Damon stopped the car and we exchanged a look before quickly getting out. I looked around the street, the calm neighborhood seemed normal. I frowned at the destroyed door, and saw a couple of windows were broken too. We approached the door and silently entered the house, looking around for danger or a clue as to what happened.I picked up the newspaper and tossed it on the couch.

"Hello?" Damon called out.

"The house is empty" I said. "Where the hell is everyone?"

I called Alice but she wasn't answering, neither was Elena, Stefan or Edward. I called Caroline and she picked up crying.

"Care, what happened?" I asked alarmed, striding out of the house with Damon.

"Ric" she sobbed.

"What?" I frowned getting in the car.

"He turned. He's a vampire, his alter-ego took over… He wants to kill us all"

I looked at Damon and he cursed under his breath.

"Where is everyone, Caroline?" I asked.

"At school, I just left" she cried.

I hung up and while Damon drove I got the bag from under the seat. Vervain grenades, stakes and guns with wooden bullets.

"I have a bad feeling about this" I muttered.

"Why doesn't anyone stay dead in this town?" Damon grumbled.

"Maybe we can find a way to fix him, bring our Ric back" I said. "We wouldn't have to kill him"

He gave me a look that said it all. I was hoping for a little too much.

We found Stefan passed out and Emmett helping Klaus on killing Ric.

"Wait!" I screeched.

Emmett's head snapped to me, and Ric took advantage of that and broke his neck. I tackled Ric to the ground before he could rip Emmett's head off and held him down. Emmett continued on the ground, the crack on his neck slowly disappearing.

"Stop, Ric" I said.

He smirked and stabbed me on the stomach. The blood was quickly staining my white top, and I saw a white oak stake covered with metal. I grunted and pushed myself away. Damon grabbed Ric and I took a deep breath, as the wound healed.

"You two should have just stayed out of town" Klaus snapped. "You love to ruin my plans"

He advanced on Ric and Damon and I got on his way.

"Wait, we can fix him" I protested.

He tried to push me out of his way and I pushed him against the lockers, letting my face change.

"You won't kill him!" I snapped.

He tackled me to the ground and held me down with a hand above my heart.

"Elijah will not be happy about this" he muttered with a sad smile. "Sorry, sweetheart"

I gasped as I felt my heart slow down. I heard a crack and suddenly the sounds of fighting ended. I tried to push Klaus off, but to no avail. Klaus looked me in the eyes and seemed to reconsider. He took his hand from my chest and I gasped for air.

"Oh, you all are so damn complicated. Always someone to stop the other from doing the right thing" I heard Ric say.

I rolled on my side and sighed, seeing Damon on the ground. I stood up and watched as Ric advanced on Klaus. Klaus kept his eyes on the stake and sighed, preparing for attack.

"Ric, please, stop" I said. "You don't have to do this"

"You all have to die" Ric said.

I sighed and tacked him to the ground. He kicked me off and easily broke my neck. I cried in pain and through my pain-hazy vision I saw him grab Klaus. Emmett grunted, trying to stand up and I watched Ric and Klaus fighting, unable to do anything.

"Ric, no" I cried as he was about to stake Klaus.

"Stop" I heard Elena scream. "Let him go or I'll kill myself"

"I call the bluff" Ric chuckled pulling his arm back to stake Klaus.

He suddenly froze and I could smell Elena's blood. I held my breath and concentrated on getting through the pain.

"Stop" Ric snapped.

"Why? Because you still need me alive? There's a reason why Esther used me to make you, isn't there?" Elena said. "She didn't want you to be immortal, so she tied your life to a human one. Mine. That way you have only one life span to kill all vampires and then you'll be gone. So, when I die, you die too. That's it, it has to be!"

"Elena…" I said warningly.

Klaus was up and they were gone before I could say anything else. I grunted, trying to stand up and Ric extended his hand to me. I took it and he helped me up, so my lips twitched.

"You should have let me kill him" he said.

"It would kill us all, Ric"

"Yes, and now he has Elena, his weapon to kill me" he said, glaring at me. "You are always getting in my way"

I pushed him against the lockers, holding him by the neck, and glared.

"I'm getting you into rehab, starting now. You are not this jackass, Ric" I said angrily. "Stop this, I know you can"

He rolled his eyes at me and pushed me away. He was as strong as an Original, I could not fight him.

