Thank you once again for such lovely reviews!

My 150th review was a beautiful one by a guest reviewer; I can't send a message to say thank you, so I'd like to express gratitude here, all the reviews you have all left really make me want to write more each time.

I've also started publishing a completely different story, 'Drowning in Light'. It is a take on what could happen if the comet came years later, with Elena returning from college not sure of her next steps with some bad decisions behind her. It does involve pregnancy and character death, so it won't be for everyone, but if you're interested check it out.

Thank you to CosmicAdventurer for being a sounding-board, please check out her wonderful Delena stories if you want something creative.

Mild smut warning for the last section.

x-x-x-x

Caroline hurled her clothes into her bag, uncharacteristically not caring about folding them perfectly first. She refused to stay in a house with two men who had both attempted to take such chunks out of her self-esteem. How dare Stefan call her a whore?

She hadn't kissed Nik, or really flirted back. If anything, she'd tried to learn more about the situation they were all trapped in. She'd asked for time for Elena to stay human, and she'd learned the techniques neither of the Salvatore brothers could show her. Stefan wouldn't even drink from humans, for God's sake. How could he expect to be a teacher of control?

No, Nik had shown her what she needed, and she had confidence she would be safe to move home. Living with Liz Forbes was never easy, and she was sure it would only be harder now. But she wanted to go, she missed her mom for once.

Zipping her bag with a bit too much force, she ripped the fabric. Making a rather grunt-y sound of exasperation she collapsed onto what had been her bed. She was sick of the Salvatore brothers. She was sick of Nik, giving her riddles about secrets he would only tell when she told him why she wanted to know. She had, and he'd just given her that devilish grin. She was sick of Tyler ignoring her.

He was her boyfriend, and he would speak to her.

Nobody ignores Caroline Forbes.

Pulling herself up, she smoothed down her clothes. Softly, she began to take the clothes back out, folding each item in turn and repacking her bag systematically. She was going to be late for school, but she could compel herself out of detention. Then, she would head to the Lockwood Manor.

Finally feeling like herself again, Caroline touched up her lipstick before grabbing her bag and leaving the boarding house.

x-x-x-x

Elena stepped out of the school hall and into the glaring sunshine. It was lunchtime and she still hadn't seen Caroline. Stefan had arrived late, storming through the halls looking intense and broody. He was practically Twilight material, all he needed was better hair and less of a tan.

She'd left Caroline at the boarding house, packing. Caroline had insisted she was in control enough to live with Liz, and after the way Stefan had spoken to her, Elena couldn't blame her. She just hoped Caroline would stay away from Klaus, she'd tried one last time to persuade her friend how dangerous he was. There was one good thing today had brought though, the news that their new art teacher had mysteriously quit with no notice.

Glad that school was safe from the originals for the time being, she sat at the bench and pulled her bag open to get her lunch.

He was standing by the school building, his back to the wall and one foot up against it. His suit was perfectly tailored, standing out amongst the throngs of students in hoodies and jeans. Elena was surprised there weren't photographers, for how much Elijah looked like a model standing there. His gaze settled on her, for a moment making her feel so hot and flustered she had to remind herself to breathe.

Deliberately picturing Damon in her mind, how he had stood only days ago in his room. His black shirt hanging open and his belt undone. She dreamt of his eyes, allowing herself to focus on what she wanted as she opened her eyes again.

"Miss Gilbert, does today find you well?" He greeted, his accent smooth and calm.

She nodded, standing to greet him, and allowing him to place a kiss on the back of her hand.

"As well as could be," She offered a soft smile, "Why are you here?" The question was rather blunt, but she couldn't be bothered with the old-school pleasantries she'd been raised with. Elijah was an original vampire, he wanted her to be killed after all.

He smirked slightly at the question, letting her hand drop. "I come bearing gifts. Would you care to walk with me?"

She contemplated his offer briefly, walking away from the crowds of people with any vampire was dangerous. However, this particular vampire needed her alive and had the power to defeat almost everyone else in Mystic Falls, Klaus excluded.

After a slight nod, they began their stroll, quickly leaving the school grounds.

"Are you familiar with Katerina's story?" He asked, after a time.

