"Well, that was a bust."
"I don't think so"Landon said as his eyes on who he recognized to be Stefan and Damon Salvatore."But I don't think it worked exactly right either."
"Damon?" The word was out of Josie's mouth before she could to stop it.Damon was so familiar to her.She knew him and Elena and their children as though they were family, been though she didn't see them we often these days.But Damon looked younger.
"And who the hell are you?" The older Salvatore demanded as he stared at the three newcomers in shock
Lizzie turned to look behind her at the sound of Damon Salvatore's name, wondering why he would be there and how he wouldn't know who she and Josie were, but once she faced him and noticed his younger features, she realized what was happening. It was as Landon had said. It didn't work exactly right. Instead of bringing Hope to their time, they must have ended up in the time period Hope had ended up.
When no one answered his question, Damon repeated himself, growing frustrated and confused about the sudden arrival of three teenagers that he didn't recognize. "Who are you? And how do you know my name? You're not going to like if I have to ask again. I'm already having a bad enough day already."
"We can't tell you" Josie said after a moment, wanting to be honest but not knowing what would happen if she was, especially since she doubted he would believe her even if she tried.
"What do you mean, you can't tell us?" Stefan questioned, stepping closer to them, though if he was being honest, he had little interest in them. His priority was finding a way to kill Klaus without getting the rest of them killed in the process. Still, it was probably best to have at least some knowledge of the mysterious newcomers.
"We shouldn't be here. I'm sorry we interrupted whatever you were doing." Landon said, his gaze on the guy he recognized from a photo at the school. Stefan Salvatore. The man who died saving Mystic Falls.
"That's still not really an answer" Stefan said, but he found he didn't really care about whether they answered or not. As long as these three teenagers weren't going to attack them or do anything to jeopardize his plan, he could care less if they showed up. He needed to keep his priorities in check. It was all he really had left, despite Elena's efforts to insist otherwise.
"I know, but we can't really give one either" Josie said. They needed to go figure out what to do and see if they could track down , surely the four of them would be able to get back to the future again. She wanted to be able to help Hope, especially considering she was the whole reason the tribrid was even here in the first place. If Josie hadn't cast that spell on her, all four of them would be in their time right now.
"That's not really good enough" Damon said, walking closer to her so that he was right in front of him. "See, I've had it up to here with the problems that have been occurring in this town recently, and the last thing I need is three unnamed teenagers showing up in my house without an explanation. So tell me who you are, or things are about to get bloody" He doubted they were human, considering strangers rarely showed up in Mystic Falls unless they were supernatural beings.
"Okay that's enough of this pointless Q and A" Lizzie said, placing a hand on Landon's shoulder and siphoning from him before putting Stefan and Damon Salvatore under a sleeping spell. "Lets get going before we end up in a darker version of Back to the Future with our no longer deceased step father and our non-biological uncle"
Landon looked at Lizzie as she mentioned Back to the Future before nodding in agreement and heading out of the Salvatore Boarding House, the twins following after him. "Where should we go? I mean we are in the past, and we don't have anything that would let either of you be able to track Hope. It wasn't as though we were planning on ending up in the past."
"Lets just head to the Mystic Grill first and talk it out while they're under a sleeping spell. Then we can find some place to hide out in. Maybe the Old Mill if its still old enough. Or one of the houses that are for sale" Josie suggested after a moment, hesitant about the Grill but knowing they should probably get something to eat before hiding out at a place where they likely wouldn't be able to refrigerate anything.
Her twin made a face at the mere thought of it. "Yes because squatting at the Old Mill or an old house for sale is exactky what I wanted to do today" she said sarcastically. "Why can't we just get a motel room to crash in for the night? At least that usually ensures a clean bed, even if its stiff" she sighed.
"Because a motel person is more likely to check the year on the money than the Mystic Grill. But even if they don't, we still only have so much on us right now. And we don't know how long it is going to take us to find Hope"
"Maybe we could channel the Hobbit in a way to be able to track down Hope? Considering their connection" Lizzie suggested, desperate to find her friend and get back home, even though she was curious about the idea of meeting her mom while she was younger and exploring the town. It was better that they at least found Hope. Then they'd be able to stay wherever they wanted.
"Lets just get to the Grill and then we can decide our next move" Landon said after a moment. "Wherever that leads us."
"He's right. We can figure out where we are staying and how to find Hope later" Josie agreed. She knew that she wouldn't be helpful with the actual spell casting part, but she wanted to help Hope get back to their time. She had to. But for now, they needed to get food in their system before Lizzie's spell on Stefan and Damon wore off.
Once they arrived, she noticed that it looked very similar to how it was in the futre, minus commemorative plaques for Jenna Sommers and Stefan Salvatore. Along with a few small decor items that Damon had added when he bought the place from the current owners.
The three teenagers took a seat at one of the tables for four. Josie looked around the restaurant, trying to find something to signify how far back in time they had gone, something she should have done at the Salvatore Boarding House if she hadn't been so distracted by the time travel and the threats directed at her from someone that was practically family. However, the only thing she could determine was that it must be somewhere between 2009 and 2013.
"Okay, if Hope landed in Mystic Falls in the past and was tied to her bloodline, then we must be somewhere before she was born. Pre 2012" Landon reasoned after a moment. "Unless there was a small mistake in the spell like there was with this one."
"I don't think there was. I had planned this carefully. The reason this went wrong was because we were trying to get Hope back and were rushing things to help her" Josie explained. "If we had taken our time, we would probably still be in our time and have Hope back." A small sigh escaped her lips.
