Thank you to NoFate2608, roxxroj, Clana621, WestAnimeBrigade, Dark-Supernatural-Angel, Lily94, and Samantha meyers for reviewing! Also thanks to those who added When I Die to their story alert or favourite lists ;)

Last instalment. For now at least.

Disclaimer: Supernatural and TVD belong to their respective owners... which is not me.

Alaric Saltzman was many things. A history teacher. A man. A small-time hunter. He wasn't big on the whole demons thing, fighting them off was for the big-shots. He hunted vampires and sometimes, though it was hard to admit, not very well. Now he was in league with vampires, hell, he could even call one of them his friend. Damn how the mighty could fall. He had come to Mystic Falls prepared to end Damon Salvatore and now they sat together in the Mystic Grill, both nursing a drink.

Still, Ric didn't allow himself to go completely soft. He still trained, stayed in shape. He also kept in contact with a few of his old hunting pals. Bobby Singer kept him updated on the big points of today, though he hadn't heard from him in a while. Still, he had a lot of connections that he made when he was searching for answers about Isobel.

That's why Ric immediately recognized the sleek black car known as the Winchester's Impala. That could only mean one thing, the Sam and Dean were here, in Mystic Falls. Looks like they finally caught up on the many 'animal' attacks the town suffered annually. He hadn't seen the Winchesters in five, maybe four years. Last he heard they were still looking for the infamous John Winchester, hunter extraordinaire.

The Winchesters were big-shots, everyone in the hunting world knew that. You did not mess with them. John had fallen off the grid a while back, but now his sons took up his mantle without an issue. They were even more feared and admired than their father and you let them do their job; no one wants a Winchester on their ass.

Which is exactly what he was telling Damon right now, he knew the vampire population wasn't safe. For the most part he didn't care, but for Elena's sake, and partially for his own, he knew he had to warn a few people. Like Damon.

"So these buddies of yours, they're vampire hunters like you? If I remember correctly, you weren't exactly able to kill us." Damon mocked slightly with a smirk.

"I've got nothing on these guys; they've been trained to take down vampires, demons, any monster your mind can come up with, since childhood. They will be able to kill you and they won't hesitate to. The Winchesters know their stuff." Alaric said, very serious, trying it to get it through the vampire's thick head.

"If these Winchesters are so feared and powerful, than how come I haven't heard of them before?" Damon asked, eyebrow raised.

"Probably because they've killed all the supernatural creatures they've come across."

"Sounds ominous. Maybe I should go sleep in my coffin underground where I'll be safe." He chuckled as he took a sip of his drink.

"I'm serious, Damon. You have to lay low until they leave town." Alaric tried to get his point across.

"Alright, alright, don't throw a hissy fit, Ric." Came the vampire's reply, as he pulled out his phone. He lifted the phone to his ear as it ringed.

"What are you doing?" Alaric asked, exasperated.

"Well you clearly didn't warn Vampire Barbie..." The other stated, "Damn, voicemail." Damon shrugged. "I tried, not my fault she didn't pick up."

"Come on, let's go."

"Go, go where?"

"To Caroline's house. She needs to know." Alaric replied in a tone that implied, where else?

"Oh no, I am not going to Blondie's house."

"In case you haven't noticed, I just saved your ass from a very humiliating death. So, the way I see it, you owe me one, and I am calling in a favour. There is no way I am going to Sheriff Forbes' house, alone."

"What's the point of warning Barbie anyway?" Damon muttered with an eye roll.

"One, she's my student and two, it'll get you points with Elena." Ric replied promptly.

"Let's go."

This time Alaric rolled his eyes.

Alaric and Damon arrived at the quaint house, ready to enter when Ric put a hand to indicate them to stop. There, in the driveway, stood the car that started all of this in the first place; the Impala. Damn it, they work fast. Damon immediately turned serious, and they both crept towards the house quietly.

The door was ajar; they entered the house, looking around. Straight away, Alaric noticed the slight dent in the wall; Caroline had put up a fight.

Damon had bent down and pulled something from under a cabinet that stood in the hallway. It was a syringe, not unlike some of his own; a vervain dart as he liked to call them.

"Vervain." The vampire commented unnecessarily.

"Do you think she's alive?"

"Well, technically, she's already dead." At Alaric's decidedly not amused face, Damon sighed. "I don't know. Would you vervain a vampire if you were going to kill her anyway?"

"The only reason you knock out a hunt is when you need answers. They have probably already guessed there's more than one vampire here... They're going to interrogate her. But where would they go?"

"Where does anyone go when you want some privacy to torture baby vampires?" Damon retorted.

"The old properties." Alaric said. "Only a few are still intact though. The old Lockwood cellars, the Forbes prison cells, and a few others. We'll have to search them."

"Damn. Looks we're going on a rescue mission, again. How does that girl always get into so much trouble?" Damon questioned.

Alaric himself didn't know, but he did know they would need a plan, and lots of ammo if they had a chance of slipping past the Winchesters, or, by some miracle, convince them not to harm the vampires he considered his friends.

