When Riley woke up the next morning, her memories of the homecoming dance were very hazy. She remembered bits and pieces of the night, including her conversation with Klaus and Mikael biting her. The faint bite marks remained on her neck, reminding her of the night that she was attacked by Klaus himself. She could not remember how she returned to her house, just thinking that Damon brought her back later that night. As she got out of bed, still feeling a bit dizzy, she felt a strage energy in the house. A feeling in the pit of her stomach made her think that someone else had been in the house, besides her or her parents. She refrained from texting any of her friends to find out if their plan to put down Klaus succeeded last night. Deep down, she knew that it was a complete disaster.

After changing out of her dress and tying a scarf around her neck to hide the bite marks, she left her room. She walked down the staircase, holding back a yawn. The smell of her mother cooking breakfast filled her nose. She followed it to the kitchen, expecting to see her mother at the stove. Her eyes widened at the sight of Klaus placing a plate of pancakes on the counter. He was surrounded by an array of breakfast foods. Riley grabbed the vervain spray under a loose floorboard in the hallway as he cracked eggs into a pan. Flicking her wrist, she caused the flames under the pan to rise up, nearly burning his hand. With him distracted, she hurried over to him and tried to drive the stake into his side. Klaus quickly turned around and grabbed her wrist. He tossed the stake to the floor, keeping her pinned to the counter.

"Good to know that last night's events didn't hinder your ability to defend yourself"

"What the hell are you doing in my house? How did you even get in? You've never been invited in here"

"I was last night. I suppose you don't remember much. Mikael used you against me and nearly killed you. Damon tried to kill me until Stefan interfered and I brought you home. I stayed for the night"

"You wh—"

"No worries. I stayed in the guest bedroom. Your parents thought you stayed at Elena's house after homecoming and after they left for work, I decided to make you breakfast. I wasn't sure what you'd want but I remembered that you used to like chocolate chip pancakes. Do you still like them?"

"Yea, I still—I don't want you making me breakfast"

Klaus sat her down at the kitchen table, giving her a plate with two chocolate chip pancakes. He urged her to eat to build up her strength after her ordeal with Mikael. Rolling her eyes ,she picked up a fork and cut out a piece of a pancake. She bit into it, hiding her surprise at how good it tasted with a simple shrug.

"Not that great. I feel fine"

"I doubt that. Instead of insulting my cooking skills, why don't we talk about your blackouts or the witches wanting your pretty head on a spike?"

Riley dropped her fork. "How—did you read my diary?!"

"Skimmed it. Your most recent entry was far more fascinating than the musings of your nine year old self about whether Danny Baker, the brooding thirteen year old boy, would ever notice your existence"

"If I didn't have to go somewhere, I'd be driving this fork through your eye. I want you out of here by the time I get back"

"You are not in any condition to drive, Riley. I healed you with my blood but it isn't safe for you to be out alone. I think it's best if you stay home for the day"

"Well I don't give a damn what you think. I'm not one of your hybrids. I don't have to listen to you"

Riley grabbed her car keys from the counter and left the house. As she opened the door to her car, she was grabbed by the waist and placed in the passenger seat. Klaus sat in the driver's seat with her keys.

"Where are we off to?"

"We are not going anywhere. Get out of my car, Klaus"

"That's not going to happen. Where do you need to be? The grill to meet your friends? The boardinghouse to comfort Damon over his recent failure?"

She crossed her arms, leaning back in the seat. "The town line. Just drive there and don't talk to me"

Klaus drove down towards the town line. She ignored Klaus's questions as she stepped out of the car. Standing near the town line, she moved her hands in front of her. She resorted to creating her own spell to strengthen the barrier against the witches. The large amount of power for the spell caused blood to seep from her nose. She continued to cast the spell, feeling the road shake beneath her. Similar to the first time she created the barrier, a beam of light shot into the sky and covered the entire town. Klaus stood beside her, his eyes watching the fading light.

"What was that?"