"Housing options aside, it might be cool to stroll around in the past. Maybe we can see what Mom and Dad were like back then" Lizzie said thoughtfully as she tried to picture her parents younger before they had them. Her mom would have been an actual teenager at this point rather than an immortal 17 year old. Well, she would have been an immortal 17 year old, but she was still a teenager.
"We can't, Lizzie" Josie said. "It's bad enough we are at the Mystic Grill, but to actually interact with them while in the past? It's not a good idea."
She let out a sigh. "Fine. No talking to Mom or Dad" she agreed reluctantly.
A waiter came over to ask what they wanted, and Josie ordered an appetizer for them to share (knowing both of their preferences out of the options available) before either of the others could order a meal for themselves. Once the waiter was gone, she looked at the two. "We need to be careful about how much we spend."
Landon nodded in agreement. "Hopefully we find Hope soon, but it could be a while before hand. We don't even know if she is still in town. Especially considering the few times she tried to leave town when she thought it was for the best during our time. Do you think she could have talked to her family? I know she's usually cautious and everything, but she has been grieving and misses them a lot. And now she has a chance to see them."
"It's possible. Why do you ask?"
"Well, if Hope interacted with them, then we could possibly approach her dad and ask about her. What harm could it do?"
"What harm?" Josie repeated and shook her head a bit. "You have no idea the damage it could do. Even if we set aside possible timeline chaos, Klaus Mikaelson is not a good person. If Hope hadn't interacted with him, then he will be confused and likely suspicious. And if she has, he will be paranoid about why we are asking about her. I don't know him personally, but I've heard stories and have read the books dad wrote about Mystic Falls. And if she's really spent time with him and he got attached to her, he will probably threaten us while interrogating us. We can't just approach him. And he's the one she most likely approached. Especially considering how he died."
He fell silent at that, though he disagreed with her. Even if she was right, which he wasn't so sure about, Hope would have done the same for any of them if she was here. If the roles were reversed. He couldn't just sit back and do nothing. He had to find her. Even if he wasn't able to use magic. If roles were reversed, she would hunt them down and wouldn't stop until she found and helped them.
After breaking in and getting caught in the closet in Meredith's apartment, Elena and Matt waited nervously inside Sheriff Elizabeth Forbes' office, waiting for the inevitable lecture that awaited them. Elena looked over at Matt, feeling guilty for dragging him into her breaking and entering investigation during her efforts to clear Alaric Saltzman's name. But she needed help and knew neither of the Salvatores would be particularly happy with the idea of her getting herself involved. Well, she was sure Damon wouldn't. Stefan was still a strange mix of old Stefan and bad Stefan in a way that made Elena feel unsure of exactly how he would react. It was one thing to make assumptions when it was in regards to stopping Klaus, like they had agreed on at the Mikaelson Ball, but trying to clear Alaric's name was something else entirely.
However, despite feeling guilty for potentially getting him in a lot of trouble, Elena couldn't help but enjoy the fact that she had spent some time with him. They hadn't spent nearly as much time together as they used to ever since her parents died, and she hadn't realized just how much she missed him. It was like things might become how they used to be between them before the vampire stuff and before they had gotten into a relationship. But if they did get into a lot of trouble here, if it didn't just get settled by their connection to the sheriff, then she would have gotten someone that used to be her best friend into legal trouble when he already had enough on his plate and had already been through enough in his life.
"I'm sorry" Elena said after a moment. "I didn't mean for us to end up here."
"It's alright, Elena" Matt replied after a moment. "Honestly, as much as I don't want us to be here sitting in the sheriff's office, I'm glad you came to me for help. And I know how much Alaric means to you. At least it helps prove your suspicions about Meredith."
"I know. I just... I know how much you don't like being involved in all of this, and you shouldn't be. You deserve to be able to live a life outside of everything that's been going on" She couldn't help the tugging feeling of guilt inside her as she thought about how much Matt had lost and how she was here dragging him into more problems.
"Yeah, well, when you live in this town and all of your friends are involved, its kind of inevitable to end up in a situation like this" Matt said. "Besides, this isn't about vampires. It's about Alaric Saltzman, our teacher and practically you and Jeremy's guardian. He's in jail for a crime you are pretty sure he didn't commit. I want to help."
Elena didn't say anything to that, but she looked at him gratefully. Then Liz entered her office, and the two teenagers watched as she walked over to her side of her desk. "What were you thinking?" the sheriff asked as she looked at the teenagers.
"I know that we had no right," the doppelganger said as she looked at her.
"No right?" Liz questioned incredulously, disappointment heavy in her expression. "You broke the law."
She felt guilty at the look on her face but didn't let that stop her from continuing "But, we found something that clears Alaric. It gives him an alibi in the Brian Walters murder."
Liz picked up a piece of paper off of her desk and held it up to show them. "You mean this?"
"What is that?"
"A letter from the county coroner's office correcting the error in the time of death of Brian Walters" she replied, not liking that not only did they break the law, but the only thing they found was something that would have prevented it all from happening in the first place if they had just been patient. "Meredith Fell received it today. She brought it to me several hours ago, full of apologies for accusing an innocent man."
Matt frowned slightly. "Why would she have a copy hidden in her closet?"
"I can't ask those questions, Matt, because the very fact that you broke into her home to find it" she explained in exasperation, looking at them with disappointment. "Do you know how much I'm already protecting both of you?"
Guilt weighed heavily on the doppelganger's heart as she looked at the sheriff, regretting breaking into the apartment even if it did raise some more suspicions in their mind in regards to Meredith. She had never wanted to cause more trouble for Liz. "I'm sorry."
"Just...get out of my office and go home. Please. Alaric will be released as soon as the letter is authenticated. Go."