Isobel had told them all she knew, so Elena felt confident enough to nod, adding "Most of it."

"Then hopefully you have been informed that I wished to save her." Elena rose an eyebrow at this, but Elijah's face showed nothing but honesty.

"I mistakenly believed young Katerina loved me, I was a fool, but nevertheless I spent months hunting down a solution that would leave both myself and my brother happy," he continued, reaching into his pocket, "This is what I found."

He had pulled out a small porcelain pot, clearly a very old container for some kind of liquid.

"What is it?" She asked.

"This elixir will allow you to survive being drained of all your blood. It will draw on the magic of the ritual to resuscitate you." He had stopped walking, turning to her.

"I won't have to become a vampire straight away?" She asked.

He shook his head, "No Miss Gilbert, you won't have to become a vampire, ever. It isn't a life I would wish for you."

She frowned at that, "Why?"

His head tilted, considering her. She was surprised by his reaction, surely someone who had been a vampire so long had encountered many humans who wished to turn.

"You, Elena, changed your mind about fighting the sacrifice the moment you heard others you care about may be harmed. Compassion is your nature." He reached out with his empty hand to move a loose hair from her face, but let his hand rest on her cheek, "I wouldn't wish for you to watch everyone you cared about die around you."

"Not everyone," She whispered, biting her lip. Damon wouldn't die, if she didn't turn, he would have to watch her die. His hand dropped as he searched her face.

"Maybe," He shrugged, "With time, though, they may. I have lived over one thousand years, and I only have one brother left, and I have not seen Niklaus in an age. The sacrifice will lure him out of hiding."

"Hiding?" Elena asked confused, "He's here, in Mystic Falls. Did nobody tell you?"

He looked down at his feet, "No," He almost snarled, "Miss Gilbert, they did not. Excuse me."

Then, he was gone.

x-x-x-x

Caroline had managed to arrive at lunch, meaning she only had one class to sit through before she could head to the Lockwood Mansion. She'd spent the entire time tapping her toes, her heels or her fingers. There was no way she could sit still, a thousand speeches for Tyler running around in her mind.

She had to control her speed as the bell rang, deliberately trying to walk with the rest of her class to the car park. Human speed was annoying, she thought to herself. Life would be so much easier if she didn't have to hide.

Pulling up at his door she had to steady herself. She'd finally decided what she was going to say, mulling over a dozen different options on the drive. Begging forgiveness wasn't going to happen, she had nothing to be sorry for. She had died, for God's sake. Not that she could tell him that. He also couldn't really know about Nik.

She just needed him to know that she wasn't going to accept him pushing her away. She was here, and she would be here for him. She was his girlfriend, and he couldn't ignore her anymore.

With more anger than confidence, she left the car and marched up the stairs. She used the knocker with slightly too much force for a human, causing herself to blush. Her well-trained manners hadn't left her.

Mason Lockwood opened the door, "Oh, Caroline, right?"

She nodded, "Could I please see Tyler?"

Mason shook his head, "He's busy, I'm afraid."

This was it; she was sick of being fobbed off. She folded her arms and set her stance, practically stamping her foot like a petulant toddler.

"I don't care what he's doing. I don't care if he's defusing a bomb, bringing world peace or ending world hunger. I'm his girlfriend and I demand he sees me. Right now."

Mason lifted his eyebrows, considering her little tantrum. She was cursing herself in a dozen different ways in her head, trying to magic up a way of persuading him that sounded less like she'd stepped out of the reality TV shows she'd spent a week watching.

"Come in, Caroline." He said, his eyes flickering to Mason and nodding at him. She couldn't miss the look of horror and then anger that ran over Mason's face, before he schooled his features back into a slight smile.

"Tyler!" She gasped, stepping over the threshold and reaching to embrace him in a hug. This was the first time he'd acknowledged her properly since the accident and she'd missed him. How much she missed him was only now coming to the surface, causing her eyes to dampen as she reached for him.

He stepped back from her arms, twisting out of the hug. "Caroline, we need to talk." He said, guiding her into a room off the hall. His father's study.

She felt the stone drop in her stomach, that phrase was synonymous with break-ups. A part of her had expected it, after all he had ignored her for over a week. Caroline had kept telling herself that he had a good reason, he was grieving, he was healing. Now she knew that she had just been lying to herself.

