Peachie X did Beta on this again. I am grateful again...

The Invitation

"We'll get them Elena. I don't care who it is or where they are."

"Blood first, Damon." Elena whispered into the vampire's ear as he hugged her at the door. "Revenge later."

He had not calmed down any, but at least he was talking to her.

"Right word." He said as he opened the door.

"You'll be back tonight?" Elena asked before she noticed Isobel on the doorstep, she was shocked by her mother's appearance.

Damon ignored her question and glared at Isobel. "You're the only one here. Why?"

Isobel had been staring at Elena, but turned to the other vampire and returned his glare. "One dead, two injured before the witch ran away when Katherine came."

"What?" Elena gasped.

Isobel removed her glare as she moved her eyes back to Elena. "More are coming."

"More to lose because of me…" Elena whispered to herself.

"I can stay." Damon offered.

Elena quickly shook her head. "No. You're hurt – get blood. Stefan's here, as are two witches and more vampires are coming." She pulled him down for a kiss. "Go. I'll see you tomorrow."

Damon nodded and left – not because he thought she was safe now, but because he intended to take matters into his own hands after regaining his strength.

"Are you alright?" Elena asked her mother.

"Better than anyone else that was here."

Elena could only nod thinking that this was all because of her. She stared at her mother briefly and made the decision.

"Do you want to…" Elena began, nodding her head towards the inside.

"You don't have to," Isobel interrupted. "Maybe you like to be in the same house as witches, but I don't."

Elena frowned. "They saved me."

"They weren't alone Elena," Stefan said from behind her, carrying the body of the man that had been killed.

"I know." Elena whispered, the stress beginning to show on her face. She watched as Stefan passed the body through to door to Isobel.

"Do they know if he was a witch?" the girl asked her ex.

"Sarah didn't know him." Stefan said as he handed the body to Isobel. "She took a picture with her phone and is sending it to her mother."

Elena nodded and turned back to Isobel.

"Thank you for helping me, for protecting me. You can come in, when you want."

Isobel was an odd sight with the body of the man slung over her shoulder. "Maybe when the witches are gone." As was so often the case, the daughter could not read her mother's expression as she turned and carried the body out of sight.

Elena was lost in thought as she watched her mother leave. She really was not paying attention as she stepped through the door onto the porch. Stefan started to reach for her, but stopped himself.

"Elena, are you sure it's safe for you outside?"

When Elena realized where she was, she shook her head and took a few deep breaths. He could see tears starting to form in her eyes as she turned back to face him.

"No. Not inside, not outside. No place I am is safe."

She pushed past him and climbed the stairs to join her family.

The Sarcasm

An annoyed Elena sat in the living room with Sarah. Jeremy was lying down in his room, Stefan, Bonnie and Jenna were in the kitchen – talking about her, she thought.

"They treat me like I'm not here," she grumbled to the witch. "Talk about me behind my back. Keep things from me."

"They're just worried about you, Elena." Sarah said.

Elena looked at her new friend desperately. "It's not me they need to worry about. I'm not the one getting hurt. Jeremy was hurt, Damon and other vampires."

"Jeremy's fine."

"Because of you, wasn't it?"

Sarah shrugged. "I don't know. What I did was meant to help vampires. I hoped it helped him, but I'm not really sure what the spell that hit him was meant to do to you."

Elena shook her head. "I'm the target, but everyone around me gets hurt."

"You've been hurt, Elena." the witch noted.

"I've been sitting around expecting others to take care of me and my family."

Sarah stared at the human, not sure what she was getting at.

Elena looked at her, with an expression that eventually turned to pleading. "I know you're tired, you had a long drive to get here. I know that, but will you go somewhere with me, Sarah?"

This was a surprise. "What do you mean?"

Before Elena could respond, they both heard a knock at the door. They rose and moved to where they could see Stefan answer it.

"I need to see Elena" Katherine said as she pushed by him without asking for an invitation.

"I'm here." Elena said.

Katherine walked to stand near her, but stared at Sarah. "I hear that Sarah had a hand in saving you."

"Me and Jeremy," Elena replied. "She helped him recover from the spell that was meant for me."

"Maybe." Sarah said quickly.

"I also hear that Proctor witches are not the most trustworthy." Katherine continued to stare at Sarah.

The witch became defensive. "We keep our promises – whoever they are made to. I've hidden nothing from you."

"She can help you," Elena quickly interjected. "She can help the vampires hurt by the witch's spell."

Katherine's eyes moved to Elena for a few seconds, then back to Sarah.

"Is this true?"

Sarah nodded. "Yes. I was taught the spells when I was young. I used them to help vampires my family was working for. I can help, if they are still alive."

Bonnie, who was standing in the doorway by this time with Jenna and Stefan, could not help herself. "Vampire's aren't alive."

Stefan moved a finger to the witch's lips. Those engaged in conversation ignored her.

"Will you come with me and help them?" Katherine asked Sarah.

The blonde witch turned to Elena.

"Please?" the human asked. "They were hurt because of me." Then she turned to Katherine. "She'll be safe with them – and you?"

"As safe as you are." The vampire replied.

Elena wasn't really sure how safe that was. Though she had been alone with Katherine fairly often, she had never gone anywhere with just Katherine. She had to hope for the best because the witch agreed.

"I'll go. I have an agreement with you, Elena tells me you keep your agreements."

"Thank you." Elena said softly. "We both appreciate it."

The vampire spoke to Elena again. "I have one following those that attacked you. When we hear from him, we'll go after them tonight."

"They have a witch," Elena argued. She already felt bad about the damage the vampires had taken because of her. "She's taken down several…"

"We know, Elena," the Katherine interrupted. "We have ways of dealing with them, now that we know."

"Yeah. Good job so far." Bonnie said sarcastically.

"Bonnie!" Elena looked at her best friend and shook her head. Then she turned back to Katherine. "OK. But since Sarah is staying here tonight, I need to talk to her for a minute before you take her to the others."

Without waiting for the vampire to respond, Elena grabbed Sarah's hand and pulled her to the stairs.

Why They Follow Her

Sarah and Elena were in the bathroom, water running, whispering.

"You think we can get away from them? From Katherine's vampires?"

Elena shook her head. "No. But I think they'll follow, stay with me. I just need to get away from Jeremy and Jenna, to keep this away from them until we can get rid of the threat."

"So we'll find the threat and do what, Elena?"

"We – you, me, Katherine and her vampires – will take them out."

"Katherine will go after them without us, Elena. We won't know where they are."

Elena had an answer for this as well. "You're a witch, cast a spell. You can locate her when you get back and they leave, can't you?"

"If I have something of hers. Do you expect me to pick her pocket while we're gone?"

"Can't you do it with the blood of a family member?" Elena asked, pointing at herself.

"I thought you were Isobel's family." The witch shook her head as the realization hit her. "Katherine's too – which is why you look like her."

Elena hesitated, trying to read the blonde's expression. "So will you do it?"

Sarah still could not force herself to just agree. "What if she asks me to go with her and the vampires?"

"She won't, not after what happened here. She'll want you to stay with me." Elena shook her head. "But she needs you with her. This way, she'll have both."

Sarah sighed, starting to understand why all of the vampires, Bonnie and Alaric seemed to do what Elena said.