...

Up until that point, Valerie had had a sliver of hope for a future for her and Stefan. She'd done everything to nurture that hope, to let it grow.

She hadn't hesitated when he'd called, overwhelmed by his new humanity and the grief coming with it, and she'd traveled to him right away.

She had sat down with him, hunted down all those that had been victimized by his killing spree with Klaus. Then there were the other victims...

She had done a lot of compelling, and a few spells along the way. And she'd been there to hold him that one time he'd broken down completely. With Caroline so far away, she'd happily stepped up to the task. And while she hated to see Stefan so hurt, so sad, it had felt oh so good to embrace him and feel him cry in her arms.

She had been there for him.

She had done everything for him. She had even put a spell on the house Caroline and Alaric had moved the kids to after the first mention of Katherine, so that they would be safe.

Then she had been there to listen when he had told her how hurt he was that Caroline had slept with Klaus, and how he couldn't even blame her, just himself, and how that made it somehow worse.

She had been his rock.

But now she sat in a dark corner in his dark living room with all these people she didn't really care about, and that woman had shown up. Katherine.

And while nobody else might have seen it yet - they were all so pathetically stuck in their own little dramas - she had seen it as clear as day: she had lost her sliver of hope. There would be no happily ever after for her with Stefan Salvatore. Because a very long time ago another woman had already claimed his heart. And even though she could tell he didn't want to allow that memory to return, he was already wavering, already staring at her with the eyes of a lover.

Katherine Pierce hadn't even started fighting, but she had already won.

Valerie took a shallow breath. She closed her eyes. She should just get out of there. This wasn't her fight any more. It had never really been hers.

But when she got up and tried to sneak out unnoticed, quickly vanishing in the hallway while everyone's attention was on Elena's evil twin, she hadn't anticipated to be ricocheted off of what seemed to be thin air upon opening the front door and trying to walk out.

So much for an exit under the radar. But she didn't have time to process that thought before she ended up crashing into the living room and losing conscience upon impact with th hardwood floor.

...

There was no bourbon, and without bourbon, Damon knew he'd have to suffer through Katherine's monologue sober, which sucked.

Cade had apparently used the earlier commotion to quickly put a spell on the house, so they were all trapped inside. This should be interesting. Damon already got some Breakfast Club vibes.

Maybe if Bon could reactivate her super awe inspiring magic, that'd be great. Then again, his head still rang from the impact she had had on them all. Besides, he was a little worried she might end up blowing herself - and them - up if she tried again.

He sighed. Quickly, he made his way over to Elena, to get her out of her awkward spot next to her dad, and to be able to protect her from Katherine and his former "boss" if need be. He smiled a fake smile at her dad, then said, "I'll take it from here, thanks."

Before the other man could intervene, Damon had pulled his startled girlfriend over to his side. She wasn't safe with her father anymore. Not now that he'd turned out to be on freakin' Katherine's side.

Damon watched Elena closely as he wrapped his arm around her, steering her away from her parents and over to their friends. She looked deeply shaken. He could see the shock in her face, her mouth still half open, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. It was so sad to see her like that, his beautiful girl. His heart broke for her. She truly loved her parents. They had raised her, they had been good to her all their lives. To her, they were good people.

And then Katherine had barged in and destroyed even the last hope that somehow there was still some kind of redemption possible for Papa Gilbert.

Did this all mean that Bonnie hadn't actually been the one responsible for his return from the dead? What about the others, then? Elena's mom, Matt Donovan's sister, Jo, Tyler…

"Mind if we sit down again?" He casually asked Katherine as if she were an old friend, but then didn't wait for her reply.

"Damon, Damon, Damon, I gotta say I actually kinda missed you." Katherine grinned as she was doing her rounds. She stooped down to where he and Elena had sat down and gently touched his lips with an extended finger. Elena next to him bristled. "No need to be jealous, darling," Katherine assured her, and Elena glared at her.

"Leave them alone."

The words had come from Stefan, who had been tending to Valerie but was now walking over to Katherine slowly. Her features softened. "Stefan. I hear you're human again. I've always had a soft spot for human you…"

"What do you want, Katherine?" He was in a no nonsense mood. Clearly, he hadn't enjoyed them finding out they were all locked in when Valerie had tried to walk out and had flown straight back into the house with such force it had knocked her out.

They'd put her down on the couch, checked on her, but she hadn't regained consciousness yet. Stefan was angry. Angry that his life was falling apart. Caroline… Now Valerie giving him that weird look, then vanishing without warning only to basically be thrown back at him. And of course, Katherine's return, with Case tagging along.

He had thought he had left both of them behind. Cade, who hadmade him do horrible horrible things. And Katherine, who had started it all.

Yet he couldn't quite snuff that glimmer of a feeling, long buried, that had flickered up again once she had entered the scene. She still held power over him.