"All of you are pathetic" he said before attacking me.

"Bella" a familiar, soft voice whispered. "Bella, baby, wake up. Come on!"

I groaned, the soft voice was now worried and louder. I felt something warm and sweet in my lips, and it flooded into my mouth. Blood. My eyes snapped open, my face changing, and I saw it was Damon's wrist. I licked the wound and pulled away. I leaned back on the car seat and frowned at the Mikaelson mansion.

"What happened?" I asked Damon.

He stepped back and I got out of the car noticing Emmett, Stefan, and Alice a few feet away, talking and watching the mansion.

"Ric staked you in the heart. Good news, you're not vulnerable to white oak stake. As soon as he took it off your chest, you started to heal, like it was just a dagger" he smiled sadly and sighed. "He says that if we save Elena from Klaus, he won't kill Klaus"

I couldn't die. The information didn't brought me any relief. Damon was still in danger, all my friends were. I had to do something about it.

"And you believe him?"

"Of course not, but we have to save Elena anyway" he shrugged.

"What about Ric?" I asked worriedly.

"We'll deal with him later" he said frowning.

"We can't Damon! He's still our friend!"

"He broke our necks and is trying to kill us all"

"No, Damon… I know he's there, he's your best friend. He's just lost, we can't give up!" I protested.

"Can we discuss this later?" Stefan interrupted. "Klaus is draining Elena's blood!"

"Bonnie did the same spell her mother used on Mikael" Emmett said. "If we get in touch with Klaus, we can entomb him"

"Alright" Damon said. "We get the hybrids, you get Klaus"

"I'm the only one who can handle Klaus. I'm strong enough to hold him so you can touch him" I said and turned to Damon. "Take care of the hybrids"

He nodded and kissed me.

"Be careful" he whispered.

We strode to the house. In less than a minute there were several hybrids surrounding us. Damon, Emmett and Alice took care of them, and Stefan and I ran into the house. We found Klaus and Tyler fighting, but Klaus was stronger and was easily winning. I grabbed him by the arm, yanking him from Ty, and threw him on the wall. He stood up from the crumbles with an amused smile. I glanced at Elena, tied to a chair with an IV in her arm. Tyler ran to help her, yanking the IV off, and when Klaus rushed to stop him, I got in the way.

"You are starting to annoy me" he snapped.

"I want to make your life at least half the hell my life was because of you" I answered.

He blurred in my direction, but I dodged him, and grabbing a hold of my arm, he pulled me back. We fell down, grabbing, punching, kicking, and crashing. Stefan tried to intervene after he got Elena out, but he couldn't find the right moment. Klaus grabbed me by the chin and threw me on the floor. The hardwood cracked under me and Klaus was able to pin me completely.

"I should have ripped your heart out" he growled.

"Why didn't you?" I choked out.

"You have potential, but you are not useful to me clearly"

He bit my neck and smirked at me.

"Let's see if we can dry you out"

Stefan got him in a headlock and I locked my legs around him, trying to hold him down. Emmett showed up and while helping Stefan hold Klaus down, put his flat hand above Klaus heart. I heard his heartbeat slow down and his eyes widened, staring at me, but not really. He seemed scared, vulnerable. A side of Klaus I hadn't seen yet. His skin went grey, his veins stood out on the dead skin, and his eyes rolled back. Emmett and Stefan let him go, and he fell on the floor, basically dead. But it brought me no satisfaction.

I leaned against Damon's side, watching the moon rise in the dark sky. Klaus was in a coffin and Damon, Stefan and Jasper were going to dump his body somewhere. Stefan and Elena were talking since she awoke, and we were just waiting for them to be finished so they could go end the Klaus' chapter. Ric didn't show up after sunset, but we guessed he was feeding or hunting vampires.

"Do you think those two will finally work things out?" I asked glancing at the front door.

"Knowing Elena, probably" Damon said stretching his legs on the porch's steps.

"Wanna know the newest couple in town?" I asked amusedly and he nodded, frowning. "Bonnie and Edward"

"He has a thing for witches, hm?" he said teasingly.

I laughed and laced our fingers together.

"Probably" I said.

"You don't like it" he said frowning. "Them together"

"No"

"Jealous?"