Sitting down on the loveseat that she was guided to, she watched Tyler close the door and latch it before coming to sit next to her.

Opening her mouth to speak, she was beaten to the chase. "Caroline, I know you're a vampire."

"How?" Was all she could think to ask, she'd suspected as much by the way he invited her in.

He looked down at his hands, starting to fiddle with his nails as he often did when he was tense. She reached out to hold one of his hands and was glad when he let her, not pulling away or flinching.

"You died, Care. I killed you in that accident. I knew as soon as I saw you that you had become one of them." She could see the conflict in his features. He looked at her as he had for weeks now, like he loved her, and she was everything. His eyes kept flitting away though, looking past her with anger and bitterness.

She nodded, there was no point denying the truth. "I'm glad you know, Ty. I didn't want to keep it a secret from you." She paused for a second, trying to find the connections in her mind. Damon had mentioned he suspected the Lockwood family were supernatural in some way, perhaps werewolves or something new. "Did Mason tell you?"

"Bits. I knew as soon as you died, something changed in me, Care. I felt it and I knew you were dead."

She frowned, tilting her head to one side, "I don't understand." She could guess, but she wasn't sure and she didn't want to jump to assumptions. She'd made enough of an ass out of herself already.

"I became a werewolf. When I killed you, I triggered a curse. Now I'm stronger, I heal quickly. It's the only reason I survived the crash."

"Does that mean…" She wanted to ask about a full moon, about whether he became fluffy and cute or whether he would be some kind of gnarly monster, but her brain was able to censor the question before it hit her lips.

"At the full moon, every bone in my body will break and I will turn into a wolf." He said, his eyes distant and his voice cold.

She couldn't help but hug him, throwing her arms around his neck and holding tight. At first, he stayed rigid, but eventually he tightened his arms around her.

They sat, wrapped up in each other, for at least a quarter of an hour. She'd shifted after a few moments to be curled up in his arms, her head on his shoulder. It felt heavenly, to finally be back where she belonged.

"How did you know about vampires?" She eventually asked.

"Mason told me, before. His girlfriend, Kathy, is a vampire. She's trying to help him break the curse."

Caroline sat upright, quickly, pulling herself away so that she was facing Tyler.

"Nik's curse?" She asked.

"Who is Nik? No, the sun and moon curse. If it's broken, werewolves won't have to change at the full moon. It will be a choice. Caroline, I've watched videos of Mason turning. I don't, I don't think I can go through that pain."

Caroline bit on her lip. She didn't know the full details, but she knew that was simply a myth. The way Tyler looked so hopeful, back to his old self for just a moment at the thought, it made her want to stay quiet. She couldn't though. She couldn't lie to him about something so important, and Elena's life was at stake.

They really did need to talk.

x-x-x-x

Stefan packed a bag quickly, having left school at lunch break. He'd tried to spend the day focused, not on the classes that he could pass in his sleep but on the people in the building that he cared about.

Elena had been at school all day, acting like there was nothing the matter. She didn't seem to care that Damon had driven off and left her, like that was somehow an acceptable thing for him to do. She didn't even seem fussed that Caroline had practically gone on an overnight date with Klaus!

She certainly didn't seem to care enough to speak to him, however obviously upset he was. Elena had avoided him like the plague all day, even leaving campus at lunch. Bonnie wasn't too happy with him either, snapping at him when he tried to find Elena.

As such, he'd sulked off home. It was childish, he knew, to sulk, but everything seemed to be going wrong for him recently. He would have been much better off not returning to Mystic Falls, he came to help Elena, but it looked like she didn't want or need his help.

Instead, he'd become mixed up with the sacrifice and Klaus Mikaelson. Both Katherine and Klaus had terrified him with their comments about his time in Chicago. He needed to know more.

Making his way down the stairs, he heard the door swing open, "Honey, I'm home." chorused Damon's voice.

"Don't expect your dinner on the table, sweetheart." He responded; his voice laced with sarcasm as he made his way into the parlour to meet his brother.

Damon didn't look any the worse for wear, to say he had probably been on a bender for the last 24 hours.

