A/N: Be prepared for a massive search for the missing moonstone. We are also just one chapter away from Grace reuniting with Elijah! Yay!

Please note that this chapter is a lot longer than the previous ones.

Please review, you've all been really generous with those so far; and please no flaming. They will be ignored. :)

I don't own The Vampire Diaries. All characters (except for Grace) are owned by author L.J Smith.

Cheers xx

THE HUNT IS ON

"He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life." ~Muhammad Ali.

Caroline pointed me in the right direction of the woods in search for the well Bonnie predicted the moonstone may have been hidden away in by Mason. I was pleased that she was in a much better mood than the last time I saw her earlier this morning. Every girl needs their mum in their lives; something that I missed on occasion, and often thought about every now and then.

"So how's your mum going at the moment?" I asked Caroline. The blonde smiled happily.

"She's fine. The vervain's almost out of her system. Soon we'll be able to compel her to forget all of this and we can get on with our lives." Caroline replied with a falsely optimistic tone in her normally bubbly and confident voice. Bonnie and I were surprised by her answer.

I looked at her out the corner of my eye.

"Uh-huh. Now why don't I believe you?" I asked her, with concern. Caroline avoided looking at me, which made me feel all the more suspicious and worried. I exchanged a glance with Bonnie in the backseat, looking for a possible explanation. But the witch shrugged, looking just as perplexed as I felt. "Caroline. Talk to me. What's wrong, honey?" I asked her, soothingly.

Caroline bit her bottom lip, fretfully.

"It's nothing." She insisted.

"Doesn't seem like nothing, Care." Bonnie stated, also looking worried about her friend. Caroline hesitated for a few more minutes before eventually she decided to confess her true feelings on the subject.

"It's just, I wish that we didn't have to compel my mom to forget that Stefan, Damon and I are vampires. It would make things so much better, and she'd be able to help us with our problems." Caroline admitted, looking vulnerable.

"If it were up to you, Caroline, I'm pretty sure that your mother would be able to walk free from the Boarding house with the knowledge that her only daughter and two of her friends were in fact the very entities she had been sworn to kill on sight. But we both know that Damon won't have a bar of that." I told her, hating myself for putting that miserable expression on her face, after giving her the cold hard facts.

"Yeah, I know." She sagged with disappointment.

"The right solution will come to you when the time is right." I told her. Bonnie scowled at the back of my head.

"And how would you know that exactly?" She demanded, protectively. I narrowed my eyes at her warningly.

"I don't. But it's better to believe that than give her false hope." I retorted.

The rest of the trip was pretty much silent, except for the music playing on the radio. But eventually we arrived on the old Lockwood property and both Caroline and Bonnie unbuckled their seatbelts. However Caroline froze, craning her head and closing her eyes.

"Care? What's wrong?" Bonnie asked, frowning at the urgent expression on her friend's face.

"Shut up for a sec." Caroline snapped. It looked as though she was listening for something. Then without warning, Caroline immediately blurred off out of sight in a random direction.

"Caroline! What's going on? CAROLINE!" I yelled after her. I growled in irritation before locking my car and running off in the direction Caroline had taken, resentful that I didn't have the vampire speed to be able to catch up with her.

"Grace, wait!" Bonnie hollered at me and I stopped and looked back at her for an explanation. "It will be a lot faster to find Caroline if I lead the way. You don't know where the well is." Bonnie explained, for once sounding a little more rational. I nodded, feeling impatient and stepped aside so that she could take the lead. We eventually came upon a distraught looking Elena straddling the side of a small, stonewalled well while Caroline was trying to stop her, and comfort her at the same time.

"What the hell happened?" I exclaimed. Elena looked up at me with wide eyes as both Bonnie and I came over to her and attempted to help Caroline calm her down as well.

"It's Stefan! He went down into the well to look for the moonstone, but we found out too late that the water has vervain in it." Elena explained, tears starting to well up in her brown doe eyes. I cursed colourfully, and immediately took off my jacket and dumped my purse on the ground beside the old well. I reached for the heavy chain Elena was attempting to secure around her waist. "What are you doing?" Elena demanded, as I hooked the chain around my waist and handed it to Caroline who looked at me quizzically, until she realised what I was about to do and nodded, her face setting in determination.

"Saving Stefan." I replied simply, as I straddled the well. "Ready, Caroline?" I asked the blonde, who braced herself to support my weight.

"Ready." She reported back, looking worried. Elena immediately protested.

"I'm more than capable of doing that myself." She told me, looking stubborn but at the same time, extremely worried for the safety of her boyfriend. To be honest, I was concerned too. Stefan had obviously not looked before he leapt into the well in his attempt to look for the blasted moonstone. I looked at her and gave a hard look, and proceeded to give her the reality of the situation. There was no time for arguments, right now.

"You're not strong enough to help Stefan right now. He's probably an unconscious dead-weight, and you're practically beside yourself with fear." I stated. "I stand a better chance of getting down there and rescuing Stefan quickly. You know that as well as I do." I told her, rationally. Elena didn't hesitate. Probably realised that she would be there to take care of him once Stefan got out of the well.

She quickly nodded.

"I got you, okay?" Caroline reassured me. I nodded.

"Yeah." Bonnie darted forward and helped me lower into the well. Once I was out of reach of either of them, I began abseiling down the slightly slippery walls; absently glad I had the foresight to wear my converse again today, as they helped me get a better grip on the wall. Caroline slowly reels me down, and only once loses grip of the chain, causing me to slip on the wall and bash my knee and elbow against the stone wall.

