The next morning, the ghost girls were in the living room, meeting with Elena, Stefan, and Elijah. Damon hadn't shown up yet. "Tonight is the full moon. We should assume that Klaus is prepared to break the curse."
"Elena said that the Sun and the Moon curse is fake? That it's actually just a curse placed on Klaus."
"That's right." Anna told him.
"Klaus is a vampire born of a werewolf bloodline." Elijah explained. "The curse has kept his werewolf aspect from manifesting. But if he breaks it... He'll be a true hybrid."
"Now that I didn't know." Rose said. Lexi nodded.
"Then why are we letting him break the curse?" They turned at the sound of Damon's voice. "We can kill him today. With Bonnie."
"No." Elena said. "Bonnie can't use that much power without dying."
"Even if all three of us were keeping her powers in check, there's no guarantee that would work." Anna pointed out.
"I'll write her a great eulogy."
"We're not doing this." Rose said. "Not after last time."
"How do we break this curse?" Stefan asked.
"Well, the ritual itself is relatively straightforward. The ingredients, so to speak, you already know."
"The moonstone." Stefan said.
"Uh, that thing's been nothing but trouble." Anna said.
"A witch will channel the power of the full moon to release the spell that's bound within the stone. After that, Klaus, being both werewolf and vampire, will sacrifice one of each."
"So where does Elena fit in?" Rose asked. Elena repeated the question, since she wasn't sure if he could see her.
"Klaus must drink the blood of the doppelganger. To the point of your death." Elijah told them. He pulled a bottle out of an old-looking box. "This is an elixir that I acquired some 500 years ago for Katerina. It possesses mystical properties of resuscitation."
"So I'll be dead?" Elena asked.
"And then you won't." Anna and Rose looked at each other.
"I don't like this idea." Rose said.
"Neither do I." Damon told her. Then he addressed everyone. "That's your plan? A magical witch potion with no expiration date? You want to come back to life, what about John's ring?"
"Those rings only work on humans. The doppelgänger's a supernatural occurrence. Odds are, the ring won't work." Elijah said.
"Damn. I forgot about that." Anna said.
"I'll take those odds over your elixir. What if it doesn't work, Elena?"
"Then I guess I'll just be dead." Elena told them. "Do we know if Klaus has everything he needs to do this? Does he have a werewolf?"
"Klaus has been waiting to break this curse for over a thousand years. If he doesn't already have a werewolf, my guess is by tonight, he will."
Rose had gone outside to join the guys. "I'm surrounded by idiots."
"You realize that makes you an idiot, too, right?" She pointed out, trying to lighten the mood. It didn't work.
"You know, you're not helping." Stefan pointed out.
"Elijah is an original vampire, Stefan. One we tried to kill. You're going to believe this guy?"
"What do you want me to do, Damon? Elena made her decision. She's choosing to trust Elijah. I'm going to put my faith in her."
"Look, I don't trust Elijah anymore than you do, but I agree Elena should make her own decisions." Rose said.
"Why? She's going to end up dead." Damon said.
"Because she put her faith in me. She chose to trust me in spite of what I am. I'm going to bet on somebody's instincts, it's going to be hers." Stefan told him.
"Well, then, that makes you the biggest idiot of them all."
"She chose to trust both of you, too." Stefan pointed out.
"I made a promise to help her." Rose said. "And to help you." She told Damon. "And she had every reason not to trust me when I was alive."
"Then maybe you shouldn't be so sure about her instincts." He said. He walked away.
"I'll talk with him." Rose said.
"You really are his guardian spirit aren't you?"
"Call it what you want, but I'm connected to him as Anna is to Jeremy." Rose said. "Let me deal with this." She headed inside.
In the library, Anna was with Elena. "You'd think he'd understand why I'm willing to do this."
"Why are you?" Elijah asked.
"I'm the key to breaking the curse. Klaus is here because of me. If I don't stop him, then he's going to hurt people. It's that simple." Elena said.
