"Caroline, run!" Katherine cried over her shoulder as she sped in to close the distance between Caroline and the hunter as the latter now rose to his feet where he had landed from the ceiling, "Warn the others!"

"But—" Caroline protested

"I'm older and stronger than you are, so I may be able to hold him off just long enough for you to get to the door…" Katherine interjected as she turned to face Dominic as he unsheathed the long sword on his back, "Hurry! Go!"

Caroline sucked in a breath and immediately sped toward the doorway, but had barely turned the doorknob and opened the door when, seconds later, it slammed shut on her and she was pushed back hard on to the floor by a strong force.

Caroline groaned as her head hit the hardwood and she slid into something soft, but solid.

It was as she rolled over on to her side and regained focus in her vision that she beheld the twisted body of Katherine Pierce.

# # # # #

"Are you sure this 'hocus pocus' is going to work?" Damon asked, opening one of his closed eyes to study Misha, but was immediately silenced by Liliya

"It will if you close your eyes and concentrate," the original doppelganger chided, squeezing his hands in hers for emphasis as she repeated, "Concentrate."

"Fine," Damon huffed, closing both eyes tight again

"Now," she continued, "Misha says that you saved Jonathan Gilbert's life. That is our blood connection, so what I need you to do is think about that day…"

Suddenly, there was a loud thud in the hallway that caught everyone's attention, then a scream.

# # # #

Flying around the corner with vampire speed and into the hallway to the source of the commotion they had heard, Klaus immediately skidded to a halt, throwing an arm behind him to keep Rebekah from going any farther.

His face immediately fell and he heard his sister audibly gasp when she also saw the scene in front of them.

Seconds later, Misha, Kol, Kaspar and Damon all appeared in the doorway of the front parlor, looking out into the hallway, the older Salvatore brother's face went completely ashen.

"Caroline…" he stated in a worried tone as he and the others watched Caroline struggle under Dominic's strong grasp, the vampire hunter standing his ground in the entry way near the front door, holding a long sword to the side of the vampire's face as his grip tightened her closer to his chest and slowly eyeing the four vampires and two warlocks standing before him.

Immediately, Kol raced forward at the hunter with vampire speed.

"Kol! No!" Klaus cried

The younger Mikaelson didn't even get a swing in before Dominic turned and blocked his advance with his free forearm, slicing Kol across the collar bone with the long sword and giving him a kick to the chest that sent him flying to the other end of the hallway, sliding hard against the side wall, leaving a blood trail down the white paint and knocking him unconscious.

"Kol!" Rebekah gasped, moving forward, but Klaus held her back as Kaspar raced out of the parlor doorway to their brother's side.

Damon immediately surged forward to also challenge the hunter, but Misha put a solid hand on the vampire's chest to steady him, before quickly looking back over his shoulder at Liliya, still standing in the parlor where they had left her.

"Go…" he mouthed and she immediately nodded, knowing his intentions for her.

Misha then eyed Damon Salvatore and when the vampire took in a deep breath and stepped back and out of the warlock's grasp signaling that he wasn't going to cause trouble, Misha took it as his cue to move out into the hallway to approach the hunter.

"Dominic…" he said in a soothing tone, stepping into the middle of the hallway and facing his brother head on for the first time in centuries.

"Misha," Dominic acknowledged

"La henne gå…" Misha said in a slow, but commanding tone, "Release her."

Dominic cocked his head as he regarded the warlock for a few moments, seeming to absorb his words, then tightened his grip on Caroline's throat, causing her to gasp and choke as he pulled the blade closer to her face, slicing her cheek.

"No! Stop!" Klaus screamed, "Stop!"

"Dominic…please…brother…wait!" Misha cried, holding up his hands as he tried to gain the hunter's attention.

Once he realized he was back in control, Dominic lowered the blade and loosened his hold on Caroline, who could only sob in relief.

And behind him, Misha heard Damon, Klaus and Rebekah let out audible sighs of relief, even though he knew vampires didn't need to breathe.

"Anyone else wish to fight or make demands of me?" Dominic asked in accented English, his dark eyes scanning the figures standing in the hall before him in a sinister challenge.

When no one answered, he smirked.

"Good. Now, I grow impatient waiting outside. I assume you have received my message, my brothers," he said, now looking directly at Kaspar and Misha, "Yet, you have not given me what I have asked for. I find this disappointing."

The hunter then shifted his eyes to Rebekah and Klaus, "Just as disappointing is the knowledge that your older brother has not shown his face to protect you."

"We need more time," Kaspar suddenly said, leaving Kol's side and rising to his feet behind Misha to face Dominic, "We can't just make a vampire and a soul appear out of thin air. You know it doesn't work that way."

"Maybe…" Dominic said, suddenly grasping Caroline tighter as her eyes widened, "Maybe you just need motivation."

"Well, you don't want her..." Misha replied, trying to deflect his brother's intentions, "She's of no value to you in that respect—"

"Really?" Dominic chided, looking directly at Klaus as if he knew it taunted the vampire, then raised his long sword to Caroline's face again as the blond winced in anticipation of the blade, "Because I sense that she is not only a vampire...but an important vampire to someone..."

