Thanks to Wolfgurl52892 for the lovely Review.
This is the second to last part. I hope to get the last part up next Weekend.
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Damon spent pretty much the whole next day with Alaric. They had breakfast together, before driving to the hospital to visit Jenna, who was already looking much better and turned down Damon´s offer to speed up the healing process with a bit of his blood. "No offense, but I don`t want to end up like Caroline." she explained. The vampire shrugged and accepted her decision. Probably better this way. Although he had to admit that he was quite okay with having vampire Barbie around, he didn`t feel the need for another new vamp. The only exception would be Ric and Damon doubted they were ready to talk about that yet.
When they finally left the hospital, both men were surprised to see Mason in the parking lot, who asked if they had a moment. The werewolf apologized again and let them know that he´d confronted Katherine last night. Obviously she hadn`t even denied that she`d compelled Jenna. Had even made fun of it and told him she hadn`t thought Jenna would survive. She had also been rather furious when she found out that Damon now had the moonstone. Mason assured them that he was done with Katherine and would do anything to keep Jenna safe in the future. Damon dismissed him with a curt nod and decided to ignore Alaric`s knowing grin.
"That means no more reason to kill him, right?" the teacher asked as they were getting into the car. "I guess he can live. For now." Damon grudgingly agreed and drove them to the Gilbert house, to check up on the kids. Elena was glum, having broken up with Stefan last night to keep Katherine from hurting her loved ones again. Jeremy on the other hand was pissed. He wanted revenge and the fact that both, Elena and Anna told him to let it go and stay away from Katherine only heightened his anger.
He followed Damon into the kitchen, while Ric was in the living room, trying to console Elena with little success. "What are we going to do about Katherine?" Jeremy asked. Damon regarded him with raised eyebrows, but didn`t say anything. Which only served to rile the teen up even further. "She tried to kill Jenna. We can't let her get away with that." he stated. "Your sister wants you to stay out of this." the vampire pointed out. "I don`t care what my sister wants. She´s just being naïve. Katherine won`t simply stop hurting us and you know it. You`re planning something, are you not? I want to help."
Damon wondered for a moment when exactly those kids had started viewing him as their big brother. It was bad enough that Caroline came to him now, rather than Stefan, when she needed help. He really didn`t need little Gilbert following him around like an eager puppy as well. "You`re the one being naïve, when you think you could hold your own against Katherine. Listen to your sister. That fancy ring you`re wearing doesn`t make you invincible. Katherine would kill you in a heartbeat, without feeling remorse." he warned.
"Stop treating me like a kid. I`m sick of getting told what to do." Jeremy grumbled, before pointing out. "You didn`t mind my help yesterday, when you told me to spy on Mason Lockwood and call you when he leaves the house." Yes, that hadn´t been his brightest idea, but Damon really hadn`t felt like hiding somewhere near the Lockwood property in the hopes of intercepting Mason before he met Katherine. And Jeremy had offered, so…
Looking at the kid again he sighed in defeat. He could even understand Jeremy`s desire to avenge his loved ones. But he didn`t want to play babysitter and be responsible for whatever the kid got himself into. "Alright. If I can use your help, I`ll let you know. Okay?" he offered. The teen didn`t look pleased. "That`s all? If you can use my help?" he asked, clearly annoyed. "Yes, that`s as much as you`re going to get. So shut up now, before I change my mind." Damon snarked back. Really, he had been nice enough. Jeremy seemed to notice his bad mood, because he grudgingly accepted.
Since the kids were okay so far, Damon and Ric went to the boarding house, where they spent a lazy afternoon, drinking and talking and just enjoying the quiet moment. Damon was sure the peace wouldn`t last long. It was too quiet. And Jeremy had been right about one thing. Katherine wouldn`t simply stop. She must be planning something and he had no idea what it could be. But he had the nagging feeling he would soon find out.
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His feeling proved to be true. The next morning he opened the door to find a very shaken up Caroline. Alaric had left about an hour ago, after having spent the night at the boarding house and he hadn`t seen Stefan so far. "What happened now?" the dark haired vampire asked, slightly annoyed, while he led the blonde inside. "I just saw Katherine." That quickly managed to catch his interest. "Where?"
"At the Grill. I just stopped by to gawk and... quasi-stalk Matt. And then… she cornered me in the bathroom. She told me to deliver a message." Caroline was visibly shaking. Damon led her to the couch and took a seat next to her. "What message?" he wanted to know, although he could already imagine. "She wants the moonstone. She wants you to hand it over tonight, at the masquerade ball. Or she will continue to kill people." Damon cursed under his breath. He should`ve known.
Both looked up when Stefan walked in. He looked wretched, but it quickly turned to concern once he spied the blonde. "Caroline, is everything okay?" She shook her head and Damon urged her to tell his brother the news. "That Mason gave you the stone threw her off guard." the younger Salvatore mumbled. "Yeah, she certainly didn`t expect her pet to turn on her. She's out of tricks." Damon agreed. Stefan warned him to be cautious. This was Katherine after all.