"At least you have good intentions." Anna told her. "I wish I hadn't been so stupid when I tried to save my mom." Elena grabbed her hand. Anna looked at her.
"You know, there's a possibility this elixir won't work. I don't want to mislead you."
"I know the chance I'm taking."
"If this goes south, I'll drag you out if I have to." Anna said. Suddenly, there was a shout. The group ran into the hallway and were joined by Stefan, Rose, and Damon. Jenna was pointing a cross-bow at Alaric.
"What's going on?" Elena asked.
"It's me, Elena, I swear, okay? He let me go. Klaus let me go."
"I think he's telling the truth." Anna told them.
"I don't know, Anna." Rose said.
"Prove it." Damon told him.
"Okay, uh, first night you and I spent together, Jeremy walked in right when I was about to..."
"It's him." Jenna put the cross-bow down.
"And that was too much information." Anna said.
"At least he's not possessing him anymore." Rose pointed out.
"Why did he let you go?" Stefan asked.
"He wanted me to deliver a message." Alaric said. "The sacrifice happens tonight."
"Well, when it happens, we'll be ready for it." Anna said.
"We better fill him in." Elena said. The group headed back to the living room.
Rose went back to Damon's room. "Why is it so hard for you to trust her?"
"It doesn't matter. Either way, she'll be dead and then what?"
"Look, I'm not the one giving up on her." Rose pointed out. Elena showed up then.
"Hey."
"We were just talking about you." Rose said. She started to leave.
"No, don't leave." Rose looked at her. She seemed really vulnerable. "I need you to understand why I'm doing this."
"Why? It clearly doesn't matter what I think."
"It does matter." Rose said. "You wouldn't understand, though, would you?"
"I'll be fine, Damon. I'll drink the elixir, Bonnie will kill Klaus and then all of this will finally be over."
"You think it will work. You want it to work. Why am I the only one who's convinced it won't? There has to be another way."
"There isn't." Elena said. "It's my life, Damon. My choice."
"I can't lose you." He told her.
"You won't." Elena said. She headed toward the door. "I just wish he'd get why I'm doing this."
"I understand." Rose said. "If I hadn't been such a coward, I would've tried to save my own family." Suddenly, Damon was in front of them.
"There is another way."
"What are you..." Elena began. He bit into his wrist. "Damon, no!" She struggled as she tried not to drink his blood. The next thing she knew, she was on the ground. Rose went to her side.
"Are you hurt?" Elena shook her head, but Rose noticed the fear in her eyes.
"Damon, you didn't." Anna said, entering the room.
"I saved her life." He turned to Elena. "You're so bent on dying, at least this way I know you'll come back."
"As a vampire!" Stefan pointed out.
"It's better than nothing else." Damon shot back.
"How could you, of all people, take that choice away from her?"
"You know, I'm beginning to see why Lexi hates him." Anna said.
"You and me both, sweetie." Rose said.
"Go ahead, wish me an eternity of misery. Believe me, you'll get over it." Before anyone could say anything else, the Salvatores had broken into another fight.
"Should we do something?" Rose asked Anna. She looked at her.
"Leave it to me." She somehow got between the two of them. "Guys, enough. We can all agree that it Damon's decision was a stupid one, but in case you're forgetting, we still have the Klaus problem to deal with." Anna said. "This is not the time to become enemies with each other."
"And taking down Klaus without a united front would be like committing suicide at this point." Rose said. They all looked at her.
"A little dark for an analogy, don't you think?" Anna asked.
"It's a simple fact. If you're not in this together, you can't win against him." She pointed out. Just then, Alaric and Jenna came in.
"What the hell's going on?" Alaric asked.
"Nothing, I was just leaving." Damon walked out of the room. Rose helped Elena to her feet.
"It's okay. You can go if you want to." She told her. Jenna glanced at her niece. Then again, she just learned everything wasn't always what it seemed. "Besides, not like Anna's going anywhere."
"Okay, Jenna, downstairs are some blood bags." Alaric told her, snapping her back into reality. "Go get them now." She left the room.