"A spell. It's only supposed to keep out witches but I modified it a little. Now it keeps out anyone I don't want. It could even keep you out"

Riley felt light-headed again, stumbling on the road. Klaus held onto her and wiped the blood from under her nose.

"A bit too much at magic for you, love"

He drove back to her house. She was too tired to object to him carrying her up to her bedroom and laying her on her bed. He warned her not to use magic for the rest of the day, concerned that she would tire herself from too much power.

"I will find out if any witches are plotting against you"

"I didn't ask you for help"

"When it comes to your safety, you never need to ask" he said, brushing a strand of hair away from her face.

"Klaus" she replied as he neared the doorway.

He turned towards her. "Yes?"

"Thanks…for last night"

There was a small smile on his face. As he walked out of her room, she noticed a new drawing propped up on her desk. It was a drawing of her in her homecoming dress. She managed to get herself out of bed and hid the drawing in her history textbook. Over the next two weeks, Riley, for the first time, waited for Klaus to speak to her. She honestly felt grateful that he saved her life at the homecoming dance and thought that a small part of him could be somewhat decent. Damon was resorting to getting drunk during the day after their plan to kill Klaus failed miserably. Riley learned that Stefan had interfered right before Damon stabbed Klaus's heart with the white oak stake, earning Stefan his freedom from following Klaus's every order. Like Klaus, Stefan seemed to disappear from Mystic Falls. No one had any idea of where he had gone but in his current emotionless state, Riley believed it was better for everyone, mostly Elena. The occurrence of her blackouts diminished over the weeks, leading her to only miss minutes at a time instead of hours.

Riley was at the Mystic Grill with Bonnie and Elena, listening to Elena talk about a jogging incident earlier in the day. She had been jogging near her house and thought that a dark-haired guy was following her. After Klaus survived the homecoming dance and disappeared, she was feeling extremely paranoid. She worried about Klaus getting revenge at any moment. Riley assured her that Klaus was not going to hurt her. Their conversation switched to Bonnie's recent dreams about the abandoned witch cottage. The dreams involved Bonnie in the basement and finding Klaus inside a coffin. In the dreams, he was holding the necklace that belonged to his mother. When Bonnie brought up Stefan's disappearance, Riley walked over to the bar to get more drinks. Damon and Alaric were sitting at the bar. While Alaric graded history essays, Damon was mixing multiple drinks. Riley grabbed one of the glasses. He put his arm around her shoulders.

"Finally, you're here. Ric's being a bad drinking buddy. You can drink with me"

"She's underage" said Alaric.

"Shh, I won't tell anyone. Ric, just have a drink with us. I could drink this all by myself but then someone is getting naked"

Riley smacked his hand when it started to wander under her shirt. He drunkenly winked at her. Shaking her head, she sat beside him. Alaric was waiting for Jeremy to show up for his shift at the grill. He showed them Jeremy's history paper, which received an F. Riley downed the glass containing tequila.

"Well you'll be waiting for a long time, Ric. He doesn't work here anymore"

"What do you mean?"

"He was fired last week. I came here with Jayden and saw the manager yelling at him for being late for the tenth time"

"Last week? Why are you just telling me about this now?"

"He made me promise not to tell anyone. Besides, he's always been terrible at this job"

She covered up the real reason behind Jeremy being fired from the grill. Ever since his break up with Bonnie, he had been very depressed. It reminded her of the months following his parents' deaths. She offered to cheer him up but he chose to spend time with Tyler, who was upset over his own break up with Caroline. Being typical boys, they were hanging out in the woods, drinking beers. She made Jeremy promise that if Tyler ever acted suspiciously, he would stop being alone with him. Alaric did not look pleased that Riley kept it a secret. He stuffed the history papers into his bag and walked over to Elena and Bonnie. As they spoke, Elena's smile faltered, replaced with a confused expression.

"He's just trying to be a good little guardian. I'm sure Jeremy's fine" said Damon.

"You're not. Do you miss Stefan?"

"Let him do what he wants. He'll be back soon"

"You haven't heard from him?"