"What do we do, now? Can`t we just give her the stone so she`ll leave?" Caroline asked, looking from Stefan to Damon. The older one shook his head. "No way. She wouldn`t leave. It`s never easy with her. So I`ll make it easy. I'm going to go to the masquerade ball and I'm gonna kill her, tonight." he decided. He was fed up with that bitch and her little games. Tired of being played for a fool. He would end this, once and for all.
But of course saint Stefan didn´t agree. "You're not going to kill her." he protested. Damon rolled his eyes and turned to his brother. "Don't give me that goody-goody crap. Katherine dies tonight. End of story." And he`d be damned if he let Stefan`s attack of conscience stop him. "You don`t understand, Damon." the younger one said quietly. "You're not gonna kill her. Because I am." There was a dark glint in his eyes and Damon couldn`t help but grin. "Now that´s the spirit." he commented, pleased that they agreed on something for a change.
"We`ll need a plan." Stefan pointed out. "And some back-up." the older Salvatore agreed, turning to Caroline. "You in, Blondie?" She hesitated for a moment, but then she seemed to make up her mind and nodded. "Yes, I`m in." Okay, that was at least a start. "I`ll call Ric and tell him to bring his weapons." Damon decided, ignoring the grin Caroline sent his way at the mention of the teacher`s name. "Alright. I`ll send a text to Bonnie. Maybe she can help us to isolate Katherine somewhere." Stefan mused. "Yeah, do that."
Damon quickly called Ric and told him the short version of things. The teacher promised to pack his weapons and come over. After hanging up, Damon debated with himself for a second and then sent a quick text to Jeremy. Knowing Katherine they would need all the help they could get and the boy had already proven that he could be useful.
Damon and Stefan started discussing their options while they waited, trying to come up with the best plan. Stefan pointed out that they couldn`t underestimate Katherine. They had to be smarter than her if they didn`t want this night to end in disaster. Damon had to agree with him. About fifteen minutes later a knock at the door interrupted their plotting. "That`s Ric." Damon announced without thinking, earning himself a frown from Stefan and another grin from Caroline. Rolling his eyes he went to open the door.
Alaric greeted the vampire with a nervous smile. He was carrying a large bag, which he dumped onto a desk. "I brought the weapons, like you asked. Please tell me you have an actual plan this time." Damon shrugged. "We`re getting there." The teacher regarded him with raised eyebrows, not exactly happy with that answer. "What you got there?" the older Salvatore changed the topic, pointing to the bag. With a sigh, Ric started unpacking the various weapons. Damon joined him at the desk and looked at the assortment with interest. The teacher was rather creative when it came to these, he had to say.
Ric started explaining the different weapons and how they were used, when there was another knock at the door. This time it was Jeremy. "What are you doing here?" Stefan asked, clearly puzzled. "Damon texted me. I`m here to help you." The younger Salvatore turned to his brother. "You brought Elena`s brother into this? Are you nuts?" His flare of anger was quite funny to watch. At least Damon thought so. "He brought himself into this." he pointed out. Stefan shook his head vehemently. "No. No way. Jeremy go back home. We`ve got this."
"You don`t get to boss me around. I`m doing this, whether you like it or not." Jeremy protested, pushing past Stefan to join Damon and Ric at the desk. The teacher sent Damon a look that clearly said he wasn`t pleased about it either. "Oh chill, guys. We`ll find something easy for him to do. Something that keeps him out of direct danger." the dark haired vampire reassured them, stopping the teens protest with a wave of his hand. "Shut up. You want to help, you do as told." Jeremy huffed in annoyance, but remained quiet.
About five minutes later Bonnie finally showed up, grimoire in hand. Her gaze swept over the weapons and the assembled group and came to land on Stefan. "What's going on?" It was Jeremy however, who answered first. "We're gonna kill Katherine." Bonnie`s eyes widened in shock and Stefan hurried to explain. But the witch didn`t like their plan, pointing out that too many people could get hurt if they really attacked Katherine at the party. The younger Salvatore continued to try and persuade her, pointing out that this was why they needed her help, until she finally muttered. "I guess I could do a spell to trap her, like the tomb spell."
"Perfect. We can isolate her, away from the others. Please, Bonnie. We need you." he looked at her pleadingly and in the end she gave in. "Okay, I`ll do it. I`ll help. As long as no one gets hurt." she relented. Damon nodded. "Except Katherine. Tonight Katherine gets a stake through her heart." He felt almost giddy at the prospect of ridding the world of that heartless bitch. But they had to play this cool. "Okay, back to the plan."
"Bonnie traps her in a room, preferably somewhere far away from the party. We wait there. And then we`ll kill her." Stefan decided. Sounded easy. A little too easy, maybe, but Damon didn`t want to worry about that now. "Alright. Then we only have to lure her there. Which will be the hardest part. She`s going to be suspicious." he warned. His brother nodded in agreement. "Yeah, she won`t simply agree to meet us somewhere secluded. She chose the party tonight, because she knows that we would never do anything in a crowd. She`s smart, we have to give her that."
