A/N: Hope you're all doing okay! We're getting so close to The Originals coming in and I'm SO excited. Definitely let me know your thoughts if you have time especially now that I'm starting to change a bit up. Xo, Eden.

Song: Head Over Heels

Artist: Digital Daggers

I wanted to be with you alone
And talk about the weather
But traditions I can trace against the child in your face
Won't escape my attention
You keep your distance with a system of touch
And gentle persuasion
I'm lost in admiration could I need you this much?
You're wasting my time, you're just wasting time

My bed was significantly emptier when I woke up. Damon was now the only person next to me, so I yawned and rolled over so I was resting against his chest. The smell of coffee had pulled me into consciousness, but I couldn't quite open my eyes yet. My head was pounding a little bit too much for sunlight at the moment.

"Good morning, sleepyhead." He murmured, bringing his lips to my forehead. "Or should I say good afternoon? Almost."

"What?" I sat up to look at my alarm clock. "Why didn't you wake me up? I have school."

"Who goes to school when their parents are out of town?" Damon scoffed. "Elena thought you two could use a day off. Enjoy it."

"You're in a good mood." I commented.

"Vampires don't get hangovers." He said.

"Ugh." I curled back up, pulling the blanket over my eyes. "If that's the case, then turn me into one right now."

"Or," Damon tugged at the blanket. "You could get up, eat something, drink some coffee, and you'll feel astronomically better without the side effect of immortality."

I stuck my tongue out at him, but let him drag me out of bed. Not that I really had the strength to resist being dragged out of bed by a vampire. We went into the kitchen, where Stefan was making waffles while Elena gazed at him with adoration in her eyes. This wasn't the worst way to wake up. Maybe I could convince my parents that we needed to hire Stefan to be a live-in chef.

"Good morning." Stefan greeted me. "Hope you don't mind us raiding your kitchen."

"As long as you put chocolate chips in my waffles, I won't report your thievery to the police." I said.

"Here." Elena handed me her mug. "You look like you need it more than I do."

"Is this a cappuccino?" I looked at the slightly neglected espresso machine that dad had given mom last Christmas. "You actually figured out how to work that thing?"

"Stefan did." Elena said.

I took a sip of the perfectly foamy beverage. "Elena, if you don't marry him, you're dead to me."

"So how are you feeling today?" Elena asked.

"Fine." I replied. "Can we not talk about it?"

"Lucy," Elena sighed. "It's not good to keep everything bottled up inside."

"I'm not saying I won't talk about it ever. I'm just saying since we apparently aren't going to school today, I just want to enjoy a long day of doing nothing with my friends." I said.

"A long day of doing nothing until four p.m. We have to help setup for the masquerade ball." Elena reminded me.

I groaned. "Why are we always signing up for these things?"

"We need community service hours to graduate." Elena said.

"Damon, can't you just compel the administration to let me graduate?" I asked.

Damon shook his head. "I only compel people to help you if it also benefits me. As a member of the Founder's Council, I have to be there, and it'll be a lot more fun for me if you're there too. Ergo, compulsion is a no-go."

"Worst boyfriend ever." I mumbled into my mug before taking a sip and then smiling sweetly up at Damon when I realized he had heard me.

"Elena and I should probably go separately today." Stefan said. "We never know who might be watching."

"How do you know Katherine isn't watching us right now?" I asked.

"Because right now, Katherine doesn't even know you exist." Damon said. "And we'd like to keep it that way."

"I didn't see any sign of her lurking around when I left last night." Stefan said. "Trust me, if there was any risk of leading her to your house, I wouldn't have come."

I nodded. As long as Katherine wasn't invited into my house, it was a safe zone for all of us. Since we still hadn't determined the risk of trying to compel my parents to ensure that Katherine never got such an invitation, the best way to make sure it didn't happen was to keep her away.

After eating the chocolate chip waffles that Stefan graciously made for me, I requested that he show me how to work the espresso machine. Much to my chagrin, Damon intercepted us, presenting me with a latte just to show me how easy it was to use. Alas, I got another cup of coffee out of the ordeal, which I took to the couch where I insisted we spend most of the afternoon. While channel surfing, Elena and I discovered that Stefan and Damon had never seen Mean Girls. As if it wasn't bad enough that they didn't own the DVD. Naturally we insisted that they watch it with us.

When Stefan and Elena departed to allow them time to arrive at the Lockwood's separately, I half expected Damon to immediately whiz me off to my bedroom. After all, we did have an entirely empty house to ourselves. Instead, he just pulled me into his lap, staying on the couch.

"Look at me. How are you really feeling today?" He asked.

"I'm fine." I replied.

"Tell me the truth." He said.

"No, really. I mean it." I placed a soft kiss along his jaw. "I feel better than I have in months. I don't have any more secrets."

"Mm. So you're not going to tell me that you and Elena are actually triplets with Matt Donovan or anything like that?" He questioned.

"You're the one who told us that we were twins." I reminded him. "So really I should be asking you if I have any other family members I should know about."

