A/N: well here we are at the final chapter! thank you for all your support and wonderful reviews throughout this fic. I was especially blown away by the incredible reviews I got last chapter! Now prepare yourself for an action packed ending ;) enjoy!

i.

A wind picked up around Quetsiyah, swirling and swirling until Elena couldn't see anything past it. She heard Alaric shout something from behind her, but had no idea what he'd said until he forcibly pulled her backwards and out of the way. "Stay back!" he yelled into her ear, "She's conjuring Silas!"

"Wha—" Her words died on her lips, however, when she saw the winds settle down to reveal a rather enraged looking Silas. He spun wildly on the spot, before catching sight of Quetsiyah.

"Hello, old friend," she said icily, "Miss me?"

Silas staggered backwards, a vial dropping out of his hands. It rolled on the ground, coming to a stop at Lucy's feet. She bent slowly to retrieve it, an incredulous look crossing her face. "It's...it's empty."

"Empty?" Elena blurted out, even as Alaric's hand tightened warningly around her shoulder. "How can that be? H-he already drank the cure!?"

"The veil has fallen," Silas snarled, somehow regaining his composure. "And if your little friend back there is any indication, then soon the rest will follow." He made a sudden movement, and Elena caught a glimpse of something silver glint in the air.

Before anyone could say or do anything, Quetsiyah hissed and stretched out an arm, her fingers curling menacingly. Silas' eyes widened and he gave a choked gasp, his hands flying to his throat and desperately clawing against his skin as if trying to remove something there; something invisible. As he did so, an object clattered to the ground.

"A knife," Sophie stammered, "He was going to kill himself."

"Yes," Quetisiyah remarked, her voice cold and detached as she magically continued to strangle Silas from a distance. "He wants to die as a human so he can join his precious lover."

"Stop doing that to him!" Damon gestured to a struggling Silas, "Do you want to kill him yourself!?"

Quetsiyah made a face but relinquished her hold, and Silas fell to the ground, gasping for air. "Being human not all its cracked up to be?" she asked delicately, flexing her fingers. "Should've thought of that before."

"What are you going to do to me?" Silas challenged, beginning to inch forward. He spread his arms out wide in a mocking invitation, "Do whatever you like, I dare you." Then he grinned crazily, "Don't you want your revenge, old friend?"

She tilted her head, the blackness in her eyes seeming to fade slightly. "Revenge?"

"Sure," he stepped closer to her, the grin sliding off his face to be replaced by pure hate. "Revenge because I will never love you the way you loved me. Revenge because I will always be in love with Aeliana."

Quetsiyah's gaze—inexplicably—flickered in Elena's direction. Damon shot her a questioning look, and she shrugged back at him. Alaric, however, sucked in a startled breath. Elena glanced over her shoulder at him with a frown, "Ric? What's wrong?"

He shook his head quickly, but no one else noticed the exchange. Silas had reached out to grasp Quetsiyah's wrists and he jerked her towards him so that they were inches apart. "It was never you," he spat at her, "And it never will be." Then he grabbed the back of her head and forced her forward, his mouth covering hers in a vengeful kiss.

And it was beyond bizarre, seeing two people who looked like Stefan and Bonnie kissing fiercely, angrily, even passionately. Damon was staring at them as if he had never seen anything quite so revolting in his life, and Elena squinted her eyes, wondering what on earth was going on in front of her. Why was Quetsiyah kissing him back? Obviously Silas didn't actually mean the kiss—he had made it clear he was mocking her love for him...Did she not get that?

As if the witch was reading her mind, she suddenly pushed Silas back. "You—"

"You're pathetic," he cut her off in disgust, "Still in love with someone you'll never have." Then he shoved her, his expression betraying his true intentions. "Go ahead," he goaded, "Kill me. I know you want to."

Quetsiyah laughed suddenly, striding forward and grabbing Elena's arm. "I'm pathetic? What about this...this doppelganger of yours?"

Silas raised his head, his eyes deadened, "She is not mine."

"No? Then what about this one?" She waved an arm, and the air around her rippled. And suddenly there stood Elijah and Katherine. Her mouth was attached to his wrist as she sucked blood eagerly, her fangs visible even in the split second that Elena glanced at her. She moved her gaze up to look at Elijah, but then quickly dropped her eyes back to the ground. Elena bit her lip, feeling as if she was witnessing something she wasn't supposed to—Elijah who was so careful never to show emotion, who always kept his composure, who paraded Klaus' philosophy of not trusting and not loving.

"Enough," Damon snapped, also quickly averting his gaze from Elijah's face and turning to glare at Quetsiyah instead. "Stop just—conjuring people out of thin air!"