"Hey Dean, Sam." Alaric said, causing Caroline to look on in utter confusion. Huh? The Winchesters themselves looked somewhat shocked at the arrival of her history teacher. They know each other?

"Wait, come again?" She questioned, momentarily forgetting the fact that her cousins were still pinned down by Damon the James Dean-wannabe and thinking about more important things; such as the fact that Sam and Dean were on a first name basis with Alaric. "You guys know him? Like know know him?" She directed this to the brothers, for once having to look down at them instead of up. Then she glanced to the other man in the doorway, who still had his crossbow at his side. "You know my cousins?" This time it was Alaric who adopted the utterly confused expression, but before he could get another word out, Damon beat him to it.

"Woah, Blondie, you're actually related to these oafs?" He asked, not loosening his grip from them.

"Yes! Now, let go, Damon." She commanded, tugging at him; he pushed her away, hard. Caroline flew back into the opposite wall of the cell, the same her father had kept her in. She crashed into it with a pained groan.

"Touch her again..." Dean hissed from where he lay.

"And you'll what? Glare at me?" Damon snarked.

"Let them go, Damon, please." Caroline pleaded, getting up and dusting herself off.

"Not until I know they won't harm me, in case you didn't know, your cousins here are hunters." The other vampire spat in return.

"They're not going to hurt you, are you guys?" She turned to look at Sam and Dean, eyes wide.

"I'm considering it." Dean snarled, Sam shooting him an annoyed look, as if to say really?

"Not helping!" Caroline glared at her older cousin.

"Damon, just let them go, you don't want to piss off a Winchester." Alaric said, finally approaching.

"Right, because they are so scary. If they're such legends, then how come I have them pinned, and not the other way around?" The vampire replied, smirking. In that moment, Damon let his guard down for a split second as he turned his head away from the brothers, leaving himself open. Sam and Dean sprang into action.

Dean slammed his head into the vampire's, causing him to let go in shock, and immediately, Sam tackled dazed man. Damon fell to the floor whilst Dean pulled something from his pocket; a stake. As he raised his right hand to bring the weapon plunging into the vampire's chest, a small hand stopped him, gripping his wrist with supernatural force. He turned to his younger cousin in surprise.

"Don't hurt him." She pleaded quietly.

"After all he's done to you?" He asked, still shocked, from what his cousin had told him, this Damon was up to no good. Caroline looked hesitant, for a moment. Damon has used her for his own pleasure when she had been human; to her, he had been truly a monster. But now that she herself was a blood-sucking creature of the night… She couldn't afford to lose any allies, even those that had been willing to let her die.

"My friends and I… we need him." She said, struggling to get the words out.

"Fine." Dean sighed, hiding the stake back in his pocket. He ran a hand through his hair, before looking back at Damon, and towering over him. "You ever hurt any of my family ever again, I will stake you before you can say Winchester." He snarled. Sam stood, backing his brother up, his extreme height looking extra menacing. They both glared at the vampire for another second, before turning around and going to Alaric.

Caroline stood by Damon, arms crossed over her chest, eyebrow raised. "Now, we're even. You came to save me, probably for less than honorable reasons, and I've repaid the favor."

"Aww, didn't know you cared, Blondie." Damon mocked, getting up.

"Shut up." She hissed. She turned abruptly, going to where her cousins were, standing next so Sam as they greeted Alaric properly.

"What are you doing here, Ric?" Dean asked. "And why are you all buddied up with the vamp?" He continued, before quickly turning to the only girl in the vicinity. "No offense, Care."

"None taken." She shrugged.

"Moved here a while back, still hunting Isobel's killer. Though, turns out she wasn't dead, or dead dead. She was turned." Alaric replied, almost monotonously as he mentioned his ex-wife.

"Sorry, man." Sam said, arm going around Caroline's shoulders. They knew what it was like to have a loved turned against their will.

"It's ok. She wanted it." Sam frowned; why would she want that? To be immortal meant you would watch everyone around you die. He knew Caroline felt this way; she had never wanted to be a vampire. And she told them how she had been so scared when Katherine killed her. Sam wished he would have visited sooner; maybe he could have prevented this from happening to her. His arm tightened around her shoulders unconsciously, and she glanced up at him, concerned.

"So, you guys are really related?" Alaric asked, abruptly changing the subject.

"Yeah. Caroline here is our one and only cousin." Dean smirked. "Thank God; I couldn't deal with two annoying younger cousins."

"Hey!" Came an indignant voice. Dean just chuckled.

"I'm confused though, I thought your dad didn't have any siblings?" Ric asked.

"He doesn't. Liz is our mom's younger sister; she's the only relative we know of on Mom's side." Sam explained. Their conversation was interrupted by Damon, who suddenly barged in between them.

"Sorry interrupt this little reunion, but I think we may want to get out of here."

"What did you do now, Damon?" Caroline asked, exasperation clear in her voice.

"I may or may not have left a message on the Sheriff's phone that her only daughter has been kidnapped and where she could be." He said, shrugging.