"OW! Son-of-a-bitch!" I felt my stomach fly up into my throat before jolting when Caroline manages to grab the chain just in time. I sighed with relief. I really did not relish the thought of being stuck down here in a disused well, with Stefan's decomposing body bobbing beside me like a cork.

"Sorry!" Caroline apologised frantically. I tried to calm down my thudding heartbeat, caused by the sudden fall.

"Don't worry about it, just keep going. Come on!" I urged Caroline, who continues to lower me down into the well. Eventually, I splash down in some minging, murky water and wrinkled my nose with disgust.

"Did you find Stefan?" Came Elena's frantic voice. I scowled.

"Not yet, Elena. But I need you to do me a favour and just calm down for me. Take a few slow deep breaths, or you're going to make yourself sick. Alright?" I yell back, as I groped around in the darkness for a hint of where Stefan could be. I eventually come across something hard, lukewarm to the touch and moaning very faintly. Frowning, I feel around and realise that I had found Stefan, who was bobbing face down in the vervain water. With effort, I managed to flip him over so that he was facing upwards, and nearly lost my breakfast. He was red raw, bloodied and blistered. "Oh. Oh my God, Stefan!" I exclaimed sympathetically.

"Grace!?" Elena shouted again.

"Grace, what's going on down there?" Caroline demanded. I quickly unlinked the heavy chain from around my waist and looped it around Stefan's bobbing torso, making sure that it was linked together securely before shouting back up to the top.

"Quickly, guys! I found him. He's in pretty bad shape, so pull him up as quickly as you can!" I instructed.

Caroline didn't waste time, and immediately starts to pull the chain up from the well. Slowly, Stefan's unconscious body was raised up into the air, only swaying slightly and bouncing lightly off the stone walls. While this was happening, I immediately started searching for the moonstone. Stefan's still slightly smoking body eventually reaches the top of the well, and Bonnie unties Stefan and, with the help of both Caroline and Elena, places him on the ground.

"Grace? Ready for you!" Caroline shouted back down at me, flinging the chain back down into the well, where it splashed dangerously close to where I was searching.

"Give me a moment. I'm still looking for the moonstone." I told them. I groped around the cracks in the walls for the stone. When that failed, very reluctantly started sifting through the debris and junk that was down here with me. I shoved aside old toys, rubbish, moss and algae, before stumbling upon what felt like a small wooden box.

"Hurry!" Caroline shrieked. I ignored her, as I picked up the little wooden box.

"Hey! I think I found it!" I announced. I grabbed the box. But just as I lifted it from the water, a large snake inches towards me … and I let out the loudest motherfucking scream I have ever uttered in my life.

"Grace! What's going on!?" Caroline sounded scared for me, and if it wasn't for the fact that I was facing off against a snake, I probably would've been touched. My screams reverberated off the walls just as the pissed off snake attempted to wrap itself around me. However, I manage to throw it off. Another snake crawls up my arm, causing me to back up against the wall out of reach from the snake, and snatched the box out of its hiding spot. I groped around desperately for the heavy chain and secure it around myself.

"I've got it! Come on! Bring me up!" I urge, trying to swallow the bile rising in my throat. Caroline reels me up, and by the time I got to the top, Bonnie was there to help get me out of the well. I immediately started looking for both Elena and Stefan, and spotted them not too far away and leaning against a nearby tree. Stefan's condition had long since improved since the last time I had seen him back down in the well; but he still didn't look good. "Oh, God! Stefan!" I whispered, and went over to his side. Elena was cradling his head underneath her arm as Bonnie, Caroline and I came over to them both. "Jesus…" I muttered, and my eyes widened when I noticed Elena snatch up a sharp rock from nearby and sliced open her hand with it.

"Elena! What are you doing!?" Bonnie protested as Caroline immediately turns away to avoid the stench of Elena's blood camping out in her still slightly vulnerable nose. Elena ignores Bonnie as she places her wrist to Stefan's mouth. Almost immediately, his eyes fluttered open and he starts drinking from her.

"Stefan, it's gonna be okay. Everything's gonna be okay." Elena promised her boyfriend.

I shuddered with disgust, as did Bonnie before getting to my feet and wondering back over to where I had discarded my jacket and purse, and put my jacket back on. I shoved the box into my purse; waiting for the right opportunity to give it to Damon so we could study it further.

Once Stefan had consumed enough of Elena's blood to be able to stand up unsupported, the four of us escorted him back to my car, whereupon I drove both Bonnie and Elena back to their homes. Damon was bound to be through with torturing Mason by now, so I wasn't worried about stumbling in on something that was bound to gross me out, or scar me for life… I hoped.

No sooner had we arrived at the Boarding House, did Caroline immediately flash inside to see her mother. Both Stefan and I were a little surprised but it was short-lived as we both made to get out of the car.

"You sure you're okay, Stefan? You don't need any help getting out of the car?" I asked him. Stefan looked amused by the question, but shook his head. He offered me an appreciative smile instead.

"No, thank you Grace. But thanks for the offer. Elena's blood did the trick." He reassured me, and proved this by getting out of the car and zipping to my side and opening the car door, before I had the chance to blink. I let out an impressed chuckle before I accepted his offer to help me out of the car instead.

"Show off." I teased, as I closed the door and locked it with my key fob.

Stefan simply shrugged, looking unfazed. But that quickly changed when we walked inside and into the parlour. Damon was in the process of making a human burrito with Mason's bloodied and slightly mangled body in a blanket. He glanced up at us and it became very obvious that Damon was no stranger to torture and the clean up afterwards.

"What are you doing back here so soon?" He questioned me, seemingly ignoring Stefan's presence. I shrugged.