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" Silas suddenly roared, his eyes on Katherine in furious disbelief. "How is she a vampire again? I killed her! She was the human sacrifice!"

Katherine disentangled herself from Elijah, her mouth dripping blood. Her eyes glittered as she slowly walked around Silas once, in a wide circle. "You," she breathed out, her voice low and laced with venom. "You think you're invincible—that you're some kind of God because you can't be killed?"

"Katerina—" Elijah's voice was hoarse, "Don't..."

She blurred forward, her fingers closing around Silas' throat as she slammed him into the nearest tree. "How dare you push me around," she hissed viciously, "Like I was some worthless, useless, thing that you could just order and command." Her grip tightened and Silas let out a grunt of pain, to which Katherine sneered triumphantly. "This is for Stefan," she snarled, "For locking him in that safe and letting him drown over and over again. For torturing him, for torturing me, for terrorizing Mystic Falls."

Then her eyes narrowed and a knife appeared in her hand. Elena quickly looked to the last spot on the ground that she had seen Silas' knife, but it was no longer there. And with a cry, Katherine shoved the knife into Silas' chest.

Then he hung there, tethered to the tree by the knife. Dead silence fell in the clearing as Silas' eyes bulged, his mouth dropping open at the first feeling of pain he had experienced in over two thousand years. Damon blurred forward, moving to stand next to Katherine as he stared at Silas closely. "A inch away from the heart," he said with faint pride, "Good girl."

"Would you like to do the honors?" Katherine said to him, a mischievous grin flitting over her face, "Sire?"

"Let me," Elena said, raising her head so that she could look Silas straight in the eyes as she bit into her wrist and forcibly tilted his head back. "This is for Stefan," she said strongly, over his weak and gurgled protests. "For what you did to him, for what you did to all the people I love and care about."

And there was nothing he could do as her blood was forced down his throat and into his veins. "No," he said frantically, struggling and then letting out a roar of pain. "NO!"

Damon's hand closed over the knife, and Elena was startled to see his eyes had become a cold icy blue. She had never seen him look so lifeless, so vindictive, in all the time she had known him. "For my brother," he growled at Silas. "For the hell you've put us all through." Then Damon twisted the knife that final, crucial, inch. Through the heart.

Quetsiyah smiled, looking pleased as she walked—or floated—over to examine the body. "Died as a human, and will come back as a vampire," she said, satisfied. "I believe my work here is done."

"Wait," Alaric called out, looking alarmed, "What about the veil?"

"I dropped the veil when the other witches called upon me," Quetsiyah informed him, "But I will be unable to raise it again. I trust, as a favor to me, you will find some other way to raise it. Before Silas comes back as a vampire, of course."

"As a favor?" Damon repeated, "Why do we owe you a favor?"

"I sent Tyler to you in your time of need, did I not?"

Elena's eyebrows rose in surprise as she exchanged in a look with Lucy, "You were the witch who sent him to us? But how did you manage to do that from the Other Side?"

"I have my ways," Quetsiyah replied secretively, "So, do we have a deal?"

"Silas will be just a normal vampire when he wakes, will he not?" Elijah interjected, "He won't be invincible anymore."

"That is correct," Quetsiyah confirmed, "And something tells me that a certain Salvatore doppelganger will want to do the honors..." She trailed off, looking thoughtful. "Perhaps a drowning is in order. Or some burning by sunlight." A smile lit up her face as she stepped back into the middle of the circle created by the witches and began to disappear, "The possibilities are endless, really."

ii.

Elena sat quietly in the back of the private plane that Elijah had arranged for them to fly back to Mystic Falls in. Damon and Alaric were seated near the front of the plane, sharing a bottle of bourbon. Silas sat on the floor behind her, tied up with metal chains and unconscious from the hourly vervain injections she'd been instructed to give him.

Sophie and her coven of witches had headed back on a different plane to New Orleans, armed with the knowledge that Davina—another witch—was Marcel's secret weapon. Elena only hoped that Klaus was able to pull off his end of the bargain before the coven descended upon the girl. She didn't envy Klaus' position; embroiled in the midst of a turf war and about to be a father. Elena shuddered.

"Not cold, are you?"

She looked up with a smile as Elijah gracefully sat down next to her and handed her a glass of champagne. "No," she said truthfully in answer to his question, "I was just thinking about Klaus."

"Ah, no need for that," he raised his glass, "I spend enough time worrying about Klaus for the both of us."

Elena thought about telling him that it wasn't his job—that he shouldn't drop his entire life, his own happiness, just for his jackass of a brother—but then she thought better of it. "What are we toasting to?"