"Trust me, if I found out you were related to Matt Donovan, I would not keep that information to myself. That would be a dealbreaker for this relationship." He said.

I leaned my head against his shoulder. "Thank you."

"For what?" He asked.

"Everything. For being you. You've supported me unequivocally through every difficult moment I've encountered since the moment I met you. And despite everything, despite how serious and complicated our lives can be, you're the one person who can make me laugh at any time." I said.

"What, you mean Elena doesn't share your sense of humor? I'm shocked." He teased.

"Be serious." I lifted my head so I could look at him. "I mean it. Thank you."

"I'm the one who should thank you." He said. "You trust me. Even when no one else does. You have brought me happiness that I never thought I would get to experience during this existence. And I'm sorry, I'm so sorry that having me in your life has dragged you into this supernatural shitshow. But I can't be that sorry, because I'm selfish, and having me in your life means I get to have you in mine."

"You're not selfish." I replied.

"I am." He insisted. "If I wasn't, I'd tear off your necklace, compel you to forget about me, take Stefan, and get out of this town so you could live a normal life."

"Well then I guess I'm lucky you're selfish." I kissed him. "Besides, no one could have a normal life here. It's Mystic Falls. Even if you left, Bonnie would still be a witch, and Tyler could still become a werewolf at any moment."

"Tyler's not going to become a werewolf." Damon said.

"You don't know that." I replied.

"I do know that," He said. "Because to become a werewolf, he has to kill someone."

I stared at him. "What?"

"That's how the curse is triggered. By taking human life." He explained nonchalantly. "Mason told me the other day. Couldn't really figure out how to slip that one into casual conversation."

"Oh my god." I gaped at him. "So Mason . . ."

"Yeah." He nodded.

"That's why he didn't want to tell us how it was triggered. Wow." I said. "Did he tell you what happened?"

"No, and I didn't ask. He said even if you were driving and got in a wreck if the person in the passenger seat dies, then the curse is triggered." Damon told me.

So it didn't need to be premeditated or even intentional. Any death that could be construed as Tyler's fault would trigger the curse. My mind filled with ways that Tyler could trigger it. With his anger, and in this town, it wasn't a matter of if. It was a matter of when.

Damon cleared his throat. "Just in case it doesn't go without saying, don't talk to Mason about this."

"Have you told Stefan?" I asked.

"No, and I'm not going to." Damon said. "At least not for a while. Stefan still doesn't fully trust the guy, and I don't want to give him another reason not to."

"Speaking of Stefan, we should go." I said. "If we aren't there, he's not going to have anyone to talk to, seeing as he and Elena are pretending to be on the outs."

Damon laughed, always one to enjoy a jab at Stefan, but agreed that we should get going lest he lose the respect of the Founder's Council. It was almost comical that Damon was on the very council that was meant to protect the town from vampires, but it ensured his and Stefan's safety. I couldn't even imagine Damon sitting through a meeting led by Carol Lockwood.

When we got there, Stefan was setting up glasses at the bar. My assumption that he wouldn't have anyone to talk to was incorrect; Mason was standing there chatting with him. Both of them looked to be in good spirits. Maybe there was hope yet for them to form a friendship.

I picked up one of the glasses that Stefan had perfectly lined up on the bar. "One glass of chardonnay, please."

"Do not let Carol see you messing around with those." Mason grabbed the glass from me and put it back. "They're from her finest crystal set."

"Is the big bad wolf scared of his own sister-in-law?" Damon teased.

"She almost bit Tyler's head off a few minutes ago for not being careful enough with some antique table." Mason said. "If you ask me, stuff that's that important shouldn't be used for a party with hundreds of guests."

"I guess it's a good thing she didn't ask you then. I like fancy parties." I replied. "Hey, Bonnie!"

I waved to Bonnie, who was trying to shuffle past us. I was still determined to be her friend. We weren't not friends; we just weren't fully friends yet. Granted, calling her over to a group that consisted of two vampires in a werewolf probably wasn't the best way to get on the witch's good side. She walked over to join us anyways, likely just not wanting to appear rude.

"Hey guys, how's it going?" Bonnie greeted us.

"Great." I smiled. "Bonnie, have you met Mason before? He's Tyler's uncle."

"I'm not sure." She replied. "I'm sure our paths probably crossed a long time ago."

"Well, I'm Mason Lockwood." Mason held out his hand. "Nice to officially meet you."

Bonnie took his hand. "Bonnie. Bonnie Bennett."

Well, this was officially awkward. Bonnie gave Mason a very forced smile before pulling away from the handshake. Her eyes met mine for a moment, and I could almost feel the resentment for bringing her over here.

"So Mason, any ideas of what we can do to help?" I broke the silence.

Mason opened his mouth to answer, but Bonnie cut him off. "I was actually on my way inside to sort through decorations. I'm sure Carol would appreciate another set of hands."

"Yeah sure, I'll help." I said.