"Retrieving the moonstone … and saving his arse." I replied, a little tiredly. Damon immediately frowned at this.

"What do you mean? What does she mean by that?" Damon demanded to both Stefan and I, as he comes over and starts obsessively checking me over for any obvious injuries. I pushed him away as Stefan sighed.

"Grace is fine, Damon." He reassured him. Damon freezes around near my knees and straightens up, glaring at the both of us.

"Then what the hell happened here?" He asked, pointing at my knees. Both Stefan and I glanced down at them and saw drying blood clotting on my kneecaps.

"Oh, that." I mumbled.

"Explain." Damon demanded. I glowered at him.

"First of all, not even my own mother fussed over me this much, and she could win the gold medal in being pedantic." I told him, evenly. "Secondly, Stefan tracked down the moonstone in an abandoned well on the old Lockwood property. But unfortunately the well also happened to have vervain in it. Do I need to go on?" I asked, indicating that the rest of the story should be fairly obvious.

Damon rolled his eyes.

"Only you Stefan would get yourself into this much trouble." He stated.

"Oi! Be fair, we did find the bloody moonstone after we rescued him, thanks very much." I retorted, a little defensively. I reached into my purse and withdrew the wooden box, holding it up to eye level. All three pairs of eyes watched as I opened the box and raised an eyebrow at what I saw inside. The moonstone itself was small; about the size of a cake of transparent pearly white soap. I held it up. Damon was not impressed or amused.

"All this for that?" He scoffed.

"Yep." Stefan confirmed as I handed over the stone. "I see you've exercised your usual restraint." He observed. Damon shrugged.

"Had to be done." He picks up Mason's phone, which he immediately throws at me. I fumbled around to get a grip on the phone so it didn't take a nosedive to the ground.

"Why are you giving this to me?" I asked, looking at him strangely.

"So you can text Carol." Damon replied, like it should've been obvious. I frowned at him.

"Why can't you do it?" I asked him, as I flipped open the phone and scanned the names until I came across Carol's. Damon finished rolling up Mason in the blanket, and packed away the heavy silver chains into Mason's duffle bag.

"I'm kinda busy right now." He replied, and I sighed before typing the first thing that came to my head. I just hoped that it didn't suck.

"Okay then. 'Carol, big opportunity in Florida, I'm gonna be gone for a long time. Will send for my things once I get settled. Much love, Mason.' How's that?" I asked both Damon and Stefan.

Both of them nodded, before turning towards the corpse.

"Let's get rid of the body." Stefan suggested. I was about to flip shut Mason's phone when I noticed something dated back a few hours ago. It was an unknown number.

"Hey. Mason received a phone call from an unknown number a few hours before you brought him here for interrogation." I reported. Frowning, Damon came over and took the phone from me, scanning the last number. Then a calculating smirk spread across his handsome face that made both Stefan and I stiffen with dread.

What was he up to now?

"I wonder who that could possibly be?" Damon wondered before pushing redial. Almost immediately, Stefan dashed forward to snatch the phone from him, but the call was picked up before he could. It wasn't the first time, I resented the fact that I didn't have enhanced vampire hearing. So I turned to the next best thing, who was standing next to me looking panicked.

"Who is it?" I asked Stefan.

"Katherine." Stefan replied back simply, and I cringed with horror.

All I could do was watch Damon's face go from being cocky and triumphant, to stricken and regretful for the duration of the phone call. So that by the time he had hung up the phone; we all knew that Damon had just fucked up big time. About a few minutes later, after Damon and Stefan had appropriately (I assumed) disposed of Mason's body, Stefan had received a phone call from a distraught Elena. I didn't think he needed to listen to what Elena had to say for very long before the cautious expression on his face instantly changed to grief, and tears formed in his eyes.

"Stefan? Oh God, what the hell happened?" I demanded, coming over to his side. Damon walked back into the room, summoned by my horrified outburst. There was a serious expression on his face as he waited for Stefan's explanation.

"It's Jenna. Katherine compelled her to stab herself in the stomach, while pretending she was Elena. Oh, God!" He reported, and I immediately hugged him while looking at Damon with shock. I was even more shocked by the guilty and horrified expression on Damon's face. It didn't take long before Elena walked into the library, and Stefan broke away from where I was attempting to comfort him near the Salvatore's enormous fireplace, towards his girlfriend.

The poor girl's eyes were red-rimmed and puffy; an indication that she had been in tears. Damon had wondered over to the window, probably feeling like a complete arse for provoking Katherine's wrath in the first place. "I'm so sorry." Stefan told Elena, as he attempted to hug her. But she took a step away from him, shaking her head. Damon had turned towards Elena the second she had come into the Library, and he walked over to stand by me; placing a restraining hand on my shoulder when I instinctively went over to comfort her. I looked at him for an explanation, feeling mystified, but Damon seemed adamant that I did not interfere with Stefan or Elena.

"We were stupid. Sneaking around, thinking that we weren't gonna get caught." Elena muttered quietly underneath her breath, and fidgeting with the sleeves of her shirt.

"I know." Stefan agreed, respecting the distance Elena was maintaining between them. Elena looked up at him, looking angry. But I didn't believe that it was directed towards Stefan. If anything, she looked like she blamed herself for what had happened to her Aunt.

"We did this, Stefan." Elena told him, firmly. "Jenna's in the hospital and Jeremy could be next. All because we didn't – we didn't listen to her. Because – because we're together." I heard Damon swear underneath his breath, and Stefan sagged in defeat. What Elena had been saying to Stefan, sounded a lot like she was breaking up with him. "Stefan…" Elena began.

But he interrupted her.