"Wait!" Klaus suddenly cried, moving forward and coming up behind Misha, "Misha's right…you don't want her! You want me! Let her go! Take me…please!"

"Klaus…" Kaspar whispered, moving forward to stop the original, but was pushed aside.

Moments later, vampire speed brought Damon in front of the original.

"Are you insane?" the younger vampire snarled in a low voice, placing a hand on Klaus' shoulder to halt him as he glared back over his shoulder at the hunter, "He's stalked us like a cheetah for two days, killed my brother and made your baby bro see cartoon birdies around his head…not to mention that he's here for the specific purpose of killing your family…you…and you just want to hand yourself over to him for slaughter?"

Klaus' nostrils flared as he eyed Caroline, still in Dominic's grasp, over the younger vampire's shoulder, then moved his gaze to meet Damon's.

"Logic doesn't matter right now. What would you do, Damon?" he asked, his voice breaking and his eyes softening, "If it were Elena? Hmm? If she was in Caroline's place right now… I—I can't just let him leave with her…I can't…Now, please…" he said, looking down at Damon's hand on his shoulder, "Let me pass."

Finally, there was a moment's pause before Damon's face saddened and he relinquished his grip on the original and stood aside as Klaus walked forward, glancing sideways at Misha as he passed the stunned warlock and moved closer to where the hunter stood.

"I never took you for a sentimental fool, Niklaus," Dominic chided, studying the vampire

"If you truly want your soul back…" Klaus countered, "If you want assurance that Elijah will come, then you don't want her, you want me."

Dominic considered this for a moment, then nodded, beckoning Klaus to come forward

"He's nuts…" Damon whispered to Misha as they watched the scene unfold

"No," Misha scoffed, "Believe it or not…he's clever as a hell."

"What?" Damon said, narrowing his eyes, taken aback

But, Misha didn't answer, he just watched Klaus move closer to the hunter.

"You come unarmed?" Dominic stated with a raised eyebrow, reciting the ancient custom of surrender native to their homeland

"I come unarmed." Klaus replied, turning in a steady circle as was custom, then held out his arms straight and turned them, palm up, then palm down before replacing them at his sides again.

"You come willingly?" Dominic asked, lowering the blade from Caroline's face and pointing it toward Klaus.

Klaus eyed Caroline, then turned his gaze back toward the hunter

"I come willingly…" Klaus acknowledged, "in the place of the one I love."

"Klaus…" Caroline whimpered, "Don't."

"By coming you acknowledge that your life is forfeit?" Dominic finished placing his sword in the sheath on his back and loosening his grip on Caroline.

"My life is forfeit…" Klaus said in a low voice, crossing his right arm over his chest in a gesture of honor.

"Very well…" Dominic smirked, "You shall be interesting company."

Then in the blink of an eye, Dominic and Klaus disappeared, the front door left open in their wake and Caroline landed in Damon's arms, sobbing.

# # # # #

"The situation is worse than I thought…" Elijah whispered, running his index finger over his lower lip in thought, his mind reeling from the information Bonnie and Jeremy had just caught them up on, before his eyes met Elena's and they both turned to the cell in her hand .

"We need to find that compass, Elena," Bonnie said through the speaker phone, "Do you remember the last time you saw it?"

Elijah watched as Elena ran her free hand through her hair in thought, tossing it to one side before answering.

"The night 50's dance?" Elena replied unsure, "I think I left it in the house…in my room when that vampire stalker guy showed up…but, I never thought about it after that until John came back and—"

Suddenly, Elena went silent, a blank expression spreading quickly across her face.

"Elena?" Elijah asked, trying to meet her gaze, "Elena…what is it?"

When she didn't respond, he lifted his hand up to caress her cheek.

Suddenly, she snapped to and said softly, "That night when Stefan and Mayor Lockwood fell in the town square...the device..."

Elena quickly bit her lip as she threw her head back in anguish and shook her head.

"Oh, my God…" she whispered, bringing her head forward and speaking directly into the phone, "I think I know where the compass might be."

"Where?" Bonnie asked in a hopeful voice, "And please say it's in Mystic Falls."

Elena shared a sad look with a Elijah for a moment, then turned back to the phone, "It is, but you're going to need a shovel."

# # # #

"No…" Damon whispered as he crossed the threshold and moved quickly with vampire speed into the room. Misha took a deep breath, then followed the vampire into the room, treading softly on the parquet wooden floor, Kaspar close behind.

Misha closed his eyes in sorrow as he kneeled on the floor over the body of Katherine Pierce across from a shell-shocked Damon, who could only stare at her limp body in disbelief, sweeping the dark curls away from her gray ashen face.

"I can't believe what Caroline said...that she died defending the life of someone else…that's not Katherine Pierce," Damon said softly, eying her twisted body up and down.

Misha smirked sadly, then reached forward and gently pulled the wooden stake from her chest and set it on the wooden floor.

"No," he finally said, placing his hand on Katherine's forehead and sweeping it down the bridge of her face, closing her eyes respectfully, "That was Katerina Petrova."

Damon closed his eyes and looked away, trying to control his emotions as Misha turned his head and gazed back over his shoulder at his brother.

"I think it's finally time to call Elijah."