Mason, wanting to keep interaction with Carol Lockwood to a minimum, mumbled some feeble excuse about needing to carry more boxes. I elbowed Damon to go join him, knowing that his presence was not going to aid my friendship mission, before following Bonnie. When I went to walk into the house, Bonnie shook her head.

"I need to talk to you." She mumbled, looking over her shoulder. "Not here."

That can't be good. Hopefully she just wants to clear the remaining awkwardness between us. Once we were away from most of the volunteers, she abruptly stopped and turned to face me.

"Did Stefan and Elena break up?" She asked.

Shit. Elena hadn't filled Bonnie in on the whole Caroline spying for Katherine thing. I didn't want to flat out lie to Bonnie, but I couldn't risk her saying anything in casual conversation to Caroline that could make it's way back to Katherine.

"Um, they've been fighting a bit. About Katherine." I mumbled. "But I don't think they've called it quits."

Bonnie crossed her arms. "Would Elena cheat on Stefan?"

I recoiled. "What? Absolutely not. Never in a million years."

"Are you sure?" She questioned.

"I'm positive. Why?" I asked.

"When I touch other supernatural beings, I sometimes get feelings or visions. With Stefan and Damon it's usually this overwhelming feeling of death." Bonnie took a deep breath. "But when I shook Mason's hand I saw something. Elena. He was kissing Elena."

"What? That's not possible. Can your visions be wrong? There's no way that Elena . . ." I trailed off, remembering the last time that "Elena" was behaving erratically. "It was Katherine. Bonnie, I have to go."

"Wait-"

I shook my head. "Damon trusts him."

I took off back towards the Lockwood house. I could hear my blood rushing in my ears. There was no way that Mason was going to hurt Damon. Not right now, not in broad daylight. If Mason wanted to hurt him he had plenty of opportunities to do so this week. But Damon thought that Mason was his friend. He had already divulged secrets to Mason. Who knows what information had made its way back to Katherine already. We couldn't risk him sharing anything else.

Damnit. Stefan was right. We couldn't trust Mason. I shouldn't have trusted Mason. I shouldn't have pushed Damon to befriend him. He wasn't going to take this very well. Not that I was taking it well. I was absolutely seething. I finally found Damon by his car, and Mason was with him, laughing and joking as if everything was fine.

"You asshole!" I shoved Mason away from Damon.

Mason held up his hands. "Wha-"

I brought my fist to his jaw, letting some of my rage out with a satisfying punch. Mason snarled at me. I could've sworn I saw a glint of yellow in his eyes. Damon wrapped his arms around my front, restraining me from getting another punch in.

"Whoa, whoa." Stefan, evidently having noticed the commotion, rushed to step in front of Mason, barring him from lunging at me. "What's going on here?"

"He knows Katherine!" I yelled, still wriggling against Damon's grip. "He's dating her. He's just here as her little spy."

Stefan rounded on Mason. "Is that true?"

Mason nodded. "I've been seeing a girl named Katherine. You know her?"

"Don't play dumb." I hissed.

Stefan already had Mason in a chokehold. Damon let go of me to get between them, tearing Stefan's hands away from Mason's throat. I took a step back, knowing that this tussle was way above my strength level

"You can't be serious." Stefan glared at Damon. "You're going to defend him? He's working with Katherine."

"Easy brother." Damon said. "I don't think this is the place for this conversation. What do you say we head back to our place for a little chat?"

Stefan hesitated, but finally nodded. "Mason, follow me. Damon, drive behind him. Don't even think for one second on running. I will have your heart out of your chest before you can even finish making a wrong turn."

Mason looked confused, but seeing as the alternative was to continue a physical altercation with a vampire with much more strength than him, he accepted. Not saying a word, Damon pushed me into his car, driving off and following directly behind Mason. He was completely avoiding my gaze.

"Damon I'm sorry I-" I started.

"Don't." Damon gritted his teeth. "Not right now."

I sighed, reaching for his hand that was clenched over the steering wheel. At least he didn't pull away when I wrapped my fingers around his. He had every right to be mad at me. I was so intent on helping him be good that I didn't even stop to consider that I might be encouraging him to fraternize with the enemy. This wasn't going to help his trust issues.

I had to give it to Mason; he was a really good actor. The second we walked through the front door of the Salvatore house he turned to Damon still donning a befuddled expression and tried to ask what was going on, but Damon just snapped and instructed him to sit down before storming upstairs. I had a feeling he didn't want to be followed.

"How do you know Katherine?" Stefan demanded.

"I met her like a year ago in Florida. She's been in my life off and on since." Mason answered. "What's the big deal?"

Stefan crossed his arms. "What does she have you doing for her?"

"I'm not doing anything for her. She's helping me." Mason said. "Seriously, what is going on? How do you know Katherine?"

Damon came back downstairs, clutching a small piece of paper. He slammed it on the table in front of Mason, and I craned my neck to see it was the old, faded photo of Katherine that I had found in Damon's bedroom once. Mason picked up the photograph, eyeing it warily.

"That's Katherine, in 1864." Damon said.