Matt and Elena looked at each other and then at Liz Forbes apologetically one more time before heading out of her office, both wishing they hadn't been caught. The two talked a little once they left the station and agreed to head to Elena's house for a bit.
Caroline Forbes entered the Mystic Grill, thinking about recent events and newfound knowledge that supposedly killing the Originals would kill all of them. She wished she knew exactly how that would happen so that they could find some kind of loophole to get rid of the Originals without killing the rest of them. These thoughts had been most of what was going through her mind all day until her eyes fell on a table with three teenage strangers. With how small the town was and how involved Caroline was with activities, she knew most of the people in town, knew their faces at least, especially teenagers. And yet these three were around her age, and she had no idea who they were. The only newcomers they ever really got were all bad news. Well, except for Stefan.
She headed over to the table of teenagers and introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Caroline" she greeted, noticing how all three of them looked surprised at her arrival, especially the girls, who had something else in their expression that Caroline couldn't quite interpret.
The girls were rendered speechless, so the teenage boy introduced himself. "Hi. Um, I'm Landon. They are Lizzie and Josie."
"It's nice to meet you" Josie said, finally speaking up after being caught by surprise. Despite knowing they were in the past and at the Mystic Grill of all places, she hadn't expected her mom to be the first person that spoke to her after their arrival with the Stefan and Damon incident.
"Yeah, it is" Lizzie agreed, now looking at her mom with interest once the surprise had worn off. She suddenly just wanted to talk to her mom and see what she was like back then.
"Yeah, its nice to meet you too" Caroline said. "So, you're new to town? We don't get a whole lot of new faces around here. Where are you coming from?"
Landon and Josie exchanged brief looks, and Josie, who was all too familiar with lying to her family, said "A small town a long way away from her. Sorry, we aren't really comfortable sharing any specifics. We're just passing through."
"Passing through? Are you on some kind of trip? If you're staying the night here, I could recommend some places for you to go, though we don't have anything really great in this town. It's kind of boring"
"Yeah, we might stay the night here and head out tomorrow" Landon said, wanting an excuse if they were seen again.
"Well, the mall isn't anything great" Caroline admitted, "but I shop there a lot. And they have a store for clothing throughout the decades because our local high school has decade themed dances. So if that's your sort of thing, you could check that out."
"We might" Lizzie said. "I love shopping, and I tend to drag Josie with me sometimes so we could get some new outfits."
"Then you should definitely check it out. Well, I should get going. But I might see you around" She smiled at them before heading out of the Mystic Grill. Once she was outside, she pulled out her phone and called Stefan. A frown formed on her face when he didn't answer the phone. She knew he was fixated on the Originals, but he wasn't a prisoner of Klaus' and they were friends. His humanity was somewhat back. He should have answered the phone. With that in mind, she headed to the Salvatore house, wanting to find out what was going on and share what she had found out about the newcomers.
"Well, she was definitely fishing for information" Landon said after a moment. "Though I guess newcomers isn't really common in Mystic Falls when there isn't a big private school accepting students from all over."
"Yeah, the only newcomers we generally get at all are supernaturals. So it makes sense that she was asking us questions. Hopefully we sounded normal enough" Josie agreed, worried about if her mom would be inquisitive and determined to find out more. She knew that it was a trait Caroline and her daughters shared, determination when they set their mind to something.
"Hopefully" he replied and watched as the waiter put their food in front of them. He thanked her before taking his portion of the appetizer. The three of them ate before heading out and finding a place to stay.
At another table in the Mystic Grill, Rebekah had met with the mayor to speak with her for information about the oldest trees in the community. Now that Rebekah was made aware of the white oak tree being replanted, she was trying to discover which tree it was and if there were still any remnants of the tree left. Especially now that all of their lives were bound together.
"A long line of Lockwood women used to keep those records before qany of them had actual jobs" Carol said, looking at the teenage girl that she knew was far from harmless. Still, Rebekah's family was the reason Tyler did not have to be in such agony every full moon, forced to endure a curse because of an accident.
"I've been to the Founders' archive" Rebekah said, having already searched through town records prior to this conversation. The least amount of people knowing she was digging into this, the better. "But I cannot seem to find any record of the tree I am looking for."
"It probably got cut down. Big old trees built half of this town in the 1900s."
The original thought about that for a moment before asking "Do you happen to know who kept the milling ledgers during that period?" If she could find what was built with the tree, she could burn it down to the ground.
"Back then, all the logging mills were owned by the Salvatores"
At least Rebekah knew where she would likely be able to find it, but getting that information without alerting the Salvatores of her intentions unsettled her. She'd have to be careful. Despite knowing she could easily win against them in a fight, she didn't want them to discover the weakness of theirs that remained somewhere within the town. If they found a way to sever the bloodline connection and keep themselves from dying, she knew all of the originals would become targets for them. And she quite liked this town. And it also meant talking to Damon Salvatore again for more information in a way that would keep him from asking too many questions in return.
"i heard that your sister moved out of town" Carol said after a moment.
She was confused for a moment before realizing who the mayor must have been referring to. "You must mean Hope. She is Niklaus' daughter that we recently became aware of. Though it is easier to refer to her as a sister or a cousin, considering most people do not know of our true ages."
"I did not know he could have a daughter. I thought vampires were unable to bare children."
"We are" Rebekah said after a small grimace at the reminder of that. She always wished she could have a child, but that is something she will never be able to do. Not without adopting at least. And she didn't want her child to endure Niklaus, who she simultaneously both loved and hated in ways most people couldn't possibly understand.
"Oh, I know that look" Carol said. "Have you ever considered adoption?"