"I know what you're gonna say to me." He stated, sadly. Elena nodded and walked closer to him, regret very plain on her pretty olive face.

"Then let me say it." She urged. "I've been so selfish because I love you so much, and I know how much you love me." Elena tells him. I could sense a 'but' forming on her lips. "But it's over. Stefan, it has to be." She said, firmly. I could see the heartbreak clearly on both their faces.

Katherine had a lot to answer for.

The tears were now streaming down both their faces, and I glanced over at Damon. He looked extremely vulnerable and devastated, despite the fact that it was his brother who was having his heart ripped out by the woman he loved; not him.

"Elena, I…" Stefan attempted to protest, but Elena immediately shuts down.

"Don't, Stefan." She grabs his face in her hands and wipes away the tears in his eyes with her thumbs. "It has to be." Elena insisted, hesitating before she gives Stefan one last kiss goodbye before pulling away. She gives him one final look before walking out of the room. Damon and I hurry after her. In the hallway, both Damon and I see Elena clutching at her stomach, shaking and crying. But just before she could open the front door, Damon stops her. Elena turns and looks at both of us. I was trying to think of something to say to her to convince her not to go, and to think about what she was giving up. But I was drawing a colossal blank.

Thankfully, Damon had plenty to say.

"Elena. I riled Katherine up. I-I wasn't thinking." He pauses then amends what he said. "I didn't think."

'A' for effort.

Damon at least attempted to apologise for his less than thoughtful actions that led to an innocent person being compelled to hurt themselves. He was learning; that's the main thing. But it seemed Elena, was not swayed. She turns away from him.

"It doesn't matter, Damon. She won. Katherine won." Elena declared before walking out of the front door and closing it behind her. I sighed with frustration and grief.

"What do we do now?" I wondered, glancing at poor Stefan who was now brooding and staring into the flames in the fireplace. Damon shook his head.

"At the moment, there's nothing we can do. Elena's right; Katherine has won." Damon sounded indifferent, but I knew that he was kicking himself in the arse for this.

"So, we're just gonna fall back and regroup?" I demanded. "For how long exactly?" Damon shrugged.

"As long as it takes." He tells me. I didn't like it, but had no choice but to accept it for now. I walked over to where I had set aside my purse and jacket and made to leave. But first, I went over to Stefan.

"Hey." He glances over to me, trying and failing to erase the evidence that he had been crying. I smiled empathetically. I'd been where he was several times. So I knew that he would get through this. "You and Elena will get past this, Stef. You both are meant to be together. This is just a bump in the road for the both of you. I'm positive that once this situation with Katherine is resolved, you will be together again." I reassured him.

Stefan frowned at my optimism.

"How could you know that?" He asked, sceptically. I grinned.

"I've been where you are. This can only go two ways: you can get together again, and be really happy. Or, you go your separate ways. Only time will tell. But don't lose hope in the meantime." I warned him. Stefan didn't look like he believed me, and neither did Damon; but I knew what I was talking about. I also knew that I had overstayed my welcome, so I gave the distraught vampire a friendly hug and kiss on the cheek before making myself scarce.

"I hope you know what you're talking about, Grace." Damon sighed, before disappearing up the stairs and leaving Stefan to his own devices.

I just smiled and walked out, closing the door behind me.

The next few days were more than a little awkward, considering that everybody knew by now that Stefan and Elena had broken up, due to Katherine's scheming ways resulting in Jenna stabbing herself in the gut with a kitchen knife. I really didn't want to be involved in this drama more than I already was; so I decided to distract myself by painting larger copies of my sketchings on canvas, and displaying them around my apartment.

My favourite paintings were of the ones depicting my 'family portrait' and the sketch I recreated from memory (minus the face) of Niklaus. It was frustrating that I wasn't allowed to know the faces of my love and his siblings just yet… if at all. Because it made the paintings look incomplete and stick out like a sore thumb. Plus, I always got the same question every time:

"Why are their faces blank?" and every time, I would reply with the same answer:

"Because my memory is fuzzy, and I can't recall their faces for an unspecified reason. So I just accept it, and move on."

A thoroughly dissatisfying answer, I'm aware; but there's nothing I can do about it. Today, however, was when my life started to change forever. It was a typical day, I was hanging my dried and completed paintings on the wall, with Henrik helping behind me.

"It's tilted a little to the left." Henrik pointed out, and I frowned and stepped down from my step ladder to check it out from his point of view. I was attempting to hang the picture of Henrik I re-painted. I smiled at him appreciatively.

"Thanks, sweetie." I told him and moved to straighten it. As I stepped down from the ladder, my phone buzzed and I snatched it up from the coffee table and saw that Damon had sent me a text.

Emergency. Meeting Boarding House. Come quickly! – D.

"What is it?" Henrik asked, looking over my shoulder. He frowned at Damon's message. "Emergency, huh? Sounds interesting. What do you suppose it is?" He wondered as I quickly typed back a response.

Be there soon – G.

"If I know Damon, and it's not very well, it can't be anything to jump up and cheer about. Not in this deceiving town." I replied, tossing my phone back down on the table and making a beeline for my bedroom to change out of my paint spattered jeans and T-shirt.

"Well, may I tag along? I'm feeling claustrophobic." Henrik asked, from behind my closed bedroom door. I scoffed.

"You're dead. You can't be 'claustrophobic'. But I don't see why you can't come along, it's not like anybody except for me can see you. Besides, I've been really enjoying strengthening our 'brother and sister' bond lately." I responded, immerging from the bedroom dressed in a simple white sundress that ended just above my knees, with my black leather jacket and black and white slip on canvas shoes. I rearranged my hair into a loose plait which I draped over my shoulder, and smeared clear lip gloss over my lips. "Let's go!" I told Henrik who immediately raced after me and was in the passenger seat of my car before I had the chance to deadlock and close my apartment door. "Damn, you really are desperate to go out." I observed with amusement as I got in.