"You okay?" Elena asked Stefan.
"Yeah. Sorry about all this."
"Hey, it's okay."
"Elena, you realize what just happened, right?" Anna asked.
"Yeah, but right now, I want to make sure he's okay." Elena told her. Anna nodded, understanding.
Downstairs, Rose entered the library just as Elijah left. "How are you?"
"I messed up, didn't I?"
"Well, I can't say I'm too happy with what you did, but I understand why you did it." Rose told him.
"Did you really mean what you said about saving your family?"
"Of course I did. After I turned, I ended up running away." Rose said. "One day I came back and my house was just…gone. It'd been burned to the ground, and my family went with it."
"I don't suppose you know a way to keep her alive without becoming a vampire."
"I'm a not a witch, Damon, though I could ask some of them." Rose said. "I'll be back soon."
"Meet me at the Grill." He told her. She nodded, then faded away.
Back in Stefan's room, the others helped him recover from the fight. Anna somehow managed to stop the injury from bleeding further. "Thank you."
"We'll be downstairs." Alaric told him. He and Jenna left the room.
"How'd you know how to stop the bleeding?"
"I grew up in the 1860s, remember?" Anna pointed out. "And my mother had me learn some of the medical basics so I could work with her."
"And yet I only thought you were good with sewing." They laughed.
"How could he do that to me?" Elena asked.
"Hey, we've never talked about this. What this all means." Stefan said.
"It doesn't matter."
"What do you mean?" Anna asked. "Of course it matters, Elena. Not like I had the choice either."
"You were forced to turn?" Elena asked her, feeling a little scared.
"Sort of. A few years before moving to Mystic Falls, I got sick. My mother encountered a vampire that saved her life. She had her turn me so I wouldn't die." Anna explained. "Then, she turned so that I wouldn't have to be alone. I wonder if she sees the irony in this."
"Wow."
"I want you to go somewhere with me." Stefan told her.
"Stefan, I can't." Elena said.
"No, no, it's not far, okay? It's just for the day. I promise." Elena seemed hesitant.
"You should go with him." Anna said. "You two could use some time alone. It might help you get your mind off things."
"Okay." Elena said. Stefan smiled at Anna. "You're not coming, are you?"
"I promised to meet Bonnie and Jeremy." Anna said. "Let them know what's happening. Maybe she can find a way to keep you alive. Or not…oh, you know what I'm saying."
"Yeah, I think we get the picture."
"I'll be back before nightfall." Anna told them. Then, she disappeared.
Rose had no idea how she kept getting into these messes. One minute she was talking with Lexi, the next thing she knew, she found herself in Ric's apartment. She'd disappeared after the Grill, to inform the others of what'd happened.
The next thing she knew, she was back on the mortal plane, standing between Damon and Katherine. "Someone fill me in on what's going on here." She said.
"According to your old friend here, Klaus is keeping Caroline and Tyler somewhere for the sacrifice."
"Aren't those Elena's friends?" Rose turned to Katherine.
"I'm just trying to stay alive long enough to get myself out of here." She protested.
"What if I told you Elena had vampire blood in her system?" Damon asked her.
"What?"
"Imagine how much fun that will be competing with Elena for Stefan's love for, I don't know, forever."
"The tomb. He's got them in the tomb." Katherine told him.
"Thank you." They left the room.
"Well, I don't always approve of your methods, but they can be effective." Rose said.
"Yeah, but I might need some back-up."
"I'm already involved, aren't I?" Rose pointed out.
Meanwhile, back at the mountains, Lexi was watching Elena and Stefan from a distance. "Are you spying on them again?" She whirled around and came face to face with Anna.
"I thought you were talking with the witches."
"I was, but the ones I talked with had no helpful advice so far." Anna said. "I've been trying to reach Emily, but it's always hard to find her."
"I know that her changing is inevitable, but if we could find some way to delay it…" Lexi said.
"What do you mean?"