"Jealous?" I retorted with a smirk. "No, Damon. I'm just worried"

"I'm sure he will control himself. And witchy can throw him across the room if he tries to drink from…"

"Not about that" I shook my head. "Bonnie didn't end her last relationship. It crumbled when Jeremy continued to let Anna in. She didn't stop loving him, and they didn't put an official and definite end to them. So, I'm worried. She's probably confused, and Edward can be every girl's dream… I don't want him hurt"

"He's serious about her?" Damon asked curiously.

"When is Edward not serious?" I smiled. "He doesn't hook up, Damon, his mind isn't modern on that subject, and in 1918, people had to be serious about dating"

"Things will work out" he shrugged.

I smiled at Damon's ease. I needed some of it, I needed to stop worrying so much about things. In the end things would work out. I had to have hope. The front door opened, and Stefan gave us a tightlipped smile.

"Ready to go?" Damon asked.

"Will you be joining us, Bella?" Stefan asked.

"Nah. Your… Elena has really bad luck, so I'll stay to keep an eye on her" I said as we got up.

"Thanks" he said.

I kissed Damon's cheek, and as I passed Stefan, I patted his shoulder. When I walked in the house, I smelled chocolate. I found Jeremy on the kitchen, making a mess to prepare hot chocolate. I started to clean the counter, and when he turned to set mugs on the tray, he almost jumped in fright.

"Sorry" I giggled.

"Not used to you being so silent, you used to trip and bump into stuff" he said smiling.

"Hot chocolate?"

"With cinnamon. Elena's favorite" he shrugged. "Here"

He extended me a mug and I took a sip. It was delicious, but I smirked at him.

"Great, but not my favorite hot beverage" I said.

"Blood, right" he muttered. "Ahn, how's the… thirst?"

"I fed on the way back"

"Isn't my blood… bothering you anymore? Elena told me what Cullen says about singer's blood"

"It's barely itching" I smiled. "I guess my control is as good as Edward's"

"About him…" he said, playing with the mugs. "What do you think about them?"

"Him and Bonnie?" I asked and he nodded. "I think they could work out, she would be great for him… But I'm scared she won't, that she'll hurt him"

"He's the vampire" he said scowling.

"And he's probably taking whatever they have serious, and I don't know about her" I sighed. "Sorry, Jeremy. If it is meant to be, you two will get back… But you hurt her really bad"

"I know" he grumbled.

He walked around me and went upstairs to take hot chocolate to Elena. I cleaned the kitchen and watched TV, finally able to relax, now that Klaus was gone. I heard footsteps from Elena's room, and a couple minutes later, the smell of paint filled the house. I went upstairs and found her painting the room that used to be Jenna and Ric's.

"He's really gone" she mumbled when she noticed my presence. "We should move on"

"He's not gone, Elena. We can't give up on him, not yet. I know we can bring him back"

"He would kill Klaus, knowing you, Damon, Stefan, Caroline and Tyler would die. Ric is gone. There's just the monster that tried to kill you, Meredith…" she sighed and extended me a brush. "Wanna help?"

"Shouldn't you be resting?" I asked cocking an eyebrow.

"I can't" she shrugged.

"Can I change clothes?"

"Yeah, yeah, get whatever you want from my closet. There are some old PJ's on the bottom drawer" she said going back to painting.

In her room, I went straight to the bottom drawer. I got the old PJ's she mentioned, but when I was about to close the drawer, I found an album. Nosy, I couldn't resist, and took it. Pictures of her, Stefan, Caroline, Bonnie, Jeremy, Jenna, Ric, Alice, Rose… everyone. Including me, but mostly, human me. The last picture was from my birthday, the day I left, and it had been crumbled. Regret for everything I did filled me. Were them right? Could I have done things differently? I had to hold back tears when I found a photo of my father and I on my wedding day, right before walking down the aisle. The album seemed to be made by Caroline, not Elena, and it was probably a gift, or something. There was a page full of photos of Stefan and Elena, surrounded by hearts. The next page was of me and Edward, a page that had been torn, but kept inside the album. Caroline and Tyler were next, there was half a page on Bonnie and Jeremy, and of all of us. It seemed someone had started a page on me and Damon, and I couldn't help but steal the page for myself. Photos of us on New Year's, a photo my mom had taken in Florida, at Elena's party… I put aside the pictures I would take to get copies, and grabbed the old shirt to change. A loud thump came from the other room, and I frowned.

"Elena?" I called out. "Everything okay?"