"Yes, I really am." Henrik agreed as I put my car into gear and headed straight for the Boarding House. He was practically vibrating with excitement, and it made me feel a little bit guilty that I wasn't more social or at least made an effort go out somewhere with him. But I guessed that I could make up for that right now on this current part of our mutual adventure.

It was obvious he wasn't holding it against me; a fact that I was immensely grateful for. I managed not to get us lost and arrived at the Salvatore's about twenty minutes after sending back my text to Damon. I raised an eyebrow when I noticed that Stefan was only just arriving as well.

"Hey Stefan." I greeted my friend cautiously, as I closed and locked my car. He turned to look at me, a little surprised; but thankfully looking a little bit better than he had a few days ago. He smiled as I approached him.

"Nice to see you again, Grace." Stefan greeted me warmly as I hugged him. I pulled away, noticing Henrik standing beside him, looking relieved that he looked seemingly okay as well.

"Have any idea what's going on?" I asked him, as we both walked towards the front door. Stefan looked concerned, but also a little bit indifferent as well as he let us both inside the house.

"Not a clue. But it's Damon we're talking about here. It could be anything." He reminded me and I nodded, agreeing with him. We both walked into the parlour, and the first thing we noticed was Damon handing a shaking Caroline a glass of blood. I immediately went into mothering mode.

"Caroline? Are you alright?" I asked and sat beside her on the couch, placing a hand on her shoulder. Henrik sat in front of her on the coffee table, also looking concerned; and probably mildly frustrated that he was a ghost and physically unable to lend aid. Caroline shook her head, still tense and drinking from her glass. Stefan walked over to Damon, who was looking both pensive and highly annoyed about something.

"What happened?" He asked his brother. Damon didn't respond immediately and turned towards Caroline and me, and looking pointedly at Caroline.

"Go ahead, tell them." He encouraged her, before giving both of us a sardonic sneer. "You're gonna love this." He insisted. Stefan and I immediately tensed up.

"I saw Katherine today." Caroline eventually told us, and took another generous sip from her blood. Both Stefan and I narrowed our eyes. Henrik rolled his eyes and got up from his perch on the table, to go stand next to Damon.

"Where?" Stefan asked, gently, obviously sensing that Caroline was probably skittish as hell, and not coping very well with being cornered by Katherine, for whatever nefarious scheme the bitch needed her for.

"At the Grill." Caroline replied without hesitation. "I just stopped by to gawk and… quasi-stalk Matt." I winced. That probably went down like a lead balloon with Matt. "But he wasn't interested in talking." Caroline confirmed my suspicions. Damon made an annoyed grunt.

"Stop the teen drama, and get to it." He sounded irritated. Caroline nodded and immediately got to the point.

"So anyway, I had to pretend to use the bathroom even though I didn't really have to go because I'm a doofus." Caroline went off track again.

"Caroline… the point?" I reminded her, kindly.

"That's when Katherine cornered me in the bathroom while I was washing my hands." Caroline continued, making a face at the memory. "She wanted me to deliver a message to you all."

"What was the message?" Stefan asked, as Henrik and I listened eagerly to her response.

"Tell Damon and Stefan that I want the moonstone or I will rip this town apart until it rains blood." Caroline quoted Katherine. Damon cleared his throat.

"Tell them the rest of it." He urged.

"Tonight, at the masquerade ball." Caroline finished. Stefan frowned.

"She wants to do it in public." He stated. "Killing Mason threw her off guard."

Damon nodded in agreement. "She's running scared. What she did to Jenna was desperate. She's out of tricks."

I nodded, getting up and moving to stand between them.

"We can't underestimate her. I may not know her very much, if not at all. But I think it's obvious that if we're to take Katherine down once and for all, we have to play this smarter than her." I suggested. Caroline swivelled round on the couch to look at us.

She frowned with confusion.

"Couldn't we just give her the moonstone so she'll leave?" She suggested, obviously trying to be helpful. Almost immediately, the three of us shook our heads vehemently.

"That's not the solution to our problems." I told her, privately remembering that this stone was actually linked to Niklaus and his 'Hybrid Curse'. If Katherine somehow managed to get that back, the moonstone would more than likely be used as a bargaining chip to ensure her survival and freedom from him. Damon agreed with me (minus knowing about the link to the 'Hybrid Curse').

"Exactly. Katherine's not getting dick from us!" He vowed, furiously. "I've had it. I'm gonna go to the masquerade ball and I'm gonna kill her, tonight." He immediately went to go off and prepare for the Katherine smack down, but Stefan immediately stepped into his brother's path. The expression on his 17-year-old face was deceptively calm.

"You're not gonna kill her." He stated. Damon bristled instantly.

"Don't give me that goody-goody crap." He growled, ready to shove past his brother to make his preparations. But once again, Stefan intercepted him. I tensed, hoping that Damon didn't retaliate violently. Instead, he just looked dubious.

"Really?"

"Because I am." Stefan declared, an unnaturally evil smile spreading across his face that made Henrik, Caroline and I cringe away in shock.

After Stefan and Damon threw down the gauntlet and declared war against Katherine, it was time to rally the troops. Which included both Bonnie – for her grimoire and spell-casting skills – and Alaric – and his arsenal of vampire hunter weapons. However, Jeremy also came along with Alaric; and Damon was about to protest his presence at the Boarding House, before he remembered how much help he had been in gathering information about the moonstone.

