Only a few seconds passed till my phone dinged again, telling me that I had a new text message. I didn't bother to look at it since I knew it was Caroline. Telling her that I slept with Damon was a mistake. Now, all she did was text about how I shouldn't have done it, about what Stefan would think, about what would happen now, and whether she should call him Uncle Damon. All of that made me wish that I could reach through the phone and smack her in the back of the head. 

   "Aren't you going to answer that?" Stefan asked, pointing at my phone with his chin. The phone rested on the coffee table, its screen illuminating every now and then to show the rising number of text messages. "You have a new message."

   I waved a hand and leaned back, closing my eyes "It's just Caroline," I sighed. "She's either lecturing me or making fun of me, so I'm not going to answer."

   "About sleeping with Damon?"

   "Okay, does everyone know about that?" I asked with a little irritation. "I knew that I shouldn't have told her!"

   "It wasn't Caroline," he chuckled. "When Damon came home, he was whistling and had a smirk on his face. After Rose died, I came to the conclusion that something good must have happened."

   My cheeks began to heat up. I bit my bottom lip and looked down, a small smile spreading around my lips. There was happiness surging through the places where there was supposed to be hate. I hated him, I told myself that over and over again. But, there was a difference between telling myself that and actually feeling it. I didn't feel hate, but I thought of it whenever he was by me. It was like this buzz right by my ear that told me that I was supposed to hate him, but that part of my brain that held my emotions thought differently. 

   Stefan laughed and shook his head. "Is it like before?" he asked. "What I mean is, are you two getting back together?"

   I couldn't help but smile softly. "No, I don't think so. I think this was just a one time thing. He wasn't in a good spot last night, and I was there for him; it was just heat of the moment." I stopped talking and looked over at him. "I can't believe I'm talking to you about this."

  "Okay," he breathed, throwing up his hands. "I won't push about this anymore. Let's talk about something else, like how you're coming with me." He stood and began to walk out. I followed behind, taking my jacket with me. The weather was getting colder, and I wasn't a fan of such cold weather. 

   "Where are we going, anyway?" I asked. He had come to my house for a reason and it couldn't have been just to talk about Damon and I.

   He stopped as I locked the door, and looked at me. "We're going to Tyler's."

   "Do I get to threaten another werewolf?" I asked, a big grin forming around my lips. Stefan smiled and shook his head, obviously amused. "Sorry. Okay, no threatening the little wolf. But, what if—"

   "No threatening," he finished, raising a finger. "We're just going to talk."

   Instead of using a car, we sped to the Lockwood mansion. We were invited to the house before, which meant that we could just walk in. And we did. We stood took a stand by the desk in the late Mayor Lockwood's office while Tyler was on the computer. He looked up and saw us, and immediately tried to leave. I stopped him, smiling and shaking my head.

   "I'm not gonna hurt you," Stefan told him. "I just want to talk."

   "Then why did you break in?" Tyler asked, glancing between us. 

   "Would you have let us in otherwise?" I asked him, making a face. "Yeah, you wouldn't."

   "Tyler?" Carol Lockwood's voice rang through the house. He tried to run, but Stefan stopped him by pushing him against the wall. His face vamped-out, with veins under his eyes and the fangs protruding from his gums. "Shh," he hissed. "Not a word."

   "Tyler?" Carol continued. "I'm leaving for the memorial!" Her heels clacked against the floor and then the door closed. A few seconds later, Stefan released Tyler. 

   "Maybe we're getting off on the wrong foot here," Stefan said, smiling softly.

   "What happened to Mason?" Tyler suddenly asked. 

   "Tyler, there's a lot for us to talk about." Once again, Tyler tried to leave.

   This time, it was I that stopped him. "I wouldn't do that," I sighed, looking at him. "You're no match for us without a full moon."

   When he calmed down, I let him go. He sighed and took a seat at the head of the sofa. Stefan, on the other hand, took a seat on the desk, and I leaned next to him as I watched Tyler. It was the first time that I was formally speaking to him. I had seen him from afar, spoken about him, but never spoken to him.

