The brothers were in another room of the house. "Well, Care's gotten rid of her." Stefan said.
"She might be new at this, but she knows when to get involved." Damon said. He was a little impressed with Caroline taking charge of the situation.
"This is exactly what I was afraid would happen." Stefan told him.
"Things like this happen sometimes. It's not always possible to save everyone, you know." He pointed out. Stefan looked at him. He knew he was right, but that wasn't going to stop him from trying.
Damon noticed he seemed unsure about going through with it. "Hey, listen." He put his hand on his shoulder. "She's done enough damage to this group. We can do this, bro. I've got your back." Stefan still seemed hesitant, but he nodded, realizing they had to move in before someone else got hurt.
Outside, Bonnie and Jeremy were sitting at a table. "So, can you use magic for every day things, too? Like homework?"
"I wish." Bonnie said. "I can only use my powers to call on the elements, knock out vampires, mostly self-defense stuff."
"That's a bummer. If it were possible, I'd learn a spell to change the color of my wardrobe or something like that."
"Well, I did try to change my hair color with magic once. Didn't work." Bonnie told him.
"Well, it looks nice." Jeremy said. Bonnie blushed, not sure how to react. "Hey, do you want to dance while we wait?"
"No!" Bonnie said. She noticed how nervous she sounded, so she tried to correct herself. "I mean, no thank you."
Jeremy noticed her reaction though. It was as though she was afraid of him or something. He ran a hand through his hair. He hadn't meant to make her nervous. He knew they were lucky to have her on their side, but he didn't see her as just a witch. He saw her as a friend and he wasn't going to force her into anything.
He was snapped out of his thoughts when his phone buzzed. He saw the message indicating that it was his turn. "Well, looks like I'm up. Could you follow in case…"
"No problem, I'll be nearby." Bonnie said. Jeremy got up to go and started to leave. "Wait!" He turned around and saw Bonnie stand up. "You forgot this." She was holding his mask.
"Oh, right." Jeremy said. "Thanks." He took it from her gently, their hands briefly touching. He felt a shock as it happened. Then he turned and walked away, wondering what that was all about.
He found Katherine talking with someone. He knew she was pretending to be Elena, so he figured he'd play along with it. "Elena." He turned to the woman. "Hey sorry, could I talk to my sister?" The woman looked suspicious, but she left them anyway.
"What is it, Jeremy?" Katherine asked.
"I have a message from Stefan."
"Oh?"
"He and Damon want you to meet them at the edge of the lake by the woods. They brought the moonstone." He said. That was the cover they'd agreed on.
"And why are you their little messenger?" Katherine asked.
"Because they know I'm not afraid of you and could probably take you in a fight if I had to." Jeremy pointed out.
"Really? Cause you're about as old as I am when it comes to this vampire thing." Katherine said. Surprisingly, she had a point there. She left. Jeremy was texting Damon, when someone grabbed his arm and pulled him into the bushes.
"What the hell is going on?" Elena asked him. He looked surprised to see her and knew she'd snuck out of the house. He texted Caroline, then turned back to her.
"Okay, don't be mad, but we're planning to take out Katherine here tonight." Jeremy said.
"What?"
Inside, Caroline had just gotten Jeremy's message and was headed into the hallway, when Katherine held her against the wall. "What are Stefan and Damon up to?" She asked her.
"What are you talking about?" Caroline asked her.
"I've got Jeremy Gilbert luring me into the lake. What's going on?" Katherine asked.
"I don't know!" Caroline said.
"Don't lie to me, Caroline. They're up to something, what is it?"
"Okay, they're trying to kill you." Caroline told her. To her relief, Katherine let go of her.
"I wouldn't have guessed. Where is the moonstone?"
"Bonnie has it."
"And where is Bonnie right now?" Katherine asked.
"I don't know." She said. Katherine picked her up and started chocking her again. "Okay. She's upstairs, she's upstairs!"
"Lead the way." Katherine said when she let go of Caroline.
Outside, Jeremy and Bonnie had finished explaining everything to Elena. She had calmed down and was less angry than before, now she was more worried for the others. "So you guys are trying to kill her here?" Elena asked.
"We saw an opportunity and we knew we had to take it." Jeremy told her.
"Are you all crazy?" Elena asked. "You guys know how smart she is, you're going to get yourselves killed."
"We know what we are doing, Elena." Bonnie said, trying to reassure her.
"How am I supposed to feel if one of you guys gets hurt because of me?" Elena asked. "Are you forgetting what happened to Jenna?"
"Of course not, that's why we're doing this!" Jeremy told her. "It's not just you anymore, Elena. She's messed with all of us, she has to be stopped."
Inside, Stefan was hiding in the room. He could hear footsteps coming up the steps and Caroline screaming. "Which room is it?" He heard Katherine ask.