Elijah glanced behind them at Silas, considering. "A job well done, I suppose."

"The job isn't done yet," she reminded him, "Not until he's truly dead."

"Yes, you're right of course," Elijah met her gaze steadily, "Shall we toast to the return of your humanity then?"

Elena flushed, looking away as she remembered their last encounter. "Elijah, I—" She broke off, startled to feel his hand cover hers lightly.

"Your compassion is a gift, Elena," he murmured, and she could hear the smile in his tone, even if she wasn't looking at him. "I meant it then, and I mean it now."

"I don't have my humanity back," she said, staring at the shut window. "And..." Her voice broke, and she swallowed. It was hard to admit it aloud, even to him. "I had the cure in my hand, the cure that so many people died to get their hands on. The cure that Stefan was so desperate for me to take, the cure that all my friends thought I wanted, that I needed."

Elijah's hand tightened around hers, but he didn't say anything.

"And I told Stefan I didn't want it anymore," she whispered, "And I know I broke his heart, but that was the truth. I'm a vampire now, and I..."

"You enjoy it," Elijah finished for her, and she finally turned to meet his gaze. "You like feeling strong, you like being in control, not needing to be saved..."

"Not feeling vulnerable, and weak, not being the human doppelganger," Elena burst out, "Is that so wrong?"

"Not at all," Elijah gave her hand a final squeeze, "I'm just glad you found a way back to yourself, as I always knew you would." His lips lifted in a small smile, echoing a conversation they were both silently reciting. "It would be a shame if the world lost a soul as compassionate as yours."

He began to pull away then, but she stopped him. "Elijah, wait." Elena took a deep breath, "I wasn't going to say anything, because that would mean I would have to apologize for the things I did and said when my emotions were off. And I haven't..." Her brow furrowed slightly as she tried to explain, "I can't allow myself to remember everything I did, the guilt would just..." She trailed off, dropping her gaze to where her fingers were wrapped around his wrist to stop him from leaving. "I know what I said to you about Katherine before. I know that I said the girl you loved didn't exist anymore, that you were wasting your time searching for her."

"Elena..."

"And I still believe that," she interrupted, "That your Katerina no longer exists. But, I..." Elena softened her tone, "I saw your face when you thought Katherine had died. And I saw your face when you learned she'd died with vampire blood in her system."

He heaved a sigh, looking up at the ceiling. "I would be amiss if I didn't admit that yes, I'm glad she's still alive. But that doesn't change anything."

Elena raised her hand to his cheek, forcing him to look at her again. "Listen," she said quietly, "I can't tell you if she loves you or Stefan, or if she even knows what love is. But I can tell what you feel for her, and...you don't have to do this. Don't give up on your chance for happiness just for Klaus; you've done it before, and you'll do it again, and every time it'll be the same. Your brother won't appreciate what you've given up for him. He feels entitled to your loyalty because he's always had it. And you know what? He doesn't deserve it, and he doesn't deserve you."

Elijah stared at her in slight awe when she had finished her speech, and then he blinked. "I don't know what to say, Elena."

"Say that you won't go back to New Orleans," Elena told him, "Say that, when we're done with Silas in Mystic Falls, you'll go back to Salem and get Katherine. Say that—"

"10 minutes till we land," Damon called loudly, "You guys ready back there?"

"Yes," Elijah quickly stood up, avoiding Elena's gaze. "We're ready."

iii.

"We're running out of blood," Caroline said worriedly to Lexi, "We're down to the last bags in the third cooler."

Lexi turned around with a frown, "What about Damon's stash?"

Rebekah strode over to the large cooler in the basement and flipped the lid open. "No luck," she replied, "It's empty."

"They must not have had time to stock up before they left on their road trips," Sheriff Forbes said from behind the cell, "But I can't get anymore from the hospital."

"I might be able to, though," Meredith Fell stood up, "Just not from the local one. We'll have to go a couple towns over."

Mrs. Forbes nodded, also getting to her feet. "Good idea, I'll come with." She paused at the staircase, "Matt, you want to come?"

He looked down at his cellphone and shook his head, "I just got a text from Elena. Their plane is landing soon, so I need to go down to the airport and pick them up."

"I'll go with you," Tyler said as Mrs. Forbes handed him her car keys, "So we can take two cars." He looked over Caroline, "You three going to be okay here?"

"Hey, it's three blondes," Lexi answered with the ghost of a grin, "What could go wrong?"

"You're right," Rebekah commented a few seconds later, after the others had left. "Stefan must have a thing for blondes."