   "I've seen you around," he commented, looking at me. "Who are you?"

   I smiled and wiggled my fingers as a wave. "I'm Clara Forbes. Nice to meet you, Tyler."

   "Forbes?" He glanced at Stefan, who nodded. "Like, Caroline Forbes?"

   "They're family," Stefan answered. "Look, about Caroline, no matter what her flaws are, when push comes to shove, you're gonna want that girl on your side. She's your friend, stop being a dick to her."

   "I thought vampires hated werewolves," Tyler tried to reason. 

   "That's some sort of leftover idea from another time," Stefan explained. "It doesn't have to be that way anymore. We go to the same school, we have the same friends. we keep the same secrets. This can work, Tyler. I mean, it's your home, it's our home too. I want this to work."

   Tyler nodded as if he were listening to Stefan's words deeply. That was when his phone began to vibrate. Him and Stefan stared at each other for a few seconds. Suddenly, Tyler dug in his pocket for the phone, and answered it. "Help, help!"

   Before he could say another word, I grabbed his phone and looked down at it. "Who's number was that?" I asked him. There was no name to tell who it was, just numbers. Out of anger, I threw the phone on the ground.

   Tyler didn't answer, and that made Stefan hiss. "Damn it, Tyler! We're trying to save your life, can't you see that?"

   "You want to be friends? Great, we're friends!" Tyler mused. "Will you two go now?"

   "I don't know what else to say to you, Tyler," Stefan said. "I came back to this town because I wanted a life, I wanted to exist where I could have friends and where I could build a family. I have that here, we can both have that."

   My phone began to ring then. I fished it out of my pocket to see that the caller ID said Caroline. With furrowed brows, I looked over at Stefan. He nodded. I stepped to the side. "Hey," I greeted. "Is everything okay?"

   "That depends," another voice answered. "How badly do you want to keep her alive?"

   My smile faded and I turned to look at Stefan. "Who is this?" I asked, swallowing hard.

   "Don't you remember me?" she sweetly asked. "Think back to your lover."

   "Jules..." I recognized, glancing down at Tyler. "Where's Caroline?"

   "You made a mistake, Clara," Jules hissed. "Both you and Stefan. I'm gonna give you a chance to fix it."

   "Where is she?" I repeated, my voice low and threatening. 

   "Right here. Want proof?" I heard the sound of a door opening and soft sobbing. "They need proof." Seconds later, the sound of a gun going off and Caroline's scream filled my ear.

   "Hurt her again and you're dead," I hissed lowly. 

   "I hurt her again and she's dead," Jules emphasized. "Bring Tyler to me, the clearing by Wickery Falls. You have twenty minutes until she dies." She hung up before I could say anything else. 

   I turned to look at Stefan. "We need to get her," I pleaded and grabbed his arm. "Stefan, we need to get her out of there!"

   "We will," he agreed, grabbing my hand. "Clara, we will."

   "I'm coming with," Tyler said, standing. "I-I got her into this, I should do something, right?"

   Hesitantly, we went to Wickery Falls. As we passed the falls, memories of the past came back. There were moments of happiness in these parts, moments that I would never get back. I recalled running around the trees with Damon chasing me, falling on top of dried leaves and laughing when Damon plopped on top of me. All of those happy memories had Damon in them. Remembering the now, they weren't so happy anymore.

   "I know you're out there," Jules yelled. I was too caught up in my thoughts to realize that we were a few feet away from an RV and Jules. Glancing towards Stefan, who nodded, we walked closer to her.

   "Where's Caroline?" I demanded.

   "Locked up tight," Jules answered. 

   "Let her go and I'll release Tyler," Stefan chimed in. "It doesn't have to get any messier than it already has. I'm not your enemy, Jules."

   "It's a little late to be waving the white flag, don't you think?" Jules snapped, glaring at Stefan and I. Mostly she kept her eyes on me. I didn't blame her. I mean, I did threaten to pull her heart out of her chest.

   "You need to leave this town," I snapped. 

   "No one else has to get hurt," Stefan finished. 