"Not a word. For all I know, he's with Klaus"

Grabbing a bottle of scotch, he walked over to Elena. Riley checked her phone for any messages, seeing the multiple texts sent to Klaus. He had not answered a single text, not even telling her if he left Mystic Falls. Sending another text to him, she looked over at Damon and Elena. He was throwing darts while she spoke angrily on the phone. Damon stepped closer to her, smirking. Even though she could not hear their conversation, she could see the sparks between them. Riley interrupted the conversation, asking about Jeremy. He did not answer her calls so Elena just left him a voicemail. Riley's eyes widened, seeing Klaus behind her.

"Oh don't mind me, love"

Elena looked frightened. Klaus was with one of the hybrids from the homecoming dance. When Damon assumed that he was at the grill to harm them, Klaus claimed complete innocence, saying that he was getting drinks with the hybrid, who he called Tony. Elena whispered to Riley that Tony was the guy following her during her morning jog. As Tony walked over to the bar, Klaus questioned them about Rebekah. Damon had her hidden in the basement of the boardinghouse. The dagger was still lodged into her back. Klaus snatched the darts from Damon's hand.

"The truth is, I've grown to rather like your little town…thinking I might fancy a home here. Now I'm sure you're wondering how does this affect you and the answer is not in the slightest as long as I get what I want and everyone behaves themselves. You can go on living your little lives however you choose. You have my word"

"What more could you possibly want?" asked Elena.

Klaus was searching for Stefan. When he disappeared from town, he left with something that belonged to him. Riley resisted the urge to express her frustrations. If she spoke one bad word about Stefan, Elena would start a large rant to defend him and his actions.

"That sounds like a Klaus and Stefan problem"

Riley squeezed Elena's arm. "You pick the worst times to talk" she hissed.

"Consider this me broadening the scope. I'll leave you three to find Stefan. I would work fast"

Klaus joined Tony at a back table. Damon offered to find Stefan while Elena dealt with Jeremy's rebellious behavior. Instead of helping Elena, Riley lied that she needed to meet Bonnie to practice some spells. Once they left the grill, she walked towards Klaus's table. He was pouring a shot of tequila.

"Ah, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Get out of here, Toby. Private conversation"

Tony glared slightly. "The name's Tony and I don't take orders from you"

"First of all, I don't care what your name is…I'll call you whatever I want. Second, if you don't leave this table in the next five seconds, I will use my magic to control you and make you rip out your own heart"

Klaus gave him a slight nod. Watching her warily, Tony stood up from the table and sat at the bar. Riley took his empty seat.

"Watching you intimidate a boy twice your size is quite the turn-on"

"You can stop right there, vampire Romeo. Where have you been?"

"Around"

"So you've been in Mystic Falls and haven't answered any of my texts?"

"The same thing you did to me when you mysteriously left town"

"Did you find out anything out that's useful for me?"

"I did…but I'm not telling you, Riley. If you want to know what I learned, you'll spend the rest of the day with me"

"I spent an entire summer with you. Isn't that enough torture?"

"You have such a poor impression of me. If you spend the entire day with me, I'll tell you what I know about those witches. If you agree to that deal, take a shot"

Muttering to herself, she poured herself a shot of tequila and downed it in one sip. Riley forced herself to enjoy spending her day at the grill with Klaus and his hybrid lackey. After what seemed like hours, they left the grill. Tony was sent off with Klaus's keys to go for a drive around town. She followed Klaus to the woods. When she questioned what was stolen, he admitted that Stefan had taken the coffins containing his family. Knowing that he kept the coffins with him during their summer trip, she could see that they were of sentimental value to him. She sat on the wooden railing of the bridge near the lake.

"Why do you keep them daggered?"