"I don't know what kind of thing you're talking about, honey," Lexi replied breezily, "Me and him are strictly in the friendzone, always have been."

"Same here," Caroline mumbled, her eyes solely on Stefan to see if the conversation was having any effect on him. "What about you?"

"Well I only slept with him once," Rebekah waved a hand dismissively, "It hardly counts."

Lexi snorted, "That's what I like to tell myself about Damon."

Caroline let the now-empty cooler drop to the floor with a clatter, "You did what!?"

"Damn," Lexi kneeled in front of Stefan disappointedly, "I was sure that would get at least the hint of a reaction."

"Oh," Caroline said with obvious relief, "You were kidding."

Lexi looked up with raised eyebrows, "Nope."

Rebekah placed her hands on her hips, her accent thickening in her clear disbelief. "You've got to be kidding. You slept with Damon Salvatore?"

"Don't give me that look, sweetheart," Lexi grinned, "I know I'm not the only blonde in this room that had a fling with him." She gave Caroline a pointed look.

"Yeah, yeah," Caroline grumbled, "Don't remind me."

"Well, I guess tall, dark, and dangerous really is everybody's type," Rebekah shrugged, already over it. "Who knew." Then she sighed, watching as Lexi funneled the final blood bag between Stefan's parted lips. "He hasn't moved, hasn't talked, hasn't done anything...I don't get it."

"Give him time," Lexi murmured, staring into Stefan's unblinking eyes. "At least his skin is starting to become recognizable again."

"Yeah but it took three coolers of blood just to stop him looking from a drowned rat—"

"Rebekah!"

"What? I'm just telling it how it is."

"You know," Caroline said hesitatingly to Lexi, "We haven't questioned how you got here, or even how long you'll get to stay."

"I'm not going to think about it," she answered determinately, "Someone dropped the veil for a little while and I get to help my best friend out again. That's all I know, and that's all I'm going to ask for."

Caroline nodded, standing at a distance as Lexi spoke to Stefan quietly. "Come on," she gestured to Rebekah, "Let's go upstairs so we can see the others when they get back."

Rebekah glanced over her shoulder at Lexi and Stefan, and a knowing look crossed her face before she followed Caroline upstairs and silently closed the basement door behind her. "You want to give them some time alone?"

"It's the only time they're going to have," Caroline explained, "And Lexi has always been there for him before in his darkest hours. I figured we could give them some privacy so she could work her magic."

"Magic?"

"Figure of speech."

Rebekah was quiet for a few minutes before she asked in a low voice, "Do you think he'll ever be okay?"

Caroline didn't need to ask who 'he' was. "I don't know," she answered honestly, "I don't think it's something that you just get over, you know. Our first priority is to get him healthy again. After that, we'll worry about everything else."

"I hear something," Rebekah said suddenly, nodding towards the driveway. "I think they're back from the airport."

Sure enough, the front door opened a few minutes later and Damon strolled in. "Home sweet home," he said briskly, his eye landing on the two people standing in his living room. "Oh, Barbie and Barbie Klaus, working together to save my dear brother. Never thought I'd see the day."

Caroline smiled slightly, sensing the concern behind the sarcasm. "He's downstairs in one of the cells," she told him, "With Lexi."

"You mean I'm not the only ghost who crossed over?" Alaric asked as he walked in behind Damon, "That sort of takes some of the fun out of it, doesn't it?"

"Oh shut up," Damon said good naturedly, giving him a shove. "That's the thing with you vampire hunters, always wanting to be special."

"Hey, I think I'm pretty special," Alaric protested, turning around to frown at Elena. "Wouldn't you say so?"

"Stefan's with Lexi?" Elena asked, moving out of the way as Tyler and Elijah carried in a still unconscious Silas. "How is he doing?"

"That's Silas?" Caroline demanded, ignoring Elena's question and moving forward to glare as Tyler tossed him carelessly onto the couch. "How come he didn't burn in the sun?"

"The ring," Damon glowered, "It somehow protects him too, I don't know how. Must be a doppelganger thing."

"Hmph," Caroline strode forward then and savagely kicked Silas in the shin, "Stupid, no good, piece of—"

"Okay then," Tyler lifted Caroline around the waist and pulled her backwards, still kicking and screaming. "Why don't you wait till he's conscious for all that, okay?"

She stopped struggling, "Oh, good point."

"Elijah," Rebekah reached forward to hug her brother, "I didn't realize you'd be joining us. Are you staying in Mystic Falls?"

Elena shot him a furtive look, which he did not return.

"I'm here to see the end to this Silas saga," Elijah replied, neatly sidestepping the question. "Now more importantly, have you heard from Klaus?"