   "I'm not leaving without Tyler." Jules was headset on bringing the boy with her. And I began to wonder what was so important. He was a fresh new werewolf, but he had managed. Caroline was by his side, no matter how many times I told her that it was dangerous. 

   "Tyler is free to make his own decisions," Stefan said, "as soon as you release Caroline."

   "My brother, the peace maker," Damon joined in, slowly walking to us. "Since Stefan got here before me, I'm gonna let him try it his way before I resort to my way, which is a little bloodier. So, give us Caroline."

   "Let go of Tyler," Jules responded. 

   "Give us Caroline," I sighed, but it sounded more like a plead. "Without a full moon, it's not even a fight and you now it. We will take you."

   "I'm not sure about that," Jules smirked. She put her fingers between her lips and whistled. All around us, men began to come out. They had stakes and cross-bows. It made me realise that this wasn't a fair trade, it was a massacre. They intended to kill us whether we gave them the boy or now. "Let's try this again." Jules said. "Give us Tyler."

   "You heard her," Damon told him. "Go. Get over there." Tyler glanced at all of us before walking, very slowly, to Jules.

   "Which one of you killed Mason?" One of the men asked. 

   Before Damon could say anything, I stupidly smirked and raised my hand. "Uh, that'd be me." I cursed at myself for being so stupid. There was something inside of me that told me to protect Damon, which was a very stupid feeling.

   "Boys," the man called and pointed his stake at me, "make sure that one suffers."

   "What the hell, Clara?!" Damon quietly spat at me. "You're very, very stupid for doing that."

   "I know," I responded truthfully. "I don't know why the hell am I trying to save your ass."

   I didn't need to look at him to see that he was rolling his eyes. But, I did look at him when I heard his knuckles crack. "We can take them," he coaxed, glancing at his brother and I.

   "I don't know about that..." Stefan drawled on, looking around. 

   "Well then..." Damon hummed. 

   I looked up at him, and he was staring down at me with a disappointed look. Could you blame him? I took his fault for killing Mason, which was a very bad—and very stupid—idea. To make him—and myself—feel better, I gave him a soft smirk and a wink before speeding towards Jules. 

   She jumped on the RV and then sped away. I tilted my head to the other side, seeing the man that threatened me. I slowly marched to him, but was stopped when one man jumped from atop the RV and straight to me. Without hesitation, I pushed my hand through his chest and pulled his heart out, throwing it behind me. While looking at the man in front of me, I licked my fingers. 

   "Mmm," I hummed as I stared into his eyes. "Didn't know werewolves tasted this good." I lunged at him the same time he came at me. His hand was raised, the stake high and ready to be plunged into my chest. Before it even came halfway down, I gripped his arm tightly. I vamped put and prepared myself to bite into his neck when a piercing pain shit through my shoulder. I cringed and glared behind me, seeing a man with a cross-bow. He pulled the trigger three more times. I groaned out and fell back, the sting of the small wooden stakes piercing all through my back.

   The man that threatened me stood over me, the stake still in his hands. He smirked and leaned down, pointing the stake inches over my heart. Before he could push it in, he began to scream in pain. He held his head and fell back. I sat up slowly and saw that every werewolf was just like him. They were all screaming in pain, holding their heads as if this pain was just too much to bare. I thought they deserved that and more.

   "Elijah made a promise to Elena," a man said. "I'm here to see it's upheld. You need to go." He was looking at Stefan.

   Caroline ran over and helped me up, throwing my arm over her shoulder. With her help, I padded to where Damon and Stefan were standing. In front of them stood the man that took the werewolves down. I recognized him, but I didn't remember from where. "Get out of here," he ordered. "Now."

   Someone grabbed my other arm and hoisted it over their shoulders. When I turned my head, I saw Damon. He didn't look down at me, instead he helped me without a word. The four of us walked away without a look back. The only place we stopped was in front of a car, which belonged to Damon. I leaned against it, my elbows holding me up. 

   "Do you need some help?" Caroline asked. 

   "Yes, please," I groaned, looking over my shoulders at her. "Get them out."