"Going somewhere?" Damon asked, an eyebrow raised at the duffel bag Stefan had on his shoulder.

He nodded, pursing his lips together. "Chicago."

Damon frowned, "Are you feeling affectionate for your ripper days? Have the forest animals banded together and staged an intervention?"

His brother could be a real dick. Here he was, contemplating every decision he'd ever made and wondering why he had holes in his memory. Trust Damon to instead make jokes about his diet, it would be his hair next.

"Ha. Ha." He said, stoically. "I need to know why there's gaps in my memory. I need to know if I really knew Klaus and his sister like Katherine said. I'll be back before the sacrifice."

Damon's eyes met his own, an understanding passing before them before Damon nodded.

"Stay safe, brother." He said, reaching his hand out to shake Stefan's.

Stefan shook his head, his arm kept by his side. Turning around, he added, "Don't fuck it up with her, Damon." He said as he walked out of the door.

x-x-x-x

Watching Stefan walk away hurt, he had to admit. He missed his baby brother, he'd been happy to have him back- once he'd stopped trying to get Elena to admit she'd been compelled, of course.

He understood why Stefan needed to go, he'd read his old diaries before, and Chicago had been a place where Stefan had lost his mind the most. He'd been engrossed in the ripper, losing days at a time to the blood.

Or, maybe, to the originals compelling it away.

It hurt that he wouldn't leave on good terms though, they'd made so much progress. It felt like they were a team against Klaus and Elijah. Perhaps only he saw it that way?

Or, perhaps the mistake he'd made with Elena had put the nail in that coffin.

Luckily, he knew how to fix that. He'd been schooled by three very wise ladies, or unwise when you considered that they'd all chosen to sleep with him at one point or another.

He needed to talk to Elena, apologise and explain his viewpoint. He needed to tell her why he was so fearful for Bree being locked up. He should probably also let her know that Bree was okay and Isobel wasn't a traitor. She'd like that.

She'd probably also like to hear that he'd gifted Lexi a daylight ring, and one for Lee, made by Bonnie when she had done Caroline's. Only certain witch lines had that spell, and Lexi had never been able to get one. Often those witches were under the control of powerful vampires, as was the case in New Orleans and Paris. Now, she could finally walk in the sun.

Waiting for her was almost physically painful. He'd started cleaning, out of habit, whilst he waited but as the clock ticked closer to the time that she should be home from school he'd started pacing in the hall.

Then, he heard her car. Suddenly, he was frozen to the spot. What did he say? All of his planned apologies went out of his head as he considered the possibility that she might not accept them. What if they weren't good enough? He wasn't good enough.

She unlocked the door, letting her bag fall to the floor and kicking her shoes off. She always left them there and it infuriated him, but he couldn't bring it in himself to say anything. He didn't even step forward to move them, or so that she could see him from around the corner.

Instead, he stayed still.

Moments later, she stepped into his view. She looked radiant, as ever. Her socks were odd, and her hair was rumpled from either the wind or her resting on it when she was in class. Her very imperfections were what made her perfect.

She was looking for him, her eyes searching the room and then her head turned to him.

Her eyes met his, instantly clouding.

Finally, he could move.

x-x-x-x

Elena's eyes met his as she entered the boarding house, looking for him.

She didn't care what he'd said yesterday, she just knew they needed to talk. She needed to apologise for not listening, not understanding. She needed to tell him about Elijah's elixir and Caroline's trip with Klaus. Most importantly, she just needed him.

He'd been her closest friend for months now, every thought or worry she'd had had been run by him. He'd been the sense of humour to cheer her up when she'd struggled, the hand she had held when she'd had no option left but to cry. He was hers.

How could she have spent a week pushing him away, arguing instead of listening?

Damon must have been standing there, waiting, for he was like a statue as she watched him. His mouth was tight, he'd been chewing on his lips. His eyes were staring at her with such intensity, such longing that it broke her heart to see. He was hurting, and she just wanted to fix it.

Then, she was being held against the wall. She hadn't registered the movement, but her legs were around his waist as he held her there, pinned by his body. His forehead was on hers, his eyes closed.

"'Lena." He whispered.

He didn't need to say anything else; she knew from his stuttered breathing everything that he felt.

She kissed him.

