A/N: Where to begin? I have been gone for so long. Part of this chapter was written over a year ago. Imagine that. I suffer a lot with depression and I lost interest in everything. I don't even draw like I used to. It's been a stressful time for me. I've been juggling school, and mental illness which is definitely not easy. I am sorry though, for even that should not have kept me away so long. I'm sure most of you don't even care about this story anymore. I am currently writing the next chapter already, so I do hope to have it up as soon as possible. I really don't like this chapter that much because I feel disconnected with it since I started this over a year ago. I think I intended it to go differently and I still may change it when I add the next chapter. If I do, I will let everyone know to go back and re-read if it's a big change (Which I think it might be) If I can make it work without changing this chapter then I will do that also. Please let me know what you think! Enjoy!

The Stars Connect Us

Chapter 6:

The night is cold and dark. Home to many unforgiving creatures. Home to many known monsters.

The night is often accompanied by the chilly winds of the north, and warm breezes of the south. There are many creatures that lurk in the dark shadows of the day, just watching; waiting for the shadows to overtake the blue sky. To engulf the bright sky with its shadows and darkness. To free the monsters. The night is the monster's day, humans have no place in it. During those hours, the world belongs to them. If you're lucky, you'll live to see the sun rise in the east and set in the west. But, I'm afraid, once the last traces of the sun hides away, you belong to them.

They say the sun is also afraid of the night. Which is why it hides away. The sun is the servant of the day, the moon is the servant of the night. It's a cold cruel world, we take our heat and comfort from the sun and when it abandons us, we die. So, if the sun is a servant of the day, does that make us servants of the sun? And what if the creatures of the night make the sun their servant too? What if those horrible things could walk in the sun as well?

Who would protect the servants of the sun, then? Because the sun can no longer keep us safe…

"She's all alone…" Mia Salvatore sported her signature smirk. The one she used when she saw someone she wanted.

Her eyes were dark with lust, a predatory gaze in them.

"Mia…I—" The girl yelped as Mia pushed her up against the wall, her lips attacking the girl's throat.

"My husband—he...oh," Mia groped the girl through her dress earning a moan from her. Mia knew just how much amount of pressure to add to make her want more.

"Fuck your husband. He doesn't know the first thing about pleasing a woman…" Mia's voice is thick with lust. Just the sound of her voice alone made the girl moan.

Mia decided to put her fingers to good use. Her hand traveled downward. She wasted no time in plunging her fingers deep in the girl's wetness. And my was she wet. Her moans were loud as she threw her head back against the wall, her eyes squeezed shut. The girl's mouth had sounds coming out of it that most would think impossible. Her husband never made her moan like this…

Before Mia knew it, she felt the girl's walls clench around her fingers and knew she was nearing her climax.

And then it happened.

The brunette woman screamed so loudly she was sure everyone would hear, her muscles spasmed and her body shook.

Mia stared at her in awe. She has always loved watching a woman orgasm. Everything about it was beautiful. The sound, the way their bodies moved, the feeling of their juices flowing; dripping down her fingers…it was almost as good as drinking blood, hence, why she often mixed the two…

Mia couldn't resist anymore, she let her fangs grow and the gray veins pool around her eyes before latching her mouth onto the girl's neck. As soon as she pierced her skin the girl moaned louder.

It is rumored that drinking blood during or right after sex makes the blood taste sweeter, and the human experiences extreme pleasure.

Unfortunately for her, this will be her last fuck. Mia has no intentions on stopping until there is no blood left in the girl. At least she died feeling good.

Mia greedily gulps down her blood without showing any signs of letting up. The girl grew weaker until she could no longer moan, and her eyes were getting heavier every second.

When the girl was knocked out, Mia tore her throat open with her teeth. Once she was satisfied with the state the body was in, she smiled. Mia wiped her hand on her sleeve and turned to leave.

She heard something move from her side and turned to see a boy standing there looking at her. The fear evident on his face.

The young boy was no older than four or five, but age meant nothing to a vampire with no humanity. He's just another snack….

Mia looked at him before flashing behind him. She held a hand over his mouth and sank her teeth into his neck.

Mia Salvatore was a monster. She was one of them, because of her. Because of Katherine.

Screaming…that's all that could be heard for miles. She massacred an entire town. Painting the walls in blood. Blood stained her clothes…blood was everywhere. There was red everywhere. But she didn't care.

Mia Salvatore was high on their screams and drunk on their blood. That's how she often spent her days. Running from Lexi when she went off the rails, a lot of times she was with Stefan. But even he couldn't keep up with her.

Mia had a unique way of dealing with the guilt after she ripped her way through a home. Stefan would try to piece the bodies back together after…but Mia was different. During her most vicious stages of her ripper days, she would write all over the wall with the blood of her victims, taunting anyone who found the bodies, laughing at what she did. During those days, Lexi knew despite how much she wanted to intervene, she couldn't. No one could save Mia during those times.

What Mia didn't know was that Lexi was never far. Lexi always made sure Mia thought she was far, though. When Mia was a ripper she didn't want to be saved. She knew if she killed too many, she would be giving away her position and Lexi would find her in a heartbeat.

There were times when Mia would be close to turning her humanity back on. That became clear when those taunting messages turned into almost cries for help; or quotes about hope.

Once Mia wrote out directly to Lexi. It was something she told Lexi when they were talking about how much Mia remembers when she has her humanity turned off. Stefan often hardly remembers anyone or anything except Mia and Damon when he's like that.

But Mia told Lexi she remembers her when she has no humanity.

"You never forget the face of the person who was your last hope…" Mia told her back then.

That's what Mia wrote one night, the message written in blood on the white walls of her victim's homes.

It was obvious then. Mia was reaching out for help…

Lexi was Mia's friend, she always had a way of helping her with her ripper side. She was always able to fix her…except for that one time…

There was only one secret Lexi ever kept from Mia.

"Damn it!" Lexi growled. She was sure she'd be able to catch her. How could she mess this up? Who knew how long it would be before she was able to find Mia again.

"Yeah, Mia was always aggressive. Don't take it personally. She has a unique strength to her." The voice that spoke behind her was raspy, seductive even. It was enough to startle Lexi though. No one was ever able to sneak up on her…

She turned around quickly, getting in a defensive position to make up for her previous lack of awareness.

The face that greeted her was enough to make her stumble.

"You? Aren't you supposed to be dead?" Lexi had seen many things in her life. But seeing a vampire that was supposedly burned to ashes was first on her list.

"So, you know who I am? They must talk about me a lot…" The calmness in her voice irked Lexi. How can she be so calm about ruining a family, then faking her death?

"She loved you. All of them did…"

"I know…"

"So then why? What was your plan? Ruining their lives…turning them against one another…how could you?!" Lexi's voice held nothing but pure venom. Her eyes grew dark and the veins pooled around her eyes. She considered them family. Stefan and Mia were like little siblings she adored. Damon was the annoying little brother who you didn't quite get along with but still loved anyway. She hated when they fought…knowing that Katherine is the cause of most of this.

"I had to look after myself. I will always look after myself." Is her simple answer. That wasn't enough for Lexi, though. She growled in response.

"They are like my family."

"You can't even control them. Mia is different from Stefan. It's easier to get him to cooperate. You can usually get Stefan under control once you catch him. But Mia—well, let's face the fact that I'm her best hope when it comes to saving her. She'll always listen to me. She was always more aggressive."

"What do you know? You left them what? Fifty years ago, was it? I can handle them just fine." This woman made Lexi's skin boil. The calmness of her demeanor, the smirk playing softly at the corner of her mouth, even her beauty. She could see why Mia loved her so much. Perhaps that was the problem.

Lexi wasn't in love with Mia, nor Stefan. No. She admired them. Love is a strong word, but she could never deny the pang of jealousy she felt when Mia would talk about Katherine. Or when she would play a song that she told Lexi she made for Katherine when they were together. Stefan was always more conservative about his feelings for Katherine. But even so…Mia was the one that made her heart skip many beats when they first met. It's true that any feelings she had been harboring for the blue-eyed beauty all turned to a sisterly love, but it still is enough to make her dislike this Katherine woman even more.

She met Stefan and Damon first. Lexi heard of the older sister from Stefan. He'd never shut up about her. Even when he was a ripper, Stefan took pride in his sister. He would even show her some of her artwork that she painted. Lexi found herself fascinated with the talented girl that was his older sister.

One day, she decided to ask why she wasn't there. Lexi had been afraid to before. She assumed Mia had been killed during the battle of willow creek and didn't have vampire blood in her system. But that wasn't the case…

There was another Salvatore out there, and a ripper like her younger brother Stefan. Lexi made a promise then. She promised herself and Stefan that they would find Mia and fix her.

Nothing could've prepared her for their first meeting, though.

(X)

It was 1885 and she and Stefan found her drenched in warm blood. Mia slaughtered everyone in a town somewhere on the coast of Florida. She killed every man, woman, and child without remorse. Staining the ground with their blood.

Lexi had never seen anything like it…

The state those bodies were left in…now that seemed like more of a crime than the killing. At least leave enough so they're recognizable…

The moment Lexi looked Mia in her blood-stained face, her heart went into overdrive. Almost pounding its way out of her chest.

Of course, she would be beautiful! Any sister of Stefan and Damon would be.

She had finally come face to face with the mysterious sister she had secretly admired for so many years…

Mia looked at her with this wicked smirk. Her eyes full of mirth as they shone with the wickedness of her soul. Lexi gasped.

How can something so beautiful appear so evil and deadly?

Stefan was right beside her. Perhaps Mia seeing her brother after all this time would be good for her.

"Why hello there, little brother." She smirked. Her eyes never left Lexi's. It was as if she could see into her soul.

"Mia, stop this. Please." Stefan's voice appeared frail and pained. The sight of his sister like this hurt him more than anything. Especially since he too had been in her position.

"Who are you?" Mia asked gesturing to Lexi, completely ignoring Stefan. "You see all this? Don't you like it? Now, this is art." Mia smirked.

"I'm Lexi."

And so it began. Unknown to Lexi, she would be doing this for years to come. Most times it was just Mia. But sometimes she'd have to hunt them both down and force them to turn their humanity back on.

It didn't bother Lexi too much. They were her family. She loved them like her real siblings. Mia was always worse than Stefan. There was this one time…

If anything proved Mia had no limits with her switch flipped, it was this. The year was 1914. Mia was in New York of all places…

Every single thing Lexi tried, failed. Mia always seemed to slip right through her fingers.

Lexi heard the news and her heart broke. Mia had gone to an orphanage and killed every child while they screamed in fear. There were no survivors. Lexi didn't know how she was ever going to get Mia to turn her humanity back on then. Imagine coming back from something like that.

That's when Katherine found her. Yes, it was clear that neither of them thought too highly of the other, but it was for Mia. She had to be stopped.

(X)

(Starts where it left off with Lexi and Katherine talking)

"What do you know? You left them what? Fifty years ago, was it? I can handle them just fine."

"Can you?" It was a simple statement, but it was filled with mockery. Mockery that made Lexi want to drive a stake through her heart.

"I wouldn't have to if you didn't have them wrapped around your finger just to break them!"

"I'm not here to talk about my past with you. Mia's drawing too much attention she needs to be under control."

Lexi laughs then. The nerve of this woman.

"Drawing attention? From whom? The police have no idea who's doing this. They have no leads. They're blaming a religious cult!"

"Oh please. Any vampire anywhere close to here would know what's going on. Not all of them take kindly to vampires like Mia."

"Yeah right. They won't find her." Lexi waves her off.

"I did. If I can, so can any other vampire. There are vampires out there a lot stronger than you and I combined." Katherine's voice has a hint of irritation. For some reason, Lexi gets the impression that Katherine was just being generous. She hardly believes Katherine would waste time like this usually.

Maybe it was time to swallow her pride, then.

"I'll help you this time because it's in my best interest to. Next time, keep a better leash on her, will you? I don't need any distractions." Katherine sighed.

Lexi wanted to kill her. What a bitch…

It took everything in her not to attack her. She can use all the help she can get…

Mia POV:

The sound of my door flinging open is what wakes me. I groan. Is it a crime to sleep?

I try to force my eyes open, but immediately shut them back when I see the sun has barely risen.

"Come on, rise and shine!" I recognize Lexi's voice immediately. I hear her footsteps move closer to my bed before she flops down next to me.

