The next morning, Elena was waiting outside the Salvatore's house. Stefan had called and told her to meet him before school. After a few minutes, Damon opened the door. "Hey, Elena."
"Is Stefan still here?" Elena asked. "He called. He said it was important."
"Yeah, he's here." She entered the house. Stefan arrived then.
"Hey."
"So, what did you want to tell me?" Elena asked. Just then, she noticed Rose in the hallway. "What are you doing here?"
"She's the only one who can explain." Stefan told her. Elena felt uncertain about this meeting. "Do you trust me?" He asked. Elena nodded, knowing she'd always trust him. She would at least listen to Rose.
The group sat down in the living room. "Okay, you have to understand I only know what I've picked up over the years and I don't know what's true and what's not true." Rose told them. "That's the problem with all this vampire crap, but Klaus, I know he's real."
"Who is he?" Elena asked, genuinely lost as to where she was going.
"He's one of the Originals." Damon told her.
"You mean, like Elijah?"
"No. Elijah was the Easter Bunny compared to Klaus." Rose said. "He's a foot soldier. Klaus is the real deal."
"Klaus is known to be the oldest, if the journal is anything to go by." Stefan said. Now Elena looked really confused. "It looked like some of our ancestors and family members may have been trying to keep track of the names of vampires or people who'd been turned."
Elena nodded, then turned to Rose. "So you're saying that the oldest vampire in the history of time is coming after me? But why? I'm a vampire now, I shouldn't be of any use to him."
"True, but you are still a doppelganger and if he ever finds out about your transformation, you're as good as dead." Rose told her. Elena looked up at her, surprised. Stefan didn't need to be able to feel how scared she was in order to know how she was feeling.
"Okay, Rose…"
"I'm not saying it to scare you." She told them. "I told you, I'm here to help. If I was going to stab you in the back, I would've done it the second you invited me in."
"So, what chance do we stand against this guy?" Damon asked.
"You're not serious." Rose said "He would kill all of us if we tried to go against him."
"Hang on, Elijah's dead, remember?" Stefan pointed out. "No one else knows you exist." He told Elena.
"Not that you know of."
"You're really not helping." Damon told Rose.
"Just telling the truth." She raised her hands defensively.
"Look, we don't even know anyone who's even met him." Stefan pointed out. "We're talking centuries of truth mixed with fiction."
"He's real and he doesn't give up." Rose told him. "If he wants something, he gets it. If you're not afraid of Klaus, then you're an idiot."
"Then call us crazy." Damon said.
Elena got up. Stefan could sense that she was freaking out inside. "Where are you going?"
"I'm late for school." Elena pointed out.
"Want me to come with you?"
"Thanks, but I need to be alone for a while." Elena left the house.
"That went well, didn't it?" Damon said.
"Again, just stating the facts." Rose told him.
At school, Jeremy noticed Bonnie as she arrived. One of her books fell to the ground and she went to pick it up. He caught up to her and picked it up for her. "Here."
"Thanks." Bonnie said. "So, where's Elena?"
"She's running late." Jeremy told her. "You want to hang out at the Grill later? We can try shooting pool."
"Why?" Bonnie asked him. "I mean, it's not exactly like we're…"
"I just thought it'd be fun." Jeremy said.
"Yeah, I guess." Bonnie said. "Only I'm really bad at pool."
"Have you ever played before?" Jeremy asked.
"Excuse me!" They both looked up and saw a guy near them. "Do you guys know which way is the office?"
"Through the double doors then straight ahead then quick left and then your first right." Jeremy noticed he looked kind of lost. "You must be new here."
"Yeah, I am. It's kind of hard to hide it. My name's Luka."
"I'm Jeremy, this is Bonnie."
"Well, it's nice to meet you guys." Luka said.
"Anyway, Luka. I'm actually heading to that direction. Why you don't follow me? It can get confusing." Jeremy told him.
"Thanks man." Bonnie watched as the guys left. She hoped that everything would work itself out.
