Elena

She reached the Boarding House in minutes. She sighed. Did she really want to go inside right now? Nope. It was almost dawn. She wanted to be there when the sun rose. She glanced at the ring Bonnie had given her earlier. Might as well chance it, if it wasn't a daylight ring she was sure Caroline and Damon would be just one more step closer to snapping at Bonnie. She headed round the side of the house to the garden, leaning against the wall where she'd talked to Damon and Ric the night of her nineteenth birthday. She heard leaves rustling. She frowned. They were too loud to be made by the wind. She focused her hearing, picking up light footsteps. No heartbeat. Vampire.

"Elena." The soft voice coming from behind her caused her to whirl around with such force she surprised the older vampire. She felt her arms being grabbed to stop her attacking.

"God Elena, calm down. It's just me." Katherine rolled her eyes, an action she mirrored the second she saw Katherine.

"What do you want Katherine?" Katherine looked uncomfortable. Almost nervous.

"I need to talk to you." her eyes pleading with her to understand. "Not here."

She hesitated before decided for once she should stand up for herself.

"I'm not going anywhere with you considering the last time you snuck up on me you plugged me with vervain and kept me starved in a cellar." She raised an eyebrow at her double. "Also, I reckon Damon might stake you if he knew you were within five feet of me." Katherine cocked her head, her gaze trailing over Elena.

"Damon now is it?" She grinned wickedly "Of course it is, I'm surprised I didn't notice earlier."

She would have blushed if she could have as the remembered what she was wearing. Shorts. Very short shorts. And a shirt of Damon's that she hadn't even bothered to re-button. She sighed.

"Katherine, I won't go anywhere with you so just tell me what you came to tell me then leave."

Katherine's mouth opened as if to speak but she gagged. Her eye's widened. She suddenly realised. Katherine was compelled.

"You're compelled. Obviously whatever you came to tell me is actually important." She sighed "Look, try to word it in a way that you can tell me and I'll understand." She could practically see the internal battle running through Katherine mind. She watched as her double's eyes widen excitedly.

"I think I've got it." she paused, running the words through her mind like before.

"He's like before. He was inside he who was bound to your life." Her eyes widened in victory.

Klaus. When Klaus was inside Alaric's body, controlling him.

"It's like before." Panic rose inside of me. How could I know who he was inhabiting this time.

"Emily's descendent knows." Bonnie? No. That couldn't be right. "Spell used to save friends."

Her voice was growing stronger as she realised how she could arrange her words so I would understand.

"Like before. Worse." She watched her try to continue but gag on her sentence. She grabbed the tops of her arms.

"Thank you." She said the words nonchalantly but Katherine's eyes softened.

"I lost my family. You're all I have left." Voices began to drift out of the Boarding House drawing closer to them. With a flash she was gone.

Her mind spinning she turned around to see Caroline emerging from the back door.

"Elena! Damon's looking for you." Caroline scanned her eyes over her, taking in her facial expression. Her eyes narrowed. She glanced at the door, footsteps drawing closer. Damon.

"Whatever just happened. Tell him." she had to strain to hear her before she watched her turn around and walk towards the house, passing Damon as she went.

"Elena, do you plan on being a pile of ash in the morning? The sun's gonna be up in about fifteen minutes, maybe less and I don't really fancy your ash mucking up my garden." she rolled her eyes at him while lifting her hand to show him the ring.

"Is it a daylight ring?" He asked curiously "When did Bonnie give you it?"

"Not sure, there's only one way to find out though." she nudged him gently when his eye's widened.

"It's fine Damon, if it doesn't work I can be inside in less than a second, then you can help me yell at Bonnie." his eyes were conflicted. She kissed his cheek softly. "It's fine."

He looked at her properly. "What happened?" he asked simply. She buried her face in his chest, letting herself sink into his arms.

"Katherine was here." He jumped to conclusions immediately, pulling back to he could examine her from head to toe, looking for any signs of injury. She smiled at him softly. His face relaxed as he sank down on the wall, still holding her tightly.

"She was compelled by Klaus to not tell me anything but she came anyway, she tried to tell me something but kept choking on her words. That's why I was out here so long. It took a while before she figured a way around it."

Before she could continue Damon cut in "I'm going to stake her if she comes within five feet of you again, you know." She laughed out loud.

"That's exactly what I told her!" he smirked at her. "Anyway, after a while she got it. She said-" She paused slightly "-He's like before. He was inside he who was bound to you." She watched his eyes widen.

"Klaus was inside Alaric. He's inside someone else now?" he breathed. She nodded silently

"Emily's descendent knows; spell used to save friends." His eyes hardened.

"Bonnie. Bonnie used a spell to put Klaus into someone's body to save-" he frowned. "-by saving Klaus she essentially saved me." Her mind worked on overdrive, trying to figure it out.

"And Caroline." He nodded in agreement. "Then she said it would be like before, but worse."

Panic clawed in her stomach. Klaus was alive. And he could be anywhere. Tears filled her eyes, spilling over onto Damon's hands where they cupped her face. He wiped them away with his thumbs. He looked her straight in the eye repeating the words she'd spoken to him so long ago.

"We'll survive this. We always survive."

His arms wound her way around her waist, clasping over her stomach as she turned around to face the same way as him. She felt him lean against the low wall with his chin resting on her shoulder. She turned to kiss him softly, sweetly, hesitantly but so many words were conveyed into that kiss. He tensed slightly as the sun rose but she felt nothing. She squealed in happiness at feeling the warmth on her skin, leaning her head back to rest against Damon's shoulder.

"Did you honestly just squeal?" She felt him laugh softly. "I swear you're turning into Caroline."

She elbowed him. She'd been doing that a lot recently.

"Don't ruin this. It's perfect."

"You squealed. Of course I was going to comment." She felt him blow into her ear. She squealed again. She turned around to face Damon with a mock glare on her face. "You. Did. Not. Just. Do. That." He shrugged feigning innocence.

"You squealed. Twice." he prodded her in the ribs before speeding away.

She shook her head softly laughing before glancing in the window of the Boarding House. Tyler was watching her with a strange expression on his face. A cross between anger and sadness. She met his eyes, with a confused look watching as he walked away.

A/N I honestly feel like i've not updated in ages! Anyway, told updates will be less frequent (I'm so sorry.) so tonight i'll try get as many up as possible, maybe one more in the next couple hours.

Love you all.

-Ex