Klaus' plan to turn the werewolves he found at the Rocky Mountains to hybrids failed. Each of his hybrids had to be killed, or they bled out. They had gone rabid to the point where they went after Klaus and but Stefan and I. Stefan was bitten by Ray, and I was bitten by three other werewolves that decided I would be a great snack. Thankfully, Klaus was nice enough to give us his blood.

   After his plan failed, he told us that our next destination would be Chicago. He didn't exactly explain why we were going to the Windy City. Instead, he woke us up in the middle of the night and decided that Chi-town would be the best place to go.

   "Welcome back to Chicago, Stefan," Klaus chuckled as we got out of the car. We were in some some storage unit a few miles outside the city.

   "What are we doing here?" Stefan asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

   "I know how much you loved it here," Klaus hummed, opening a door and showing the night view of Chicago. "Bringing back memories of the good old ripper days?" The bright lights danced in the night, along with the sound of a few sirens and the distant echo of laughter.

   "Blacked out most of them," Stefan said, watching the city. "A lot of blood, a lot of partying. The details are all a blur."

   "Well, that is a crying shame," Klaus chuckled. "The details are what makes it legend. Word was the ripper of Monterrey got lonely, so he escaped to the city for comfort. It was prohibition. Everything was off limits then, which made everything so much fun." He turned his head from the marvellous view of the city to me, a small smile around his lips. "Chicago was magical." 

   I looked away from him, looking down at my shows instead. The look he gave me wasn't one that wasn't one that made me feel uncomfortable exactly. The look he gave me was one that resembled memories. It was as if he was remembering something from a long time ago.

   "Yeah, well, I'll take your word for it," Stefan sighed. "Like I said, I don't remember most of it."

   "Going to get down to business, then?"

   "Why are we still with you?" Stefan questioned, furrowing his brows in annoyance more than curiosity. "We had our fun, your hybrids failed. I mean, don't you want to move on?"

   Klaus' amused expression left his face. "We're going to see my favourite witch. If anyone can help us with our hybrid problem, it's her."

   His witch owned a bar right in the middle of the city. It had a baroque feeling to it, and I felt as if I knew the place. I had been there before, I recalled. I drank, I danced, I laughed, and... I don't remember most of it. My memory was still hazy with figures resembling silhouettes. It annoyed me to the point where I continued to crack my knuckles when it wasn't even necessary.

   "You got to be kidding me." A feminine voice stopped me from going to the walls filled with pictures.

   Klaus smiled. "So, a hybrid walks into a bar, and says to the bartender..."

   "Stop," the woman stopped him, shaking her head. "You may be invincible, but that doesn't make you funny." The woman was a rather tall lady with white hair and broad shoulders. She looked so familiar, but at the same time she didn't.

   "Thank you!" I breathed, shaking my head.

   The woman turned her head to me, a brow raising. "I remember you," she said. She then turned her head to Stefan. "And you."

   "Yeah. You're Gloria," Stefan said with a small nod.

   I remembered who she was. Gloria was the owner of the bar. Back in the twenties, she used to sing beautifully. I remembered dancing to one of her songs with Elijah, grinning ever so widely as she stood on top of the stage with a bright white dress. 

   "Shouldn't you be..." I began.

   "Old and dead?" she finished for me, a smile around her plump lips. "Now, if I die, who's going to run this place, huh?"

   "Gloria's a very powerful witch," Klaus said.

   "I can slow the ageing down some," she revealed, still smiling. "Herbs and spells. But don't worry, it'll catch up to me one day."

   "Stefan. Clara. Why don't you go and fix us up a little something from behind the bar?" Klaus suggested. Well, it wasn't really a suggestion. It was more like a sign, telling us to leave so he could speak privately to her.

   "Yeah, sure," Stefan sighed, moving to the bar. 

   I followed suit, taking a seat on a stool in front of him. As he made some drink, I took a seat on the counter besides him. He took bottle after bottle, mixing it in a glass. I watched as he skilfully served the alcohol, his hands moving fast. Back when we were alive, he wasn't really a drinker. None of us truly were. We only drank on special occasions, such as parties. Now, we drink to soothe the cravings.

   "You've been here before?" Stefan suddenly asked, breaking my thoughts.

   I looked down at him, nodding. "In the twenties," I responded with a deep breath. "It still hasn't changed that much."

   "Wait." He put the drink down and stared at me. "The twenties? Clara, I was here during the twenties, too. How come I, uh... How come we didn't see each other?"