"Stefan called you?" I ask. My voice is still heavy with sleep.

"Yes." I let out a loud sigh at her answer. Of course, he would!

"He shouldn't have. I'm fine." I mumble.

"You had a relapse. He was right to call me. Four humans, Mia. Four!" Lexi was upset. I should've known this was coming…

"And I found a way to stop! That is nothing compared to how it used to be!"

"This is how it always starts! You decide to have a few humans and then Bam! Within the next week, you've tripled that number!"

"But I didn't! I stopped! Give credit where it's due!"

"Okay. You're right. Talk to me about it, then at least."

I sigh loudly and turn to face her. Guess I won't be getting any more sleep right now…

"I tortured a werewolf. He came back with Katherine and we needed answers. I flipped my switch halfway and ended up killing the werewolf…"

"Keep going." Lexi's voice was stern. I know she's disappointed in me…

"I almost hurt Elena but I was able to make myself leave…that's when I killed those girls."

"You need to stay with me. Get ready. We'll be leaving soon." Lexi moves to get up.

"What? No! I can't There's more…" that seemed to have gotten her attention. Lexi raises her eyebrows expectantly.

"Well?"

"If I tell you this you have to promise me you won't say a thing to Stefan and Damon!"

"You know I won't. I promise."

"Katherine found me. She found me just before I killed another girl. She told me she compelled Elena's aunt to stab herself to make sure I had my humanity on. Once she was sure, she wanted to strike a deal."

"I'm guessing you agreed. If you didn't, we wouldn't be talking about this right now."

"I did…"

"And…?"

"She told me she wouldn't hurt Elena. She wanted to be partners. There's this legend…the curse of the sun and the moon. Apparently, it can rid vampires of the curse of not being able to walk in the sun, or rid the werewolves having to turn only on a full moon."

"So, long story short, I'm guessing Katherine wants to break this curse?"

"She wanted the moonstone. It's needed to break the curse. Our friend Tyler had the moonstone, now Damon threw it in with Katherine once we locked her in the tomb."

"I don't get what this has to do with you leaving. Your biggest threat is left to rot in a tomb. What else could possibly be—"

"Katherine said Elena's life is in danger. She said that Elena's the doppelgänger and she needs to be protected. She wasn't lying, Lex. I know her. She never got the chance to tell me from what…so I have to be ready. I have to stay and protect her."

"Then it's settled. I'll stay here in Mystic Falls, too." I groan loudly. It's not like I don't enjoy being with Lexi. But imagine that annoying older sister who won't let you do too much because she's afraid you'll fall back into old habits type of sister. That's Lexi.

"Next time maybe you'll think twice before you wanna have a feast on humans…"

"Yeah, whatever."

"Mia?" Lexi calls. I can tell just by her voice that she wants to ask something serious.

"Hm?"

"I need you to be honest, are you and Elena together?"

"It's…complicated," I tell her simply. There's no better way to describe it. We want to be. And had Katherine not come back demanding that I remove Elena from my life, we probably would be. I think she's better off with Stefan, though…for now.

For now…

Elena POV:

I don't remember much. I do remember getting ready to leave but instead, I felt this sharp pain in the back of my head and then nothing.

Only once my kidnapper put me down on a couch and untied the ropes restraining me, did I get a clear look at his face.

The way he looked at me…there was a certain hunger in his eyes that made me uncomfortable.

"What do you want?" I ask him. I even surprised myself that my words were able to come out clearly.

"Ssh…"

"Please, I'm hurt…" I don't like that look in his eyes.

"I know. Just a taste…" he leans close to me, his face going into full vampire mode. I squeeze my eyes shut just hoping someone will come to save me. I know Mia would rip apart anyone and anything until she found me. The thought both frightens and excites me. But I also know she could be taking this very hard and shut off her humanity instead. That seems so likely that heart aches at the thought. She needs me just as much as I need her, I've come up with this conclusion long ago.

"Trevor! Control yourself!" A new voice of a woman screams.

"Buzzkill." Trevor groans.

He leaves, and I'm left alone with my other kidnapper. The woman.

"What do you want with me?" I ask.

"Oh my god, you look just like her..." she says. Her eyes wide in fascination. Of course, this has something to do with Katherine…why couldn't my doppelgänger be some sort of angel or something?

"But I'm not. Please, whatever you-!"

"Be quiet!" She yells at me.

"But I'm not Katherine. My name is Elena Gilbert; you don't have to do this..." I plead.

"I know who you are. I said be quiet."

"What do you want?" The last thing I saw was her raise her hand and I'm flying backward into unconsciousness.

The last words she says before I pass out were, "I want you to be quiet."

Mia POV:

After I was finally able to convince Lexi I wanted some alone time, I made my way to the basement for a blood bag.

I was just about finished drinking when my phone rang.

I sigh.

It's Jeremy. I frown. Shouldn't he be in school?

"Hey what's up, little Gilbert?"

"I know what's going on between you and my sister, but if I'm supposed to cover for her, I need to know. I just confronted Stefan a little while ago. But he said she wasn't with him."

I frown at this information.

"Jeremy, she wasn't with me either. I said goodbye to her at the masquerade before Damon and I went to put Katherine in the tomb."

"Really? Are you sure?"

"I think I'd know if Elena spent the night with me…" I say rolling my eyes.

"Cause her bed hadn't been slept in and Mrs. Lockwood said that her car was still in the driveway. Where is she then?" I remembered Katherine's words from last night…

She's the doppelgänger! She has to be protected…

My eyes widened and my body freezes.

"Jeremy, find Stefan and tell him I'm going to find Damon and we're going to meet him at school. Find Caroline and Bonnie too. If it comes down to it, we may need Bonnie to do a location spell." I try to keep my voice calm.

"A location spell? Why?"

"Because Elena's missing." I don't have any more to say so I just hang up. I don't know how much time we have. I need to get Damon, so we can go.

I let out a frustrated growl. Perhaps this is why Katherine wanted to talk to me after the masquerade, unfortunately, with Lucy's betrayal, she never got the chance.

I slam the lid shut on the cooler and dial Damon's number.

"It better be important..."

"You're in luck then. Where the fuck are you? Elena is missing we gotta go." I'm in the process of grabbing my jacket when I hear Damon speed up beside me. I tap the end button on my phone.

"We have to meet Stefan at the school, come on." I walk out of the house, Damon following closely behind me.

"My car or yours?" Damon asks.

"Mine." I get into my Mustang and I speed out of the driveway and down the street.

(X)

"This has Katherine written all over it," Stefan says. He, Damon, and I are outside the school.

"How? Katherine's in the tomb. Trust me; we're the ones who shut her in." Damon says gesturing towards me.

"Did you?" Stefan asks. I stare at him in disbelief.

"Did we what, Stefan?" I say. My voice has a sharp edge to it, almost daring him to accuse us.

"Well, I know the hold that Katherine has on the two of you." Is his simple response.

"She's in the tomb, Stefan. End of story. She did mention something before we shut her in. Damon and I thought she was lying."

"What did she say?"

"Elena's in danger," I tell him.

"And you didn't think you should ask her to elaborate?!"

"I did! She didn't say anything! We thought she was lying!" I'm getting angry now. All of this is wasting time.

"Everything she says is a lie. How were we supposed to know if she's gonna start spouting out the truth?" Damon's voice is dripping with annoyance. I don't blame him. How could any of us know this would be happening in one night?

"We have to talk to her," Stefan concludes.

"No, no. Let me tell you how that's gonna go: We're gonna ask for help, she's gonna negotiate her release which we're going to be dumb enough to give her and she's gonna get out and kill us! That's exactly what she wants!"

"I agree with Damon. Leave Katherine out of this. We can find Elena another way. Maybe Bonnie can do a spell?"

"I really don't care. I made up my mind." Stefan dismisses us.

"It's a bad idea, Stefan."

"It's Elena." He responds as if that's the answer to everything.

"Idiot," I mumble under my breath. My brothers are both idiots, but right now, Stefan takes the cake.

Elena POV:

I can hear them having a conversation somewhere above me. I've only just woken up from being knocked out.

"How's the girl?" The woman asks.

"Still passed out." That one must be Trevor. The one who tried to feed on me.

"You didn't touch her, did you?" She asks him.

I hear him sigh, "Give me some credit. So, you called him?"

"No, I called one of his contacts. You know how this works."

I make my way slowly towards the steps. I'm being careful not to make any noise that might draw their attention.

"Did you or did you not get the message to Elijah?"

I hear Trevor ask. Who is Elijah? What would he want with me?

"They say he got it."

"Wonderful or what?" Trevor says.

I begin to slowly walk up the stairs to try and hear them better.

"So that's it, Trevor. He either got it or he didn't. We just have to wait."

"Look, it's not too late. We can leave it here. We don't have to go through with this."

"I'm sick of running!" Rose screams.

"Yeah? Well, I'm trying to keep us from dying!"

"Elijah's old school. If he accepts our deal, we're free."

I'm too busy listening to their conversation, that I'm not paying attention to where I'm going and step on a squeaky part of one of the boards on the steps.

Now I'm in for it….

Before my mind can process, I look up to see Rose had already caught me.

"You! There's nothing around here for miles. If you think you're getting out of this house, you're tragically wrong. Understand?"

I choose to ignore her threat. Curiosity killed the cat.

"Who's Elijah?" I ask her.

"He's your worst nightmare."

Mia POV:

"I can't undo the tomb spell, Stefan. Even if I wanted to. It took both me and my Grams to undo it the first time." I'm silently listening to Stefan trying to get Bonnie to break the spell on the tomb. I know I'm not Bonnie's favorite person, so I try to let Stefan do most of the talking.

"But I can open the door, right? I can talk to her?"

"Yeah, but Damon's right. She's not gonna tell you anything, not without something in return."

"I know but Bonnie I have to do something. I have no idea who has Elena; I have no idea where she is." I roll my eyes at Stefan's last comment. Did he forget Bonnie is a witch?

I clear my throat before Bonnie can respond.

"There will be no need for that, Stefan. I need Katherine to stay exactly where she is. Is there any way you can do a locator spell?" I direct my question to Bonnie.

Her eyes light up, "Come with me."

(X)

Stefan and I walk back into a classroom where Bonnie and Jeremy have a map and candles spread out on the desks.

"Alright, Alaric said we've got to clear out of here within ten minutes. Mia and I have weapons, he stocked us up."

"Are you ready?" Bonnie asks Jeremy. He nods, and she uses a knife to cut his hand.

Immediately, I can feel the veins under my eyes and my teeth starting to sharpen. The wonderful scent of blood feeling my nose as she cuts his hand and his blood falls on the map.

I close my eyes and focus my breathing, trying to block out the scent. Before long, I'm in control of myself again.

Jeremy's blood drops merge into one and go towards Elena's location.

"There. She's there!"

I rush over to the map, ignoring the scent.

"That's 300 miles away!" Jeremy says.

"No, we need a more exact location than that." Stefan sighs.

"That's as close as I can get."

"We can map it, the aerial view will show us what's around there, help us narrow down the area," I tell them.

"Exactly what I was going to say," Jeremy tells me.

"Perfect. Call one of us with whatever you find." Stefan says to him.

"No, I'm coming with you guys!"

"No, Jeremy, you're not. I can't risk you getting hurt. We'll bring her back, okay little Gilbert?" I send him a soft smile, hoping he'll understand.

"What if she's already…?"

"No. She's not. I know she isn't. We'll call you the minute we find her." I know what Jeremy was going to say, but I refuse to think like that.

Elena is alive.

If she wasn't, then I have no doubt that nothing will be able to stop me from killing every last man, woman, or child that I come across.

"Where is Damon?" Stefan's voice takes me out of my thoughts.

"Right here." He says from the doorway.

"Come on, guys. We have to get going…"

(X)

"Alaric sure likes his weapons…" Damon says. We're close, I can tell.

"Hey, how much further is it?" Stefan asks.

"About 80 miles," I tell him.

"Who do you think took her?" Damon questions.

"Someone from Katherine's past. She said she was running from someone. They got the wrong girl." I answer. I mean, it seems likely.

"Thank you for helping us, Damon," Stefan says to him. He should know better than to try that.

"Can we not do the whole road trip bonding thing? The cliché of it all makes me itch." I let out a chuckle at his words.

"Oh, come on Damon. We both know that you being in this car has absolutely nothing to do with me anyway. Actually, the same goes for you too, Mia." I let out a scoff and turn my attention back out the window.