"No," Rebekah sent a puzzled look in Caroline's direction, "Were we supposed to?"

"He's found a witch in New Orleans, a powerful girl named Davina," Elijah explained, "She has to put the veil back up before we kill Silas. Otherwise, he won't be trapped on the Other Side."

"Wait," Caroline protested, "What about Bonnie?"

"What about her?"

"We spent all this time looking for a powerful witch to bring Bonnie back to our world, and now you guys have found one!"

Elijah hesitated, "You saw what doing that kind of magic did to Bonnie."

"But—"

"No witch is going to take that kind of risk, Caroline, I'm sorry but that's the truth."

iv.

Klaus got off the phone, his jaw clenched. "My family," he said to Jeremy, "Is utterly useless."

"Such a welcoming environment you've established here, brother," Kol commented from the other side of the room where he was reclining in a chair and sipping on a blood bag. "Thanks for this by the way, Davina, was it?"

"Yes," she answered, wrinkling her nose. "Mind that you don't get blood on the carpet, will you?"

Kol grinned, "Such a pretty little thing, aren't you? How old did you say you were?"

"Underage is what she is," Klaus shouted, "Now will you focus!?"

"Alright, alright," Kol grumbled, "No need for a temper tantrum. What's happened now?"

"Sophie and her coven are on their way back here," Klaus snapped, "And they know what Davina has been doing."

"What?" Davina looked up in alarm, "No, you promised you wouldn't give up my name if I helped you!"

"I didn't betray you," Klaus ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated. "My brother did."

"Hey, not me," Kol raised both hands defensively when Davina looked over at him, "He means our other brother, I believe. Elijah."

"It was the price to pay for saving Elena and Katerina from Silas," Klaus turned to look at Jeremy, "Sophie's coven helped, so he had to pay them back somehow for going all the way to Salem and using their power to call upon Quetsiyah. She's the one who lowered the veil, apparently."

"So that's it," Davina said in a hard voice, "I'm dead, just like that."

"No," Bonnie protested, "Not just like that. We'll protect you from them, you have our word."

"Oh no," Klaus raged, pointing a finger at Bonnie. "Don't bring me into this, witch. She most certainly doesn't have our word, which by the way isn't YOURS to give away freely."

"But—"

"No!" He interrupted loudly, "My priority here isn't to bring you back from the dead! The whole point of this plan was to find out what Marcel's secret weapon was and use that information to get what we want! And now you're changing your mind just because of some doe-eyed sixteen year old pretty face? You're all PATHETIC."

Bonnie turned to Kol, pleading. "Talk to him, convince him or otherwise Davina won't help us!"

"Us?" Kol raised an eyebrow at her skeptically, "Seems to me like you're the only one with something to lose here. Yes, she won't bring you back from the dead now that there's a target on her back. What does that have to do with me?"

She began to speak, and then stopped, at a loss for words.

"That's right," he stood up and faced her, his eyes glittering with malice and something else that she couldn't quite identify. "I told you from the start, Bennett. You don't deserve to be brought back while the rest of us are stuck on the Other Side. You're not special, and you're not different. I don't see any reason why I should help you now when there's nothing in it for me."

"Listen, man," Jeremy began, but Bonnie raised a hand to stop him, and he fell silent to let her speak.

"I know you hate me," Bonnie said in a quivering voice to Kol, "I know you hate all of us, and you know what? You have every right to. We killed Finn, we killed you...we didn't listen to you about Silas, and yeah, we should have. But I don't..."

"What?" he demanded, "You don't what?"

"I don't hate you," she whispered, "You're the only one who came to find me when we were on the Other Side. You helped me find Davina. You..." Bonnie looked up at him, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "We had a connection over there. I can't explain it, but we did." Then she reached out and took his hand, reminding him that even as ghosts, they had been able to feel each other. Kol flinched at her touch and stepped back, out of her grasp.

He closed his eyes for a second and then turned to Davina. "Alright, here's the deal," he said crisply, "What will it take for you to bring Bonnie back?"

"A sacrifice must always be given," Davina said with crossed arms, "Which is why she died when Jeremy was brought back. Maybe you guys thought it was because she used too much power, and sure, that may have been part of the answer. But she messed with the balance of nature, and so to bring someone back to the world of the living, you have to send someone back to the dead."

"Great," Kol turned to Bonnie expectantly, "Well, who are you offering up as a sacrifice then?"

"There's something else," Davina interrupted, and Klaus heaved a sigh. "Since you were the sacrifice to bring Jeremy back, we'll need two sacrifices if you want to come back too."

v.