"What I want?" She repeated his question. "What I want is revenge for what was done to me. I want to see people suffer. I want what is mine. I want - satisfaction."

Damon rolled his eyes and faked a yawn. His brother glared at him. He didn't want Damon to get himself hurt, but of course he was already on a straight path to it. Stefan shook his head at him. Don't, he mouthed.

...

Alaric and Caroline had brought the girls upstairs. Katherine had been generous enough to allow them to leave the living room area. As she had put it, she didn't "need them" right now. They would rather not question it, though they worried about the "right now" part.

The girls were completely unperturbed and were happily playing with the little toy train Stefan had set up for them for when they all visited him. Caroline felt some regret thinking about it now. Would she ever be able to make up with him? How could they live together when he was a human and she was… back to being immortal. It sounded fine in theory. But… what about when he got older, and weaker, and she was still the same youthful girl? He might start resenting her then.

She shouldn't think about all that, not at this moment. She and Alaric needed to figure out how to get the girls out of the house, away from Cade and Katherine. They needed to find a way to free their friends.

"Ric, I… what do we do?"

He shot a glance at their girls, happily playing, then concentrated back on her. "Well, we gotta do something. This is all bad, really really bad. I tried calling Dorian at the Armory. But I guess Cade's spell also counts for phones."

She briefly checked her own cell phone, something she should have done a long time ago, but there was no signal. "Ugh. I hate hate hate this! What do we do?! To think that Katherine got to the girls and - oh my god!" She couldn't even put it into words, she was so shaken, so terrified for them. What good had it done her that she was a vampire again? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Her girls had still ended up getting taken by Katherine.

"Caroline." Alaric sounded surprisingly, thankfully calm. "We'll figure something out. We always do. Right now we need to figure out what exactly Katherine and Cade could be planning, and how they're messing with Bonnie's spell. Also… I'm starting to think that her little conversation with Elena's dad clued us in on something important. The returned-"

"The former dead people, you mean?"

"Ya. Jo. Elena's parents, Tyler, Vickie… Bonnie didn't do any of that, I don't believe. I think when Bonnie cast her spell accidentally, she opened a way into Cade's psychic plane. Those people must have all been there."

"Jo?! Elena's mom?! In hell?!"

Alaric looked at her uncomfortably. "Well, remember what Stefan and Damon said about working with Cade? How they ended up corrupting perfectly good people just for the sake of it? I'm sure Jo has had her fair share of… 'bad' thoughts about Kai… and Miranda Gilbert… she knew about the vampire hunting, she married a mad man."

Caroline wanted to say something, but she couldn't.

"Anyway." Ric put his hand on her shoulder, smiling at her briefly. "The good news is, your mom was probably never in the same plane of existence as all of them were." He looked at her pointedly. "You understand?"

And she did. She really did. She bit her lip and her face scrunched up as she tried not to cry. She didn't want to upset the girls needlessly. Her mom had not been in 'hell.'

It took her a moment, but when she had finally regained her composure, she sniffed, then said, "So, what now?"

"Now we gotta come up with a plan to get us all out of here. With Bonnie's help."

"Well, I doubt she'll be of much help in the current state she's in. Besides, her main concern right now should be Enzo trapped in the same house as Elena's dad, right?"

"Right. That is a… problem."

Alaric was surprised to feel a sudden fatherly worry for Elena. He hadn't felt much like an ersatz-father to her in a long time, what with her being gone for a long time and then being preoccupied with his girls. But now that feeling had returned. She was, somehow, still one of his girls. And he hated to see her trapped in the crossfire. Something needed to be done about Grayson Gilbert first, before they could tackle their real problem.

...

Enzo had taken Bonnie over to the kitchen. Or maybe she had taken him over there, he was kind of fuzzy on the details. It had all been a bit of a blur. All he needed to know was that she was safe and slowly recovering. He'd propped her up on one of the stools at the counter and had made her drink some water from a pot - seeing as all the freakin' glasses and cups and mugs in this obnoxious house were broken.

She looked a little better already. Which was good, because he felt the weakness in his own body, and he knew he wouldn't be able to protect her much. He needed her to be strong and be able to fend for herself if it came to it.

"I'm okay now," she weakly whispered, clasping his hand in hers as he hovered over her, and he smiled.

"That's a lie, love, but I appreciate the effort."

"I can't lose you again, Enzo."

"You won't. I'm right here."

She stared at him, a question in her eyes. She raised herself up a bit, sighing. "But that... that man is right out there…"

He closed his eyes, then looked at her. He got up and walked over to the sink, filling her pot with more water. She hadn't even finished it yet.

"I know, love," he finally allowed. "As long as he doesn't come in here, we're fine. I think what I've found out today is… I don't need revenge. I got all I ever wanted, with you. And I'm not willing to lose that, for anything. That man destroyed enough already. So as long as he stays out there and doesn't threaten your safety, we should all be fine."