I was examining the weapons; eying the medieval style swords with interest as a very fuzzy memory started playing through my thoughts like an old movie projector that was on the fritz. I had no idea what it entailed, but I had been involved somehow along with two other men who were sword fighting in the memory. A very nostalgic smile spread on Henrik's face the second he realised what I was doing. It made me wonder if we were remembering the same memory of two young men in medieval garb sparring playfully, but fiercely with swords.

"Be careful, Grace." Henrik warned me; his eyes widening with deep concern as I hefted the heavy steel sword off the table and experimented with it. There was a knock at the door, and Caroline goes to answer it. A few minutes later, Bonnie appears alongside Caroline, carrying a large heavy looking brown book in her arms. She did not look at all happy that she was there.

"I got Stefan's message." Bonnie announced, drawing everyone's attention towards her. Stefan smiled at Bonnie, coming towards her and looking grateful.

"Hey, you brought the grimoire. Thank you." He tells her, graciously. Bonnie nodded once before spying both Damon and Alaric talking, and then notices me sparing clumsily with the broadsword. Her eyes widen at the amount of weapons on display on the table.

"What's going on?" Bonnie asks, looking both curious and nervous. Jeremy walks into the room, brightening when he sees Bonnie.

"We're gonna kill Katherine." He explained to her. Bonnie frowned as Stefan steps forward, looking sheepish.

"I can explain." He reassured her.

"Please." Bonnie urged.

"We're gonna kill Katherine." He repeated what Jeremy said, causing both Henrik and I to snort in amusement.

"No kidding." I told him, sarcastically. Stefan ignored me, but I could see a very tiny smirk on his lips. Damon and Alaric chose that moment to walk into the room. The amateur Vampire Hunter picks up a strange looking weapon from the table. He holds it up so that all of us could see it. I came back over to the table, and put the sword down just before Alaric started explaining how the weapon worked.

"This works with compressed air." Alaric explained. "The trigger mechanism is up here." He points towards a specific area of the weapon. "I have two of these in a different size. For you I recommend this. It fits nicely under the jacket sleeve. You use the trigger when you're ready." Alaric told us all, but mostly focusing on Damon and Stefan. He then he turns and fake kills a dummy that he had rigged up to pretend to be a vampire. Both Damon and Stefan make a face and turn to look at each other.

"That's badass." I complimented him, earning a slightly bemused smile from Alaric. His response to my comment was to shrug, modestly.

"You wanted me to show you how to kill a vampire." He reminded us. Bonnie sighed tiredly and pulled Stefan aside while the rest of us continued our preparations. Eventually, we all relocated to the Salvatore's living room. There was one more thing that we needed to discuss: who was going to distract Elena, so she didn't accidentally burst in at the wrong moment and ruin our plans of taking down Katherine once and for all. Turns out it was going to be Alaric, while the rest of us got dressed up for the party. I was feeling extremely uncomfortable by the mere thought.

"Hey." I glanced up from where I wondered off to, and saw a concerned looking Damon looking back at me. "Why are you back here?" He asked, gesturing at why I was sitting in the kitchen of all places.

"I don't think I'll be going to the ball with you guys." I told him, feeling a little regretful. It was weird, because I normally love dancing and the whole nine yards; but something was telling me that it would be a bad idea to dress up and go ahead with it.

"Why? Don't you like parties and dancing?" Damon asked, frowning a little. I smirked.

"Oh yeah. Throw in assassination plans, and I'm sold." I teased, earning a sly smirk back from my best friend. I became serious. "But I don't think tonight's my night. I think I'd be better use helping Alaric distract Elena." I told him. Damon seemed disappointed with my choice. He reached down and took my hand in his.

"Well, that sucks. I was going to save the first dance for you." Damon told me. I raised an eyebrow at this.

"In between cornering Katherine and stabbing her in the heart with sharp wooden stakes?" I was surprised.

Damon grinned.

"Damn, you found me out." He teased, but then sobered. "If that's what you want, I won't stop you. Just keep Elena safe, and yourself too." He urged me. I nodded.

"Of course. I'm not that much of an idiot." I said, pretending to be offended by the mere suggestion. He chuckled and brought me into an affectionate hug, before leading me back into the living room. Henrik looked at us strangely, but shook his head and followed us in.

"Are you sure you guys don't want me there tonight?" Damon and I overheard Alaric questioning our decision to Stefan. Stefan shook his head, confirming the decision; that was about to be slightly changed.

"No, I need you to stay with Elena. I don't want her to know about this." He requested, sotto voce. Damon sidled up to them both, with me by his side.

"Correction: You and Grace need to stay with Elena, and keep her distracted." Damon said. Stefan looked at me with astonishment. But Alaric shrugged.

"Okay. Well, we'll make sure that she doesn't leave our sight." Alaric agreed, and I nodded in agreement to the plan. The four of us re-joined the rest of the group.

"Alright. If anybody wants to back out, I'll understand." He announces.

"Yeah. Cold feet speak now. I don't want this going wrong if someone chicken's out." Damon adds, before looking pointedly at Caroline, who scowls in offence.

"I won't." She protests. "Look, she killed me. Fair's fair." Then she paled even further than she already was. "As long as there's no werewolf running around." She added, looking nervous.

"Oh, I took care of Mason." Damon reassured, dismissively.

"As long as Tyler doesn't kill anyone, he won't turn." Jeremy also reassured. Stefan turns his attention towards a quiet looking Bonnie.

"Bonnie? Are you with us?" He asked tentatively. There was a long pause, before Bonnie eventually sighed and nodded.

"But no one gets hurt." She warned. Damon nodded in agreement.