"Riley…"

"Seriously, I don't get it. If you care this much about Stefan taking the coffins, they mean something to you"

"Of course they do. They're my family"

"You're scared they won't forgive you for everything you've done over the years. That's what family does. You could do something completely terrible but in the end, your family has your back"

"You're quite optimistic about that considering you've yet to forgive me for what I did to you months ago"

"It doesn't count. We're not family. It's not like you damaged my car. You—"

"I'm aware of what I did that night but not a day goes by that I don't regret it. If I could go back in time and stop myself, I would…I never meant to hurt you"

Klaus explained that on the night he attacked her, he was in a terrible mood. One of his lackeys claimed to know about the doppelganger's whereabouts but it turned out to be a false trail. Out of anger, he attacked people in the streets. Blinded by how much blood he drank in such a short time, it led to him biting Riley. When her father staked him to save her, he recognized his scent and made the connection between them.

"I was blinded by my desire to break the hybrid curse. I woke up the next morning, remembering what I had done. Whenever I thought of that moment, all I could see was that little girl who used to draw me pictures of animals"

"I'm not little anymore"

"You're certainly not" he replied, his hand resting over hers.

Riley could feel her cheeks getting warm. She suggested that they visit the boardinghouse in case Damon found Stefan. As they reached the boardinghouse, she received a text from Elena. Jeremy was angry that Elena was interfering with his personal life and invited Tyler into their house. She worried that Tyler could have been ordered to hurt them. Riley promised to visit her later that night and entered the boardinghouse. She was not surprised to see Klaus and Damon having drinks.

"Oh don't mind her. Riley came here with me"

"With you?" asked Damon, confused.

"Yes, we were having a little chat. I've already got Damon up to speed. He knows that Stefan stole the coffins"

"He sure did. The trouble is…I don't work for you"

"You know, your drink stinks of vervain so I can't compel you. There would be no point in killing you since you're the one with the most hope of getting me what I need and yet, it seems a demonstration is in order. It seems you people respond best to displays of violence. Why don't you take this as an example of my reach?"

Klaus dialed a number on his phone. Damon looked at Riley for an explanation. She shrugged, unsure of Klaus's plan.

"What are you doing with him?" he mouthed.

"Don't worry about it"

Klaus ordered the person on the other end to do what they discussed earlier. Telling Damon to continue his search for Stefan, he led Riley out of the boardinghouse and over to a house being renovated down her block. It was a massive mansion, even bigger than Tyler's, and the hybrids were some of the workers. Klaus was making his own home in Mystic Falls. She leaned against the wall, watching the hybrids carry paint cans and ladders. In the other room, Klaus was speaking to Tyler.

"Tony ran down Alaric instead of Jeremy but apples, oranges…message is still the same"

"You said you were sending them a warning"

"And I did…an effective one. Elena's family suffers and she's motivated to get me what I want"

"I didn't think that we'd actually have to kill anyone"

Riley peeked into the room. Klaus was assuring Tyler that he was just feeling the remnants of a guilty conscience and human life was worthless to them. As he entered the room, she glared at him.

"Tyler was just checking in, love. Nothing to—what's the matter?"

"You tried to run over Jeremy?"

"You don't understand"

"Oh, I understand perfectly. I don't need to know what you found out. I'd rather be clueless than have to spend another second with a jerk like you"

Klaus followed her out of the partially built house. He moved in front of her, blocking her path.

"Get out of my way, Klaus"

"I was sending a message. I need those coffins back and they needed some incentive to find Stefan quickly"

"You really had me fooled for a second. You don't care about anyone but yourself. I'm sure if I was in the way of getting those coffins back, you would probably throw me off a cliff"

"That isn't true and you know it"

"I really shouldn't be surprised. Elijah would never do something like this to get his way"

"I am not my brother" he replied, his nostrils flaring.

"That's never been more clear than right now. You wonder why I don't give you a chance and this is exactly why…you're horrible. I can read you like an open book. You'll hurt anyone to get what you want. Jeremy's my family so if you or your stupid hybrids ever touch him again, I'll kill every last one of them and then I'll go after you"

Riley returned to her house. During dinner with her parents, she was very quiet. Her father had seen Alaric in the hospital for internal bleeding. Luckily, he had been wearing his Gilbert ring when Tony ran over him with the car. There was a knock on the door. Her mother answered it and returned with Tyler. He had lied that Riley offered to hand over her chemistry notes to help him study for a test. Riley brought him up to her room. Locking the door, she turned towards him.