"I have, but it is not quite the environment for a young child, is it? Surrounded by 1000 year old vampires?"
"Perhaps not, but you do not always have to remain with your siblings. At some point you need to start living a life for yourself, wherever it takes you. If you want to adopt, then adopt. Fall in love. Travel by yourself. Do something you've never tried before because you thought it was silly."
If only it were that easy, Rebekah thought to herself, her heart aching as she remembered her many attempts at doing just that. It always ended with her grieving or daggered in a coffin. There was no happy ending when you were siblings with Niklaus Mikaelson. But maybe, just maybe, things could be different if he had Hope in the picture.
Her gaze shifted over to past Carol's shoulders as she spotted the annoying perky blonde approaching three teenagers she didn't recognize. She listened in on what was being said, but it wasn't anything particularly interesting, though it was clear they were being evasive. However, once Caroline left the table, the conversation got interesting.
"Well, she was definitely fishing for information"the teenage boy said a moment after Caroline Forbes had left."Though I guess newcomers isn't really common in Mystic Falls when there isn't a big private school accepting supernatural students from all over."
"Yeah, the only newcomers we generally get at all are supernaturals.So it makes sense that she was asking us questions. Hopefully we sounded normal enough,"the dark haired teenage girl agreed.
"Rebekah?" The sound of her name caught her attention again as Carol looked at her in concern. "Is everything alright?"
"Yes, everything is fine. Actually, I was wondering if you knew them?"
Carol followed her gaze and saw the three teenage strangers. " No, I've never seen them before. We don't get many outsiders here. Not human ones anyway" She said as she looked back at Rebekah.
The vampire nodded. "What was it you were saying?"
"I was saying it must be difficult having just found out you had a niece, only for her to leave so soon.
"Yes, it is. None of us wanted her to leave, but she thought it would be best. And she left during my family's ball so no one would try to convince her otherwise."
"And it must be even harder for Klaus, considering she is his daughter?"
"He has hardly left his bedroom or his art room since she left town," Rebekah said. "I thought perhaps if Hope stayed, then she would be a positive influence on his life."
"Well, maybe she will come back" Carol suggested. "And then you all can get to know her better."
"Maybe" The original agreed, though she wasn't so sure. Still, she appreciated the human's strange effort to console a 1000 year old vampire. She continued talking to Carol a bit more about the town before heading home, wanting to talk to Elijah about what was going on.
Once Matt and Elena arrived at the Gilbert house, he headed into the kitchen to make some tea, thinking about what he should say in regards to everything. He knew it couldn't be easy for her, having Alaric in jail, even if he wasn't technically her father or legal guardian. He was still a part of the Gilbert family after everything that happened. And now he was in prison, previously suspected of murdering a few people and stabbing himself. Though at least with the new coroner's report, it cleared him of the charges. And he wanted to stay with her until Alaric was freed.
Once the tea was ready, Matt poured it in a mug before bringing it over to Elena, who was sitting at the dining table, thinking. "hank you" she said gratefully, taking the mug and sipping it.
"You're welcome. What's on your mind?" he asked, taking a seat at the table, looking at her.
"A lot of things" Elena admitted after a moment, a small sigh escaping her lips. "There's so much we don't know and so much that can happen."
"In this town, that is always the case. The only way you'll really get away from that is to get away from the town like Jeremy did. Well, after Damon compelled him." They were both silent for a moment as Elena took another sip of her tea. Then Matt spoke again "Why don't you tell me what exactly we don't know and what you're worried about? It could help."
"We still have no idea who is killing people. I mean, Meredith has shady information about the victims and the coroner's report in her closet at her apartment, but that doesn't mean that she is the one killing people. It just means she might know more than she says" Elena looked over at him, wondering what he thought about the situation.
"Well, we'll keep trying to find answers until we get them, though hopefully with less B this time." He grinned, and they both chuckled a bit at the reminder of the trouble they had gotten themselves into this time. "I miss this. Hanging out with and getting into trouble with you," he admitted after the laughter died down.
"Yeah, so do I" she confessed, loving how easy it was with Matt when his feelings and her lack of weren't in the way of their friendship. They had known each other their entire lives, even shared a crib together at some points when their moms were hanging out. He was an important part of her life, a part that she had missed while caught up in all of this vampire stuff. "I just have been trying to keep you out of stuff as much as I can, especially since I know how you feel about vampires."
"You mean, you know how I feel about Stefan and Damon" Matt said. Her gaze lowered as she thought about her current situation with them. Her recent confessions and everything else that has happened. "Look, I can't say I'm crazy about it. It hasn't exactly been a good thing in my life, having vampires in this town, but I've accepted Caroline being what she is. She's still Caroline, for the most part anyway. But Stefan and Damon have killed a lot of people. So, no I don't really understand your thing for them."
"It's not like that- I mean... I know it doesn't make sense, but at the beginning, after my parents died, there was something about being with Stefan that just felt safe."
"Safe? Elena, he's a vampire."
"I know, believe me, just saying it out loud it sounds crazy, but it's like I knew that he would never stop loving me. Like he would never..." Elena trailed off, remembering how it had felt and how much she had needed him at that point of her life.
"What?"
"Die. Like he would never die."
Matt's expression softened at her words, knowing how hard it must have been, worrying and knowing at any point that someone could die. He knew he had certainly felt it for a time after he lost Vicki. It was understandable why she would want to feel safe with someone considerably less likely to die, even if he wasn't crazy about the fact it was a vampire she was involved with. It did help him understand the situation at least a little. "Like your parents did. And Damon?"