Elena was walking through the woods. Caroline followed her. "Tell everyone I wasn't feeling well and I went home instead of school." She told Caroline.
"I can't believe I'm agreeing to this. I'm a terrible liar!" Care pointed out.
"And keep Stefan busy. I don't want him to know what I'm up to." Elena said.
"I'm even worse at duplicity and you know this."
"You managed to keep me occupied when Katherine paid Stefan a visit." Elena pointed out.
"Because she threatened to kill me. Again!" Caroline said. "And Stefan's going to see right through me. I'm not that good an actress!"
"Caroline, as my friend, do you promise or not?" Elena asked. She felt bad for making her do this, but she needed answers and there was only one person she knew that could help.
"You had to break out the girlfriend code." Caroline sighed. "Okay. I promise." They headed toward the ruins under the old church. "Why don't you want Stefan to know?" She asked as they got closer.
"Because he would never be okay with me doing this." Elena told her. They stopped just outside of the door leading to the tomb.
"Are you sure you want to do this?"
"She's the only one who knows the truth about Klaus." Elena pointed out. "The only one who can tell me how to stop him."
"But you're asking for the truth from someone who's always lying to us." Caroline said.
"I have to do this." Elena told her. "I can't just sit back and wait for something bad to happen, we need to find out more about this." Caroline helped her open the door.
"Katherine?" She turned to Caroline. "I'll be okay." After a few minutes, Katherine appeared. She looked terrible. Her hair was a mess and her skin looked paler than normal.
"Hello, Elena." She said. "Come to watch me fade away?" She noticed Caroline.
"As long as I stay on this side on the door, she can't hurt me." Elena told Caroline. Her blonde best friend seemed hesitant, but she left. She turned to Katherine. "I brought you some things."
"You came to bribe me?" Katherine seemed surprised. "What is it that you want?"
"I want you to tell me about Klaus." Elena said.
"So, you know."
"You're the only one who knows the full story." Elena pointed out. "I brought you this." She pulled out the Petrova book from her bag. "It's your family history. According to this, you were the last remaining person in your family."
"Well, it's not true. I didn't even know you existed until four months ago or even if we're related, but there must be some blood connection if Klaus is after you." Katherine told her.
"Well, that's not important right now." Elena said. "Here," She passed a small glass of blood into the tomb to her. "This should help."
Katherine took the glass and drank the contents. Her skin regained color and she looked normal again, though still slightly weak. "Looks like the past does catch up to us after all." She said. She set the glass on the floor and Elena took it. "It's a long story. I guess it started after I left Mystic Falls the first time."
"Yeah, what happened to your parents?" Elena asked.
"I don't know. The last time I saw them, I was six." Katherine told her. "For as long as I can remember, it's just been me and Emily. After I left, I ended up in some Midwest town, far away from Mystic Falls, I don't remember which one. I had to adjust. After a few months, I caught the eye of Klaus. I was charmed by him until I found out he was a monster and what he wanted from me. Then I ran like hell." She shivered.
"How'd you survive?"
"One of his closest farmhands, I think his name was Trevor, helped provide cover." Katherine told her. "He sent me to a safe house in Wisconsin."
"So, what did Klaus want?" Elena asked.
"The same thing that he wants from you. He wants to break the curse."
"By sacrificing the Petrova doppelganger." Elena finished.
"He wanted to drain every single drop of blood of my body." Katherine told her.
At the school, Stefan ran into Caroline outside. "Hey."
"Hey. I need to talk to you." Caroline said. "Where are you going?"
"Elena went home. I wanted to check in on her." Stefan told her.
"Hang on, I need some advice. I did something really stupid." Caroline said.
"Like what?"
"I told Tyler I'm a vampire." Caroline said. Stefan looked at her, surprised.
"Maybe we should talk about this somewhere more private." He suggested. She nodded.
In the tomb, Elena was still sitting near Katherine. "What does the Petrova blood line have to do with Klaus?" She asked her.
"It's really tedious but, the curse was bound by the sacrifice of Petrova blood." Katherine explained. "Witches are crafty with their spells."