"Go out through the window"

"Ri—"

"I don't want to hear it. Jeremy told me that you took off his vervain bracelet. You knew that Klaus was going to hurt him"

"I know it's pointless to argue with you. Klaus sent me here to bring you this folder. He said it was important"

Tyler gave her a small folder filled with papers. "I'm sorry that Jeremy was almost killed by that car. I didn't—when Klaus tells me something, I do it. If I knew what he was planning, I would've tried to fight it. I'll see you at school"

As he left her room, Riley sat on her bed and opened the folder. There was a note attached to the papers, written by Klaus. He apologized for what happened today, explaining that she was right that he would do anything to get the coffins back because he would do all he could for his family. The note ended with him hoping that she would forgive him. She crumpled the paper into a little ball and threw it into a trash bin. Looking at the papers, she realized that they were letters written by Alec to the other covens. The letters described Riley as the witch from the prophecy she heard in New Orleans and the danger in her growing powers, lying that she attacked his coven unprovoked. He planned for the covens to meet in Chicago in two weeks to discuss how to handle her and warned that if the other witches decided to attack her on their own, it would not end well. Hearing her door open, she hid the letters under her pillow. Her father entered her room.

"Riley, your mother is baking cookies. Do you want—what's under your pillow?"

"Nothing. I was just laying down. I have a stomachache"

"Move the pillow"

"Why?"

He picked up her pillow and grabbed the letters. Reading through them, his eyes widened.

"This man…is he the same person who attacked you in Chicago?"

"Dad, it's nothing"

"That's a yes. I already know what you're planning to do…you want to attend this meeting. You're not"

"But I"

"I'll go with you. You are not going anywhere alone, Riley. If this man dares to harm a single hair on your head, he's in trouble. Where did you get these?"

"Tyler brought them"

"From Klaus? I don't want you near him either. Hopefully, he'll leave soon and it will make our lives much easier"

The next morning, Riley was called by Bonnie. She had gone to the abandoned witch cottage to figure out her strange dreams. Stefan followed her, wanting her to hide the coffins. The dead witches used magic to keep the coffins hidden from Klaus and his hybrids. Their main goal was to open the largest coffin. Riley was unsure who could be inside, knowing that Klaus had three brothers and a sister and Rebekah was taken by Klaus the previous night, after striking a deal with Elena to not harm Jeremy. Over the summer, Klaus had been particularly careful around that coffin. Bonnie asked for Riley's help to open it, thinking that their magic combined could reverse the lock.

Getting dressed quickly, Riley sent a text to Jayden, telling him to not pick her up for school, and drove over to the cottage. Bonnie was in the basement, surrounded by many candles and the four coffins. Her grimoire rested on one of the coffins, open to a specific page.

"Thanks for coming. This coffin is locked up tight"

"Is Stefan here?"

"He's coming with Damon. We can't let Elena know about the coffins"

"Let's try to get this open before we have to decorate Caroline's locker"

Riley read over the spell a few times. Joining hands, they recited the spell together. Bonnie attempted to open the large coffin. It did not budge even an inch.

"Whoever sealed that definitely didn't want it opened. I wonder who could be inside"

"I don't know but—"

Bonnie was cut off by the voices of the dead witches. A second later, the coffins vanished from the room. A black blur passed by the doorway. Riley told her to wait in the room while she scoped out the rest of the cottage for unwanted visitors. Walking up the staircase, she spotted one of the hybrids outside the cottage. She pushed her hand forward and he fell to his knees, holding the sides of his head. Damon appeared behind him, ripping out his heart.

"Good teamwork, shorty. Any luck with that coffin yet?"

"No"

"Well keep trying" said Stefan, entering the cottage.

He passed by her with a cold expression. She looked at Damon.

"He's chipper, isn't he?"