Mason set the photo back down. "I know, she's a vampire. Shocker."

"That's her, in 1864," Damon continued. "The year that she turned my brother and I into vampires."

Mason blinked. "Katherine's the vampire that turned you?"

"That's not even the best part." Damon's eyes narrowed. "That's also the same year that she sacrificed all of her vampire friends to the town council so that she could fake her own death, leading me to believe she was trapped in a tomb for the past century in a half, when really she was just out running free and couldn't be bothered to check in on the two boys she claimed to love."

"No. No way." Mason shook his head. "Katherine wouldn't do that. She's not like that."

"Did you not find it at all suspicious that Katherine looks just like Elena, your childhood friend's niece?" Stefan asked. "That you claim you're dating her, and yet she's never once accompanied you to an event in town?"

"She told me that Elena is her descendent." Mason said. "She doesn't come into town because she doesn't want to risk anyone mistaking her for Elena."

I crossed my arms. "She had no problem being mistaken for Elena when she kissed my boyfriend and then tried to kill my biological father."

Mason looked at me, dumbfounded. "She what?"

"Let me ask you something, if she doesn't want to come into town then why is she lurking around here at all?" Damon questioned.

"I told you, she's helping me." Mason replied.

"Helping you with what?" Damon pressed.

"Katherine knows how to break the werewolf curse." Mason said.

"The curse of the sun and the moon." I mumbled.

Mason nodded. "Once it's broken I won't have to turn on the full moon anymore."

"And what's in it for her?" Damon countered. "Katherine doesn't do anything for anyone. Not unless she gets something out of it."

"Nothing's in it for her. She's helping me because she loves me." Mason answered.

Damon groaned. "Great. I didn't just befriend a traitor, I befriended an idiot traitor."

Damon grabbed the bourbon that was perpetually resting on the coffee table before sinking onto the couch next to me. He didn't even bother with a glass; he just started drinking straight out of the bottle. I couldn't tell which of the three men in the room looked the most shell shocked right now.

"How did we miss this?" Damon asked.

"You tell me." Stefan shot back. "You're the one who's been all buddy-buddy with him."

"Sorry I didn't feel the need to rehash the details of our psycho ex girlfriend to a guy I met a week ago." Damon sneered.

"Guys," Mason cut in. "I'm right here."

"Right." Damon nodded. "Then let's get one thing straight. Katherine doesn't love you. Just like she doesn't love me, just like she doesn't love Stefan, and just like she doesn't love anyone but herself. The sooner you can wrap your dog brain around that, the better off you'll be."

"You sound like a jealous ex." Mason said. "Just because she didn't love you, doesn't mean she's incapable of love."

"Katherine's the jealous ex!" I shouted, frustrated that he didn't believe us. "She threatened to kill everyone Elena cares about if Stefan doesn't break up with her."

"You're lying!" Mason yelled back.

I reached out to rest my hand on Damon's leg, preemptively trying to stop him from lunging at Mason. As much as I shared his anger right now, I also didn't want to see him kill Mason. Especially not when we weren't even sure if Mason was just another one of Katherine's pawns.

"Damon," I tried to keep my voice calm. "It's not his fault. She's manipulating him."

Damon snapped to look at me. "So you believe him? That he didn't know any of this?"

"Is it really so hard to believe that Katherine would seduce someone else so that she could use them for her own personal bidding?" Stefan asked.

"She's not using me!" Mason shouted. "I already told you, she's helping me."

"Okay then," Damon clenched his jaw. "Humor me for a minute. This moon curse that Katherine knows how to break . . . what do you need to break it?"

"It's a standard spell." Mason hesitated for a moment. "You need a witch, a celestial event, and a moonstone."

Damon raised an eyebrow. "A moonstone?"

"That was the hard part. But I finally found it. So no worries, we'll just stick around until the next full moon, break the curse, and be on our way." Mason said.

"You found the moonstone?" Damon asked. "Tell me you didn't give it to her."

"What's the significance of a moonstone?" I whispered to Damon.

"I don't know but if Katherine wants it then I don't want her to have it." Damon hissed.

"Where is it?" Stefan asked, ignoring me and Damon.

"It's safe." Mason replied.

"Safe?" Damon repeated. "Safe better not mean 'with Katherine.'"

"Safe means somewhere where no vampire can get it." Mason said. "Not even Katherine."

"See, you know not to trust her." Damon gave Mason a sardonic smile. "You catch on quick."

"I-I don't believe you." Mason's tone was unconvincing. "I do trust her. I love her. I-"

Mason didn't get the chance to finish that thought; he was interrupted by a loud ring. He sheepishly pulled his phone out of his pocket. Katherine was calling him. He went to decline the call, but Stefan and Damon were both at his side immediately.

"Answer it." Damon said. "Come on, let's have a little chat. We'll see her reaction, and then you'll know we're telling the truth."

Mason answered the call, pressing the speaker button.

"Mason." Katherine spoke before Mason even had the chance to. She really sounded just like Elena. "Can you be here at five?"