"Except Katherine. Tonight Katherine gets a stake through her heart." Damon declared, darkly. Henrik sidled up to me and whispered ominously into my ear.

"Why do I get a bad feeling about this entire situation?" He asked, frowning deeply. I couldn't deny that I was feeling exactly the same way, which was why I opted out and volunteered myself for 'Elena watching' duty.

An hour later, Alaric and I made it to the Gilbert House (a large pizza in tow) to implement operation: 'distract Elena' into play. So far, the girl in question was completely ignorant of our plans and was blissfully (if not slightly miserably) focusing all her attention on Jenna. Our excuse for being there? To see how Jenna was holding up after her traumatising experience a few days earlier.

The excuse seemed to have been bought.

Eventually, Alaric and I found ourselves tidying up in the kitchen. Henrik followed, acting like my personal shadow. He kept on casting nervous looks between here in the kitchen and out in the living room. We had 'volunteered' for the job so we could discuss our next course of action to prevent Elena from pulling a fast one. The kitchen door was deliberately left open, and we could both hear the conversation in the living room between Elena and Jenna.

"I feel like an invalid." Jenna complained, and I couldn't help but notice Alaric wince a little. I figured he was probably still beating himself up over the fact that Jenna had been used to hurt herself in the first place. We heard Elena sigh.

"That's because you are an invalid." There was a brief pause, then: "Where's Jeremy? Isn't he hungry?" Elena sounded a little concerned, probably because Jeremy hadn't been around all day. But both Alaric and I knew better; the youngest Gilbert had been helping us making our plans to take down Katherine. But I found it interesting that for the few days that I hadn't seen Elena, that all of her friends had kept her out of the loop with practically everything.

Bad move. They should know by now that Elena was like a curious cat; always sticking her nose into business that wasn't hers, and stopping at nothing until she was satisfied with what she had uncovered.

"He already left for the Lockwood party." Jenna replied, sounding distracted by the TV show.

"He went to that?" Elena sounded surprised.

"Yeah, I'm glad. He needs to have more fun. Lose some of that emo thing." Jenna sounded relieved. Both Alaric and I cursed when Elena didn't say anything for several minutes, and I immediately panicked when Elena suddenly piped up with:

"I'm gonna get some napkins." I nearly jumped out of my skin when Alaric suddenly touched my shoulder, grabbing my attention.

"Relax, Grace. I've got this." He promised. I nodded, not entirely convinced. Elena appeared in the kitchen with a suspicious look on her face. She scowled at the both of us with curiosity.

"What's going on?" Elena demanded. Alaric offered Elena an innocent face.

"What do you mean?" He asked, calmly. Her scowl deepened.

"I haven't heard from anyone all day. It's like everyone's been avoiding me and now Jeremy's supposedly at the party? He hates stuff like that." Elena insisted.

"We don't know what to tell you, Elena." I attempted to placate the already highly suspicious teenager. Alaric's phone chooses that moment to ring and he grabs it and puts it in back pocket before Elena had the chance to snatch it and answer the phone call. Elena narrows her eyes at us, and I nervously watch her like a hawk, before in a blink of an eye, her hardened demeanor became sweet and unassuming. Both Alaric and I were instantly alert and on guard.

"So then you'll be okay if I just head out, try to meet up with everyone?" Elena addressed Alaric, as he was the elder adult in the room, and immediately made a deliberate beeline for the kitchen entrance.

"Wait, wait, wait." Alaric objected as I blocked the doorway, fixing her with a 'let's be serious' frown. Elena turned on us.

"What are you both hiding from me?" She demanded. Both of us sighed, before deciding to come clean; not that we'd be letting her go after confessing of course.

"Stefan asked the both of us to keep an eye on you, just in case Katherine showed up while he was at the party." I explained to her.

Elena looked outraged.

"So Stefan's at the party too?" We nodded solemnly. "He would never go to the party for himself; he did that stuff for me." Elena protested.

"Just let this one go. Okay Elena." Alaric stated firmly, causing Elena to storm off back into the living room.

"She's not going to let this go you know." I told him, walking over and perching myself on the island bench as Alaric turned and continued stacking the dishwasher. He scoffed.

"Not a chance. We'd be foolish to believe that she'd take this lying down." Alaric agreed. I sighed feeling resigned to be babysitting a stubborn teenager for the duration of the night.

"I'll watch her, follow her if I need to. I'll make sure she doesn't do anything stupid." I told him. Alaric seemed to be thinking along the same and nodded reluctantly.

"You be careful too. Damon will rip my heart out if you got hurt." Alaric told me seriously. I raised an eyebrow at this and looked at him incredulously.

"He seriously said that to you?" When he nodded, I massaged my temples, and glanced at Henrik who shook his head, agreeing with me. "I'm going to have a word with him about that." I muttered, before heading down the hallway towards the living room.

True to form, Alaric and I were indeed correct in our suspicions about Elena making a run for it. I was prepared for this. I would allow Elena to sneak out, and follow her in my car towards the ball… then catch her and drag her back to the Gilbert's kicking and screaming if I had to.

"Hey guys, I'm gonna go to bed. You all good over there?" She asked Alaric and Jenna, who were curled up on the couch watching the TV. Jenna raised a lazy hand into the air and waved.

"Good night." She replied tiredly, and made herself comfortable back in Alaric's arms. Elena turned to where I was sitting on the second couch, with Henrik leaning against my shoulder also watching the TV. She offered me a small smile.

"Good night." She told me before heading for the staircase. But I knew better, I nodded at Henrik; whom got off the couch and followed her. We had agreed an hour before that if Elena made an escape attempt that he'd tag along with her, and I'd follow them. I heard the jangle of her car keys and then the front door opening and closing. I let out a fake yawn and got to my feet.