Bonnie squinted at him. She could see right through him of course. But she desperately wanted to believe his words. Still, she had to challenge him.

"He killed you," she reminded him. "Over and over and over. He killed you a thousand times, and you say you can let it go now? All of a sudden?"

He leaned against the sink, pot in hand, and took her in. That beautiful strong woman, her dark curls, her collarbones, that little freckle right above the root of her nose. He sighed. She knew him better than anyone ever had. He wasn't used to it yet, even after they had spent the last three years together.

"I won't ever be able to let it go, love," he admitted with a heavy heart. "I'm not that strong, or that good of a man. But what I want more than anything, is to live my life with you. I don't know how I'll be able to get my freaking past under control, or those stupid dreams, but I know that I won't let it consume me. I can't promise I won't eventually go after him - I don't care whose father he is. But it's not going to happen today."

His jaw muscles were working again, but other than that he remained calm. Bonnie got up, off her chair, and slowly walked over to him.

"Okay," she said, as she swiped a hand over his face and kissed him. "Okay. But when the day comes, know I'll be right by your side." She gazed at him intently before she repeated, enunciating every word carefully so as to make sure he understood, "I'll be right by your side."

...

[Three years ago...]

...

Oh please no…

Bonnie was in the bathroom when she heard the door open. She had hoped she would be done with this stupid… stomach bug or whatever it was, before he got back. But noooo.

She was right in the middle of it, retching into the toilet bowl, barely able to hold herself up anymore, when she heard the front door being opened. Enzo was back early. Perfect.

"FML," she muttered to herself while she tried to get up and get some water to clean herself. She was so woozy by then, she had difficulty walking over to the sink and turning the stupid faucet on. Her hand shook so hard that she dropped the glass she had tried to fill and it shattered into a million tiny pieces that sprang all around her.

Another wave of nausea. She closed her eyes and hoped it'd pass, but nope… off she stumbled to the toilet bowl, for round number six or seven, or maybe even ten. She had lost count an hour ago.

Why did this have to happen to her? Why?

"Is everything alright in there?"

Gosh, his stupid English accent! Why couldn't he just go away?!

"Bonnie."

He was obviously waiting for her to reply.

"I'm not going before I have an answer. Are. You. Alright?"

"Yes! Geez," she wheezed out, and stared at her hair that had vomit in it now. Great. Freaking awesome. "Can you just leave me alone? Just leave the cabin while you're at it and let a woman throw up in peace."

She wanted to cry. Vomit in her hair, shards of glass everywhere, the stupid vampire right in front of the door, surely laughing at her expense. Could it get much worse?

She felt her saliva pool and quickly crouched over the toilet bowl again to throw up another time, kneeling on the floor, sweaty and cold, her knees now bleeding, thanks to the broken glass. She did start crying then. How could she not?

...

The smell of her blood must have alarmed him. She couldn't be sure, she was in a haze of sickness and crying when he suddenly appeared by her side and she watched as he kneeled down beside her, gently wiping her mouth with a damp washcloth.

"I'm…. disgusting," she mumbled, slumping her shoulders and making an unhappy face.

"The toilet bowl looks worse," he stated rather drily and she wanted to laugh, but felt too weak for even that.

"Go on. Tell me you warned me about eating that leftover soup," she muttered after a couple of minutes of silence had passed. She saw him smile, but without mirth. He actually looked... sympathetic.

"I did warn you about eating that leftover soup."

She managed to glare at him. He was too perfectly dressed, dark shirt, dark pants, his stupid leather jacket with the standing collar. Even his hair was perfect. And here she sat in her own yuck, hair plastered over her forehead, breath smelling rank, not to mention her clothes…

"I really wish you looked less perfect right now," she told him between sobs, and saw his smile widen.

"Looks are deceiving, love," he informed her, "We both know it's the inside that counts and I can't hold a candle to you there. Now, let's get you cleaned up and out of here."

"I got it. I…" Her legs gave way as she tried to stand, and his arms came around her to keep her from falling. "Okay," she sobbed, "I give up."

She'd never live this down, she thought. Never.

He helped her clean herself up, took care of her knees, and carried her over to the bed, where he set her up with black tea and crackers, and a bucket by her side. He would surely have a field day with this tomorrow and then he'd bring it up as long as this "thing" was still going on, them both together in that cabin. She just knew it.

But then she fell asleep, exhausted, and tomorrow came, and she woke up to fresh tea, a clean bathroom, a fridge without any more leftovers, and he was a perfect gentleman and never even said a word about it all.

Who was this man even? She wondered.

...

...

This was not how she wanted this to end. She'd gotten her daughters back - or her daughters had gotten her back. And she wasn't willing to give that up just yet.

