Must Not Know About Her

"Elena, what's going on?"

Elena wasn't talking enough for Katherine, but she didn't want to interfere with Bonnie's spell. She lowered her voice, turned away from Bonnie and finally spoke into the phone.

"Bonnie has cast a protection spell. The vans are just parked. We can see the drivers looking at us, but nothing else."

"Is Isobel with you?" Katherine asked.

"Isobel? No." Elena looked in all directions and corrected herself.

"Wait, she is here. She's just outside the protected area. She won't be able to come close until Bonnie stops the spell."

"Well, at least Damon is with you," Katherine said.

Elena looked around again. He was there, outside the spell, moving towards Isobel.

"No, he's outside too. But he's going towards Isobel."

"You are inside a witches spell with your protection outside? Elena!"

"No!" Elena quickly retorted, "the idi…I mean the ones you sent with me are inside with me."

Before she could respond, Elena tried to change the subject.

"I don't think they're going to attack," Elena said. "I think they're just watching us."

"Maybe," Katherine said. "Maybe the fires were to draw you out into the open. Now they just wait for sundown when they are at full strength to attack you."

"Then I need to lead them out of town."

"No Elena, you need to return to the Bennett house."

"But they'll…"

Katherine cut her off. "Elena, have the vans or the vampires in them moved yet?"

"No."

"Drop the spell. She can pick it back up if needed, can't she?"

"I guess," Elena replied.

"Drop the spell. Let me talk to Isobel."

Elena sighed and turned back to Bonnie. She was concentrating. Elena touched her arm to get her attention before speaking.

"Bonnie. Drop the spell for now, unless they attack or something. But we think they won't do that until sunset."

"Sunset?" Bonnie asked. "You mean it wasn't my spell making them keep their distance?"

"I'm not sure, but Katherine thinks not. We need to let Damon and Isobel in anyway."

Bonnie nodded and let the spell go. She started stretching as if she had been cramped up for awhile.

Damon was next to Elena immediately. Isobel and the vampires with her circled from behind Elena to her side. She didn't try to pass through Katherine's protection to Elena until she had spoken to the two outsiders with her.

"They won't let you through to her. Wait for me here?"

The vampires nodded and Isobel joined Elena who was just releasing a hug with Damon.

"Thank you, Elena. You're making it hard for me to get to you."

"Katherine wants to talk to you." Elena said, giving her the phone. Then she turned to Damon.

"See anything?"

"Not really," Damon replied. "There was a fire there, but it didn't last long. I don't know if whoever started it left and it was put out, or if they put it out before they left. Some damage, but no bodies I could find."

Elena nodded and watched Isobel go to the vampires that had arrived with her.

"Are they with you?" Isobel asked, pointing towards the vans.

The vampires just shook there heads.

"Not his," Isobel said into the phone. "But Elena's right. They haven't moved. They probably were just finding her and, now that they have, are waiting until sundown."

Isobel was next to Elena now and handed her the phone. "It's for you."

Elena scowled at her as she took it. "Yes?"

"Elena, how many are with you now?" Katherine asked.

Elena glanced around as she answered. "Damon, Bonnie, Isobel, two that came with her, and six more."

"Then I've lost contact with a couple of mine. I need to check on them. Elena, come back to the Bennett house now."

"But…"

"Elena, come back to the Bennett house now. Do you understand?"

"I understand." Elena said.

"Good. See you soon," Katherine said as she disconnected.

Isobel turned around and said, "Let's go."

She had to turn back to Elena who had not moved. She looked like she was thinking.

"This is the part where you quickly obey." Isobel said.

Bonnie laughed and said "Then you don't know about her."

Elena spoke to Isobel. "I can't leave them in town. How many vampires are in those vans?"

"I would guess 15 each." Damon said.

"No. We're getting them out of town before sunset." Elena said.

The Back, Please

"I need to check some things," Katherine told Alaric. "I'd like you and your darts to come with me. Are you willing?"

Alaric nodded. "We'll go at a leisurely stroll, right? That's what I can manage."

Katherine motioned to a vampire who joined them. "He will carry you. You can be cradled like a baby or a bride, or you can ride piggy-back."

"I'll just go on the back," Alaric said, moving behind the vampire.

"As you wish. Are you ready?"

Alaric grasped his darts firmly and nodded.

He quickly learned that his eyes were best kept closed as he tried to hold on to one of a number of vampires who were following Katherine.

Pushing Buttons

"We'll go slow at first to make sure they follow us," Elena said. "Once we're sure, lets go fairly fast. And we'll stay on the roads until we're out of town for a ways, then go off road and as fast as possible."