There was no answer, so I walked out of the room and met Jeremy coming from downstairs with extra brushes.

"What?" he asked confusedly, seeing worry on my face.

I pushed the door open, and ran to Elena when I saw her knocked out on the floor. Her nose was bleeding and she was pale.

"Call an ambulance" I told Jeremy.

It would be quicker to just pick her up and run with her to the hospital, but the last thing I needed was suspicions from the Council. We already had Ric after us. I kept my attention on her heartbeat, making sure it didn't slow down. It was unsteady, but not weak enough for me to panic. Jeremy on the other hand, was already panicking. A few minutes later, the paramedics arrived and took her to the hospital. She continued unconscious all the way and even through the battery of exams Meredith put her through. They put her on IV, and she got a bit of color back, but continued sleeping, as Meredith said.

"Witchcraft?" Jeremy asked as we waited for news from Meredith.

"No"

"Maybe we should call Bonnie" he said, tapping his foot nervously. "She might have a clue…"

"I was a witch, Jeremy, a good one, and I assure you it's not witchcraft. But if you want to call Bonnie, do it. She'll bring Edward" I snapped.

He clenched his jaw, and I sighed, rubbing my forehead with my fingertips.

"I'm sorry, Jer. Really. I'm just tired, and worried… And inside a hospital full of blood" I mumbled.

"It's okay" he muttered.

"Elena will be alright"

"It's two in the morning. If Bonnie would bring Cullen along, that means they are together. Right?" he asked bitterly.

I sighed and moved to sit beside him.

"You played with Bonnie. You didn't mean to, but you did. You made her believe you really liked her, when you weren't completely over Anna or Vicky. You screwed things up. And she deserves to be happy, don't you think? Apparently, Edward makes her happy. Maybe they'll last, maybe not, but you can't be mad with him or her about it"

"You started hooking up with Damon when you still hadn't got over Edward, back when you came to Mystic Falls. And Damon started dating you while still loving Elena" he retorted.

"What's your point?" I asked. "That my love life is messier than yours?" I smiled.

"You two worked out, and I know Bonnie and I can work out" he said determinedly.

I leaned my head back against the wall, and sighed. Great, everything we needed. Another love triangle. This town was cursed. I took my phone out, but decided against calling Damon or Stefan. It would be better to see what Meredith said, before calling them. I remembered the nosebleeds I had sometimes after the ritual to break the curse, when I came back from the dead. Would Elena's problem be what she was? A doppelganger? What if she got worse as I did?

My thoughts were interrupted by approaching footsteps and Jeremy snapping up. I stood up and cocked an eyebrow at Meredith. She gave us a weak smile and put her hands in her pockets.

"She will be fine. She just needs some rest"

I frowned at her and Jeremy was just confused as me.

"What do you mean she's fine? She has been unconscious for hours. No one passes out from nothing! And her nose was bleeding!" Jeremy said.

"She got a little banged up today. She lost a lot of blood, Jeremy. She should have rested" Meredith said. "But knowing her stubbornness, I'll keep her here until she has recovered completely"

"She'll be fine?" I asked narrowing my eyes.

"Yes"

I nodded and she said she had to check on other patients. I waited for her to walk away, before telling Jeremy to call Stefan and Damon, to inform them of what was happening. I followed her scent and found her on a supply closet. She turned around, surprised with my presence and I glared at her.

"You're going to tell me exactly what is going on" I said.

"What?" she played dumb.

I grabbed her by the neck and pressed her against the door. She struggled and tried to pry my hand away from her neck, her feet kicking, desperately trying to reach the ground.

"You might be a good liar to Original vampires, but I'm a hybrid. Your heart sped up when you assured me she would be fine. You forced a smile a little too much, not visible to human eyes, but to mine, yes" I let her go and she choked for air. "And you smell like my boyfriend"

I grabbed the empty vial from her pocket. The last drop of blood gave her away, I would recognize the smell of Damon's blood anywhere.

"You gave her vampire blood" I said accusingly.

"I saved her" she wheezed.

"If she dies…"

"She won't. I'll keep her here until it's out of her system. She had brain hemorrhage, she would die in a couple hours if I hadn't given it to her"

"Why didn't you tell us?" I snapped.