"Damon just sort of snuck up on me. He got under my skin and no matter what I do I just...I can't shake him."
"Once you fall in love with someone, I don't know if...I don't know if you can ever shake them." he said, looking at her.
Elena was silent for a moment, knowing what exactly he meant by that. She knew she should stop there but couldn't help the next sentence that escaped her lips. "I told them both that I love them, while I was a little tipsy and thought they were going to die."
"That's... big. I mean, Stefan knew you loved him, but you can't really step back from that line with Damon now that you've crossed it."
"I know. I just wish I knew what to do about it. Part of me... part of me wants to give Damon a chance. I know I've wanted it so badly. But when things go wrong, he lashes out. And I don't know if- I don't know what to do about it. But Stefan..." She let out a sigh. "I know he'll always love me, like I said, but he also nearly drove me off of Wickery Bridge. And he's been acting so different lately. I don't know if its someone I want to be with. But on the other hand, he still respects my life threatening decisions to try to get things taken care of, unlike Damon who just wants me out of harms way, no matter what I have to say about it. Sorry I shouldn't be talking to you about this. I know its weird."
"No. Not really. I don't mind. It sounds like you've got a lot to think about. And, while I can't help you with the Stefan and Damon situation, I might be able to help with something else. I got you something." Matt reached into his jacket and pulled out the Gilbert journal he had stuffed in there while they were in the closet at Meredith's apartment.
Elena took the journal from him. "The journal?"
"It's your family's, you should have it. Meredith and that idiot deputy were too busy questioning you to give a damn about me. Sometimes it pays to be the only normal one in a town of vampires. I'm practically invisible," He gave her a grin, and she looked at him gratefully.
"Thank you, Matt. And not just the journal, for everything today. It means a lot."
"Of course. Let me know if you need anything else"
The front door of the residence opened, and Alaric Saltzman walked inside. Elena stood up immediately before heading over to him. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm alright' Ric said, and Elena pulled him into a hug, taking the moment to appreciate that the man that was like a legal guardian to her was no longer behind bars, and Matt left them alone.
When Caroline arrived at the Salvatore house, it somehow felt as though it were quieter than usual, perhaps because even with her vampire hearing, she didn't hear anyone talking or moving around inside. For a moment, she considered leaving and trying to find them elsewhere, but that was when she caught the sound of their beating vampire hearts. She headed inside, expecting to find Stefan sitting down somewhere and slowly reading something, but when she entered the living room, she saw Stefan and Damon both unconscious on the ground, near the couches.
Without even thinking about what to do, Caroline was next to Stefan in a flash, using her vampire speed without even thinking about it. "Stefan!" she said, trying to wake him up. He was unresponsive, and she bit her wrist before pressing it against his lips. It wasn't exactly the same as if she was giving the blood to a human to heal them, but blood in general helped vampires, especially if it wasn't animal blood. She waited for a reaction as she pulled her wrist away, anxious about whether or not he would wake up. It wouldn't make sense if he didn't. He was alive, and she could hear his heartbeat, so he wasn't temporarily dead. "Come on, Stefan. Please, wake up."
Suddenly, Stefan and Damon's eyes opened as they woke up from the sleeping spell, and Damon got up immediately, not wasting any time as he looked around, frustrated and wondering once again who those teenagers were. He was reminded once again of why he didn't like witches. At least this time it wasn't an aneurism pain inflicting spell, but now he had no idea where the teenagers were. He couldn't hear them in the house, which meant he would have to go find them and get some answers.
Meanwhile, Stefan looked at Caroline in surprise as he slowly sat up. The blonde was relieved that he was okay, and without thinking about it, she wrapped her arms around him, hugging him close. He hugged her back, almost automatically, his throat burning with hunger. That was when he could taste the blood that was on his tongue, and he pulled away from her. It wasn't the same as if he had been fed human blood, something Stefan was addicted to, but it still did affect his hunger a bit, like a small reminder that he could go and get exactly what he wanted elsewhere. And he didn't exactly want a reminder of actual human blood when he had been trying to get back on animal blood. "I'm alright," he said, looking at her. "I'm guessing you gave me some of your blood?"
Caroline nodded at that. "I wasn't sure how much it would help. If you didn't wake up, I would have gone to get a blood bag. But I didn't want to just leave you lying there."
"I didn't need blood. It was a sleeping spell" he told her as he stood up, looking at her. Part of him buried inside appreciated the notion of her trying to help him, but it was somewhat covered by the fact he didn't want any kind of blood except animal blood right then. And he didn't want to focus on any kind of friendship or romantic relationship while he was having to do things that people in this town might not necessarily approve of.
"Oh. I was just trying to help" Caroline said, looking at him.
"I know," Stefan said, his gaze on her, not thanking her for trying, but it was close enough with the way he looked at her.
"Okay if you two are done making googly eyes at each other" Damon said, "then maybe we should talk about the giant elephant in the room."
His brother stepped away from Caroline, who looked between them both. "What exactly happened to you both? There's a new witch in town?"
"Yes. Three teenagers just magically appeared out of thin air in this room. I don't know if it was a cloaking spell or just suddenly appearing, though I didn't hear any movements prior to. But now we've got two girls and a guy, all somewhere around 16 to 20 ."
"I saw them" Caroline said. "They were at the Mystic Grill just before I came over. They're probably still there right now. I figured Stefan would want to know about newcomers and see if he knew anything about it."
"Knowing you, you probably talk to them" Stefan said. "What did you find out?"
"According to them, they're on a trip of some kind. They might stay the night and they might not. They arent from anywhere around here, but I don't know where. And their names are Landon, Lizzie, and Josie. And Lizzie likes shopping."