"The elephant in the room lets out a mighty roar."

"Well, it doesn't have to be an elephant. Let's talk about it. All of us."

"There's absolutely nothing to talk about," I reply in a dismissive tone.

"That's not true. I'm sure there is. Just get it out. I mean, are you in this car because you want to help your little brother save the girl that he loves? Or is it because you love her too? Hmm? I mean come on, express yourself. I happen to like road trip bonding." I'm speechless. Stefan…

"You keep this up, Stefan, and I'll step out just as easily as I stepped in," I growl. How dare he?

"No, you see that's the beauty of it. You can't."

I decide not to respond. He's right. There's nothing that would make me what to abort saving Elena. I wouldn't do that. I can't….

Elena POV:

"Why am I here?" I decided to try to ask while it was just me and Rose.

"You keep asking me these questions like I'm gonna answer them."

"Why won't you?"

"That's another one." She sighs.

"You got me, okay? It's not like I can go anywhere. The least you can do is tell me what you want with me."

"I personally want nothing. I'm just a delivery service."

"Delivery to who? Elijah?"

"Two points to the eavesdropper."

"Who is he? Is he a vampire?"

"He's one of the vampires, the originals."

Originals? I've never heard of anything like this.

"What do you mean the originals?"

"Again, with the questions. Haven't the Salvatore's been teaching you your vampire history?" She sighs.

"So you know Stefan, Mia, and Damon?"

"I know of them. A hundred years back, a friend of mine tried to set me up with Stefan. She said he was one of the good ones. I'm more of a sucker for the bad boys though, but I digress." She sighs before looking down at an old book.

"Who are the originals?" I try again.

"Trevor and I have been running for 500 years. We're tired, we want it over. We're using you to negotiate ourselves out of an old mess."

"But why me?" It still doesn't make any sense…

"Because you're the Petrova Doppelgänger. You're the key to breaking the curse."

"The curse? The sun and the moon curse?"

"Oh, you do know your history." Her voice shows a hint of surprise.

But all of this is still confusing. The key to breaking the curse? What does that even mean?

"What do you mean I'm the key? The moonstone is what breaks the curse."

"No, the moonstone is what binds the curse. The sacrifice is what breaks it."

I pause, letting the information sink in.

"The sacrifice?"

"The blood of the doppelgänger. You're the doppelgänger. Which means, in order to break the curse, you're the one who has to die."

I'm at a loss for words…

Die? But why would this original want to break the curse?

A few seconds pass and I see Trevor making his way into the room.

"Tell me more," I tell them.

"Captivity has made her pushy, eh? What do you want to know doppelicious?" I choose to ignore his comment.

"Who were you running from?"

"The Originals." Trevor answers.

"Yeah, she said that. What does that even mean?"

"The first family, the old world. Rose and I pissed them off."

"Mm-hmm." Rose mumbles. I'm sensing there's more to it.

"Correction, I pissed them off. Rose had my back and for over half a millennium, they wanted us dead."

"What did you do?"

"He made the same mistake countless others did: he trusted Katerina Petrova."

My eyes widen a little as realization settles in.

"Katherine."

"The one and only, the first Petrova Doppelgänger," Rose says to me.

"I helped her escape her fate and now I've, sorry, we've been marked ever since."

"Which is why we're not gonna make the same mistake again."

Mia POV:

I let out another loud sigh. This is taking forever. At this rate, we'll never get there in time.

"We're getting close. Jeremy said there's an access road just past mile marker 6." Stefan tells me after my second sigh.

I realize my frustration is only making me hungry. Damon chugged down a blood bag about 10 minutes ago. I've only now just realized, I'm starving.

I reach in the back seat for a blood bag that I have stashed in a small cooler. I rip it open with my teeth and greedily gulp down the blood. I can feel the veins moving under my eyes as the burning in the back of my throat subsides.

I can practically feel Stefan's eyes on me. I roll my eyes.

"If you want some, just ask," I mumble.

"I want some." He says softly.

"Ah, that's so sweet. You're gonna be all big and strong and save your girl but don't worry, we've got your back. It'll be fine." Damon smirks. I chuckle a bit at his words. Damon has a habit of mocking Stefan for his…diet. I think it's absolutely absurd too. I tried this diet for about a week. It nearly killed me. Animal blood was never enough for me. My body couldn't survive on that's stuff. It's more a physical thing than a mental one. My entire body was close to shutting down. I need the real stuff.

"I'm not joking. I've been drinking a little every day. I'm slowly increasing my intake and building up my strength." Stefan tells us. I look back at him in shock. I didn't know that…

"Here." I hand him the half-full blood bag.

"Does Elena know you're drinking blood?" Damon asks him, glancing at him briefly through the rearview mirror.

"I've been drinking hers." He answers.

My fist clench at his words. I can tell no one noticed my reaction. I even had to suppress a growl. I don't like it. He could hurt her. Plus, she's mine.

I decided to try to act as normal as possible. Including myself in the conversation will hopefully allow me to take my mind off the infuriating fact that Elena wasn't truly mine yet. In a way she is, but only secretly.

"Hmm, how romantic. Since we're road trip bonding, remember the days when all you lived for was blood? You were the guy who ripped someone apart just for the fun of it." I know I'm playing with fire here. But I'd be lying if I said the fact that he put his fangs anywhere near Elena didn't bother me.

"You mean when I was exactly like you?" Ouch.

Well, it is true. I sent a jab towards him first. I guess it's only fair…

"Yes, Stefan, exactly. Back when you and I would have pools filled with blood, and bodies piled up to the ceiling. I wonder if Elena would be so quick to open her veins to that guy. By the way, what happened to that guy? He seemed to change his passion rather quickly."

"I guess he found something else to live for." His words were like getting stabbed in the heart. He found something else to live for…if it's Elena…how would he handle it when she decides to finally end it with him? Will he turn into a ripper again?

"Me too, little brother." Is all I can say. His words hit me deeper than he can ever imagine.

Elena's POV:

Rose and I are sitting quietly when Trevor comes through the door screaming.

"He's here! This was a mistake!"

"No, I told you I would get us out of this. You have to trust me."

"No! He wants me dead, Rose."

"He wants her more," Rose replies, gesturing towards me.

"I can't do this. You give her to him, he'll have mercy on you but I need to get out of here."

"Hey! What are we?" Rose asks him.

"We're family, forever."

Before Rose could respond, there's a knock at the door. I can feel my heart racing. I just want to run and hide in the corner somewhere…but I know that won't keep me safe.

I notice that I'm not the only one…

"You're scared," I say to them. This Elijah must really be scary if they have vampire's older than 500 years scared. I can't even imagine what he'd do to me…

Where are you when I need you most, Mia? Save me from this…please…

"Stay here with her and don't make a sound," Rose tells Trevor who merely nods his response.

Rose leaves to answer the door and I find my heart racing. I know Trevor must hear it. My palms are sweaty, and I keep twirling my fingers; a sure sign of my nervousness.

I can't make out the conversation, but I can hear Rose talking to someone. As they move closer to the door, I can make out what they're saying.

"Oh, when you called and invited me into this armpit of civilization, which is a mere three hours from the town we know as Mystic Falls, I surmised it had everything to do with Katerina. Do you have her in your possession?" That must be Elijah speaking…

"No, but I have one better. I have her doppelganger."

"That's impossible, her family line ended with her. I know that for a fact."

"The facts are wrong," Rose tells him.

"Well, show her to me." My heart beats faster at his words.

"Elijah, you are a man of honor, you should be trusted but I want to hear you say it again."

"You have my word that I will pardon you." He tells her.

Elijah sounds…honorable, to say the least. Not as scary as Rose and Trevor make him seem.

"Follow me."

I turn around once I hear them come through the door. My mouth has gone dry and my breath hitches.

When I catch sight of Elijah my fear heightens. He doesn't physically look scary, he's handsome, but there something about him. He possesses an air of authority, something that gives you chills just by being around him. I don't like it.

I flinch when he speeds up towards me. I'm too scared to move…

Elijah sniffs my neck before smiling.

"Human. It's impossible. Hello there." His eyes trail across my features as if he's remembering something—or in this case, someone.

I mentally curse Katherine for knowing just about every vampire in existence. Just how many people did she manipulate?

Mia's POV:

Damon stops the car not too far away from the house.

"The house should be just beyond those trees. Wait, we've got a lot more experience than you do with those sorts of things, Stefan." Damon says to him. I hate to say it, but I agree. I don't want to go in to rescue Elena and then have it turn into a rescue mission or two. Stefan isn't as strong as Damon and me because he's been on animal blood too long.

"What's your point?"

"His point is, whoever has Elena is probably who was after Katherine in 1864 and before that, meaning they're a hell of a lot older than us. We should be smart about this and you aren't even at your full potential. Why, you may ask? Because you've been sucking on animals instead of humans for too long." Damon looks at me and sighs.

"Well, Mia already said it all…" Damon says and I shrug. I know I'm mostly scared. I realize that if it came down to it, I would save Elena. I will always save Elena. A part of me knows it's because I'm completely and undeniably in love with her, but honestly, it's because she's still human. Damon, Stefan, and I have lived past our death. We should've died a long time ago. Elena still has her life to live. I choose her life over any vampire, any day. I'm not worried about Damon, he can handle himself, it's Stefan I'm mostly worried about.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Damon asks Stefan. I know he's just as worried about him messing this up as I am.

"Yeah, I'm certain I want to do it." He says.

"Because if we go in that house there's a good chance we may not come out."

"Alright, then I won't come out."

"So noble, Stefan."

"I can't think of a better reason to die, but if you and Mia want to stay here, I'll totally understand," Stefan says to us before walking away. Damon and I look at each other. I shake my head. My top priority is Elena…

Elena's POV:

"We have a long journey head of us. We should be going." Elijah says to me. I look back at Rose, pleading with her not to let him take me.

"Please, don't let him take me."

"One last piece of business and we're done," Elijah says. He walks over to Trevor who looks even more frightened than me.

"I've waited so long for this day, Elijah. I'm truly, very sorry."

"Oh no, your apology's not necessary."

"Yes, yes, it is. You trusted me with Katerina and I failed you."

"Oh yes, you are the guilty one and Rose aided you because she was loyal to you and that now I honor. Where was your loyalty?"

"I beg your forgiveness," Trevor whispered as if he were talking to a king.

"So granted." Elijah responded.

Trevor smiles and for a second, I thought Elijah was serious until he suddenly smacked Trevor with such force, he smacked his head clean off his body.

"You…!" Rose screams.

"Don't, Rose, now that you're free."

Elijah looks over at me, "Come."

"No, what about the moonstone?" I decide to bring up the moonstone to stall. Bonnie sent a message using a spell that Stefan and Damon were on their way. She didn't mention Mia. I can't help but wonder if my kidnapping made her go off the rails again. The fact that Bonnie did not mention Mia at all probably means just that. I'm scared of what she may have become. What she's done because of me.

"What do you know about the moonstone?" Elijah asks me.

"I know that you need it and I know where it is," I'm not sure what gave me the confidence to try this sort of thing with a vampire.

"Yes?" He asked.

"I can help you get it." Yes, I was hit in the head too hard. But if only I can stall just a little longer…

"Tell me where it is."

"It doesn't work that way."

"Are you negotiating with me?" He looks at Rose as if this was some sort of joke.

"It's the first I've heard of it." He makes me look him in the eye and I know he's trying to compel me. But the necklace Stefan gave me provides the protection I need to resist his compulsion.

"What is this vervain doing around your neck?"

He pulls the necklace off and throws it on the other side of the room. I flinch.

"Tell me where the moonstone is." I have no control over my mouth as his compulsion sets in.

"In the tomb, underneath the church ruins."

"What's it doing there?"

"It's with Katherine."

"Interesting."

Before he can ask me anymore questions, we hear glass breaking from upstairs. It was loud enough for even a human like me to hear.

"What was that?"

"I don't know," Rose answers him.

"Who else is in this house?"

"I don't know," she says again.

Mia POV:

If Stefan and Damon follow my plan we should take the kidnappers by surprise. I don't think we can fight them head on, because they probably have hundreds of years on us.

The guy in the suit moves with Elena to another part of the house. Stefan and Damon are using vampire speed to sprint around them fast enough to confuse them.

He throws Elena into the woman's arms.

"Rose," He says.