Jo took a deep breath, then exhaled in a big puff. She needed to concentrate on feeling better, for her kids. She hadn't seen them in a week, but now she finally felt like she had it together again enough to come see them.

The Salvatore house hadn't been her first address, but when she had found neither Caroline nor Alaric anywhere and had been told that the girls hadn't been sent to preschool anymore, she hadn't known where else to go.

Caroline basically lived at Stefan's house anyways, right?

But once she got there, something was off. She couldn't even touch the doorbell. It was like a shockwave emanated from it if she tried. She was determined enough to walk around the big building, and that was when she finally noticed that all the windows seemed to be broken - and that while she could see people inside, they didn't seem to be able to see her.

That, of course, did not help with her delusions of translucency, and she almost laughed at the thought, but then didn't want to end up in hysterics so she swallowed it.

And then she saw the double Elena, one curly haired and in a gorgeous dress with a wide skirt and pearls of some sort that sparkled beautifully in the sun. And the other one with shiny straight hair, and a pair of jeans and fitted top, sitting huddled next to Damon.

What the hell was going on in there?

Jo looked up, confused, when she suddenly spotted her babies by a window up top. They were waving at her. Could they see her then? She waved up to them, smiling, and she distantly heard Alaric call out to them to stay away from the window.

"Who are you waving to?" It was Caroline. She suddenly appeared by the girls' side and stared out, straight through Jo. The girls voices were unintelligible down where she stood, but they must have told Caroline about her, because she suddenly saw Ric appear right next to her and call out.

"Jo? If you're really there: the girls are fine. - It's Katherine and Cade. They put a spell on the house. We can't get outside. - Whatever is going on with you, it's probably also because of them. Jo, please, please be out there. We could really use some help. Try and get Dorian at the Armory to find something about this spell. We need to get out!"

But Jo already knew what she needed to do.

Alaric had told her a lot about that man, Arcadius, about how powerful he was. That he had created his own version of hell, and that apparently, he could - and did - bring back the dead. Including her.

And Kai.

Jo had thought he was just another figment of her imagination when she had spotted him from afar at that bar the other night. Now, though, she was certain it had really actually been him. Because if one person was sneaky and powerful and bad enough to have been in hell and escaped, it was her brother. She had a feeling he was already on his way there, because Cade and Katherine should be the most perfect source of power for him.

She would only have to wait a little longer for him to find them. Then, she would try to persuade him to help her and her daughters, those two girls that were just like him.

And then? She'd have to think about that later. First, she needed to get her girls, her family, to safety.

...

Eight months later…

...

Bonnie picked up her phone in a haste. She'd waited for this call for a very long time.

"Good news, Bon," Damon told her, and she could tell that he was walking through the rain somewhere. "Your location spell finally worked."

She breathed out a sigh of relief, clutching her throat. She hadn't even realized she'd been holding her breath for a while. Damon and Alaric had found them. Enzo and Elena were safe. They were with Damon.

The pattering rain sounded like it was picking up. A storm was coming.

"Are they okay?" Bonnie yelled so that Damon could hear her over the harsh downpour. She heard him sigh.

"Uh, Elena is, she's… hanging in there," Damon finally yelled back, and she detected a strange tone in his voice. Was it because of Elena, or… Bonnie felt a sudden panic rise.

"Where is Enzo? You found him too, right? He was with them when-

"Bon…"

"Damon, where is he? Let me talk to him. Is he..." She started crying before he'd even said anything.

"He wasn't with them anymore, Bon. Elena's dad… since he and his old acquaintances resurrected the freakin' Society, they've kept him somewhere else. We don't know yet, where."

Bonnie almost dropped her phone. "No…" It was an exhalation rather than an actual word. "How are we ever gonna find him?"

"Listen to me, Bon, we'll sort this out. We'll get him back. Ric and I are already on our way to..."

"No…" She started sobbing; her heart was in a vise, her throat clenched shut.

"Bon. Bonnie," Damon implored her, "talk to me. - It'll be alright. You know Enzo, he's a tough son of a bitch. If anyone can get out of this all right, it's him."

But Bonnie wasn't so sure…

...

Thanks again for reading, and especially for the feedback. Shadowdancer: no worries. Enjoy your family time! I would love to hear from you whenever you get back. But just know that I've appreciated your kind words very much - and technically, you were the first to show any interest in this story, so you are to "blame" for me having continued to put it up here. :) Thank you. It'll definitely be interesting to see what Katherine is really planning.

Anna: thank you, too! - Yes. lol. Maybe they retconned it for the sake of Valerie making sense to us (the Katherine thing). Anyways. You also touch on the thing that interests me a lot about the show: how characters like Damon and Stefan can still have our sympathy and understanding. And what kind of person you'd have to be to NOT get that same sympathy and shot at redemption.