"Did you find outanythinguseful?" Damon questioned in irritation, wishing she had been able to find out more about these three. "Because they magically appeared out of thin air in our house, and I highly doubt they are just three supernatural friends on a road trip."
She narrowed her eyes at his words, not appreciating them in the slightest. "They were very evasive about where they were from or what they are doing in town. But they weren't lying about what they said. I listened. We've had enough surprises in this town."
Damon headed towards the door, but Stefan blocked him. "Hey, where are you going?"
"To get some answers" the older Salvatore replied, moving to go past him.
"Our focus is Klaus" he said, blocking him again. "That's our priority. Not three teenagers that probably only put us under a sleeping spell so they could leave.
"Yeah? And how's that going? Right now, we have no white oak stakes, they're all bound together, and if any of them die, we all die. Klaus won. What we can do is make sure this town doesn't go to hell just because the Mikaelsons get to live."
"So you're just giving up?"
"That was your revenge, brother, not mine. I wanted them gone so he would quit using Elena as a blood bag. But I'm not just going to risk all of us dying. We'll figure something out eventually, but for now lets focus on a current problem. These three teenagers."
"Fine. You do that. I'll go see if I can figure out a way to keep us all from dying. Because Klaus needs to die." Stefan glanced between them and headed upstairs.
Damon rolled his eyes at his words and looked at Caroline. "You're on Stefan duty. Make sure he doesn't get the rest of us killed" He headed out of the house, causing her to let out a sigh. Then she headed upstairs to where Stefan had retreated.
After Rebekah left the Mystic Grill, she returned home and looked around for Elijah, preferring to talk to the brother that was less paranoid but also not too careless. Instead, she found her brother Kol on the couch. "And where have you been? Enjoying your time with the Salvatores again?" he grinned teasingly, knowing his sister's night with Damon after the ball and her history with Stefan.
Rebekah scowled at the thought of being involved with either of them again. "Not that its any of your business, but that is not going to happen again. And I could ask what you've been up to, but I'm sure you've been occupying your time with women. Have you seen Elijah?"
"He left the house after trying to convince Nik to leave his art studio, with no success I might add. It seems the only thing that will get him to leave is a plot against him." He chuckled, though he supposed there was currently a plot against them all, considering their eldest brother and mother were still out roaming free. He wasn't sure how they would be able to stop their mother with Finn standing in their way. Between their mother's power and Finn having their abilities, it would certainly be difficult. What they needed was to find a way to unlink themselves. That way Finn would not be able to do something foolish and suicidal that would get them all killed. She sighed in frustration at Elijah not being available for her to discuss this with. Kol noticed the serious expression on his sister's face, more serious than usual, and he frowned a little. "What is troubling you, dear sister?
"Perhaps the fact that our eldest brother is on a suicide mission and our mother bound all of us together with a blood spell so that if one of us dies, the rest of us do as well."
"It's more than that," he said, watching her.
"Mind your business and enjoy your whiskey. Once I speak to Elijah, then I can tell you what I've got on my mind."
"Can't. Nik has me heading to Denver. I'll be leaving pretty soon. Just enjoying one last glass" He raised his glass of whiskey in the air before taking a sip of it.
"Denver? Why?"
"Precautions, considering we are all bound together as you said. You know Nik, he likes to have backup plans in place in case people are not cooperative and need some persuasion." Kol said. He had no interest in getting daggered again and did not mind getting some space from the rest of his family, even if it meant befriending a human that Niklaus wanted him to get close to.
"The Gilbert kid" she realized after a moment. "They sent him away to keep him safe from all of this, and now you're going so Nik can threaten his safety to get what he wants. As he always does, especially with how many people here wouldn't mind seeing him dead."
"And I hear a certain Bennett witch was involved with him, so Nik could use him as leverage if he needs a spell done."
"Interested in the town gossip, I see" Rebekah was a little amused, despite the situation at hand.
"I find it entertaining. I need something to do besides worrying about whether Finn and mother will succeed. Especially if we are in such a small town for an unknown length of time." Kol shrugged and chuckled. He downed the rest of his glass and rose from his comfortable position on the couch. Then he left the mansion at vampire speed, glad he was going to be staying in a bigger city for a little bit, away from the brother he loathed.
Once he was gone, she headed to Klaus' art room and went inside without knocking. His hand jerked slightly to the side at her sudden arrival, and a sound of aggravation escaped his lips."Rebekah!" He set his brush down for the moment and turned to face her. He didn't like to be disturbed when he was in his art room unless it was very important, and he certainly didn't like it when it caused him to make an error in his artwork.
"Usually, you are more alert, Nik," Rebekah said, used to her brother being subtly cautious about if Mikael was on their tail. "Or have you gotten comfortable now that our father is gone?"
"I was thinking about Hope" Klaus said after a moment, working on cleaning his brush. "What is it, Rebekah? I messed up my art work because you came in. You might as well get to what you came in here for."
"Before he left, Kol mentioned you were having him go to Denver, where the Gilbert boy is currently living. What are you up to? It's bad enough that our mother and Finn are doing who knows what in an effort to kill us all. The rest of us do not need any more things to be concerned about."
"I know what I am doing. Things aren't ready for to me to fulfill my plans, but I can at least set my pieces in place for when its time to move them."
"Kol isn't a chess piece" Rebekah said. "He's your brother."
"My brother, who was more than pleased to get out of this small town for a little bit and have something else to do. He is likely glad to get away from me without worrying about repercussions."
"Considering it means he is away from the constant impending risk of being daggered by you, I would say your assumption is correct."