   I was going to shrug, but a picture on the wall behind me caught my eye. With a confused expression, I took it from the wall and stared at it for a couple of seconds. "Maybe... Maybe this is the answer why." I showed Stefan the picture.

   He took it from my hands, brows furrowed. "What is this?" he asked out loud, turning to Klaus. The picture was of him and Klaus in the twenties, both smiling. Stefan had his arm draped over Klaus' shoulders, almost as if they were old friends.

   "Well, I told you, Stefan." Klaus stood and slowly made his way to us. "Chicago is a magical place."

   "But this is me..." Stefan muttered, glancing from the picture to the hybrid. "With you." He kept the picture with him as we walked back to the storage unit. "This doesn't make any sense!" he continued. "Why don't I remember you?"

   "You said it yourself, that time had a lot of dark holes," Klaus responded, an annoyed tone on his voice.

   "No, if you knew me, then why haven't you said anything?"

   "I'm a little busy right now," Klaus continued, walking. "Memory Lane will have to wait."

   "Wait!" Stefan grabbed him the arm, turning him to him. "What the hell is going on? Tell me."

   Klaus took his hand away from his arm, glaring with a slight smirk. "Let's just say we didn't get off to a brilliant start. To be honest, I hated you." His eyes left Stefan's and met mine as he told the story about how Stefan had an affair with his sister, Rebekah.

   Klaus walked to one of the coffins, opening it to reveal a blond woman dressed in the twenties attire. He smiled and gently touched her face, ending his loveable gesture by pulling out the dagger that was on her chest. "Time to wake up, little sister." He continued to stare down at the girl. "Any day now, Rebekah. She's being dramatic."

   "Look, why don't you just tell me what the hell is going on?" Stefan asked as he paced, a small sarcastic smile around his lips. "I mean you obviously want me here for a reason, right? And Clara, there must be a reason of why you want us both here."

   "Well, you have many useful talents," Klaus nodded. "In fact, I learned some of my favourite tricks from you." He told the story of how Stefan and Rebekah were close, and how Stefan made a man drink the blood of his wife. I listened to him with interest, almost as if I were being told a tale of heroes and villains. It was weird hearing about Stefan being such a bad person, but it was also inviting.

   "I was your number one fan," Klaus ended, walking away.

   "Why should I believe any of this?" Stefan asked, making a face as we followed a few steps behind.

   I sighed and pushed the hair out of my face. "You can't make stuff like this up, Stefan. You were a bad guy when your humanity was off, we all are."

   Klaus stopped and compelled one of the guys who handled the transport of the coffins, "When she wakes up, tell her to meet us at Gloria's bar. Then volunteer your carotid artery and let her feed until you die." He continued to walk away.

   "Where are you going?" I asked, following behind him. I was anxious to know more about how he spent his time in the twenties in Chicago when I was here as well. Did we ever cross paths? I wanted to know.

   "Stefan thinks I'm lying," he said, not stopping. "We knew each other. He trusted me with one of his secrets, and now I'm going to prove it to him."

   "How?" Stefan asked.

   "We're going to your old apartment."

   Stefan's old apartment was filled with small trinkets from the twenties. There were a few journals around, but over all there was more dust than anything else. Stefan's secret was that he wrote the names of his victims on the walls of the hidden small closet. It was filled with alcohol, but there was also someone else. When we left, Stefan showed me a text message saying that Elena was hiding in the closet, which made me feel surprised. She couldn't be here alone, which meant that Damon was here as well.

   After going to Stefan's apartment, we went back to Gloria's. Instead of following the depressed vampire and the psychopathic hybrid to the bar, I ordered a drink and made my way to the pools table. Even though I was playing and laughing with those that tried to flirt with me, I kept my hearing open to hear what Klaus was telling Stefan. From what he said, they sounded like good friends. It was surprising to hear about a friendship that seemed so strong, yet it was only like that because Stefan didn't have his humanity on.

   "So, I'm confused," Stefan sighed. "If we were such good friends, then why do I only know you as a hybrid dick who sacrificed my girlfriend on an altar of fire?" He sounded drunk.

   I felt eyes on me then. When I looked up, I saw Klaus looking at me with a soft smirk on his lips. "All good things must come to an end," he said, turning back to Stefan.

   He compelled Stefan to forget about him and Rebekah. It made sense now. After the shooting at the bar, with the wooden bullets, he had to make Stefan forget because he was running from someone. He was covering his tracks, and it made prefect sense. What didn't make sense was that I remembered that shooting, but I didn't remember him or his sister, or Stefan. I didn't remember them, but I remembered the event. 