"Not even going to say hello to me." Damon tutted. "How rude."

"Damon?" Katherine's voice wavered. "I assume Mason is with you?"

"He is." Damon replied. "Oh, and your real boy toy is here too. Say hi, Stef!"

Stefan shook his head, glaring at Damon. Clearly Stefan did not share Damon's desire to taunt Katherine. The look on Mason's face had me severely regretting my anger towards him. I pulled my legs up to my chest, knowing that this was a conversation I should stay out of.

"Hello Stefan." Katherine said sweetly. "I hope Elena isn't with you."

"Katherine." Mason growled. "You told me you didn't know any of the vampires in town."

"I didn't know th-"

"Save it. I assume that means everything else they told me is true? Do you even know how to break the werewolf curse?" Mason asked.

"Don't let them fill your head with lies." Katherine replied. "Of course I know how to break the curse. I'm just waiting for you to give me the moonstone."

"And why do I need to give it to you? Why can't I just give it to the witch when they break the curse?" Mason asked. Katherine remained silent. "Exactly. Because there is no curse. You just made that up, so you could use some werewolf desperate not to turn on the full moon anymore to do your bidding."

"There is a curse-"

"Save it." Mason growled.

"Where is the moonstone?" Katherine demanded. "Where is it?"

"It's at the bottom of a well full of vervain. Good luck getting it now." Mason spat.

"You're going to regret this. All of you will regret this." Katherine warned. "Damon, for once, you should have minded your own business."

"Stay out of my life and I'll stay out of yours, Kitty-Kat." Damon taunted her.

"You have no idea what you've done." Katherine hung up with a click.

Mason launched his phone across the room. It bounced off of the brick fireplace, letting out a loud crunching noise, before landing in the ashes that were dusted around the hearth. Just like that, Katherine Pierce had broken another heart.

"Mason." Stefan edged closer to Mason cautiously. "Look, I know you've got a lot to process right now, but it's only a matter of time before Katherine gets the moonstone. She's been building up a tolerance to vervain, and even if she can't get it herself she'll find someone who can. Where is that well?"

"It's on the edge of my family's property." Mason spat out. "Take it. Just make damn sure she never gets it."

I jumped up. "Elena's still there. I'll call her."

Stefan looked like he wanted to protest, but ultimately decided against it, knowing that he couldn't do anything to get the moonstone. I pulled out my phone and dialed Elena, praying that she would pick up. Damon handed Mason a glass and filled it halfway using the bottle he had been drinking from.

"Lucy?" Elena answered the call. "Where are you? I've been looking all over for you."

"I'm at Stefan and Damon's." I said. "Something came up. Look, I'll explain everything later but right now I need you to do something. Any chance you know where a well is on the Lockwood property?"

"Yeah I think so. Bonnie, Caroline and I used to play-" Elena stopped talking. "Yeah, Caroline said she knows where it is."

"Caroline's there?" I didn't do a very good job at hiding my contempt.

"She's here. It's okay, we've been talking. She told me everything; Katherine threatened Matt." Elena said.

"Okay whatever." At this point I was just relaying information that Katherine knew anyways. "Look, at the bottom of the well there's a moonstone. Katherine wants it and we don't know why, so we need it."

"We?" Elena interrupted. "Who all is there?"

"Elena, really, I promise I will come over and explain everything later, but right now we need that stone." I said. "You have to be the one to get it, not Caroline. The well is full of vervain."

"Right." Elena replied. "I'll find Bonnie. She can help."

Elena hung up, and I slipped my phone back into my pocket. From the expression on the three boys' faces, they were all able to hear Elena on the other end of the line and I didn't need to repeat the conversation. I sat back down next to Damon, eyeing Mason as he nursed the glass that Damon had given him.

"I'm sorry I punched you." I said.

Mason let out a bitter laugh. "It's okay. It didn't hurt."

"I take offense to that. Nevermind, I'm not sorry." I said.

"Seriously, that was a weak punch." A half smile formed on Mason's face. "You'd better keep Damon around, since you can't hold your own."

"Not like anyone would ever want to hurt me." I smiled back sweetly. "I'm very likeable."

"Oh I think if she knew about you Kath-" Damon trailed off, looking apologetically at Mason. "Nevermind. Sorry, man."

Mason shrugged. "It's alright."

I shifted around on the couch, trying to look anywhere but Mason's hurt face. Stefan sat down next to me, and I could tell by the way he was tapping his leg that he was worried about Elena. I was too. I just had to hope that Katherine didn't find the well while Elena was there. Besides, Elena had Bonnie and Caroline with her.

"You know what the worst part of this is?" Mason broke the silence. "For the first time since I triggered the werewolf curse, I was finally starting to feel like I had my life under control. I'm back near my family, I had a girlfriend who I thought loved me, and I actually have friends here, friends who I don't have to hide who I am from."

"There aren't like . . . packs, or anything?" I asked, realizing too late that perhaps this wasn't the best time to inquire about the semantics of being a werewolf.