Klaus didn't say anything, despite his desire to retort. He just wanted to be left alone. "You'll know about the plans once it comes time to enact them. In the meantime, perhaps you too would like to be away from the constant impending risk of being daggered and would leave this art room before you cause another damage to one of my paintings. Leave me to my thoughts. I have every intention of handling our situation with mother, but for now I need to think."
"Hope is gone, and she will find a way to return to her time. You can't just spend the rest of your time wallowing in your art room, painting. Or maybe you could. At least that way, you wouldn't damage all of those around you." Rebekah said. Klaus grabbed one of his pencils quickly and threw it at her almost instinctively, anger rising in him at her words. She easily caught the pencil thrown at her and dropped it on the table. "You're only proving my point." And with that, she walked out of his art room and headed back down the stairs.
When she reached the bottom of the stairs, relief flooded through her at the sight of her rational brother walking into the mansion. She headed over to him, trying to figure out what she should start with. "Rebekah" Elijah greeted at the sight of his sister approaching him and noticed her expression. "What is it?"
"I believe I know how we can find out where the remaining white oak is. I spoke with Carol Lockwood, and she explained how old trees were probably used in construction and that the family keeping the records of that were the Salvatores. We need to be careful getting the information, but we can take care of it before they get their hands on it."
Elijah listened intently and nodded a bit at her words. "Thank you for informing me, Tread carefully when trying to get the information. They may not have the white oak yet, but we do not need them to discover that there is a weapon they could use to kill us all at once. Is there anything else you have found out?"
"There are three newcomers in this town. I saw Caroline approach them when I was speaking with Carol Lockwood. They were being very vague in their responses to Caroline's questions, and when she left" Rebekah paused for a moment, trying to word it properly. "It was as though they were familiar with a version of this town not like the current one. A version where there is a school for supernatural beings all over. I believe they were from Hope's time."
"Then they likely arrived trying to find her" Elijah said. "Can you show me what they look like? I'll see what I can learn while you focus on the white oak."
Rebekah nodded, and he opened his mind to her, just enough to allow her to show him her memory of what she had seen at the Mystic Grill. Once she was done, he built up his boundary around his mind. "I'll come back here or let you know if I find anything." Elijah agreed before heading to find the newcomers. Rebekah left the mansion as well, though she had a different destination in mind.
Damon had gotten to the Mystic Grill in time to see the newcomers leaving, but he decided not to interrogate them yet. He knew he still needed to do research on the murders in 1912 that were similar to the murders going on now. So instead, he followed the three of them at a distance, watching as they ended up at the local motel. Once he knew where they were currently residing, he headed back to the Grill, wanting to get a drink as he thought back on 1912, trying to make sure he remembered as much as he could so that he could efficiently research beyond just Stefan's journal.
Back then, he only really fed out of necessity and lived miserably day by day, waiting for the day he could free Katherine from a tomb she apparently was never in. Just the mere idea of hurting someone unnecessarily, of enjoying himself with another woman, felt as though he were dishonoring Katherine and being a terrible person. That was, of course, before he had met Sage, a redheaded vampire who had taught him how to enjoy his Immortal existence. She had been the first person he was involved with since Katherine had been put into the tomb.
The only reason he had returned to Mystic Falls that year was because of the death of Zachariah Salvatore, his and Stefan's nephew. At first, he had temporarily suspected Stefan as the culprit behind the attack, seeing as how he had killed their family members before, but the death was not that of a vampire, certainly not of Stefan who clearly all too eagerly drank the blood of humans deeply once his hunger took over. He had planned to leave after the funeral of his nephew, but Stefan had insisted on getting a drink and catching up after not seeing each other for about 48 years. Then he had met Sage while watching a boxing match and then again in an alley where she had led him back into the match and taught him how to enjoy himself. How to live an existence other than misery.
Damon had tried showing his brother what Sage had taught him, tried to get him to enjoy himself rather than being in a constant state of self loathing. He did not want his brother to continuously try getting Damon to drink animal blood, which the older Salvatore was sure was not only disgusting but also damaging in the long run. Once he succeeded in convincing his younger brother to feed on someone, it was the first time he had witnessed something so horrific and concerning as he saw his brother continuously feeding until the head fell off of her body. Stefan had both been ridden with guilt and blame towards Damon for pushing him to feed on a person that he fled the scene, refusing to accept help from him anymore.
In comparison, the Founders' Council killer had nothing on Stefan. By the end of the decade, they were calling him the Ripper of Monterey. Damon had led him walk away and didn't do anything to stop him. He hadn't wanted to. He hadn't wanted to either make things worse or have to deal with handling something he barely had any experience of, especially not to that extent. He didn't want to have to console his brother or listen to Stefan blaming both himself and Damon every time a victim died. So he had let him go. And as a result Stefan had torn through so many villages, racking up a body count that Damon didn't want to know the number of. And he knew that it was his fault.
Stefan had needed pushing because animal blood was only making things worse, but he also needed someone to be there with him every step of the way. And now, especially considering Damon had killed Lexi who was the one that frequently helped pull Stefan back over the edge, he knew that he needed to do that now. He couldn't make the same mistake he had once before. He wanted to be there for his brother, no matter what Stefan had to say to it. And whenever he go too far, Damon would be there to pull him back. Every second, every day, till he didn't need him.
By the time he had tried to help Stefan, he had even less interest in who exactly it was that was going around killing members of the Founders Council, which certainly didn't help his modern day problems. The council had questioned many men about it, any of whom could have lied, but Damon doubted they had interrogated the women about their whereabouts during the times of the murders. Perhaps, after reading Stefan's diaries to see if he knew anything else about it, Damon should check the history of the women around those times. See if anything tied what was happening then to what was happening in modern day. He knew he might not find anything, but it was worth a try.