"Hi Stefan," Elena took a seat on the ground in front of him as she fed him a blood bag from the stock that Liz Forbes and Meredith Fell had just dropped off. "I don't know if you can hear me, but it's me, Elena."

She took a deep breath, "A lot has happened since that night three weeks ago when Bonnie died and Silas...well you know." She reached out and took one of his cold hands within hers, trying in vain to get him to feel something. "I don't know what I would have done if Silas had killed you and I never got a chance to tell you that I...I want you to be happy, Stefan. But I know you won't find that happiness here in Mystic Falls." She brought his hand to rest over her unbeating heart, "A part of me will always love you, Stefan. You were there for me when I needed someone, and there are no words to tell you how much you mean to me." She let his hand drop out of her grasp, and his arm fell limply back to his side.

"It was a good speech," Damon said from behind her, and Elena quickly wiped the tears from her eyes before turning around to look at him. "Shh," he whispered, opening his arms so that he could embrace her. "Don't worry, we'll get through to him. It's just going to take some time."

"The blood really is helping, you know," Lexi said as she wandered back into the cell, "From the time they pulled him out of the water to the way he looks right now. There's been a tremendous improvement."

"You were there?" Elena asked in surprise, "When they pulled him out?"

"Yes, well...in ghost form, obviously."

"Uh, guys?" Caroline called from upstairs, "Could you get up here? Klaus is on the phone and...yeah, you'll want to hear this plan for yourselves."

Damon blurred upstairs instantly, and nearly knocked over one of the very last people he expected to see. "Abby Bennett? What on earth are you doing here?"

She gave him a twisted smile, "Sacrificial lamb, haven't you heard?"

"What?" Elena demanded, appearing behind Damon. "What do you mean?"

"Bonnie called me to say goodbye," Abby replied, "And told me the whole story. See, after that witch in New Orleans told her they'd need two sacrifices to bring her back—in order to not cancel out her sacrifice that brought Jeremy back—she decided it wasn't worth it. She didn't want anyone else to give their life." Then Abby straightened, "But she's my daughter, and she's only 18, and she hasn't gotten a chance to live her life yet. Me? I'm already dead. This vampire half-life isn't for me, and if there's something I can do to give my daughter a second chance, then I'm sure as hell going to do it."

Alaric nodded slowly, the respect clear in his gaze. "I understand where you're coming from, Mrs. Bennett."

Damon looked around the room with a frown, "Wait a second, where is everybody?"

"Well I'm still on the line," Klaus' voice came irately from the speakerphone in the living room, "In case everyone has forgotten."

"Tyler's gone, and so is Rebekah," Caroline said, keeping her voice expressionless. "They've gone to meet Hayley."

"Excuse me?" Damon sputtered, "They've what?"

"As soon as Sophie and her coven boarded that plane to return to New Orleans, I got Hayley and told her to run," Klaus admitted. "I told her to contact Rebekah when she was safe. I don't want her to get caught in the middle of this war brewing with Marcel. New Orleans isn't safe for the mother of my child or for my son...not yet."

Elena stared at the phone in confusion, "But, well...where are they now?"

"I don't know," Klaus answered promptly, "But Rebekah knows, and that's all that matters. There is nothing more important to her than family, and being human. I know this child will be in safe hands with her."

"And Tyler?"

"Will protect Hayley with his life," Caroline said in a small voice, "She helped him break the sire bond, and he feels indebted to her. I told him to go with Rebekah."

"Oh don't look so down, Blondie," Damon suddenly said, swinging an arm around her shoulders. "You did good. I'm proud of you." She raised her gaze to meet his, and he rubbed her shoulder affectionately. "And let me guess, where Rebekah goes, Matt will follow."

Caroline nodded resignedly, "Rebekah said they hadn't finished seeing the world yet, so he left with them too."

"And what about Davina? Aren't the witches going to kill her as soon as they set foot off that airplane?"

"Not if Marcel has anything to do with it," Klaus answered easily, "Don't worry, Davina will be protected for helping us. Now, is everything ready on your end?"

Elijah stood up from the sofa, where he'd been watching over Silas. "The vervain should be wearing off any minute now, it's time to bring Stefan out of the basement."

vi.

Lexi and Damon together brought Stefan upstairs and cautiously seated him across from Silas. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" Caroline asked worriedly, "What if he loses it?"

"Look, we weren't there for Stefan when he needed us the most," Elena sat on the edge of the coffee table, directly between the two doppelgangers. "We owe him at least this."

"Careful, Elena," Elijah suddenly said in a low voice, "Silas is beginning to awaken."

