I'm sorry it's been so long...I have no excuse.

Don't hate me :(

(Damon's POV)

"Klaus wants what?" Stefan demanded, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back against the doorway.

I spread my hands out by my hips exasperatedly. "He wants Elena to share blood with Katherine. She'll become all-powerful, and then anyone who drinks from Elena will have those same super powers."

"So, Klaus will want to drink from her?"

I rolled my eyes. Trust Stefan to state the obvios. "Yes. Probably wants to drain her, so that she'll lose all the power and our advantage will be gone."

It seemed to click, and Stefan's eyes settled in fury like the final ashes of a squelched fire. "So how are we going to stop him?"

This was where it got tricky. I lowered my voice, looking around again for signs of Elena. She was supposed to be with Matt, talking things out, but who knew when it came to her? She barely ever listened to me. "We're going to kill Katherine."

(Elena's POV)

Matt stood behind the familiar bar, taking orders and cleaning spills. New frown and worry lines had webbed along his tan skin. As I watched him, a tsunami of sadness sent my emotions tumbling. There was such a distance between us now, and I missed when we had just been bet friends, able to talk about anything with each other. I'd hoped that our breakup wouldn't be the end of us, and maybe it wouldn't have had to be...but becoming a vampire had definitely thrown us off track.

There was something so terribly heartbreaking about Matt. He was utterly normal...and alone. Every one besides him was caught up in this supernatural universe. He must feel so out of the loop, so abandoned.

But he was safe, and I had to keep it that way.

He looked up as though he sensed me, and the bottle he'd been polishing slipped from his hand. It would've crashed and shattered on the floor if his reflexes hadn't kicked in, letting him snag the glass at the last second. He set it down slowly, never once taking his eyes of me. I gave him a timid smile, my eyes watery. I almost waved, but he didn't give me the chance.

A bit ceremoniously, he hopped right over the counter and bounded towards me. His worn shoes thudded as he swerved between tables to get to where I was standing in the doorway. I couldn't have moved if I'd wanted to. Seeing an old friend coming at me had me frozen in place. I felt like I could really, freely breathe for the first time in a long time. The drama, danger and all the fighting evaporated, and all that existed right then was the big bear hug he was about to give me.

He didn't disappoint; his long, recently muscled arms wrapped around my torso. If I weren't a vampire, my bones might've been crushed by the force of his embarce. Without losing momentum, he swung me off my feet and around in a wide circle. Laughs overshadowed the tears rolling down my face and into his shoulder. It wasn't an awkward or romantic hug, just purely made of friendship. This hug was better than any boyfriend, even Damon, could have given to me. It was light, meaningless, and full of hope.

I inhaled the familiar, boyish scent that clung to Matt's clothes, and just like that, everything changed.

Hunger began to ease into my body, pounding against my stomach like a caged animal. I felt sharp fangs poke through my teeth, felt my eyes pool over with red. Hunger was so dominant that I thought I was going to forget everything Damon had taught me.

Luckily, training came rushing back. I breathed through my mouth instead of my nose, and with nearly painful restraint, broke our embrace. Swiftly, I turned away from Matt, trying to ignore the flash of hurt I'd glimpsed on his face. I pretended to be wiping my eyes.

"Sorry, Matt, I just…need a minute." I rubbed my eyes until I finally felt the red drain from them, felt my fangs sink back into my gums. Someone entered the coffee house, sending a refreshing whoosh of air up my nose.

With my composure pulled back, I turned and gave him a convincing smile. "It's just been so long," I explained. "I wasn't sure if I could ever really feel like that again; like we're just simple. Careless, easy, flat out friends."

He smiled gently and reached for my wrist. I hoped it didn't feel too cold against his warm fingers. "Where have you been?"

I sighed and avoided his eyes, speaking in a blunt voice. "It's not a very pretty story—I haven't been feeling myself at all. Anyway, that's not what I came to talk to you about."

He inclined his head towards an empty table, perfect for two people. "I can take an early break, if you want?"

I nodded. "That'd be great."

We spent about an hour going over just everything—our lives, the tests I'd missed, the new gossip at school…all these irrelevant, unimportant things that I never thought would even make sense to me anymore. As he spoke, however, I felt myself slipping into our old ways. I felt so much lighter, and I even let Matt order me my favorite caramel latte. A totally girly drink, I know. He even poked fun at me as we ordered.