   "Why can't I remember?" I uttered under my breath, staring at nothing. I dropped the stick and marched towards Klaus, slamming the glass on the table besides him. "Why can't I remember?"

   "Remember what, sweetheart?" he asked, pushing a shot glass to his mouth.

   "You," I responded. "Why can't I remember you, Klaus?"

   He stopped drinking and slowly turned to me, tilting his head slightly to the side. "What are you talking about, Clara?"

   "I remember the shooting, the one where the police shot this place up with wooden bullets; I remember that! But... But, I don't remember you, or Rebekah, or Stefan..." I took a deep breath and calmed down my breathing. "Did you compel me as well?"

   "Hmm," he hummed, looking down at the alcohol in his glass. 

  "I remember being without Elijah for a few months," I continued, staring into his eyes. "I remember this place, a few drinks, dancing, but I don't remember you. Klaus, please. Did you compel me as well?"

   "How about one thing at a time?" he asked, raising a brow with a small smirk appearing around his lips. It wasn't the same smirk he always wore, the one that told everyone that he was evil. It was a smirk that was full of many feelings, not just bad. "If I gave everything back, it would overwhelm you. Wasn't that what happened when you remembered everything Elijah ever compelled you to forget?"

   "So, you did compel me..." I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, nodding. 

   Klaus looked into my eyes and softly said, "Remember the moments we had in the twenties, no more."

   Just like a movie, thoughts began to reel through my head. The black silhouettes at the bar became full figures, Klaus and Rebekah. I was good friends with Rebekah; dancing, laughing, drinking both alcohol and blood. And then, Klaus... It seemed that was in good terms with him. We laughed, we danced, we drank, and... We kissed? It wasn't a kiss filled with love, it was a kiss filled with blood and alcohol and adrenaline. 

   I began to remember his hands roaming through my body; his hand on my waist, his fingers tracing my neck, back, and cheeks. There was a smile on his face during those small happy moments that I began to remember. We danced, a lot. We moved through the dance floor slowly to Gloria's songs, our chests pressed together and our eyes locked. Rebekah teased us about being a couple, but I shut her down with a roll of my eyes and a, "Bekah, please!"

   The memory that stood out the most was when we were alone. Rebekah and Stefan were dancing to a slow song while Klaus and I had a couple of drinks in front of us. We were talking, and the conversation turned to one where Klaus became sad. I grabbed his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, looking up at him with a smile filled with admiration. And I wondered how could no one see the gentleness in him.

   Stefan appeared as well. We remembered each other, and it was exhilarating meeting him as a ripper. It was basically me who introduced Rebekah to him when she asked who was he after we danced. And then, it ended with the shooting. Klaus had compelled Stefan to forget who he and Rebekah were, and that I was alive. And, then, Klaus compelled me to forget that Stefan was alive. He said that it was because he knew how sad I would be that a friend wouldn't remember me being alive, because forgetting was better than remembering.

   "Forgetting is better than remembering," I softly repeated, keeping my eyes on Klaus'. "You made me forget all those times, and even Stefan? Is that why I don't remember so many parts of my life?"

   "You catch on quick, love," Klaus chuckled. 

   "Please, give those memories back," I quietly pleaded, taking a step closer. "I want to remember them, Klaus."

   He kept his eyes on me for a few seconds, and then went back to his drink. "With time, love. With time." He poured himself another shot, letting out a soft chuckle. "I see they've opened the doors to riffraff now."

   "Oh, honey, I've been called worse."

   I turned to see Damon a few inches away from me. He stared down at me, his eyes cold and hard and filled with so many emotions. I stared back, my mouth falling open and feelings beginning to swarm all over me. Staring into the icy tendrils of his eyes, inhaling the scent of leather and bourbon, it all made me want to move closer and wrap my arms around him.

   "You don't give up, do you?" Klaus asked.

   "Give me my brother and Clara back," Damon stated, looking from me to Klaus. "You'll never have to see me again."

   "Well, I'm torn," sighed Klaus, standing. "You see, I promised Stefan and Clara I wouldn't let you die, but how many freebies did I really sign up for? And clearly you want to die, otherwise you wouldn't be here, so..."

   "What can I say?" Damon gave him a small smirk and shrugged. "I'm a thrill seeker."

   Klaus' hand suddenly went past my head and wrapped around Damon's neck. I took a step back from the surprise, almost falling back from the suddenness. Klaus began to push a small umbrella toothpick to Damon's chest, a small and mischievous smirk around his lips.