"I don't know who it is." She replies.

"Up here," Stefan says.

Elijah goes up the stairs with his super speed.

"Down here," Damon says. He doesn't know how many of us there are or where we are.

Stefan shot a stake in his hand which the guy in the suit quickly removes it.

Elena is with Stefan and Damon has Rose. They say they want me to stay hidden unless necessary. I scoff at the thought. They are so afraid I'm going to turn into a ripper again.

The only reason I haven't intervened is because the plan is solid so far.

"Excuse me. To whom it may concern, you're making a great mistake if you think that you can beat me. You can't. Do you hear that?" The vampire wearing the suit says. He then breaks a coat rack into a stake.

"I repeat, you cannot beat me. So, I want the girl, I'm gonna count to three or heads will roll. Do we understand each other?"

Elena appears from the top of the stairs and my jaw drops.

Those idiots! Bringing Elena in it wasn't part of the plan! They're going to get her killed!

"I'll come with you, just please don't my friends, they just wanted to help me out."

He speeds up the steps with his stake.

"What game are you playing with me?"

Suddenly, it's chaos as Elena throws vervain bombs at him, and he heals immediately. Elena is obviously caught off guard because she stumbles to run up the steps. I'm there before anyone can blink. I catch her in my arms as she's beginning to fall backwards down the steps.

I use my vampire speed to move us away from the vampire who'd rather wear suits than regular clothes. I don't care what his name is, he'll be dead before long.

"We really gotta stop greeting each other in this position, love," I smirk down at her.

"Mia…I thought—I mean I was hoping you didn't go off the rails for me," Elena says as she looks up at me with those beautiful brown eyes.

"Nah. I knew I had to be strong so I could save you. Stay here, I have to help my brothers," I gently set her on her feet before speeding off towards the business suit chump that messed with my Elena.

I see the vampire tackle Stefan and they tumble down the steps. He immediately gets up, but Stefan stays down. I make it just in time as he is going toward Stefan. I appear in front of him and stake him. I have him pinned up against the door with all my strength. I look him in the face as he appears to be shocked, but his features begin to turn gray nonetheless.

We did it…

The female named Rose sees the scene and turns to walk out the door. I am about to go after her, but Elena tells me to just let her go.

Stefan goes up to hug Elena while Damon stands on the other side of them. We are both looking towards them awkwardly. Elena looks at me over Stefan's shoulder. We lock eyes and she mouths, thank you. I smile softly and mouth, you're welcome.

Once Elena was home safely, I decide to give her some space to be with her family or Stefan. I hate the thought of it, but it's not about me right now.

As soon as I walk in the door, I'm being pounced on by Lexi.

"Where the hell were you? Are you off the rails, again? Look at me!" she growled.

"What? No! I've been with Stefan and Damon all day we-!"

"Sorry, Mia, that isn't going to cut it. You and Stefan have gone off the rails together before, and Damon is still questionable for letting you go off the rails a few days ago." She pushes harder on my throat, pinning me to the ground beneath her.

"Elena was kidnapped, Lexi! We went to save her! Can you please let me go?"

"Look me in the eyes and swear to me."

I do as she said without hesitation.

"Elena was kidnapped last night. If you don't believe me, wait until Stefan and Damon come home, or better yet, you can take my cell and call Elena yourself." My eyes never left hers. I can tell she's starting to believe me.

"So, neither of you thought to call me? I told you, you're on house arrest. I need to know exactly where and who you will be with when you leave!"

"I'm sorry, Lexi. Elena was kidnapped. All reasoning went out the window…"

"Just fill me in next time. I could've helped." Lexi releases my neck and helps me up from the floor.

"I will next time. I promise. It just all happened so fast. I mean I just saw her a few hours before she was kidnapped…I shouldn't have ever gone with Damon. I should have escorted her home. She told me she was going back alone. I can't believe I'm so stupid."

"How could you have known? You thought Katherine was the main threat. You didn't know. Don't blame yourself, Mia. She's safe. That's what matters. None of us are going anywhere, we'll be right here to protect her."

I nod my head at her words, "I know, Lexi. Thank you for everything."

Lexi responds with a bright smile as she punches my arm.

"Don't thank me. I'm not doing anything special." She laughs.

"You are though. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have even made it this far. I probably would've been killed by now. My ripper days were horrific…the things I did…I'm not sure I wanted to live too much longer with the things I did. But you helped me with my redemption. It's just hard to control myself sometimes, but I'm getting there."

"I'll always be here to help. Even though you find me annoying sometimes I'm not going to give up. You remember that, kiddo."

I cringe at the word kiddo.

"Lexi, I'm not a kid. Technically, I'm—"

"Still a kid to me." She chuckles at the look on my face.

I roll my eyes, "Yeah, yeah…"

(X)

The house is quiet. One of the first times it has been since I've been back. I'm taking advantage of this silence by reading in the library. Stefan and Lexi went to the grill with Elena and Caroline. Stefan asked me to tag along but I wasn't really in the mood for it all. Besides, I don't need Lexi to pick up on the not so subtle glances Elena and I give each other.

My eyes snapped up from my book as I heard a faint rustling noise. I know there's someone here. I can smell them. And it isn't Stefan or Damon. The scent is familiar…but not enough for me to know exactly where I recognize it from.

My eyes squint as my ears pick up each movement.

"I know you're there. Why don't you show yourself?" I say aloud. My eyes never leaving my book. I don't need to see. My hearing is enough to know that whomever it is is hiding away from my vision and has the speed of a vampire.

Obviously, my words caught the intruder off guard because their movement stopped. It was just enough time for me to pinpoint exactly where they were. Within seconds I was behind her with a knife to her neck.

"I'm not here to cause trouble." The woman said.

"Who are you?" I seethe. I don't like to be bothered while reading.

"Rose. I was there when you rescued Elena." There.

That's why she smelled familiar. She's the one that Elena told me to let get away.

"Ok. Talk. Why are you here?"

Lexi POV:

Dinner with Stefan and Elena was actually fun. Elena was surprised to see me back so soon, but I mentioned I'm here to keep an eye on Mia and she agreed it was a good idea for me to stay here.

Elena and Mia's relationship is still a mystery to me. I know Mia loves her. But Elena is harder to read. I feel like the feelings are recuperated and Elena is just afraid or she's just a damn good actress in front of Stefan and me.

I want them all to be happy. I can tell she's nothing like Katherine. Even thinking her name seems like a curse…

Back then it technically was a curse. The name was practically taboo around Mia. But eventually she got through it and was at least able to stand hearing her name or even things that reminded her of Katherine.

Now Katherine is back. She's back and ruining Mia all over again. The thought infuriated me to the point where I find myself running towards the ruins of fell church. She's not going to ruin Mia. Not on my watch.

I find myself standing in front of the tomb. I hear a scratching noise on the inside. She's in there.

I quickly move the stone to the side with my strength.

It's dark. I'm waiting for some sort of acknowledgement or even a sign of where she is. Suddenly her hand reaches out of the dark and scrapes the dirty ground. She crawls closer.

"Well, you've certainly seen better days. They really did a number on you." I smirk at her appearance.

"I was hoping I'd never see you again. Come to watch me rot?" Is her sarcastic reply. Her tone still irks me.

"It is a rather satisfying sight, but no. You know why I came." My words earn an eye roll from her.

"I was hoping you'd be dead, so I wouldn't have to have another conversation with you," she sighs and begins picking her nails.

"Ouch. The way you're talking to me you'd think I was the one trapped and you were the one that was free."

She lets out a sigh, briefly looking up from her nails to look at me with an eye roll.

"Even after all these years, you're still a pain in the ass and I don't like you." Katherine tells me as if her words alone could kill.

"Aww! The feeling is mutual, sweetheart." I give her a fake smile making sure to show my dimple on my left cheek.

My response must've annoyed Katherine because she lets out a loud sigh. She should remember going back and forth with me is pointless.

"Why did you come to Mystic Falls, anyway?"

"I heard Mia was off the rails. I came to get her under control and keep her there." I told her.

"But you weren't the one who got her to get under control. I was." I bit the inside of my jaw. This woman sure knows how to piss me off.

"Are you looking for a thank you? Okay then, thank you. Happy?" I roll my eyes once I see her annoying smirk.

"Not exactly what I was going for, but I'll take it." She shrugged.

"Then what?"

"I want you to acknowledge the fact that I was right. I'm Mia's best hope at saving her…Just like back then."

My fists clench and I feel my chest tighten in what I know is nothing but pure anger. The nerve of this woman!

"Don't you dare tell me you're her best hope! I was there time and time again and you were there twice! Don't you ever speak to me in that proud annoying tone of yours like you actually did something! You're nothing but a manipulative slut!"

I'm seething by the time I'm finished. My eyes have darkened considerably, and I feel the veins forming around my eyes as my teeth grow to a sharp point.

"All this anger…does it have anything to do with the fact that you're in love with a certain blue-eyed brown hair Salvatore?" Her voice…her voice really sets me off. The way the corners of her mouth form into a smirk as her eyes glistened with mischief…or even how she says everything like it's a joke and she couldn't care less.

"I'm not in love with her. My anger is directed towards you. I don't like you. Simple."

"This would be so much easier if you didn't lie, Lexi…" Katherine looks at me and let's out a sigh. I stare back at her, jaw clenched while my eyes have darkened considerably since I first got here.

"Why would I lie to you of all people? I don't owe you anything. I do not love her." I keep eye contact with her as I tell her once again that I am not in love with Mia.

"Oh? What about 1914? The real reason you let Mia slip right through your fingers…"

Damn…

"Shut up." I growl. It's none of her business what my feelings were." I mean, who wouldn't love her? I admired her for years before I met her. Ripper Mia is very flirtatious. She kissed me. Just to stake me in the back and rush out the door that's before Katherine revealed herself, mocking my failure.

Katherine scoffs, "Fine. I don't really care how you feel."

"Good."

"Are we finished here?" Katherine sighs in a bored tone.

"I'm not going to let you mess with Mia's head again. There's too much going on right now with Elena being kidnapped and—"

"Elena was kidnapped?" She asked. The look on her face is genuinely surprised.

"They got her back…apparently she was taken for a ritual that she has to die for in order to break…"

"Yes…I know all about it. Listen, I'm not sure how they managed to get Elena back in one piece, but this isn't over. Whomever kidnapped her is doing it for him. They will come for her. They have to." Judging by her tone, I know she's serious about this. Probably more serious than she's ever been about anything.

"Who are they doing it for?" I ask.

"Klaus."

Mia POV: Next Day…

"Okay, you have to understand I only know what I've picked up over the years and I don't know what's true and what's not true. It's the problem with all this vampire crap but Klaus, I know he's real." Rose says. Elena looks concerned. As she should be. I don't like the sound of this Klaus, guy. I never did. Although I always assumed he was a myth.

"Who is he?" Elena asks.

"He's one of the originals, he's a legend." Damon answers her with a simple response before sipping some bourbon.

"From the first generation of vampires." Stefan clarifies.

"Like Elijah?" she asks.

"No. Elijah was the Easter bunny compared to Klaus. He's a foot soldier. Klaus is the real deal." Rose responds.

"Klaus is known to be the oldest," I tell her softly.

"Okay, so you're saying that the oldest vampire in the history of time is coming after me?"

"Yes," Rose says. I roll my eyes at her bluntness.

"No." I say.

"What they're saying is, I mean if what she's saying is true..." Damon chimes in at the sight of Elena's confused face.

"Which it is," Rose says.

"And you're not saying it so we don't kill you…"

"Which I'm not,"

"Then we're looking at a solid maybe."

"Look, Elijah's dead, right? So, no one else even knows that you exist."

"Not that I know of." Rose says.

"Not helping…" I grumble.

"Look, I've never even met anyone who's laid eyes on him. I mean, we're talking centuries of truth mixed with fiction. We don't know if he's real. For all we know he could just be some sort of stupid bed time story," Stefan says. I nod my head in agreement. He's probably fake anyway…

"He's real and he doesn't give up. If he wants something, he gets it. If you're not afraid of Klaus, then you're an idiot."

"Alright, we're shaking. You made your point." Is Damon's sarcastic reply. I find myself chuckling at his words while Elena rolls her eyes at us. She gets up from her seat quickly.

"Where are you going?" Stefan asks.

"School. I'm late."

"Let me grab my stuff. I'll go with you." Stefan tells her.