But she stayed where she was, determined to look Silas in the face when he came to. He blinked several times groggily, looking bewildered before he focused on her face. "My god," he whispered, his voice hoarse from lack of use. "It's true, it's really happened!"

Damon frowned, glancing over at Alaric. "What's he talking about?"

"I have a hunch," Ric answered, his gaze darting between Elena and Silas with interest. "Let's see if I'm right."

"What's happened?" Elena demanded from Silas, "Where do you think you are?"

"If you're here, then..." Silas reached out for her blindly, "Aeliana, is it really you?"

"No," Caroline snapped, grabbing her friend's arm and pulling her out of the way. "This is Elena, who the hell are you talking about?"

"Aeliana," Damon's brow furrowed, "Where have I heard that name before?"

"Earlier today, in the woods," Alaric told him, "When Silas spoke the name of his lover."

"Well, but why does he think..." Damon stopped, an arrested look crossing his face.

"Just as I thought," Alaric said with a grim smile, "Aeliana was the original Petrova."

To say that Elijah looked shocked would have been an enormous understatement. "But Tatia..."

"Was a Petrova doppelganger," Alaric finished, "Just like Katherine, just like Elena."

"It's not possible," Elijah stepped back, looking as if his whole world was crashing down upon him. "How can this be?"

"You can get the history lesson later, brother," Klaus' exasperated voice came over the phone, "Davina is about to do the spell. Tell your two sacrifices to join hands so they are linked."

Abby immediately strode forward and grasped hands with Silas, who in any case looked too delirious to understand what was happening. As soon as they touched, a golden spark emitted from their fingertips and a thin golden loop wound itself twice around their joined hands before disappearing.

"It is done."

"Splendid," Klaus replied, "Now for the actual sacrificing part..."

"Damon," Abby handed him a stake, which he reluctantly took. "You're the one who turned me before, I think it's only fitting that you finish the job."

"Abby, I don't think..."

She placed a hand on his chest, "Bonnie has told me the story, you know. That you swore to Emily Bennett that you would protect our line. Well, this is you protecting Bonnie, is it not?"

He let out a slow breath of air, and tightened his hand around the stake, looking regretful. "I'm sorry," he told her, "That it had to come to this."

Silas shakily stood up, "Wait a second, what the hell is going on here?"

"We're planning your death, TAKE A SEAT," Alaric swung his arm out, catching Silas by surprise. He staggered backwards, tripping over the edge of the coffee table and losing his balance. Even so, he still tried to make a run for it.

"STOP."

Everyone froze at the sound of the garbled voice. "S-stefan," Caroline breathed, her eyes wide. "My god."

Stefan didn't stand up, didn't move, but his arms had stiffened as his hands gripped the cushions below him. Veins rippled up and down his arms as he slowly lifted his head, looking as if the very movement was causing him indescribable pain. And then he grunted, his body trembling with exertion as he forced himself to his feet.

"Brother—"

He looked over at Damon once, unsmiling. "Fire."

Lexi hurried into the kitchen and returned moments later with a matchbox. She struck one of the matches and very carefully handed it to Stefan. He painstakingly took it from her, holding it between his thumb and forefinger as he broodingly stared at Silas.

"Knife."

Elena got an idea of where this was headed and reached into her boot for the very same knife they had all used on Silas earlier. It was oddly fitting that it should be used again in this manner. She met Stefan's gaze and nodded once to show that she knew what to do. "Damon, bring Silas over to the coffee table please."

Damon looked confused, but he grabbed Silas and forced him forward. Elena handed Stefan the knife and then grabbed Silas' arm and slammed it down against the table so that he his hand was splayed out. "Help me keep him down."

"Wait, wait!" Silas shouted, "What are you doing!?"

He wasn't even done screaming before Stefan swung the knife down, cutting off all of Silas' fingers in one swift movement. The ring sat on the table now, glinting dully in the light. Stefan dropped the bloody knife to the ground and clumsily reached down for the ring finger. He picked it up and stared at it, finally showing some semblance of emotion. "Mine."

Klaus' voice came over the speaker one final time, "Now."

And then Damon was plunging the stake through Abby's heart, and Stefan was throwing the flaming match at Silas, watching coldly as his doppelganger burned to death.

EPILOGUE

Damon stood at the window, his hand held out as he examined the setting sun glinting off his ring. If he listened hard enough, he would be able to hear Jeremy blasting music from his room upstairs. Enough weeks had passed, however, that Damon had learned to tune out the sounds of this so-called "music."