"So," I began seriously after taking a warm sip. "Have you heard from Caroline at all?"

He frowned, and our mood shifted as quickly as the weather. "No," he said quietly. "No, I haven't. Tyler's been missing lately too, and Bonnie." More worry lines developed as he spoke. "I get it if it's Ty, you know? Guys don't always have their phones on them, and even if they do, we don't always answer each other's calls. But Bonnie? It's weird, 'Lena. I don't like it—something wrong."

I bit down on my lip and stared down at the whipped cream melting in swirls on my drink, unable to help myself from dodging his tortured gaze. "That is weird…I think I'll have Damon try to find them. He's pretty good at that kind of thing."

Matt sat back in his chair. I ignored the look he was giving me. "Elena."

I jerked my stare back up to him. "What's wrong?"

"Look, Elena, I don't want you to take this the wrong way. I'm not saying this because of our history, so don't assume that I'm nursing a wounded ego or harboring some testosterone-induced grudge against him, alright?"

I nodded cautiously. "Go on."

He let out a tight breath as he leaned forward on his forearms. "But you have to admit that all this crazy shi—uh, stuff—"

Ever the gentleman, I thought to myself.

"Started happening when he and Stefan came into town," he finished with an expression similar to that of a dog waiting to be swatted for chewing up your new couch.

It took me awhile to formulate an answer. When I put myself into Matt's shoes, well, I knew there wasn't a whole lot I could say that would make him feel better. Finally, I settled on, "Matt, we've been friends since we were little. I've trusted you with all kinds of secrets, and you've trusted me with yours. So when I tell you that there are things happening—crazy things that I simply can't talk about—please know that it's not because I don't trust you to handle it." He opened his mouth to interject, but I held up a finger. "Hang on. I want to say this." He nodded, allowing for me to continue. I took a deep breath. "I know you're not stupid, and I think too highly of you to deny that yes, indeed, weird things have been going on. There are things in this world that I never thought I'd have to worry about, dangers I never thought I'd have to shield anyone from. And before you tell me that you don't need me to protect you, trust me, you do." I paused, reaching over to place my hand over his compressed fist. "Matt, if this were something trivial, you'd be the first to know. Okay, if this were a…drug addiction or…I don't know, if I was pregnant or had joined a gang—" That pulled the desired laugh from him, "—I would come to you, Bonnie and Caroline right away. But this…isn't anything like that. This is nuts, and it's best if you're not involved. So please, don't push. I need you to be normal—you're the last connection I have to a regular life."

"Elena…" His voice faltered. Something I'd said had stuck, and I knew it.

He was going to let me off the hook.

"Matt, you're still one of my very best friends. Please just trust me on this one."

He pursed his lips, but nodded. "Alright, alright. But just know that if I think you or anyone I care about is in serious danger, just for a minute, I will go right to Sheriff Forbes with it. I can't protect you from that, okay?"

I nodded. "Fine, that's fine. Just don't push, okay? That's all I need."

We got locked into a deep, calculating stare-down. Since I had the ability to not blink, I won. But this wasn't just a contest; it was a heated end to our conversation. His glare communicated to me that no, he wasn't happy with his decision, but he would stand by my request like the amazing friend he was.

It was all I could've asked him for.

Next on my hit list was Jeremy. I had to fix whatever was broken between us before I lost him for good. So, later that night, after Damon had stopped by to let me know that he and Stefan were going on a road-trip together (something about hunting), I stopped outside of Jeremy's door. A warm golden light was glowing through the crack underneath his door. Using my super hearing, I could sense that he was scribbling something down on paper at a rate that must've resulted in some terrible, illegible handwriting. I raised my knuckles to the door carefully, unease fluttering around my whole body. I was so scared of Jeremy, of what he'd become. To watch your brother deteriorate…it was heartbreaking.

I tapped on the door delicately, once, twice, and then a third time, this one even quieter than the two raps proceeding it. The voice that greeted me was flat, but not angry. "Come in." Something was different about this sound…it had life.