"It's that one." Caroline said. Stefan ducked behind the bookshelf so Katherine wouldn't see him when she entered the room.
"Where is she?" Katherine asked, looking around. Stefan heard Caroline laughing.
"I did it. I really didn't think that I'll be able to fool you but I did it." He heard Katherine run to the door. He glanced from his hiding place and saw that she couldn't leave.
"What the?" Then she seemed to figure it out. "Stefan?" He appeared behind her.
"Hello Katherine." He signaled for Caroline to leave.
"Goodbye Katherine." She said, smiling. She turned and left.
"You don't really think that you can kill me with that alone now, do you?" Katherine asked him.
"No." Stefan said. The closet door behind her opened. "But he can." Damon moved out of the closet and shot her with a weapon, hitting her in the back.
Outside, Elena gasped. Jeremy saw that her back was bleeding and frowned. "What is happening?" Elena asked. Bonnie noticed a spot of blood appearing on her arm and figured it out.
"Elena, do you feel anything?"
"It felt as though someone staked me in the arm." Elena told her.
"Katherine." Bonnie realized. "Jeremy, she's linked to Katherine!"
"I'll tell them. I'll get there faster." Jeremy told her. "Be back soon." He rushed off.
Meanwhile, Stefan and Damon were fighting Katherine. At one point, Damon had her pinned down, but she'd managed to grab his arm and throw the stake out of his hands. It'd gone flying across the room and out the window. Stefan tried to restrain her, but she was too strong. He managed to trip her afterward. She lost her balance and fell to the floor. Damon was about to stake her.
"STOP!" They turned and saw Jeremy outside the doorway. "You're hurting Elena. They're linked together. Everything you're doing to her is effecting my sister." Damon dropped the stake. Stefan took one look at Jeremy and knew he was telling the truth. He could feel Elena's fear through their bond.
"It's true. They're linked together." Stefan said.
"Did you really think you were the only ones with a witch on your side?" Katherine asked, getting up. "You'd be wrong. Somehow, I have a feeling my witch is stronger than yours."
Stefan turned to tell Jeremy to leave, but he was already gone. "Well, that was a bust." Damon said.
Outside, Elena and Bonnie were still together. Elena was close to panicking and Bonnie knew it. Her injuries were starting to heal, but there were still bloodstains on her clothes. "What are we going to do?" She asked.
"I don't know." Bonnie told her. "I have no idea how to break the spell." Elena rolled up the sleeve on her arm to see that she was healing slower than usual. Bonnie noticed and knew it wasn't a good sign.
"Take my wrist." Bonnie said.
"No way." Elena said.
"You need to heal."
"Bon, I didn't tell you my secret just to turn you into a blood donor." Elena pointed out.
"Hey, I want to do this." Bonnie told her. "It's why I ended up involved in this plan to begin with. It's fine, Elena." She held her wrist out to her. Elena hesitated, but she accepted it.
By the time Jeremy got back, Elena had dropped Bonnie's wrist and checked her arm again. It was completely healed. "Are you okay?" Jeremy asked her.
"Yeah." Elena turned to Bonnie. "Thank you." She turned back to Jeremy. "How are they doing up there?"
"Well, Katherine's stuck in there and I'm guessing their keeping an eye on her." Jeremy said. "Since neither of them have come down yet." He turned to Bonnie. "Katherine got a witch to link Elena to her."
"That girl…" Bonnie said, as though she'd just realized something. "Stay with Elena."
"Where are you going?" Jeremy asked as she started to run off.
"There's another witch here, I'm gonna find her!" Bonnie told him. Elena sat down behind the bushes. Jeremy joined her.
"You feeling okay?" Jeremy asked.
"Yeah, just a little shaken by this whole incident." Elena said. "But you were right, Jer. We need to stop her before she hurts anyone else we love."
"Now that's the Elena I know and love." Jeremy said. He took his jacket off and handed it to her. "Here, it should help cover the bloodstains on your clothes." Elena smiled and put it on.
Upstairs, the guys were still with Katherine. Sure, they could've left her alone in there, but what were the chances she wouldn't trick someone into the room to help her? So they stayed in the room to make sure she wouldn't try anything.
"This is just like old times." Katherine said.
"Speak for yourself. You're the one who cheated on my brother." Damon pointed out.
"Except you were the one she cheated with." Stefan said, pointing out the facts.
"I didn't tell you that so you'd hold it against me."
"As entertaining as this is," Katherine interrupted. "Where's the moonstone?" That snapped them out of their argument.
"What do you want with it, anyway?" Stefan asked her.
"You really think I'd tell you?" She pointed out.
"If we could stake you right now, you know we would." Damon said.