In his right hand, he held his daily glass of bourbon. His tribute to his friend, who was probably sipping his very own glass on the Other Side. Did they even have alcohol over there? He'd have to remember to ask Alaric the next time he saw him. And he was pretty sure there would be a next time, too. They didn't live in Mystic Falls for nothing.

He glanced over at the grandfather clock, which told him it was almost 5:30PM. Just two more minutes before they would arrive. And the two of them were ever so punctual. Every Friday, like clockwork.

Sure enough, in two minutes, he heard the crunch of gravel from his driveway and he peered through the window to see his car pull up. Elena had loved that car so much, he couldn't resist letting her borrow it for the time being. Especially if it was going to be the key that got her to arrive on his doorstep every Friday evening.

From upstairs, he heard the music stop as Jeremy no doubt heard the excited chatter filtering through the windows. Damon smiled, putting the half-full glass down on the table before moving towards the front door. A thumping sound on the stairs told him that Jeremy was rushing down, and Damon paused on the side of the staircase, not wanting to be run over by pent-up teenage hormones.

"Bonnie!" Jeremy eagerly swung open the door, barely sparing his sister a grin before grabbing his girlfriend and spinning her around in a circle. "I've missed you so much!"

"Jeez, Gilbert, it's only been a week," Damon began to tease, but his words died on his lips as Elena came through the door, her eyes shining excitedly. He leaned against the banister, beckoning her forward with one finger. "Don't tell me I have to invite you in."

Elena grinned, blurring forward and leaping into his arms and kissing him as if she hadn't seen him in months, rather than just one week. "Upstairs," she mumbled against his lips, and he immediately lifted her so that she could wrap her legs around his waist. When she blinked again, they were in his bedroom and falling fully clothed onto his bed. Elena giggled uncontrollably as Damon kissed his way down her neck, his fingers unbuttoning the front of her dress with vampire speed fingers. "I missed you too," she gasped, her laughter turning into a moan as Damon's hands slipped beneath her underwear, clearly not wasting any time.

Several hours—and rounds—later, Elena lay on her side, feeling fully sated. "Hi," she murmured, gazing up at Damon with a smile. "How was your week?"

"Long," he stroked her hair languidly, "Without you here."

"Good answer," she whispered, reaching up for a kiss. He bit her lip gently, teasing her for the night's events before letting her settle back into his side.

"What about you? How are you and Bonnie liking Whitmore?"

"I like it," Elena admitted, raising herself on one elbow. "The classes are interesting and I'm actually liking all my teachers so far."

"No creeps like Professor Shane that I have to take care of, are there?" Damon asked half-threateningly, "Because I will come out there if I have to."

She laughed, "No, no one like that so far." Her hand, which had been stroking his chest absentmindedly stilled as she asked casually. "So, have you heard from Stefan?"

"Yes," Damon answered carefully, "Actually, I have."

"He's still out in New Orleans?"

"Yup. He seems to be doing well. And Blondie is still out there as well, keeping an eye on him. I think it'll be good for him, having a support system out there. Klaus and Elijah are there to keep him from going off the rails, if necessary."

"I just don't want Caroline and Stefan to become involved in Klaus' vendetta against Marcel," Elena sighed, "That's why I told them to move somewhere else. Anywhere else really, other than New Orleans."

"Elena."

She rolled her eyes at his tone, "What?"

"You know why they wanted to move there, to that particular place out of all the places in the world."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Elena said dismissively as she flopped back down onto the bed, "Because of Klaus." She glanced up at Damon questioningly, "Hayley's baby will be born in a few months, won't it?"

He nodded thoughtfully, "Then Rebekah and Hayley will join the others in New Orleans."

She frowned, "What about Matt?"

"I think Mr. Quarterback will come back to Mystic Falls," Damon predicted, "It's his home, after all."

"You think so?"

"Yeah," he smiled over at her, "Everyone always ends up coming home, one way or another."

Elena heard her phone buzz and she reached over to the bedside table to get it, quickly reading the message from Bonnie that she and Jeremy were going out for dinner. Behind her, she could hear Damon rummaging around for something and she turned to ask him whether he wanted to join them in making a reservation.

But then all thoughts of dinner flew out of her mind, and her phone fell out of her hand, bounced off the bed, and clattered noisily to the floor. "Oh my god."

Damon was holding a ring out in his hand, a sparkling diamond set catching the light in the room just right. "My mother's ring," he told her in a soft voice, "She told me to give it to the girl that was my home."

Elena's hands flew to her mouth, tears already filling her eyes. "Damon Salvatore," she began to admonish, her voice shaking. But then she couldn't get any more words out because he was sliding the ring onto her finger, and it was a perfect fit, and there was really nothing else left to say except...

"Yes."

fin.