"Did I ever tell you that I was in the same position once? I fell in love with a human, too." Lexi explained. "After a few years, he asked me to turn him."
"Yeah, but Elena's probably different from your boyfriend, and I don't mean gender differences." Anna told her.
"I know that." Lexi said. "But as long as she's dating vampires, sooner or later, she'll end up becoming one, regardless of her choice."
"Well, we should try to keep her human for now." Anna said. "She's not ready for this yet."
"None of us are, but in this case, I agree with you." Lexi said. "We better try to find this Emily witch or someone who knows how to reverse it."
"So, the tomb is under these ruins from your time?" Rose asked as she followed Damon through the woods.
"Yeah, there was originally a spell to keep people like me out. Katherine was actually stuck in there for a few weeks."
"Right, until you're brilliant dagger plan." Rose said. He shot her a look. "What? Even I knew it was stupid." Just then, they noticed someone outside. "Careful. I sense a lot of power in this one."
"Which one are you trying to save? The blond, or the wolf?" The guy asked. "Did you really think Klaus would leave them unprotected?"
"Wishful thinking." Damon said. He rushed over to him, but he used his power to throw him off. Rose got in front of Damon, who was still on the ground, trying to block the warlock's powers.
"Why protect him? He's a vampire."
"He's more than what you see." Rose shot back. She started to feel dizzy. She had no idea how much longer she could keep protecting him. Suddenly, there was a sound and the warlock had fallen to the ground.
Rose put down her shield and looked around, helping Damon to his feet. There was a human boy there who looked vaguely familiar. A friend of Elena's, she assumed.
"What are you doing here?" Damon asked.
"Where's Caroline?"
"Listen, man. Not a good time to play the hero."
"Where is she? And what did he do to her?" The boy asked again.
"I'm just here to rescue her." Damon told the guy. Suddenly, he sped over and knocked him out.
"Was that necessary?" Rose asked, surprised by the action.
"Probably not, but no way was he going to be able to free him. Let's go." They entered the dark corridor of the tomb.
"So, who was he, anyway?" She asked as they ran.
"Matt Donovan, Elena's ex and vampire Barbie's sort-of boyfriend."
"No wonder he looked so familiar." Rose said. Just then, they heard voices talking.
"This way." They headed into a tunnel and found Caroline and Tyler chained to the walls.
"Damon?" He went over to her.
"Your boyfriend's outside with a rifle loaded with wooden bullets. You have some explaining to do."
"What, Matt?"
"Matt knows about you?" Tyler asked.
"No, I..." Caroline began.
"Shh. Tomorrow's problem." Damon told her. He broke the chain that was holding her. "Let me just get you out of here."
"Wait, Damon. I'm not leaving without him." Caroline said.
"It's getting dark soon." He pointed out. He looked at Rose.
"Well, we can't just leave him here? Wasn't the point of this to save him, too?" Rose pointed out. He turned to Tyler.
"How fast can you get the hell away from here?"
"I need to get to my family's cellar. I can lock myself up."
"Don't make me regret this."
"Don't worry, if he tries to attack you, I can hold him back." Rose said.
Back at the mountain, Anna was sitting at the top when they arrived. She was so busy watching the sunset she didn't really notice them. She had tried contacting Emily, but had no luck at all.
"Look, I know this isn't the first time you've thought about it. Drinking vampire blood to survive." Anna turned around and noticed the two of them talking. "I mean, I know I've thought about it a hundred times."
"And before all this with Klaus, did you think about it then?" Elena asked.
"Of course I did. Elena... If it were my choice, I'd want to be with you forever."
"Why didn't you ever bring it up?"
"'Cause I knew if it was an option, you would have. It would be selfish for me to ask you."
"Didn't stop Damon."
"He shouldn't have done what he did." Stefan said.
"No kidding." Anna said. "I know he didn't want you to die, but what he did was wrong." They looked at her. "Sorry, I'll go…"
"No, I want you to stay with us." Elena told her. "I don't think I'm ready for this, guys."