"It's okay. I know where it is." Something seems off...

I decide I'm going to follow Elena on her way to school…

"She's in denial," Damon tells Rose.

"Shut up," Stefan mumbles to him.

I followed Elena and Caroline for about 10 minutes. They drove to the school and then drove out of the parking lot. It wasn't until the car stopped on the side of the road near the woods that I knew what they were planning. But I sure hope I'm wrong…

I carefully trailed them into the woods where the ruins of Fell's Church were. Where Katherine was trapped…

"Tell everyone I wasn't feeling well and went home from school," I hear Elena's voice ahead of me.

"I can't believe I'm agreeing to this. I'm a terrible liar." Caroline sighs.

"Keep Stefan and Mia busy, I don't want them to know what I'm up to,"

"I'm even worse at duplicity and you know this."

"You—"

"Elena." I call out to her as I step out of the tree line into sight. Her entire body goes stiff at the sound of my voice.

"Mia…it's not…we were just…" Caroline tries to come up with some sort of logical excuse, but I wave my hand to dismiss her.

"Save it. I know what you were helping her do. I'll handle it from here, Caroline. Don't mention this to Stefan, either."

Caroline nods as she quickly speeds off back towards the road.

"I'm going in with or without you." Elena says as I speed up to her.

"I know." I tell her softly. My hands rest at her sides as I lean in for a kiss.

She kisses me back almost instantly. Our lips move together softly, almost as if we're afraid the other will break.

"No matter what happens in there, remember that kiss. Remember me not her." Elena says. I know why she's doing this. She knows the hold Katherine has over me and she doesn't want me to lose myself in rage or bloodlust.

"I will. I promise."

"Good. Are you ready?" She asks me.

"As ready as I'll ever be…but I must ask, why do you want to talk to her?"

"I want to ask her about Klaus. When they kidnapped me, the guy Elijah killed—Trevor was obsessed with me because of Katherine. I just want to know what happened centuries ago that would make me just as important as Katherine was…"

"Are you sure about this?" I ask her one last time before she goes in to speak with Katherine. I know whatever Katherine tells her will change everything…

"Yes. I'm going." She doesn't think I'm letting her go alone does she? Ha.

"We're going. I'm not letting you do this alone."

I start to walk away but Elena pulls my arm and reaches for my face. She slams her lips into mine.

"I love you." She tells me softly as soon as our lips pull apart.

We walk towards the tomb, hand in hand. Once we got to the door I let go of her hand to move the large stone blocking the entrance.

I know this is hard for Elena. Hell, I'm nervous.

"Katherine?" Elena calls out.

We both wait a moment, Elena's hand wrapped tightly in my own. A few seconds later we heard sluggish footsteps moving closer to the entrance.

When I saw her…I mean, what was supposed to be her…I couldn't believe my eyes. She looked awful. Her clothes were dirty, and her body had been deprived of blood long enough for her to appear pale and dark circles to form around her eyes. Seeing her like this made me clench Elena's hand tighter.

"Hello. You two come to watch me wither away?" She glances down at our intertwined fingers, and her eyes darken.

"Goodbye Mia," she says suddenly.

I scoff, but I do end up letting go of Elena's hand.

"I'm not going anywhere, Katherine."

"Stefan know you're here? And holding hands with his older sister?" Katherine mocks. I knew she was going to be difficult.

"I brought you some things," Elena says completely ignoring her.

"You two came to bribe me? What is it that you want?"

"I want you to tell me about Klaus." Elena tells her. Straight to the point…

"Hmm, you've been busy."

"I brought this," Elena pulls out an old book with the words Petrova on the front. "It's your family history. It says in here that the family line ended with you. Obviously, that's not true."

"You think that if you brought me some family keepsake that I'd open up?"

"I also brought you this," Elena takes a bottle of blood from the bag and shows it to Katherine. Katherine rushes over towards Elena but she can't get out because of the barrier.

"You don't look so good. How long before your body shuts down? 10, 20 years? It must be painful to desiccate and mummify. I can't even imagine."

"Elena…" I whisper to her. She glances at me and I shake my head. "Don't."

"It's fine, Mia." Katherine mumbles.

Katherine sits down on the floor. Elena puts some blood in a glass on the ground and pushes it towards her with a stick. Katherine takes the glass and drinks. Her skin regains some of its color. I let out a sigh…

Seeing her like that was completely horrible.

"You have the Petrova fire."

Katherine put the glass down when she was done, and Elena took it to fill it with more blood.

"It's a long story, Klaus and I. It goes all the way back to England, 1492, after I left Bulgaria. Or was thrown out."

"Thrown out?" Elena asked.

"My family, your true ancestors, they disowned me. My indiscretions were not tolerated at that time. I had a baby out of wedlock. The shame."

None of this comes as a shock to me. I already knew about her child. She told me back in 1864…

"It was kept secret?"

"Mhmm. My baby was given away. I was banished to England and I had to learn to adjust. So, I quickly became English," She says with a mock British accent. "It was there that I caught the eye of a nobleman named Klaus. I was taken with him at first, til I found out what he was and what he wanted from me. And then I ran like hell."

"So, what did Klaus want?" I ask her. I'm finally getting some answers about the person that made her run from me all those years ago…

"The same thing that he'll want from Elena. He wants to break the curse."

"By sacrificing the Petrova doppelgänger…" Elena mumbles.

"He wanted to drain every single drop of blood from my body."

"What does the Petrova blood line have to do with Klaus?"

"It's really tedious, but…"

She takes another drink of blood before continuing.

"The curse was bound by the sacrifice of Petrova blood. Witches are crafty with their spells. The doppelgänger was created as a way to be able to undo the spell. Once the doppelgänger reappeared, the curse can be broken."

"So, you ran before he killed you?"

"Something like that…"

Katherine told us the story about how she first met Rose. After Trevor helped her flee from the monster they call Klaus. The guy sounds scary I must say. Especially considering that he had Katherine on the run for 500 years.

"Rose never ended up taking you back to Klaus, did she?" Elena asks Katherine.

"No. But not because she had a change of heart…"

"I stabbed myself. Waited for Rose to smell my blood and she ended up giving me her blood to heal me. After that I hanged myself."

Elena stopped for a second as she gasps softly, "You killed yourself?"

"Klaus needed a human doppelgänger. As a vampire, I was no longer any use to him."

It all becomes clear to me suddenly. She came back to hand Elena over to Klaus…

"But it didn't work. You didn't really escape, you've been running from Klaus ever since." I say to her.

"I underestimated his spirit for vengeance but living in a suitcase is better than dying so you can have your blood spilled over some silly little rock."

I feel a little anger at her words. I mean, she should've told me this years ago. I know Damon and Stefan would have fought for her, I would have too. The same thing we're doing for Elena we would've done for Katherine if she was just honest.

"Even love, huh?" I growl. I know this anger isn't going to get me anywhere, but a part of me can't help but wonder how all this would be different if she was open about this back in 1864.

"Stop. We didn't come here to lash out at her." Elena tells me as she brushes her thumb along the back of my hand.

Elena looks back at Katherine but this time with unease.

"What's wrong? Afraid I'm right? You don't want to die? There's another way out." Katherine takes her nail and cuts open her wrist, allowing the blood to seep through.

"Better hurry. Your opportunity is going, going, going and gone. I made the other choice." Katherine says once her cut is fully healed.

"Rose and Trevor spent the last 500 years running because you used them. Trevor just got killed." Elena says switching the subject.

"I never thought he would last that long…"

"You don't even care that you ruined their lives." Elena says.

"I was looking out for myself, Elena. I will always look out for myself. If you're smart, you'll do the same." Katherine turns away and opens the Petrova book.

"So how much of your little story is true?" Elena asks suddenly.

"I have no reason to lie, Elena. I have no reason to do anything but sit here and read and rot while the love of my life watches," She finishes while catching my eye. Her words send chills up my spine and I shift uncomfortably.

"Okay, assuming it's even partially true, that's the reason why you came back isn't it? Because you wanted to be the one to hand me over to Klaus." Elena concludes, somewhat confirming what I've already figured out.

"500 years on the run, I figured maybe he'd be willing to strike a deal." Same ole Katherine…

"So, you got Mason Lockwood to find you the moonstone."

"Right again."

"What else do you need to break the curse?"

"Hmm, look who's getting smarter…" Katherine hums.

"It's not just me or the stone, is it? Otherwise there would be no reason to trigger Tyler Lockwood's werewolf curse." Elena tells her.

"Witches and their spells: so many ingredients, so many people to sacrifice."

"So, you need a werewolf?"

"Believe it or not, they're hard to come by,"

"What else?" Elena asks, and I remember Lucy saying that Katherine wanted her to break the curse.

"A witch." I say before Katherine can get it out.

"Mine bailed but Bonnie will do just fine." Katherine shrugged.

"What else?" Elena asked again.

"A vampire."

"Caroline."

"It could have been anyone I suppose but I like the poetry of Caroline." She sighed hopelessly.

"So, you were just going to hand us over to be killed?!"

"Better you die than I."

Katherine disappeared into the darkness of the tomb. I feel my anger boiling. Maybe she was going to tell me…maybe that's what she wanted to talk to me about. But I can't help the fact that somewhere deep down, I wanted to believe her intentions were pure, but again, I was wrong about Katherine.

"Elena!" I hear Stefan scream as his loud footsteps rush down the steps.

"Stefan what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Mia. What were you hoping to achieve by letting her come here?"

"It was my idea! She caught me and Caroline—"

Elena starts but Stefan cuts her off.

"Caroline kept your secret, but it didn't take long for me to figure it out."

"I knew you'd stop me."

"Listen to me, whatever she said to you is a lie. Do not listen to her. She's a liar, Elena." Stefan says pointing to the dark tomb.

"What if she isn't? You didn't hear what she said, brother." I tell him. I know Katherine wasn't lying. But getting Stefan to believe that is like trying to tell a Christian that God isn't real or something—they don't want to hear it.

"You don't have to worry, I'm not gonna let anything happen to you." I roll my eyes at his pitiful attempt to be the hero.

"That's the problem, you won't, but you'll die trying. How's that any better?"

I hear rustling behind me and Katherine comes back into the light.

"There's nothing you three can do, Stefan. I haven't even told you all the best part of the story. He killed them, my entire family, just to get back at me for running. Whatever you do to escape Klaus, he will get his vengeance on your friends, your family and anyone that you've ever loved."

"No, look at me. No, do not listen to her, okay?"

"Always the protector but even you must realize that she's doomed. There's nothing you can do to stop it unless of course you have this." She shows us the moonstone.

"What?" I ask.

"Oh no, there it is. It's the ultimate lie, isn't it? You spun this whole thing so that we would have to get the stone from you, didn't you?" Stefan tells her.

"I didn't spin anything, Stefan. It's the truth."

"No, let me guess. You want to trade that stone for your freedom, you manipulative, psychotic bitch."

"Stop it, Stefan." I tell him sternly. I hate it when other people call her that. Especially now after I heard her story.

"No, it's okay, Mia. But that's where you're wrong, Stefan. I don't want my freedom because when Klaus shows up to kill us all and he will, I'll be in the tomb, where no vampire will enter because they can't get out. I'll be the safest psychotic bitch in town." I smirk softly at her words. Well, I can't argue with that.

She looks back at the three of us, the looks at Elena before retreating into the back of the tomb.

(X)

"She's been asking for you…" Stefan sighs. I look up from my book at his words.

"What do you mean?"

"Elena. I don't know what hold you have over her but…whatever I did, it wasn't enough." He sighed.

"We're just friends, Stefan…maybe she just needs a friend right now." I know I'm lying to him. I wish I could stop whatever this is that I have with Elena, but I can't. She's the only thing keeping me sane…

"Yeah. Maybe." He walks away then.

I sigh and close my book.

"You look like you need a distraction." Rose appears suddenly looking at me with dark eyes.

"Yeah, girl trouble…" I mumble looking around for my leather jacket.

"With Stefan's girlfriend?" She has a strong British accent. I feel like I'm watching a Harry Potter movie.

I chose not to answer her.

She has two glasses of bourbon in her hand. Rose silently offers me one.

"I don't have time now. I have to go visit Elena." I dismiss her offer and continue to look for my jacket.

"Have you seen my jacket?" I ask her.

"No. You need to get laid. You're too tense." Rose says putting the two glasses on the table.

"I'm fine, Rose. Thank you."