As their lips met, she was reminded of their soft, gentle kiss at the Lakehouse, the time they'd finally allowed themselves to love each other. This was a million miles from that, there was a desperate need for it, a longing. They'd been together in the past week, barely able to keep their hands off each other for more than a few hours, but it had been detached, separate. It had been about the attraction, the desire.

This kiss was more, and as his lips left hers and traced patterns down her neck and onto her collarbone she felt the absence of them, the need to have him close.

"Damon," she gasped as he nipped at her skin, finding the exact point that always made her legs shudder as the sensation hit, "I love you."

He growled into her neck, pushing his body even closer to hers if it were possible. His cheek came to rest against hers, his head to her left where she couldn't see his eyes. The frantic motions that had been there only moments ago stilled.

"I love you, Elena." He breathed, "Forgive me?"

"Always." She whispered back. She could feel the tension leave him, his shoulders looser underneath her arms. It gave way to desire, to kisses trailing up and down her neck and his hands stroking, wandering.

She was in his arms, being carried to his room, their room. Their bed.

As they reached the bed he let go, causing her to free fall backwards onto the soft mattress and the unmade sheets. She could see his eyes roll at the state of the bed, he never left it anything but perfectly made, but he had not been there last night.

She couldn't help but smile at him, "Please tell me you are not going to make the bed first." She teased, watching him slowly unbutton his shirt as he looked at her.

He shrugged in response, his eyes never leaving her face as he undressed. Elena already felt naked under that gaze, the sheer amount of desire he was sending her was unparalleled. Sitting up on the bed, she pulled her own top over her head and began unfastening her jeans.

Within minutes, they were both standing in front of each other, naked and vulnerable.

Neither moved, for moments, they stood their only centimetres apart, studying the face of the other. They knew each other's bodies intimately now but were still learning each other's hearts.

She'd forgiven him, but there was still more holding him back. He wasn't holding her, taking her as he had been whilst they'd been fighting or making love to her as he had at the lake house. Something was holding him back, stopping him from making the first move.

"Tell me." She whispered, stepping close enough to him that their bodies were touching. Her nipples brushed on his chest as she looked up at him.

He smirked, leaning down to whisper in her ear, "I'd rather fuck you until you scream."

Her instinct was to melt into him, to let him do whatever he wished and simply soak in the pleasure. She knew he was deflecting, though, finding a way to hide whatever he didn't want to say.

"Tell me." She said again, this time stroking her hand down his side, letting it rest on his hip, tantalisingly close to what she desired.

His head bent down, his forehead coming to rest against her own. "I ran in because I don't want anyone to be caged like I was." He admitted, his voice weak.

She knew he'd been captured and tortured by the group her father was associated with, but as they'd never discussed it, she had imagined it had been for hours. Days, maybe. It explained his reaction in her father's clinic, his response to his files. It couldn't have been for longer, he would have been broken, surely, if it had been longer.

"How long?" She whispered, both hands now wrapping around him.

Initially, he shook his head, but she repeated her question, this time above a whisper.

Eventually he breathed, his answer, "Five years."

Five years, Damon, her Damon had been in a cage for five years? He'd been tortured for five years? Why hadn't he told her? Explained the full impact of what he meant when he'd told her about the society his father was part of?

She was suddenly full of clarity; she knew exactly what she wanted to do. She wanted every single remaining member of the society to die. If her father was part of it, he had been misled, guided down the wrong path.

"I understand. I'm sorry." She said finally, acknowledging why he had rushed in. "I kept imagining a world without you, and I let it get the better of me."

He pulled his head up, looking down at her as if she were the most perfect woman alive. His eyes were wondrous, full of love and admiration.

"I understand too, 'Lena."

His lips were on hers, his arms pulling her closer still as they became lost in each other. They found themselves tumbling onto the bed, one body indistinct from the other as they knotted together.

She couldn't believe the strength of this man, his capability to love and trust despite all that had been thrown at him.

As his fingers trailed down between her legs, skilfully unravelling her as if his fingertips were a paintbrush on canvas; every stroke, flick or twist designed to have full impact, she was overwhelmed by him.

Elena couldn't help but sigh his name as she came, her body expressing the love she felt for him. She was his.

x-x-x-x