"Which means we have to be smarter." Damon said with a smirk. "What do you suggest?" Alaric wanted to know. "I suggest a little teamwork. Stefan and I wait upstairs, while Jeremy tells her where to meet us." the dark haired vampire decided. Stefan frowned. "That`s your brilliant plan? She`ll know it`s a trap. Maybe she`ll even hurt Jeremy." he protested. "Relax. He´s got his ring, so she can`t kill him permanently. And I count on the fact that she`ll think it`s a trap. Because then she will find someone who she believes is on her side. Or at least, afraid enough of her to do everything she says." His eyes turned to Caroline.
"She will never expect you of all people to trick her. So that`s exactly what you will do. Think you`re up for that?" The blonde nodded, albeit a little reluctantly. "Good. So Jeremy tells her a wrong meeting place, she gets suspicious and then you lead her to the room, where Stefan and I will be waiting." Caroline and Jeremy nodded their agreement. "What do you want me to do?" Ric spoke up.
Stefan answered before Damon could. "I need you to stay with Elena. I don't want her to know about this." The teacher frowned. "No way. I`m not playing babysitter while you confront Katherine." he declared, casting a quick glance at the older Salvatore. Damon wasn`t really sure what to think. On one hand he wanted Ric by his side, but on the other hand he wanted the man to be safe. "Someone has to stay with Elena." Stefan insisted. "Mason could do that." Jeremy chimed in. "He`s going to spend the evening with Jenna anyway. She invited him after he brought her home from the hospital earlier. They said something about pizza and TV."
"And you think we can trust him?" the younger Salvatore asked doubtfully. This time it was Ric who answered. "I`m sure we can. He likes Jenna. A lot. And he promised to look after her in the future." Stefan still didn`t seem convinced, but Damon decided to ignore his brother´s unease. Coming to the conclusion that Ric actually might be safer where the vampire could look after him, he decided: "Okay, Mason looks after Jenna and Elena. Get Jenna up to date as well. She can help to keep Elena busy." Jeremy nodded and promised to fill his aunt in.
"I want you somewhere close to that room. You`re our backup in case something goes wrong." the dark haired vampire continued, looking at Ric. "Alright." the teacher agreed. "Good, then we`re set." Damon concluded, rather pleased with their plan. He just hoped everything would go down like they wanted it to. "Alright, if anybody wants to back out, I'll understand." Stefan spoke up again, letting his gaze sweep over the group. Probably a good idea to mention this now. "Yeah. Cold feet speak now. I don't want this going wrong if someone chicken's out." he agreed with his brother, looking at Caroline pointedly.
"I won't. I´ve been afraid of her long enough. It`s time to end this." She looked him dead in the eyes, chin jutted out determinedly. No problem there. "Jeremy?" The teen matched Caroline`s stance. "Don`t worry. You can count on me." Damon nodded and turned to the witch. "And you?" Bonnie hesitated for a second, but in the end she nodded. "I`m in." She sounded sincere and the older Salvatore hoped she had learned her lesson the last time she lied to them.
"What, you`re not going to ask me?" Ric spoke up beside him. Damon turned to him with a grin. "No need. I know all about your hero-complex. You`ll never pass up a chance to save my ass." Ric grinned back. "Well, someone has to." he pointed out. "Hey, last time it was me saving your ass." the dark haired vampire reminded. "Yeah, and after that Caroline had to save yours." The blonde actually giggled at that and didn`t even stop when Damon turned to glare at her. "I would`ve managed without your help, Blondie." he claimed, but it looked like she didn`t believe him and neither did Ric.
The others had been watching the exchange silently. Stefan was frowning – big surprise there, Jeremy tried unsuccessfully to stifle a grin and Bonnie looked puzzled, obviously noticing that she was missing something here, but with no idea what it could be. "Okay, let`s all get ready for tonight. We`ll meet up at the party." Stefan broke the sudden silence. They all agreed and after discussing a few more minor details, Jeremy, Caroline and Bonnie left, while Alaric lingered behind.
"Are you sure you`re up for this?" he asked quietly, once Stefan had gone upstairs and he and Damon were alone. "Of course. Why wouldn`t I be?" the dark haired vampire replied, wondering where this was coming from. Ric didn`t really doubt his ability to kill someone, did he? "I just mean… you loved Katherine. Are you really over that? Can you just kill the woman you`ve been in love with for 145 years?" the teacher clarified. Damon sighed and looked at him. He could understand Ric`s concern and didn`t try to hide his feelings for once.
"I`ve been stupid. And I`m over that. I can certainly kill the woman who played me for a fool for 145 years. The bitch who never loved me back. And I will kill her." he said determinedly. Katherine had ruined his life long enough. He was over his obsession for her. She no longer held a place in his heart. Ric looked at him searchingly. Finally he nodded and smiled softly. "Okay. Then I`ll see you tonight." He dropped a quick kiss on Damon´s lips and then left as well.