"You'll learn to deal with it. The sooner you and Bonnie get that coffin open, the less annoying he'll be"

Damon followed her down to the basement. The coffins were now visible. For another hour, they attempted the spell. Riley suggested that she could look up stronger spells in her own books. Damon left to bury the dead hybrid. She opened the middle coffin, seeing Elijah. He was wearing the same suit on the day of their fight. The dagger stuck out of his chest. She gripped his ice cold hand.

"I wish you were here right now. You'd have Klaus under control and you'd easily get those witches to stop attacking me. You could be wearing one of your nice suits and they'd still be afraid of you. I'm sorry about our fight. I never should've let you leave with Klaus that day. I miss you"

Riley began to pull out the dagger. The lid shut, nearly cutting off her hand. Stefan was on the other side of the coffin.

"You're not doing that. I don't have time for your little romantic troubles. Get that coffin open and then you can go cry to Elijah"

"I'm not doing this for you, Stefan. Don't make me mad"

"Don't make me mad either. If you stand in the way of me getting revenge on Klaus, I'll get rid of you"

"I'm not scared of you"

"Riley, come on! We need to get to school!" she heard Bonnie shout from outside.

Riley drove them to the school and they hurried to Caroline's locker, where Elena was putting up streamers and balloons for her birthday. There was an awkward tension between them. Bonnie and Riley told a partial lie that they had been practicing spells. Elena was working out with Alaric. She seemed very tense. As Riley placed balloons on the locker, Elena was hanging up a sign that read Happy Birthday, Caroline!, looking very guilty. She explained that she had Damon compel Jeremy to leave Mystic Falls. He was going to live with family friends in Denver until the whole Klaus situation was over. Anger rose in Riley's stomach. The lockers across from them burst open, sending papers and books all over the floor.

"R—Riley, don't be mad"

"How could you do that? Why would you—it's bad enough that you're sending him away but you had to compel him?"

"He's not safe here. Klaus is dangerous"

"He would've been fine. I can protect him. Before you decided to just send him to another state, you could've at least asked me first. He's my family too"

"I know that. I'm doing what's best for him"

Bonnie looked equally upset by this news. For the rest of the day, Riley avoided Elena. If she even looked at her, she would argue with her over her decision about Jeremy. When she spoke with him during lunch, he did not sound like himself. The compulsion by Damon was obvious. Caroline had not shown up for any of her classes. Riley, Bonnie, Elena, and Matt drove over to her house and hid in the living room, waiting for her return. They put on party hats and held balloons, cans of silly string, and signs. Hearing the door open, they ran into the hallway.

"Surprise!" they chorused.

Caroline jumped in shock. Riley sprayed silly string at her, covering her hair. Despite always loving birthdays, Caroline did not look very enthusiastic. She claimed that her birthday was now a reminder of her death. Elena thought of a different plan and grabbed flashlights from the kitchen. They drove over to the cemetery and walked into an empty mausoleum. Elena explained that this would be her funeral. They set up the cake and liquor bottles. Caroline smiled, placing her purple tiara on the floor.

"Here lies Caroline Forbes…"

"Cheerleader, Miss Mystic Falls, third grade hopscotch champion" replied Elena, putting candles on the cake.

"Friend, daughter, overachiever" said Bonnie.

"Mean girl…sometimes, no offense" said Matt.

"Perfectionist, cutest blonde in Mystic Falls, and a girl who could never be replaced. She was 17 and she had an awesome life. So rest in peace so she can move forward"

Elena brought over the cake while Matt opened a bottle of tequila. Bonnie used magic to light the candles. After Caroline blew out the candles, they partied at the cemetery, eating cake and drinking a lot of tequila. Riley was sitting beside Matt, pouring a shot.

"This is fun, right? Better than being at that lame fundraiser party at the Lockwood's. My mother didn't try to make me go this time. I think she's learned that I hate those parties"

"I'm pretty sure we all do by now. Forget boring parties. What's going on with you?"

"Nothing much"

"Really? Because the Riley I know would never just leave town. I don't think you were really with Katherine all that time. You can tell me the truth"

"I am telling the truth. I was helping her to get Mikael out of that tomb. I owed her a favor after Chicago this summer"

"What happened in Chicago?"

