doing there, so decided to get right to the point. "Katherine said you could help Damon or Stefan if I asked. I am asking you to help Damon."

"What kind of help, Elena?"

"I think he's trying to track the guys that hurt Jenna. He said he's at my house trying to pick up their trail. I asked him to stay there and wait for me, for us, and he said he would. But I would feel better if you would go to him and keep him there or help him or stay with him or something."

"Or something. OK, Elena. I will go. I think my welcome here is wearing thin anyway."

"Will you call me when you're with him?"

"I will if I can, Elena. It should only be a few minutes."

"OK. Thank you," Elena said as she disconnected.

Alaric was standing next to Isobel by now. "Elena?" he asked.

Isobel nodded and forced a smile. "You help her, and now it's my turn. I do hope we see each other again soon, Rick. Take care of yourself, and Elena, until then. OK?"

He nodded and let her kiss him on the cheek as she went to the door that Bonnie was holding open for her.

Isobel paused and faced Bonnie before leaving. "Thank you Bonnie Bennett. I keep my promises. I will never enter your home uninvited. And I am in your debt. If I can ever do anything for you, you need only ask." Then Isobel was through the door and out of sight.

Protection Needn't Equal Truth

Isobel moved at top speed to the Gilbert house. She thought it was funny. The last time she had run like this, she was following Damon who was carrying Elena to safety. Here she was again, following Damon for Elena.

She wasn't terribly surprised when she reached the Gilbert house and Damon was not there. She couldn't enter, but she concentrated and listened. He wasn't inside or outside. Like so many, he was doing what he thought he needed to do to protect Elena. And, as was so often the case, that meant that he didn't do exactly what he told Elena he would do.

She began to look for a trail to follow...