"Jeremy lost enough people, I didn't want him worried sick about his sister. And I know Damon and Stefan have important business out f town, if they knew something like this was happening, they would return"

I had to agree with her. If they knew Elena could have died, they would return, and we couldn't take risks, not with Klaus' body.

"Fine, we'll keep this between us. But if something like what happened to me, happens to her, it will be your fault" I said before exiting the supply closet.

I found Jeremy pacing outside Elena's room, and I could hear Damon's irritated voice on the phone. I extended my hand for it, and he gave it to me with a sigh.

"All Originals are going after Elena, since she's the key to get rid of Ric. She's not safe in the hospital" Damon said.

"You should have called Bella or Caroline, Jeremy" Stefan said more calmly.

"If you want to be mad, be mad at me. I called the ambulance" I said.

"Why?" Damon asked.

"Because she was passed out, and her nose was bleeding. It wasn't witchcraft, and I didn't know what was wrong. Meredith could tell"

"So, what was it?" Stefan asked.

"Blood loss, stress, exhaustion, and apparently a slight concussion"

"Get her out of the hospital" Damon said. "Stefan is coming back"

"Yes, sir" I mocked. "As if I wouldn't protect her as much as I can here in the hospital"

I rolled my eyes and hung up. I gave the phone to Jeremy and told him to call Caroline, Tyler and Matt, I wanted everyone in my sight to prevent attacks. I searched for Meredith to get her to release Elena, but the search didn't last long. Soon someone grabbed me by the back of the neck, and knocked me into the wall, making me a bit dizzy. I groaned and when I turned, I froze. It was Ric.

"Nice to see you around here" he smirked.

He opened a door behind me, and pushed me inside.

"You can't kill me" I said.

"You're right, I don't know how to kill you. But I can try, just for fun" he said taking a chair to sit.

"What are you planning?" I asked frowning. "Killing us all? Did you forget who has been your friend all this time?"

"I was a weak man, and let myself be manipulated by you. Now, I'm seeing things clearly. You shouldn't be alive, you all are abominations, and you should be exterminated"

"You're one of us" I pointed out.

"But I have a purpose, I will not harm innocent people"

I opened my mouth to retort, when Meredith came in, interrupting. She looked at us with wide eyes, clearly scared with Ric's presence.

"What are you doing here?" she asked shakily.

"I'm Elena's guardian, I'm surprised no one called me" he smiled.

"Who told you?" I asked.

"I have eyes and ears all over town" he chuckled. "You would be amazed how people do their jobs correctly when vampires aren't involved. Speaking of…"

He stood up and walked to the mini refrigerator.

"You have been very successful, Meredith. But it's because you cheat" he said taking vials of blood. "Found your stash of vampire blood. Very accessible, you should have been more careful"

I clenched my jaw, and held Meredith back as she protested while he poured out the blood.

"The council will speak to the medical board, your license will be suspended" he informed. "Sheriff Forbes and the Mayor will be relieved from their duties. I'll get this town back under control"

"You son of a bitch" I growled letting my face change.

"Here's what's going to happen. You will release Elena under my custody, and Bella, you will help me out by telling me where Klaus is " he said calmly.

"Tell Jeremy" I told Meredith.

She hesitated but turned to the door. Ric stabbed me in the stomach with his white oak stake, and grabbed Meredith before she could escape. I took the stake out and tried to stab him in the back, but he was quicker and grabbed my wrist. He smirked, loosening his hold.

"Go on, stake me" he smirked.

I hesitated. It was Ric. There had to be a way to save him. He chuckled, and pushed me off, throwing me against the wall easily. I scrambled up as he signed the chart he took from Meredith, and stormed out with the stake.

"Are you alright?" Meredith asked worriedly.

"Go home, and no matter what he says, don't let him, or anyone in" I said running to the door.

When I got close to the corridor Elena's room was in, Caroline grabbed me and pushed me into an empty room.

"We got her out, now let's go before he finds us" she whispered.

We had to escape through the window, jumping from the second floor. I was still processing that this time, I was looking around for threats, from Ric.

"I'm fine" Elena protested.

"Sure" I said sarcastically while checking the closet.

"I'll get you some tea" Caroline said, throwing a blanket over Elena's legs. "Or maybe some vodka?"

Elena smiled.

"Both will put you to sleep" I chuckled.

"Second floor is clear" Tyler said with Matt following him into the living room.

"Guys, seriously, I'm fine, you don't need to do this" Elena said.