"I'm beat. I'm gonna head home." I told both Jenna and Alaric, eying him meaningfully. He nodded.

"Thanks for coming by, Grace." Jenna told me. "Have a good night." She bid me. I grinned.

"I sure hope so." I replied before grabbing my purse and keys and heading out also. The second the front door closed behind me; I practically sprinted for my car, dove in and put the car in gear heading for the Lockwood Estate.

To my relief, I wasn't that far behind Elena, and when she got out and slammed her car door shut, I was minutes behind her following. I watched Elena scanning the crowd of glamourous party goers (inwardly glad I had opted out of this) and followed her when she spotted her target: Jeremy. She grabbed her brother's arm and spun him round on the spot.

"What the hell is going on?" She demanded him. I tapped her on the shoulder, causing her to spin round and fix me with both a horrified and guilty expression.

"My thoughts exactly, Elena. What the hell were you thinking?" I demanded. Elena immediately frowned.

"You followed me?!" She yelled.

"Of course. I'm supposed to be protecting you from any potential danger here, not allowing you to go gallivanting off towards it. We need to go now!" I insisted. But Elena shook her head.

"Not until I get some answers." She replied angrily, before turning on her long-suffering brother. "You guys are trying to kill her here?" Jeremy sighed.

"We saw an opportunity and we knew we had to take it." Jeremy explained. Elena looked between the three of us like we were insane.

"Okay, stop with the 'we'. Are you guys crazy? You're gonna get yourselves killed." She insisted.

"And every second you stand here arguing with us, you're risking your own skin as well." I countered. Bonnie nodded, agreeing with me.

"We know what we're doing, Elena." Bonnie told her.

"And how am I supposed to feel if one of you guys gets hurt because of me?" Elena wailed. Jeremy looked frustrated.

"It's not just you anymore, Elena. She's messed with all of us, she has to be stopped." He insisted. Suddenly, Elena screams and blood blossoms thickly and freely over her back, alarming all of us. I cursed, grabbing onto Elena before she could tumble over. Blood suddenly starts trickling down her arm in a steady rivulet.

"What's going on?" Jeremy demanded, as he attempted assist me with Elena. Then Bonnie's eyes widen in realization.

"Jeremy, it's Katherine. She's linked to Katherine, get them to stop! Now!" She urged, and Jeremy takes off running. Elena whimpers in pain in my arms.

"Shush, sweetie. You're okay, I've got you." I murmured soothingly in her ear as Elena shudders from the pain. Suddenly, a cut appears on the palm of Elena's hand, bleeding freely and coating my own hand a vivid red.

"It hurts…" Elena whimpers, sinking to her knees and pulling me down with her.

"I can't break the spell, Elena. I'm sorry but I can try to take some of the pain away. Okay? Okay?" Bonnie promises, before taking her uninjured hand and starts casting a spell. "Ascinda, mulaf, hinto, ascinda…" She chants over and over. Jeremy returns and looks earnestly into his sister's pained face.

"Are you okay?" He demands, not unkindly. Elena looks up at him.

"Are they?" Jeremy nods.

"They're stuck in there with her." He tells us before looking at Bonnie with a furious look. "You were right; Katherine had a witch link Elena to her." He reported back. Bonnie's eyes widen in realization. It seriously made me wonder what the fuck had happened before Elena and I came down here.

"The girl I saw, the one inside!" She announced, triumphantly. "Stay with her, keep pressure on her shoulder!" She tells both Jeremy and I before racing off.

"Where are you going?" Jeremy asked her as he came over and unflinchingly pressed his hand on Elena's wound. Bonnie turned back to us.

"There's another witch here, I'm gonna find her!" She explained before continuing on her way. Jeremy cursed and looked at me helplessly before he noticed a rather gaudy ring on his finger. It looked like the same ring Alaric had been wearing. He immediately removes it and gives it to an alarmed Elena.

She protests.

"No."

"Take it." He insists.

"No, Jeremy…" Elena is stubborn, but Jeremy is persistent.

"Elena listen to me: you need this more than I do." He tells his sister. But Elena shakes her head at him angrily.

"No Jeremy. What I need is for you to be safe." Elena tells him, and Jeremy reluctantly puts the ring back on his finger. A few minutes pass, and Elena gradually stops shaking and straightens up; getting to her feet with some assistance from both Jeremy and me.

"Are you alright now, Elena?" I asked with deep concern. She nods.

"I'm fine, thank you Grace." She replied sincerely. Jeremy left while Elena was preoccupied with me, and soon after an extremely concerned Stefan approaches us, with eyes only for Elena. I immediately awkward.

"I'll just be over there." I told them. They nodded absently and I walked a short distance away and observed them. The conversation between them was a bittersweet one. Eventually, Stefan leaves looking a little upset and Elena walked over to me. "You okay?" I asked her, gently.

"Not really. Could you take me home?" Elena asks, quietly. I nod and wrap my arm around her shoulders, leading her towards my car. Suddenly, Henrik materializes in front of us.

"Grace! You and Elena need to get out of here! Fast!" He urges, and I frown at him questioningly. But before I could say anything something rushes by Elena and me, startling us both.

"What's going on?" Elena stammers, looking scared.

I open my mouth to reply but something hard slams into my head, knocking me for six. The last thing I recall before passing out was Henrik and Elena's frantic calls of my name, and a dark figure approaching Elena from behind and wrapping something across her mouth and nose.

A/N: Next chapter, we finally reunite with Elijah! YAY!

Please review ;)