Mason shrugged. "I found some wolves in Florida. They're alright, but I really only stuck around because I needed them. They taught me how to keep myself under control when I transition. But I don't know, I just feel like I have this aimless existence now."

"Trust me, I know what that feels like." Damon said.

Visions of the empty man I had met at the grill my first night in Mystic Falls once again filled my head, and I reached for Damon's hand. Currently, Mason looked very similar to how Damon had looked that night. How could Katherine just not care about the people she left broken?

"You have your people." I told Mason. "Katherine just isn't one of them."

Mason sighed. "I just don't get why she would use me out of all people. You would think she wouldn't even want a werewolf around."

"Bad luck, brother." Damon said.

"Wait a minute. The moonstone. Where did you find it?" Stefan asked.

"Tyler found it, but I don't know where exactly. I just know my brother had it." Mason replied.

Stefan shook his head. "It wasn't bad luck. She sought you out. George Lockwood helped her fake her own death in 1864. When I asked why, she said she gave him something he wanted desperately. What if it was the moonstone?"

"Then it's obviously important enough that she knew it would've stayed in the family for all these years and that Mason would be able to get it." Damon said.

"And it's important enough to make her come back to Mystic Falls after all these years." I said. "How could something be so important to both a vampire and to werewolves?"

Damon groaned. "And we're right back to 'what the hell is a moonstone?'"

"I don't know, but if Katherine said it can break the werewolf curse, I can guarantee it doesn't do that." Mason replied.

"Oh, if I had a dollar for every lie that Katherine Pierce told." Damon said.

"Pierce?" Mason rolled his eyes. "She told me her last name was Peters. Of course even her name was a lie."

"Her real name is Katerina Petrova." I said, as if it mattered

"And what's the real reason that Elena looks exactly like her?" Mason asked.

"As far as we know, she told the truth about that." Stefan said. "Elena and Lucy are descendants of Katherine's."

"Aren't you twins? Why aren't you carbon copy number three?" Mason asked.

"I don't know. I'll look it up next time I'm in the vampire genealogy section of the library." I said.

Truth be told, I wasn't sure I wanted to know. If anything, I should just be thankful that I don't share Elena and Katherine's uncanny resemblance to one another. Katherine wreaked enough havoc pretending to be Elena for just one night, who knows what she would do if she was capable of imitating both of us.

Mason didn't have time to formulate an equally snarky reply. There was a loud knock at the door; Elena and Bonnie must have gotten the moonstone already. I got up from the couch, took three steps, and ran into Damon, who apparently felt it was necessary to speed right in front of me.

"You're not answering the door." He said. "It could be Katherine."

"Katherine wouldn't knock." I said.

That must have been a convincing point, as Damon allowed me to step around him, though he did remain directly behind me as I walked to the door. I was right. Well, half right. I pulled open the door to see Bonnie and Caroline, but no Elena.

"We come bearing a moonstone." Bonnie held up an iridescent white stone.

"Where's Elena?" I asked.

"She went home. You know, keeping up appearances and all that." Caroline answered.

"Right. Come on in." I stepped back, and Damon mumbled something about me inviting people into his home.

Caroline peered past me into the living room. "Are you sure Mason can be trusted?"

"Are you sure you're really in a position to be talking about trust right now?" I said coolly.

"Elena already told you! Katherine threatened Matt. I didn't have a choice!" Caroline protested.

"You could have made the choice to tell us sooner." I said.

"Enough." Bonnie set her icy gaze upon me. "If Damon lied to protect you, or if Stefan lied to protect Elena, you'd excuse it."

I sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry, Caroline."

"No, I'm sorry. She's just so scary. Friends?" Caroline asked.

I nodded, and she pulled me into a hug. I couldn't really tell if this was part of the heightened emotions thing that came along with vampirism, or if this was just Caroline being Caroline. The hug was almost painful; she still wasn't quite aware of her own strength. She pushed me away from her with so much force that I would have fallen over had she not shoved me in the direction of Damon. I looked back at Caroline to see that her eyes had turned red and the veins around them had darkened.

"Woah. Need a drink?" Damon asked.

"No." Caroline closed her eyes, and when she opened them they were back to normal. "Just maybe no hugging humans for a little while. Now I see why Stefan had such a hard time resisting your blood."

I cringed, and when I turned to walk into the living room, I saw that Stefan had heard the comment as well. I didn't know that Caroline knew that Stefan attacked me. Stefan must have divulged that information in some attempt to make her feel better about her own bloodlust.

Bonnie placed the moonstone on the coffee table and took a seat in one of the armchairs by the fireplace. Peering over at the stone, I really couldn't gather what was so special about it. Curiosity got the best of me and I picked it up. It fit perfectly in the palm of my hand, and while it was an exceptionally smooth stone that contained a myriad of colors in the light, it seemed just as ordinary as any rock I could find in a geology exhibit.

"Be careful with that." Bonnie warned. "It carries a lot of magic."

"How can you tell?" Damon questioned.

"When I touch it, I can just feel it." Bonnie replied.