   "Oh, dear, what was that?" Klaus sarcastically asked. "I'm a little boozy, so you'll have to forgive me if I miss your heart the first few tries." He pushed the toothpick to another part of his chest. "Oh! That's not it. Hmm..." Once again, he plunged the toothpick to another part of his chest. "Oh, almost."

   "You want a partner in crime?" Damon began, softly groaning. "Forget Stefan and Clara; I'm so much more fun."

   Klaus tsk'd and threw him to the other side of the bar, breaking a table. "You won't be any fun after you're dead." He broke the feet of a chair and began to slowly walk to him, a small smirk around his lips. I was about to stop him from killing Damon, but Gloria intercepted by burning the makeshift stake with her powers. 

   Klaus groaned, "Really?"

   "Not in my bar," Gloria told him, shaking her head. "You take it outside."

   Klaus rolled his eyes and pushed Damon back to the ground. "You don't have to negotiate your brother's and Clara's freedom," he smirked, quickly glancing at me. "When I'm done with them, they won't want to go back." He stood and strutted back to the bar. 

   I ran to Damon, helping him up. While glancing at Klaus, I pushed Damon out of the bar with my hands shaking. It was as if my heart stopped seconds before Gloria thankfully burned the stake. I could still feel it trying to calm down and go back to its original beating.

   "What the hell, Damon?" I hissed once we were outside, pushing on his chest. "Why the hell would you come looking for Stefan and I?"

   "Because I need to get my brother back," he sighed, looking down at me. "Because I need to get you back, Clara. You left right after telling me all those things and giving me the cure; I haven't been able to sleep since then."

   "It doesn't matter anymore," I said, shaking my head. "It's in the past, and the past doesn't matter anymore."

   "Not even your feelings for me?" he suddenly asked. "Those don't matter anymore?"

   I stood still for a moment, letting his words sink in. Did my feelings for him matter? They couldn't. For that past two months, I'd tried to forget that my heart continued to beat wildly when I remembered his smile, his touch, his sarcastic comments that made me want to smack him in the back of the head. It was as if every feeling had accumulated to the point where it felt as if my heart would stop from the many feelings Damon made me feel: anger, sadness, but most of all—love.

   "No," I quietly decided. "They don't matter anymore, Damon, because a one-sided love means absolutely nothing."

   "One-sided, huh?" he sighed. I felt him reach for my hand and laid a piece of paper on my palm. "Open that when I leave, okay?" With no other word, he turned and made his way to the car. Elena was sitting on the driver's seat, messing with the necklace she always wore. She had a saddened look on her face, which meant that she must have spoken to Stefan.

   I caught Damon's eyes as he turned on the car. He gave me a small smile, and drove away. I watched as the car sped away, disappearing with other cars on a main street. A hand on my shoulder made me jump. I turned to see Stefan looking at me with a frown.

   "Is everything okay?" he asked. 

   I sighed and looked down at what Damon gave me. It was a small paper envelope, closed with a red string. Slowly, and with trembling hands, I opened it. Inside the envelope was a ring; alternating rows of ravishing diamonds and blue sapphires, gracefully secured on a golden band. There was scroll-work and pierced detailing along the sides of the ring that complimented the gemstones beautifully. That small ring made me let out a sob and close my fist around it. 

   "Hey, hey!" Stefan suddenly wrapped his arms around me, pulling me to him. "Clara, hey, calm down. What happened? Is everything okay?"

   "No!" I suddenly snapped, shaking my head. "Nothing's okay, Stefan!" I pulled away from him and showed him the ring. "Damon gave me this, and nothing is okay!"

   "Your engagement ring..." Stefan sounded surprised, almost as if he couldn't believe it. "He kept it after all these years?"

   I fell to my knees and continued to cry while holding the ring close to my chest. How could a simple ring from my past make my heart ache to the point where everything I had been holding back for the past two months came out? I sobbed and sobbed, uncaring about my appearance or the people that passed by in front of me with a strange look. I didn't care about Klaus and if he heard me from inside the bar. All that mattered was getting my feelings out, of thinking that maybe Damon did love me back.

   I remembered all the happy moments we had shared; the laughs, the cries, the happiness that swarmed inside of me like birds in flight. There were moments where we used to laugh for no reason, where he used to tease me with kisses, where he used to wrap his arms around my waist and lift me in the air with a heartfelt laugh escaping his lips.