   "I'll do it," Damon sighed, coming over to us. His cold hands traced up my back as he helped me pull of my jacket. They were cool, soft, and felt just like they did last night. My neck and cheeks began to heat up at that thought. When I felt his eyes on me, I began to think of something else to calm the flushing. But, I couldn't. All that ran through my mind was him, his hands, and his lips.

   "Damn it!" I yelled when Damon pulled out one of the stakes from my shoulder. He chuckled, held on to my shoulder and pulled out another one. I closed my hands into fist, almost as if they would stop the pain.

   "Just two more, Clara," he cooed.

   "Don't tell me, Damon!" I yelled, shutting my eyes closed. "Just do it!"

   "Damon!" Caroline and Stefan chorused.

   "Yeah, yeah," he sighed, lightly squeezing my shoulder. He pulled out another one, and the last one following immediately. I let out a shiver and began to move my shoulders. 

   "I freaking hate werewolves!" I yelled, continuing to move my shoulders. "Ooh, I swear I'm going to kill them next time!"

   "Yeah, well, there isn't going to be a next time for you," Damon said, crossing his arms. "You're going to be under house arrest."

   "Oh, please!" I sighed, rolling my eyes. "Have I done something—"

   "You took it upon you to say that you killed Mason," Stefan cut in, crossing his arms. "I think Damon's idea of keeping you under house arrest is a good idea. We can keep you safe that way."

   I smirked and crossed my arms, looking at Damon. "You know, you're right. I can stay under house arrest. Right in the house where there is countless bottles of booze and blood."

   "No, you're staying in your house," Damon countered. "I'm keeping an eye on you."

   "You know what?" I walked over to Caroline and swung an arm around her shoulders. "I'm staying with my niece."

   "Oh, no!" She shook her head and hands. "I'm not getting in the middle of this lover's quarrel." I squeezed her arm and continued to smile over at Damon. "Okay, ouch! Fine. Clara's staying with me tonight."

   "Oh no, no, no, no!" Damon disagreed. "She's staying where I can keep an eye on her."

   "They don't know where Caroline lives," Stefan agreed with me. "I think it's better for Clara to stay with her."

   "You're taking Blondie's side?" Damon asked in disbelief. "I can't believe you! And you, Clara, after what happened last night."

   "Oh, cut the bullshit, Damon!" I groaned, walking over to him. "What happened last night was because you felt like shit. You slept with me because you wanted to feel better, not because there were emotions involved." I swallowed hard and glared at him. "Don't ruin what meant something to me."

   I turned and walked away with Stefan and Caroline, leaving Damon behind. My chest began to squeeze with each step that I took further away from him. Caroline invited me to her house, and immediately showed me where was the shower. I allowed her and Stefan to talk while I took a shower, and then her and Matt to talk. I got out only after she hung up.

   "Is everything okay?" I asked, walking in to her room slowly.

   "Why is love so hard?" she breathed, looking down at her phone with a frown.

   I smiled and began to dress myself with the clothes she laid out for me. "Losing yourself in the heart of another is quite easy," I said. "It's also terrifying. Exhilarating. Like entering an ocean with no lifeguard and not knowing how to swim.You know you're going to drown, but you still go in anyway, hoping that the waves will somehow keep you floating."

   Caroline stared at me, her phone between her hands. "Is that how you felt with Damon?"

   I stopped moving and looked at her through the mirror, and smiled. "Is it... Is it that noticeable?"

   "Yeah," she giggled. "What was he like? You know, back then when he was actually a nice person."

   "Damon back then and now are to different people," I decided. "Even though both him and Stefan were respectful and polite, Damon had this dark side to him; it was terrifying in the most thrilling way. He used to be so carefree, but I don't know what changed him. To be honest, I don't know what changed him completely."

   "Katherine," Caroline groaned. "Ugh, it must have been her!"

   I chuckled. "Maybe, but he changed because he wanted to. I just... There's something inside of me that tells me that the old Damon is still in there somewhere, and I don't know why it keeps telling me that because I know he's not. The Damon then and the Damon now are two different people, and it pains me to see what a mess he's become."