Damon closed his hand over mine and pulled the moonstone out of my grasp. "Feel what?"

"I don't know. Darkness. Violence. Pain. I think it was used to seal something. Something bad." Bonnie said.

"What, like another tomb full of vampires that have been desiccating for over a century?" Damon retorted.

Bonnie shook her head. "Sealed doesn't have to mean a physical barrier. Take your ring for example; the spell that gives you protection from the sun is sealed within the lapis lazuli stone. If you take the ring off, the magic no longer protects you."

"So you're saying this moonstone could have been used to seal a spell. A dark spell." Stefan said.

"Like a curse?" Mason's voice was hopeful.

"It could be." Bonnie said. "I can't be certain."

I stared at the moonstone. "What if it really was used to seal the curse of the sun and the moon?"

"No. No way. If it was that simple, why hasn't anyone broken the curse by now?" Damon asked.

"What if they didn't have everything they needed?" Caroline suggested.

Bonnie nodded. "More complex spells usually need to be powered by a celestial event. The rarer the event, the more powerful the spell can be."

"Thank you Emily for making me wait over a hundred years for the comet." Damon muttered.

"I mean, it's the curse of the sun and the moon. That's the moonstone. Where's the sun part?" Caroline said.

That's where the theory started to fall apart. Vampires didn't seem to be too hindered by the sunlight. Stefan, Damon, and Caroline lived incredibly normal lives, all things considered. Katherine also had some sort of daylight jewelry. It didn't make sense that she'd want to break a curse that would help werewolves just so she could forego wearing a piece of jewelry. Unless . . .

"George Lockwood didn't break the curse because that was part of the deal." I said. "He agreed not to break the curse in his lifetime, and none of his descendants ever broke it because none of them ever triggered the curse. Until Mason."

Stefan nodded. "They wouldn't have broken the curse without need because it would have also allowed their enemies to walk in the sun."

"Why hasn't Katherine tried to break the curse before now?" Bonnie asked.

"Because she's Katherine. Hello? She has one of these." Caroline pointed to her daylight ring.

"She doesn't need it broken, and Katherine sure as hell isn't going to do anything just to help other vampires out of the goodness of her own heart." Damon said.

Mason slammed his now empty glass down on the coffee table. "Then why did she want the damn thing back at all?"

"Katherine doesn't want the moonstone so she can break the curse." I said. "Katherine wants it so she can make sure the curse is never broken. If she can ensure that the curse is never broken, it minimizes the danger that werewolves pose to her."

"Minimizing the danger by guaranteeing that all werewolves turn on the full moon?" Mason questioned.

"The lady who told us about the curse said it made it so werewolves could only change on the full moon. Theoretically, if the curse is broken, they can change whenever they want." I said.

Mason shook his head. "When you change, every bone in your body breaks. Trust me, no wolf would do that willingly. Breaking that curse would all but render werewolves extinct, no one would turn anymore. Not on the full moon, not ever."

I fell silent once again. Mason had made it very clear that he didn't want to be a werewolf, I just hadn't considered why. It made sense that transforming into a completely different species would be immensely painful, as if it wasn't bad enough to not have any control over the transformation.

"I have to admit, even for Katherine it would have been a hell of a gamble to hope that the Lockwood's wouldn't break the curse before she could get the stone again." Damon said.

"Unless she knew they were waiting on a specific celestial event." Bonnie stood up. "We're not getting anywhere. I'm going to go read through my grandmother's grimoires. Emily knew Katherine; maybe she knew something about the moonstone and wrote it down."

"I'll come with!" Caroline seemed eager to leave. Not that I could blame her, there were about twenty different layers of awkwardness in the room right now.

"Someone should call Ric." I looked pointedly at Damon. "He must've read something at some point that could be helpful."

"Already texted him." Damon held up his phone. "He's tied up for the evening. Dinner at the Gilbert's."

"History lessons will have to wait, I guess." I said. "Thank you Bonnie, Caroline. I'll see you guys soon."

"Tomorrow, right?" Bonnie asked.

"It's not too late to ditch Damon and go to the ball with us girls." Caroline suggested.

Damon made a noise that I think was supposed to be a chuckle but came out as more of a growl. Bonnie and Caroline expedited their departure, waving goodbye to us all. Then it was just me, Stefan, Damon, Mason, and the moonstone.

Mason gestured towards the stone. "Are you just going to leave that there?"

"Hell no." Damon snatched it up. "I've got a good place for it."

"And where might that be?" Stefan asked.

"Don't you worry yourself over it, Stefan." Damon said. "The fewer people who know the better."

"You should hide it at my house." I said.

"How do you figure?" Damon asked.

"Katherine can walk in here anytime she pleases, and she's already been invited into Elena's house as well. Unless you plan on standing guard twenty-four seven, you should keep it in the house that, according to you, she doesn't even know exists." I explained.

Mason nodded. "I'm sold."

"You don't even have to tell me where you hid it. That way she can't rip off my necklace and compel me to get it for her or anything." I said.