I twisted the knob carefully and took a minuscule step into the room. Using the kindest voice I could muster, and resenting the timid shake that crept in, I softly spoke to his back. "Jer? We need to talk." He was clad in a dark hoodie, and he was bent over some work at his desk. His hood was not pulled up, though, and his ears were free of buds—both deceptively good signs. Slowly, I entered a few more feet in, refusing to believe for a second that my brother could be even close to normal.

He spun around in his chair, and I swear my heart started to beat at the sight.

All though grayish half moons outlined under his eyes, the irises themselves were clear. Those were the round brown eyes I'd always known my brother to have—not the new, hazy drug eyes he'd adopted. Yes, these eyes were childlike and soothing, not glazed over like donuts or swimming in tears.

I staggered forward. "Jeremy?" I whispered.

"Oh, come on," he returned, but he was smiling. "Don't get all wishy-washy on me. It's sickening. Yes I'm back, and yes I'm sorry, but…we have bigger problems."

I stumbled towards him, unable to let my sentimental moment pass. "Wh—what do you mean?" I couldn't stop myself; I hugged him. "There are no problems, Jer. You're you! And you know what's going on; I'm a vampire. So it's okay. It's okay now, because we have each other. I can talk to you again. Oh, god, nothing could possibly be wrong. Not anymore. As soon as I finish this emotional breakdown...Everything's going to be okay."

"No, Elena," he patted my back, but pushed me away. "You really need to hear this."

I wiped the bottom corners of my eyes, his words sailing right over my head. "I love you, Jeremy."

"And you know I love you, but you've got to be quiet and listen to me. Like, now."

"Okay," I murmured, shaking my head to clear it. I took a minute to gather my sloppy self. "Yes, right. Lay it on me." I plopped down on his bed, dabbing at my eyes still. He wheeled his chair over to me, laying stacks of paper before me.

"What is all this?" Logos for websites were labeled across the bottoms of the computer pages in small print. "What're you researching?"

"Just look at the titles, why don't you?"

Feeling stupid, I did as I was told and noticed that the first word in bold was 'doppleganger.' I narrowed my eyes. "What is all this?"

"Copies of books, historical documents, about your history. And this." He rolled over to a bookshelf and then scooted back, holding a battered looking, leather bound book. "Did you know that Katherine Pierce had journals kept just like the ones Jonathon Gilbert wrote?"

"Jonathon Gilbert…" It hit me; our ancestor, Jonathon, who Mom and Dad had always talked about being crazy. He'd been some sort of poet, or something, and had kept diaries of himself as his mind unraveled. "He wasn't insane, was he? He knew about the vampires!"

"Yes," Jeremy agreed quickly, tumbling over his words. "Yes, and I found Katherine's journals on—get this—E-bay, and then I copied it so we could both read it."

Okay, I had to admit, the E-bay thing was pretty impressive. "Thank you, Internet," I mumbled.

"I know, right? Anyway, look what I highlighted here. She wrote it in the early fifteen hundreds, shortly after she was turned."

I flipped a few pages over to get to the piece of paper that he was pointing to in his copy. On my page, neatly highlighted in yellow, were a few sentences that had been crudely translated from Bulgarian to English. I squinted to understand Katherine's words. She wrote about Klaus...that he would let her live until the next doppelganger arrived. Intrigued, I read on.

She will take my blood, and I hers, and when the time is right, he will drink the powerful substance we create. We are meant to be one person. Instead, we shall contain the strength of two vampires—even more potent than Klaus's pure, organic power. He will drink, and he shall spare me, and I shall finally be free.

I frowned, and reread the words a few times. "Oh," I whispered, finally understanding. "Oh, no."

Klaus wanted to combine my blood with Katherine's to make some sort of all-powerful potion. Then, he would drink it, and most likely kill us and everyone we loved. If Katherine believed otherwise, she was an idiot. All Klaus truly wanted was strength.

Once Katherine and I combined, we would be invincible. That meant that Klaus would need some kind of leverage to get us to allow him to sip our blood. For Katherine, it was to grant her freedom, obviously—but he'd need something to ensure that I wouldn't interfere.

The house seemed to quiet all of a sudden, as everything clicked into place.

Jenna. He had to have Jenna.