Hi everybody! I hope you all are doing well today. I quite enjoyed writing this chapter because we are finally going to get some answers and clarity on the situation at hand. Thanks for all your comments. You guys rock.

Damon's POV

We ring the doorbell to Jay Thompson's one story house in the suburbs of Chattanooga. Nobody answers, so we turn around to leave and a tall blonde haired man is standing there on the porch directly behind us.

"Can I help you?" he asks staring straight into my eyes.

"Um, we were wondering if we could talk to you," Elena says as politely as possible.

"That depends on what the topic happens to be?"

I answer with the truth, having no patience to try and lie my way through this one. "The murder of your sister, Laura Carlton, who happened to be a vampire."

He swallows hard, but doesn't seem the least bit surprised. "That's kind of personal, don't you think."

Elena and Stefan stay silent, seeing the frustration forming in my tone of voice.

"Not when your family was murdered in the same way."

We stand staring at each other until I hear Stefan's reasonable voice cut in.

"Please, we want to find the one who killed multiple people and find the motive and we can't do it without your help. We're begging you?"

Jay looks off into the distance as if he looked long enough we would leave, but we stand our ground patiently until his gaze meets mine again.

"Fine," he says while unlocking the front door.

We enter straight into the living room where the three of us sit on the couch across from Jay.

"So, first I want to know who you are?" Jay says, trying to stay in control.

"I'm Damon and this is my brother Stefan. We were turned in 1864. This is Elena and she is a friend. She was turned in 2012. How about yourself?"

He shifts uncomfortably before answering the question. "I was turned in 1923, my sister was a year later."

He makes no attempt to elaborate so I go ahead and pry. "We read your last text messages to each other and want to know why you were running. Who was or is it?"

"How much time do you got?" Jay's voice is full of sarcasm and bitterness.

"As long as it takes," Stefan speaks up.

"His name is Wayne Burgess. Born 1980, turned in the winter of 2010. Wayne had a wife named Vanessa. Laura and I were on vacation in the Alps, indulging in a few beauties here and there. Vanessa happened to be one of them, in which she did not survive. Wayne came from a long line of vampire hunters, but didn't partake in any hunting himself, until Laura decided to turn him when he attacked us. He was well prepared that night and we almost didn't survive, believe it or not," Jay laughs at the irony, "We figured that he wouldn't transition, but we were wrong. We got a letter in the mail a few months later without a return address. All it said was, 'you've made a big mistake' and 'I'll be coming for you now.' We started hearing about murders on the news. Multiple of the victims we knew and were vampires. He got close to catching up to us multiple times, but we would relocate and hope for the best. He was strong as a human, so you can't even imagine the strength he would have as a vampire."

"Didn't you try to track him down and kill him first, there is two of you and one of him, and you are older?"

"We looked him up and it was reported that he had died. There was a grave and everything."

"So why hasn't he killed you yet?"

"I assume it is because he wants me to feel the pain and loss of losing a loved one like he did, but he will be back for me."

"Then why is he killing random vampires on the side?" Elena pipes in.

"That's the thing, they aren't random. He hates vampires, so he is simply trying to rid the world of them like an average hunter would, but he happens to another agenda in mind."

We sit there in silence. I'm sure Stefan and Elena are thinking about the same thing I am, Alaric. Jay's story is so much like Alaric's, except he didn't become a vampire until later on. I shake my head and try to get back on topic.

"Well, thanks for talking to us," I say while standing up to leave.

"Sure," he says quietly. I can see the guilt and sadness building on his features. "Here is my number if you find anything or need any assistance." Jay scribbles the number on the back of a receipt and

"We're sorry about your sister," Elena says. Her voice is very monotone. I can tell she is sympathetic, but doesn't agree with his choice of feeding and/or killing defenseless humans.

He gives her a sad smile before leading us to the front door.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

"What next?" Elena asks as we get into the car.

"I have no idea." I ponder the options, but haven't got a clue to which one is the right move.

We stop at a local burger joint to grab some food. We eat in silence. After I finish my burger, I excuse myself to go make a phone call.

On the fourth ring, Cadence picks up. I wasn't prepared for her to actually answer, so I stutter a few times before I manage to say a simple 'hello.'

"Hi," she responds.

"How are the kids?" I ask, realizing I haven't talked to them in days.

"They miss you."

"I miss them too," I pause, considering whether I should continue, "how are you?"

She sighs before answering. "I don't know, to be completely honest. Every time you call, I debate myself whether I should pick up. I thought I had rid you of your feelings for her, but they are constant and inevitable." Her voice trails off and I can't help but feel the sting of tears in my eyes.

"You brought me happiness in a time when I had none. And I don't know why, but I have this infatuation with her that I can't shake. You are an incredible woman and the healthiest relationship for me and it makes me sick that I hurt you."

"I know…I know, but I think we both know that a little bit of couple's therapy and long talks aren't going to be able to fix this."

The pause that follows is uncomfortable so I change the subject to the case.

"We are making progress on the case." I sound like a detective in a crime show.

She doesn't answer, so I assume she doesn't want to talk about that either.

"I should go, I have to work in a little while."

"Ok, goodbye." I hang up the phone. Something about that 'goodbye' gave me chills. The finality of it makes me weak in the knees. I didn't know vampires could feel this feeble. No matter how much I love Elena, Cadence was there for me when I needed somebody. She waited for me and was patient. The rational and probably the best choice would be to stay with my wife in Nashville, but everybody knows that I am far from rational.