Damon and Stefan both grimaced at the mention of Katherine compelling me, but after a moment of silent council they looked back at me and nodded. The moonstone would be Katherine-proofed. It was the least we could do to her after everything she had done to us.

"I should probably take you home anyways. Katherine's unpredictable on the best of days; I don't want you here if she decides to pay us a visit." Damon said. "Frankly, I'm surprised the bitch hasn't shown up here already."

"Actually I promised Elena I would come over and fill her in on everything." My phone rang, and I pulled it out to see that Elena was calling me. "See, she's probably calling to see where I am. Hey Elena I'm about to lea-"

"Lucy thank god! Are you okay?" Elena asked.

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" I replied.

"I'm at the hospital." Stefan heard Elena and was immediately by my side, leaning closer to the phone to hear what she said next. "It's Jenna. Katherine compelled her t-to stab herself."

I could feel the blood drain from my face. "Oh my god."

Elena sniffed. "The doctors said that she's lucky, and that she's going to be okay, but Lucy . . ."

"I know." This is exactly what she was afraid of.

"Why didn't she call us?" Damon hissed. "Jenna would've been fine in two seconds."

"Oh yeah, let's heal someone else with your blood. Give Katherine the chance to turn another person I love into a vampire." Elena snapped.

"That's not what he meant." I motioned for Damon to be quiet. "What floor are you on? I'll be right there."

"No, don't!" Elena's voice came out a near-yell. "Stay there. I know you're safe right now. I have Jeremy and Alaric here with me. We'll be okay."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"I'm sure." Elena said. "I need to come over there once Jenna's out of surgery. I'll see you then."

"To the Salvatore's? But what if Kather-"

"Katherine knows, Lucy. She knows that Stefan and I were only pretending to fight. That's why she did it." Elena was crying again. "I should go. I'll see you soon."

Elena hung up the phone, leaving us stunned on the other end. We knew that Katherine was going to retaliate in some way, but Jenna? Jenna didn't deserve this. She shouldn't be involved in any of this.

I leaned into Damon, letting him wrap his arms around me. Too much was wrong in our world right now, but at least I could find some comfort in his embrace. I looked over Damon's shoulder and locked eyes with Stefan. There was a mixture of emotions etched upon his face, and none of them were good ones.

"Stefan," I pulled away from Damon. "It's not your fault."

Damon turned around. "Come on, Stef. You guys couldn't have known she would do this."

"But we knew she would do something!" Stefan said. "She promised as much. I should have known better."

"I'm the one who riled her up." Damon said. "If you want to blame anyone, blame me."

"I think we all did our fair share of pissing Katherine off." Mason said. "Except for Lucy. I don't think I've ever seen you keep your mouth shut for so long."

Damon was starting to rub off on him. I may not have spoken to Katherine, but I definitely contributed to her rampage. If I hadn't confronted Mason at the Lockwood's, perhaps we'd all be having a very different conversation right now.

Stefan shook his head. "I was supposed to protect Elena. I promised her."

Stefan walked off in the direction of the study, leaving the rest of us in uncomfortable silence. If he blamed himself for Jenna getting hurt, I could only assume that Elena felt the same way. It wasn't fair to either of them, for Katherine to think that she can show up after a hundred and fifty years and decide what they do with their lives.

Mason cleared his throat. "Well, as fun as this has been, I think it's well past time I get out of here."

"You gonna be okay, man?" Damon asked.

"Yeah, sure." Mason's tone of voice was very unconvincing. "See ya."

Damon just gave Mason a nod as he left. The moment the front door shut, Damon let himself sink back onto the couch, eyes glued to the doorway to the study. I sat down next to him and placed a hand on his arm. He let out a deep exhale and took my hand into his.

"He blames himself for not protecting Elena from Katherine." Damon said, after a moment. "But I should have protected him from Katherine."

"Don't say tha-"

"It's true." He said. "I was so wrapped up in my feelings for her I didn't even stop to consider what she was doing to him."

I squeezed his hand. "You were just as much a victim of her as he was."

He shook his head. "I wanted this. He didn't. She forced it on him."

"Yeah you "wanted" this because of lies that Katherine fed to you, because of promises she made that she had no intention of keeping."

"He was seventeen, Lucy." Damon's voice was barely above a whisper. "And now he's going to be seventeen forever."

There was nothing I could say that would convince Damon otherwise. I knew that. I just reached out to touch his face and kissed him. Back when I first met him, he would have just pretended not to care that Jenna got hurt. Or maybe he would have actually just not cared. But now he had convinced himself that it was his fault, that everything Katherine had ever done to Stefan was his fault. As if Damon could have known any better than Stefan did who Katherine really was. He was going to carry that with him always. So I just kissed him.

My mother and my brothers used to breathe in clean in air
And dreaming I'm a doctor
It's hard to be a man when there's a gun in your hand

Something happens and I'm head over heels
I never find out till I'm head over heels
Something happens and I'm head over heels
Don't take my heart, don't break my heart
Don't throw it away