"We should get out of here." Dean said, tugging Caroline with him as he headed to the door, the others following close behind. "I really don't need another bullet wound in me."

Alaric, Sam, Dean, and Caroline were all in the Salvatore house. Damon had gone briefly to the police station to tell the Sheriff about the 'false alarm'. They were currently discussing recent events, such as the casual topic of conversation of the apocalypse.

Caroline's mind was still reeling.

"I want to help." She announced abruptly, causing the three men to look at her in sudden surprise. Sam and Dean shared one of their annoying looks that meant they were agreeing something. I wouldn't be surprised if they're telepathic, Caroline thought to herself, snorting.

"Care. You can't." Sam said, eyes sad.

"Why not? I'm strong! I can fight. I could have your back, work with you guys. You wouldn't need only each other anymore!" She exclaimed with passion.

"You're not coming, Caroline. And that's final." Dean stated in a commanding tone, arms across his chest.

"You are not my father, so don't talk to me like you are." She replied, eyes sparking.

"No." Her cousin admitted. "I'm not... But, I am your family, and I am going to look out for you whether you like it or not." Caroline was about to interrupt him when Dean put up a hand to silence her. "Look, I know you're strong; heck, you're probably stronger me and Sam combined, but you're only seventeen and you haven't been trained like we have. I don't want you in our mess, little bear, you'll only get hurt..." At this, he adopted a haunted expression as if lost in another world. "Sammy and I can't lose another family member." He cleared his throat, suddenly, coming back to reality. "Besides, it seems like you could be used here, Care."

Caroline frowned; her cousin did have a point. She was needed in Mystic Falls. Elena needed someone to talk to about the whole Stefan shenanigan, and Bonnie needed someone to rant to. Not to mention, Tyler needed her help with his little werewolf issue and there's also the fact that Klaus could find out at any moment that Elena isn't as dead as she should be. But, didn't the apocalypse trump all that? Sam and Dean, though, they wouldn't let her help, and one look at Alaric confirmed that he was on the side of the Winchesters. She sighed, conceding.

"Fine, I'll stay." She ignored Dean's smug smile. "But, you have to promise me something. If you do need help, just call. Even if it's for a..." She hesitated, momentarily "...a hunt, you can't get to. Alaric and I can take care of it." Ric nodded in agreement.

"Done."

Caroline faintly heard the opening and closing of the front door, signalling a new arrival. A moment later, Damon sauntered into the living room, casual smirk on his face.

"Well?" She asked, expectantly.

"Liz has been informed of the mistake." She smiled in relief; her mother's wrath was a thing to be feared, even when it was not directed at you.

"Well, then, that's our cue." Sam said, as he stood, Dean following.

"What? Why?" She asked, frowning.

"I wish we could stay longer, Caroline, but we have a world to, you know, save." Dean replied, small smirk playing around his features. He turned suddenly to Damon.

"I would say it was a pleasure but that would be an outright lie." He stated.

"I'm flattered, really." The vampire replied with his own smirk. Sam didn't say anything, just nodded at him.

"Ric. It was good to see you again, man." Sam said, shaking the other hunter's hand.

"You too." Alaric replied.

"Keep an eye on our cousin, will you?" Dean asked, and Ric nodded. When their farewells were over, Caroline approached her cousins.

"Come on, I'll walk you to the door."

Making their way through the grand halls of the Salvatore house, they walked in silence. They reached the front door they stopped, still quiet. Dean cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Well, I guess we'll see you around then." He was surprised when the blonde girl jumped at him, wrapping him in her warm embrace. He immediately returned it.

"Take care of yourselves." She whispered, before pulling away. "And, for god sakes, call me once in a while." She glared at them both.

"Yes ma'am." They replied.

"Good." She reached towards Sam, giving him a big bear hug, laughing when he picked her up off the ground again.

"See you, Care." He said as he put her back down.

"Bye, Sammy." She replied, pecking him quickly on the cheek. He smiled, before walking out the door, his brother staying for another moment.

"If you die, I will hunt you ass down and kill you." She said bluntly. She thought Dean would chuckle, but for once he looked perfectly serious.

"I'll try not to." Caroline nodded, knowing it was the best she would get. Her cousin gave her shoulder a squeeze and kissed her lightly on the forehead, much like he used to when she was younger. "Try not to get kidnapped too many times when we're gone, little bear." She rolled her eyes at his teasing and huffed indignantly. With one last smirk Dean was gone and out of the door, leaving her alone in the hallway.

She wasn't sure how long she stood by the door, but eventually she was joined by none other than Damon.

"Weren't they a bucket full of sunshine?" Caroline looked at him in annoyance. "What? Just trying to lighten the glum mood... little bear." He added with a wide smirk.

"Damon! Why do you always listen into to my private conversations?" She shrieked as Damon avoided a punch.

Men.

Sorry the update took so long! I was working on my Klaroline fic and it took me a while to sit back down and get this down...

This is the last part for now, though I may eventually add a Part 4.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!

RW