"But you won't because you care too much about your little vampire friends." Katherine said. "You don't think I can't see right through you?"
"Once the spell between you two lifts, don't think I won't hesitate to kill you."
"You know what I don't get?" Stefan said. "Why recruit Mason to help? If the moonstone can break a curse that would help werewolves destroy vampires, why would you want to help them?"
"I don't know, maybe I'm tired of the vampire thing." Katherine told him. Obviously she was lying. From their previous encounters, they knew she loved being a vampire.
"Even if we believed that, you know that's suicide, right?" Damon pointed out.
"Well, he isn't the only werewolf around." Katherine said. That's how Stefan figured it out.
"When George Lockwood helped you escape, you gave him the moonstone, didn't you?" Stefan said.
"You catch on fast." Katherine said, impressed. "The plan would've worked, though, if people hadn't found out I wasn't in the tomb." She turned to Damon. "Thanks for that."
"In my defense, I thought you were either being tortured or dead." Damon pointed out. "You have any idea how I felt after that? I thought I'd never see you again, and the second you come back, you're the bad guy."
Katherine seemed surprised by his words. Even Stefan looked surprised, even though he knew how he'd felt about her.
"So, why do you need the moonstone back?"
"Does it matter?" Katherine asked. "The past is over."
"Why'd you even have it on you?" Stefan asked her. He quickly figured it out on his own though. "You stole it. But why? Who were you running from, Katherine?"
"You're wasting your time, bro. She's not going to answer our questions." Damon said.
Suddenly, a woman showed up in the doorway. "Katherine, the spell in this room has been broken, you're free to leave." She said. She was holding the moonstone.
"Good, I was getting bored." Katherine said.
"When I hand this over my debt to you is over. I owe you nothing." She told Katherine.
"Done." The vampire said.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Damon said. The woman gave her the moonstone. As soon as Katherine touched the stone, she began to sufficate.
"You should have told me another witch was involved. She's a Bennett witch, Katherine, but I'm sure you knew that." The woman told her.
"The link." Stefan said.
"It's okay, Elena's fine." The woman told them. "I broke the linking spell and Bonnie's with her. I apologize for my involvement. Should've known this two-timing bitch would trick me into harming my own family."
"You're a Bennett?" Damon asked.
"Distant, but yeah." She told him. "I'll leave now." She walked out of the room, leaving them and an unconscious Katherine on the floor.
Outside the mansion, Jeremy found Bonnie. "Hey. I'm going to head home. Do you need a ride?" He noticed her expression. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I will be." Bonnie admitted. "Anyway, when did you get your license?"
"A few weeks ago." Jeremy said. "Besides, it's just a car ride."
"I guess that'd be nice." Bonnie said. The two of them left together.
Outside, Elena was near the water fountain when she felt Stefan come up behind her. She turned around, smiling. She was still wearing Jeremy's jacket. "I'm okay." She told him. "I heal fast. Too bad it can't remove the stains from my clothes, though."
"I know, but I'm still worried about you."
"I know, Stefan." Elena said. "I heard about Katherine. Is she really gone?"
"Well, she's weak, but hopefully she'll leave us alone from now on." Stefan said. Elena smiled, but it never reached her eyes. He could feel she was slightly sad about something. "This doesn't change anything between us, does it?"
"Look, I love you, Stefan, but right now, I need to know that my family's going to be safe."
"I understand." Stefan told her. Elena knew he was a little upset about it, but she could also feel that he did understand and how much he loved her.
I'll see you tomorrow. She thought, knowing he'd hear her. Then, she started walking toward the parking lot.
In the tomb, Damon was waiting as Katherine woke up. She looked confused when she couldn't leave. "Hello Katherine."
"Where am I?" She asked.
"Where you should have been all along. I thought you'd learn your lesson by now, messing with a Bennett witch."
"You should have killed me."
"I know I should have. Jeremy talked me out of it." Damon said. "Figured this was a better alternative." He moved to close the door.
"Damon." He stopped when he heard her speak. "Elena's in danger."
"How do I know you're not lying?" Damon asked.
"I know you have no reason to trust me." Katherine said. "But I haven't killed her for a reason, there's someone after her."
Damon noticed that Katherine looked genuinely scared. He still wasn't sure what to believe, though. "If you are telling the truth, then know that I would never, ever let anything happen to her. We'll do whatever it takes to keep her safe." He closed the door on her, thinking about what she said, still unsure of what to make of it.
In the parking lot, Elena headed toward her car. "I'm at my car. Okay, I'll see you at home." She hung up and turned around. Someone in a mask tried to grab her, but she kicked him back, hard. While he was on the ground, she turned and tried to open the door to her car. That was the last thing she remembered before she blacked out.