"That was definitely an offer by the way." She responded with a wink.

"I can't deal with this right now. Did Lexi take my jacket?" I say opening the closet as my last resort.

"She did. I forgot to tell you." I look at her in disbelief. She smirks.

I roll my eyes as I walk to the hallway to grab my keys off the table.

They aren't there.

"She took your car, too." I bite the inside of my jaw in frustration.

"Screw this, I'll take Damon's car."

"He's not here." She calls after me.

I let out a loud sigh, "Fine! I'll walk then!"

Katherine 3rd person:

Katherine was right when she said there was nothing more for her to do but read and rot. And so, she did just that.

Her eyes trailed softly over the pages of the book. She stopped when she saw a portrait of her parents and her. Katherine couldn't stop that feeling. The one where her chest tightened from heartache or the feeling of tears pooling around her eyes.

Even after all these years, how does one get over the loss of one's family?

When she was young, she loved her mother and adored her father. The only problems she ever had with them was when she got pregnant.

After her father wouldn't let her hold her child she hated him. Her mother and sister were all she cared about then. She couldn't stop the tears that welled up in the corners of her eyes as she stared at the portrait.

My how much she changed…

If her mother could see her now, she'd surely be disappointed. It had been her mother who told her to never runaway from love. Now that's exactly what led her here.

Mia…

If Katherine was being honest, she'd say she was more scared for Mia than for herself. She knew the things Klaus was capable of…what he would do when he found her annoying Doppelganger. How would Mia get through this? Is there any possible way to actually kill Klaus? Or were they all doomed the moment they stepped foot in this town again?

Katherine's thoughts were racing. Did she just sign the death wish of her former lover? If Klaus comes—which he will, everyone in this town is doomed. Especially Mia.

Being stuck in the tomb is the safest place for Mia, next to leaving town. It's getting her in here that's the hard part…

She would never willingly come in while her loved ones are out there where Klaus can kill them whenever he wants.

Unless…

Katherine's tears dried away as her face broke out into a smirk.

Mia POV:

I was serious when I said I would walk to Elena's house. I didn't care. That kind of distance is nothing to a vampire. I just needed to see her. After what Stefan said…I knew what happened in that tomb got to her. Katherine wasn't lying. I have no idea who could possibly have Katherine so afraid she would be on the run for centuries. Before long, I found myself standing in front of the Gilbert house. It's barely past 10pm, but I don't want to bother Jenna. Although I'm sure she wouldn't mind.

I make my way to the back of the house where Elena's window is. I see she has it closed this time. Most likely due to the cool air. I hop up on the window sill before peering through the window. I see Elena writing in her journal. I knock softly at her window. She looks up and when she sees me it's like her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.

My girl…

Elena jumps up from her bed and quickly opens the window.

"Mia…" she says as soon as I slip through the window.

Before I could take my jacket off I'm greeted with her arms pulling me in for a kiss.

"Are you okay, Lena?" I ask her softly.

She shakes her head, "Stefan doesn't believe Katherine. I just…"

"Shh, love. Enough of Katherine. Let's sleep. I'll hold you, no one can hurt you as long as I've got you,"

"Will you stay with me?" Her eyes shinning brightly. I could never say no to her.

"All night." I tell her softly.

She nodded her head in response. I move to get under the covers. Elena does the same as she snuggles against my chest.

I rub her hair gently. "Sleep well, Love." I whispered.

(X)

"So, let me get this straight. You two idiots are going to open the tomb to talk to Katherine about that moonstone while I'll be stuck babysitting?"

I mean, don't get me wrong. I'm always down for spending time with Elena but I don't trust my brothers alone bargaining with Katherine. They'd fall for anything.

"Well, I mean, you can invite Caroline and make it a full on girls day." Damon says giving me his famous smirk. He's loving this.

I look towards Rose and Lexi in disbelief. Fully expecting some back up from them. All I found was silent approval of Stefan and Damon's master plan.

I scoff.

"You all agree with this?"

"You know I don't want you anywhere near that woman. Spending the day with Elena is good for you." Lexi said softly. I know she means well, but I'm pissed that she thinks I can't be near Katherine. I'm in full control of myself. I can handle her.

"Mia you're the strongest out of the three of us. You know Lexi is going out of town for a few days. If Klaus comes knocking at Elena's door, you'll be his best match." Stefan tries to reason with me but it's all the same to me.

Excuses.

"You think she's going to corporate with you two? She likes me better than you, let's just be honest. If there's anyone she'd strike a deal with, it's me."

"And when she's not a starving vampire I'm sure that would be true. But, wave a little blood under her nose and I'm sure she'd open up," Damon says proudly.

I roll my eyes before storming off.

Most of my day with Elena was pretty fun. We mostly watched movies and I even cooked us Chicken Alfredo. I had to show her the pros of my Italian roots. I'm an even better cook than Stefan. A fact I'd often remind him of during our human years.

There's a knock at the door just after we're done. Probably Stefan and Damon…

"Hey. Can we talk?" I hear Stefan say once Elena opens the door.

"Why?" Is Elena's response.

"We went to see Katherine." Damon tells her. There's a pause before Elena responds.

"Come on in,"

I roll my eyes. Great. Now I'll have to share with my idiot brothers.

They all come in the kitchen, Damon comes right over to the stove to peer over my shoulder.

"Mmm, I was just getting hungry for human food."

"Of course, you were. It's done. Help yourselves." I sigh.

Stefan and Elena are getting plates while Damon gets the forks.

"What happened?" I ask.

"Katherine wants out of the tomb." Stefan says. Obviously….

"But she wants the moonstone." Damon chimes in. He's the first one to get his plate.

"Let the living go first brother," I scold. My hand makes contact with his head as he walked past me.

"She will give us the moonstone once we get her out."

"You don't believe her, do you?" Elena asked now filling her own plate before Stefan.

"Mm." Damon says as soon as he eats the Alfredo. "Of course not. We just want the moonstone." He tells Elena once he swallows his food.

"Delicious," he mumbles with his mouth full.

"According to Rose's friend Slater, there's a way to destroy the spell that Klaus wants to break."

"No spell, no doppelgänger sacrifice. Ergo, you live." Damon says with his mouth full again.

"How do you destroy it?" I ask.

"By releasing it from the moonstone."

"How do you guys even know this is gonna work?" Elena asks them.

"Cause we have a crafty witch on our side."

"You discussed it with Bonnie?" I asked them.

"She agreed to do anything she could to help us."

"It's Katherine that had the moonstone. She's not going to give it to you." I tell them shaking my head.

"We're going to get it from her," Stefan pipes in from the kitchen area. I'm standing near the table watching Damon eat in pure disgust.

"Well, what he means to say is, we will pry it from her cold, dead hand if we have to."

"Bonnie just needs to find a way to release the seal long enough for us to get in, get the moonstone, and get out in time for her to return it."

"Wow. I mean, it sounds like you guys already have it all planned out."

"Yep. We're awesome." Damon says still with a mouth full of food.

"Except for one thing. I don't want you to do it." It was if the biggest bomb just dropped. Everyone stopped. Damon's jaws stopped moving for the first time since he sat down, Stefan stopped midway into filling his plate with the Chicken alfredo from the pot on the stove.

"What are you talking about? Elena, we don't have a choice." Stefan is the one to break the silence.

"What about Klaus?"

"We'll find him right after we get the moonstone."

"Is that before or after he kills everyone that I care about, including the three of you?" Elena points between all of us. Damon looks surprised that she admitted she cares about him. Glad these two are back on good terms.

"Elena, if we can de-spell the moonstone, we can save your life."

"I know. Everybody keeps saying that." Elena gets up to leave then, plate in hand while the three of us exchange looks.

"I might be able to lower the tomb spell long enough for you to get in there and grab the moonstone from Katherine." Bonnie tells us.

It's Stefan, Jeremy, Damon, Me, and Bonnie standing around the table in the parlor. I'm sipping blood out of a glass.

"How? It took both you and your Grams last time, and look what happened to her." Jeremy's the one to ask the question I had been secretly thinking.

"I'm well aware of what happened. I've learned a few new things."

"Bonnie…" Jeremy starts.

Bonnie deflects his warning, "How will you get it?" She asks.

"She hasn't been feeding. She's weakened. We're not." I tell her.

I raise my glass of blood at her.

"You wouldn't be underestimating her, would you?"

"It's a plan. Is it perfect," Damon scoffs, "what plan is?"

"Let me do it. I've got my ring. I can get in, get out, no spells necessary." Jeremy says holding up his hand to show us his ring.

"Gee, thanks, you 16-year-old child. Why didn't we think about that? Why are you even here?" Is Damon's snide remark.

"Maybe I can help better the plan. Do you have anything that belongs to Katherine?" Both Damon and I look over to Stefan. We both sip the blood in our cups at the same time.

"Hold on," he sighs.

Stefan leaves for a few minutes. I flop down on the couch while I wait.

Within a few minutes he returns with the picture of Katherine in his hands.

"This belonged to Katherine. Found it with her things after I thought she was dead, but it was hers." He hands Bonnie the picture. She toke the picture and drops it in a ceramic bowl. Bonnie dips her fingers in a glass of water and lets the water droplets drip from her finger tips. Flames sprout from the bowl. Bonnie shuts her eyes and begins to chant in…Latin? Yeah definitely Latin…

Well this is exciting.

"What will this do?" I ask.

Bonnie opens her eyes and watches the picture burn.

"I can turn the metal into ash. Blow the ashes on her, and it'll incapacitate her for a minute or two. Long enough for you to get the stone and get out." She tells us. Not a bad plan…

The three of us stand at the entrance to the ruins, we're waiting for Bonnie. They didn't want me to come. I basically threatened Stefan and Damon until they agreed. Lexi wasn't there to stop me. She was at the grill last I heard.

"Sorry I'm late. I had to grab the grimoire from home." Bonnie comes from behind us. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't even hear her.

"Jeremy couldn't take the pressure?" I ask her.

"He said he'd be here,"

I descend down the stairs behind Bonnie. Stefan hot on our tracks. Damon was behind us, but I heard his phone ring.

We make it to the bottom and Stefan starts rummaging through the bags. I notice something on the side. It's bright and illuminated off the torch light.

It's the moonstone.

"What the hell?" I ask.

"Is that the moonstone?" Stefan asks just as confused as I am.

I don't take time to think, I rush over to it, picking it up and tossing it to Stefan. That's when I see her.

A very recently fed Katherine stalks to the entrance door.

"I hate to interrupt," She starts. Stefan and Bonnie's heads snapped towards her. "But today has just been full of surprises," she smirks. That's stupid smirk! Then I see why. She pulled Jeremy out from behind the wall. His eyes flutter and the bite marks on his neck oozing blood. The blood makes the veins form under my eyes and my fangs are poking through my gums.

I stand there in a trance for a minute. I'm sure Katherine notices…

"Sorry. I took some powder," Little Gilbert's thoughts interrupt my bloodlust trance.

"Don't worry, I know that he's wearing his ring, so no matter how many times I kill him, he'll just keep coming back for more. So, I'm going to be in the back playing with my new little toy," She shoves him back into the cave, "and you guys just give me a holler when you've got the tomb open,"

I growl and ball up my fists. I can feel my anger rising. This will end badly, I can feel it.

"Don't do anything irrational." Stefan warns me.

Bonnie begins setting up the circle of torches for the spell.

"Where the hell is Damon?!" I growl.

"We can't wait. We have to get him out of there."

"She's fed. She has her strength back." Stefan sighed.

"Then I'll get him," I say through clenched teeth. I'm taking no care to hide the veins under my eyes and my fangs.

"We still have what's left of the ash," Bonnie suggests.

I nod, "I know." She hands me the envelope.

"Do you think you can get close enough?" She asks me.

"I don't have a choice," I mumble.

"It's going to take me some time."

"How long?"

"I don't know. A while."

"We may not have a while!" I yell as my anger shows its ugly head.

"Just get her in there as soon as you can." I hear Stefan tell her.

Bonnie begins the spell, she's chanting in Latin again. Soon, the flames from the torch's flair up.

"Ohhh, something's happening." Katherine says from the tomb. I edge myself closer to the door.

I hear Jeremy scream at Bonnie telling her not to do it, but we all tone him out.

"Mia, you have to stop her! She's not strong enough!" Jeremy screams at me. I turn around to look back at Bonnie. The flames flare up higher.