"I know you're not." Anna said. "Elena, if it were me in this situation, if I decided to turn, I would want it to be my choice."
"Well, looks like that choice has been made for me." Elena said.
"He didn't realize he hurt you at the time he did it." Anna told her. "He did it because he has feelings for you."
"But he did this to me." Elena said. "Which means he doesn't really know what love is. And I'm only seventeen."
"Hey, it's okay." Anna said. "Heck, I'm practically the same age as you and I'm still figuring it out."
"Yeah, but the difference is that I'm human." Elena pointed out. She turned to Stefan. "Look, I know I love you, but my future? Our lives together? Those were things I was supposed to deal with as they came along." The two of them held her and Anna finally understood what it was she missed about her life. Because she'd constantly been moving, she hadn't really been able to make her own choices until she and Pearl separated.
"It's one thing I miss about being alive." Anna said.
"I don't want to become a vampire." Elena said. "Not now, anyway."
It was night by the time they got back to the Boarding House. "Thanks for today." Elena told them. "I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't been there."
"No need to thank us." Anna said. "Besides, this isn't over yet." Stefan turned around. The girls followed his lead.
"You got me all nervous. I thought maybe you'd done something stupid."
"That's gotta be Klaus." Anna realized. Stefan and Elena looked at her. She was standing in between them.
"You ready, my dear?" He asked.
"I'm ready." Elena took a step toward him, but Stefan stopped her.
"Stefan, she'll be okay." Anna said. He kept his eyes on Klaus. Elena glanced at Anna, then turned to her boyfriend.
"Hey, I'll be fine. There's no reason for you to put yourself in danger for me." She got on her toes and kissed him. "I love you."
"I love you." He finally told her. He bent down to kiss her again.
"Close your eyes." Elena told him. He did as she said. She let go of his hand and left. When he opened his eyes, they were both gone. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"She'll get through this, Stefan." Anna said. "I'm going to find out where she is and let you guys know. I'll meet you at the witch house." She disappeared.
In the woods, the group was walking out. Tyler started falling behind. "Is he okay?" Matt asked
"He better not wolf out on us." Damon said. Just then his phone rang. "Bad time, little bro."
Rose was keeping an eye on Tyler, though. She knew it wouldn't be long before he transformed. As soon as he got off the phone, Tyler fell to the ground.
"Tyler!"
"I don't know if I can hold it off. Get out of here!" He warned them.
"You've got time. We're almost there, just..." Caroline began.
"It's happening faster." He told them.
"Can you expand the shield around both of us?" Damon asked Rose.
"I don't think so." Suddenly, Tyler rushed by Caroline. Damon knocked him to the ground. Rose got next to Damon and used her powers to help push Tyler off.
"Damon…" Caroline began.
"I'm fine."
"Get out of here!" Tyler managed to get out.
" Get to the Lockwood cellar. If it held him in, it'll keep him out. If it doesn't... Use these." He handed them wooden bullets. "It'll buy you a couple seconds. Go. Go!" The four of them ran off in separate directions.
"That was close." Rose said as soon as they were out of the woods. Then she noticed a small mark on Damon's wrist. She looked at him. "Damon…"
"Yeah?"
"Nothing, I just thought I saw something." Rose said. "What's the plan now?"
"I'm going to find Katherine, you either track Elena or get to the witch house." He told her. "I'll see you soon." He took off.
"Sooner than you think, Damon." Rose said sadly. She faded as one of her tears began to fall.
Somewhere in the woods, Elena was following a witch in the dark. "I can't see anything here."
"Good thing you can still hear." She heard Anna's voice tell her. Just then, fire was everywhere, lighting up the forest. Then she saw her aunt on the ground.
"Jenna?" Elena rushed over to her. Anna joined her and checked her pulse.
"No."
"He killed her? Why? I did everything that he asked." Elena said. Just then, Jenna woke up.
"She's not dead. She's in transition." The girl told her. Elena looked surprised. She turned to speak to Anna, but she had disappeared.