When Caroline entered Stefan's room, he was already exercising, pulling himself up to the bar of wood that went across the top of his room. She watched him in concern, for some reason being reminded of how she cleaned when she was stressed, though she knew she didn't have a good reason to make that connection besides it seeming as though something were bothering him.
"I'm fine" Stefan said before Caroline could even get a word out, continuing to exercise as he tried to work out the blood lust that had continuously been bothering him ever since he decided to suddenly switch back to animal blood again. He didn't need any lectures or advice from his friend. It was better if he just kept his focus on the task at hand, which was trying to come up with a way that would get Klaus out of their lives for good, whether it was by finding a way to kill him without killing other vampires or if it was.
"Are you?" Caroline questioned, her arms crossing across her chest. "You don't seem fine." He seemed like he was trying to work out whatever was bothering him, something she was sure if he talked to her, she would be able to find some way to help him.
He did not say anything to her as he continued to exercise, hoping the silence would be enough to convince her to leave him alone. He had too much on his mind that he needed to sort out and the burning in his throat he needed to quench. He had already gone hunting earlier today, so this craving needed to be dealt with the other way he usually dealt with this kind of thing.
"Come on, talk to me. I know we haven't exactly been bonding lately with you off with Klaus, but we are still friends. What's bothering you?" She kept her gaze on him, not letting it waver until he finally let go of the wooden beam and dropped to the ground.
He let out a sigh and looked at her with a bit of annoyance, wanting to just be left alone by everyone at the moment, but it seemed as though he was not going to get his wish. Especially considering he knew well how stubborn his blonde friend was. It reminded him of Lexi in a way, except Caroline did not have the same experience as Lexi did to be able to help him with this kind of thing. "I've been getting off of human blood and going back to animal blood."
"And I tempted you again with my blood even though its not human blood." Caroline said, looking at Stefan as realization about what he was going through hit her. "I'm sorry. I really was only trying to help you wake up."
"I know it wasn't your intention, but it still is difficult getting that kind of reminder of what I'm trying to get myself off of. But I'll be okay. I just need to focus and exercise, and I can work past it."
"You don't have to just cut yourself off cold turkey" she said. "We can work together to find a way you can tolerate human blood without tearing into people the way you do. And even if you do wish to just go to animal blood, I could help you get cleaned up. Keep you from getting off track."
"I don't need help. I just need to be left alone to handle this." He sighed, wanting to just be able to think and concentrate in peace.
Caroline raised an eyebrow as she looked at him. "I'm student council vice president, Miss Mystic Falls, head of the prom committee, not to mention I single-handedly organized this town's clean up campaign. And you're really going to turn down my help?" she questioned, her hand now on her hip as she thought about how out of everyone still around, she was probably the best person capable of helping Stefan, given her planning and organization skills and how she was someone Stefan trusted, even if he was being infuriating a bit at the moment. "I could be your sober sponsor. Except for blood instead of alcohol or drugs."
"Alright, fine. You can be my sober sponsor. But I don't want you constantly trying to talk me out of plans involving the Mikaelsons that I want to get done."
She frowned at being told not to speak her mind if she disagreed with what he was planning, but she knew Stefan needed help. "Okay, I agree, so long as the plan isn't extremely dangerous to the point it will likely get you killed."
"I suppose that is fair enough" He said after a moment, causing his friend to smile with satisfaction. He knew it could still disrupt his plans, but this was better than the alternative, which was being alone to deal with his blood lust that he was already struggling to maintain. And he wasn't even around fresh human blood.
"What else is bothering you? I can tell its not just the idea of drinking human blood again."
"Elena is in love with Damon," Stefan said after a long moment.
"What? She can't be in love with Damon! He's... Damon" she said in disgust, "And you're...you" Her tone shifted to affectionate briefly as she spoke the word you. "And I'm... revolted."
"She is. She said as much when she thought we were all going to die. And I think they kissed too. I didn't see it, but it felt like there was a shift between them. With everything else going on involving Alaric and the murders and the Mikaelsons, I haven't really gotten a chance to talk to her about where we stand."
"Well, I'm going to talk to her and see what I can find out about where her head is. She may have feelings for him, but how can anyone love him? I think you two just need to sit and talk about everything and how you feel about one another. I think that's long overdue and it will help her realize things and come to terms with the emotions she is feeling."
"I don't know. I knew I would lose her the minute I left town with Klaus. I just... didn't think I'd be here having to see it." Stefan admitted after a moment, thinking about how it felt seeing how the two had gotten closer in the time that she was gone.
"You haven't lost her yet. We haven't even properly talked to her. For now, I think you need to get your mind off of everything that has been going on lately, your fixation on Klaus included. So lets get out of the house for a bit and do something to distract you."
Before Stefan could protest, Caroline grabbed his hand and tugged him out of the room and out of the house. He wasn't sure what awaited him, but he had a feeling it would successfully manage to distract him even if it was for a moment and even if he didn't want to be distracted."
Meanwhile, Hope was asleep on the bus that was heading towards the town of Mystic Falls, restless from the nightmare she was currently experiencing. Above her head were storm clouds, raining down strong in a path that was seemingly following the bus and had been for the past hour, not lightening up at all. Her grip tightened a bit on the bag on her lap. Her dream consisted of Landon, Lizzie, and Josie, three of the people she cared about most (as well as her family of course) lying dead on the ground in the snow. In the dream, a devastated Hope fell to her knees, a sob escaping her lips, when suddenly a song began to play from a music box in front of her.