"Or maybe she is…" I hear Katherine say.

I turn my head back to the tomb. I'm standing right on the edge, leaning against the wall.

I look back and forth between Katherine and Jeremy to Bonnie. Bonnie's nose begins to bleed, but she just continues chanting.

"Bonnie…Bonnie," Stefan starts.

"You gotta stop her!" Jeremy screams.

I turn away from Bonnie just in time to see Katherine elbow him in the face.

"You need to stop, Bonnie!" I hear Stefan say behind me.

I don't take my eyes off Katherine. Stefan is trying to get Bonnie to stop the spell. I hear a thud behind me and I turn back to see that Bonnie fainted. I mentally curse myself. I think I know how this will end…

"Bonnie, Bonnie. Wake up," Stefan urges her to no avail.

"Yes, please, because I'm still in here!" Katherine screams in frustration.

Bonnie finally begins to stir.

"Are you alright?" Stefan asks her.

"It didn't work." She sighs in defeat.

"I'm not strong enough, even with help. I can't do it." I kick the side of wall in frustration.

"Aww, that's too bad. I'm still hungry," Katherine grabs Jeremy's shirt and pushes him up against the wall. She extends her fangs and prepares to bite Jeremy's neck. I don't waste any time before I vamp speed into the tomb quicker than anyone can blink. I grab Jeremy by his collar and threw him out.

"Go!" I yell at him.

Jeremy falls onto the ground and Bonnie kneels and wraps her arms around him. Stefan looks at me. I know that look. I've just added about two more frown lines to his forehead.

Katherine looks at me with her typical smug smile.

What have I just gotten myself into?

I sit as far away from Katherine as I can. I ignore her completely. If I had known I would end up trapped in here I would've made sure I brought a book. A good book and blood.

I don't know how long I've been in here. Could be hours, or less? Damn, even a watch would due…

Suddenly, I hear loud footsteps coming down the steps. It sounds like somethings running.

"Mia! Mia!" My hand snaps up hearing her voice. Elena…

I hear a soft thud against the wall.

"Don't you dare." It's Damon now. He stopped her from coming in. I can't help but be grateful for that. She doesn't need to see me like this.

"Mia's in there! How could you let this happen?!" She screams at him.

"What are you talking about? I was too busy saving you from your crazy kamikaze mission. Stefan was the only one here with her."

"Okay, then maybe I should be yelling at him then!" She says sarcastically. "You didn't even have to go after the moonstone in the first place! " I hear her yell. I sigh and look back down at my legs. She's not taking this well…

"It was the right call, Elena,"

"The right call? How is any of this the right call?"
I hear Elena hitting Damon with her fists. I wince at each punch. I know it hurts her more than him, but she must be hurting a lot to lose control like this.

"Please," She asks one last time. She's out of breath and I can hear the slight whimper in her voice. It breaks my heart to hear her like this.

"Are you done?" Damon asks her.

"Don't," A few seconds later I hear her storming away back up the steps.

Once I know she's gone I make my way to the entrance knowing Damon is still there. He shakes his head, "Of all the idiot plans, Mia."

"Yeah," Is my reply. I put my hands in my pockets.

"I'll find away to get you out," Damon tells me.

"Ah, it's all right. I'll handle myself. Bonnie has the moonstone. You and Stefan work with her. Try to figure out how to de-spell it."

"You martyr yourself in a tomb and I get partnered with a semi-competent witch and our dull brother with the hero hair. Wonderful." I laugh at his sarcastic remark.

"Keep Elena away from here. Tell Stefan that too. I'm sure he'll be by with Lexi later. Not looking forward to that meeting…" I groan. I know Lexi will probably find a way to postpone her trip out of town and camp at the entrance just to make sure I don't fall into any of Katherine's tricks.

"Yeah. 'Cause that'll be easy,"

"Promise me that you'll keep her safe no matter what. You're stronger than Stefan. Don't let her do anything stupid."

"Careful Mia, you're starting to sound like you love her," He smiles softly.

I roll my eyes at his words, "Promise me, Damon."

"Promise,"

Damon leaves then. I sigh and head back into the tomb of boredom.

"That right there was the biggest mistake you've ever made," I chose to ignore her, silently brushing past her. This is going to be a long long night.

Elena POV:

"Bonnie, can't this wait? Mia is stuck in the tomb with Katherine. We've got to get him out." I can't focus on trying to find a spell that may not even exist when Mia is stuck in there with that…

"Mia wants me to focus on this. She told Damon."

"Don't listen to her. She thinks that he's protecting me, but she's wrong."

"I'm taking Mia's side with this one. We're not gonna let you get used in some creepy sacrifice ritual."

I sigh and throw my hands in the air.

Bonnie takes the stone from me just as Jeremy comes in.

"What are you two arguing about?" He asks.

"We're not arguing about anything." Bonnie puts the stone in her bag and glances at Jeremy.

"I need a coffee," Bonnie sighs and gets up to leave. As soon as she's gone, Jeremy turns to me.

"What?"

"Why are you on some suicide mission?"

"I'm trying to prevent everyone else from being hurt!"

"Oh so, bringing Klaus the moonstone so you can get yourself killed is okay?"

He shakes his head as he leaves. I wait a beat and take the moonstone from Bonnie's bag. I quickly and quietly hurry down the stairs. I grab my car keys.

"Um where are you going?" I mentally curse myself for not being faster.

"To see Mia." I lie.

"You're lying."

"No. I'm not." How everyone can be so calm about all this is frustrating. Does no one realize the fact that the oldest vampire is coming to slaughter us all?

"Really? Tell your face."

"She took the moonstone," Jeremy says from behind me. My heart sank.

"How did you—?"

"We tested you and you failed."

"Klaus killed Katherine's entire family just because she crossed him. I can't let that happen." I hope they'll understand that they can't change my mind. This is what I choose to do.

Bonnie steps aside to let me leave. I'm confused. I didn't think it would be that easy. I decide not to give her time to change her mind and I walk quickly down the stairs and open the door to leave, but an invisible barrier prevents me. I put my hands up on the invisible barrier. I'm trapped. I turn around and look at them. What is this?

"What did you do?" It's the only thing I can think to say when I realize I'll be stuck in my house just for trying to save everyone.

"It's for the best, Elena,"

No. no! I continue to try to break the barrier with no luck.

Mia POV:

"You trapped her in the house?" I ask Damon slightly amused. The fact that Elena's on a suicide mission is rather annoying. I know she wouldn't have dared do this if I wasn't locked in here.

"It's for the best. Trust me. Elena is on a martyr tear that rivals you and Stefan's greatest hits. You should be glad Bonnie thought of the plan. I also brought you this." Damon hands me a bag.

"Care package: candles, lanterns and...lunch," Damon waves the bottle filled with blood. My eyes instantly grow dark and my fangs begin to grow.

"Give that to me and I'm just gonna have to share it with her," I growl. I gesture to Katherine sitting not far away. I can hardly think straight.

"Yeah…"

"You two are surprisingly calm, considering Klaus will hunt you down and kill you if you mess with his little plan." Katherine decides to make her presence even more known.

"I've been dead before. I got over it." Damon shrugs.

"Once we deal with this moonstone, we'll figure a way to get you out." He tells me.

"Nah. Don't worry about me. Just make sure Elena's safe." I answer him with a smile.

Damon nods to me before looking at Katherine.

A few hours pass and I'm relaxing on the bed with my eyes close.

"So, we're fasting now? We're so pious. How long have you actually gone without blood? I know you get desiccation in theory, Mia, but in reality, it's much worse. Your heart still beats, struggling to pump whatever blood remains. When it's gone, your veins rub together like sand paper. It's excruciating." Katherine's voice takes me out of my relaxed state.

I sit up and look at her, "I'm angry with you, Katherine. We had a deal. You weren't supposed to harm Jeremy or Elena if I teamed up with you. I've done everything you've asked of me and yet you still…" I let out a loud sigh.

She doesn't say anything for a while.

"I had my reasons." Is all she says.

"Oh yeah? Were you bored? Needed company from little ole me?" I scoffed. I knew I wouldn't get any answers out of her.

"It's stuffy, and I've been in this dress for days. You want to help me get out of it? Come on, Mia. Don't be such a grump." I shake my head. I knew she wouldn't talk to me upright. She never does…

Before I know it, she takes of her dress herself leaving her in just a bra and panties.

I try to look away. I really do. But I find my palms getting sweaty and my mouth waters at the sight.

"We're here together. May as well make the best out of it." She's in one of her moods.

"You really think they're gonna rush to get you out? They both got what you secretly already have: Elena." I groan. This is torture…

"Stop," I whimper. I can't do this. I can't be in here…

"Given what's most certainly going out there, I'd say you're free to do whatever you want in here. Nobody will ever know." She says seductively. That glint in her eye that most certainly meant trouble…

She kisses me. I knew the moment she took off her dress that she won. I don't have the power to resist her. So, I kiss her back with all the passion I can muster. She tugs at my shirt before she yanks it off. But I can never be gentle with her. No. Katherine awakens something dark in me. She always has. I vamp her to the wall. Pinning her against the wall while I plant rough kisses up and down her neck. She's driving me crazy…

The scene before me leaves and I wake with a gasp to see a fully clothed Katherine.

"Stay out of my head." I growl.

"You dreamt that all on your own, Blue. I just poked around in your dream to see what had you whimpering and moaning," She smirked at me, "Maybe I can do eternity in here after all…"

Elena POV:

"Hey, what are you doing?" I ask Jenna. She is digging around in the hall closet.

"Perfect timing." She says and hands me a box.

"What's this stuff?"

"Your mom's files from the Historical Society. I got roped into helping Mrs. Lockwood and by roped, I mean very excited to participate." Jenna smiles and kicks the closet door close.

I nearly drop the box when I see the man on the other side. No. It can't be…just what….

"Hey. I'm Elijah." I can't move.

"Elijah's in town doing research on Mystic Falls."

Elijah moves closer to me. I'm frozen on the spot.

"It's a pleasure." He tells me. I know he can see me shaking. I saw he killed those two vampires that were going to take me to Klaus. But having him in my home is crossing the line.

"So, you're welcome to stay here and rummage through this stuff or Elena and I could help you load it into your car." Jenna says to him completely oblivious to my reaction.

"Or I can get someone to pick it up tomorrow." He smiles.

"Also, a good plan."

"Thank you so much for inviting me into your home, Jenna; and Elena..."

He makes eye contact with me again causing me to shiver.

"I hope to see you again soon." He tells me softly.

Once he's gone, I take no time sprinting up the stairs to Jeremy's room. I knock on the door just before someone grabs my wrist. I can hardly keep calm. Jeremy opens the door and Elijah puts his finger to his lips. If I tell Jeremy, Elijah may hurt him…

"What is it?" He asks after a second of me not saying anything.'

"Jenna was just asking me to get you to help her with the boxes."

"Okay," he sighs.

He walks past me, never even noticing Elijah standing there or how scared I am.

"A wise choice," Elijah says.

"What to you want?" I'm surprised I can speak to him without stuttering.

"It's time you and I have a little chat,"

"Forgive the intrusion. I mean your family no harm." Elijah tells me once we're in my room. I feel calmer around him. I believe he won't hurt me or my family.

"Why did you kill those vampires when they tried to take me when I was with Damon the other night?"

"Because I didn't want you to be taken. Klaus is the most feared and hated of the Originals, but those that fear him are desperate for his approval. If word gets out that the doppelgänger exists, there'll be a line of vampires eager to take you to him and I can't have that."

"Isn't that exactly what you're trying to do?" I ask, the confusion on my face must be clear as day.

"Let's say that it's not my goal to break the curse."

"So, what is your goal?"

"Klaus's obsession has made him paranoid. He's a recluse. He trusts only those in his immediate circle."

"Like you?"

"Not anymore.

"You don't know where he is, do you? So, you're trying to use me to draw him out."

"Well, to do that I would need you to stay put and stop trying to get yourself killed."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"If I wasn't being truthful, all your family would be dead and I'd be taking you to Klaus right now. Instead, I'm here and I'm prepared to offer you a deal."

"What kind of deal?" I ask him. Why would he want to make a deal with me?

"Do nothing. Do nothing, live your life, stop fighting and then, when the time is right, you and I shall draw out Klaus together and I shall make sure your friends remain unharmed."

"And then what?"