   "Clara..." Stefan softly said, running his hand down my hair. "Hey, come on... We need to meet Klaus where he has the coffins. Come on, pull yourself together." He pulled away from me and wiped away the tears on my cheeks with his thumbs, giving me a small, gentle smile. 

   "I..." I inhaled deeply and looked back down at the ring, admiring it once again. When I died, I had it on my finger, so I wondered why did Damon have it. My parents would have buried me with it, right?

   "You have questions, I know," Stefan sighed and pushed himself down to take a seat next to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and pulling me to him. "We all do, Clara. I want to know how the hell did I ever become friends with Klaus, and how did I date his sister. You want to know if Damon loves you... There are so many questions that need to be answered, but... But, we're not going to do this alone, okay?" He laid a gentle kiss on top of my head. "It's just you and I now, Clara. We'll have to fight hard if we want to go back to Elena and Damon."

   "I tried so hard..." I began to confess, staring at the empty street in front of us. "I tried so hard to stop myself from caring about Mystic Falls, but I can't. I wanted to do everything in my power to help you return because everything is there for you, but... I've realised that I miss everything about that horrendous town, Stefan. I miss my house; I miss The Grill; I miss Caroline; I miss the boarding house; I miss Damon."

   "I know," Stefan softly said, his voice mixing in with the numerous cars. "I know. But, come on. We can think about them later. Now, we need to meet Klaus."

   After cleaning myself up and reapplying the bit of make-up I had on my face, I left the bar with Stefan. We went to where Klaus kept the coffins, and entered just in time to hear him and a lovely voice. The other voice was feminine, lovely, filled with much more emotion. I remembered hearing that voice when Klaus returned back the memories from the twenties, and instantly recalled for that to be an awaken Rebekah.

   "I understand that you're upset with me, Rebekah," Klaus' voice rang around the unit. "So, I'm going to let that go. Just this once. Brought you a little peace offering. Come in!"

   Stefan and I looked at each other, nodded, and took the final few steps to present ourselves to her. She stood in the same white dress from the twenties, her chest slightly covered in dried blood. Her lips were red, her eyes were wide like a doe, her hair was messy yet looked as if she intended it to be that way.

   "Stefan..." she softly said, staring at him with her mouth slightly open. The surprise dissolved into a smile. She then looked at me, the same smile on her lips. "Clara..."

   Klaus turned to Stefan, "Now, you remember..."

   Stefan stood still, his eyes slightly wide. It was just like what happened to me earlier; he was remembering everything. It was sudden, but it came fast to him. Those hidden memories came back, but they didn't faze him as they did to me. He stood there, a small smile appearing around his lips as he took careful steps closer to her. "Rebekah..."

   "Stefan," Klaus stopped him.

   Stefan turned and stared at him, his eyes just as wide. "I remember you... We were friends."

   "We are friends," he corrected him, laying a hand on his shoulder.

   "And Clara." Stefan turned to me, the same smile around his lips. "You were there..."

   "Surprise!" I softly said, lifting my hands half way and wiggling my fingers. I had decided to push back every feeling that made me cry in front of the bar, only to hide it from Klaus. The ring was deep in my pocket. With every movement, small or big, I patted the space to check if it was still there.

   "And now the reason you're here." Klaus stopped the reunion by look at his sister with a stern look. "Gloria tells me you know how to contact the original witch."

   "The original witch?" Rebekah asked, her tone annoyed. 

   "What do you have that Gloria needs?"

   Rebekah reached for her neck, and suddenly became paranoid. She looked down, touching her smooth chest over and over as if something would appear if she continued. "Where's my necklace?" she asked, looking up at her brother. "What did you do with it? I never take it off!"

   "I don't know. I didn't touch it," Klaus replied, sounding both annoyed and angry.

   "We need to find it, Nik!" she yelled. "Now! I want it back!"

   "Tell me that's not what she needs, Rebekah!" Klaus yelled in return, grabbing her shoulders. His voice rose higher than hers, surprising me. 

   Rebekah pushed his hands away and turned to the coffin, searching through the faded white inside. She pushed things out of the way and groaned in frustrations, finally snapping. She slammed the coffin closed and threw it to the ground.

   As I thought back to the memories, I began to remember a necklace Rebekah always wore with her pearls. It was a simple silver necklace with eccentric circular designs that had an Old World vibe to it. Realizing where that necklace was currently—wrapped around Elena Gilbert's neck—I turned my head to Stefan with wide eyes. This was bad, really bad.