"Elena," Isobel argued, "You will be putting the enemy between us and Katherine. She won't be able to get to us to help."

"She'll be able to find us. And I think she has her hands full anyway – she thinks she's lost some of her vampires. Plus we have Bonnie."

Bonnie and Damon just watched their argument. They wondered why Isobel even kept it up. Elena would win eventually.

"Can we go East?" Elena asked Damon.

"Better than Northeast if they're waiting for us in that direction." Damon said.

"We don't know where they are or how many they are." Isobel said.

"And we don't know who they are," Elena said. "But we know where the people of Mystic Falls are, and we are going to be somewhere else."

Then Elena turned to Bonnie.

"We'll need to be able to go as fast as possible Bonnie. I know you want to ride with me, but we'll be much faster if you go with Isobel. She'll be able to keep up with Damon and I promise she will stay right beside me whenever we're moving."

Bonnie grimaced. "You're pushing every button I have today, Elena. You know about her and me."

Elena nodded. "Yes. But it's the best way for us to be fast and for you to stay with me. OK?"

"Yes." Bonnie said, looking at Isobel who was not happy, but had given up the argument.

"Then let's get going." Elena. She was again in Damon's arms as the group began moving - slowly.

Please, Not Again

Jeremy left Jenna and walked the few steps to Stefan who was standing still, looking in the direction that Marcus had gone.

"Can we call Elena? Jenna is worried sick and won't calm down until we can talk to her."

Stefan understood. "I just don't know where the enemy is right now."

"We really need this Stefan. I don't know if she'll stay with us if we don't."

"Fine, but make it short. Do you want me to call her?"

"No." Jeremy replied. "I'll call – she always takes my call. And I'll keep it short."

Jeremy sat next to Jenna as he made the call. "He said yes, but we need to make it short."

Jenna breathed a sigh of relief. "Just so I can talk to her."

Jeremy nodded as he listened to Elena's phone ringing.

"Jeremy?" Elena answered. "Are you OK?"

"Yes. You?"

"Fine." Elena said. "Where are you?"

"Say hi to Jenna first." Jeremy said as he passed the phone

"Elena," Jenna said.

"I'm here," Elena replied tentatively. She didn't know what to expect.

"We have some things to discuss."

Elena waited a second to let her finish. She said no more.

"Now is not the best time."

"I know. Just get yourself back to me in one piece," Jenna said as she gave the phone back to Jeremy.

"Elena?"

"She's upset. Is she remembering?"

"Oh yeah. Please don't mess with her memory again. And we're in the woods, supposedly Northeast of town."

"Who's with you?" Elena asked.

"Stefan and Marcus."

"Marcus? Is that one of Katherine's?"

"Yes," Jeremy replied.

"Tell Stefan we're leaving town going East. I don't know if he can meet us, but we have more help with us."

"Katherine wanted us separated. And there are supposedly some of the bad guys nearby."

"Just tell him. And if something happens, don't let anything get to Jenna"

"I've already had that lecture," Jeremy said.

"From who?"

"Katherine. She made sure I know Jenna comes first."

Elena was surprised Katherine would do that. "Tell Stefan where we're going and let him decide what to do, OK?"

"Yeah. Got to go. Stefan said to keep it short. Be safe Elena," Jeremy said as he disconnected.

Forward the Light Brigade

The vans followed them as hoped - all of the way through town and further. Damon told Elena that, according to her plan, they would leave the road in a couple of minutes.

"Isobel." Elena called to the vampire walking next to her and Damon.

When Isobel was looking at her, she said, "When we leave the road, we need to have one of Katherine's guys stay behind to keep an eye on them so that we know what they do."

"Of course, Elena," Isobel said sarcastically. "Why wouldn't we reduce our numbers just before the battle begins. Leave the stronghold, cut off reinforcements, lie to the general. Where do you get these strategic gems?"

"Please, just ask one of them to."

Isobel glared at her and then moved and spoke to one of the vampires.

"She's not wrong," Damon said to Elena as she watched her mother.

"I know," Elena said. "But I have to protect Mystic Falls. I'll protect the town and you protect me. OK?"

"If we lose you, Elena, the town will burn anyway. You know that, right?"

"Yeah. Katherine's exact words escape me, but they were something like 'it will be burned to the ground and there will not be a human or witch alive within a hundred miles'."

"So you know the score," Damon said.

"I know you have got to keep me alive," Elena said as Isobel joined them again.

"Is it done?" Elena asked.

"Yes," Isobel replied. "Forward the Light Brigade" she quoted as the group made a sharp turn, off the roads, into the fields and increased to full vampire speed.