"So you ran before he killed you."
"Yeah. Once I got to the safe house, Rose took me in. However, she realized the danger and was going to take me back to Klaus once it was safe for her to." Katherine explained.
"What do you mean?" Elena asked.
"Unlike you and your little friends, she didn't have a daylight charm." Katherine told her. "I had less than ten hours to figure out a way out of that mess."
"But Rose never ended up taking you back to Klaus, did she?"
"No, but not because she had a change of heart." Katherine said. "She was still determined to hand me over. So I took matters into my own hands. Unfortunately, she didn't want to risk Trevor's life, so she healed me. I ran out the back door while she was busy with Trevor and never looked back. Another vampire girl helped me get back here undetected."
"But you've been running from Klaus ever since." Elena pointed out.
"I under estimated his penchant for vengeance, but leaving with a suitcase is better than dying so you can have your blood spilled over some silly little rock."
"But I'm a vampire, too." Elena said. "And Elijah said that my blood was still useful." Katherine didn't say anything for a moment.
"I don't know what he means." She finally said after a moment. "I haven't seen him since I ran away that night. But if he's up to something…"
"I think we're going to have to be more careful." Elena said. "I have a feeling he's not the only one out there."
"What's up?" Katherine asked, noticing her doppelganger's expression.
"Rose and Trevor have been on the run for the past few years. Trevor just got killed." Elena said. Not that she liked Trevor, but she couldn't help but feel bad for Rose. They seemed close.
"I'm surprised he lasted that long." Katherine said. "Still, can't say I was close with him, but he was a good person."
"I'm surprised you even care." Elena said.
"Of course I care. But when you have a psycho vampire after you, you can't let anyone know about it." Katherine told her. Elena blinked, stunned by this revelation. "I was always afraid if I turned it off, I'd forget who I was. I got good at faking it. It was the only way I could survive." She turned around and opened the book Elena had given her.
At the Grill, Stefan and Caroline were sitting together. She was telling him all about her problem with Tyler. "He has the urge to kill, too."
"What else did you say to him?"
"Not much. I was trying to keep the questions to a minimum." Caroline said. "Are you mad?"
"No, but I think you should be even more careful around him." Stefan said. "I know he's our friend, but if Damon or the Gilberts find out about this…"
"You won't tell them, will you?" Caroline asked.
"Of course not." Stefan said. "The guys would kill you."
"How come you're so nice to me?" She asked.
"Because you're my friend, Care. I'll always have your back, no matter how hard it gets."
She smiled. "It's good to have people like you in my life."
"You know, sometimes you remind me of my best friend." Stefan told her. He thought of his last visit with Lexi. Ever since she nearly got taken down on his birthday, they met up every couple weeks to check in with each other.
"Are you talking about that blonde girl I saw you with in the park the other day?" Caroline asked.
Stefan looked at her in surprise. "You were there?"
"I wasn't spying, if that's what you're thinking. I was on my way home from the cleaners." Caroline said.
"Yeah, Lexi and I are best friends. We knew each other from school, then I moved here." He explained. "We meet up every few weeks to catch up."
"Speaking of friends, there's a full moon coming up and I don't know what to do." Caroline said. "Tyler's really freaking out about it."
"I'm sure we'll figure something out." Stefan told her. "Is there anything we can do to keep him locked up somewhere so he doesn't hurt anyone?"
"I don't know, but I have a few ideas. I might have to work with him on it, though."
"Okay, look, I really have to go now."
"Stefan…" Caroline began.
"Care, I know you're trying to distract me. Hate to break it to you, but you're not that good an actress." Caroline sighed.
"Look, Stef, I can't tell you where Elena is." She said. "I promised her."
"I understand, but I'm really worried about her. We just got her back, remember?"
"I know that, but I wouldn't leave Elena alone unless I thought that she could handle herself." Caroline reassured him. "I'm sorry I can't help you here." She got up and left.
"So how did you end up here after all that time running?" Elena asked Katherine.