"And then I kill him." I'm shocked at his words. He said it as if it's the easiest thing in the world.

"Just like that?"

"Just like that. I'm a man of my word, Elena. I make a deal, I keep a deal."

"How are you gonna be able to keep everybody safe?" I want to believe there's a way to keep everyone safe. I do. But the reality is, things never go as planned.

"I notice you have a friend; Bonnie, is it? She seems to possess the gift of magic. I have friends with similar gifts."

"You know witches."

"Together, we can protect everybody that matters to you. So, do we have a deal?"

"I need you to do one thing for me." I need Mia out of that tomb before Katherine turns her into a monster.

"We're negotiating now?" He laughs.

Mia POV:

I force myself to stay awake. I don't need anymore dreams like that. I'm starving. I don't know how much I'll be able to stay sane without blood.

"Are we really not going to talk at all?" Katherine's voice echo's off the tomb walls.

"We could talk about how you regret all you've done to make my life miserable." My voice is raspy. My throat is dry and I'm sure my face has a resting vamp features.

"What do you want me to say, Mia? That I'm sorry for everything that I've done? Well I'm not, okay? It's called self-preservation. I've been looking out for myself for 500 years." I scoff at her reply.

"Look where that's gotten you."

"Yes, I've done terrible things. I know that, but I do love you, Mia. Even if you don't believe it." As much as I hate to admit it, my heart flutters at her words.

"You want me to believe you? Show me. Do something. Prove to me that there's something inside of you that's actually worth trusting." I tell her.

"And then what? You're still gonna hate me."

I look over to her. How can I expect her to be honest when I'm not?

"I could never hate you, Katherine. I've tried."

"You're playing me."

"Am I?" No.

She doesn't say anything for a while and I assume she went to sleep. All I can think about now is blood.

"Are you okay?" Katherine asks me. I guess I really do look horrible.

"No."

"You need blood." Is her simple response.

I have my eyes closed. My palms are sweaty and I'm starting to shiver.

There's a noise from her side of the cave. I chose to ignore it.

"Here." Her voice sounds close now. I open my eyes to see she's directly in front of me. Her head is tilted to the side to give me access to her neck. I know what she's offering. Her blood. Vampire blood.

I blink a few times trying to clear my eyesight which has now become blurry. Vampire blood sharing is intimate…It's very intimate. It's an exchange of bodily fluids, as they say, that you really shouldn't be doing with anybody who's not your one true vampire love.

"No…no. It's not right." I try to turn my head away from her.

Katherine doesn't try to reason with me. Instead she turns to move back to the other side of the tomb. I growl before yanking her head down. I waste no time in piercing her neck with my fangs. I moan at the taste. The sensations that vibrate through my body are euphoric. Every nerve in my body comes alive with each gulp. I become a being of pure pleasure. My moans are loud and lustful.

I hardly noticed that Katherine had also sunk her fangs into my shoulder. And so there we both were. Lapping each other's blood greedily. The next thing I know, everything goes black.

Mia's Dream:

"How close are you, Emily? She can't control it. There are bodies turning up left and right. If we don't get this under control, I fear they will find us easily." Katherine's voice is different. Almost as if she's ill. Her skin is visibly paler too. Emily stares at her friend. Her eyes travel between Katherine and I, the uneasiness clear as day.

"It will take a week at the most. Tracing a spell like this…it's not easy. This is old magic. How do you know this will work? How can you be sure?" Emily asks.

"Years ago…I met a man. The spell was used to tame that side of him as well. There are differences, though, I suppose."

"This man you speak of is he—?" Emily begins, but is cut off by Katherine.

"Yes. I'm afraid with Mia being like this it draws him closer. I need this controlled as soon as possible." Katherine tells Emily.

"How are you feeling, Miss Katherine? Has the vomiting stopped? I sent you two new potions this morning."

"I have been better. I am no stranger to this…sickness. I felt it once when I was human."

"I am sure it will go away within the next month or so."

"I still don't understand, I'm a vampire." Katherine stands with her arms folded. I can't make out the expression on her face. She almost looks like she's scared of something. But what…?

It's very different than a dream to me. It's almost like I'm reliving something from the past.

Something I seem to have forgotten…none of this is familiar. I know I wasn't compelled to forget by Katherine because I would've remembered everything once I turned.

"I haven't any answers yet. I do not understand this myself. All of this defies the laws of nature. As a witch, the very thought makes my skin crawl. This girl should not exist. The fact that she does means there is something else living like her. This is very very wrong…"

Emily's voice is uneasy and maybe even a bit of disgust. She looks as if the very thought gives her unimaginable pain.

"I don't care about the laws of nature, Emily. Obviously, nature doesn't either, because here she is and here I am with this…condition that should be impossible for me." The annoyance was evident in Katherine's voice.

"What is it that this spell is supposed to do again?" Emily asks with a sigh.

I wish I could just understand what's going on here. What man? What laws of nature did I defy? I wasn't a vampire, yet. None of this makes sense.

And what the hell is Katherine talking about with this, 'condition' of hers?

"It's a spell to reverse the effects. To make it a dormant gene again."

"How is that possible? Once it's awakened that's it."

"No, Emily, it's not. Just find the spell. Once you perform the spell on her there is only one way to break the spell…and trust me, that won't ever happen. It's impossible now."

"I am doing all I can to locate the spell. I just…I can't even fathom nature allowing this to happen once, but two times and now a third—"

Suddenly Katherine and Emily both look over at me.

"Finally. You've been out of it for quite some time." Emily says, "Are you thirsty?"

"I'll go get some water…" she says a few seconds later. Emily leaves out the room, leaving Katherine and I alone.

Katherine just stares at me; her eyes are filled with relief, but I can still see the worry hidden in them.

"Here." Katherine bites her wrist and offers her blood to me. I latch my lips to her wound. I moan at the taste as I eagerly lap at the blood.

"Keep drinking, Mia-blue. You'll feel better."

"Alright, that's enough. Can I…" Katherine mentions to my wrist and I know what she wants. But it seems, I have no control over the outcome of this Dream at all. It's almost as if I'm reliving it, not making it up…

I hold out my wrist for her as she grabs it and sinks her fangs into my wrist. I know Katherine won't drink too much, she never does—at least from me.

"That's all." She mumbled. Her eyes are still dark. I know she's still very hungry, but she'll refuse if I offer her anymore. We lock eyes for a moment. Neither of us dare turn away. I know she's sick…I don't know from what, but there is something off about her…

"You need a proper feeding, Katherine." Emily's voice breaks our eye contact as we both turn towards her.

"Nonsense. I can handle a bit of hunger. I will feed later tonight. I just want to make sure Mia is doing well."

"She will be fine, Katherine. You must feed, Mia will be here awaiting your return. Now go. I'm sure either Damon or Stefan will be happy to give you a vein." Emily sends her a soft smile.

"You're right." Katherine turns back to me, "Just rest up here for a while. I will be back…" her voice is soft. I can't put my finger on it, but there is something very different about her right now. She seems less seductive…manipulative. Almost human…

Suddenly, she leans in and kisses me. It's soft and doesn't last nearly as long as most of our kisses, but still perfect.

"I'll see you for supper, Blue."

(X)

I wake with a start. I look around the dark cave. Katherine is asleep next to me. She still has on her dress that's now ripped in very revealing places and covered in blood.

I feel her slowly moving beside me.

"Mia?" She asks.

"I had the strangest dream…" I say more to myself than to her.

"Hm, what was it about?"

"1864," I tell her. "Emily was there too. You were sick or something but needed her to find an old spell…I don't know. It's all fuzzy." I scratch my head trying to remember more details.

She didn't say anything for a while. She's facing the other way, so I can't see her expression.

"After we shared blood, you fainted." She tells me.

"So, we didn't…?" I trail off unsure of how to ask.

"No."

I let out a sigh of relief. "I think the blood clouded my judgment."

"I suppose. Would it really be that bad if we did? You used to love it in 1864."

"I can't trust you, Katherine. There was a moment where I trusted you…"

She looked at me then, her features soft, unguarded.

"Maybe one day…" She starts but I scoff. I can't do a maybe one day. I need a sure thing.

"No. not after everything you've done, Katherine." I'm not angry with her. We're having a heart to heart here. I'm just trying to get through to her.

"Love makes you do crazy things, Mia." Trust me I know. I slaughtered entire towns in her name.

"What is love to you?" I really want to understand her. I move closer to her. I don't want to miss a single expression on her face when she answers.

"Never giving up. It means waiting. Even if you have to wait forever. And I will. Mia, I will wait forever. All I need is a little bit of hope." She whispers the last part.

"Hope for what?"

"Hope that maybe…" She pauses. "If I change…If I can prove to you that I'm worth loving maybe someday I'll be that girl for you again…" I reach my hand out. I gently stroke her face. She leans into my touch as my thumb slowly caresses her cheek. I look down because I'm afraid of meeting her eyes. I'm afraid of seeing what I've been running from with her. But when we lock eyes again, I know.

I know. I always have.

Her head turns to greet my lips. My tongue begs for entrance and I lose myself to the feeling of Katherine surrounding me. Gripping at the dark fabric of my shirt, Katherine pulls me closer to her. But just as quickly as it began Katherine pulls away from me. Her lips are slightly swollen and she's breathing heavier than usual. I wanted to kiss her again but decided against it. Baby steps…

She goes to lay down beside me again, looking straight up at the ceiling of the tomb.

Neither of us talk for the next few minutes. Of course, Katherine is the first to break that silence.

"You want to find Klaus? Kill him so that you can protect your precious Elena?" She asks me. Lingering over the word precious as if the word leaves a bad taste in her mouth.

"Let me guess: you know where he is."

"No, I don't, but I could help you find him."

"For a price?" I know her games by now.

"Start with Isobel, Elena's mother. She was a research expert. She found me."

We stare at each other. Neither moving or saying anything.

"You're welcome."

Before I could thank her, we hear that the door is being opened. We look at each other and silently go to the entrance.

Him?

Katherine is surprised and frightened. Her breath hitched in her throat. I've never seen her so afraid before.

"Good evening Katerina. Thank you for having the good sense to be frightened."

"Elijah…" She says her voice soft and timid.

"Your release has been requested." He says looking at me.

"What? By who?"

"The lovely Elena drives a hard bargain. However, we reached a peaceful agreement, she and I. Please." He gestures for me to walk out of the tomb.

"Come."

"I can't."

"Yes, you can. I've had the spell lifted." I move through the threshold slowly. Still unsure if this is real.

"As for you however, you should not exit until I say so. When Klaus comes, he'll want to know exactly where you are." He says to Katherine who was coming right behind me. No. He compelled her.

"You're free to go. Elena will explain the arrangement to you. If she keeps her word, I'll keep mine." He tells me. I look back at Katherine who is staring at me with pleading brown eyes.

"Mia, no. Please don't let him leave me in here." She pleads.

I sigh, "Do we have to keep her locked in there?" I ask him.

"Right now, my deal was for you. We can talk about releasing Katerina later. I give you my word. For now, she is to stay put."

"Goodbye Katherine." I give her one last glance before walking up the stairs.

(X)

"What the hell happened while I was gone?" I ask once I walk into the boarding house. It looks like there was a recent break in.

"Well, long story short, Me and Alaric tried to poison a werewolf with wolfsbane. Turns out the joke was on us and she tracked us here. One of them bit Rose here, but she's okay." I look at Damon in disbelief.

"You've got to be the dumbest person I know!" I throw my hands up in the air looking around at the glass shattered on the floor and varies books thrown across the room.

"What about you, Rose? Are you alright?" I know a werewolf bite is fatal to a vampire. At least according to the legends.

"Yep. All healed." She smiles at me.

"Rose...uh...I'm happy that the legend was fake. Maybe the werewolves made it up to keep vampires away." I tell her.

"Lucky me."

"Don't let Damon drag you into any more trouble. Seriously." I say the last word looking over at Damon. I raise my eyebrow daring him to challenge me.

"I won't. I'm going to stay to help you with Klaus."

"Thank you. We need all the help we can get." I tell her softly. I go to pull her in for a hug, but she pulls away in pain.

"Oww…"

"Rose, turn around…" I tell her slowly. I don't think this werewolf bite is gone. I lift the bathrobe off her shoulder and look at it. There are open sores and blisters where she was bitten, and the veins and arteries in the area look blackened and diseased. Damon and I look at each other.

This isn't good…