"I need more cake. I'm starving" she said, standing up.

As she cut another piece of cake, Caroline admitted to texting Tyler to join the party. This one little confession led to Bonnie outright telling Elena it was wrong to compel Jeremy to leave town. Elena defended her actions, arguing that it was for his own protection. Riley quietly scoffed, eating cake to keep herself quiet. Elena pleaded with Bonnie to not tell Jeremy the truth. Suddenly, an image of Elena and Damon kissing flashed through Riley's mind. When she was drunk, her magic could get a bit out of control. She realized that she had seen one of Elena's memories. Bonnie left the mausoleum.

"Jeremy can stay here. The whole reason that Klaus attacked him is because of Stefan and his stupid revenge scheme. Klaus won't hurt Jeremy again"

"Why? Because of you?"

"Guys, come on. Let's not fight" said Matt, putting down the bottle of tequila.

Riley crossed her arms. "What does that mean, Ellie?"

"Tyler told me that Klaus spent the night at your house after homecoming. The morning after, he was going to stop by to see if Klaus needed something and he saw you two leave in the car together and you weren't exactly unfriendly to him. Then Damon told me that you showed up at the boardinghouse together. What's going on with you two?"

"Are you seriously asking me that? There is no me and Klaus. He spent that night at my house because Mikael almost killed me and he was making sure I was safe. It's not like any of you called me that night"

"We were—"

"What, too busy comforting Damon? Yea, I get it. You two seem really tight lately. You have no right to judge me talking to Klaus when you still obviously have a thing for Stefan. You weren't with them all summer when he was killing people left and right. You want the harsh truth? Take it from someone who has a lot of experience with vampires. That humanity switch is a joke. It's an excuse for cowardly vampires to ignore all of their remorse and guilt. Stefan can turn it on anytime he wants but he won't and I know the exact reason why. He doesn't think he's good enough now for little judgmental Elena"

"What did you just call me?" she asked, surprised.

"You heard me. This might come as a shock since everyone coddles you all the time but the world doesn't revolve around you. You don't get to decide how everyone acts. Like Bonnie said, it should be Jeremy's choice to leave or not. I'm sorry, Care, but I can't stay here anymore. I'm going over to the Lockwood's and we all know that when I choose tea over tequila, something is definitely wrong"

Riley left the mausoleum, despite protests from Caroline and Matt. She drove over to the Lockwood mansion. Her parents were busy speaking with other members of the council. She found Damon upstairs, stashing one of the hybrids in an empty room. Stefan had attacked him after Klaus refused to send his hybrids out of Mystic Falls. He already killed another hybrid earlier in the day.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were celebrating Caroline's birthday"

"I got in a fight with Elena. For future reference, I don't like when people talk about me behind my back. You told her how I showed up at your place with Klaus yesterday"

"Hey, don't go all witchy on me. I just mentioned it"

"And you shouldn't have compelled Jeremy"

"It's better for him and you know it. You want to take the chance that Klaus won't hurt him again? I'll get you two to make up. We don't need to be fighting each other. Focus all that anger on Señor Hybrid"

As they walked down the staircase, he called Elena. She leaned against the railing, unwilling to apologize to her. Stefan was the one to answer her phone, asking Damon how Klaus would react if he could no longer create hybrids. Both Riley and Damon assumed that he planned to hurt Elena. Searching the house for Klaus, they spotted him speaking to Mrs. Lockwood and Alison's father about landscaping the town square with the money raised tonight. Damon politely asked him to speak in private. Seeing Riley, Klaus's demeanor instantly changed from annoyance to guilt. Damon opened the door to Mr. Lockwood's study, explaining that Stefan was going to hurt Elena. Klaus doubted that Stefan would ever kill her despite his current insane state.

"Believe me, I know my brother better than anyone and right now, I don't have a clue how far he's willing to take this so he says blink, I suggest you blink"

Not saying a word, Klaus left the room. Riley followed him outside. She waved her hand, casting a spell. Roots shot out of one of the potted plants, wrapping around his legs. He fell to the ground, entangled.