"I know you hate the fact that we are smothering you" I said. "But you've been through a lot the last few days, and Meredith's orders were 'rest, rest, and plenty of rest'"

"I'll get you tea with vodka" Caroline said winking.

Elena chuckled, and Matt sat with her while Caroline and Tyler went to the kitchen and I quietly walked out of the house and sat on the swinging bench on the porch. I fisted my hair and took deep breaths. The cool air and darkness calmed me down, but also raised flags. Things were too calm. Where were Rebekah and Elijah? Ric simply gave up for now? Impossible.

"I thought you said outside was not safe"

I wiped the tear that escaped and smiled at Jeremy who frowned at me.

"No one knows how to kill me, so I think I'm safe" I said. "You on the other hand… should be inside"

"What's wrong?" he asked taking a seat by my side.

"I was just thinking how this… this situation, Ric, reminds me of my father a bit. He was the last family you two had, you lost him in a terrible way – he became a monster – and still, you remain strong. I was so broken. You Gilberts are too strong for me to comprehend"

"We didn't lose all our family. We still have you, Caroline, Matt, Ty, Bonnie…" he smiled.

"I killed you" I muttered.

"I was aware of the danger I was in when I went to talk to you" he shrugged.

"We are a seriously disturbed family" I chuckled rolling my eyes.

"Come on, let's get inside" he said throwing his arm around my shoulders.

We stood up and ran into Tyler and Caroline.

"Where are you going?" I asked frowning.

"Our moms called, something really important" Caroline said shrugging.

"Fucking shit" I grumbled. "I forgot to tell you, Ric said he wanted your mothers off duty, because of their connection to you"

"We should go, now" Tyler said worriedly.

Elena fell asleep and Jeremy went out to get us some food. I took a shower, and changed into some of Elena's clothes. I was growing insane in the clothes I had been wearing since landing in Miami from Rome. It was strange to think it had only been the day before, it seemed like it was ages ago.

I was halfway downstairs, to check on Elena and Matt, ready to call Jeremy and check if he was alright, when I sensed someone approaching the house. I quietly passed the living room, and slowly turned the knob before running out of the house. Strong hands held me off, and I relaxed.

"Stefan" I sighed. "You should have called saying you were arriving"

"Sorry, didn't cross my mind" he shrugged. "Elena?"

"Inside, talking to Matt" I said turning to the door.

"Thanks" he said and I cocked an eyebrow. "For taking care of her"

"You took care of me when I was vulnerable"

He smiled sadly, and when he walked in the living room, Elena stood up, with a huge smile. She seemed peaceful and rested from the moment her eyes found his. Matt and I escaped to the kitchen to give them some privacy.

"So, finally you two settled on Salvatores" Matt said teasingly.

"Finally, thank God" I chuckled.

"Guys, I'm fine" Elena protested while Stefan and I cooked and Matt set the table.

"You had a concussion and you should rest" I answered.

"I can't be inside this house forever" she said standing up and I sighed at her stubbornness.

"She's right" Matt said frowning. "Maybe we should leave…"

"And do what?" I retorted. "Run for the rest of her life?"

"Bella is right, I can't hide from all the craziness. I don't want to run all my life, but that doesn't mean I want to stay lying on this couch. I'm perfectly capable of helping with dinner"

She folded the blanket, grabbed the pillow and went to put them away.

"So?" Matt asked Stefan.

"So?" Stefan frowned.

"Do you agree with them?" Matt asked and frowned at me. "Mystic Falls is dangerous for her"

"She doesn't want to run or hide, Matt, what do you want me to do?" Stefan asked.

"Get her out of here before she gets herself killed"

"She doesn't want to, Matt" I said frowning.

"When did that matter to you?" Matt retorted. "How many times you did things against someone's wishes?"

"I will not take her free will, Matt" Stefan said angrily. "If I do that, I will not be better than Klaus. No one should have their free will taken"

Seeing it was a touchy subject, Matt dropped it. I went to put the salad bowl on the table when I sensed a familiar scent. I frowned and walked out of the dining room. I found Elena standing in front of Elijah, who was standing just outside the house.

"Elijah" I whispered.

"Stefan!" Elena called, not having noticed my presence.

Stefan and Matt came and stopped behind me, with worried frowns.

"Good evening" Elijah said tightly. "May I come in?"