   "Clara, do you still love him?" Caroline asked with a slight frown. I shook my head. "Yeah, I don't believe you. I may not exactly be Team Damon, but... As my ancestor and great-aunt, I want you to be happy."

    "Yeah, well, we can't have everything we want in life," I smiled. "Now, go take a shower. I think you need it."

   As she was about to head to the shower, there's a knock on the door. I follow behind her as she heads to it and opens the door. Stefan was standing there, a small smile around his lips. 

   "What's going on?" Caroline asked.

   "I was a bit worried about you after everything you went through tonight," Stefan said with a small smile.

   "I'm fine," she sighed.

   "Good," Stefan nodded. "But just in case, I brought some backup." Elena and Bonnie appeared behind him, both wearing big smiles on their faces.

   "We're gonna slumber it!" Elena laughed.

   "We haven't done it in ages," Bonnie joined. That was when Caroline began to cry. Elena and Bonnie stepped in and hugged her tightly. 

   "That's my turn to go," I said, grabbing my clothes and smiling at them. "I'll wash your clothes and give them to you tomorrow." I looked at Caroline. She came over to me and wrapped her arms around me, hugging me. I was surprised, but I hugged back and laid a gentle kiss on her cheek. "You know my number if you need me," I told her before letting go.

   "I'll take you home," Stefan offered. I agreed and followed him, waving at the trip as I waved goodbye. His car was warm, since the heater was one and he didn't bother to turn off the car. I leaned my head back and enjoyed the hot air hitting my face. "Is it good like that or do you want it hotter?"

   "It's cold outside," I laughed, hitting his chest with the back of my hand. "The warm is good."

   "Didn't you like summer?"

   "Late summer," I corrected him. "I liked it when it was between warm and cold, when you only needed a sweater or a long-sleeved shirt."

   "So, between early fall and spring?" Stefan chuckled. "You're very complicated, Clara."

   "Mmm, I get that a lot," I smiled. "So, what have you been up to?"

   "Uh, I've been trying to find out where this Klaus is," he answered. "To find out, I sort of invited Elena's dad so he could help me find Isobel, who can help me find Klaus."

   "And this Klaus is an Original?" I asked.

   "Didn't you meet him when you were with Elijah?"

   "I don't..." I furrowed my brows and ran a hand through my hair. "I don't remember... I remember travelling with him around the world, but I don't remember if there were other people."

   "Do you think..." Stefan trailed off and as he bit his thumb deep in thought. "Do you think he compelled you?"

   "I think he compelled me many times," I commented with a sigh. "But, he was my teacher, my friend, I could say nothing. There were times where I wanted to leave, but I never took it upon myself to actually do so. And then, fifteen years ago, I left. I just left, and I don't exactly remember why."

   "I think you we're compelled," he concluded, nodding. 

   "Oh, that makes me feel a lot better. Thanks, Stefan!" I sarcastically said, rolling my eyes. "I only spent like one hundred years plus with the guy, and maybe he erased half of those memories. No big deal!" My smile faded as I continued to talk about my past with Elijah. I didn't know whether to be confused or sad.

   "I'm sorry," Stefan suddenly apologised. "You have history with the guy, I probably shouldn't be making it bad."

   "No," I shook my head. "Elijah is the enemy now, and I should get used to that. The Elijah I knew then and the one I know now are not the same person."

   Sort of like Damon, I added in my mind. 

   "I'm sorry, Clara," Stefan apologised again. 

   I smiled over at him. "You shouldn't be," I repeated myself. "It's just reality now. So, want to come in or do you have to leave for some secret mission you won't tell us about till two days later?"

   He turned off the car with a soft smile, and followed me as I made my way to the front door. His hands were in his pockets, shoulders slightly raised as he tried to stop the cold. I opened the door and walked in, making him close it behind him. "Want anything?" I asked as I laid my keys on the kitchen counter. "Tea? Blood? Maybe coffee?"

   "How about we catch up?" he suddenly asked, looking at me with a small smile. "We told each other almost everything back then, how about we continue that now?"