"It wasn't my choice. I was near the border of the town when I got jumped by a couple local vampires." Katherine explained. "I tried to fight them, but there were more hiding nearby. When they realized who I was, they dragged me here so that they could report to the Originals. When I escaped, I killed the two who put me in here."
"You came here so you could hand me over to Klaus, though."
"I spent the past three or four years on the run. I figured he might be willing to strike a deal." Katherine said.
"So you got Mason Lockwood to find you the moonstone." Elena said, starting to figure out Katherine's intentions for coming back here. "What else do you need to break the curse?"
"I see you've figured it out."
"I'm guessing there's a reason you triggered Tyler's werewolf curse when Mason ran off." Elena said.
"I told you, witches spells are complicated. So many things always needed for them to work."
"So you do need a werewolf." Elena said.
"They're really hard to find." Katherine shrugged.
"What else?" Elena asked.
"A witch to do the spell. Mine bailed but Bonnie will do just fine."
"Anything else?"
"A vampire."
"Caroline." Elena realized, feeling sick.
"It could've been anyone, really, but there was something about her I liked." Katherine said.
"And you were just going to hand us all over to be killed?" Elena asked.
"It would've worked if you hadn't been turned." Katherine said. "Klaus will probably kill you all regardless of my interference. It doesn't matter if you're a vampire now, you'll be marked for death if he ever finds out."
"What can I do?" Elena asked her, worried about everyone being in danger.
"I don't know. I personally don't trust Elijah, but if he knows something that could prevent this, he could be your best shot."
"Yeah, about that…" Elena began. As she explained what happened, Katherine looked concerned.
"Well, Originals are harder to take down than you think, but chances are he'll probably be angry." She said when Elena finished explaining.
"Is there anyone else we can call for help? Someone who might know something about the Originals?"
"I don't know." Katherine said. She thought for a moment. "Well, I do have one idea, but you're not going to like it."
"What is it?"
"Elena?" Elena turned around in shock. Stefan had shown up.
"Stefan?" She couldn't believe he was here. "Did Caroline…"
"No. She kept your secret. I guessed you'd come here."
"She is the only one who knew the truth." Elena pointed out.
"How do you know she wasn't lying to you?" Stefan asked her.
"I know she wasn't. I've been wearing the truth ring all day and it never vibrated once while we were talking." Elena told him. She held out her hand so he could see she was wearing it.
"Still sitting here." Katherine pointed out. They turned to her. "I know you want to protect her, but there's nothing you can do, Stefan. You don't even know the worst part of the story." She turned away for a moment, then took a deep breath.
"Before I was caught, I went back to find Emily. There was no sign of her anywhere. Then I found a note on the counter, saying that she couldn't protect me anymore and that I had to run. I don't even know if she died from natural causes or if it was Klaus, but…" She sighed. "that's where his men caught me and dragged me to the tomb."
"You never figured it out, did you?"
"No, but I knew it was no coincidence that they were there." Katherine said. "And Emily always put a protective spell around the house, so I knew something was wrong."
"No." Elena looked really worried. Stefan put his arm around her shoulder.
"Hey, it's okay, we'll figure something out."
"For her sake, you better." Katherine said. "Because if we can't stop him, he'll turn this place into a ghost town. No pun intended." She added, realizing how lame it sounded.
"You really are telling the truth." Stefan realized.
"You might want to hide this." She held out the moonstone.
"Maybe another time." Elena said. "So far, that thing's been nothing but trouble."
"Well, you know where I'll be if either of you change your mind." Katherine said. "Not that I can go anywhere." She headed back into the tomb.
Stefan walked Elena home. They got to her front porch. "You okay?" He asked her.
"Not really." Elena said. "I'm not the only one in danger. Caroline, Tyler, and Bonnie are part of breaking that curse, too. Thanks to me, we're all in danger." Stefan embraced her, holding her close. He knew they had to find a way to keep the curse from being broken. Otherwise, there was no way anyone in Mystic Falls would survive.