"Call Stefan now"

"He's bluffing"

"I don't care! If you want me to forgive you, then make sure he doesn't kill Elena"

Ripping away the roots, he called Stefan's phone. Riley leaned close, listening to their conversation. He warned Klaus that if the hybrids were not gone from Mystic Falls, he would drive Elena off of Wickery Bridge. Riley's eyes widened when Stefan fed his blood to her. She smacked Klaus's shoulder, insisting that he accept Stefan's deal.

"Stefan, slow down!" screamed Elena.

"Fine, I'll send them away. You win. Stop the car, Stefan"

He hung up the phone, assuring Riley that Elena was alive. She punched him across the face. Wincing, she held her hand. He rubbed his jaw.

"That's what I get for saving her life?"

"No, that's for Jeremy and for you being a complete idiot"

"I suppose you won't completely forgive me until I heal your friend Caroline"

"Y—Caroline? What are you talking about?"

Klaus sighed. "I had Tyler bite her. A hybrid bite would kill her. All she needs is my blood and she'll be fine"

"Go to her house now before I get really angry and hit you again"

Riley drove over to Jeremy and Elena's house. Jeremy was packing a suitcase in his room. He hugged her.

"Hey, what are you doing here? I don't leave until tomorrow"

"I know. I don't think I'll be able to see you leave tomorrow so it's better to do the goodbyes now"

"It won't be forever, Ri. I promise to call you every day. Be careful around Klaus, okay?"

After their short goodbye, Riley walked downstairs. Elena was shutting the front door. She looked surprised to see Riley in the house.

"Riley, I—thank you for talking to Klaus"

"I didn't do it for you. I did it for Jeremy. He's lost enough people already"

"I don't want to fight. It's just—how can you trust him?"

"Who, the guy that saved your life? At least I can get through to him. You had this supposedly epic love with Stefan and you can't even convince him to turn on his humanity again. Don't lead Damon on either"

"I—I'm not doing that"

"Really? The two of you kissing...those looks you share? It sends a message. You can't go from brother to brother. Make a choice and stick with it"

When Riley returned home, her parents were still at the fundraiser party. Sitting on her bed, she threw her boots onto a pile of shoes on the floor and started to unzip her dress. She spotted Klaus in the mirror, sitting on the window ledge.

"You don't need to stop on my account, love"

"Did you heal Caroline?" she asked, standing in front of the window.

"Yes"

"Thank you"

"I'm sure you know I didn't do it for her. Have I earned your forgiveness?"

"You're not…completely terrible. I want to make you an offer. If I help you get back those coffins, you have to undagger Elijah"

His smile faltered. "Ah, I see…so you can run off into the sunset together?" he asked, sounding bitter.

"No, for hamburgers"

"What?"

"He promised to take me out for hamburgers before you shoved a dagger into his heart and put him into that coffin. I just want to get hamburgers with him. So if I get the coffins back from Stefan, you owe me that"

Riley was anxious to ask him for this one favor. Considering his past history with Elijah, she doubted that he would agree to let him out of the coffin. Klaus sighed, nodding his head slightly.

"I will agree to that…as long as he doesn't make you chocolate chip pancakes"

She stifled a laugh. "Okay. Yours was really good, actually"

"Have a good night's rest, Riley"

"Don't go in my head while I'm sleeping to make me dream about you"

Klaus flashed her a cheeky smile. "I don't need to manipulate your dreams for that to happen"

He vanished from the window. Closing the window, Riley laid down on her bed, thinking of ways to steal the coffins from Stefan…

A/N: Thanks for reading. The tension between Riley and Elena is going to continue for awhile and even though she will always want to protect Elena because they are family, she does not want to deal with Elena judging her for giving Klaus even the tiniest chance. Elijah is going to return in the next chapter, which will include the Mikaelson Ball, and there will be multiple confrontations, including Klaus vs Riley's parents and Riley vs Esther.